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Chapter 38: Releasing River Lanterns and Honoring the Dead
🕑 Added 2024-10-01 09:32:12 +0000 UTCThere is a saying: “Mastering spells without understanding principles leaves one with nothing in the end; understanding principles without mastering spells is like wasting ten years of effort.”
Theoretical knowledge is also a critical component of examinations.
To outperform other clerks, one must be well-rounded. When spell proficiency is similar, those with better theoretical understanding are more likely to be promoted.
Zhao Xing casually picked up a book from his bookshelf titled "Seventy-Two Phenomena of the Lunar Calendar," which was part of the ancient Shennong Division text "Seasonal Instructions Explained." The original author is untraceable, but it was later recompiled by Wu Cheng, the Grand Shennong Officer during the era of the Taizu Emperor.
“In the early days of the first lunar month, the east wind thaws the ground; the harmony of the sun brings warmth, causing the cold to dissipate.”
“In the second period, hibernating insects begin to stir; ‘stir’ refers to movement.”
“In the third period, fish rise to the surface under the ice. ‘Rise’ refers to gathering and ascending. The yang energy has already stirred, causing the fish to swim upwards toward the ice.”
Zhao Xing activated his Night Vision spell and began to carefully read.
In ancient times, the sages of the agricultural school sought to understand stable celestial phenomena, attempting to discover consistent and long-lasting patterns. Thus, many theories were born.
"Seventy-Two Phenomena of the Lunar Calendar" was one such theory.
It divided time into five-day periods called "hou." Three "hou" made up a phase, six phases made a season, and four seasons made a year. The twenty-four solar terms of a year were divided into seventy-two "hou."
Each "hou" corresponded to a natural phenomenon, known as "hou responses."
For instance, plant-based responses included the sprouting of buds, blooming, and fruiting. Animal responses included the first movements, calls, mating, and migration of creatures. Non-living responses included the freezing of water, the first sounds of thunder, and the moistening of the soil in the heat of summer.
“In the early days of the second lunar month, peach blossoms begin to bloom; the harmony of the sun intensifies from here.”
“In the second period, orioles begin to sing; this refers to the yellow oriole bird.”
“In the third period, hawks transform into cuckoos. Hawks are predatory birds. During this time, they transform into cuckoos, and in the autumn, the cuckoos revert back into hawks.”
The "Seventy-Two Phenomena of the Lunar Calendar" recorded many wondrous events.
For example, in the early days of the second lunar month, there is the ‘hawk transforming into a cuckoo.’
In the early days of the third lunar month, there is the ‘mouse transforming into a quail.’
At the end of the ninth lunar month, ‘sparrows transform into clams.’
These phenomena result from seasonal changes, combined with drastic environmental and vital energy shifts, leading to ‘species transformations.’
The aforementioned examples are not even the most exaggerated.
In older versions of "Seasonal Instructions Explained," it was recorded that in certain regions during the early days of the fourth lunar month, ‘earthworms transform into earth dragons.’
This means that earthworms can transform into hundred-foot-long earth dragons!
In the early days of the eighth lunar month, ordinary swallows could transform into ‘Heavenly Fate Swallows!’
And at the end of the twelfth lunar month, in the northern sea, the ‘transformation of the Kun into the Peng’ occurs, where giant Kun fish rise overnight to transform into massive Peng birds that soar through the heavens!
Regular ‘hou transformations’ are measured in years, but beyond that are ‘ten-year transformations,’ ‘century transformations,’ and even ‘millennium transformations.’
The version of the text compiled by Wu Cheng only recorded the ‘ten-year transformations’ and made brief mentions of ‘century transformations.’
As for the near-legendary ‘millennium transformations,’ they were omitted.
This was because even a Shennong Officer might never witness a millennium transformation in their lifetime. Moreover, since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, changes in vital energy have become less intense, making such phenomena increasingly rare.
Another reason for the omission was to avoid taboo subjects.
For example, the ‘Heavenly Fate Swallow transformation.’ It was said that the Taizu Emperor of the Shang Dynasty was nourished by a Heavenly Fate Swallow. If another Heavenly Fate Swallow appeared today, it might lead to unrest.
“In my previous life, I witnessed the ‘transformation of the Kun into the Peng’ twice in the North Sea, but I can’t recall the exact time. As for the Heavenly Fate Swallow, I’ve only heard of it but never seen it in person. I wonder if I’ll have the chance in this life.”
“But transformations like these weren’t recorded during the reign of Emperor Jing. At most, there were century transformations. When and where did they occur again?”
Zhao Xing pondered, his memory somewhat hazy, vaguely recalling that these events were associated with certain historical incidents.
“Man came to earth and turned yellow soil into pure gold.”
“The Five Elements honor earth and do not compete with fire for fame.”
Zhao Xing continued to study "The Theory of the Five Elements and the Four Seasons," another classic text that unified the Five Elements and the Four Seasons, forming a comprehensive theoretical system.
“The Five Elements align easily with heavenly stems and earthly branches, but pairing them with the seasons has troubled the sages of the agricultural school for generations, causing headaches for countless exam candidates,” Zhao Xing chuckled as he read.
He had taken many exams related to the Theory of the Five Elements and the Four Seasons. A proper Shennong Officer must master the principles of the Five Elements and Yin-Yang. Otherwise, the seasonal commands they issue, and the resulting transformations, would be chaotic and improper.
“The most popular theory currently is the ‘Soil Dominates Late Summer Theory,’ where spring corresponds to wood, summer to fire, late summer to soil, autumn to metal, and winter to water.”
“This system still has flaws. The correlation between fire and soil is underrepresented, which disrupts the balance between the Five Elements.”
“For now, I’ll study it further. We’ll see what the exam questions are and plan accordingly,” Zhao Xing mused.
Though he understood more refined theories from his past life, those ideas were too advanced for this era and might not be applicable today.
As a county-level clerk, if he wrote something too groundbreaking for the imperial exams, it might cause a stir. Being too high-profile might not be wise, so he preferred to proceed cautiously.
After studying through the night, Zhao Xing finally put down his book as the rooster crowed.
He glanced at his status panel, already showing a series of records.
【You have read under the night sky. Night Vision proficiency +2.】
【You have read under the night sky. Night Vision proficiency +3.】
【You have read under the night sky...】
Night Vision was relatively easy to master, with proficiency increasing almost minute by minute.
Studying intensely without noticing the passage of time, Zhao Xing focused on improving his Night Vision spell, soon reaping significant results.
After just one night, his Night Vision spell had broken through to the fourth level.
Night Vision was just the entry-level effect of the Night Vision spell.
To achieve the level where ‘Night Vision can perceive spirits and ghosts,’ the fourth level was still far from enough.
“It seems I’ll have to take some shortcuts,” Zhao Xing muttered as he left his home and headed to the market, where he bought a large bundle of mugwort leaves, a box of premium tung oil, as well as yellow paper, bright sand, and Tianshen grass.
After a big shopping spree, he returned home.
“I hope I remember the fast-track method for the Night Vision spell correctly. I wonder which genius player figured this out.”
Zhao Xing murmured as he lit a mix of mugwort leaves, bright sand, and Tianshen grass.
A column of smoke rose, thick and unwavering.
Zhao Xing leaned over the smoke and began to let it waft over his eyes.
“Hiss~”
The smoke wasn’t irritating; in fact, it had a faint, pleasant fragrance, but it really stung his eyes!
Before long, Zhao Xing felt a sharp burning sensation. He endured it for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before finally pulling away.
Then, he rubbed tung oil on his eyelids, feeling an instant cooling relief.
【Night Vision spell proficiency +20】
【Night Vision spell proficiency +30】
The pain wasn’t in vain; the spell’s proficiency began to jump.
Following the same method, Zhao Xing repeated the process.
Every day, aside from practicing weather and earth cultivation spells at the Shennong Division, he spent his evenings focusing on mastering Night Vision.
Finally, before the 22nd of August, Zhao Xing had trained his Night Vision spell to the ninth level.
“Tomorrow is the End of Heat solar term, with the traditions of releasing river lanterns and honoring the dead. I wonder if I can gain some benefit from it.”
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