Chapter 38: Releasing River Lanterns to Commemorate the Departed Souls
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As the saying goes: “Master the methods but not the principles, and a lifetime comes to nothing; master the principles but not the methods, and ten years of effort are wasted.”
Theory was also an extremely important part of the examination.
If he wanted to outshine the other minor officials, he had to be well-rounded. When candidates’ spellwork was roughly equal, the one with the stronger theoretical foundation would be selected for official appointment.
Zhao Xing casually took a book from the cabinet. It was called *The Seventy-Two Seasonal Signs of the Monthly Ordinances*. It had been compiled into the ancient agricultural classic *Explanation of Seasonal Instructions*. Its original author was unknown; during the reign of the founding emperor, it had been revised and reorganized by Wu Cheng, the Grand Minister of Agriculture.
“First sign of the first month: the east wind thaws the frozen earth. The warmth of spring arrives, and the hardened ice melts away.”
“Second sign: hibernating insects begin to stir. To stir means to move.”
“Third sign: fish rise and carry the ice upon their backs. ‘Rise’ means to accumulate, to ascend, and to grow high. The yang energy has begun to stir, and the fish gradually swim upward, drawing close to the ice.”
Zhao Xing activated the Night-Seeking Bright Eyes spell and began to study the text carefully.
In ancient times, the sages of agriculture had sought stable celestial patterns, attempting to discover laws that were consistent and enduring. Thus, they had created numerous theories.
The *Seventy-Two Seasonal Signs of the Monthly Ordinances* was one of them.
It divided the year into periods of five days, three such periods making a seasonal node, six seasonal nodes making a season, and four seasons making a year. The twenty-four seasonal nodes of the year contained seventy-two signs in all.
Each sign corresponded to a particular natural phenomenon, known as its seasonal indicator.
Plant indicators included the budding of young shoots, flowering, and the bearing of fruit. Animal indicators included the first stirring, the first cries, mating, and migration. Inanimate indicators included the beginning of the freezing of water, the first peal of thunder, and the moistening of the soil beneath the damp summer heat.
“First sign of the second month: the peach trees begin to blossom. The warmth of spring gives rise to life, and from this point onward it gradually grows stronger.”
“Second sign: the golden orioles begin to sing. The golden oriole is the warehouse warbler.”
“Third sign: hawks transform into turtledoves. The hawk is a fierce bird of prey. At this time, the hawk transforms into a turtledove, and in autumn the turtledove transforms back into a hawk.”
The seventy-two seasonal signs recorded many wondrous phenomena.
For instance, during the first sign of the second month, hawks transformed into turtledoves.
During the first sign of the third month, mice transformed into quail.
During the final sign of the ninth month, sparrows entered the water and became clams.
These were the transformations of living things caused by the changing seasons, compounded by drastic fluctuations in the environment and primordial energy.
The examples above were not even the most outrageous.
The ancient edition of *Explanation of Seasonal Instructions* also recorded that, in certain regions, during the first sign of the fourth month, “earthworms transformed into earth dragons.”
In other words, earthworms could grow into earth dragons a hundred yards long!
During the first sign of the eighth month, “suckling swallows transformed into Dark Birds.” Ordinary swallows and sparrows could become the Mandate-Bearing Dark Bird!
During the final sign of the twelfth month, in the lands of the Northern Sea, there could be a “Kun-Peng Transformation.” In a single night, a Kun fish could soar upward and transform into a great Peng bird of the Ninth Heaven!
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Ordinary seasonal transformations were measured in years. Beyond them came transformations lasting ten years, a hundred years, or even a thousand years.
The edition compiled by Wu Cheng recorded only the ten-year transformations, while merely mentioning the hundred-year transformations in passing.
As for the nearly mythical thousand-year transformations, they had been excised.
An agricultural official could not possibly witness a thousand-year transformation within his lifetime. Moreover, after the founding of the Great Zhou, the changes in primordial energy were no longer so violent, and the likelihood of such events grew ever smaller.
There was another reason as well: taboo.
Take the transformation of suckling swallows into Dark Birds. “The Mandate-Bearing Dark Bird descended and gave birth to Yin.”
According to legend, the founding ancestor of the Yin Dynasty had been raised by the Mandate-Bearing Dark Bird. If another such bird were to appear in some household, it might well trigger unrest.
“In my previous life, I witnessed two Kun-Peng Transformations in the Northern Sea, but I can no longer remember exactly when they occurred. As for the Mandate-Bearing Dark Bird, I have only heard of it and never seen one with my own eyes. I wonder whether I will have the chance in this life.”
“But it seems that during the reign of Emperor Jing, there were no thousand-year transformations—at most, only hundred-year transformations. When and where did one occur?”
Zhao Xing thought for a while. His memories were somewhat blurred. He vaguely remembered that it seemed to have been connected with certain events.
…………………
“When man comes to the earth, prosperity follows; yellow soil turns to true gold.”
“Among the Five Phases, earth is supreme; it does not compete with fire for glory.”
Zhao Xing continued reading *The Theory of the Five Phases and the Four Seasons*. This too was a classic work, one that coordinated the Five Phases with the Four Seasons and created a logically complete theoretical system.
“The Five Phases are easy enough to match with the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches. Matching them with the Four Seasons nearly drove the agricultural sages to despair—and made life miserable for agricultural candidates.” Zhao Xing could not help smiling as he looked at the book.
He had taken many examinations on the theory of the Five Phases and the Four Seasons in his previous life. An authentic agricultural official’s revision of the *Seasonal Node Decrees* required a thorough grasp of the principles of yin and yang and the Five Phases. Otherwise, the seasonal orders he issued and the seasonal nodes he altered would become utterly incoherent.
“At present, the most popular theory is the Earth-Rules-Late-Summer doctrine: wood in spring, fire in summer, earth in late summer, metal in autumn, and water in winter.”
“Under this system, the Five Phases are still imperfectly matched to the months. The periods assigned to fire and earth are too short, and the arrangement cannot be reconciled with the idea that the Five Phases should occupy equal standing.”
“For now, I will make do with it. I’ll see what questions appear on the examination and decide then,” Zhao Xing thought.
He understood many more complete theories from later ages, but their versions were too advanced and might not suit the present day.
As a mere county-level clerk, if he produced some shocking and unprecedented theory, it might cause a tremendous disturbance at the palace examination. Drawing too much attention was not necessarily a good thing. He would have to take matters one step at a time.
…………………
After studying bitterly through the night, Zhao Xing finally set down his books when the golden rooster crowed.
He glanced at his status panel. A long string of records had already appeared.
[You read in the darkness. Bright Eyes spell proficiency +2]
[You read in the darkness. Bright Eyes spell proficiency +3]
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[You read in the darkness…]
The Bright Eyes spell was easy to practice. Its proficiency increased almost by the minute.
Unaware of the passage of day and night, Zhao Xing focused entirely on the Bright Eyes spell, and soon achieved conspicuous results.
After one night, the Bright Eyes spell had already broken through to the fourth turn.
Night vision was merely the entry-level effect of the Bright Eyes spell.
To achieve the effect of “using Bright Eyes to see ghosts and spirits in the dark,” the fourth turn was still far from enough.
“Looks like I’ll have to take a shortcut.”
Zhao Xing left the house and hurried to an apothecary in the market district. He bought a large quantity of mugwort, along with a box of top-grade tung oil.
At the same time, he purchased yellow paper, bright sand, Heavenheart Grass, and several other items.
After a large round of shopping, he returned home.
“If I remember correctly, this is the fastest way to cultivate Bright Eyes. I wonder which ruthless player came up with it.”
Muttering to himself, Zhao Xing ignited a mixture of mugwort, bright sand, and Heavenheart Grass.
A column of smoke rose in a single slender stream, condensing without dispersing.
Zhao Xing leaned over the smoke and began fumigating his eyes.
“Hiss…”
The smoke did not sting his throat. Instead, it carried a faint fragrance. But it burned terribly in the eyes!
Before long, Zhao Xing felt a sharp heat and, after enduring it for the time it took to drink a cup of tea, had no choice but to pull away.
He then rubbed tung oil onto his eyelids. A cool sensation spread across them, bringing considerable relief.
[Bright Eyes Night Vision spell proficiency +20]
[Bright Eyes Night Vision spell proficiency +30]
His suffering had not been in vain. His spell proficiency began to surge.
Following the procedure above, Zhao Xing began practicing repeatedly.
Every day, aside from going to the Agricultural Directorate to cultivate the spells of Celestial Timing and Earthly Advantage, he devoted his evenings to the Bright Eyes spell.
Finally, before the twenty-second day of the eighth month, Zhao Xing had cultivated the Bright Eyes spell to the ninth turn.
“Tomorrow is the Beginning of Autumn’s End seasonal node. People will set river lanterns afloat and offer sacrifices to the souls of the dead. I wonder whether I can fish up any good fortune.”
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