Shennong Dao Master
Chapter 609 - 2: Examination at the Li Fire Daoist Academy (Da Zhang 12,000)_6

Chapter 609: Chapter 2: Examination at the Li Fire Daoist Academy (Da Zhang 12,000)_6

In late July, he went to Xue Mansion to give the Old Minister of Agriculture a longevity treasure.

He had no power to change Xue Wenzhong’s official position, but the Old Minister of Agriculture hadn’t taken many longevity treasures.

Zhao Xing gave Xue Wenzhong longevity treasures in batches.

With the naked eye, the Old Minister of Agriculture’s complexion visibly improved, and he looked younger.

By doing this, Xue Wenzhong could live for another fifty or so years. Unfortunately, even at the peak, Ninth Grade could only live up to one hundred and fifty years.

To truly extend his life, an official position upgrade was needed.

For this reason, Zhao Xing interacted more frequently with officials at all levels of the County, Prefecture, and Province.

He hoped to find an opportunity in the future to help Mr. Xue get a promotion.

In early August, Zong Shichang and Liu Muqing got married, and their close friend Lu Qian was also present.

However, Zhao Xing had almost forgotten her. It was only upon meeting again that he remembered this girl had once liked him.

Everyone had their own aspirations. They just met briefly at the banquet, exchanged a few words, and then parted ways.

In late August, Zhao Xing discussed relocation matters with his family.

"The land the court granted me is in the eastern part of Pinghai State, covering over one hundred thousand acres, along with a feudal land, yielding a few hundred taels of taxes each year. Of course, we don’t need to rely on tax revenues to live," he had to mention.

Because Zhao Xing still had to make a trip to the Li Fire Taoist School, yet his vacation only had a little over two months left.

"Moving so far away?" Zhao Ruide was somewhat hesitant,

It was common for officials to take their families when taking office, but Zhao Ruide wasn’t very willing.

"Yes," Zhao Xing said.

If Prince Liang rebelled, the southern region would be the first to bear the brunt.

Nanyang County seemed far from the battlefield, with a straight-line distance of only forty to fifty thousand miles.

For high-grade warfare, this was really not far. Military warships could strike within a matter of hours.

Mrs. Cai didn’t mind, but she worried about Zhao Zheng’s education: "Next year, he is supposed to enter Nanyang College. What about his spot when we move?"

Zhao Xing said, "Don’t worry. Once there, I can arrange for him to enter Bishui Daoist School, which is even better."

"How much better?"

"..."

Zhao Xing was puzzled. Did Mrs. Cai not understand the term "better"?

Zhao Ruide saw this: "Why ask for specifics? Even if Xing explains it to you, you won’t understand."

Mrs. Cai laughed awkwardly: "Then I’ll go make dinner, you two decide."

"Do we have to go?" Zhao Ruide was still somewhat reluctant.

"It’s best if we all go," Zhao Xing said. Although the defensive array of the provincial capital wasn’t that easy to break, and Nanyang County wasn’t a strategic foothold, he felt more at ease taking them there.

After all, Zhao Ruide and Mrs. Cai had no self-defense skills and weren’t officials.

As for others like Xue Wenzhong and Zong Shichang, he had different plans for them at that time.

"Let me think it over," Zhao Ruide said.

"Alright."

...

In the 20th year of Jingxin, early September.

Zhao Xing had roughly arranged things in Gucheng.

On September 10th, Zhao Ruide finally agreed to move.

On that day, Zhao Xing found Chen Shijie and also dragged Long Xiao, who had been wandering without a clue, to Chen Mansion.

"The three of us should go to the Li Fire Taoist School to take the permissions exam," Zhao Xing said.

The new positions for Chen Shijie and Long Xiao were also in the East Sea area; all three had the same result.

The East Sea was far too distant, as Nanyang County was located in the southwestern part of Pinghai State. The longest straight-line distance to the East Sea coast exceeded three million miles!

Flying there by seventh-rank warship would take over a month just to get there.

If they didn’t obtain the permissions from the Li Fire Taoist School, it would be difficult for them to make the trip back and forth easily.

"I have no issues. I’m planning to take Gui Niang with me this time anyway," Chen Shijie said.

"I have even fewer problems," Long Xiao said, "I have no attachments. I can leave anytime."

"I don’t think so," Chen Shijie said, giving a sidelong glance: "The girls of Hui Xiang Building are still your attachments."

"What nonsense are you spouting!" Long Xiao blushed, "I just go there to listen to the music! I haven’t done anything."

"Yeah, right."

"..."

Zhao Xing laughed: "Alright, let’s get down to business. Our transfer orders will come out around the end of September or early October. The Military Department will give us a month to travel."

"We need to pass the exam before early October; otherwise, we’ll have to take a ship there."

"Once we pass, we can stay a bit longer."

Chen Shijie asked, "When do we leave?"

Zhao Xing replied, "It’s already September 10th; let’s depart in five days. After the exam, we’ll come back to get everyone."

Long Xiao scratched his head: "Which permissions exam are we taking? I forgot."

Zhao Xing explained: "The Li Fire Taoist School has five levels of permissions: Hundred Arts Master, Preaching Master, Doctor of Governance, Vice Dean, and Dean."

"Hundred Arts Master has three free passes for personal matters each year. For official tasks, there’s no cost."

"Preaching Master can use the Li Fire Altar without charge for both public and private matters."

"This corresponds to the True Disciple and protector levels of the Ancient Sect era."

"As for Doctor of Governance, Vice Dean, and Dean of the branch academies, their roles are equivalent to elders."

"Not only can they use it themselves, but they also have several opportunities each year to allow others to use it without charge."

Zhao Xing said, "We just need to pass as Honored Preaching Masters. We can bring family members when using it, and a few family members won’t be a problem."

Long Xiao asked: "Is it hard? I’m most afraid of exams."

Chen Shijie said: "The Hundred Arts Master is not difficult. The position is essentially a teacher at the Li Fire Taoist School."

"It’s just about teaching from textbooks. It requires a broad knowledge base but not necessarily mastery."

"However, for the honorary Hundred Arts Master, you still need to create a method, but the difficulty is lower."

"A Preaching Master has a unique understanding of the Dao and must have at least created one spell. Moreover, the created spell should not be too low-level. Others must be able to reach a high realm by following it."