The carriage stopped before the county office, and Fang Yun stepped down.
"Void Sage Fang..."
"We've finally seen Void Sage Fang..."
The street remained packed on both sides. If not for the constables and soldiers holding them back, they would surely have surged forward like a tide.
Fang Yun cupped his hands toward the crowd and smiled as his voice rang out with Tongue Blossoms Thunder: "Fellow townsfolk, please disperse. From this day onward, you and I, Fang Yun, are one family. If you miss me in the future, come by the county office every few days to take a look—but look all you want, just don't expect me to feed you!"
The crowd burst into laughter. People in the distance shouted their farewells, then truly began to leave little by little.
Many took three steps and looked back twice, reluctant to part.
As they walked, countless people lectured their children and grandchildren.
"Did you see that? That's Void Sage Fang, the Literary Star descended to earth! With him here, our Ning'an County will surely produce a Zhuangyuan and a Great Scholar!"
"Ning'an County hasn't produced a Metropolitan Graduate in three years, has it?"
"With Void Sage Fang here, we Ning'an people finally have something to look forward to!"
The commoners chattered among themselves. Most of their talk concerned Fang Yun's educational reforms. Ever since the Three Character Classic appeared, Fang Yun's reputation had transformed, in the eyes of parents hoping their sons would become dragons, into a mighty ability.
The officials of Ning'an County listened to the people's discussion, and every one of them felt weighed down.
They had once discussed either elevating Fang Yun onto a divine altar and stripping him of real power, or stripping away Fang Yun's brilliance. The latter was nearly impossible, while the former