Chapter 83: Top of the List, Another Ominous Warning (Third Update Requesting Monthly Tickets)

After following Chen Shi around for a while, the officials had mostly seen enough, but his family was the last to meet him.

"Brother, Brother!" Zhao Xing saw Zhao Zheng coming down from the viewing platform, and Zhao Zheng rushed over with excitement, only to be stopped by the orderly East Lake soldiers.

"These are my family members," Zhao Xing explained. The viewing area for officials and civilians was separated, and unless prior arrangements were made, people couldn't just enter freely.

"Go register at the front, then come back here for a body search..." One of the soldiers, with a stern face, began to speak, but before he could finish, a leader approached, "These are Zhao Sinoong's family! No need to register, let them through!"

Zhao Xing's time on the platform wasn't in vain; many of the East Lake soldiers now recognized him. His family had just been chatting and laughing with their superiors, so how could they not pay attention?

"Thank you," Zhao Xing smiled and clasped his hands together.

Zhao Rui De, Zhao Zheng, and Madam Cai were finally allowed in.

"Brother, you're amazing," Zhao Zheng looked at his brother with admiration. "So many officials on the platform were smiling at you."

Zhao Xing didn't bother explaining to Zhao Zheng that it wasn't him they were smiling at, but rather out of respect for Old Chen.

After entering the venue, his senses became sharper, and looking at Old Chen, he realized he was far from being just a simple Ninth Grade.

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

"Yes, very long. I even peed three times before you came out!" Zhao Zheng said with some grievance. "When you finally came out, you were surrounded by so many people. I called out to you, but before I could shout twice, I suddenly couldn't speak. I thought I was mute, but after a while, I could talk again..."

Zhao Xing then realized they were affected by Li Wenzheng's 'silence' spell.

Zhao Rui De asked, "How are you? Not hurt, right?"

"No, I'm fine."

"That's good."

Father and son exchanged a few simple words and had nothing more to say.

Madam Cai had a lot to say to her son, but the occasion was too grand, and seeing Zhao Xing's demeanor completely different from before he went up the mountain, she dared not speak much.

Though she was very embarrassed, she still unconsciously perked up, pulling Zhao Zheng along with a smile.

Zhao Xing thought for a moment, then took out a silver note from his pocket: "Father, Madam Cai, I gained quite a bit on the mountain this time. This silver note is for the family."

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

Zhao Rui De, however, remained calm: "What are you doing? The family doesn't lack money. Keep it for yourself."

"I gained a lot this time on the mountain, more than enough for my cultivation. Please accept it," Zhao Xing insisted, handing it to Madam Cai.

"Gulp~" Someone audibly swallowed.

In the past, Madam Cai would have happily accepted it, but today, she didn't know why she hesitated. Her fingers twitched, her eyes lingered on the silver note, but she couldn't bring herself to take it.

"I really have more," Zhao Xing took out another five hundred tael note, "See, I'm not lying to you."

Seeing Zhao Xing's insistence, Zhao Rui De nodded slightly, signaling Madam Cai to accept it: "Then let the lady help you keep it."

"Oh, I'll take good care of it!" Madam Cai finally overcame her embarrassment and carefully tucked the silver note away.

While Zhao Xing's family was chatting, in a fisherman's house by East Lake, another 'family' was also having a conversation.

"The Yin God on East Lake Spirit Mountain has already ranked the candidates," the master of Three Bay Hall said, putting down his fishing gear and addressing his 'wife'. "Two of the ones we had our eyes on are dead, and three are crippled."

"That's good, less pressure," the middle-aged woman smiled, unbuttoning her 'husband's' sweaty shirt and wiping him down with a towel.

"Less pressure?" The strong man stretched his arms, snorted, "On the contrary, our pressure has increased."

"How so?" The woman switched to a clean towel.

"Li Chengfeng reached Gathering Essence Ninth Grade, which isn't much. But Zhao Xing jumped from Gathering Essence Fourth Grade to Entry Level, single-handedly obtaining forty-two portions of spiritual essence!"

"Just him alone, the task difficulty has increased several times," the master of Three Bay Hall said with some frustration.

They were supposed to capture some decent candidates, but if the candidates were too good, it became troublesome. It meant the cost of capturing them would be much higher.

"Forty-two portions of spiritual essence?" The woman was startled. "Doesn't that mean there will be high-quality spiritual essence? That's really troublesome."

Spiritual essence with high-quality Qi makes it much harder to capture. If it could be easily caught, it wouldn't be considered strong.

To counteract this 'good luck', they would have to pay a much higher price.

"Yes, isn't it frustrating?"

"In this situation, it shouldn't be up to you and me to act," the woman frowned. "Didn't the Protector say they still need to capture Chen Shi? If they want to increase manpower, that's just a side matter."

"It's not that simple. Once or twice is fine, but not a third time. Nanyang County has already acted once, and now they're very vigilant. I went to East Lake Mountain and felt danger everywhere," the middle-aged man frowned. "Besides, if the task isn't completed, we'll have to stay in this godforsaken place."

"Can't use any magic arts, have to suppress our Qi every day, and endure the torment of Yin Spirit Fire day and night..."

"The Protector has to ride horses and take carriages between counties, so stop complaining," the woman comforted, "Shall I help you relieve the fire?"

The man grabbed the woman's waist with one hand and pressed her head down with the other: "Hurry up, I estimate the Protector will arrive 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, and an old man knocked on the door.

"Protector," the master of Three Bay Hall opened the door to welcome him.

The old man entered the room, sniffed the air, and frowned at the man: "Your Yin Spirit Fire is out of control again? How long has it been?"

His words were light, but the master of Three Bay Hall looked terrified: "It's my incompetence."

"Hmph, if you're detected, you'll die a horrible death," the old man lightly tapped the man's forehead, a flash of red light appeared, and the man visibly relaxed. "Remember, the Yin Spirit Fire can only be expelled during the Yin Sun Yin Time each month. Don't let me find out a second time."

"Yes."

The Falcon Protector sat at the table, tapping his fingers lightly, then said, "Tell me about the situation on East Lake Spirit Mountain. I can only stay here for a moment, then I have to go to Lake City."

"Li Chengfeng, Zong Shichang, and Zhao Xing from Valley City have all made significant progress, with Zhao Xing being the most prominent, obtaining forty-two portions of spiritual essence," the woman detailed.

The Falcon Protector listened quietly, his face expressionless: "Zong Shichang can be removed from the list. Previously, his reputation was all hype. Recently, it's been found that he's been living off his family's wealth, even needing help to climb Spirit Mountain."

"Yes," the woman nodded lightly.

"Li Chengfeng ranks fifth, he's a good seed."

"As for Zhao Xing..." The Falcon Protector pondered, "Put him at the top of the list. If there's an opportunity, the mission can focus solely on capturing him."

"Protector, is Chen Shi on the capture list?" the master of Three Bay Hall asked.

"Is that something you should be asking?" The Falcon turned his head, lightly tapping the table.

The man's face turned red, showing a pained expression: "It's my subordinate's mistake."

"Keep an eye on him, find an opportunity to bring him back to the Extreme Western Continent."

"Yes."

"Brother Zhao, want to go back to the city for a meal? My treat at the Fragrant Tower!"

"Brother Zhao, now that the climbing is over, Brother Li and Brother Peng are hosting at the Rejuvenation Institute, care to join us?"

Zhao Xing was chatting with his family when many companions came to invite him back to the city for a meal. Among them were Zong Young Master, Li Chengfeng, and others.

After three days of hard work, gathering for a meal wasn't a big deal. Zhao Xing was about to accept Zong Shichang's invitation when suddenly his chest felt warm.

The Evil Dispelling Almanac slightly trembled!

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

[Year 15 of Jingxin, September 25, in the corner, already at the fourth hour.]

[Ominous Warning: Minor Ominous; act with caution, all things are unfavorable.]

The panel also refreshed with a new record:

[Evil Dispelling Almanac triggered a warning. Based on your Qi level and known information, you receive the following hint:]

[You will depart from East Lake Mountain at the fourth hour, return to the city with companions, Xuantian Sect sees an opportunity to act, deciding to initiate a snatch plan ahead of schedule. You resist, falling into a life-and-death situation, turning into a major ominous sign!]

Although it's only a minor ominous sign, the detailed reading on the panel indicates that returning to the city might lead to an unexpected incident, being snatched by people from Xuantian Sect, turning into a major ominous sign!

With Yan San's Qi level, the Evil Dispelling Almanac Zhao Xing possesses is even more sensitive. Based on his own knowledge and understanding of Xuantian Sect, the information presented on the panel is more comprehensive.

"Everyone, I need to accompany my family, I won't be attending any gatherings today, let's meet another day!" Zhao Xing declined all these invitations.

Since there was a possibility of being snatched, he couldn't ignore it.

Having gained too much 'good luck' on the mountain, according to the rules of personal fortune, extreme prosperity leads to decline, he would experience some minor setbacks next.

What does it mean to act with caution? It means walking with people of similar levels.

If he did so, what might have been a small setback could turn into a major ominous sign, which would be too tragic!

"What happened?" Lu Qian looked at Zong Shichang approaching, with some expectation in her eyes.

"He declined," Zong Shichang shrugged, then curiously asked, "Why are you interested in him? You two have nothing in common."

Lu Qian felt a bit disappointed, snorting, "Why do you ask so much? Didn't you say that no one in Valley City dares to disrespect you, Zong Young Master? How come you can't even invite someone for a meal, it's really disappointing!"

"..." Zong Shichang was speechless.

Being looked down upon by a woman, he felt utterly humiliated: "Just because he didn't come today doesn't mean he won't come tomorrow. Just wait, I'll make sure you both have that meal!"

"Alright!" Lu Qian smiled, "Then I'll wait for your news. Rest assured, when the time comes, I'll bring Qing'er along, don't disappoint us, or don't expect me to help you again!"

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

On the other side, Li Chengfeng also received news from someone that Zhao Xing declined the invitation.

"Not coming is fine," for some reason, he felt relieved.

Inviting Zhao Xing wasn't his idea, it was just that everyone said they should invite Zhao Four Jia to join in the fun, so he asked someone to invite him.

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

Now that he's not coming, he felt much more at ease.

East Lake Mountain, Ditan Square.

"Why aren't you leaving yet?" Chen Shi looked at Zhao Xing curiously, "They've all gone to have fun, aren't you going?"

The assessment and ranking had ended, and most of the companions had left, with three to five groups returning to the city to relax.

But Zhao Xing was still lingering here, refusing invitations.

"I don't like having fun," Zhao Xing said truthfully, "It's not interesting."

"No need to be so hard on yourself," Chen Shi laughed, "You should enjoy yourself when you can. Before you take office next year, this is your most leisurely time. Once you take office, there will be much to do."

Zhao Xing was now already above Ninth Grade, continuing to cultivate would be much slower than before, only after officially taking office would it return to normal.

Before the winter evaluation, only the winter solstice and two assessments remained.

Given Zhao Xing's current situation, achieving top marks in these two aspects was no difficulty, and obtaining a nomination in the winter evaluation was a certainty.

Because he had already caught the eye of the county-level Department of Agriculture officials, getting a nomination in the winter evaluation was assured.

The only uncontrollable factor was the temple examination, which even with connections in Nanyang County, couldn't influence.

"I really don't like having fun," Zhao Xing said, "Call me when you're leaving."

"Alright," Chen Shi didn't say more.

At the first hour of noon, the East Lake army had fully entered the mountain.

At the second hour of noon, Zhao Xing, along with Chen Shi, took his family on the Floating Cloud Flying Boat, directly taking off from East Lake Mountain, and later landing a mile outside the city gate, enjoying a brief flight.

At the fourth hour of noon, the master and deputy master of Three Bay Hall, after watching the roads leading back to the city from East Lake Mountain for a long time, never found any trace of Zhao Xing.

"Seems like it's not a good time to act," the master of Three Bay Hall sighed. Zhao Xing was crucial to the mission, even willing to abandon other minor targets for this top spot, but it wasn't feasible.

"Let's go, after so many years, do you still care about this one time?" The deputy master beside him picked up the burden, "There will be opportunities."

"Yes."

After Zhao Xing entered the city, the ominous warning disappeared, no longer showing any ominous signs.

On the way back to Pingkang Ward, Madam Cai held Zhao Rui De's hand, Zhao Zheng was still excited from the flying boat ride, jumping and asking Zhao Xing endless questions.

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

"Very high."

"Brother, what if you need to pee on the flying boat?"

"Stand at the edge and pee."

"Huh? Won't you fall off? What if the wind blows the pee onto your pants?"

"Just wash it off."

"Brother, brother... oh~"

Watching Zhao Zheng accidentally trip, Zhao Xing helplessly shook his head, this unlucky kid... then flicked his finger, a gust of wind lifted Zhao Zheng up.

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

"Yay~ flying again~ Brother, faster~"

That night, Zhao Xing returned to his room, closed the doors and windows, and took out two pieces of yellow paper from the bookshelf, crafting a Guidance Talisman and a Soul Calming Talisman.

Both basic talismans were already mastered, taking less than a moment to complete.

"Now that my realm has improved, I wonder if I can gain a good position in the Great Dream Academy. Those damn Xuantian Sect methods are too many, always targeting me. Hopefully, I can get some treasures for protection."

After the ink dried, he pasted one on his forehead and one on his abdomen, twisting into a strange posture on the bed, muttering softly: "Student Zhao Xing, humbly requests the Great Dream Academy to open the door of learning!"

(End of Chapter)