Chapter 38: Setting Floating Lanterns, Honoring the Departed Souls

As the saying goes: "Understanding methods but not principles leads to emptiness in old age; understanding principles but not methods leads to ten years of wasted effort."

Theory is also a crucial part of the evaluation. To outperform other minor officials, one must be more comprehensive. If magical abilities are comparable, the candidate with superior theoretical knowledge will be appointed.

Zhao Xing casually picked up a book from the shelf, titled "Seventy-Two Pentads of the Monthly Orders." It was compiled from an ancient agricultural text called "Explanations of Seasonal Teachings." The original author is untraceable; it was recompiled and edited by Wu Cheng, the Grand Minister of Agriculture during the reign of the Great Ancestor.

"In the first pentad of the first month, the east wind thaws the ice; the warmth arrives, and the solid ice disperses.""In the second pentad, hibernating insects begin to stir; 'Zhen' means to move.""In the third pentad, fish ascend bearing ice. 'Zhi' implies accumulation, rising, and elevation. The yang energy is already active, and fish gradually swim upstream, approaching the ice."

Zhao Xing activated his Clarity-Sight Night Vision spell and began to read intently.

Ancient agricultural sages, in pursuit of stable celestial phenomena, sought to discover consistent and long-lasting patterns, thus creating many theories. The "Seventy-Two Pentads of the Monthly Orders" is one such theory.

It divides the year into 72 pentads, with each pentad lasting five days. Three pentads form a 'qi' (seasonal division), six 'qi' form a 'season,' and four seasons form a 'year,' totaling 72 pentads across the "Twenty-Four Solar Terms." Each pentad corresponds to a specific phenological phenomenon, known as a "pentad response."

These include plant responses like budding, flowering, and fruiting; animal responses like stirring, singing, mating, and migration; and non-biological responses such as water freezing, thunder sounding, and humid soil.

"In the first pentad of the second month, peach blossoms begin to bloom; the burgeoning warmth gradually intensifies.""In the second pentad, orioles begin to sing; a yellow oriole.""In the third pentad, eagles transform into doves. Eagles are birds of prey. At this time, eagles transform into doves, and by autumn, doves transform back into eagles."

The "Seventy-Two Pentads of the Monthly Orders" records many marvelous phenomena. For instance, the 'eagles transforming into doves' in the second pentad of the second month, the 'mice transforming into quails' in the first pentad of the third month, and the 'sparrows transforming into clams when they enter the water' in the last pentad of the ninth month. These are all "species pentad transformations" caused by seasonal changes coupled with drastic shifts in environment and primal energy.

The transformations mentioned above are not even the most exaggerated. The ancient version of "Explanations of Seasonal Teachings" also recorded that in certain areas during the first pentad of the fourth month, "earthworms undergo earth dragon transformation," meaning common earthworms could turn into hundred-zhang-long earth dragons! In the first pentad of the eighth month, "swallow fledglings transform into Dark Birds," where ordinary swallows could become "Dark Birds of Destiny!" In the last pentad of the twelfth month, in the Northern Abyss, there was the "Kunpeng Transformation," where the Kun fish would soar straight up overnight, becoming a Great Peng of the Nine Heavens!

Normal "pentad transformations" are measured annually, but there are also "ten-year pentad transformations," "hundred-year pentad transformations," and "thousand-year pentad transformations." The version compiled by Wu Cheng only records "ten-year pentad transformations" and briefly mentions "hundred-year pentad transformations." The almost legendary "thousand-year pentad transformations" were omitted. This was because a Grand Minister of Agriculture would likely never witness a "thousand-year pentad transformation" in their lifetime, and after the establishment of the Great Zhou Dynasty, primal energy fluctuations became less drastic, making such instances increasingly rare.

Another reason for the omission was that it touched upon taboos. For example, regarding "swallow fledglings transforming into Dark Birds," there's the saying, "The Dark Bird of Destiny descended and gave birth to Yin." It was rumored that the Great Ancestor of the Yin Dynasty was nurtured by a Dark Bird of Destiny. If another Dark Bird of Destiny were to appear, it would likely cause unrest.

"I witnessed the 'Kunpeng Transformation' twice in the North Sea in my previous life, but I can't recall the exact times. As for the Dark Bird of Destiny, I've only heard of it, never seen it firsthand. I wonder if I'll have the chance in this life."

"However, these thousand-year pentad transformations didn't seem to occur during Emperor Jing's reign; at most, there were hundred-year ones. When and where did that happen again?" Zhao Xing pondered, his memory hazy, vaguely recalling it being linked to certain events.

***

"When man comes to the land, it flourishes, and yellow earth turns to true gold.""Among the Five Elements, Earth is most esteemed; it does not contend for renown with Fire."

Zhao Xing continued to read "The Theory of the Five Elements and Four Seasons" for a while. This was another classic work, a theoretical treatise that unified the Five Elements with the Four Seasons to achieve systematic self-consistency.

"Aligning the Five Elements with the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches is easy, but aligning them with the Four Seasons truly vexed the agricultural sages and plagued agricultural students," Zhao Xing chuckled as he looked at the book. He had been tested many times on the "Theory of the Five Elements and Four Seasons." Official agricultural officers who compile seasonal ordinances must understand the principles of the Five Elements and Yin-Yang; otherwise, the seasonal orders they issue or the seasonal changes they bring about would be improper and unconventional.

"Currently, the most popular theory is 'Earth's Reign in Late Summer,' where Spring corresponds to Wood, Summer to Fire, Late Summer to Earth, Autumn to Metal, and Winter to Water."

"This system's alignment of the Five Elements with the months is still imperfect. The corresponding time for Fire and Earth is too brief, which isn't self-consistent with the idea that the Five Elements should hold equal standing."

"But I'll make do with this for now and decide my next steps based on what questions appear," Zhao Xing thought to himself. He understood many refined theories from later generations, but they were too advanced for the current era and might not be applicable now. As a county-level clerk, if he were to propose some groundbreaking theory, it might cause a huge stir during the imperial examinations. Being too high-profile might not be a good thing; it's better to take things one step at a time.

***

After a night of diligent study, Zhao Xing finally put down his book when the rooster crowed. He checked his system panel, which already displayed a series of records:

* You read in the dark, Clarity-Sight spell proficiency +2* You read in the dark, Clarity-Sight spell proficiency +3* You read in the dark…

The Clarity-Sight spell was easy to master, with proficiency increasing almost by the minute. Studying tirelessly, Zhao Xing focused on the Clarity-Sight spell and quickly saw significant results. After just one night, his Clarity-Sight spell had advanced to the Fourth Revolution. Clarity-Sight Night Vision, indeed, night vision was merely its basic function. To achieve the effect of "Clarity-Sight Night Vision that perceives ghosts and spirits," the Fourth Revolution was still insufficient.

"It seems I'll have to take a shortcut," Zhao Xing thought. He left his house and went to an apothecary in the market, where he bought a pile of mugwort leaves and a box of high-quality tung oil. He also purchased yellow paper, bright sand, heaven-heart grass, and other items. After a major shopping spree, he returned home.

"I'm sure I haven't forgotten the quick method for Clarity Sight. I wonder which determined player figured this out," Zhao Xing muttered, as he lit a mixture of mugwort leaves, bright sand, and heaven-heart grass. A column of smoke rose, compact and unscattering. Zhao Xing leaned over the rising smoke and began to fume his eyes.

"Hiss~"

The smoke wasn't choking; in fact, it had a faint fragrance, but it truly stung his eyes! Before long, Zhao Xing felt a burning sensation. After enduring it for the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, he had to pull away. He then rubbed tung oil on his eyelids, and a cooling sensation spread, bringing much relief.

* Clarity-Sight Night Vision spell proficiency +20* Clarity-Sight Night Vision spell proficiency +30

The suffering was not in vain; his spell proficiency began to jump significantly. Zhao Xing followed the aforementioned procedure and practiced repeatedly. Every day, besides cultivating his Heaven-Earth Cultivation Spell at the Department of Agriculture, he dedicated his evenings to mastering the Clarity-Sight spell. Finally, by August 22nd, Zhao Xing had cultivated his Clarity-Sight spell to the Ninth Revolution.

"Tomorrow is the End of Heat solar term. It's for releasing river lanterns and offering sacrifices to the departed souls. I wonder if I can gain any benefits from it."