Rain drifted over Riverfall County like a thin gray veil.
A steady autumn drizzle soaked the tiled rooftops and traced crooked streams down the stone-paved streets. The air carried the damp chill of early winter, and the town had not yet fully awakened.
Most shops remained shuttered. Only the occasional lantern flickered behind paper windows, casting dim yellow light into the mist.
Inside the modest compound of the Spirit Warden Bureau, smoke curled lazily from the kitchen chimney, drifting into the pale morning sky.
Li Shen stood beneath the wooden eaves of the courtyard corridor, holding a simple breakfast wrapped in oiled paper.
Six copper coins had bought him a flat cake and a fried dough stick.
Nothing more.
He ate quietly while watching the rain ripple across the courtyard stones.
Each droplet struck the ground with a soft, steady rhythm, forming tiny rings that overlapped and vanished.
Today mattered.
In less than an hour, an envoy from the capital would arrive.
The promotion assessment for junior wardens would begin.
If Li Shen passed, he would finally shed the plain blue apprentice robe he had worn for nearly a year and receive the black mantle reserved for official Spirit Wardens—embroidered with celestial patterns that symbolized authority granted directly by the imperial court.
To outsiders, it might appear to be a minor change in clothing.
But within the bureau, it represented an entirely different status.
Respect.
Authority.
And most importantly—
Access.
Better resources meant better cultivation techniques.
Better techniques meant faster progress.
Li Shen chewed slowly, his mind already turning toward the upcoming assessment.
Over the past few days, he had carefully reviewed the records of countless ghost cases handled by the bureau. Each report contained small details—patterns of behavior, environmental clues, weaknesses.
Knowledge could decide a battle before it even began.
Compared to his opponent, however, his combat experience was still lacking.
Ma Qin had spent years hunting spirits across multiple counties.
If the evaluation focused purely on combat ability, the outcome would be far from certain.
Which meant Li Shen would have to rely on something else.
Observation.
Preparation.
Strategy.
Just as he finished the last bite—
A hand suddenly snatched the remaining food from his fingers.
"You're eating this garbage again?"
Li Shen didn't even bother looking up.
Only one person in the entire bureau spoke to him like that.
Lin Qingyu stood in front of him with her arms crossed.
Her expression carried the familiar blend of irritation and smug satisfaction, as if she had just caught someone committing a particularly embarrassing crime.
"You have an important evaluation today," she said, frowning. "And this is what you choose to eat?"
Li Shen glanced at his now-empty hands.
"It's cheap."
"That's not the point!"
Before he could say anything else, Lin Qingyu placed a lacquered food box on the wooden table beside him.
Three tiers.
She opened them one by one.
Steam immediately drifted upward, warming the chilly air beneath the eaves.
The top layer contained a bowl of fragrant fish porridge.
The second held several neatly arranged osmanthus pastries dusted with golden crumbs.
The final layer revealed a row of delicate soup dumplings, their thin skins glistening as broth shimmered inside.
Li Shen blinked once.
"That looks expensive."
Lin Qingyu lifted her chin proudly.
"My family's chef prepared it."
Li Shen picked up a spoon and tasted the porridge.
The warmth spread through his chest almost instantly, the rich flavor far surpassing anything sold by the street vendors outside.
His eyes brightened—just slightly.
"Your chef is talented."
Lin Qingyu's expression softened, though she quickly tried to hide it.
"I researched these dishes carefully," she said with a small cough. "Each one carries a good meaning."
She pointed toward the porridge.
"This symbolizes smooth success."
Then she gestured at the pastries.
"These represent steady advancement."
Finally, she tapped the dumplings with a chopstick.
"And these mean soaring achievements."
Li Shen paused halfway through another bite, considering her explanation.
"That's… a lot of symbolism for breakfast."
Lin Qingyu chose to ignore the remark entirely.
Instead, she folded her arms again and looked at him seriously.
"You better pass the assessment today."
Her voice carried an unusual firmness.
Li Shen met her gaze and nodded calmly.
"I intend to."
---
Across town, another figure walked through the rain.
Ma Qin held an oiled umbrella above his head as he followed the bluestone road toward the Spirit Warden Bureau.
Unlike Li Shen, he had arrived in Riverfall County nearly two weeks earlier.
Yet he had deliberately avoided reporting immediately.
Instead, he spent that time quietly investigating the region.
A stranger entering unfamiliar territory always faced disadvantages.
Understanding the local environment—the terrain, the spirit activity, the habits of the bureau—was essential.
Preparation often meant the difference between victory and humiliation.
Ma Qin tightened the cloth wrapped around his head.
His hairline had been receding for several years now.
A fact he preferred not to advertise.
Today's assessment could determine the course of his entire future.
For ten long years, he had served as a low-ranking spirit hunter.
Ten years of dangerous missions.
Ten years of wandering between counties.
Ten years of risking his life for modest rewards.
Yet the official promotion he desired had always remained just out of reach.
This time…
He intended to seize it.
"And this Li Shen…" Ma Qin murmured under his breath.
The name had become difficult to ignore.
A young man who had reached the peak of the First Spirit Realm in less than a single year.
Stories about him had spread quickly among traveling wardens.
Some praised his talent.
Others dismissed the tales as exaggerations born from small-town gossip.
Ma Qin intended to see the truth with his own eyes.
Was the boy truly exceptional?
Or merely a rumor inflated by idle talk?
---
The gates of the Spirit Warden Bureau soon emerged through the curtain of rain.
Compared to the sprawling offices found in major prefectures, the building here looked modest and slightly worn.
Two weathered stone lions guarded the entrance.
Rainwater streamed down their carved manes.
Ma Qin closed his umbrella and stepped inside.
The front hall smelled faintly of ink and damp wood.
At the central desk sat Yan Rui.
Stacks of documents towered across the table like miniature mountains.
The middle-aged official barely glanced up when Ma Qin entered.
Ma Qin stopped several steps away and waited respectfully.
Minutes passed.
The only sound in the hall was the steady scratching of a brush against paper.
During the silence, Ma Qin allowed his gaze to wander.
Above the entrance hung a wooden plaque engraved with four solemn characters:
Guard the Living. Suppress the Dead.
On the wall nearby hung a framed piece of calligraphy.
The brush strokes were bold and unwavering.
Those who receive the realm's protection must also protect the realm.
Ma Qin studied the words for a long moment.
For ten years he had hunted spirits.
But his motivations had always been simple.
Survival.
Salary.
Reputation.
He had never once thought about lofty ideals like protecting the people.
Compared to the conviction behind those words…
His own reasons suddenly felt somewhat shallow.
Finally, Yan Rui set down his brush and looked up.
"You're Ma Qin from Qingzhou Prefecture?"
Ma Qin bowed slightly.
"Yes, sir."
"The capital examiner will arrive shortly," Yan Rui said. "You may look around the compound while you wait."
Then, without another word, he returned to reading a thick report.
Ma Qin quietly stepped out of the hall.
---
The inner courtyard lay silent beneath the drizzle.
At its center stood a pavilion sheltering a tall stone monument.
Golden characters glimmered faintly across its wet surface.
Merit Ranking.
Every Spirit Warden Bureau possessed one.
The stone itself was a spiritual artifact capable of recording and ranking the achievements of its members.
Only the top ten names appeared.
Ma Qin approached slowly.
In ten years of service, he had never once appeared on such a list.
Competition in larger cities was simply too fierce.
But perhaps here…
In a small county like Riverfall…
He might finally have a chance.
His gaze rose to the very top entry.
Rank One – Lin Qingyu – 6,140 Merit
Ma Qin's eyes widened slightly.
Six thousand?
That number represented an astonishing number of missions completed within a single year.
Even within a provincial headquarters, such a result would be considered extraordinary.
"No wonder the locals call her the Ghost Bane of Riverfall," he muttered quietly.
He continued reading.
Then his gaze suddenly froze.
Rank Two – Li Shen – 3,580 Merit
Ma Qin blinked.
Then he stepped closer to the stone.
A junior clerk.
Second place.
More than three thousand merits.
Rain pattered softly against the pavilion roof as Ma Qin stared at the glowing characters carved into the monument.
The young man he had come here to compete against…
Might be far more dangerous than he had expected.