Seeing how sincere the two of them were, Lin Yi could not help sighing. "Even I had no idea I had so many virtues. It seems your powers of observation have improved!"
"You flatter us, Young Lord. Those who stay near ink turn black; those who stay near vermilion turn red. Following a young hero like you, we would be useless if we hadn't improved," Zhao Hu declared righteously.
Lin Yi saw Zhang Long and Zhao Hu in a new light.
He was beginning to understand why emperors favored their pampered courtiers. After all, who didn't like hearing compliments and things they wanted to hear?
Ma Chao, who had been watching the beauties nearby, could not help twitching his lips. Those two bootlickers were beyond compare.
But he thought the two were right about one thing: their lord truly had many virtues and was constantly improving. He would surely become a great lord in the future.
It had started when he acted decisively to sweep through Northern Liang City, causing a tremendous uproar.
Ma Chao had thought it would plunge Northern Liang into chaos, but their lord had turned around and shown kindness to the people, minimizing the fallout while winning their approval.
That was their lord's skill.
He had even given Ma Chao a priceless treasure like The Legacy of Wumu. Anyone else would surely have hidden it away as a family heirloom. Why would they give it to an outsider?
That showed their lord's magnanimity.
And with a turn of his hand, their lord had conjured clouds, playing those officials in the palm of his hand and devising a method of making salt. That was their lord's wisdom.
Such a lord had a boundless future!
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for winning someone over with virtue and successfully subduing the top-tier general Ma Chao under your command, making him believe the host is the best lord. Reward: five thousand Xiliang Iron Cavalry."
Holy shit!
Lin Yi was jolted awake from the flattery and looked over at Ma Chao, who was drinking alone.
He had not expected Ma Chao to be praising him in his heart as well, allowing him to complete the process of winning someone over with virtue. Ma Chao truly was a top-tier general: he had rewarded him with five thousand Xiliang Iron Cavalry in one go.
With that, his cavalry force was basically ready to take shape.
Along with the ten thousand Tiger and Leopard Cavalry he already had and the three hundred-odd White Horse Volunteers, he now had nearly three types of top-tier cavalry at his disposal.
Their combined numbers exceeded ten thousand, a force large enough to form a powerful fighting force. With Ma Chao studying The Legacy of Wumu, he was even more confident of gaining a firm foothold in Xiliang.
Today had truly brought unexpected windfalls. Not only had he received a reward for Jia Xu's submission, but Ma Chao had also contributed five thousand Xiliang Iron Cavalry. His strength had grown immensely.
He could not help murmuring, "Could the Wafting Fragrance Pavilion be my true home? It looks like I should come here more often!"
"Eh, isn't that Muzhi?"
Just then, a sudden voice rang out beside him, rousing Lin Yi.
At first, Lin Yi did not react. Only when the speaker walked straight toward him did he realize he was being called. Wasn't Muzhi his courtesy name?
So he was calling him.
Who was this?
Someone who wasn't close to him wouldn't call him Muzhi.
Judging by the way this fellow was dressed, he was truly flashy!
His long green robe was so green it made Lin Yi's eyes swim, and Lin Yi instantly recalled who he was.
"So it's Zitao! What a coincidence!"
He greeted him with a smile.
This was Wang Zitao, a son born to a concubine of the Wang Clan in Northern Liang City. He and Lin Yi usually got along very well; he was the hearty, easygoing sort of friend.
The Wang Clan was a wealthy merchant family whose greatest distinction was its money-a great deal of money.
Unfortunately, merchants' standing in this day and age could never compare with that of official families, so the Wang Clan's position was somewhat awkward, and some prominent families looked down on them.
But Lin Yi did not look down on Wang Zitao!
Although the Wang Clan was a merchant family, its head, Wang Yining, was no ordinary man. He had once been the grand preceptor, the current emperor's own teacher.
Later, because of a political disagreement with Li Anlan, he had been banished to Northern Liang.
After leaving politics, Wang Yining had devoted himself to business and was now one of the top five business magnates in Northern Liang.
A man like that would never remain ordinary forever. Given the chance, he would surely rise again.
Wang Zitao glanced at Lin Yi and said in delight, "Muzhi, my father's been saying all these days that you've turned over a new leaf. I thought you wouldn't come to the Wafting Fragrance Pavilion anymore, but it looks like you're still one of us!"
His father had been praising Lin Yi constantly, making him feel that a distance had grown between them, and he had been planning to see less of him.
He had not expected to see Lin Yi at the Wafting Fragrance Pavilion again today, and he felt a great weight lift from his shoulders.
The decisive and ruthless Heir of Northern Liang his father spoke of might have been no more than a night-blooming flower, here for a moment and gone the next. His good brother was still the same young man he had always been.
Damn!
Lin Yi's lips twitched. Who the hell is one of you?
You're lusting after their bodies. I, the young lord, only came to admire the beautiful scenery and cultivate my sensibilities while I was at it.
But seeing the delight in Wang Zitao's eyes, he could not bring himself to retort. He could only smile and say, "What do you mean, turned over a new leaf? Someone was bullying me right to my face. If I didn't strike back, wouldn't everyone think they could climb onto my head and take a shit?"
"Hahaha, I like the sound of that!"
Wang Zitao's eyes lit up at those words, and the distance in his eyes vanished at once. His little brother still had the same fiery temper.
"There really were assassins?"
The two men behind Wang Zitao were shocked. Someone had actually tried to assassinate the Heir of Northern Liang? They had always thought it was just a rumor.
Good heavens!
They had some nerve, daring to assassinate even the Heir of Northern Liang. Whoever was behind it probably had a formidable background as well.
They had all spent time with Lin Yi and naturally knew how domineering the Heir of Northern Liang was. Ordinary people would not dare provoke him in the slightest, or they would not even know how they died.
Lin Yi glanced at them and sighed. "Although I, the young lord, have no quarrel with the world, someone just had to provoke me. So I could only strike back a little. Otherwise, they'd really think I was a vegetarian!"
"Good riddance!"
A fierce glint flashed in Wang Zitao's eyes as he sneered. "Muzhi has a point. Those bastards dared to assassinate you. If you didn't kill them, were you saving them for the New Year?"
As a spoiled young master, he had never killed anyone with his own hands, but quite a few people had nevertheless died at his hands.
His Wang Clan was a wealthy merchant family in Northern Liang, and plenty of people had set their sights on him.
His approach to such people had always been to kill one as a warning to a hundred. Hearing Lin Yi say that, he immediately felt they were of one mind. As expected of his brother.
"Zitao, you really do understand me!" Lin Yi said with a smile.
Wang Zitao laughed. "Of course! We're good brothers, after all! But..." At that, he hesitated, as though he wanted to say something but stopped himself.
"But what?" Lin Yi asked with a smile.
He had noticed long ago that the fellow was acting a little strangely and must have something on his mind. Now it seemed he really had come to him for something.