007The intertwining of literary talents

The young man extended his right hand palm-up toward Shen Tang. Perplexed, Shen Tang hesitated for a moment before placing her own right hand on top, tilting her head to inquire, "Like this?" 

The young man looked at her with an indifferent expression, his eyes filled with unspoken complexity, as if asking her, "What do you think?" Feeling as if she had been shocked, Shen Tang quickly withdrew her right hand.

"Concentrate the qi in the palm of your hand," the young man advised when he saw Shen Tang still looking confused. He thought he had been clear enough, but Shen Tang seemed to not even understand what "qi" was. After seeing no response from Shen Tang for a while, he had to explain further, "When you used verbal finesse earlier, did you feel something moving along your meridians from the Dan clan to the outside? That's 'qi.' Now try to draw it out from the Dan clan and gather it in your palm. Will that work?"

Verbal finesse isn't something that succeeds every time; it's a matter of proficiency. Considering that this young man could withstand the Third-Rank Zanniao with literary talent alone, and the effectiveness of his verbal finesse was strong, he shouldn't be completely ignorant of these matters.

The young man's explanation was lucid, prompting Shen Tang to carefully recollect the mysterious and strange sensations she had experienced before. Qi, Dan clan, verbal finesse, literary talent... After a while, she vaguely grasped something, guiding it to slowly traverse towards the palm of her hand. 

Finally— a colorless mass of qi gradually took shape, expanding from the size of a pea to that of a fist, suspended about an inch above her palm. Shen Tang looked up at the young man and asked, "Sir, is this 'qi'? It's truly remarkable... What grade of literary talent do I possess?" 

Since this qi emerged, the young man's eyes had been slightly downturned, with much of his face obscured in shadow, his expression not quite clear. However, Shen Tang was certain that his gaze fell upon the center of her palm. Sensing that something was amiss, she spoke up again to inquire. 

It was only then that the young man snapped back to attention and responded, "Now, refine this mass of 'qi' further until it solidifies, much like mine." As he spoke, a pale blue vortex swiftly manifested in the outstretched palm of the young man's right hand, initially resembling a thin mist. However, within two breaths, it transformed into a viscous, gel-like deep blue substance. Finally, under Shen Tang's gaze, it morphed into a uniquely shaped deep blue seal the size of a baby's fist.

Seeing Shen Tang's curiosity, the young man proactively handed over the seal. The seal was exquisitely crafted, with the side engraved with the seal script "Sixth Rank Lower-Middle," while the bottom bore the same inscription "Qi Shi Yuanliang."

"Your name is Qi Yuanliang?" If this was his name, then "Sixth Rank Lower-Middle" should indicate his rank of literary talent. The young man responded, "My surname is Qi, and my courtesy name is Yuanliang," as he stared into Shen Tang's eyes. Observing her clear gaze, devoid of any disdain towards the lower-middle rank of literary talent, he felt slightly satisfied, his demeanor becoming less aloof.

Shen Tang habitually remarked, "That's truly a good name." With both "virtue" and "goodness" in it, he seemed to be a good person. Qi Shan was left dumbfounded after hearing this.

Shen Tang handed back the seal. "I think I know what to do now." Following Qi Shan's demonstration, she compressed the swirling mass inward, gradually transforming it from colorless to milky-white gel, and then from milky-white gel to a transparent, crystal-like object.

Only then did Shen Tang retrieve the "qi," eagerly inspecting the side of the seal. To her surprise, "Huh, why are there no characters?"

"No characters?" While Qi Shan's words suggested surprise, his tone betrayed no such astonishment, as if he had anticipated this outcome. 

Shen Tang passed him her seal, puzzled. "Indeed, there are no characters on the side, only on the bottom." The bottom bore the cleanly carved seal script, with smooth strokes and rounded lines, spelling out "Shen Shi Youli."

"Shen... Youn... Li? You truly are not of the Gong lineage." Since the seal was transparent, discerning the characters on top was somewhat challenging. Qi Shan squinted slightly, observing the characters at the bottom while commenting, "However, young sir, your courtesy name seems excessively refined..."

Upon hearing it, one might initially mistake it for a lady's private name. Shen Tang remained silent. She had given up explaining her gender. Since this world assumed that those with literary talent were male, her attempts to clarify would be futile. Misunderstandings would persist until she understood the origin of her literary talent or had sufficient strength to clarify matters. Otherwise, she risked being branded a heretic and persecuted.

"Mr. Qi, I am Shen Tang."

"Tangli leaves fall in rouge hues, buckwheat flowers bloom in white snow's fragrance." Qi Shan flashed a faint smile. "It is also a fine name."

Shen Tang remained silent.

Although she wanted to say her name was "Shen Tang," "Younli" was just a randomly chosen pen name with no special meaning. However, since others thought highly of it, showing off the ink in her belly, she couldn't pour cold water on their enthusiasm and could only accept the praise. At the moment, what she cared about most was the grade of her literary talent.

"Mr. Qi, what grade of literary talent do I have?" Unexpectedly, Qi Shan responded with a question, "What do you desire?" Shen Tang was puzzled, "What does that mean?" Qi Shan went on to talk about something else without explanation.

"Different from the twenty levels of martial prowess, literary talent only has nine grades. First grade is highest, second grade upper-middle, third grade lower-upper, and so on down to ninth grade lower-lower. While martial prowess can be honed and elevated through training, innate literary talent is fixed at birth. My literary talent is of the sixth grade lower-middle level, lacking compared to higher grades yet surpassing lower ones. So, what grade do you wish to be?" Shen Tang was astonished, "Can I really choose?"

Qi Shan remarked, "If it were anyone else, it would be impossible, but since you've encountered me, I may be able to assist you with this matter." 

Shen Tang was utterly perplexed. Intuition whispered to her that Qi Shan's words held deeper meaning. However, he didn't elaborate further, only hinting softly, "A child carrying a treasure amidst a bustling market is not a virtuous deed." 

Shen Tang subconsciously tensed her nerves. What was this literary talent, to be regarded with such gravity? So this boon of being a transmigrant could also attract mortal danger. 

Shen Tang restrained her curiosity that could kill cats, refraining from delving deeper, and simply inquired, "Can literary talents of various grades be disguised?" Since Qi Shan himself possessed a "sixth grade lower-middle" literary talent, and literary talent was unchangeable, determined at birth, he certainly couldn't genuinely alter someone's literary talent grade, leaving only the option of disguise.

Since that's the case— 

Shen Tang tentatively asked, "Then—can I pretend to have a 'first-grade top' literary talent?" 

Qi Shan was nearly amused by her question. "The 'first-grade top' literary talent is reserved for sage-level individuals, a fictitious grade. Only feudal lords wielding the national seal can possess it. Are you seeking death?" 

Shen Tang lowered her gaze to her literary talent emblem. "Then it's better to be cautious, and disguise it as 'ninth-grade bottom'." 

"Ninth-grade bottom? Heh, you are clever." As the four characters "ninth-grade bottom" appeared on the side of the emblem, Shen Tang pondered how to handle this transparent emblem. 

"How do I retract this thing?" "Why retract it? This is used to prove your identity. Even with a 'ninth-grade bottom' literary talent, it's better than being an ordinary person."

In this chaotic era where one generation can change nationalities twice, the lives of ordinary people are worth less than weeds, let alone Shen Tang, who is a convicted criminal exiled and on the run. The characters carved behind her ears were inscribed by special means, and unless her ears are severed, they cannot be removed for life. 

But with the literary talent emblem, concealed by ear ornaments, the ordinary constables dare not inspect it upon sight, providing a certain level of security.