Chapter 150

Chapter 150: You Are Not the Only Mystic Arts Master

Li Feng stared at the shackled Yu Jian Ren and asked: “Is he the young master of some lord’s house, or a high-ranking noble?”

Yu Zhi Yi said calmly: “Do you know the former Minister of Revenue, Minister Yu?”

At that moment, Li Feng glared at Yu Jian Ren with pure hate. [If looks could kill, Yu Jian Ren would have been cut to pieces already.]

When a few people in the crowd began throwing rotten eggs and wilted leaves at Yu Jian Ren, Li Feng had to fight the urge to throw his teacup too. He held back only because the teacup belonged to the Drunken Immortal House and breaking it meant he would have to pay for it. And he had no money.

Hearing Yu Zhi Yi’s question, he froze, then thought about the answer. The former Minister of Revenue… He had been staying at Yiluan Charity lately and had heard bits of the big proprietor’s background. People said she was the daughter of the former Minister’s Manor, but not the true daughter. More than ten years ago, a greedy farmwife had swapped the real daughter and left behind a fake. Yu Manor was supposed to be her home.

But from Yu Zhi Yi’s voice, she sounded so cold about Yu Manor. [It is like that place has nothing to do with her at all.]

He remembered to answer: “I have heard of him,” then asked: “So this scoundrel is the Yu clan’s young master?”

He did not dare point straight at the tie between Yu Zhi Yi and the Yu clan’s young master.

Yu Zhi Yi gave a small laugh and said: “What young master? He is only the former steward’s eldest son from Yu Manor.”

Li Feng stared wide-eyed and blurted: “The steward’s eldest son, then he is just a servant!”

He was so shocked that his voice went sharp, loud enough for the people below to hear it.

Yu Jian Ren heard and lifted his head to glare toward the upstairs window. From his angle he could not see Yu Zhi Yi, only Li Feng, and his face turned stiff and ugly.

Yu Zhi Yi said: “That’s right, just a servant.”

Li Feng could not make sense of it and said, half outraged: “A mere servant can order a magistrate to do his bidding? He can cover the sky with one hand?”

Yu Zhi Yi sighed and said: “At a prime minister’s gate, even seventh-rank officials wait in line. That is how it is.”

At first she had not understood either. But when she thought about her own place in Yu Manor, she understood. Small people who cling to the powerful gain courage to do evil. The servants of Yu Manor saw that she was out of favor, and because some masters covered for them, they tried to bully her. It was common.

By then the crowd below had learned what Yu Jian Ren had done. They found out he was only a servant from the former Minister’s Manor, yet he dared to throw his weight around and ruined a good family. He dragged down a promising student and turned him into a nobody. People were furious.

Some shouted: “Rotten-hearted villain!”

Others spat and yelled: “Born bad! Just a lowly servant, yet he relied on the powerful to harm the innocent. He deserves death!”

As more rotten eggs and leaves hit Yu Jian Ren, more details came out. People learned that less than a hundred li away, in Lin Zhang County, a dog of a magistrate bullied the weak and tricked his superiors. To curry favor with the powerful, he caused countless wrongful deaths.

They also learned that a newly appointed Ministry of Justice director had noticed that the case files from Lin Zhang County were suspicious and called for a retrial. Because of that, the corrupt magistrate fell, the wronged spirits found peace, and the skies over Lin Zhang County turned clear again.

Before this, the people treated the brand-new Ministry of Justice director, Yu Zhi Yi, with jokes and curiosity, and many doubted her. Now they were fully convinced and even felt respect.

Someone cried out: “Official Yu is a true just official of our time!”

Another said: “No wonder His Majesty promoted her straight to director. Her skill and character deserve praise. With a just official like her, there will be fewer wrongful cases. Ordinary people like us will live safer lives.”

Li Feng looked at Yu Zhi Yi and said: “Proprietor, everyone admires you.”

Yu Zhi Yi raised her brows. The feeling was strange to her. Being admired, trusted, and thanked was a pure emotion she had rarely felt in her two past lives. In her last life she hid in the shadows behind Zhang Tian Shun as a strategist. Later she won over proud commanders and soldiers who looked down on women, but even their respect was not the same as what these common people were giving her now. She felt deeply moved.

That very night she added one line to Yiluan Charity’s brochure: His Majesty is benevolent.

From then on, anyone who came for help had to listen first to a short talk. They would learn that, though Yiluan Charity was founded by two proprietors, His Majesty knew about it and openly supported it. Afterward, everyone who was properly placed and helped not only felt grateful to the hands-on Yiluan Charity and held faith in proprietor Yu Zhi Yi, they also remembered the kindness of His Majesty.

Yu Zhi Yi’s heart stirred. She sensed several forces different from the golden light of merit. After surprise, joy lit her face. It was the power of faith. This power was even harder to gain than merit. She did not yet know how to use it, but she knew it was precious. [Do gods and buddhas not build temples among people to gather faith?] She did not need it yet, but she would never turn it away.

Besides that, because she had won justice for the people of Lin Zhang County, she received golden light of merit too. There were dozens of strands. Her blood raced. If she refined this merit, she did not know how far her strength would rise.

In the Mystic Sect, a person must pass six great realms from entry to ascension: the Mortal Realm, the Qi Refining Realm, the Foundation Establishment Realm, the Golden Core Realm, the Nascent Soul Realm, and the Divine Transformation Realm. After reaching the Divine Transformation Peak, there is a chance to face Tribulation Lightning and ascend.

Once a cultivator reaches the Qi Refining Realm, they can control weapons from afar and use simple spells. After reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm, their power multiplies, though they are still “human.” They simply have endless ways to crush normal people. If a Qi Refining cultivator might still be killed by a sea of soldiers or a famed weapon, then a Foundation Establishment cultivator can crush tens of thousands alone. Those who reach the Golden Core Realm are called immortals by common folk, not because they cannot die, but because Golden Core mystic arts practitioners can fly through the sky and move under the earth.

In her last life, after a lifetime of hard work, Yu Zhi Yi had only reached the late stage of the Qi Refining Realm. In this life, with the help of converting merit into strength, her cultivation speed shot up. In just a few months she had caught up to where she was before. If she refined these new strands of merit, she might break into the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Heat rose in her chest. For once she could not sit still. After saying goodbye to Li Feng, she took Li Rou and headed home. When they walked into a narrow alley, Yu Zhi Yi’s eyes went cold. There was an ambush.

At the same time, in a dim room, a woman spoke with an icy look: “There are other mystic arts masters in this world besides you.”