How Could He Be My Junior?

Once the carriage passed through the Gate of Ten Thousand Victories, they had officially entered Central Capital City. Vermilion Bird Street stretched ahead, a full eight or nine zhang wide, ending at the towering palace walls at the edge of sight.

Chen Luo lifted the curtain and instantly felt as if he had truly entered the city. The bustling streets filled his eyes with novelty, giving him the sensation of stepping into Along the River During the Qingming Festival.

"Senior, where are we going now?" Chen Luo asked.

"To your estate, Earl of Wan'an's Mansion!"

Chen Luo instinctively asked, "They've given me a house? Which ring, and how many square meters?"

Wei Yan froze for a moment. He suspected Chen Luo was testing him with some obscure terms. He absolutely could not lose face, so the Great Scholar's Divine Ability, Investigate Things and Extend Knowledge, activated, allowing him to barely understand what Chen Luo meant. He replied, "It's in Qing'an Ward, a lively and prosperous area. As for its size, you'll know once you go and see it yourself."

Chen Luo nodded, lowered the curtain, and asked again, "Senior, what do I need to do next? Also, when can I bring my elder sister and the others here?"

Wei Yan stroked his beard. "The court assembly is in three days. You must go to the palace hall to offer thanks for the imperial grace. Only after completing that step will your status as an earl be fully confirmed. As for your family, Tong Chen is looking after them, so you can rest easy for now. My advice is that once you've settled everything in Central Capital City, you can bring them here."

Wei Yan paused, then added, "Stay in Central Capital City in peace. If you need to leave the city, be sure to notify Wenchang Pavilion. You opened the Three Thousand Li Heavenly Road, so there's no guarantee that no one will try to harm you. Afterward, see whom Minister Wen arranges for you to apprentice under. Your future teacher should arrange a guardian to protect your path!"

Chen Luo nodded. Even without Wei Yan's reminder, he had planned to do the same. Not to mention the dangers that had yet to surface—he had already offended the Gu Sect ahead of time.

The carriage swayed along for a long while. It finally stopped only after the morning market had ended. Chen Luo, whose backside had long since gone numb, lifted the curtain and jumped down.

He raised his head. Directly before him stood a vermilion-lacquered gate, its copper studs each the size of a teacup and coated in gold, shining brilliantly. Someone stood in front of the gate, dressed in bright yellow palace robes, a one-foot-long red oriole feather stuck into his hat, a horsetail whisk in hand.

When the man saw Chen Luo get out of the carriage, then noticed Wei Yan following behind him, he immediately forced a smile onto his face and hurried forward. He bowed deeply and said, "This servant is Wang Li, an eunuch serving in the Qingfeng Department. Greetings, Great Scholar Wei. Greetings, Earl of Wan'an."

Wei Yan glanced at Wang Li. "Hou An sent you?"

Wang Li did not dare straighten up. Still bent at the waist, he replied, "Indeed. Chief Steward Hou sent this servant here. The steward said that Your Lordship has just arrived and ordered this servant to show Your Lordship around properly, so that you would not feel unfamiliar with the place."

Wei Yan nodded slightly. "He was thoughtful." He then looked at Chen Luo. "You should get familiar with the place under Eunuch Wang's guidance. I'll return to Wenchang Pavilion to hand over my duties. At the court assembly in three days, I'll send someone to escort you to court. Don't oversleep and miss the time."

Chen Luo nodded and bowed to Wei Yan. "I'll remember that, Senior."

Wei Yan smiled faintly, patted Chen Luo on the shoulder, then climbed back into the carriage and slowly departed.

Watching Wei Yan leave, Chen Luo turned around and cupped his hands toward Wang Li, who had been standing respectfully to one side the whole time. "Thank you for your effort, Eunuch!"

Wang Li was flattered and hurriedly returned the salute. "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare. Your Lordship is too kind. This way, please!"

Wang Li led the way to the gate. He pushed hard against it, and the vermilion-lacquered doors slowly swung open...

Wenchang Pavilion.

"Minister Wen, I'm back..." Wei Yan knocked on the wooden door of Minister Wen's quiet chamber.

"Come in!"

Wei Yan pushed open the door and saw Minister Wen playing a game of chess with a middle-aged man whose face was black as the bottom of a cooking pot. The moment Wei Yan saw the middle-aged man, delight appeared on his face. He hurried forward and bowed deeply. "Your student Wei Yan pays respects to his teacher!"

The dark-faced man waved a hand lightly. "Enough, get up. There aren't so many rules in our line."

Yan Baichuan smiled at Wei Yan. "That boy has been settled?"

Wei Yan hurriedly replied, "Hou An sent people to take over!"

Yan Baichuan nodded slightly. "Hou An is meticulous in his work..." Then Yan Baichuan casually scattered the chessboard and smiled. "Tui Zhi, would you like to go meet that boy?"

The dark-faced man remained unmoved. He merely stared at the disrupted chessboard and said, "Two more moves, and you would have lost!"

"Hm?" Yan Baichuan frowned. "Impossible. I still have a move in reserve that can instantly turn the tide."

The dark-faced man lifted his head and cast Yan Baichuan a sidelong glance. His sleeve brushed across the board, and the scattered Chess Pieces instantly returned to their original positions.

"Come on. Let me see your tide-turning move!"

Yan Baichuan's expression changed. "Song Tui Zhi! I was leaving you some dignity. Do you think I didn't notice that you used the Divine Ability 'Perceive the Minute and Know the Significant' while playing against me?"

Song Tui Zhi shot Yan Baichuan a sidelong glance. "Don't try to accuse me first. You were the one who used 'Perceive the Minute and Know the Significant' to make two moves!"

Cold sweat broke out on Wei Yan's forehead as he stood to one side. 'Perceive the Minute and Know the Significant' was a Divine Ability that only Great Scholars who had surpassed the Five Mountains and Seas could master. It allowed one to predict the future development of events from the slightest hint. It was no less formidable than the Daoist sect's divination of heavenly secrets. Wei Yan had yet to master it.

But using it to cheat at chess—was that really all right?

"Song fool, watch how I predict your moves!"

"Yan fool, watch me predict your prediction!"

"What's so difficult about that? Watch me predict your prediction of my prediction!"

"Heh heh, then I'll predict your prediction of my prediction of your prediction!"

Wei Yan turned around and left. He would bet that these two Great Scholars, whose names resounded throughout the world, could shout themselves hoarse today without managing to make a single move!

They kept trying to predict everything with their Divine Abilities, then every move they made would be a brilliant one. How could that possibly work? Brilliant moves came by chance. Stabilize the basic position, avoid blunders, and one or two brilliant moves could turn the tide.

Sometimes, the more one knew, the harder it was to take the first step!

"Your Lordship, this is the last courtyard in the Earl's Mansion. The entire mansion has twenty side rooms, twelve independent courtyards, two main halls, six side halls, and two servants' compounds. There are also eight utility buildings, including the stable, washhouse, and kitchen. All the furniture and household items have been supplied. If you see anywhere that needs repairs, I'll have people from the Internal Affairs Department come over at once..."

"No need, no need..." Chen Luo was a little dumbfounded. He had guessed that the Earl's Mansion would be large, but how could he have imagined it would be this huge? This wasn't a mansion—it was a residential complex...

If this were converted into the imperial capital of his previous life, and he had a house like this... Forget it. He didn't dare think about it.

"Your Lordship?"

Chen Luo came back to himself and hurriedly waved his hands. "No need, no need. I think it's very good."

Wang Li smiled obsequiously. "If Your Lordship is satisfied, then there's no problem. There's one more matter on which I request Your Lordship's instructions."

"Go ahead."

Wang Li hurriedly said, "Your Lordship has just arrived, and the mansion ought to have some servants to attend to you. Would you like this servant to find a broker..."

Only then did Chen Luo realize that although the Earl's Mansion was large, it truly had not a trace of human presence. Now that he was an earl, he ought to have people serving him, shouldn't he? Was his dream of buying several pretty maids finally about to come true?

Chen Luo was just about to nod when he suddenly thought of a problem—

He had no money!

"Teacher, what brings you to Central Capital City so suddenly?" Wei Yan handed Song Tui Zhi a cup of hot tea.

"Isn't it because of the Three Thousand Li Heavenly Road..." Song Tui Zhi's voice was a little hoarse.

Wei Yan had heard from the people on duty at Wenchang Pavilion that his teacher and Minister Wen had ultimately even used the Great Words of Meaning Divine Ability during their argument.

Wei Yan was startled at first, then delight appeared on his face. "Does that mean you intend to take that boy as your disciple?" But then his expression changed again. "In that case, wouldn't he become my Younger Junior Brother and be my peer?"

Song Tui Zhi took a sip of tea to moisten his throat. "You're overthinking it. How could he be my peer?"

Wei Yan was puzzled. "Could one of my senior or junior fellow disciples be taking him as a disciple? But... that doesn't seem safe, does it?"

Song Tui Zhi set the teacup on the table and said calmly, "Your grand-teacher sent me here to see what kind of person the master of the Heavenly Road is. If he passes the test, I'll accept him as a disciple on behalf of my teacher. He'll become my Younger Junior Brother and your Little Martial Uncle. How could he be my peer?"

Wei Yan froze. "My... Little... Martial Uncle?"

At that moment, Chen Luo sat on the roof of the Earl's Mansion's main hall, gazing at the starry sky and murmuring, "I need to make money..."

Sunlight struck the gauze window, while the wind shook the door. The short recommendation period would enter the promotion queue next week.

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