Chapter Forty-Six: The Token

Anyuan County.

Within the Guanyuan residence.

After retrieving Li Luo’s corpse, the events at Qingxi Village faded unresolved, yet the incident left a profound impact on Cui Xiu. Especially when he saw Madam Chen collapsed over Li Luo’s body, overcome by grief and despair, her spirit utterly broken—Cui Xiu had never before felt the world’s cruelty so acutely.

Monsters roamed unchecked, cultivators regarded mortal lives as worthless. Before such mysterious powers, ordinary people could die at any moment; even someone like Li Luo, who had passed the scholar’s exam, found his status and position utterly meaningless.

This only strengthened Cui Xiu’s resolve to join the Yang Division. Now, there seemed no other path for him to quickly embark on the extraordinary.

So, after returning to Anyuan County with a heavy heart and without waiting for news from Wu Yu, Cui Xiu made only brief arrangements before heading to Guanyuan’s residence the following day.

His purpose was, naturally, to join the Yang Division.

...

Inside the courtyard, Cui Xiu was not alone with Guanyuan; another young man was present, dressed in sumptuous robes. Though his appearance was unremarkable, his bearing was distinguished, and a gentle, springlike smile graced his face—anyone seeing him would find him agreeable at first glance.

The young man nodded slightly to Cui Xiu, who returned the gesture, then turned to Guanyuan and stated his intention.

“I thought you’d deliberate a while longer, Brother Cui. I didn’t expect you to decide so quickly,” Guanyuan remarked, a hint of surprise in his eyes, as if he knew something of the matter.

The young man, too, looked at Cui Xiu in mild astonishment upon hearing his intent to join the Yang Division.

“Well, that’s just as well. This is Pan Qi—Young Master Pan—the county magistrate’s son, who is also joining the Yang Division. Today, by chance, I can register you both together and save myself some trouble.”

Guanyuan nodded, introducing the young man to Cui Xiu in passing.

“I am Pan Qi, styled Hengyuan. May I have your name, Brother Cui?”

True to his status as the magistrate’s son, Pan Qi introduced himself with courteous warmth before Guanyuan could say more.

“Cui Xiu, styled Dongshan. A pleasure to meet you, Brother Pan.”

As Cui Xiu wondered why the son of the county magistrate would wish to join the Yang Division, Guanyuan interrupted, “Enough, you’ll have plenty of time to acquaint yourselves as colleagues in the Yang Division. For now, we must see to your registration.”

“After all, once your names are recorded, I’ll submit the roster. Only then will headquarters issue your official tokens and confirm your status. Without the token, you can’t truly be considered a member of the Yang Division.”

Hearing this, both Cui Xiu and Pan Qi turned their attention back to the matter at hand and nodded in understanding.

...

Though curious about the so-called Yang Division token Guanyuan mentioned, Cui Xiu realized he’d never actually seen one, despite not being unfamiliar with Guanyuan.

He didn’t have to wait long for his curiosity to be satisfied.

Guanyuan produced two jade-green bamboo slips from who-knows-where, inscribed each man’s place of origin upon them, then asked for a drop of blood from each. As the blood touched the bamboo slips, a wash of light rippled over their surfaces, and Guanyuan collected them again.

Cui Xiu watched the process carefully, forming some guesses about the slips’ function, though their true purpose remained elusive. Pan Qi, by contrast, seemed unsurprised, as if well-acquainted with their nature.

Guanyuan offered no explanation regarding the slips, appearing unconcerned. Instead, after putting them away, he withdrew another object from his robe—a token of black iron.

So this was the Yang Division token?

At once, Cui Xiu’s attention sharpened, recalling Guanyuan’s earlier mention of the token and his own curiosity.

“This is the official token of the Yang Division. Mine is for an Eighth Rank Captain, which also denotes my grade.”

His guess was confirmed. Guanyuan turned the token over, allowing Cui Xiu and Pan Qi to see the inscription: “Yang Division, Eighth Rank Captain.”

There were also some mysterious runes on the token, but with Cui Xiu’s limited knowledge, their meaning was indecipherable.

But just then, the token changed.

Guanyuan ran his left hand over the token, and immediately, the runes began to flow. Gray currents, like the roots of ancient trees, extended from the surface, winding outward.

Under the astonished gaze of both men, several lines of small characters condensed amid the mist:

Guanyuan—

Grade: Eighth Rank Captain

Bloodline: —

Cultivation Method: —

Merit: 3

Two lines were clearly obscured, their details hidden from view.

Pan Qi reflected thoughtfully; with his background, he knew something of the Yang Division. Though he’d never seen a token himself, he’d heard descriptions.

Cui Xiu, however, was not merely surprised—he was stunned.

It wasn’t the mystical spectacle that unsettled him; after all, the Yang Division was a supernatural institution, and such wonders were to be expected.

What shocked him was how closely the misty characters resembled the panel he himself possessed.

He stared blankly at the characters, lost in thought, unable to speak for a long while.

Guanyuan, unaware of his true thoughts, assumed Cui Xiu was simply entranced by the token’s transformation, never guessing that Cui Xiu had not only seen such a panel before, but had one of his own...

Yet, to be fair, only the Yang Division possessed such tokens—how could Guanyuan have suspected otherwise?

“These are my details. Once your registrations are submitted, you’ll have one of your own; no need for envy,” Guanyuan said with a slight shake of his head. “As for the lines you see as concealed, that was my doing—some things are private, not for others to know.”

With that, he put the token away.

Only then did Cui Xiu regain his composure. Though his expression steadied, his mind remained in turmoil. Even as he left Guanyuan’s residence, he barely registered what was said, his thoughts lingering on the token’s transformation.

Could it be that the panel he possessed wasn’t brought across with him from another world as he’d thought, nor was it some unique golden finger, but was instead connected to the Yang Division?

Distracted and uncertain, Cui Xiu found himself back at the pharmacy without quite knowing how.

When the assistant greeted him, he paid no heed, heading straight to his room.

There, he sat at the edge of his bed, summoned his panel, and stared at the gray misty script, silent for a long time.

He didn’t know how much time had passed—only when the assistant called him for dinner did he finally calm down.

Now, Cui Xiu felt he had yet another reason to join the Yang Division.