Chapter 157: Yuanjing, a distinguished guest has specifically requested to see you.

Over an hour later.

Just as Li Yuanjing and his entourage had wound their way out of the mountain path and onto the main official road, several figures suddenly flashed out from beneath a giant, ancient pine tree in the mountains.

Each of them was dressed in pitch-black garments and wore large bamboo hats that completely obscured their features.

Among them, the two leaders were a man and a woman.

However.

The leading man seemed quite ordinary, exuding an air of dignity and profundity, but the woman leading alongside him... felt somewhat out of place.

Because...

She was simply too tiny, standing at only around one meter thirty or forty centimeters. At first glance, she looked like an underage maiden.

Yet her somewhat full figure, and especially the fierce, chilling aura surrounding her entire person, revealed that the situation was far from simple.

Had Li Yuanjing been present here, he would have recognized her in an instant!

This maiden-like woman was none other than the person who had previously impersonated Xingcai!

At this moment.

Seeing that Li Yuanjing and the others had fully reached the official road and were about to fade from view, the woman finally withdrew her gaze and spoke respectfully to the leading man:

"Master Yizhen, they are gone..."

"Hmm."

That Master Yizhen nodded leisurely, transcending worldly affairs as he said:

"Vishnu, what do you think of this Li Yuanjing? Can our Sacred Cult win him over?"

The woman addressed as "Vishnu" hurriedly replied with respect:

"Reporting to Master Yizhen, this subordinate... has no certainty."

"This is because Li Yuanjing is quite clever and cunning. Our people have tried repeatedly to infiltrate his Quanzizha Village, but all efforts have yielded nothing. If we wish to win him over at all costs, I fear... we would at least have to deploy a noble maiden of candidate saintess rank..."

"A candidate saintess?"

Master Yizhen could not help but let out a sneering laugh:

"A mere rustic fellow of the wilderness, does he even deserve that?"

Vishnu quickly and respectfully asked:

"Master Yizhen, then should this subordinate send people to finish him off? After all, he has already ruined our Sacred Cult's good plans several times in a row..."

"No need."

Master Yizhen casually waved his hand:

"He is merely a mild skin irritation. Leaving him to jump around for a few more days will instead serve to confuse the public. Our Sacred Cult is on the verge of an uprising, and we should not invite further complications!"

"Go immediately and keep an eye on that old dog Zhao Changgong. You must make him pledge allegiance to our Sacred Cult within the shortest time possible!"

"As for the others, redouble your efforts and search for clues of the Sacred Artifact immediately! If the Sacred Artifact is not found before the Lantern Festival next year, ruining the grand plans of our Sacred Cult, do not blame this seat for showing no mercy!"

"Understood!"

Soon.

These ghost-like figures vanished without a trace amidst the mountains.

...

At this moment, Li Yuanjing was naturally unaware of the actions of these underground rats from the Lotus Cult.

Leaving Qingshiguan, he did not return to Quanzizha Village, but instead headed straight for Fengcheng County.

Mainly because the end of the year was approaching, and there were numerous connections that needed to be tended to and maintained.

In the past, Li Yuanjing lacked the extra capacity and thus did not need to be so elaborate. Now that he had the ability, he was naturally determined to handle things properly.

Among these connections, there were two matters of utmost priority to Li Yuanjing.

First, establishing contact with various grain and rice merchants in Fengcheng to prepare for a massive procurement of provisions.

Second, Li Yuanjing needed to pay visits to Fengcheng's various literati, scholars, and educational officials to lay a solid foundation for next year's provincial examinations.

It must be understood.

During the Great Qian era's provincial examinations, having high scores in the written test alone was far from enough; there was also an evaluation of "moral character."

Moreover.

If managed properly, one could bypass the written exam entirely and acquire the status of a promoted scholar through "local talent recommendations."

...

However.

When he arrived at Fengcheng, just as Li Yuanjing had settled in and before he even had time to visit others, the inn where he was staying was already packed to capacity. The visitors were all gentry and noble clansmen who had come to pay their respects to Li Yuanjing.

For a moment, Li Yuanjing was somewhat bewildered.

He hadn't made such a grand spectacle of his arrival; how on earth did these people get such sharp intelligence?

After a while.

Having met with several gentry and noble clansmen in succession, Li Yuanjing finally began to process the situation.

He hadn't made a grand fanfare when entering the city, true, but with a procession of over a hundred people, how could anyone possibly keep it low-profile even if they wanted to?

Which of the gentry and noble clansmen surviving in the county town wasn't a seasoned schemer?

Through his meetings with these gentry and noble clansmen, Li Yuanjing also keenly grasped a certain implication!

Zhang Zhiji in the capital must be doing even smoother than imagined and is about to step further up!

These people had all come early to pay homage to a rising power!

Since they showed Li Yuanjing respect, Li Yuanjing naturally would not refuse to accept their monetary gifts, nor would he withhold his courtesy. Soon, the interior and exterior of the familiar inn were crowded with guests, where scholars engaged in witty banter and no ordinary folk were to be seen.

Meanwhile, Zhao Zengjin, who stood nearby keeping watch over the accounting clerk—a man who hadn't even blinked an eyebrow when facing the fierce midnight assault of assassins—was now staring blankly at the desks piled high with name cards, monetary gifts, and gift ledgers, utterly speechless and unable to utter a single word.

What else could be said?

What more could possibly be said?

Even if he were to smash his skull open, he could never have imagined this.

In less than an hour since Li Yuanjing had arrived at the inn, he had already received nearly six thousand taels in monetary gifts alone, not to mention all the other presents...

"Haha."

"Yuanjing, busy?"

Just as Li Yuanjing had seen off several waves of guests and was about to catch a proper breath, a familiar, hearty laugh echoed from outside.

Instantly.

A familiar, flamboyant old figure swaggered into view.

Who else could it be other than Fengcheng County Magistrate Zhao Bingchun?

"Old Mentor, look at what this commotions is about; this younger brother hasn't even had the time to pay respects to you yet, how is it that you've come knocking on my door first?"

For ordinary gentry and noble clansmen, Li Yuanjing now possessed the capital to put on airs, but when facing Zhao Bingchun, Li Yuanjing certainly had to observe proper courtesy on the surface.

At this moment, Zhao Bingchun, after a period of adjustment, was clearly in a much better state. He looked radiant with delight, completely shedding the depressed and suppressed demeanor he had previously shown.

"Haha."

"Yuanjing, between the two of us brothers, where did all these tedious formalities come from? How have you been recently? Your elder brother here has missed you dearly."

Without standing on ceremony with Li Yuanjing, Zhao Bingchun walked into the room, plopped himself down on a chair, and proceeded to pour himself a cup of tea.

Li Yuanjing's eyelids twitched slightly.

Thinking to himself:

"Could this fellow have latched onto some big shot again? Has his career prospect taken a new favorable turn?"

Yet Li Yuanjing's expression showed no trace of abnormality as he poured more tea for Zhao Bingchun and smiled:

"Old Mentor, judging by your demeanor, have you already weathered that difficult crisis and found yourself a new path?"

"Haha."

Zhao Bingchun laughed heartily:

"Yuanjing, speaking of which, this is all thanks to your blessing. Your elder brother really managed to turn danger into safety! Tell me, Yuanjing, are you free tonight? A distinguished personage has specifically named you and wishes to see you."

Seeing Zhao Bingchun's smug, swaggering dog-like expression, seemingly completely unfazed by the news that Zhang Zhiji was about to be promoted, Li Yuanjing could not help but feel a jolt in his heart, sensing an ominous premonition.

Any figure capable of making Zhao Bingchun dismissive of Zhang Zhiji must be someone who did not fear Zhang Zhiji in the least!

And such figures, let alone in Fengcheng, could easily be counted on a few fingers across the entire Qizhou!

Seeing Li Yuanjing's expression shift, as if he had already guessed something, the smugness on Zhao Bingchun's old face grew even more intense. Unwilling to let Li Yuanjing off the hook, he put on a stern face and said:

"What's this, Yuanjing? Your elder brother has brought the invitation right to your doorstep, and you still want to deny that distinguished personage this bit of face?!"

"..."

At that moment, Li Yuanjing truly wished he could kick this old dog Zhao Bingchun to the ground and chop him up to feed the dogs.

Who would have thought.

This old dog could be so vicious.

Alas.

He was employing a completely open, undeniable strategy, making it difficult for Li Yuanjing to even dodge...

Just as sweat was beginning to break out on Li Yuanjing's forehead, the respectful voice of Dong Peng suddenly sounded from outside:

"Sir, Madam Qiu from the Qiu family has come to visit you, and she has brought you several rare ancient books as a token of gratitude for saving her life last time..."

"Hehe."

"Yuanjing, your elder brother is about to die of envy. Who doesn't know that Madam Qiu of the Qiu family is the absolute belle of our Fengcheng? Ah, a talented scholar paired with a beautiful lady; Yuanjing, you certainly are blessed with romantic fortune. Hahaha..."

Before Li Yuanjing could even speak, Zhao Bingchun added fuel to the fire right beside him, clearly having completely cornered and secured Li Yuanjing.

Seeing that Li Yuanjing's face had turned ashen, he grew even more smug, smiling sinisterly:

"Well, Yuanjing, even up to this point, you still refuse to give an answer to this official and to that distinguished personage?!"