Inside the Deceit City, the candidates encountered one new game after another.
Outside the Deceitful Land, at the examination grounds, the crowd of onlookers buzzed with discussion, their expectant gazes fixed on the large gate in the center of the Grand Arena.
The candidates’ families sighed in despair, some having already cried their eyes dry.
The examiners gathered together, discussing how to handle the aftermath while they awaited a decree from the emperor.
As time went on, more people who had traveled from afar began to gather around the examination grounds.
Jiang Youfei, dressed in white with her face obscured by a veiled conical hat, stood on a treetop. From her perch deep in the forest, she gazed at the distant black spatial rift.
’If Uncle Zhou hadn’t specifically sent for me, I never would have come here just to wait,’ she thought, continuing her silent watch.
In the distance, two elderly men in the Daoist robes of the Celestial Fate Sect stood under a large tree, observing the examination grounds.
"Senior Brother, Master just entered seclusion, and now the Myriad Phenomena Map has been corrupted by the Deceit Realm. Will this affect Master’s plans for Ye Han?"
"Do not be overly concerned, Junior Brother. The Deceit Realm’s corruption is of no consequence. That boy, Ye Han, possesses immense Qi Fortune. Though he faced setbacks before, it seems to be his destiny. Have you not noticed how much more composed he’s become recently?"
"True. Qi Fortune is easy to come by, but a strong character is hard to forge. Still, a Deceitful Land is ultimately fraught with unexpected dangers."
"It is fraught with danger for you and me, but for someone with such immense Qi Fortune, it’s a land of opportunity. Forget Ye Han—even the likes of Bone Filth Child, Grave Carver, Eastern Peak Lin Zhenyuan, Sword Scabbard, and Impermanence are unlikely to die in there. They are bound to make gains, and their Qi Fortune will grow substantially."
"Senior Brother, do you think one of the others might snatch the champion title from Ye Han?"
"It was supposed to be foolproof, but now that it has been tainted by Deceit, there might be unexpected outcomes. Before we left, several Martial Uncles instructed us not to act rashly even if something happens to Ye Han this time. We are to wait until Master emerges from seclusion. Besides, Master already arranged to secretly gift the Great Inheritance, the Great Cutting Sword, to Ye Han. He will inevitably use his Qi Fortune to select someone as his ’Benefactor’ or ’Assistant,’ and it will almost certainly be Shen Xiaoyi. With the Great Cutting Sword, Shen Xiaoyi will be able to unlock treasure-filled locations within the Myriad Phenomena Map, and Ye Han will take the lion’s share of the rewards. Even if Ye Han doesn’t become the Champion Scholar, or even one of the Life-Separating People, he is guaranteed to gain the most, far surpassing everyone else."
"Indeed. After all, as long as he’s inside the Myriad Phenomena Map, Ye Han is the Human Son. He will gain the most Qi Fortune, far more than anyone else."
"What about that Li Qingxian?"
"A pawn of the Life-Seeking Sect. He has the potential to become a Great Fate Master, but that’s all. Those first- and second-class Fate Sects might view him as a priceless treasure, but in the eyes of our Celestial Fate Sect, he is insignificant."
「Divine Capital City.」
All sorts of rumors were flying around the city.
The Night Guard, the Patrol Bureau, Chunfeng Inn.
After finishing the secret report from the Night Guard, Zhou Chunfeng let out a long sigh. He gazed out the window and smiled bitterly. "I don’t know if I helped you or harmed you. Who could have known you’d run into a Deceitful Land? Three encounters with Deceit in just six months... What is there to say?"
Zhou Chunfeng coughed lightly, covering his mouth with his right hand. But the coughing fit grew more severe, and he had no choice but to grit his teeth and grip his Cow Bone Fan tightly.
CRACK...
The Bone Fan cracked.
Zhou Chunfeng’s coughing stopped abruptly. He gently caressed the crack, his eyes turning red.
The gift from his late wife was broken.
After a long, dazed moment, he took out a brush and paper, finished writing a letter, and handed it to the Huisun standing before his desk.
"Deliver this to Chief Minister Zhao in secret. Afterward, return here to retrieve some items, then go to the examination grounds at Qingyun Mountain. Join Zhou Henn in protecting Qingxian, and give him the last of the Holy Decrees and imperial gifts I’ve collected. Once the examination is over, send him back to Jiangnan immediately. He is not to return to the Divine Capital until he reaches the Fourth Grade."
"And you, sir...?"
"I will make my preparations, leave the city for Qingyun Mountain, and travel to Jiangnan with you," Zhou Chunfeng said, gazing quietly out the window.
Huisun looked at Zhou Chunfeng for a long while before nodding lightly, transforming into a gray falcon and flying away.
Zhou Chunfeng coughed a few times, his gaze falling upon a scroll of calligraphy on the desk.
He had mounted it himself yesterday, intending to give it to Li Qingxian.
Aside from his own name, only eight characters were written on it.
Zhou Chunfeng stared at those eight characters for a long time. Then, he turned, picked up a thick set of books, went to the back room, and opened a small huanghuali wood box fastened with a tiger-head copper lock.
Inside were some silver notes, jewelry, and other items that Li Qingxian kept there.
The corners of Zhou Chunfeng’s mouth curled up slightly as he recalled a conversation they’d had.
"Uncle Zhou, it’s not convenient for me to keep things at my place, so I’ll just leave them with you for now. If you’re ever short on cash, feel free to use it... erm... but don’t take too much. This is for the bridal price for my future You... my future wife. And a certain uncle should probably pitch in a little, too."
Zhou Chunfeng slowly placed his own handwritten copy of the Four Books and Five Classics inside, gently patting the cover before closing the box and fastening the lock.
Zhou Chunfeng carried the box to his desk and placed it beside the scroll of calligraphy.
Outside the window, the colors of autumn were deep, and the lotus pond lay withered.
A moment later, Zhou Chunfeng stood up and left Chunfeng Inn.
One hour later, Zhou Chunfeng returned.
Huisun was standing before the desk.
Zhou Chunfeng picked up his Qi Fortune Silver Fish Pouch and gave it a light tip. Scroll after scroll of Holy Decrees and imperial calligraphy and paintings tumbled out, covering the table.
"Store all of these," Zhou Chunfeng said as he continued to empty the pouch.
Huisun stepped forward and quickly began storing the scrolls into his own Qi Fortune Silver Fish Pouch, taking in over three hundred of them in total.
"My lord, where did all this come from?" Huisun couldn’t resist asking.
Zhou Chunfeng smiled faintly. "I paid a visit to some old friends like the Guard Commander and Zhang Fugui. They weren’t in, so I left them IOUs. I’m sure they’re willing."
Huisun was dumbfounded.
Far in the distance, a large Wooden Eagle, forty feet long, flew slowly through the sky toward the Divine Capital.
A fair-skinned man with a tall, powerful build but a baby face was lounging lazily inside the small cabin on the Wooden Eagle’s back.
He was dressed in purple robes with a Junior Third Grade Tiger Patch on his chest, but his bare feet made him look like a total loafer.
Across from him, two Middle-Grade Officials in red robes sat ramrod straight.
The baby-faced giant suddenly took out a Communication Flying Disc. After listening to the message, he laughed. "This year’s Seventh Grade candidates are really unlucky. The Myriad Phenomena Cyan Cloud Examination got tainted by Deceit. That little brat Li Qingxian is caught in there too."
"Is that the one who dared to cash in a favor with you, sir?" one of the Middle-Grade Officials asked.
The baby-faced giant shot to his feet, slammed the table, and roared, "The nerve of him! He dares to cash in a favor from me, Zhang Fugui? One after another, no less! What, does he think he’s just plucking grapes off a vine? When I get back to the Night Guard, I’m stringing that little brat up and giving him twenty lashes on the backside!"
"Lord Zhou would fight you to the death, sir. You haven’t been at the Night Guard recently, so you don’t know how much he dotes on that boy."
"You think I’m afraid of Zhou Chunfeng?" Zhang Fugui sneered.
"But you still owe him so many favors..."
Zhang Fugui clicked his tongue and nodded. "That’s true. If I don’t give Zhou Chunfeng face, my reputation will be ruined, and it’ll be hard for me to owe people favors in the future. Besides, Old Zhou has helped me out big time before. I’ll think about it... think of a way to handle this without tarnishing my good name..."
The two Middle-Grade Officials exchanged a look.
’Other families have generations of loyal and heroic service,’ they thought. ’But you, Zhang Fugui, come from three generations of mountain bandits. The entire court knows you’re from a family of brigands. What reputation do you possibly have to speak of?’
「Myriad Phenomena Map, Deceit City.」
The air in an empty clearing suddenly rippled, revealing a group of children and over a hundred candidates.
"We owe it all to Hao Yunsheng!"
"Yeah, that game was so hard. Without Hao Yunsheng, we all would’ve been wiped out."
"My good brother!" Marquis Nanxiang, Meng Huaichuan, said, beaming as he slung an arm around Hao Yunsheng’s shoulders.
"I was merely riding on your good fortune, My Lord."
"I can’t stand to hear that. I know my own worth, and I know it best. Aside from a slightly better family background, a bit more money, and slightly better martial arts, I’m useless. When it comes to things like this, we have to rely on you."