Prefectural City Forces, Not Up To You (Part 2)

Chu Ge looked at the person approaching. Seeing that he was dressed as a scholar in plain clothes, Chu Ge pretended not to notice his intentions and said with a smile, "Do you also want to see the Blood Ranking in my hand? One tael of silver per viewing."

The man was taken aback and chuckled, "This young master is quite interesting. Where are you from? There are more and more outsiders coming to Jiangcheng Prefecture recently."

Chu Ge replied, "Just a visitor from the countryside, nothing noteworthy. Since you seem to be from the Prefectural City, and I'm new here, could you tell me which powers are the strongest within the city? Are there any places I should avoid?"

Chu Ge raised his hand and cupped his fist slightly.

The scholar's heart leaped with joy, recognizing this as an opportunity to build a good relationship. He immediately said loudly, "When it comes to power in Jiangcheng Prefecture, the foremost naturally is the Demon Suppressing Division of the Prefectural City officials. Besides that, there are the Five Great Families, with the Flying Tiger Family being the strongest. Others like the Yun, Lin, Zhu, and Liu families come next, with similar levels of influence. As for smaller forces like the Flying Leaf Gang and the Sword and Saber Society, they are merely the tools of the Five Great Families. Outsiders coming to the Prefectural City often seek to join the Yun Family among the Five Great Families, as they recruit outsiders almost every year. But if you ask me, you should give up on the Yun Family and try to join the Lin Family or others first."

"Oh? Join the Lin Family?" Chu Ge's heart stirred. "What do you mean by that? Aren't the Flying Tigers the strongest, and the Yun Family offers the best treatment? And from what I can see, only the Yun Family is recruiting."

"You wouldn't know about that," the scholar said mysteriously, lowering his voice. "The Flying Tiger Family is indeed strong, but they rarely recruit outsiders proactively; their threshold is very high. The Yun Family does recruit, but there are too many people who want to join, so many that they've worn down the doorstep. The other families haven't recruited outsiders in recent years, but the Lin Family seems to have loosened up recently. I have inside connections. The Lin Family is not weak; their influence is almost comparable to the Yun Family, and their benefits are excellent."

Chu Ge listened to the man's eloquent speech, his mind gradually forming a guess, but also harboring doubts. It seems he's trying to recruit for the Lin Family. Is the Lin Family that desperate for people? Or is there another hidden reason? Chu Ge pondered. Seeing that the man had no immediate ill intentions, he dismissed the thought of taking action. From him, he had learned about the power structure of the Prefectural City, though perhaps not entirely accurately. After politely declining the scholar's offer, he drove his carriage straight to the Moon Xi Inn.

Not long after, the news of Chu Ge's arrival in the Prefectural City, along with the details of his encounter with the scholar, was compiled into a report and delivered to the young master of the Lin Family, Lin Tao. Lin Tao was not surprised after reading the report. The reason he hadn't immediately gone to meet Chu Ge himself was that he still didn't understand the temperament of Chu Feixue's brother or his future plans. He had sent someone to make contact first, speak favorably of the Lin Family, and then observe for two days. If this young man had any ambitions, he would intervene and suppress him, dampening his spirit and preventing the untamed nature of someone from a small village from becoming unruly. When the time was right, he would personally appear and win Chu Ge over with sincerity, which would increase the chances of successfully recruiting him and make it more stable. After all, Chu Ge currently had no idea that his sister had already sent two people to welcome him. The arrival time of those two outer disciples could be determined by Lin Tao with a single word.

"Have you found out the situation regarding the Wang Family's merchant caravan from Linyuan City?" Lin Tao asked casually.

"Reporting to young master, we have found out. The eldest daughter of the Wang Family had already obtained a quota for Spiritual Aptitude testing from the Yun Family. She is likely here to undergo the test at the Yun Family," the butler reported. "Perhaps this young master Chu also has this idea. After all, besides the Yun Family, his only other option is the Hidden Water Sect. However, the Hidden Water Sect does not easily test outsiders, and it's not yet time for them to recruit disciples. Even if they were recruiting, the requirements for Spiritual Aptitude are very high. Even with his sister's connections, he wouldn't be able to break the sect's rules for an exception. He might not miss the opportunity with the Yun Family."

Lin Tao smiled, revealing a row of white teeth. "That's not up to him. I've already spoken to the stewards of the other families in advance. He will miss this opportunity with the Yun Family." Lin Tao shook his head and chuckled lightly. "When he faces a wall everywhere, he'll have no choice but to come to my Lin Family. At that time, I will personally treat him with courtesy and respect. He's young. After experiencing some setbacks, I'll speak a few flattering words, give him some gifts and beautiful maids, and pamper him. He'll naturally think he's met his true benefactor and be eternally grateful to me!"

"Young master is brilliant!"

"Mm, we just need to prevent him from writing to his sister or heading directly to the Hidden Water Sect. You handle it."

West of Jiangcheng Prefectural City.

A gentle breeze rustled the treetops, and the sparse leaves, illuminated by the light, shimmered and swayed. Under the moonlight, figures were clear, and the flow of people coming and going was considerable, yet it was not noisy, creating a quiet space amidst the bustle.

"This must be the Moon Xi Inn. Not bad, not bad!" Chu Ge arrived with his carriage. Seeing the scene of the inn, he was quite satisfied. He tossed out a silver bean and called out to the inn employee who came to greet him, revealing a gap in his teeth as he smiled, much like the family servant Hei Gouzi.

"Is the Wang Family's merchant caravan from Linyuan City here?"

"Ah? Esteemed guest, we are here, we are here! The eldest young lady of the Wang Family arrived at noon today and specifically instructed that if a young master were to arrive, he should be led in immediately. Could it be you, sir?"

"It is I."

"Please come in quickly, sir. The reward for this has already been paid by the eldest young lady, I…"

"Take it. Feed my horse well, move my things inside, and park the carriage."

"Right away! Please come in, sir!"

Soon, after Chu Ge had settled Xiao Qian in a hidden spot, he met Wang Xiuyun in his inn room, whom he had parted ways with two days prior.

"Chu Ge, it's good that you're alright. That day was truly perilous, but with your strength, I knew you would be fine."

Wang Xiuyun, accompanied by a maid, bustled into the room. Upon seeing Chu Ge's robust and dashing figure, her bright eyes sparkled, and she said with a smile.

"Sit down and let's talk!" Chu Ge appeared very relaxed and gestured for her to sit before continuing, "It seems you weren't pursued by any strong individuals that day either. We were all lucky to escape that ordeal."

"Yes, we were all blessed by good fortune. After I arrived in the city, I heard at the inn that the group of Yellow Turban bandits we encountered that day were led by a famous enforcer from the Blood Ranking, the Dark Poison Child."

Wang Xiuyun sat down, patted her chest, and said tremulously, "Fortunately, we didn't run into him. It's said that the Dark Poison Child ran into a tough opponent and was dealt with by a passing expert. He's already been removed from the Blood Ranking.

Although the world is in chaos, there are still some powerful chivalrous individuals. For example, my benefactor, he's also on the Blood Ranking."

Although Chu Ge didn't have the habit of touching his nose, he subconsciously reached out and touched a cup on the table to hide his awkwardness upon hearing Wang Xiuyun's words, and he chuckled in agreement.

"Yes, there are indeed quite a few righteous individuals."

After chatting for a few more moments, Chu Ge inquired about Wang Xiuyun's plans.

As he expected, Wang Xiuyun intended to participate in the Yun Family's Spiritual Aptitude quota test.

"Chu Ge, why don't you come along? My Wang Family has a very good relationship with an elder from the Yun Family. As long as you're willing to spend a large sum of money, you can definitely buy a spot too."

Wang Xiuyun smiled encouragingly, "Your Martial Arts talent is so good, and your combat ability is strong. As long as you possess Spiritual Aptitude, the Yun Family will surely be willing to recruit you!"