After a night of heated discussion.
The fame of Yi Feng, the schoolteacher, had become common knowledge. From seventy-year-old men down to three-year-old children, everyone had heard that Mister Yi possessed extraordinary fortune and enjoyed the protection of Heaven.
Rumors were as fierce as tigers—there was not a shred of falsehood in that saying.
Dawn had just broken.
Beneath the Great Huai Tree at the entrance to Qinghe Town, several elderly men out for a stroll were making the tale more and more outrageous.
"Old Liu, have you heard? The new schoolteacher in our town is blessed by Heaven itself. Whenever he goes hunting, he is sure to come back with something, and he can even pick up demon beasts by the hand!"
"That is nothing! I heard that Mister Yi is an extraordinary man of bearing. Demon beasts come looking for him on their own!"
"Heh heh, what do you know? Mister Yi is the Wenqu Star descended from the heavens. Forget demon beasts—whatever he wishes for comes true as easily as breathing!"
"Hiss..."
"Scholars really are terrifying to such an extent!"
"Since Mister Yi is so miraculous, should we go worship him someday?"
The old men sat beneath the tree, whispering among themselves. The more they spoke, the more fantastical it became, as though they had personally seen and heard every bit of it, their words utterly convincing.
Just as they were speaking with great enthusiasm, the sound of hoofbeats suddenly came from afar.
The old men turned toward the sound.
They saw a long procession winding like a dragon. More than a hundred Black Armored Guards marched at the front, their orderly ranks brimming with imposing might. A sedan chair was escorted in their midst; at a glance, it was clear that some great personage had arrived.