I Only Know How to Bully Noobs

Chapter 97: Heavenly Alliance

That evening, Zhao Shouchang did not dine at home and did not return until very late.

As soon as he arrived, he went straight into the study and began writing over and over again.

The old housekeeper personally stood outside the door, not allowing anyone to disturb him.

He knew that the master would only shut himself in the study to practice calligraphy when he was in a bad mood.

It was likely that something difficult had occurred within the Six Doors Authority.

During this time, Miss came by with some pastries, but was stopped by the housekeeper. She left the pastries and departed.

"Uncle Fu."

At last, the master's calm voice came from within the room.

The housekeeper responded, "Here."

Zhao Shouchang asked, "Did Yan’er just come by?"

The housekeeper replied, "Yes. Upon learning that Master was practicing calligraphy, she left, but left behind a few pastries. She was worried you hadn't eaten."

With a creak, the door opened, and Zhao Shouchang stepped out, saying, "Let's go, to Yan’er’s place."

The old housekeeper carried a lantern and led the way ahead.

Zhao Shouchang followed behind. "Has Yan’er gone out these past few days?"

"She went out once in the morning and returned shortly after noon."

"Your Madam had someone deliver a letter, saying she misses Yan’er and Xian’er very much. Have someone prepare, in two days, let Madam take them back to Jinzhou."

The old housekeeper’s heart trembled. He was momentarily stunned before replying, "Yes, Master."

……

Before long, the two arrived at a secluded courtyard.

Two maids stood guard at the gate. Upon seeing them, they quickly saluted, "Master."

Soon, Zhao Xiyan heard the commotion and came out to greet them. "Father, you’ve come."

"I came to see you."

"Did you eat the pastries I sent over? I made them myself."

"I’ll be sure to try them in a bit."

As they spoke, father and daughter entered the room.

Zhao Xiyan noticed a gloomy expression on her father’s brow and advised, "Father, you seem a bit tired. No matter how busy official duties are, you must take care of your health."

"Alright."

Seeing the worry in his daughter’s eyes, Zhao Shouchang felt warmth in his heart and patted her hand.

Zhao Xiyan softly asked, "Father, are you still worried about the Cult of Eternal Life?"

"Yan’er, it’s best if girls don’t act too clever; it makes them less approachable."

These words of admonishment also confirmed that she had guessed correctly.

Zhao Xiyan pouted, "Father, do I also have to pretend to be dumb in front of you? I refuse."

"Before your father, there's naturally no need for that."

"That’s more like it."

As a Third Grade Inspector, Zhao Shouchang could only relax and relieve the pressures of governance in front of his daughter.

Zhao Xiyan added, "Father, I have an idea that might help you lure out those Cult of Eternal Life heretics hiding in the shadows."

Zhao Shouchang casually said, "Oh? Let’s hear it."

"Today, I went out and met the third son of Feng Youdao."

That name made Zhao Shouchang’s expression grow more serious.

The Guanglong Trading Company, one of the Seven Great Maritime Merchants, held significant status in Qingfeng City.

As a young and ambitious official, he naturally avoided getting too close to the Seven Great Maritime Merchants and had never even met their figureheads in private.

He had already informed his wife and children about this before coming to Qingfeng City.

However, Zhao Shouchang knew his daughter wasn’t someone reckless, so he continued listening patiently.

"…The Maritime Merchants have always lacked martial artists. That third son of the Feng family had a sudden inspiration and wants to imitate the Martial Gathering to organize a martial arts tournament…"

As Zhao Shouchang listened, his expression gradually turned more serious.

Zhao Xiyan observed her father's demeanor while carefully choosing her words. "At first, I didn’t think much of it, but then I suddenly thought—Father is troubled precisely because he can’t catch the heretics from the Cult of Eternal Life. Perhaps, by organizing such an event, it might draw them out. So I didn’t outright refuse… Father, what do you think of this idea?"

Zhao Shouchang quickly weighed the pros and cons and made a decision. "Tell him, this matter can proceed."

Zhao Xiyan let out a sigh of relief. "That's good. I was worried it might bring trouble to Father."

Zhao Shouchang said, "The Cult of Eternal Life is a top priority for the court. There’s something you don’t know. Two months ago, Heaven's Path Alliance sent two disciples to Qingfeng City, but they disappeared on the way—vanished without a trace. It wasn’t until half a month ago that Heaven's Path Alliance noticed something was wrong and sent a First Grade Expert. One reason was to investigate the Cult of Eternal Life, the other was to look into the missing disciples."

"Is there really such a thing?"

Zhao Xiyan was greatly shocked.

Heaven's Path Alliance was the foremost among the Nine Great Sects under Heaven.

Unlike the other eight sects, disciples of Heaven's Path Alliance actively entered the world and had deep cooperation with the court.

To many people, Heaven's Path Alliance was considered an official institution of the court, specifically tasked with supervising officials.

The Grand Ancestor Emperor had once issued an edict granting disciples of Heaven's Path Alliance the right to supervise officials. If they discovered any misconduct, they had the authority to act first and report later.

Of course, this edict had been abolished by the Zhongzong Emperor three hundred years ago.

However, common folks did not care about that and still regarded disciples of Heaven's Path Alliance as righteous lords who could uphold justice for them.

Though disciples of Heaven's Path Alliance no longer held the same privileges as in the founding days, when they could slay officials as easily as slaughtering chickens, they still had supervisory authority.

Generally speaking, officials found it a headache to deal with disciples of Heaven's Path Alliance.

Even more so now, since the person sent was a First Grade Expert of Heaven's Path Alliance.

They could not be beaten, and their status was untouchable.

No wonder her father was so troubled.

Zhao Shouchang said, "That one said, if there are still no leads on the Cult of Eternal Life, he will start by dealing with the Seven Great Maritime Merchants."

Zhao Xiyan exclaimed, "Heaven's Path Alliance suspects the Seven Great Maritime Merchants are colluding with the Cult of Eternal Life? How could that be possible?"

Zhao Shouchang shook his head and did not continue the topic, only said, "If he really does act against those seven maritime merchants, your father will be in trouble."

People from Heaven's Path Alliance had always acted without regard for consequences, believing themselves to be the enforcers of Heaven’s will, daring to kill anyone. If they really wiped out the Seven Great Maritime Merchants, he would definitely be the scapegoat.

Because the court had no way to control Heaven's Path Alliance, in the end, the blame would fall on him. Who told him he couldn’t pacify the expert from Heaven's Path Alliance?

In the end, Zhao Shouchang instructed, "Do not tell anyone about Heaven's Path Alliance, especially not that Feng family's third son."

"Understood, Father."

Zhao Xiyan nodded quickly.

She naturally knew the importance of the matter.

……

The next morning, Chen Ming received a letter delivered by Zhao Xiyan’s maid. After reading the letter, his heart settled—he knew the matter was settled.

As for how many martial artists this would attract, that would depend on the Guanglong Trading Company’s ability to spread the word.

That afternoon, Chen Ming went to find Feng Siyuan to tell him the good news.

Feng Siyuan was overjoyed and wanted to take Chen Ming to Yihong Courtyard for a proper celebration.

Chen Ming said, "We must act without delay—delays might bring changes. We only have two months. Not a moment can be wasted. Do this—invite the people in charge of the merchant caravans from Guanglong Trading Company who are about to head out across Jiangzhou. Invite them for drinks and ask them to help spread the word. Best if we can also find some storytellers…"

Whether this endeavor would succeed depended heavily on publicity.

He decided to tackle it from both ends—on one hand, letting the merchant caravans help with promotion, and on the other, asking Feng Siyuan to find storytellers, aiming to spread the news throughout the fifteen counties of Jiangzhou within a month.

Feng Siyuan was indeed receptive and immediately got to work upon hearing this.

It was his first time handling such matters, so he naturally wanted to do it well and impress his father.

Despite his previous reputation as a playboy, indulging in pleasures every day, Feng Siyuan still had some men under his command.

In one go, he dispatched more than a dozen of them to assist Chen Ming.

When Chen Ming asked, he found out they were his mother's men.

As for money—there was no need to worry. With the Feng family’s wealth, to put it bluntly, even a single hair from them was thicker than the Chen family’s thigh.

Chen Ming also began to get busy. He started drafting the regulations for the martial arts tournament—how the matches would be conducted, the competition system, how to ensure fairness…

His life philosophy was: if something is to be done, it should be done well.

Just the regulations alone filled tens of thousands of words, and in the process, he also refined his brushwork.

And so, the days passed one by one, and the news about two Third Grade Experts accepting disciples began to spread across various parts of Jiangzhou…