Zhao Xing had merely earned a Grade A, yet he found his colleagues around him had become much friendlier. As soon as he stepped out of the back courtyard, quite a few people began trying to get close to him.
Zhang San said there was a Duicao match over there and invited him to watch. Li Si said some friends had put together a drinking party and asked if he wanted to have a couple of drinks later.
There was even some uncle who invited Zhao Xing to listen to music. Sorry... what was your name again?
"This little brother is Huang Siping, from Huangjia Village." A somewhat balding man with remarkably high cheekbones cupped his hands. Somewhat wistfully, he said, "Brother Zhao, there's no need to address me so formally. I'm actually a year younger than you."
"Er, Brother Huang, forgive my slip of the tongue." Zhao Xing glanced at the top of his head. You certainly didn't look younger than me.
"Brother Zhao has so many important matters to remember. It is only natural that you do not remember me." Huang Siping smiled. "Would Brother Zhao be willing to accompany me to Brother Li's musical gathering?"
"Which Brother Li?" Zhao Xing asked in confusion.
"Of course, Li Chengfeng, known for his 'gentlemanly bearing.'" Huang Siping said. "Brother Zong and the other colleagues who made the Grade A List in this Lesser Heat Assessment will be there as well."
A musical gathering was merely a prettier term for visiting prostitutes. Li Chengfeng and Zong Shichang were both quite wealthy. They often invited people over, hired singing girls to play music and dance, and then slept with them afterward.
"All expenses will be covered by Young Master Li or the other young masters, including the fees for the singing girls..." Huang Siping put it rather tactfully.
Zhao Xing naturally understood. They were inviting him to visit prostitutes?
"Please thank Brother Li for his kind intentions, but I already have other arrangements. I can only accept the invitation another time."
It was not that he was pretending to be proper. If Chen Ziyu or Qian Dong had invited him, he would have gone without hesitation.
But Li Chengfeng and Zong Shichang were competitors! How could he go?
They could get you drunk, arrange a singing girl for you, only for that girl to actually be a respectable woman who had bought her freedom, then turn around and report you to the County Office... Zhao Xing immediately recalled the sort of trap players used to set in his previous life.
"What unfortunate timing. I shall invite Brother Zhao again next time." Huang Siping sounded quite regretful. Seeing that Zhao Xing seemed similarly regretful, he understood what to do. He cupped his hands and took his leave.
"How did it go?"
"He refused. He said he happened to have business."
"Hmph. So many people on the Grade A List accepted, yet he is putting on airs. Does he expect Brother Li and Brother Zong to invite him personally?"
"That is not quite fair. After all, they are not very familiar with each other."
Huang Siping relayed the news to Li Chengfeng. Before the host himself could say anything, quite a few people had already begun criticizing Zhao Xing.
Li Chengfeng felt somewhat displeased as well, but he still wore a smile on the surface. "I wished to befriend a fellow practitioner, yet feared being too abrupt, which was why I asked Brother Huang to invite him. Who would have thought that even so, he could not be persuaded... No matter. Invite him a few more times, and perhaps he will come."
Once Li Chengfeng finished speaking, those below began praising his tolerance and generosity, making Zhao Xing seem rather arrogant by comparison.
However, the topic quickly changed, and neither Li Chengfeng nor Zong Shichang took it too much to heart.
After all, it was only one Grade A. He was not much of a threat yet.
"Big Brother only earned a Grade A once, and he already has so many good friends. Congratulations, congratulations." Qian Dong watched Zhao Xing emerge from the crowd, his tone somewhat sour.
"Exactly. A few more times, and Little Dong and I might be forgotten by Brother." Chen Ziyu added in the same sarcastic tone.
Zhao Xing smiled. He understood how they felt. It was like thinking you and someone else were each other's best friends, only to discover that they had suddenly gained several more sworn brothers...
"Don't worry. Even if I become a ghost, I won't forget the way you two talk sarcastically."
"..."
"Don't you two have anything to do this afternoon?" Zhao Xing asked.
"We do. Zi Yu and I are planning to go to the Eastern Suburbs for the makeup exam." Qian Dong said, "Where are you going, Big Brother?"
"To the temple."
"Big Brother can receive another teaching?" Chen Ziyu's eyes held a touch of admiration. How long had it been since he learned Rising Wind and Thunderclap?
"I'm only going to give it a try." Zhao Xing nodded slightly. Although only a week had passed, the Dao Embryo Pill's effect on him had been extremely obvious. His Essence Gathering efficiency had increased by a huge margin.
Of course, the improved food at home also played a part.
Thus, although he had not yet reached Gathering Yuan Third Stage, his Cloudcalling spell had reached the fifth transformation, while his Thunderclap spell had reached the third. On that basis, he could attempt to master Rainmaking.
"Then we won't delay Big Brother any longer. Come on, Zi Yu. We cannot stay idle either. Let's go to the Eastern Suburbs!"
"Mm!" Chen Ziyu nodded heavily. Zhao Xing's progress seemed to have stirred his fighting spirit.
Watching the two leave together, Zhao Xing also headed toward the County Office.
"Cloudcalling, Rising Wind, Thunderclap, and Rainmaking are a series of spells, as well as the core skills of the Minister of Agriculture profession. I'm still lacking Rainmaking. I hope Lord Caozhen comes through this time."
The more spells he mastered, the better his odds in the assessment and the greater his chances of securing a permanent post.
In the short term, it would help him become permanent. Zhao Xing's foremost goal now was to enter official service and become a ninth-rank Minister of Agriculture.
Why was he so focused on that? Because Zhao Xing's long-term goal was immortality. But to achieve that, he first had to survive the Dynasty of Fate Version and wait for the Revival Version.
And the Dynasty of Fate could extend an official's lifespan! Otherwise, he would have become a "freelancer" long ago.
After entering the office hall, a familiar voice rang out.
"Brother Zhao, you again?"
"Brother Pang, indeed, it is me." Zhao Xing looked at Pang Fei. Pang Fei had handled the approval for his documents last time.
"You're here again to..." Pang Fei looked over Zhao Xing's application and froze. "How long has it been? You can receive another teaching already?"
"I merely want to try my luck." Zhao Xing said modestly.
"Not at all. Brother Zhao will surely succeed." Pang Fei congratulated him. "The lords at the Ministry of Agriculture would not casually approve a teaching document. I will immediately..."
"Make way! Urgent orders from the Military Office, make way!"
A sharp cry suddenly came from outside, followed by hurried footsteps passing by.
Zhao Xing looked over in confusion and saw only the backs of a squad of armed officers.
"Brother Pang, what is going on? Why have so many brothers from the Military Office been mobilized?"
"They're assisting with an investigation from the county commandery."
Pang Fei suddenly lowered his voice, looking rather mysterious. "Speaking of which, this matter is related to the Ministry of Agriculture. No one knows what is happening, but recently, many minor Agriculture Officials in the twelve counties of Nanyang County have disappeared without explanation. Isn't that strange?"
"Minor Agriculture Officials have gone missing?" Zhao Xing paused. "Have they figured out the cause?"
Pang Fei shrugged. "Isn't that what they are investigating? I do not know anything else. Brother Zhao, please rest for a moment. I will submit your application now."
"Thank you." Zhao Xing sat in a chair, his brows tightly furrowed as he carefully recalled his experiences from his previous life. He had lived through the Emperor Jing's era, but he had never come to Gucheng, nor even Nanyang County. Still, that did not prevent him from recalling certain key events.
"During the Emperor Jing's era, there was a strange case in which many Agriculture Officials were abducted by a group of demons calling themselves the Profound Heaven Sect... But shouldn't that have happened during the Great Governance Era? Why was it occurring during the New Splendor Era? Did I remember wrong? Or had this been planned since the Jingxin Calendar?"
Before you continue