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Miao Zi: "Dad, you are so capable!"
….
….
In the afternoon, sunlight flooded the private school, filling it completely.
Under the glow of the sun, even the rising dust was clearly visible.
Smiles do not disappear, only move on, and as a string of young faces sluggishly entered the school, the Yi Taoist's face finally broke into a splendid smile.
"Hei Shanzi, now that the matter here is finished, I must return to Sea Dragon City," said the Yi Taoist.
"Fellow Daoists, we shall et again in the future!" he announced.
Yi Chen kicked off the ground with one foot and soared into the sky against the daylight.
Hei Shanzi, with a group of cultivators, bowed in unison, not rising until Yi Chen's figure could no longer be seen on the horizon.
"City Lord, the Yi Taoist has left, shall we return to Qianyou City now?" a black-armored cultivator tentatively asked.
"No, no, there's still an important matter to attend to. Go summon the educational instructor from Qingyan City, tell him to wait for outside Fan Jin's residence," the landlord replied.
….
In the afternoon, an exhausted Fan Jin woke up on his bed of dry straw, and his heart imdiately jumped with surprise.
What t his eyes was a sea of benevolent smiles, all belonging to people dressed in fine silks.
The crowd surrounded him, showering him with warm concern, and the local gentry kindly inquired about his difficulties.
"Ahem."
With a cough, the crowd parted to reveal the educational instructor from Qingyan City.
Outside the humble straw hut, Hei Shanzi nodded in satisfaction and imdiately led his confidants away.
"My lord, what's so important about this? He's just a fallen scholar who can neither carry weight on his shoulders nor lift with his hands," the black-armored cultivator imdiately expressed his confusion.
"Little Yang, your father and I are old friends, that's why I offer you so advice," said the landlord.
"This matter isn't trivial at all, but of great importance," he continued.
"What kind of person is the Yi Taoist? He personally renad this man, saying this might just enable him to succeed. Can you allow the Yi Taoist's words to fall to the ground? You'd be trampling upon the Yi Taoist's honor," the landlord explained.
"I have just sent soone to look into it, and indeed the man is learned. Although his examination showed nothing extraordinary, his essays are quite good. At first glance, they seem nonsensical, but upon closer examination, I found that every word shines like pearls, truly a supre piece of writing in the world," he expounded.
"Since the Yi Taoist has made his choice, we in Qianyou City should be flexible in attracting talent," he said.
"In the future, when soone from Qianyou City goes to pay respects to the Yi Taoist, we can use this as a good story to preserve this bond. If any calamity befalls us in the future, we can also use this as a pretext to seek the Yi Taoist's help," he reasoned.
"Small cost, big gains, this is a really profitable deal," he assessed.
"Moreover, this matter can be brought to the table of the Crown Prince and Yi Taoist as a light-hearted anecdote," he added.
At this mont, Hei Shanzi looked spirited, and even his wrinkled face seed to smooth a little, his eyes gleaming with the wisdom of an old horse that knows the way.
"Rember, Little Yang, in our dealings, we must follow principles and maintain legitimacy!" he advised.
"The task must be done, officials must be contacted, and the common people must also reap so benefits. Only then should we think of ourselves," he instructed.
"Do you think hiring is about choosing the best and most suitable candidate? Wrong! It's about choosing soone suitable from among those you know, from the suitable ones you choose soone you know, not to pick the best candidate from all the applicants. Think deeply about this," he advised.
"Managing a great country is like cooking a small fish. I think promoting Fan Jin causes no harm. Let him start as an advisor, gain experience, and if he really works hard, we can discuss it further," he suggested.
Upon hearing this, the black-armored cultivator couldn't help but admire Hei Shanzi and said reverently, "Uncle, your wisdom is as deep as the ocean. You truly are the evergreen pine of Great Qin, no wonder you caught the eye of the Crown Prince."
"Yang Xiu understands now that in our affairs, even if we act in our own interest seven parts of the ti, we must also consider others for three parts, otherwise, we'll be like the snow in spring, unable to last. With the ergence of the sun, it lts away instantly," Yang Xiu said.
"Exactly, even if we think of ourselves seven parts of the ti, we must consider others for three parts. These words encapsulate my life's ups and downs. Yang Xiu, you truly are the qilin of the Yang family, your future achievents will be boundless!" Hei Shanzi exclaid with evident admiration, and the cultivators employed their magic to fly away imdiately.
Yi Chen could not have known that his offhand remark, jokingly naming Fan Jin in the spirit of a past acquaintance, would dramatically alter the scholar's fate.
Indeed, the words of the influential carry great weight. With their authority, they can cast down to the dust, or raise up to the clouds with just a word.
And he, Yi Taoist, had beco a sought-after personage of great importance in Great Qin, so much so that even Crown Prince King Jing had to treat him with great deference, caring for his every whim.
The turnip-headed scholar in his previous life never truly experienced such prestige and did not realize that at his current status, even his jokes would be picked apart and amplified without limit.
In his room, the scholar had unfastened his waistband and replaced it with silk and satin, tying it tightly around his neck as a guard against any unintentional faux pas. His casually spoken words, previously ignored, could now draw rounds of applause from an audience.
Such is the multitude of life's spectacles.
"Yi Taoist is really accurate!" sighed the weary scholar under the moon, after a full day's work.
….
….
As Yi Chen was on his way back to Sea Dragon City, a rumor of uncertain veracity began to circulate throughout the Eastern and Central Continents.
According to unreliable sources, four monks from Mount Daguangming and Kutuo Temple set out to ambush Yi Chengzi of Hidden Dragon Temple, resulting in two dead and two severely injured.
Since the tale seed so far-fetched, many cultivators in Central Continent dismissed it.
So cultivators even went to Mount Daguangming and Kutuo Temple to demand clarification from the Buddhist monks, hoping that they would co forward to debunk the rumor.
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