After making inquiries from various sources and witnessing things firsthand, Dao Chengyi selected the tenth candidate for the county examination. The reason he was ranked tenth was because the top nine candidates were all powerful and influential, and his ranking of tenth was entirely due to his own abilities.
Although poor, he possesses the virtues of a gentleman, is humble and acts with propriety, is kind-hearted and compassionate, and does not overstep the bounds of the law. This normality indicates a tendency to speculate.
This is roughly the current situation. There are preparations and informants in all aspects. All that's needed is to get through this hurdle. Dao Chengyi's soul will be connected to Ma E, the Guihua merchant who is far from Qingmang and close to Nine Serpent Village, through Wanwo.
The man who gave Dao Chengyi the wine later inquired about Dao Chengyi's status and went to his residence to seek cooperation. As someone who was devoted to the Jiuyue people, he was eager to find an opportunity to improve their lives.
He agreed to Dao Chengyi's request to purchase various Gu insects within the Jiuyue Clan, and after watching Dao Chengyi's battle with Qingmang, he personally presented him with a half-demon Tianshui Centipede as a gift to show his respect for the transaction.
I am honored to be the third treasure-giving child of Daochengyi, and at this moment, with the mindset of an angel investor, I am preparing to bring everyone in the village to become angel investors of Daochengyi.
At this moment, the Nine Serpents Stronghold had just experienced a fierce battle with Dapeng, and Wu Guizhi, covered in blood, was waiting for Ma E's explanation.
One was given to the dead martial artist, the rest of the martial artists were injured, and the Crimson Serpent Ancestor was forced to molt prematurely and was humiliated by having to agree to the harsh demands of the Roc.
Indeed, even with the majority of martial artists attacking, and the chieftain and the ancestral beast arriving together, they still couldn't gain any advantage over the roc. This was because the beast was not like a normal demon general at all. Its intelligence was beyond that of ordinary people, and it had learned human martial arts skills. Moreover, it had somehow acquired a demon formation similar to a military formation.
Even when the scene was almost a life-or-death struggle, Wu Guizhi finally compromised with Dapeng. Demons have no emotions, and dead birds can be reborn at any time, but the village cannot be without them; it is the hope accumulated by generations.
And all of this may not be Ma E's fault, but who told him to transport supplies at this time and provoke that roc?
"Chief, this matter is my fault. I will take full responsibility for all the losses. I will be responsible for all of Wu Qi's child's needs until he becomes a Martial Master! As for the martial arts and people that the Roc wants, I will handle it perfectly and without implicating the stronghold!"
"I swear in the name of the ancestor of war!"
Ma E readily admitted his mistake, kneeling on the ground and kowtowing repeatedly, leaving marks with each kowtow, cracking the floor tiles, and drawing blood from his forehead.
After he mentioned the name of the ancestor of soldiers, the expressions of the others softened slightly. After all, he had shown remorse and said so, so what else could they do? A life for a life?
So who will go on the trade? Who will acquire supplies? And where will we get the martial arts skills and the people? There's no way around it!
"You can seek forgiveness from Wu Qi's family yourself. You don't need to worry about the rest. I only have one question for you: you were supposed to enter the mountain before Xiao Xue, so why did you only enter now?"
Wu Guizhi patted the leopard-head chair, looking down at Ma E, whom he had personally promoted and sent away. He shouldn't have been so stupid. In the mountains during winter, meat was something you could eat as soon as you saw it!
"Because Qingmang City is about to make a big move! One family may face annihilation! That's why I returned to the mountains so late to investigate the specifics!"
As Ma E knelt and spoke, this information shocked all the martial artists in the hall. The Qing Mang was in chaos? An entire family might be wiped out? The last time they heard this news was six years ago during the earth-shattering Hou Bian disaster. Could it be that the Martial Marquis had risen from the ashes and successfully undergone a rebirth?!
"Speak! Keep going! What happened?!"
Then Ma E recounted everything that had happened in Qingmang City: the third young master of the Mu family had been hiding his talents for twenty years, and now he had become an astonishing figure, with no martial artist able to withstand a single blow after three rounds of training.
The government combined the commandant, city defense and county magistrate's errands, the famous butcher Master Li took on the commandant's son Wei Shitong as a disciple, and many martial arts schools in Qingmang Dou held the Mu family Fushan martial arts school disciples accountable.
What's even more astonishing is Dao Chengyi, whose reputation has already spread throughout the world. He is invincible below the level of a martial artist and can kill in adversity above the level of a martial master.
Born into humble circumstances and having practiced martial arts for only a year, he broke through the Jingpi Pass in succession. The commentator from Caifenglou praised him as a rare talent, saying, "How wonderful it is to ride the wind like a roc!"
A sect with one prodigy is already a sign of prosperity, but if a sect has two prodigies, then it is a sure way to die. No one can allow their old rival to overtake or even destroy them.
Moreover, the powerful government wouldn't just sit idly by and accept the family's prosperity; they would definitely fight, and the sooner the better, to prevent the enemy from escaping!
If that's the case, then it would be quite beneficial for Nine Serpents Stronghold. After all, taking advantage of chaos is something that ordinary strongholds can do, and so can they. Taking advantage of the chaos to plunder resources and people is quite lucrative!
There's no time to mourn the infighting among colleagues right now; the next thing to discuss is how to gain greater benefits from this intelligence.
Whether they let these Heart Constellations fight to the death or let them plunder in the chaos, they need a plan to avoid being held accountable afterward.
That's right, they'll be held accountable. After all, every family in Qingmang City has a powerful background. Who knows if they can even summon a member of their own clan? In that case, any random Martial Marquis could wipe out the entire village.
Seeing this, Wu Guizhi's eyes flashed with disappointment, and he then called a halt to the discussion of guilt.
"Let's talk about our thoughts tomorrow. Everyone has worked hard today. We'll visit Wu Qi's family later, and we can discuss the rest later."
Everyone accepted the order and took their leave, but Ma E was left behind alone, seemingly with other instructions.
"Chief, I think we should seek refuge with Dao Chengyi!"
But when only the two of them were left, Ma E's words made Wu Guizhi unable to resist slapping him to death.
But the next few sentences stirred his heart again.
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