Chapter 284 When You Become the Left King... (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

"Third, fourth? You..."

A hint of hesitation appeared on Asutai's rugged, youthful face.

Even the most dull-witted man suddenly remembered the words Mr. Fu had once taught him.

—The people of Wei were often cunning and scheming, capable of killing people without consequence.

If this masked Wei man in front of him keeps making demands of him, wouldn't he be at the mercy of others for the rest of his life?

So Asutai hesitated for a moment, then asked cautiously, "You, is there, a fifth thing?"

Chen Yi raised an eyebrow, understanding his thoughts, and asked with a smile, "I thought you, this barbarian, were really stubborn."

"What? If I keep making demands, are you planning to renege on the previous agreement?"

Asutai's face instantly turned dark red, and he stammered, unable to speak.

He wanted to say that the Pandita God they worshipped were all upright and indomitable men.

Even without Mr. Fu's teaching that "a gentleman's word is as good as his bond," he would still keep his promise and would never break it.

Chen Yi shook his head and said, "Don't worry, there are only these four things. As for anything else..."

He sized up Asutai and shook his head again, saying, "You are far from qualified in your current state."

In terms of strength, Asutai's physical strength is only equivalent to that of an eighth-grade martial artist.

In terms of background, he was merely an unfavored heir of the Black Bear tribe.

As for his intellect, whether he has it or not is debatable.

If he weren't still of some use at this moment, Chen Yi would never have chosen to trade with him.

Even though those transactions seemed fair.

Asutai's expression softened upon hearing this, but he quickly became conflicted again.

"Then, then after I... after I'm older... will you...?"

Chen Yi wanted to say no, but after thinking about it, he decided not to make a definitive statement.

"If you can inherit your father's position in the future and become the barbarian Left King Asutai, then you may be qualified to cooperate with me."

"Left, Left King, me?"

Asutai pointed to himself, his face even redder than before, clearly not believing he could become the Left King.

"Then, what is your identity?"

"A prince, a duke, or a marquis of war from the Wei dynasty?"

"Neither of those, it's me..."

Chen Yi, his eyes meeting his gaze beneath the black iron mask, chuckled softly and said:

"One day, you will hear of a man from Wei among the barbarians, whose martial arts are unparalleled, whose medical skills can save the world's people, whose chess skills are unmatched, whose calligraphy can reach the realm of immortals, and whose zither and painting are..."

"That person is me."

Asutai stared at him blankly for a long time, then started counting on his fingers, muttering things like "one, two, three, four, five".

"You, you're not alone? Eight, no, ten, ten?"

Chen Yi was both amused and exasperated. "Do you only know the number 'ten' at most? Or do you only have ten fingers?"

Without waiting for Asutai's reply, he waved his hand and said, "Never mind, forget I said anything."

"In short, the things I need you to do are not difficult."

"Of course, with your current level of intelligence, things that are too complicated are indeed a bit difficult for you."

Asutai was somewhat unconvinced.

However, considering Chen Yi's methods, he had no choice but to nod and admit it.

"Speak, speak, the third and the fourth."

Chen Yi smiled. "It's very simple."

"I will arrange for you to be rescued by Liu Hong later. I need you to return to the barbarian tribe through him."

"he?"

Asutai was stunned for a moment, then clenched his fist tightly: "I, I don't want to!"

Chen Yi chuckled dismissively, "If I said that only in this way would Liu Hong die, would you still refuse?"

Asutai stubbornly refused to admit his mistake, determined to continue his defiant stance.

But looking into Chen Yi's eyes, he gritted his teeth in frustration.

"I agree."

"very good."

"Now I'm starting to believe that you're the little barbarian who studied under Mr. Fu."

"I'm not small."

"Hehe, it's not that big... Let's talk about the last thing."

Then, Chen Yi said seriously, "After you return to the barbarian tribe, I hope you can protect Mr. Fu."

Upon hearing this, Asutai looked somewhat bewildered, seemingly puzzled and conflicted.

Just when Chen Yi thought he would refuse, he turned his head and said in a somewhat firm tone:

"You, choose another one."

"Even if you don't tell me, I will still protect Mr. Fu."

Chen Yi chuckled, "No, this is fine."

"Of course, it would be even better if you could protect her and pass on a few words to her for me."

"you say."

Tell her that everything is fine at home and not to worry.

Asutai muttered to himself, "But, these words?"

"That's right."

Chen Yi nodded, and a medicine bottle appeared in his hand as he played with it, saying with a smile:

"Remember what you promised me."

“When you awaken again, I assure you, you will already be on your way back to the barbarians.”

Asutai nodded emphatically, "You, promise me."

"Don't worry, he will definitely die!"

After saying that, Chen Yi threw out the medicine bottle and once again used the Divine Intoxication to put Asutai into a deep sleep.

The waiting room quieted down.

Chen Yi looked at the barbarian boy, whose face showed stubbornness even in his sleep, and a smile flashed in his eyes.

"The fourth thing... is that you can return to the barbarian tribe alive."

"That old fellow Liu Hong is not easy to fool."

"He will surely see through this open conspiracy; the only question is... whether he can bring himself to do it..."

"Would he choose to kill Asutai once and for all, or would he choose to risk exposure by sending Asutai away?"

Chen Yi had no idea, but he was very much looking forward to seeing what Liu Hong would choose.

This time, he was determined to expose that old fox's true colors.

Thinking about this...

Chen Yi's gaze fell on Lü Jiunan.

After thinking it over, he realized there was no need to waste any more words arguing with Lü Jiunan, so he turned around and walked out of the quiet room.

I just opened the door.

Chen Yi saw Pei Guanli lying on the ground, tilting her head to listen.

"What is my brother-in-law saying to that barbarian?"

"I can't hear you clearly, and you don't even know to speak louder..."

Is it that loud?

"Hmph!"

Pei Guanli jumped up in fright at Chen Yi's shout.

After realizing it was him, Pei Guanli blushed and chuckled, "Brother-in-law, I, I wasn't eavesdropping, I didn't hear anything."

Chen Yi flicked her forehead and chuckled, scolding, "I have no idea what you're thinking all day."

"They're gone."

"Brother-in-law, are you... are you going back already?"

"Yes, I still have some things to do at Guiyun Academy."

Pei Guanli gave a sullen "oh" and followed closely behind him.

Chen Yi glanced at it and said with a smile, "Hold on for a few more days, and the matter will be resolved soon."

Pei Guanli pouted and nodded, "Okay."

Seeing this, Chen Yi lowered his voice and said, "Don't sleep too soundly tonight, I'll take you to see a play."

"real?"

Seeing Chen Yi nod, Pei Guanli's face lit up with joy, and she said, "I... I didn't want to go out either."

"But since my brother-in-law is so considerate, I reluctantly agreed. It's okay if I stay here for a few more days."

Chen Yi slapped her on the head, "When did you learn tea etiquette? You're being irresponsible."

Pei Guanli covered her head. "What tea language? I didn't say anything."

"This sentence counts too."

"oh……"

Let's chat for a bit.

Chen Yi glanced at the sky and then slipped away from the house.

Pei Guanli watched him disappear with delight, then turned around and went back to the main room to continue practicing the Meteor Butterfly Step.

"Tea language, what kind of language is tea language?"

"Does my brother-in-law want me to speak the mountain language?"

...

Chen Yi went to Guiyun Academy for no other reason than to inquire about the annual examinations.

Previously, Mr. Yue Ming asked Yang Ye to go to Ma Shuhan to mediate.

Although I only received a perfunctory answer, it wasn't a complete loss.

At least because of Yang Ye's intervention, Ma Shuhan has become much more restrained lately.

He only outwardly restrained himself, but his actions behind the scenes continued unabated.

The inspection of academies throughout Shu Prefecture, the recruitment of deputy examiners and staff, and other tasks are all underway.

Even Liu Hong's side issued a statement at the Provincial Administration Commission, roughly expressing their hope that everyone in Shu Prefecture would perform well in this year's annual examination.

"Qingzhou, no matter what tricks Ma Shuhan is up to."

"I only believe one thing—in literature, the truth cannot be hidden, and the falsehood cannot be made true."

Mr. Yue Ming, with a stern expression, snorted, "If that fellow surnamed Ma dares to defy the world and make things difficult for any student during the annual examinations, I will certainly not let him off!"

Chen Yi smiled and nodded, "The dean is right."

"I don't think he would dare."

But...

Ma Shuhan's reluctance doesn't mean Liu Hong's reluctance.

Mr. Zhuo Ying, who was standing nearby, had the same thought as him. With his hands tucked into his sleeves, he struck a meaningful pose, like an old farmer, and said:

"Dean, have you heard about the recent situation in Shuzhou City?"

Mr. Yue Ming was taken aback. "What's going on?"

"I heard that because of this reform of the annual examination system, many people from prominent families have gone to the Liu family."

"Liu...Liu Gongmo?"

"Who else could it be but him?"

"I also heard that although our Lord Liu did not accept the gifts these people sent, the way they left made it seem as if they had given them away."

Why is that?

Seeing that he still hadn't reacted, Mr. Zhuo Ying glanced at Chen Yi and said, "What else could it be?"

"I guess our Lord Liu put their minds at ease."

Mr. Yue Ming frowned and asked, "Are you saying that Liu Gongmo leaked the exam questions?"

Hearing this, Mr. Zhuo Ying was both amused and exasperated.

Even Chen Yi has some.

"Dean, Liu Gongmo would never do something as shameful as cheating."

"Think about it, the purpose of this year's exam is to urge all students to study hard. As long as you don't get the lowest grade, there is room for improvement in other grades."

Mr. Zhuo Ying smiled wryly and said, "What do you think is the difference between 'C on top' and 'C on bottom'?"

Chen Yi smiled and chimed in, "It seems our Provincial Governor has made a good plan."

Mr. Yue Ming vaguely understood and sighed with a complicated expression.

"Liu Gongmo..."

"No wonder he agreed to Ma Shuhan's request earlier."

Mr. Zhuo Ying shook his head: "You're wrong. In my opinion, perhaps Ma Shuhan was acting on the orders of our Lord Liu."

"In short, Qingzhou needs to be careful when participating in this annual examination."

"I'd rather not write anything fancy, but stay close to the topic, so as not to be harmed by those with ulterior motives."

Chen Yi nodded, then shook his head.

"I'd like to see if they have the guts..."

...

Let's leave Chen Yi's side aside for now.

It's almost dusk.

Long queues still formed outside several grain shops in the East Market.

Many people, holding sacks or winnowing baskets, watched the front of the line with longing eyes.

Some were looking at the price list hanging outside the grain store, pointing and commenting on the price of thirteen taels of silver per shi (a unit of dry measure).

Some were looking at the bags of rice and flour, afraid that when it was their turn, they wouldn't be able to buy enough food.

Others were whispering among themselves.

"I wonder when this rise in grain prices will end."

"If this continues, who will be able to afford it?"

"I think someone in our Shuzhou City will starve to death sooner or later."

"I wonder how much money those corrupt officials took from the grain merchants. Not only did they not care, they also refused to open the granaries to release grain and stabilize prices."

"Heh, those people are high and mighty, no matter how much the grain costs, they still have food to eat."

"Why would they worry about us ordinary people?"

The crowd was buzzing with discussion, some cursing the corrupt officials, some cursing the grain store for being heartless, and others saying things that were more palatable.

"In my opinion, grain prices are unlikely to rise any further."

"Oh? Could you tell me more about it, brother?"

The man was wearing a tattered hemp garment, his hair was disheveled, and he spoke in a thick mountain accent, babbling incoherently.

"I heard it from someone else."

"Actually, the brother of King Randhu of Vaishsa did not really die that night."

"You're... not dead?"

Immediately someone retorted, "That night, many people outside the West Market saw 'Dragon Spear' Liu Wu kill Lü Jiunan."

"How could that person not be dead?"

"That's true."

"This isn't my opinion; it's something one of my brothers who works as a smuggler saw for himself."

The man dressed in linen clothes recounted vividly, "He said that one night, he happened to run into 'Dragon Spear' and Lü Jiunan."

"They even said that 'Dragon Spear' Liu Wu was exceptionally brave and skilled, dragging Lü Jiunan like a dead dog, cursing as he went."

"Vajrasattva, how dare you cause trouble within the territory of my Great Wei! You're courting death!"

Upon hearing this, the people queuing around him looked at him with a mixture of belief and skepticism.

Although they were reluctant to believe what a beggar said, they also hoped it was true.

"However, if that guy surnamed Lü hadn't died, then the bandits under King Lando would indeed have had no reason to invade the border."

"So, regarding the price of grain... I hope what this young man is saying is true."

"I hope so too..."

The same thing happened outside almost every grain store.

Some people believed it to be true, some people didn't take it seriously at all, and some people took the opportunity to make trouble.

In no time at all.

The managers of several grain shops received the news.

After exchanging bewildered glances, they dared not delay and relayed the message back to their respective masters.

The Lin Mansion, not far from the East Market.

Lin Zhenghong, who had just become the head of the family, sat upright in the main hall, gently stroking the back of the chair with both hands, his face showing a hint of emotion.

"Father."

"You don't know the cost of firewood and rice until you're in charge of the household. When I was a rich young master at home, how come I never realized that making money was so...so easy?"

During this period of time.

Because of rising grain prices, Lin's Grain Company made a fortune.

It can be said that they make a fortune every day.

This delighted Lin Zhenghong, who had just taken control of the Lin family, and even lessened his grief over the death of his father, Lin Huai'an.

Just as he was smiling and picking up his teacup to take a sip, he heard footsteps outside the door.

"Master, master, something terrible has happened."

Lin Zhenghong frowned slightly, put down his teacup, and asked imperiously, "Hmm? What's the matter that you're in such a hurry?"

"Master, yes, someone says Lü Jiunan is not dead!"

"Who isn't dead? If Lü Jiunan isn't dead, then no one is..."

"Who are you talking about?!"

(End of this chapter)