Chapter 82: List Top Rank, Initial Warning of Misfortune

After accompanying Chen Shijie on a tour, most of the officials had been met. His own family, however, was met last of all.

“Big Brother, Big Brother!” Seeing Zhao Xing descend from the viewing platform, Zhao Zheng, boisterous and eager, rushed forward, but was immediately stopped by the East Lake soldiers maintaining order.

“Sirs, these are my family members,” Zhao Xing said. The viewing areas for officials and civilians were separate, and unless prior arrangements were made, people were not easily allowed in.

“Go register up front, then come back here for a search…” one of the soldiers, with a stern face, began to speak. But before he could finish, a team leader walked over. “These are Administrator Zhao’s family! No need to register, let them through!”

Zhao Xing’s presence on the platform had its effect; many of the East Lake soldiers now recognized him.

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

“Thank you,” Zhao Xing said, smiling and cupping his hands.

Zhao Ruide, Zhao Zheng, and Lady Cai were then allowed in.

“Big Brother, you’re amazing.” Zhao Zheng looked at his elder brother with eyes full of admiration. “So many high-ranking officials on stage were all smiling at you.”

Zhao Xing didn’t explain to Zhao Zheng. Were those smiles really for him? They were most likely showing respect for Old Chen.

After achieving the rank, his senses became more acute. Looking at Old Chen again, he was far more than just a surface Ninth-Rank official.

“Have you been waiting outside long?” Zhao Xing ruffled Zhao Zheng’s hair.

“Yeah, a long time. I peed three times before you came out!” Zhao Zheng said, a little aggrieved. “Big Brother finally came out, but you were surrounded by so many people. I called out to you from outside, but after just a couple of calls, I suddenly couldn’t speak. I thought I’d become mute, but then I could speak again after a while…”

Only then did Zhao Xing realize they had been affected by Li Wenzheng’s ‘silencing’.

Zhao Ruide said, “How was it? You weren’t hurt, were you?”

“No, I’m perfectly fine.”

“That’s good.”

The father and son exchanged a couple of brief pleasantries and then had nothing more to say.

Lady Cai usually had a lot to say, but this time, the occasion was too grand, and she saw that Zhao Xing’s demeanor was completely different from before he went into the mountains, so she didn’t dare to speak much.

Although very sleepy, she still unconsciously mustered her spirits, hugging Zhao Zheng and keeping a polite smile.

Zhao Xing thought for a moment and pulled a silver note from his pocket. “Godfather, Lady Cai, I gained quite a bit of wealth on the mountain this time. Please keep this silver note for the family.”

“Five hundred taels?!” Lady Cai’s eyes went wide.

Zhao Ruide, however, remained calm. “What are you doing? The family isn’t short on money. You should keep it for yourself.”

“I gained a lot on the mountain this time, more than enough for my cultivation. Please take it.” Seeing Zhao Ruide hesitate to take it, Zhao Xing offered it to Lady Cai instead.

“Gulp.” Someone distinctly swallowed.

In the past, Lady Cai would probably have happily accepted it, but today, for some reason…

Her fingers clearly twitched, and her eyes were fixed on the silver note, yet she couldn’t bring herself to reach out and take it.

“I truly have more,” Zhao Xing said, pulling out another five-hundred-tael silver note from his pocket. “Look, I’m not lying to you.”

Seeing Zhao Xing’s insistence, Zhao Ruide could only nod and motioned for Lady Cai to accept it. “Then let Lady Cai keep it for you.”

“Oh, yes, I’ll take good care of it!” Lady Cai immediately lost all drowsiness and tremblingly tucked the silver note close to her body.

As Zhao Xing and his family chatted,

in a fisherman’s house by the East Lake, another ‘family’ was also chatting.

“The Yin God on East Lake Spirit Mountain has completed the ranking of the officials,” the Hall Master of Three Bays said, taking off his fishing basket and speaking to the ‘wife’ who greeted him. “Of those we previously targeted, two died and three were crippled.”

“That’s good then, it reduces some pressure.” The middle-aged woman smiled as she untied her ‘husband’s’ shirt and wiped him with a towel.

“Reduces pressure?” The strong man spread his hands and scoffed. “On the contrary, our pressure has increased.”

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

“Li Chengfeng is at Gathering Yuan Ninth Stage, which isn’t so bad. But that Zhao Xing actually jumped from Gathering Yuan Fourth Stage to the Official Rank, gaining forty-two portions of Spiritual Essence all by himself!”

“He alone has directly increased the mission’s difficulty several times over,” the Hall Master of Three Bays said, clearly annoyed.

They needed to capture individuals with good aptitude, but too good an aptitude also brought trouble.

It meant a greater price had to be paid.

“Dozens of portions of Spiritual Essence?” The woman was also startled. “Doesn’t that mean there will be high-grade luck-infused Spiritual Essence? That would be truly troublesome.”

Luck-infused Spiritual Essence would greatly increase the difficulty of capture. If they could be easily caught, their luck wouldn’t be considered strong.

To counteract this ‘good luck’, they would also have to pay a greater price.

“Exactly, isn’t it annoying?”

“In this situation, it shouldn’t be up to you and me to act,” the woman said, frowning. “Didn’t the Protector say we still need to capture Chen Shijie? If higher-ups want to send more people, then it’s just a side matter.”

“It’s not that simple,” the middle-aged man said, frowning. “It’s okay once or twice, but not three times. Nanyang Commandery has already seen one operation, and now security is very tight. When I went to East Lake Mountain, I felt danger everywhere. Besides, if the mission isn’t completed, we’ll have to stay in this wretched place.”

“We can’t even use a single spell. We have to suppress our vital energy daily and endure the suffering of Yin Spirit Fiery Evil day and night…”

“The Protector has to travel between several counties by horse and carriage, so stop complaining.” The woman stroked the man’s chest. “Shall I relieve your fiery evil for you?”

The man grabbed the woman’s breast with one hand, and with the other hand, pressed down on her head. “Make it quick, I reckon the Protector will be here soon.”

“Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.” The woman tossed the towel aside and knelt down.

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

“Protector.” The Hall Master of Three Bays opened the door to greet him.

After entering the room, the old man sniffed and frowned, looking at the man. “Your Yin Spirit Fiery Evil is flaring up again? It’s only been this long?”

His words were light, but the Hall Master of Three Bays looked terrified. “Your subordinate is incompetent.”

“Hmph, if it’s sensed, you’ll die a terrible death.” The old man gently touched the man’s forehead, a flash of red light flickered, and the man visibly relaxed. “Remember, you can only dispel the evil on Yin days and Yin hours of each month. Don’t let me catch you a second time.”

“Yes, sir.”

Protector Falcon sat at the table, tapped his fingers lightly three times, and then said, “Tell me about East Lake Spirit Mountain. I can only stay here for a quarter of an hour; I still need to go to Lake City.”

“Li Chengfeng, Zong Shichang, and Zhao Xing from Valley City have made great progress, with Zhao Xing being the most prominent, having gained forty-two portions of Spiritual Essence all by himself.” The woman explained the details.

Protector Falcon listened quietly, his face expressionless. “That good-for-nothing Zong Shichang can be removed from the list. I misjudged him previously; his reputation, as I found out, was entirely inflated by others he hired. I only recently learned that he simply wastes his days relying on family wealth, and even climbing the Spirit Mountain required him to hire help.”

“Yes, sir.” The woman nodded gently.

“Li Chengfeng’s ranking should be moved to fifth place. He’s a promising talent.”

“As for this Zhao Xing…” Protector Falcon mused, “Move him to first place. If there’s an opportunity, we might even only need to capture him among the officials.”

“Protector, is Chen Shijie on the capture list?” the Hall Master of Three Bays asked.

“Is that something you should be asking?” Protector Falcon turned his head and lightly tapped the table.

The man’s face flushed, and he immediately showed a pained expression. “This subordinate misspoke.”

“Continue to monitor him, and find an opportunity to bring him back to the Far West Continent.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Brother Zhao, are you heading back to the city for a meal? It’s on me at the Fragrant Loft!”

“Big Brother Zhao, now that the mountain climb is over, Brother Li and Brother Peng are hosting at the Spring Return Pavilion. Would you do us the honor?”

Zhao Xing was chatting with his family when many officials came to invite him to a meal back in the city.

These included banquets hosted by Young Master Zong, Li Chengfeng, and others.

After three days of exhaustion, gathering together wasn’t a bad idea. Zhao Xing was just about to accept Zong Shichang’s invitation when his chest suddenly felt warm.

The Calamity Averting Almanac trembled slightly!

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

Year 15 of Jingxin Calendar, September 25th, late morning, four quarters into the Sishi hour.

Calamity Averting Warning: Minor Omen of Ill Fortune; acting with insufficient strength, all endeavors unfavorable.

A new record also appeared on the panel:

Calamity Averting Almanac passive warning: Based on your luck level and known information, you receive the following prompt:

If you depart from East Lake Mountain at the Sishi hour and return to the city with your companions, the Profound Sky Sect will see an opportunity and decide to launch their abduction plan early. You will resist fiercely, falling into a life-or-death situation, transforming into a Major Omen of Ill Fortune!

Although it was only a minor omen of ill fortune, the detailed interpretation on the panel showed that if he returned to the city, he might encounter an accident on the way, be abducted by members of the Profound Sky Sect, and thus turn into a major omen of ill fortune!

With his luck level at Derivation Three, the Calamity Averting Almanac Zhao Xing possessed became even more sensitive. Based on the information he knew and his understanding of the Profound Sky Sect, the information interpretation displayed on the panel was also more comprehensive.

“Everyone, I need to spend time with my family. I won’t be attending any appointments today; let’s gather another day!”

Zhao Xing rejected all these invitations.

Since there was a possibility of being abducted, he couldn’t ignore it.

Having acquired too much ‘good luck’ on the mountain, according to the rules of personal fortune, prosperity would be followed by decline, and he would encounter some minor misfortunes next.

What did ‘acting with insufficient strength’ mean? It meant traveling with colleagues of similar cultivation levels.

If he did that, what might have been only a minor misfortune could ultimately turn into a major omen of ill fortune, which would be too unjust!

“How was it?” Lu Qian looked at Zong Shichang as he approached, a hint of expectation in her eyes.

“He refused.” Zong Shichang shrugged, then asked curiously, “Why are you interested in him? You two are completely unrelated.”

Lu Qian felt a little disappointed and huffed, “Why are you asking so many questions? Didn’t you say that no one in Valley City dares to disrespect Young Master Zong? How is it that you can’t even invite someone to a meal? Truly disappointing!”

Zong Shichang was speechless.

Feeling scorned by the woman, he felt a great loss of face. “Just because I can’t invite him today doesn’t mean I can’t invite him tomorrow. You wait, I’ll make sure you two have this meal!”

“Good!” Lu Qian smiled. “Then I’ll await your news. Don’t worry, I’ll bring Qing’er along when the time comes. But don’t disappoint me, or you can forget about me setting you up again!”

“It’s a deal!” Zong Shichang left, satisfied.

Meanwhile, Li Chengfeng also received news from others that Zhao Xing had declined the invitation.

“It’s fine if he doesn’t come.” For some reason, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Inviting Zhao Xing wasn’t his original intention; it was just that everyone was saying they should invite Zhao Sijia to join in the festivities, so he had someone go and invite him.

But if Zhao Xing had actually come, Li Chengfeng would have been uncomfortable.

With him not coming now, he felt much more at ease.

East Lake Mountain, Altar Plaza.

“Why aren’t you leaving yet?” Chen Shijie asked Zhao Xing curiously. “Everyone else has gone off to have fun in groups, aren’t you going?”

The assessment and ranking had concluded, and most officials had left the area, returning in small groups to relax.

But Zhao Xing was still lingering there. Even when people invited him, he wouldn’t go.

“I don’t enjoy leisure activities,” Zhao Xing said against his true feelings. “There’s not much point to them.”

“You don’t have to be so hard on yourself,” Chen Shijie said with a laugh. “When it’s time to play, you should play. The time before you officially take office next year will be your most leisurely period; once you take office, there will be much more to do.”

Zhao Xing was now a Superior Ninth-Rank official. Further cultivation would be much slower than before, and would only return to normal after he officially took office.

Before the winter assessment, only the beginning of winter, winter solstice, and two assessments remained.

Given Zhao Xing’s current situation, achieving top marks in these two was no longer difficult, and securing a spot in the winter assessment was a certainty.

Because he had already caught the eye of the county-level agricultural officials, securing a spot in the winter assessment would definitely not be an issue.

The only uncontrollable factor was the temple examination. Even with connections in Nanyang Commandery, the temple examination couldn’t be influenced.

“I truly don’t enjoy playing,” Zhao Xing said. “Just give me a call when you’re heading back.”

“Alright,” Chen Shijie didn’t say anything more.

At a quarter past noon, the East Lake army had all entered the mountain.

At half past noon, Zhao Xing, along with Chen Shijie and his family, boarded a Flowing Cloud Flying Boat, took off directly from East Lake Mountain, and then landed a mile outside the city gate, enjoying the privilege of flight.

At a quarter to one in the afternoon, the Hall Master and Deputy Hall Master of Three Bays had been staking out several routes from East Lake Mountain back to the city for a long time, but had not found any trace of Zhao Xing.

“It seems this isn’t a good time to act,” the Hall Master of Three Bays sighed. Zhao Xing held significant importance in their mission; they could even abandon other minor targets for him, but not the other way around.

“Let’s go. We’ve waited years; what’s a little more time?” the Deputy Hall Master next to him said, shouldering his burden. “There will be plenty of opportunities.”

“Mhm.”

After Zhao Xing entered the city, the Calamity Averting Warning disappeared, no longer showing ill omens.

On the way back to Pingkang Ward, Lady Cai held Zhao Ruide’s arm. Zhao Zheng, still reeling from the excitement of riding the flying boat, hopped and chattered incessantly, peppering Zhao Xing with questions.

“Big Brother, how high can a flying boat fly?”

“Very high.”

“Big Brother, what if you need to pee on the flying boat?”

“Just pee over the side.”

“Huh? Won’t I fall off? And what if the strong wind blows it onto my pants?”

“Just wash them.”

“Big Brother, Big Brother… Ouch!”

Seeing Zhao Zheng accidentally trip and fall, Zhao Xing helplessly shook his head. That clumsy child… Then he flicked his finger, and a gust of wind lifted Zhao Zheng up.

Zhao Zheng kicked his legs wildly in the air, laughing continuously.

“Yay! I’m flying again! Big Brother, faster!”

That night, Zhao Xing returned to his bedroom, closed the doors and windows, and took out two sheets of yellow paper from his bookshelf to create a Guiding Talisman and a Soul-Soothing Talisman.

Both basic talismans were already at max level, and were completed in less than a quarter of an hour.

“Now that my cultivation has improved, I wonder if I can gain any benefits from the Grand Dream Academy. That damned Profound Sky Sect has too many tricks up their sleeve and they’re always watching me. I hope I can get some treasures to protect myself.”

Once the ink dried, he affixed one talisman to his forehead and another to his abdomen. Zhao Xing twisted his body into a strange posture on the bed and murmured softly, “Student Zhao Xing humbly requests the Grand Dream Academy to open its doors of learning!”