The first issue of "Anecdotes and True Stories" had a low circulation and few buyers, but the news spread by word of mouth, especially in places like restaurants, where these three headlines dominated conversations after drinks.

"Prefect Qi is truly a remarkable man! He remained unmoved by 100,000 taels of gold; he has truly cemented his reputation as an incorruptible official!"

"I don't know much about the martial arts world, but I've heard that Wen Pojun, the 'Gun Demon,' is the most skilled spearman in the martial arts world. Yet he was defeated by the Jinghai Sword Master. Doesn't that mean that swords are more powerful than spears?"

"You lot... can't even grasp the important points from anecdotes! What does Elder Qi's retirement life have to do with us? What does it matter to us who wins between Wen Pojun and the Jinghai Sword Master? The establishment of the Zhenhai Camp by the imperial court is what we should be concerned about!"

"If there were no more pirates along the coast of Dajing, the economy of our Yanchuan City would only be better, and the lives of the people would be even better!"

"Yes, yes, that's exactly right!"

"But just imagining Wen Pojun fighting the Jinghai swordsman must be so exciting, I really want to know the details..."

"snort--"

Just as everyone was talking about it with great interest, a man dressed as a scholar in black sneered from the corner.

His smile came at a pause in the conversation, immediately attracting the attention of many people.

Yuan Fei, who was in a private room on the second floor, also looked at the scholar in black.

"What are you laughing at?!" someone demanded.

The scholar in black sat alone at a table, drinking a cup of wine by himself, and said, "I laugh at you all for being a bunch of fools! What nonsense are you spouting about national affairs and analyzing the key points? Have you even found the crux of these three anecdotes?"

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