The boat sailed on the river.
The boat continued to move forward, breaking through the waves. Both sides of the river were filled with the colors of spring. As far as the eye could see, the surrounding fields could be seen. Facing the river, Pei Zi Yun's worries were cleared. He sighed and took out a jug of wine. He faced the dark clouds and took a sip.
He then pointed his finger in the air, and stopped moving.
"System!"
A Plum Blossom appeared in front of his eyes and grew bigger. It then turned into a translucent information interface and floated in front of him.
"Yin Master: Level 4 (67.2%)"
"Sword Techniques: Master (25.1%)"
"Dao Principles: Advanced (39.6%)"
"Dao Techniques: 43 Types, Advanced (33.1%)"
"Stars Transposition: Level 3 (15.7%)"
"Cloud Form: Level 1 (31.8%)"
"Fengshui: Master (0.9%)"
Everything else did not change much. It was just that after such a short period of time, his reputation had reached 67%. He then thought to himself, "I haven't even published a book recently. Only the officials know about this. Yet my reputation has increased by more than 30% in such a short period of time. Does it mean that my reputation depends on who I am? Does it mean that it would be more useful if the officials knew about it? "
Thinking this way, he smiled. It was never too much to have more reputation. At this point, the captain shouted, "Young Master, we've arrived at the pier of Mountain County."
Pei Zi Yun was overjoyed as he disembarked the boat. Mountain County was a small county, and was close to the mountains. He looked for an inn and realized that it was already full. At this point, the sky was dark and it was raining.
The rain was heavy and light at times. Pei Zi Yun seemed to have sensed it and looked in a certain direction. He then walked down the eaves of the house and saw the name 'Hundred Year Inn Zhang'. He smiled and looked at the door. Seeing that it was worn down, he knew that even if it wasn't an old inn, it must have been open for a long time. As soon as he entered, the waiter welcomed him, "Young master, are you here to stay or eat?"
"I want to stay and eat. I want a good room. Single rooms are the best."
"Young master, we don't have a single room. We do have a quiet room. Please!" The waiter invited Pei Zi Yun into the room. It was almost dusk. He opened the door and lit the lamp. Pei Zi Yun sniffed the air and noticed that there was no smell of mold. He then smiled, "Not bad, it's clean."
The waiter was immediately energized. He fetched water to wash his face and feet and kept busy. He said, "Of course. My shop is the oldest in the entire county. We never hesitate to serve our customers."
"Let's not talk about the best room. Even in an ordinary room, the blankets are washed once every three days and dried once every five days. It's impossible for the blankets to be moldy and dirty!"
As he spoke, he handed over a hot towel and a cup of tea. The sky was already dark, and Pei Zi Yun saw that Pei Zi Yun was about to start preparing the dishes, and called out to him, "Don't be in such a hurry. Prepare my dishes well. I don't need a lot, just three will do. Also, prepare a pot of wine, but it has to be clean and fresh!"
As he spoke, he threw two taels of silver to the waiter. The waiter was overjoyed and said, "Don't worry, young master. The dishes will be served immediately. I guarantee that there won't be any problems."
After dinner, the sky had darkened. Pei Zi Yun took off his shoes and walked out of the house. Seeing that it was raining everywhere, he went back to his room to read a book before falling asleep.
In a daze, the night gradually deepened.
"It's the middle of the night. Be careful of the candles." The streets were all quiet, and no one was patrolling the streets. Every household had turned off their lights. Only the night watchman carried a small lantern and struck the gong as he walked.
The oil in the lamp on the table in his room was getting smaller and smaller. All of a sudden, a spark appeared and was extinguished. At this point, he could hear music playing. Pei Zi Yun was sleeping soundly when his Yin Master stirred. He opened his eyes and stood up.
A gust of cold wind blew past as Pei Zi Yun sighed, "Indeed, I don't have enough Yin Master. Even when I'm in my room, it's getting unbearable."
As he muttered to himself, he heard the music getting closer and closer. He could even hear the sound of hoofbeats.
He looked over and saw the rhythmic footsteps of an ox-cart appear before his eyes. This cart was white in color, with a hint of red. He couldn't tell what kind of metal it was made of. There were even armored guards surrounding the cart, and it looked extremely imposing.
The ox-cart stopped, and a man came down. He was dressed in a red official robe, and looked to be in his twenties or thirties. His face was cold, and his body was surrounded by a white and red glow. When he saw Pei Zi Yun, he bowed down.
"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare. Your excellency is a fourth ranked official, why would you bow down to me?" Pei Zi Yun bowed.
"I deserve it, I deserve it. It's all thanks to your kindness that I was able to receive a posthumous reward. You even wrote a biography of me. Due to the separation of Yin and Yang, I can't guarantee your kindness. Please drink three cups of wine, as a token of my gratitude."
As he spoke, he waved his hands, and a small table appeared in front of him. The wine flask flew up and filled a cup with wine. He then placed it in front of Pei Zi Yun.
"I'm ashamed to accept it."
When Pei Zi Yun heard this, he realized that the wine was red in color, and was extremely beneficial to his Yin Master. He didn't reject it, and drank it in one gulp. The moment the wine entered his mouth, it dissolved into spiritual energy. The man tried to persuade him again, but Pei Zi Yun shook his head, "Your excellency, this wine is hard to come by. I shall not drink any more."
When the man heard this, he bowed down to Pei Zi Yun, "Dao Master's benevolence can only be repaid in the future."
In the blink of an eye, the white mist dissipated, and the man and his servant walked further and further away. They seemed to be speaking to each other, but Pei Zi Yun could no longer hear them.
As the white mist dissipated, Pei Zi Yun woke up. He opened his eyes and looked out the window. The rain had stopped, and the stars in the night sky seemed to be blinking.
"Nightmare?"
"No, it's a divine spirit. Listen to me. Is it that Gao Shunyi?" Pei Zi Yun thought to himself as he opened up the system. His expression changed, "Yin Master: Fourth Level (97.2%)"
"A cup of spiritual wine has increased my cultivation by 30%!"
A few birds were chirping in the trees outside the relay station. Xie Cheng Dong was cultivating when a Daoist hurried over. When he saw that Xie Cheng Dong had finished his cultivation, he handed him a piece of paper.
Xie Cheng Dong was still smiling and had a warm expression on his face. When he saw the piece of paper, his expression changed. He was enraged, "What? Pei Zi Yun has gone to Mountain County?"
When Xie Cheng Dong heard the news, his expression changed. Several Daoists who had been following him were shocked.
Xie Cheng Dong had attained the tenth level of the Yin Master Stage at such a young age. Normally, he had a calm demeanor, and was calm and collected. Why did he lose his composure upon hearing the news?
Xie Cheng Dong paced back and forth before turning around, "Continue to watch over him. If he goes to Yuan Qing Village, report to me immediately."
When the Daoist heard this, he hesitated, "Young Master, the report said that if we follow him, he would be discovered. We can't follow him at all."
Xie Cheng Dong paused for sometime, "This person has been through countless battles and has developed a sharp sense of awareness. If he were to look at him, he would be discovered. This is indeed troublesome."
"Tell the people below not to look at him personally. They can use my command token to contact the carriage company. They can monitor him through their connections. He's not a Daoist, and doesn't have any ill intentions. All they have to do is to record his movements. This way, they can reduce his hostility to the lowest level. Even if he has a sharp sense of awareness, it would be difficult to detect him."
"Yes! Young Master. "The Daoist then left.
At this point, the relay station opened its doors to serve food. Xie Cheng Dong kept his anger in check and walked out. Eunuch Liao walked up to him and exchanged glances.
"How's the situation?"
"Everything's been arranged."
Dozens of people were bustling about in the relay station. Before long, the deputy personally carried the food and placed it on the table. There were more than ten different dishes, some of which were still sizzling as they came out of the pot. Eunuch Liao took a whiff and said, "For this place to be like this, let's taste the food!"
"Yes!" A young eunuch stepped forward and tasted the fish. When he tasted it, his face changed. Eunuch Liao then asked, "Could it be that it's poisoned?"
"No, it doesn't seem fresh!" The young eunuch hurriedly knelt down and spoke.
Eunuch Liao was enraged and called for the deputy, who knelt down, "King Lu, this is a small relay station. How can I prepare fresh fish? The fish were sent here from seventy miles away. The weather is getting warmer and warmer, and I have no choice. Please forgive me, King Lu!"
The deputy spoke as if he had been wronged. King Lu wanted to eat fresh fish, and the relay station couldn't provide it.
"Forget it, there are so many dishes here. How can it not be enough? You may leave!" King Lu spoke as he waved for the deputy to leave. The deputy then entered the kitchen.
The cook was somewhat uneasy and asked, "Deputy, this is a King we're talking about. If the fish isn't fresh, what should we do?"
Hearing the cook's words, the deputy rolled his eyes and laughed coldly, "Hm, he's just a has-been King. He's not even a King. It's hard to say if he'll even be able to return to the capital city. What are you afraid of?"
"Besides, the Crown Prince has always been at odds with King Lu. Who knows, he might not even be a King in the future."
Outside the window, an imperial guard of King Lu returned. Eunuch Liao stepped forward and asked, "Imperial Guard Zhang, where did you go?"
The imperial guard replied angrily, "I wanted to follow the deputy to the kitchen to take a look at the surroundings. Who would've thought that this servant would say that His Highness is no longer a King, and would never be able to return to the capital city. Who knows, he might not even be a King in the future."
"You seem to agree on the surface but oppose me on the inside.
"What?" The commander of the black robed guards opened his eyes wide. King Lu was a Crown Prince, and had been in power for many years. Nobody dared to disobey his orders. Who would've thought that after being stripped of his title a few months ago, King Lu's heart would change so drastically? He even dared to look down on this deputy. The commander was enraged as he pulled out his blade and shouted, "This dog dares to insult His Highness. Men, follow me and kill him."
"Yes!" Several soldiers replied as their armor clashed against each other. At that point, a wave of killing intent surged out. Seeing that blood was about to spill out of the relay station, an official's eyes flashed. He wanted to say something, but stopped himself.
At this point, King Lu sighed and waved his hands, "Wait!"
Seeing that the commander had stopped, King Lu paced back and forth, suppressing his anger. After sometime, he raised his head and looked into the distance, "In terms of fairness, this relay station doesn't have any fresh fish. In terms of fairness, I'm no longer a King."
As he spoke, he walked back and picked up a piece of fish with his chopsticks. He then placed it into his mouth, "I wonder if my descendants will be able to eat this fish in the future!"
When the people around heard this, tears rolled down their cheeks.
Xie Cheng Dong wiped away his tears and looked at the other official, who was visibly moved. He then gave Eunuch Liao a look, "It's done!"
It wasn't that they couldn't be more explicit, such as hiding the fresh fish and using the smelly fish. However, that would be a violation of the rules. The deputy had his own family and his own life, and he had already reached his limit.
Furthermore, this was perfect. Even the Emperor and the Crown Prince wouldn't be suspicious, and it would be difficult for them to investigate the matter.
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