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The young man extended his right hand towards Shen Tang, palm upwards. Shen Tang didn't understand. After a moment of hesitation, she placed her right hand on his, tilting her head to ask, "Like this?" The young man looked at her with an indifferent expression, his eyes filled with unspoken meaning, as if asking her, "Do you think so?" So Shen Tang retracted her right hand as if electrocuted.
"Condense qi in your palm."
Seeing Shen Tang still looking bewildered, he had to offer a hint. He thought he had explained clearly enough, but Shen Tang didn't even know what "qi" was. Seeing Shen Tang remain still for a while, he had no choice but to say, "When you used Spirit Language just now, did you feel anything moving from your danfu along your meridians outwards? That is 'qi'. Now, try to draw it out from your danfu and gather it in your palm. Can you do that?" Spirit Language wasn't something that could be successfully used every time; it involved a matter of proficiency. This young lord before him, capable of forcibly resisting a third-rank Zanniao with a Literary Heart, and whose Spirit Language was potent, shouldn't be completely clueless.
The young man explained clearly, and Shen Tang carefully recalled that subtle and strange sensation from before. Qi, danfu, Spirit Language, Literary Heart... After a moment, she vaguely grasped something, guiding that essence slowly towards her palm. Finally—a colorless ball of qi gradually formed, expanding from pea-sized to fist-sized, floating an inch above her palm. Shen Tang looked up at the young man, asking him, "Sir, is this 'qi'? It's truly magical... What rank is my Literary Heart?"
Ever since this qi appeared, the young man had kept his eyes slightly lowered, most of his face obscured by shadow, making his expression difficult to discern. But Shen Tang was certain his gaze was fixed on her palm. She felt the atmosphere was a bit off, so she spoke again. The young man then snapped back to attention and responded, "You should refine and solidify this ball of 'qi' further, just like I do." As he spoke, a pale green qi vortex quickly appeared in his outstretched right hand. At first glance, it looked like a thin mist, but in two breaths, it transformed into a viscous, jelly-like deep green. Finally, under Shen Tang's gaze, it solidified into a peculiar, deep green signature seal the size of an infant's fist.
Seeing Shen Tang's curiosity, the young man proactively offered the signature seal. The signature seal was exquisitely crafted. On its side, engraved in seal script, were the characters "Sixteenth-Rank Mid-Lower," and on the bottom, with the same script, "Qi Yuanliang."
"You're called Qi Yuanliang?" If this was his name, then "Sixteenth-Rank Mid-Lower" should be his Literary Heart rank.
The young man said, "My name is Qi Shan, courtesy name Yuanliang." As he spoke, he stared into Shen Tang's eyes. Seeing her gaze clean and devoid of any contempt for a middle-to-lower-rank Literary Heart, he was slightly satisfied, and his expression appeared less distant.
Shen Tang habitually said, "That truly is a good name." Both "Shan" (善, good/virtuous) and "Liang" (良, good/kind). He seemed like a good person.
Qi Shan was speechless upon hearing this.
Shen Tang handed the signature seal back. "I think I know what to do now." Learning from Qi Shan's demonstration, she compressed the qi vortex inwards. The vortex gradually transformed from colorless to a milky white gelatinous state, then from milky white gelatinous to a small, crystal-like transparent object. Only then did Shen Tang withdraw her qi and quickly look at the side of the signature seal.
The result—
"Huh, why are there no characters?"
"No characters?"
Despite saying so, Qi Shan's voice showed no surprise, as if he had expected it all along. Shen Tang offered her own signature seal, saying in confusion, "There are indeed no characters on the side, only on the bottom." The bottom was engraved with neat, flowing seal script—
"Shen Youli."
"Shen... You... Li? You truly aren't a Gong clan member." Because the signature seal was transparent, discerning the characters on it was a bit difficult. Qi Shan slightly narrowed his eyes, commenting as he looked at the characters on the bottom, "However, young lord, this courtesy name you've chosen is perhaps a bit too delicate..."
At first listen, one would think it was a woman's maiden name.
Shen Tang: "..." She had already given up explaining that she was a girl. Since this world defaulted to anyone with a Literary Heart being male, there was no benefit in her arguing, regardless of whether others believed her or not. Let them misunderstand. She would explain once she figured out why she had a Literary Heart or when she was strong enough, to avoid being killed as a heretic.
"Mr. Qi, my name is Shen Tang."
"Pear blossoms fall in rouge, buckwheat flowers bloom like white snow." Qi Shan revealed a faint smile and said, "That's also a good name."
Shen Tang: "..." Although she really wanted to say that her name was "Shen Tang," and Youli was just a random pen name with no special meaning. But since he thought so, showing off his literary knowledge, she couldn't pour cold water on him. She could only accept the compliment. Her biggest concern right now was still the rank of her Literary Heart.
"Mr. Qi, what rank is my Literary Heart?"
Who knew Qi Shan would counter-ask her: "Which one do you desire?"
Shen Tang: "What do you mean by that???"
Qi Shan simply began to talk about something else. "Unlike the twenty ranks of Martial Courage, Literary Heart only has nine ranks. First rank is top-tier, second rank is upper-middle, third rank is upper-lower, and so on down to ninth rank, lowest-tier. Martial Courage can be tempered and advanced through continuous effort; those with high talent can even achieve the rank of Chehou. But a Literary Heart's rank is fixed from birth. Mine is a sixth-rank mid-lower Literary Heart, neither exceptionally high nor low. So, which rank do you hope to be?"
Shen Tang was astonished. "This... it can be decided by what I desire?"
Qi Shan said, "For others, naturally no, but since you've met me, I can help you with this."
Shen Tang was utterly confused. Her intuition told her that Qi Shan's words held a hidden meaning. But he didn't explain much further, merely subtly hinting, "A child with a thousand gold pieces in a bustling market is not a good thing." Shen Tang's nerves instinctively tensed. What kind of thing is this Literary Heart, to be so serious? So this transmigrator's benefit would also attract deadly peril.
Shen Tang also suppressed the curiosity that could kill a cat and didn't delve deeper, merely asking, "Can any rank of Literary Heart be disguised?" Qi Shan himself had a "sixth-rank mid-lower" Literary Heart, and a Literary Heart's rank couldn't be changed; whatever rank it was at birth, it remained. So, he certainly couldn't truly alter someone's Literary Heart rank, which left only disguise.
In that case—
Shen Tang tentatively asked, "Then—can it be first-rank, top-tier?"
Qi Shan almost laughed at her question. "A first-rank top-tier Literary Heart is a sage's rank, a theoretical rank, and only feudal lords holding the national seal can possess it. Do you wish to seek death?"
Shen Tang looked down at her Literary Heart signature seal. "Then let's be safe. Disguise it as ninth-rank, lowest-tier."
"Ninth-rank, lowest-tier? Heh, you're quite clever."
When the four seal script characters "Ninth-Rank Lowest-Tier" appeared on the side of the signature seal, Shen Tang played with the transparent seal, unsure what to do with it.
"How do I put this thing away?"
"Put it away for what? This is to prove your identity. Even a 'ninth-rank lowest-tier' Literary Heart is better than being an ordinary person." In this chaotic era where one generation could change nationality twice, an ordinary person's life was worth less than weeds. Furthermore, Shen Tang was an exiled and escaped prisoner. The characters branded behind her ear were applied with special means; unless she cut off her ear, they would be forever indelible. But with a Literary Heart signature seal and an earring to cover the mark, ordinary constables wouldn't dare to inspect, which meant her safety was assured.
The signature seal is an actual seal.