Chapter 82

After walking around with Chen Shijie, he had met most of the officials; his own people were the last to be met.

"Big Brother, Big Brother!" Seeing Zhao Xing come down from the viewing platform, Zhao Zheng rushed in headlong, only to be immediately blocked by the East Lake soldiers maintaining order.

"Two gentlemen, this is my family." Zhao Xing said. The viewing areas for officials and civilians were separated; unless greeted in advance, people could not be easily let in.

"Go to the front to register, and then come here to be searched..." one of the soldiers said with a straight face, but before he could finish, a team leader walked over: "This is the family of Agricultural Official Zhao! No need to register, let them through!"

Zhao Xing's round on the platform wasn't for nothing; many East Lake soldiers now recognized him.

People had just been chatting and laughing with their superiors; how could they not pay attention?

"Many thanks." Zhao Xing bowed with a smile.

Zhao Ruide, Zhao Zheng, and Madam Cai were then let in.

"Big Brother, you are truly amazing." Zhao Zheng looked at his big brother with worshipful eyes, "So many big officials on the platform were smiling at you."

Zhao Xing didn't explain to Zhao Zheng; were they smiling at him? Mostly it was for Old Chen's sake.

After entering the ranks, his perception was even sharper; looking at Old Chen again, he was far more than the 9th grade he appeared to be.

"Have you been waiting outside for a long time?" Zhao Xing touched Zhao Zheng's head.

"Yes, a long time, I've already peed three times before you came out!" Zhao Zheng said with some grievance, "Finally Big Brother came out, but you were surrounded by so many people. I called you from outside, but I hadn't called twice before I suddenly couldn't speak. I thought I had become mute, but after a while, I could speak again..."

Zhao Xing then realized they had been affected by Li Wenzheng's 'silencing.'

Zhao Ruide asked: "How is it, you aren't hurt, are you?"

"No, I'm doing very well."

"That's good."

The father and son exchanged a few simple pleasantries, and there was nothing left to say.

Madam Cai usually had a lot to say, but this time the scene was too grand, and seeing Zhao Xing's temperament was completely different from before he entered the mountain, she didn't dare to say much.

Although very sleepy, she still unconsciously cheered up, hugging Zhao Zheng and accompanying him with a smile.

Zhao Xing thought for a moment and took out a silver note from his bosom: "Foster Father, Madam Cai, I gained quite a bit of wealth on the mountain this time. Keep this silver note for the family."

"Five hundred taels?!" Madam Cai's eyes went wide.

Zhao Ruide was calm: "What are you doing? The family isn't short of money; you should keep it yourself."

"I gained quite a bit on the mountain this time; it's more than enough for my cultivation. You keep it." Seeing Zhao Ruide wouldn't take it, Zhao Xing handed it to Madam Cai.

"Gulp~" Someone swallowed hard.

If it were in the past, Madam Cai would have happily accepted it, but today she didn't know what was wrong.

Clearly her fingers had moved, and her eyes were fixed on the silver note, but she couldn't lift her hand to take it.

"I really have more." Zhao Xing took out another five hundred tael silver note from his bosom, "Look, I didn't lie to you."

Seeing Zhao Xing's insistence, Zhao Ruide had to nod, signaling Madam Cai to take it: "Then let Madam keep it for you."

"Yes, yes, I will definitely keep it safe!" Madam Cai was no longer sleepy and tremblingly tucked the silver note close to her body.

Just as Zhao Xing's family was chatting.

In a fisherman's house by East Lake, a 'family' was also chatting.

"The Yin deity on East Lake Spirit Mountain has already graded the officials." The Sanwan Hall Master took off his fish basket and said to his 'wife' who was greeting him, "Two of the ones we had our eyes on died, and three were crippled."

"That's also good, it reduces some pressure." The middle-aged woman smiled and untied her 'husband's' undershirt, wiping him with a towel.

"Reduces pressure?" The burly man opened his arms and snorted, "On the contrary, our pressure is even greater."

"How so?" The woman wrung the towel and replaced it with a clean one.

"Li Chengfeng is at the 9th stage of Qi Gathering, which is nothing. But that Zhao Xing actually jumped from the 4th stage of Qi Gathering to entering the ranks, obtaining forty-two portions of spiritual essence alone!"

"Just him alone, he directly increased the difficulty of the mission several times." The Sanwan Hall Master was a bit irritable.

They needed to catch some with good aptitude, but if the aptitude was too good, it was also troublesome.

It meant the price to be paid would also be greater.

"Dozens of portions of spiritual essence?" The woman was also startled, "Doesn't that mean there will be high-grade Qi Luck spiritual essence? That's really troublesome."

Qi Luck spiritual essence would greatly increase the difficulty of capture; if it could be easily caught, it wouldn't be called strong luck.

To offset this 'good luck,' they would also have to pay a greater price.

"Yes, isn't it annoying?"

"In this situation, it shouldn't be our turn to act." The woman also frowned, "Didn't the Protector say we still need to catch Chen Shijie? If the higher-ups want to send more people, that would be a side task."

"How could it be that simple? Once or twice, but not a third time. Nanyang Commandery has already acted once, and now the precautions are very tight. I go to East Lake Mountain, and I always feel danger everywhere." The middle-aged man frowned: "Besides, if the mission isn't completed, we have to stay in this broken place."

"Not daring to use any spells, living every day suppressing Qi and blood, suffering the pain of Yin Spirit Fire Evil day and night..."

"The Protector has to ride horses and carriages between several counties; don't complain." The woman stroked the man's chest, "Shall I help you vent the fire evil?"

The man grabbed the woman's conscience with one hand and pressed her head down with the other: "Be quick, I estimate the Protector is arriving soon."

"Rest assured, I have my measure." The woman threw the towel aside and squatted down.

Half an hour later, a carriage stopped outside the door, and the old man knocked on the door.

"Protector." The Sanwan Hall Master opened the door to welcome him.

After the old man entered the room, he sniffed and frowned at the man: "Your Yin Spirit Fire Evil can't be suppressed again? How long has it been?"

The words were light, but the Sanwan Hall Master looked terrified: "It is this subordinate's incompetence."

"Hmph, if you are sensed, you will die very miserably." The old man lightly tapped the man's forehead, a flash of red light flickered, and then the man clearly breathed a sigh of relief, "Remember, you can only drive away the evil on the Yin day and Yin hour of every month; do not let me discover a second time."

"Yes."

The Hunting Falcon Protector sat at the table, tapped his fingers three times, and then said: "Tell me about the situation on East Lake Spirit Mountain; I can only stay here for a quarter of an hour, and I still have to go to Hucheng."

"Li Chengfeng, Zong Shichang, and Zhao Xing of Gucheng have made great progress, with Zhao Xing being the best, obtaining forty-two portions of spiritual essence alone." The woman introduced the detailed situation.

The Hunting Falcon Protector listened quietly, his face expressionless: "That trash Zong Shichang can be removed from the list. I misjudged him before; the fame he brought was all blown up by people he hired. I only recently learned that this person is completely living off his family's money, and even climbing the Spirit Mountain was done by hiring people to help."

"Yes." The woman nodded lightly.

"Move Li Chengfeng's ranking to fifth; this person is a good seedling."

"As for this Zhao Xing..." The Hunting Falcon Protector pondered, "Move him to the first place. If there is an opportunity to act, among the officials, we might only need to catch him alone."

"Protector, is Chen Shijie on the capture list?" The Sanwan Hall Master asked.

"Is this something you should ask?" The Hunting Falcon turned his head and tapped the table lightly.

The man's face turned red, and he immediately showed pain: "It is this subordinate's slip of the tongue."

"Keep watching, find an opportunity to bring him back to the Far West Continent."

"Yes."

"Brother Zhao, are you going back to the city to eat? Piaoxiang Restaurant, my treat!"

"Big Brother Zhao, now that the mountain climb is over, Brother Li and Brother Peng are hosting at the Huichun Courtyard, would you do us the honor?"

Zhao Xing was chatting with his family when many officials came to invite him to go back to the city to eat together.

Among them were the banquets of Young Master Zong, Li Chengfeng, and others.

After three days of exhaustion, getting together was nothing, and Zhao Xing was planning to accept Zong Shichang's invitation, but suddenly his chest felt hot.

The Evil-Warding Almanac trembled slightly!

"Hmm?" Zhao Xing walked to a corner and looked down.

【Jingxin Calendar Year 15, September 25th, mid-morning, Si hour, 4th quarter.】

【Evil-Warding Warning: Minor Evil; act with few, all things are unfavorable】

A record was also refreshed on the panel:

【The Evil-Warding Almanac has issued a passive warning. Based on your Qi Luck level and known information, you have received the following prompt:】

【You depart from East Lake Mountain at the Si hour, returning to the city with playmates. The Profound Heaven Sect sees an opportunity and decides to start the kidnapping plan early. You rise to resist, falling into a life-and-death situation, turning into a sign of Great Evil!】

Although it was only a minor evil, the detailed interpretation on the panel showed that he might encounter an accident on the way back to the city, be kidnapped by the Profound Heaven Sect, and then turn into a sign of Great Evil!

With the Qi Luck level of the third derivation, the Evil-Warding Almanac held by Zhao Xing was more sensitive, and based on the information he knew himself and his understanding of the Profound Heaven Sect, the information interpretation presented on the panel was also more comprehensive.

"Everyone, I must accompany my family. I will not attend any appointments today; let's gather another day!"

Zhao Xing rejected all these invitations.

Since the possibility of being kidnapped had appeared, he could not ignore it.

Having gained too much 'good luck' on the mountain, according to the laws of personal luck, prosperity leads to decline, and he would encounter some minor bad luck next.

What does it mean to act with few? That means walking with people of similar realms as his colleagues.

If he did that, maybe what was originally just a little bit of bad luck would turn into a sign of Great Evil, which would be too unjust!

"How is it?" Lu Qian looked at Zong Shichang who walked over, with some expectation in her eyes.

"He refused." Zong Shichang shrugged, then asked curiously: "Why are you interested in him? You two have nothing to do with each other."

Lu Qian felt disappointed and snorted: "Why do you ask so much? Didn't you say that no one in Gucheng dares not give face to you, Young Master Zong? How come you can't even invite someone to dinner? It's really disappointing!"

"..." Zong Shichang was speechless.

Being looked down upon by a woman, he felt he had no face: "Just because I can't invite him today doesn't mean I can't tomorrow. Wait and see, I will definitely make you two eat this meal!"

"Good!" Lu Qian smiled, "Then I will wait for your news. Rest assured, I will call Qing'er to come over then. Don't let people down, otherwise don't think I'll ever bridge the gap for you again!"

"It's a deal!" Zong Shichang left satisfied.

On the other side, Li Chengfeng also received news from others that Zhao Xing had refused the invitation.

"It's better if he doesn't come." For some reason, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Sending an invitation to Zhao Xing was not his intention; it was just that everyone was saying they should invite Zhao Sijia to come and have fun together, so he asked someone to invite him.

But if Zhao Xing really came, Li Chengfeng would be uncomfortable.

Now that he wasn't coming, he felt much more relaxed.

East Lake Mountain, Earth Altar Square.

"Why haven't you left yet?" Chen Shijie looked at Zhao Xing and asked curiously, "They have all gone to play together; aren't you going?"

The assessment and grading had ended, and most of the officials had left this place, returning to the city in groups of three or five to relax.

But Zhao Xing was still wandering here, and he wouldn't go even if someone invited him.

"I don't like to play." Zhao Xing said insincerely, "It's meaningless."

"There's no need to treat yourself so harshly." Chen Shijie smiled, "You should play when you should. Before the official appointment next year, this is your most leisurely time; there will be more things to do after you are officially appointed."

Zhao Xing is now at the 9th grade, and continuing to cultivate upwards will be much slower than before; it will only return to normal after he is officially appointed.

Before the Winter Evaluation, there are only two assessments left: Start of Winter and Winter Solstice.

With Zhao Xing's current situation, getting Grade A-plus in these two items is no longer difficult, and getting a nomination for the Winter Evaluation is also a certainty.

Because he has already entered the eyes of the commandery-level Agricultural Supervision officials, there is definitely no problem in getting a nomination during the Winter Evaluation.

The only uncontrollable thing is the Temple Examination; no matter how many connections one has in Nanyang Commandery, it cannot affect the Temple Examination.

"I really don't like to play." Zhao Xing said, "Call me when you go back."

"Okay." Chen Shijie didn't say anything more.

At the first quarter of the Wu hour, the East Lake Army had all entered the mountain.

At the second quarter of the Wu hour, Zhao Xing followed Chen Shijie, carrying his family, and took a Floating Cloud Flying Boat, taking off directly from East Lake Mountain, and then landed one mile outside the city gate, enjoying the treatment of flying.

At the fourth quarter of the Wu hour, the Sanwan Hall Master and Deputy Hall Master had been watching the several routes from East Lake Mountain back to the city for a long time, but had not discovered Zhao Xing's tracks.

"It seems it's not a good time to act." The Sanwan Hall Master sighed. Zhao Xing accounted for a lot in the mission, and he could even give up other small characters for this first place, but the reverse was not true.

"Let's go, we've come through several years, do we care about this little while?" The Deputy Hall Master beside him picked up the load, "There are plenty of opportunities."

"Hmm."

After Zhao Xing entered the city, the Evil-Warding warning disappeared and no longer showed signs of evil.

On the way back to Pingkang Ward, Madam Cai held Zhao Ruide's hand, and Zhao Zheng had not yet emerged from the excitement of riding the flying boat, jumping and chirping on the road, asking Zhao Xing questions non-stop.

"Big Brother, how high can the flying boat fly?"

"Very high."

"Big Brother, what should I do if I want to pee on the flying boat?"

"Just stand on the side and pee."

"Ah? Won't I fall down? What if I pee on my pants in such a big wind?"

"Just wash it."

"Big Brother, Big Brother... Ouch~"

Watching Zhao Zheng who accidentally fell, Zhao Xing shook his head helplessly, this unlucky child... then he flicked his fingers, and a gust of wind lifted Zhao Zheng up.

Zhao Zheng kicked his feet in the air, laughing constantly.

"Yay~ I'm flying again~~ Big Brother, faster~"

That night, Zhao Xing returned to his bedroom, closed the doors and windows, took out two sheets of yellow paper from the bookcase, and made a Guidance Talisman and a Soul-Calming Talisman.

Both basic talismans had been maxed out, and they were made in less than a quarter of an hour.

"Now that my realm has improved, I don't know if I can gain benefits in the Great Dream Academy. The damn Profound Heaven Sect has too many tricks and keeps staring at me; I hope to get some treasures to protect myself."

After the ink dried, he pasted one on his forehead and one on his abdomen, twisted into a strange posture on the bed, and whispered: "Student Zhao Xing, respectfully request the Great Dream Academy to open the door of learning!"