Chapter 80: Zhao Xing Descends the Mountain

Hearing that it was an official from Gucheng, Chen Shijie and Xue Wenzhong could no longer sit still.

The other officials also hurried out one after another.

But the result left Chen Shijie and Xue Wenzhong greatly disappointed.

The one who came out was not Zhao Xing, but Shen Zhui of the Martial Bureau.

After coming down the mountain, Shen Zhui first came to pay his respects to Magistrate Li Wenzheng and his superior Wang Long of the Martial Bureau.

"Greetings, Magistrate. Greetings, my lord Wang."

"Good, good, good! I never expected you'd already reached entry into the ranked realm — truly a blessing for the Martial Bureau." Li Wenzheng was overjoyed.

The Commandery's Inspector and many other officials were watching right here; a genius had emerged from Gucheng under his jurisdiction — of course that was worth celebrating.

East Lake Spirit Mountain lay within the city and territory of Gucheng, and as magistrate he was essentially the host. Ascending the spirit mountain to gather its spiritual essence was tantamount to a heavyweight examination — if his own officials performed worse than those of other counties, it would be rather embarrassing.

Now that Shen Zhui had reached entry into the ranked realm, it reflected well on him too.

"Greetings, my lord Chen." Seeing Chen Shijie approach, Shen Zhui cupped his hands and bowed again.

"Not bad." Chen Shijie merely tossed off a perfunctory reply; he hadn't seen Zhao Xing yet, and his mood was already souring.

Xue Wenzhong noticed and was likewise a little dazed — could something really have happened?

"Xue Lao, let's wait a bit longer." Chen Shijie patted the back of Xue Wenzhong's hand. "He'll be fine, I'm sure."

Everything that had happened on the spirit mountain over those three days would be forgotten by the officials who took part, and the officials outside knew nothing of what had occurred within — they could only wait for word.

So there was no use getting anxious now.

Just as Chen Shijie and Xue Wenzhong were about to return to the viewing area to wait—

Suddenly—

"Clop-clop-clop~"

A crisp sound of hoofbeats came from within the clouds and mist.

From the Forget-Worry Stele, Zhao Xing rode out on a bamboo horse, a bamboo box on his back, a kitten cradled in his arms, soaring through the air.

"Zhao Xing? Zhao Xing's come out!"

"It's Gucheng's Zhao Xing — why is he riding a horse?!"

"Ignorant — that's a Craftsman-style mechanical beast, a bamboo horse!"

"Hiss, judging by that bearing, he made quite a haul!"

The onlookers buzzed with discussion.

Chen Shijie's face broke into a smile, and he laughed heartily.

Xue Wenzhong was also completely relieved at last.

The Minister of Agriculture's 【Five Elements Observation】 could quickly tell whether a person was injured and roughly what realm they were in.

The moment they looked, Zhao Xing was not only perfectly unharmed—

He had already reached entry into the ranked realm!

"Zhao Xing actually reached entry into the ranked realm?!" Tang Wanchun cried out in shock. "Wasn't he only at the fourth stage of Qi Gathering before he went up the mountain?!"

"Am I seeing things?" Pang Yuan was also dumbfounded. "He made that big a haul?"

In just three days, leaping several stages in a row — it nearly knocked their jaws off!

Gao Li had originally been preening over Li Chengfeng and Zong Shichang's progress, feeling that this round truly belonged to his two students stealing the spotlight.

But he never expected Zhao Xing to burst out of nowhere!

From the fourth stage of Qi Gathering to reaching entry into the ranked realm?!

The haul was far greater than Zong Shichang's and Li Chengfeng's!

Gao Li's heart was unspeakably uncomfortable.

He had just finished showing off, and now he'd been slapped in the face so quickly!

"What kind of dogshit luck did Zhao Sanjia run into to leap straight into the ranked realm in one bound?" Zong Shichang was extremely curious, because he vaguely felt that he and Zhao Xing had had some interaction on the mountain.

But exactly what it was, he could not remember.

"He actually… reached entry into the ranked realm?" Li Chengfeng watched Zhao Xing being surrounded like the moon among stars, and his heart was uneasy.

A quarter of an hour ago, he had enjoyed similar treatment, but now by comparison, he was instantly outshone.

As for Wen Nanxing, Xiao Ze, and the others, they were purely envious — they couldn't even summon the heart to compare themselves.

Because the gap was too great; before, they could still secretly compete in their hearts.

But once the gap grew large enough, that thought vanished entirely.

Leaving only envy.

"Whoa~"

Zhao Xing instinctively pulled the reins to slow down. By the time he reached Chen Shijie and the other Gucheng officials, his brow was still furrowed.

"Zhao—"

"Don't interrupt him; let him gather his thoughts." Li Wenzheng's words seemed to carry magic — the people around instantly fell silent, unable to utter a single sound.

This Ritualist of the official Ninth Rank had directly imposed silence on everyone!

At this moment, within a radius of fifty meters, aside from Chen Shijie, Xue Wenzhong, and a few other "administrators," only Zhao Xing could speak.

"Why am I riding a horse?" Zhao Xing sat atop the horse, a little dazed.

He remembered that Old Minister of Agriculture and Old Chen had given him a mottled bamboo box — there didn't seem to be a bamboo horse, did there?

His memories were somewhat hazy. Zhao Xing knew he had definitely been affected by the Forget-Worry Stele. He tried hard to recall, but could only vaguely remember that this bamboo horse had been seized from someone.

As for whom he had seized it from — forgotten.

"Little mountain cat." Zhao Xing lowered his head to look at the cat in his arms and lifted it out.

He didn't remember the scenes of fighting side by side with the mountain cat either, but the moment of its recognition of him as master he still vaguely recalled — that bond had not been affected.

Tang Wanchun and Gao Li stared at the mountain cat, their eyes suddenly going wide!

A ranked exotic beast — this thing's stronger than us! And from the looks of it, Zhao Xing actually tamed it?!

Li Wenzheng and Chen Shijie exchanged a glance, both somewhat surprised.

The other officials could only tell the mountain cat had entered the ranks, but couldn't gauge its exact strength.

The two of them, however, could see it precisely.

One used 【Ming Cha Qiu Hao】, the other used 【Wu Xing Guan Wu】.

Both reached the same conclusion: Ninth Rank Perfection! On par with a human official Ninth Rank Upper. In terms of combat power, this exotic beast could probably beat the vast majority of human cultivators.

Zhao Xing continued to reach into his robes.

He pulled out another stack of silver drafts.

"A thousand-tael silver draft? The bank is Nanyang Trading House — this should be Young Master Zong's." Zhao Xing recalled; he vaguely remembered a scene where a hand had passed money to him.

The hand was young — but was it Zong Shichang's?

He couldn't remember that either.

Still, the odds were high. Besides Young Master Zong, who else would bring so many silver drafts up the mountain?

"This money is very likely mine!" Zong Shichang, watching from the crowd, was startled at the sight. "But why would I give him so much money?"

Zong Yonglong's eyes also lit up — could it be that on the mountain, this person had some kind of connection with his son? Or perhaps a grudge?

The rest of the onlookers watched with naked envy.

Now that's what you call going up the mountain — everyone else spent a fortune on gear and treasures.

By the time they came down, it was all spent.

And he still made money?

Infuriating!

"Huh? Que Ling ceremonial robe — why is there one of these in the bamboo box too? Looks like something a woman would wear. Did I rob a dancing master?"

"Ahem, Zhao Xing, that's enough." Li Wenzheng couldn't help cutting off Zhao Xing's immersive inventory.

The Que Ling ceremonial robe was clearly a woman's undergarment; he was afraid Zhao Xing might pull out something else in front of everyone.

Even if it was his own skill, it was still unseemly!

Zhao Xing came to his senses as well, stuffing the half-pulled-out robe back into the bamboo box.

He felt there was still a lot inside, because the box was much heavier than when he'd gone up the mountain.

But this wasn't the time to take inventory.

"Greetings, County Magistrate. Greetings, my lord Chen. Greetings, Teacher, and all the lords present." Zhao Xing cupped his hands in salute.

"Ha ha ha, rise, rise. Come with me — let me show off the talented youth of my Gucheng."

Li Wenzheng amiably pulled Zhao Xing along, impatient to take him over to the Juncheng officials and colleagues from neighboring counties to show off.

Not long after Zhao Xing left the Wangyou Stele.

Several more figures emerged from the thick fog.

He gripped a cavalry lance, his expression melancholy — it was Yang Junxiong.

But after passing the Wangyou Stele, a faint smile appeared on his face.

"This climb of Dengshan, I've already entered the ranks — reached Cong Ninth Rank Upper. Before going up the mountain, I was only at Ju Yuan Ninth Stage. This trip was worth it."

But in an instant, his smile froze.

"Wait — where's my bamboo horse?!"

Yang Junxiong looked left and right, deeply puzzled: "Where's my horse? Why is it gone?!"

Then his gaze fell on a familiar figure ahead.

It was Zhao Xing, riding a bamboo horse.

"Th-that's my bamboo horse? Hmm? I can't sense the war soul anymore. Could it be his?"

"No, that's definitely my bamboo horse! Why did it drop to Third Stage Lower Grade?"

"Could it be… he took it?"

Many questions rose in Yang Junxiong's heart, but he was already off the mountain; whatever the case, he could only set them aside.

Going up the mountain was inherently risky — losing a bamboo horse was nothing; losing one's life was perfectly normal.

"I keep feeling this person has a deep connection with me. There's a vague sense of reluctance and loss in my heart. Too bad I don't know what happened."

Yang Junxiong sighed, took one long look in Zhao Xing's direction, and strode away.

After he left.

Three graceful figures walked out of the thick fog.

They were Du Jiao Sect, Lu Qian, and Liu Muqing.

"Hmm? Qian'er, Qing'er, are you alright?" Du Jiao Sect looked at her two close friends.

"I'm fine." Liu Muqing said with some delight: "I've reached Ju Yuan Ninth Stage, and my music magic has improved!"

"I'm fine too." Lu Qian also smiled. "I've reached Ju Yuan Ninth Stage, and two of my spells each advanced three turns. What about you, Sister Jiao?"

Du Jiao Sect smiled: "Official Ninth Rank Lower. My spear technique didn't improve much, though — I wanted to comprehend that move 'Jiao Long Chu Hai'. What a pity…"

"Ah!" Suddenly Lu Qian let out a cry of alarm. She anxiously patted herself down and discovered, to her horror, that she was missing something.

"Hmm? Qian'er, what's wrong?!"

"Where's my ceremonial robe? My Que Ling ceremonial robe is gone!" Lu Qian's face was panicked.

"What?" Du Jiao Sect and Liu Muqing's expressions changed as well.

They both knew of the Que Ling ceremonial robe's existence, and they both knew Lu Qian wore it next to her skin.

Now that it was gone — didn't it mean that someone had…

Suddenly, Lu Qian jerked her head up. She sensed the presence of her dharma robe — a faint magical bond formed between a person and a treasure after long use.

Just as Yang Junxiong could sense the presence of his bamboo horse.

Her gaze fell on the youth riding the bamboo horse ahead.

"My dharma robe is in that person's hands — does that mean…" Lu Qian bit her lip, tears glimmering in her eyes.

"Achoo~"

Zhao Xing suddenly sneezed.

For some reason, he kept feeling someone was thinking about him.

"An enemy? That can't be — the things that happened on the mountain aren't even memorable."

Zhao Xing muttered to himself.

He had now followed the others to the viewing platform erected around the Earth Altar Square.

Ascending Spirit Mountain and gathering Lingxiu was both a chance for clerks to defy fate and change their destiny, and it counted toward their formal assessment scores.

Moreover, this time it was bound to be a major bonus item, like winning an award in a key competition.

As for how it would be judged?

Of course, the temple priests would make the announcement.

The yin god of Spirit Mountain's temple fell under the jurisdiction of the Nanyang Juncheng-level temple; Gucheng's temple had no authority to know.

The yin god on the mountain would report the clerks' performance to the Nanyang Juncheng temple priest — who obtained how many portions of Lingxiu, of what grade — everything was crystal clear, and rankings were decided on that basis.

Between counties, between the various government offices, each judged its own. In other words, as long as Zhao Xing ranked among the top of Gucheng's Agricultural Monitor clerks, he could obtain a top-grade score.

Now it was just a matter of waiting for the results to be announced.

Zhao Xing had just entered the viewing platform to wait when he noticed someone looking at him.

One of them was a young man holding a long spear, his Adam's apple prominent, his neck and chest both powerfully built.

At one glance, Zhao Xing knew this man was a soldier, and that he must have cultivated a sound-type Wu Ji.

He just didn't know why the man was staring at him with such a melancholy look.

The other side was even more excessive.

They seemed to be clerks from Juncheng — one cradling a zither, one leaning on a spear, and in the middle a gorgeously dressed beauty in colorful clothes, watching him with a complicated gaze.

Her expression held anticipation, tenderness, as well as grievance and puzzlement.

Strange, far too strange!

What on earth had happened on the mountain?

Lu Qian looked at Zhao Xing, and her mindset had now completely changed.

This was what she was thinking: "When Jiao-jie went up the mountain, she was already at the ninth stage of Gathering Yuan, and her spear art had truly inherited their father's skill."

"Qin'er and I, one playing music and one dancing, can perform 'Six Songs' together, which can boost Jiao-jie's combat power by another thirty percent."

"She entered the ranked realm on the mountain, and Qin'er and I are also at the ninth stage of Gathering Yuan. The three of us together rarely have any match."

"What kind of person could snatch away my personal Que Ling dharma robe under such circumstances?"

"Even if I was separated from them, whoever took my dharma robe — how could they resist not making a move on me? Yet I wasn't violated…"

Lu Qian looked at Zhao Xing, and her mindset gradually began to shift.

"If it wasn't robbery, then… on the mountain, I fell for him, gave my heart away, and so I gave him this Que Ling dharma robe myself."

"Mm, I heard from Zong Shiba that he was only at the fourth stage of Gathering Yuan before entering the mountain, yet now he's actually entered the ranked realm."

"Such a genius, and his looks are quite fine too. Zong Shiba also said the man was interesting — perhaps I really did…"

As she thought and thought, the way Lu Qian looked at Zhao Xing began to feel a little off.

Zhao Xing was finding it hard to bear — who was this woman?

The way she looked at him was practically pulling threads!

"Right, she's a dancer — her charm is innate, she unconsciously puts it to use without realizing. Huh? That Que Ling dharma robe in my chest — could it be that I snatched it from her?"

Zhao Xing suddenly realized this point.

As for why he didn't think along other lines, such as a love token… Zhao Xing could be certain he absolutely did not have such thoughts.

He was determined never to take a wife or have children — to prevent the fortune brought in by qi from blessing his wife and children and being diluted away, failing to achieve his goal of enduring until the Revival Era.

How could he possibly be distracted by such things?

"It was definitely snatched." Zhao Xing had a very clear self-awareness. "This thing fits my robbery standards too — a third-grade upper-quality dharma robe, with a fourth-grade feather attached. Worth a lot."

"I wonder what this woman's background is — she probably hasn't noticed, right?"

"Doesn't matter. If she dares to come for revenge afterward, I'll just rob her again."

Zhao Xing turned away, no longer looking at Lu Qian.

"You've already entered the ranked realm, top-grade is a certainty — but procedure is procedure, the big figures from the Juncheng are all here, so showing your face won't do you any harm." Xue Wenzhong, seeing Zhao Xing looking around, couldn't help but advise, "Sit properly, don't lose your composure."

"Yes, Teacher." Zhao Xing nodded, and stopped looking around. He wanted to know exactly how much he had gained this time. So he stilled his mind and breath, and checked his panel and records.