Chapter 10 (2/2)
“The Zhou family worked for three years just for these two gold biscuits. They are naturally no normal items. Daogan, you old thief, I don’t care if you are part of Lingxiao Hall or not; this piece of fortune will be taken by this Young Master!”
Xu Yi’s heart leapt. The thought of snatching the old thief’s earnings made his rage disappear, and his heart was filled with joy instead.
Igniting the letter with the candle on the table as he left, Xu Yi exited the study. He then tossed the letter onto the windowsill which he had already doused with oil. In a moment, flames began to roar.
With the wind blowing, the flames rose high into the air. Within a few minutes, the entire Zhou family mansion with its hundreds and thousands of rooms became a sea of flames.
Just as Xu Yi was running around setting fires, a troupe of horses came from the west. They were already within a dozen miles of the Zhou family village.
Leading them was a young man in white. His face was fair and handsome, with features similar to that of Young Master Zhou. The fine sword by his waist was studded with gems of multiple colours. The majestic white steed he rode was tall and had a long body. Riding alongside other horses, it stood at least a head taller than all the rest. It did not have a single strand of fur on its body of a different colour.
The sky was clear and the clouds were white. Beside them, the stream was filled with fish swimming along grandly. Huiyin Mountain was grey and lush. The wind blew through the forests from above, causing the greenery to sway in the wind and sending waves of flowery scents towards them. All this stirred up the poetic nature of the young man in white as he sang, “Every morning I stand under the lush green mountain. Every night I sing by the flowing blue creek. Here again, missing my faraway home, longing to enjoy a drink under the verdure greenery”
“Good poem, an excellent poem!”
Following right behind the young man in white, Wu Zhixian applauded and praised the young man. “Brother Zhou not only has good looks but has even better talent in the arts. And even more impressive than that, his cultivation in the Martial Way has already reached the peak of Body Forging at such a young age, as expected of the successor to Venerable Daogan!”
“You flatter me, Uncle. I have heard from Father that amongst all the outstanding friends that he managed to make while he was in Guang’an for his studies, Uncle, being well-versed in both poetry and writing, was second to none. Now, after just twenty years, Uncle is already the head of the county — truly a great talent indeed.”
The young man in white replied brightly with words full of praise. Wu Zhixian smiled and tried to brush it off humbly.
With that exchange, the identity of the young man in white was clear. This was Zhou Daogan’s second son, Zhou Shirong.
This time, he had left Lingxiao Hall and returned to Guang’an for two reasons. The first was to represent Zhou Daogan to visit friends and family back home. The second was because three years had passed, and the money was due. It was time to hand some of the profit from the Zhou family’s mines to Lingxiao Hall.
The distance from the old Zhou family manor to Lingxiao Hall was long and far, and the two golden biscuits were of no small value. Zhou Daogan dared not take any risks and send Zhou Shirong to personally bring them back.
Wu Zhixian, on the other hand, was a friend who Zhou Daogan had made back in Guang’an before his accomplishments in the Martial Way and before he entered Lingxiao Hall.
In this day and age, even though those who practiced the Martial Way flourished, it was not only the various sects and powerful families who people could not afford to offend. There was also the Imperial Court of the Dayue Dynasty, with its imperial authority accumulated for over thousands of years.
Years ago, before Zhou Daogan’s accomplishments in the Martial Way and before he caught the eyes of various martial sects, all he strived for was to do well in the imperial examination and work for the imperial family.
Hence, with a group of like-minded individuals, spending their days travelling and attending banquets together, they soon grouped together and formed the “Imperial Wisdom Society,” which aimed to study and spread the imperial laws.
Wu Zhixian had also joined the Imperial Wisdom Society at that time. However, although in the same society, Zhou Daogan was well-versed in both martial arts and the literary arts and was a shining star in the society. Wu Zhixian, on the other hand, was much better at literary arts compared to martial arts, and in this world dominated by the Martial Way, he paled greatly in comparison with Zhou Daogan.
But because of this, Zhou Shirong naturally had to call upon Wu Zhixian during his visit to Guang’an.
Although Lingxiao Hall was one of the three great sects within Giang’an, and it held considerable influence in the region, and although Wu Zhixian was only a seventh grade official who had not even reached the peak of Body Forging, he was still a government official who represented the imperial authority.
Zhou Shirong knew clearly that down in the county, when it really came down to it, Wu Zhixian’s name was far more useful than his own name as an inner disciple of Lingxiao Hall.
As expected, when Zhou Shirong went to pay his respects to Wu Zhixian, Wu Zhixian was delighted, and had chosen to personally escort them to the Zhou family manor.
With Wu Zhixian’s support, their journey was smooth sailing, without the least bit of hassle.
Just like that, Zhou Shirong and Wu Zhixian were flattering each other and laughing merrily when a plume of smoke began to rise in the northwest. Zhou Shirong immediately stopped speaking. With a light pat on his horse’s back, his body flew three whole meters up into the air. His eyes scanned the distance, and his face turned pale.
The moment Zhou Shirong went up into the air, Wu Zhixian saw the pillar of smoke, and his heart immediately plummeted, knowing that something must have gone wrong.
Because the Zhou family was the most powerful clan in the area, and also because of his relationship with Zhou Daogan, he had visited the Zhou family manor countless times. Even from miles away, seeing the sea of flames and the pillar of black smoke that blocked out the sky, how could he not tell that it was the Zhou’s home that was on fire?
In other words, if any other household were on fire, it would definitely not be on such a large scale.