Fourfold Merit Official’s Ruler

Li Ergou spoke with a calm face and steady heart, “What nonsense are you talking about? I’m still a quiet girl, don’t listen to Zijian’s rubbish.” At the same time, she twisted my arm with her hand, and I forced a smile through the pain. If I didn’t give Li Ergou a way out, who knew what she might do?

“I see.” I noticed a hint of disappointment in Lin Wan’s eyes—could it be he liked tough girls? That was a little worrying.

“Alright, let’s get down to business,” I hurriedly changed the subject, laying my playing cards out on the table. After all, these two were the people I trusted most; there was no need for secrets between us.

“We’re all Spade contract holders. Xinxin, why don’t you share what you know with us?” I had already told Lin Wan about Li Xinxin’s situation, so he straightforwardly placed his own card on the table. The two of us showed Spade 2 and Spade 6, and then Li Xinxin laid down her Spade Queen.

“There’s no need to explain the Spade contracts. Each person’s ability is different, and each is linked to a different ancient artifact.” Lin Wan and I nodded, prompting Li Ergou to continue.

“But for Spade abilities, making a contract only gives you half of the power,” she continued. “Spade cards are relics passed down from the ancient Temple of Artifacts; their power comes from these ancient objects. To truly awaken the Spade’s abilities, you must find the artifact corresponding to your card and be acknowledged by it. Only then can you become a true Spade contract holder and awaken your real power.”

“So, Xinxin, you’ve already found your artifact?” I asked.

She nodded and took out the fan I’d seen before. As expected, this fan was the artifact, which explained why my previous attacks had been useless against her.

“My fan is an ancient bronze one found in the Tianshan Mountains. That’s when I gained the recognition of the Spade Queen.”

“Inheritance?” Lin Wan picked up on the implications immediately. “Did you go through something special?”

Li Xinxin didn’t answer, clearly avoiding the question, and I didn’t press her further.

“Xinxin, since you’ve awakened, why didn’t you escape from here?” I finally asked the question that had been on my mind all along. I’d always thought escaping from D University would mean safety. The life-and-death trials here tested both body and spirit, and though there were a few days’ respite after each ordeal, tension remained, since none of us ever knew what would happen next. Although D University forbade killing, as long as no one died, nobody cared what happened.

I waited eagerly for Li Xinxin’s answer.

“Zijian, give it up,” she said. “The outside world isn’t what you imagine anymore. D University is already one of the safer places. Besides, once you awaken, you’ll realize this place is necessary.”

Her cryptic words left me at a loss. Maybe I was still too weak to understand things at her level.

“How do you get recognized by the artifact?” Lin Wan asked, taking out a jet-black ancient ruler. The ruler was heavy, its entire body dark as night. Li Ergou’s body tensed the instant she saw it.

“The Scribe Ruler of the Four Value Deities?”

“What’s that?” Lin Wan clearly didn’t know what Li Xinxin meant. This ruler was something Lin Wan had acquired by chance on the day all hell broke loose, which in turn granted him the ability of the Spade Six. Although he didn’t know what it was, he knew it was closely linked to his power, so he always kept it with him. That made me wonder about the jade pendant I always carried—could it be an artifact too?

“Your ability is speed?” Li Xinxin revealed Lin Wan’s power with a single sentence. I was surprised, because while I’d mentioned Lin Wan’s name, I hadn’t told her about his ability.

It seemed that Li Xinxin’s journey to the Tianshan Mountains had uncovered many secrets about these artifacts, but she wasn’t willing to share more, and I couldn’t force her.

“That’s right, but how did you know?” Lin Wan replied honestly. “Can you tell me what exactly this ruler is? I know it’s important to my ability, but I know nothing about it.”

“The Four Value Deities are minor gods in Daoism who govern the year, month, day, and hour. ‘Scribe’ was originally a title for a civil official, mainly responsible for recording and managing merits.”

“So, they’re gods, and this ruler is their token?” Lin Wan asked seriously.

“Probably just minor deities—I’ve never heard of them myself,” I interjected.

Li Xinxin shot me a glare. “Clearly, you haven’t read enough. Besides serving as scribes, the Four Value Deities also act as guardians. In Journey to the West, they, along with the Guardian Arhats, the Six Ding and Six Jia Generals, and the Five Direction Revealing Deities, secretly protected Tang Monk by order of the Bodhisattva. They also served as messengers; for instance, when the monk’s party was passing Flat Top Mountain, it was the Day Value Deity disguised as a woodcutter who warned them in advance.”

“They even show up in Journey to the West? That’s interesting,” I couldn’t help but comment.

Ignoring my quip, Li Xinxin continued, “So, the Four Value Deities are time-keeping gods worshipped in Daoism, each governing a different aspect—year, month, day, or hour.”

“How much time can you control now?”

Faced with Li Xinxin’s question, Lin Wan blushed and lowered his head.

“Zijian, what’s up with your friend?” Li Xinxin asked in confusion.

“Oh, him.” I wasn’t sure if I should explain, so I nudged Lin Wan with my elbow, signaling him to answer.

“I can only accelerate time now—can’t rewind or stop it, let alone fully control it,” Lin Wan said helplessly. I’d always thought his power was pretty strong, but clearly it had much more potential.

“The Scribe Ruler is one of the Seven Ancient Relics of the Spiritual Sect. Its powers are beyond your imagination,” Li Xinxin said. “But Lin Wan, you’re still too weak.”

Li Xinxin’s sudden shift in tone made Lin Wan blush even deeper. Hearing just how vast the Spade Six’s potential was made him feel unworthy of his card.

“Ergou, don’t be so hard on Lin Wan,” I said, frowning.

“Don’t you get it? These trials will only grow harder. If we don’t get stronger now, we’ll be the ones to die next.”

Her words left both Lin Wan and me silent. We knew luck alone wouldn’t keep us alive.

“So how do you awaken?” Lin Wan quickly voiced the question I’d wanted to ask. Li Xinxin was forthcoming with her answers.

“I’ve already told you. First, find your artifact—now you have. Next, accept its inheritance. As for the specific steps, that’s for you to comprehend.”

With that, Li Xinxin swiftly grabbed the Scribe Ruler, then used her bronze fan to slice Lin Wan’s arm. His skin parted like paper, blood spurting out in an instant. Li Xinxin’s movement was lightning-fast; before I could see what she’d done, Lin Wan was already bleeding heavily.

“Ergou! What are you doing!” I roared. Though I knew she wouldn’t kill Lin Wan, the amount of blood was alarming. Li Xinxin’s speed had far surpassed Lin Wan’s, even with his ability, proving just how weak he really was.

Lin Wan frowned but gritted his teeth and endured. Under Li Xinxin’s control, his blood slowly coated the Scribe Ruler, and in the blink of an eye, it was wrapped entirely in red. Slowly, the black ruler began to change, absorbing the blood as it transformed.