"He's coming over!"
Just as Huang Shang was on guard, the scholar turned around, revealing a lean, refined face.
Seeing him walk straight over, Huang Shang gave a slight nod in greeting. The scholar immediately bowed. "Are you traveling to Guangxi to study?"
His voice was slightly deep, with a magnetic quality that made people instinctively warm to him.
"That's right!"
Huang Shang rose to his feet, and the Noble Spirit within him stirred.
Before the Examination Hall, becoming the provincial top scholar had strengthened both his Literary Qi and his true qi several times over. More than that, he had begun to combine the two, forming a power uniquely his own.
But Huang Shang was still feeling his way across a river by touching the stones. The idea was sound, but balancing the civil and martial arts was still a long road ahead.
During this time, he had been studying the Dao Scripture and the Bright Jade Art, doing his best to grasp their principles and uncover their secrets.
Now he had unexpectedly gained something from it.
Not only had he confirmed that the scholar had come for him, he had also sensed a cold, ruthless malice beneath the man's mild and refined exterior. He was extremely dangerous.
Huang Shang's thoughts stirred. He cupped his hands in greeting. "I am Huang Shang, courtesy name Shengzhong, from Yong Prefecture."
The scholar said, "I am Murong Xing, courtesy name Gongsi, from Suzhou. I'm traveling and studying throughout the land as well. I saw that you have a fine appearance and extraordinary bearing, so I came to make your acquaintance."
Then he suddenly looked astonished. "Could you be Master Hengqu's prized pupil, the Scholar Huang who defeated the bandits of the martial world outside the Yong Prefecture Examination Hall? The Literary Star descended to earth?"
"I am indeed. But I hardly deserve to be called the Literary Star!"
Huang Shang smiled faintly. His words were polite, but in his heart, he had already figured out the man's identity.
So it was Murong Bo!
This scholar posed an even greater threat to him than Wang Jiantong, leader of the Beggar Sect.
And Wang Jiantong was already one of the foremost experts in the martial world. There were only a handful who completely surpassed him.
In the original story, setting aside the two-star Sweeping Monk and Xiaoyaozi, who might still be alive, that left the Three Elders of Xiaoyao—Wu Yazi, Li Qiushui, and Tianshan Tonglao—as well as the four peerless masters of Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils: Xiao Yuanshan, Xiao Feng, Murong Bo, and Jiumozhi.
The Three Elders of Xiaoyao had a limited range of activity. Wu Yazi had a different air about him from this man. Xiao Feng was still a child, Xiao Yuanshan was probably still recovering from his injuries, and Jiumozhi certainly wouldn't be dressed like this.
Once those possibilities were eliminated, the most likely suspect was Murong Bo, who had faked his death.
That outwardly refined, inwardly rotten air was the clincher.
He would stop at nothing to achieve his goal.
Still, his assumed name, Murong Xing, was quite amusing.
Even after faking his death, he couldn't bring himself to change his surname?
As a descendant of the imperial Murong clan of Great Yan, from the Sixteen Kingdoms of the Five Barbarians period, Murong Bo was clearly very proud.
Huang Shang, however, thought the man was crazy.
To be clear, Yan was one of the Five Barbarians' kingdoms, not one of the Five Dynasties before the Song.
This so-called Yan Kingdom had to be traced back to the chaos caused by the Five Barbarians after the Jin dynasty fell, when the Xianbei Murong clan established its kingdom.
When was that?
337!
And what year was it now?
1062!
Throughout history, many people had wanted to restore fallen dynasties, such as restoring the Han or overthrowing the Qing to restore the Ming.
After a dynasty fell, there were always people who hoped to bring it back.
But had anyone ever heard of restoring a kingdom after seven hundred years?
Why not claim to be a descendant of Chiyou and restore the Nine Li?
"Crazy, but I suppose that's only natural. After all, your ancestor was a necrophiliac."
Huang Shang inwardly despised him. Meanwhile, Murong Bo extended an invitation. "Meeting is fate. Might I travel through Liangguang with you, Scholar Huang?"
The invitation sounded odd, but in truth it was quite ordinary.
As mentioned before, scholars traveled throughout the land not only to broaden their horizons, but also to build connections.
You never knew which scholar you might run into on the road. If he came top in the imperial examinations one day, he could become an ally in the officialdom.
Of course, someone like Murong Bo wasn't a connection. He was more like a door-to-door salesman.
The sort who started by fleecing friends and family.
Huang Shang could mock him all he wanted, but he naturally nodded in agreement.
The two began to talk.
There was no denying that if you didn't know the man's true nature, he really was learned and talented.
Whether he was sharing astute insights into the affairs of the realm or agreeing with and flattering Huang Shang, he always struck just the right note, making people feel as though they were basking in a spring breeze.
No wonder Abbot Xuan Ci of Shaolin had counted him as a close friend and believed his information without question. Murong Bo had duped him so badly that even afterward, Xuan Ci had never grown suspicious.
Huang Shang gained a great deal from talking with Murong Bo.
When three walk together, one of them is bound to be my teacher.
He had always believed that the real skill for making a living was to learn as much as possible from everyone.
And Huang Shang had also confirmed that this Murong Bo was no longer the Murong Bo from the original story.
Just as the Reincarnators were trying to change Huang Shang's life, they naturally had their eyes on other powerful figures from the story, taking advantage of their foreknowledge.
The easiest to use, and also the hardest to use, was Murong Bo.
He was easy to use because his goal was clear: to restore Great Yan.
But he was old, cunning, ruthless, and utterly unscrupulous. Anyone who thought they could manipulate him at will was badly mistaken.
The moment Murong Bo formed plans of his own, he would cast the Reincarnators aside and go his own way.
"But why has Murong Bo set his sights on me?"
"Could it be because of that battle in Worry-Free Cave, in Kaifeng Prefecture, where Wu Que and Nightingale ambushed Xu Yue and Xu Feng?"
Huang Shang sifted through the clues and pieced together the truth.
The Main God Temple forbade Reincarnators from killing one another. In Worry-Free Cave, two groups of Reincarnators had fought. If Wu Que and Nightingale had truly intended to kill Xu Feng and Xu Yue, then a character from the story would have had to deliver the finishing blow.
That character would have to be powerful, able to launch a sneak attack, and willing to stop at nothing.
The clues all pointed in the same direction: Murong Bo was almost certainly the character from the story who had colluded with Wu Que and Nightingale.
The man came and went like a shadow. Even the local strongmen of Worry-Free Cave hadn't detected him. He really was an old schemer.
But even the Reincarnators couldn't control him. Murong Bo hadn't shown himself once throughout the battle in Worry-Free Cave.
Instead, it was the Reincarnators' attitude toward Huang Shang that had caught his attention.
Now Huang Shang was the provincial top scholar, and his name was famous throughout Jinghu South Circuit. That was why they had finally met.
"Wu Que probably never imagined a character from the story would compete with him for the prize."
Huang Shang smiled to himself.
He hadn't even known beforehand that he would be on this boat.
He had taken the water route to avoid Tu Xingsun.
Murong Bo had appeared at just the right moment. It couldn't have been a coincidence. He could only have followed Huang Shang the whole way, quietly observing him from nearby.
The man had astonishing patience. He could pursue a goal for years, even decades. A mere month or so was nothing.
"After the Reincarnators woke him up to the fact that there was no hope of restoring his kingdom through the martial world, has he decided to pursue a path through the imperial court instead?"
Huang Shang regarded Murong Bo, amused.
When he was with the Reincarnators, he was a character from the story, "unaware" of what was going on.
When he was with characters from the story, he transformed into a Reincarnator who knew the plot inside out.
He had already prepared a story to explain why he was leaving Yong Prefecture.
What to say if Wu Que's group caught up with him, or if they met again in Eastern Capital Kaifeng Prefecture.
Now it seemed he could change it.
Murong Bo, you've come at just the right time.
Before you continue