Chapter 145: A Few People, A Few Matters
The Prince of Jiyang slowly withdrew his smile.
It seemed that the Anaconda Demon had indeed caused quite a commotion at the Yongzhou Chamber of Commerce. The ever two-faced Dong Li—who usually played both sides—did not even bother to pretend this time.
“This prince has indeed heard of what happened at the Yongzhou Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber’s great losses are the sorrow of all Yongzhou. When this prince learned of it, I was deeply distressed and angered by that beast’s arrogance.”
“However, both the Six Gates and the Bureau of Heaven Monitoring are conducting demon-extermination operations. Incidents like that at the Yongzhou Chamber should not happen again.”
After offering those brief words of concern, the Prince of Jiyang asked,
“I wonder, after the Anaconda Demon’s rampage, what brings Chairman Dong to my princely residence?”
Of course, the gleam in the Prince’s eyes betrayed his true thoughts.
Dong Li, well aware of it, did not expose him. He simply tilted his head slightly and said,
“That Anaconda Demon brought unspeakable humiliation upon my Yongzhou Chamber of Commerce. All ten thousand members of the Chamber would gladly devour its flesh alive.”
“For this reason, I have spent great effort tracing its whereabouts—it fled toward Ningjiang County.”
“By coincidence, I recalled Your Highness’s earlier request, so I came to ask whether you still desire the Great Qian Dynasty’s only Anaconda Robe. If so, you may accompany me.”
Hearing Dong Li’s true purpose, the Prince of Jiyang immediately burst out laughing.
“It is exactly what I wished for, though I dared not ask!”
Two men—each with his own motive yet sharing the same goal—made their decision at once. Together, they set out for Ningjiang County to capture Mo Lin, the Anaconda Demon.
At the Bureau of Heaven Monitoring in Ningjiang County, Wei Hanyu was immersed in cultivation when the balding Taoist Chen Qu entered.
Unlike the shaved-headed monks of the White Horse Temple or the bald-headed Gate Master of the Six Gates, this Third Rank Taoist still had hair—though most of it had already fallen out.
Wei Hanyu opened his eyes.
“What is it?”
Chen Qu shook the envelope in his hand.
“A letter from the Capital.”
Wei Hanyu’s expression changed slightly.
“Is it from Little Sheng?”
Chen Qu chuckled.
“Who else could it be from? The Old Grand Astrologer?”
Wei Hanyu shook his head with a smile. Although he held the same Third Rank title as Chen Qu and was regarded as a figure of status in Yongzhou, he never imagined that the Old Grand Astrologer would think of him.
He was merely an upper-tier Earth Rank cultivator, while the Old Grand Astrologer was personally appointed by the former emperor as the Sea-Calming Divine Needle of the Great Qian Dynasty. Under his command were countless Innate and Heaven Rank beings.
Take, for example, Gong Zixian, the mutual friend of Wei Hanyu and Chen Qu, who had left Yongzhou for the Capital years ago. After apprenticing under the Old Grand Astrologer, he had already reached the upper-tier Heaven Rank.
If Gong Zixian had not come to Ningjiang County about a year ago with Hong Sheng and Hong Yu, Wei Hanyu might not have even recognized his old friend anymore.
So, Wei Hanyu merely smiled at Chen Qu’s jest and glanced at the letter in his hand.
“After Little Sheng arrived in the Capital, he sent us a letter to assure us of his safety. Now, he’s written another. Time flies—it’s been nearly a year already.”
Wei Hanyu could not help but sigh.
Chen Qu nodded as well.
“Indeed, time passes quickly. Come, let’s see what Little Sheng wrote.”
The two men—prominent figures in Yongzhou—pressed their heads together and began reading Hong Sheng’s letter, written from faraway Capital.
In it, Hong Sheng described what he had seen and experienced in the Capital, as well as his time in the Bureau of Heaven Monitoring. He especially mentioned how Gong Zixian, their mutual friend, had taken great care of him.
What truly astonished them, however, was that Hong Sheng wrote he had met the Old Grand Astrologer himself—and even conversed with him at length. According to Hong Sheng, the Old Grand Astrologer was a gentle, refined, and amiable elder.
The two lifted their heads from the letter, staring at each other in speechless shock.
That brat Hong Sheng—he’d merely gone to the Capital, yet he had met the Old Grand Astrologer, the very “Sea-Calming Divine Needle” of the Great Qian Dynasty?!
And he even had a private audience with him?!
Even they had never been so fortunate as to behold the Grand Astrologer’s true face. What astounding luck this boy possessed!
Aside from that envy-inducing fortune, the letter also revealed that Hong Sheng had passed the Bureau’s examination, allowing him to skip the preliminary county and provincial exams and directly take part in the Prefectural Examination.
He was studying diligently, hoping to achieve a good rank to repay the kindness of Wei Hanyu, Chen Qu, and Gong Zixian—the gentlemen of the Bureau who had supported him.
Even the two stoic Taoists, who could face blades and swords without flinching, were moved.
“This Little Sheng fellow, barely says a word normally, yet he’s quite eloquent in his letters.”
Chen Qu wiped the corner of his eye.
“Indeed. With that kind of talent, I wouldn’t be surprised if he topped all three exams in a row.”
The two Third Rank Taoists exchanged a smile.
“Speaking of which,” Wei Hanyu asked, “why does Little Sheng only write to us? What about Little Yu? Did you give her a letter?”
The “Little Yu” he mentioned naturally referred to Hong Yu.
Over half a year ago, Hongjia Village, home to Hong Sheng and Hong Yu, was annihilated. Even Gong Zixian had failed to catch the culprit on the spot, deducing only that it had been the work of some snake demon.
Afterward, the siblings parted ways over differing beliefs in how to avenge their kin.
Hong Sheng followed Gong Zixian to the Capital, while Hong Yu remained in Yongzhou, joining the Bureau of Heaven Monitoring as a Taoist priestess.
In his first letter from the Capital, Hong Sheng had written one specifically for Hong Yu, but her reply had been just eight cold words—
“Since you’ve left home, why bother with letters.”
Now, in this second letter from the Capital, there was indeed none addressed to her.
Wei Hanyu and Chen Qu exchanged glances and sighed quietly.
For siblings, how could things have come to this?
Yet, since the massacre of Hongjia Village, neither of them could truly advise reconciliation. They hoped the two would not be consumed by vengeance, but it was not their place to interfere. All they could do was sigh.
“Still,” Wei Hanyu said, “I didn’t expect Little Yu to be not only talented in study but also gifted in cultivation. In just over half a year, she’s already reached lower-tier Profound Rank.”
Choosing to steer away from the sad topic, they began to speak of happier things.
Chen Qu nodded in agreement.
“Yes, who would’ve thought that a girl who missed the prime age for cultivation could reach the Profound Rank so quickly?”
“If she had started a few years earlier, she might already be upper Profound Rank by now—perhaps even close to entering Earth Rank.”
When Hong Yu had first come to them, declaring her intent to abandon her studies and train in demon-hunting, they had firmly refused.
They knew well why she wished to cultivate the art of demon-slaying—to avenge the slaughter of over a hundred lives in her family’s village.
But she had started too late, missing the foundation years of childhood training. Her progress would surely lag behind others, and vengeance would likely remain a distant dream.
They had tried to dissuade her, but she persisted. Unable to change her mind, they reluctantly agreed to guide her cultivation.
They thought that if she hit enough walls along the path of training, she might give up on her own.
Who would have thought—that in teaching her, they would end up nurturing a prodigy.