Chapter 24: A Change of Dynasty

The following day, Yu Ting, the governor of Youzhou, Yuzhou, and Qingzhou, submitted his resignation, which was promptly accepted.

The tense atmosphere in the capital suddenly dissipated.

Qin Yuan canceled his plans to leave the city and devoted himself entirely to refining his "Indestructible Vajra Divine Art." There was no helping it; aside from this technique, he had nothing else of value to show for himself. The "Daoist Scriptures" were for cultivating internal energy, but his magical power generated itself automatically without any need for practice. Once his internal energy had converted into magical power, he had simply cast it aside.

In the blink of an eye, two years passed.

The old tree in front of the door sprouted new buds, and the withered wood in the courtyard bloomed once more. Deep in a cold, damp basement, Qin Yuan had not visited the Office of Left Historians for a long time. Through repeated experimentation, he had actually managed to figure something out: by subjecting his body to constant external stimuli, he could manifest a thin, golden film over his skin.

Qin Yuan cast his gaze toward the piles of bottles, jars, and cages before him. These items had cost him a full three hundred thousand taels, nearly emptying his purse. He picked up a bottle containing "Thirteen-Fragrance Bone-Softening Powder," a concoction ten times more potent than the standard "Ten-Fragrance Muscle-Softening Powder."

Without transforming, Qin Yuan swallowed it directly. A sensation of weakness quickly washed over his entire body, but the Indestructible Vajra Divine Art automatically resisted it. During this process, the golden film on his skin thickened slightly before fading away.

Qin Yuan reached into a cage and took out a toad. It was less than two inches long, bright red like blood, with eyes that glowed with a golden light and a croak like a bull. As Qin Yuan squeezed his fist, the toad shriveled up, and its venom seeped into his palm and throughout his body. The Indestructible Vajra Divine Art resisted again. The golden film became much more distinct than before, then vanished once more.

Qin Yuan went to retrieve another poisonous creature, only to realize that, unbeknownst to him, he had used them all up.

"Transform."

Qin Yuan instantly turned golden. Unlike previous transformations, a shimmering film of gold now coated his skin. With this golden film and his thirty years of magical power—his original thousand years of internal energy had converted into ten years of magical power, and he had gained another twenty years over the past two—he figured he should be able to defeat the Empress Dowager. Or, well, perhaps it would be better to simply outlive her. It was best not to take unnecessary risks if he could avoid them.

"Time to return to the Office of Left Historians," Qin Yuan muttered to himself.

After cleaning up, Qin Yuan arrived at the tranquil Office of Left Historians.

"My ancestor, you've finally arrived!" Lu Yunfei, who had put on a fair amount of weight, dragged Qin Yuan into his room.

"What's wrong?"

"What's wrong? My friend, you've been absent for a full three months! If I hadn't covered for you, you would have been struck from the roster long ago," Lu Yunfei said, sounding rather annoyed.

"My thanks."

Had Lu Yunfei not mentioned it, Qin Yuan wouldn't have realized so much time had passed. Time was truly a fleeting thing, but fortunately, he had plenty of it.

"Where have you been all this time? I went to your house to look for you, but the door was locked."

"I wanted to break through to the eighth rank, so I went out to find people to fight," Qin Yuan said, making up a lie. He knew Lu Yunfei wouldn't bother checking every single person.

"And? Did you break through?"

"Mm." Qin Yuan nodded.

"You really reached the eighth rank?" Lu Yunfei’s gaze toward Qin Yuan was no longer as casual as it once was. An eighth-rank expert was a guest of honor anywhere. "Why don't you join the Prince of Gong's estate?" Lu Yunfei suggested. If he could convince an eighth-rank expert to join, his own status would certainly rise. Two years ago, thanks to the connections of the Prince of Gong's butler, Lu Yunfei had become part of the Prince of Gong's faction.

Qin Yuan shook his head. "I only practice martial arts for self-preservation. I have no interest in fame or fortune."

"You..." Lu Yunfei looked disappointed. "I’m planning to celebrate. Are you coming? My treat."

"I'm in." Lu Yunfei seemed to come back to life. "Should we call Pingping?"

Shao Pingping had also joined the Office of Left Historians as a scribe. Since ancient times, the profession of a historian was usually passed down from father to son.

"No need, he definitely won't go."

Before long, the two arrived at the Lixiang Pavilion, one of the most famous brothels in the capital. Under the hazy night, the building was filled with the fluttering of red sleeves. No man passing by could help but stop and stare. As soon as Qin Yuan and Lu Yunfei walked in, Miaotong, the woman who had wanted to be Qin Yuan's concubine nine years ago and had since become the madam, greeted them with a group of gorgeously dressed girls.

"Yuanda," Miaotong said. She had lost the youthful spirit of her younger days, but had gained the allure of a mature woman. "Which of my daughters would you like to accompany you?"

"None of them." Qin Yuan picked Miaotong up by the waist and headed upstairs.

"Oh my, who goes to a brothel to sleep with the madam instead of the young girls?" Miaotong feigned annoyance, but her eyes were filled with smiles. It showed she still had plenty of charm. In truth, she was only twenty-seven or twenty-eight. In his past life, she would have been considered a stunning, mature beauty. Plus, having practiced dance for years, her figure was impeccable.

The other girls looked disappointed.

"Ladies, I'm still here!" Lu Yun