Chapter 590: He Who Secures the Qilin Prodigy Can Secure the World

Chang'an.

Two days passed in an instant.

In the afternoon, the sun was at its height, warming the entire Huangcheng to a cozy glow.

The Listening Wind Pavilion theater in the western city had not yet begun its performance; the Zhuqi Daimen stood open, and the host staff bustled about welcoming guests.

The main hall on the first floor was already filled with most of the guests.

Eight Immortals tables were placed side by side, each bearing coarse porcelain tea bowls, glossy dried fruits, and translucent candied fruit.

White steam rose from the hot tea and drifted outward, mingling with the sweet scent of the fruit and the guests' chatter, filling the room with bustle.

It exuded the lively, street‑level festive atmosphere.

By the window, at a square table, four wealthy merchants dressed in Brothel sat, their cuffs embroidered with delicate cloud patterns, clearly indicating their affluent backgrounds.

The leader of the group sported a neat tuft of short mustache beneath his chin, his fingers tracing the rim of the warm tea cup; his gaze swept the hall's guests, then he lowered his voice, brimming with interest, and asked, "Have you heard?"

"The Liang Kingdom's qilin prodigy is about to arrive in our Chang'an…".

As soon as the words fell, a round‑faced companion beside him nodded repeatedly, took up the thread, and said with certainty, "How could we not have heard!"

"These past few days, every street and alley in Chang'an has been talking about it!"

"They say 'He who obtains the qilin prodigy gains the world'; whether a high‑ranking court noble or a heroic jianghu wanderer, who doesn't wish to meet this genius?"

The blue‑robed wealthy merchant opposite plucked a candied fruit, popped it into his mouth, letting the sweet aroma melt on his tongue, and said vividly, "Exactly!"

"Mr. Mei, though a native of Liang, has long been renowned in our Great Zhou…"

"The Jiangyou Alliance he founded single‑handedly is an unquestioned authority in Liang Kingdom's jianghu; under his banner are clouds of masters, and talents from the three teachings and nine schools gather under him!"

"Its influence spreads across all prefectures of Liang Kingdom; even Liang officials, upon seeing members of the Jiangyou Alliance, feel compelled to grant a token of courtesy!"

The plumper merchant seated at the far end pinched his short mustache, his eyebrows dancing as he added, his voice tinged with amazement, "It's more than just a token!"

"I heard merchants from the south say that several salt fields and iron mines in southern Liang are half controlled by the Jiangyou Alliance…"

"And the waterway Trade Route that links north and south, from Jiangnan's Jinling to Jiangbei's Shouchun, most of it must pay tolls to the Jiangyou Alliance!"

The leading merchant sighed softly, lifted his tea bowl and took a sip, his eyes full of sentiment, "By that reckoning, the wealth Mr. Mei has amassed over the years is no exaggeration to say it could rival a nation!"

"It may even be richer than the Liang Kingdom's imperial treasury by a margin!"

The blue‑robed merchant nodded in agreement, grabbed a handful of dried fruit and chewed slowly, adding, "With such wealth and power, how could an ordinary person compare?"

He paused, swallowed the nut, and praised further, "No wonder the world calls him the qilin prodigy; he possesses strategies that span heaven and earth, the deftness to command the universe, can organize jianghu forces meticulously, and still handle commerce, making business flourish!"

"Such skill, even when surveying the whole world, is matched by few, if any!"

The four's conversation was not quiet; a few sword‑bearing jianghu heroes at the neighboring table, who had been drinking on their own, all turned their ears toward the talk in unison.

They wore short‑cut attire, the tassels of their waist‑sheathed swords swaying lightly in the wind, instantly marking them as wandering jianghu folk.

A burly man among them felt his heart blaze, and could not help slapping the table heavily, interjecting, "Gentlemen, your words are a bit lacking!"

"In my view, wealth and influence are secondary; Mr. Mei's greatest strength is his unfathomable, almost supernatural, wit!"

His voice rang loudly, instantly drowning out the surrounding clamor.

Many guests in the hall were startled, turning their gazes toward him, eyes brimming with curiosity; someone could not help shouting, "Sir warrior, what do you mean?"

"Then tell us, where exactly does Mr. Mei's wit excel?"

The burly man, spurred on, lifted the coarse porcelain wine bowl on the table, tipped his head back and gulped a large draught, the liquor streaming down his mouth's corner.

He nonchalantly brushed his hand, his tone growing more fervent as he said, "You all must have heard of last year's incident involving Liang Kingdom's King Badong, Xiao Ji, right?"

"That King Badong was originally a member of the Liang imperial clan, but was framed, accused of treason, locked in Tianlao, and sentenced to be beheaded after autumn!"

"All civil and military officials feared the flames of retaliation, and few dared to plead for him…"

He paused, his voice deepening, "Even the Xiao clan's relatives avoided him, fearing entanglement; at that time everyone thought King Badong's death was inevitable!"

As soon as the words fell, a slender‑faced jianghu companion beside him took over, his voice clear and orderly, adding, "But Mr. Mei boldly faced the difficulty, stepping forward to clear King Badong's injustice."

"Within just a few months, he followed the faint clues, peeling back the fog layer by layer, and not only uncovered the true culprit behind the framing of King Badong…"

"It was none other than the current Grand Tutor Yuan Wangyou of Liang Kingdom!"

"He also gathered ironclad evidence that the villain had secretly colluded with Qi State, intending to overturn Liang Kingdom's realm!"

"Finally, he exposed him publicly in the court, leaving Yuan Wangyou without defense; the enraged Emperor Liang ordered him thrown into Tianlao and his entire clan executed!"

Another jianghu hero with a tangled beard, his eyes shining, quickly took the thread, his gaze full of reverence, "I also heard that when Mr. Mei investigated the case, his methods were exceedingly clever, his actions flawless!"

"He neither alarmed many people, avoiding stirring the grass and frightening the snake, nor failed to precisely seize key evidence; several times, when everyone thought the case dead‑ended…"

"He would suddenly throw a heavyweight clue, catching the opponent off guard!"

Speaking, he thrust up his thumb, his praise overflowing, "In the end he not only cleared King Badong's injustice, but also uncovered the cohort Yuan Wangyou had placed in the court, helping Emperor Liang purge the treacherous officials and stabilize the regime!"

"Such strategy truly commands admiration!"

The slender‑faced jianghu, hearing the applause, grew more animated, his eyes sparkling, leaning forward, raising his voice a notch, and said, "There's even more impressive!"

"After King Badong's injustice was cleared, he merely regained his title, still a powerless, idle clan member, holding no voice in the court at all…"

At this point he deliberately paused, prompting the entire hall to perk up, then shifted his tone, his voice rising and falling with awe, "But Mr. Mei's keen eye recognized the gem…"

"Not only did he repeatedly speak up directly before Emperor Liang, he also exhausted himself to secure for King Badong the chance to go to Yizhou!"

As soon as the words fell, the neighboring tangled‑beard jianghu thumped his thigh hard, loudly taking the thread, his voice booming so that eardrums trembled, "Yizhou, though situated in the remote southwest, is truly a land abundant in resources!"

"Unfortunately, the populace is impoverished, bandits run rampant, and the authorities' repeated attempts at governance are helpless, turning it into a hot‑potato problem…"

He lifted the wine bowl, took a sip, clicked his tongue twice, and continued, "Mr. Mei refuses to believe that!"

"He personally crafted a detailed governance plan for King Badong, teaching him how to levy light taxes, soothe the people, divert water to build canals and reclaim wasteland, and how to tighten military discipline and strengthen armaments!"

"Moreover, he dispatched the Jiangyou Alliance's talented specialists to assist King Badong in eradicating bandits, opening the Trade Route that links Yizhou to Jingxiang!"

"It's more than that!" a silent listener could no longer contain himself, tipped his head back to gulp a shot of strong liquor, slammed the wine bowl onto the table, and, with vigor, continued, "In just a year, Yizhou was completely transformed!"

"The previously barren fields became fertile plains, the displaced populace settled peacefully, and even Yizhou's military grew stronger day by day, troops robust and horses vigorous!"

"When Emperor Liang heard this, his face lit up with delight, and he issued an edict formally granting Yizhou to King Badong, also bestowing countless gold, silver, jewels, and fine silks!"

He said, raising his hand toward the direction of Liang Kingdom and clasping his fists in salute, his tone full of admiration: "King Ba Dong managed to leap from a disgraced status to become one of the most powerful princes within Liang Kingdom's imperial clan; all thanks to Mr Mei's merit!"

"Well said!" the burly strong man could no longer hold back, gave the table a heavy slap, shaking the tea cups into a clatter, and shouted loudly, "Now that's real skill!"

He paused briefly, then continued praising: "Not only can he clear an innocent's injustice, but also help others secure fiefdoms and power; by maneuvering between forces, he abruptly altered a prince's destiny and even affected Liang Kingdom's court structure!"

"Such earth‑shaking wisdom and tactics deserve the title 'Qilin Talented Scholar'; truly well‑deserved, not a bit exaggerated!"

These words caused the guests in the hall to nod in agreement, and the chatter grew louder.

In the crowd, a customer wearing a short blue cloth shirt frowned, stood up thoughtfully, and asked loudly: "You all speak so animatedly, yet Mr Mei, with his vast powers, could have ignored Liang Kingdom's wealth and honor; why did he travel a thousand miles to Chang'an, what is his purpose?"

The blue‑robed wealthy merchant who had spoken earlier twirled his beard, chuckled lightly, and replied loudly: "I actually heard this from merchants coming from the south; they said he's looking for an old friend he hasn't seen for years, and is also taking the chance to tour Great Zhou's splendid rivers and mountains!"

With those words, the crowd again expressed amazement.

Just then, a light, floating remark suddenly rose from the crowd, like a stone dropped into a boiling lake: "If that's the case, this Qilin Talented Scholar Mr Mei must be hardly any less than Lord Chen Yan, right?"

The speaker's voice was soft, yet it reached every corner of the main hall, and the noisy theater fell silent for a moment.

At the table by the window, several young people in brocade finery were merely eating tea snacks and listening to the excitement, not intending to join the discussion.

But upon hearing this, they instantly changed expression, their faces full of displeasure.

One of the haughty young men let out a snort of laughter, his tone full of mockery: "What is he, anyway?"

"He even dares to pull a scam on Lord Chen Yan?"

"Exactly!" the young man at the same table immediately agreed, his voice tinged with indignation, "He even deserves it?"

Another young man was even more contemptuous, sneering with a derisive smile, curling his lip, his sharp voice full of scorn: "Exactly!"

"He's just a low‑level rogue of the jianghu, gaining a hollow reputation through dubious means, yet you all hype him so extravagantly?"

"Aren't you afraid the strong wind will snap your tongue?"

With those words, the main hall instantly erupted into chaos.

The group of jianghu heroes who had just praised Mei Renbi was the first to become displeased.

The burly strong man sprang to his feet, his palm as large as a folding fan slapping the table, rattling the dishes and bowls, his eyes wide open, glaring at the brocade‑clad youths: "What do your words mean?"

"What does 'low‑level rogue of the jianghu' mean?"

"Mr Mei, with his abilities, stirs the winds and clouds—how can he still be considered inferior to Lord Chen Yan?"

The lean chivalrous guest also furrowed his brow and retorted coldly.

Soon, agreeing voices rose and fell in succession.

Merchants at the neighboring table also began speaking; some felt Mei Renbi's wisdom was outstanding, truly worthy of the Qilin name.

The main hall instantly split into two factions, each holding its own view, arguing heatedly with flushed faces and spitting.

Three days later.

The Chou hour.

The night was ink‑black, spilling over the official road across the Guanzhong Plain.

There were no stars or moon, only endless black that gathered heaven and earth into a silent giant jar.

Wind swept the wilderness, stirring the withered grass by the road into rustling sounds, further highlighting the night's terrifying stillness.

Thirty li southeast of Chang'an, a rapid succession of horse hooves suddenly sliced through the silence.

A dozen or so double‑axle horse‑drawn carriages linked bumper to bumper, their wheels crushing the Shiban road with a muffled "gulu" sound, racing toward Chang'an in the night.

The bronze bells on the carriage shafts were rattled by the wind, clanging, yet carrying a hint of grim killing intent.

At the front and rear of the convoy were over fifty Xuanse Jinshen guards, each with a Blade at their waist, eyes sharp as hawks, vigilantly scanning the surrounding darkness.

The carriage in the middle had an especially spacious compartment; its carved wooden windows were tightly shut, faintly revealing a wavering yellow candlelight inside.

The heavy Cheli insulated the interior completely from the outside cold and clamor.

Inside the carriage, a person reclined diagonally on a soft couch, wearing a moon‑white, wide‑sleeved scholar's robe.

His hair strands were loosely tied with a Jade Hairpin; his face was handsome, his brows and eyes exuding a gentle, refined scholarly demeanor.

Yet upon close inspection, one would notice a barely perceptible edge hidden deep in his eyes, as if a cold blade concealed within brocade, emitting a hint of malice.

This person is the Jiangyou Alliance leader, Mei Renbi.

He closed his eyes to cultivate, his fingertips lightly tapping his knee in an unhurried rhythm, as if the surrounding rush and night were irrelevant to him.

Beside him sat a man clad in Xuanse Jinshen, his face resolute, a slender ring‑pommel sword at his waist, the Bronze Button on its sheath glinting coldly in the candlelight.

He was Lu Yiman, the top expert and confidant under Mei Renbi.

Lu Yiman remained focused on the sounds outside the carriage; at this moment he suddenly leaned forward, his voice pressed down to a whisper with a hint of respect: "Master, we are only thirty li away from Chang'an!"

According to his estimate, upon reaching the capital of Zhou State, it would be just about dawn…

Mei Renbi's eyelashes fluttered lightly, and he slowly opened his eyes.

His eyes, illuminated by the candlelight, shone astonishingly, as if holding a sky of stars yet unfathomably deep.

He murmured softly, his tone revealing no hint of joy or anger: "Are we almost at Chang'an?"