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Chapter 349: The Stories of Zhang Chen

"Don't let him get away!"

"Ahhhhhhhhh!"

"..."

The two, feeling curious, approached an old man selling melons at a roadside stall and asked, "Sir, what's happening?"

The old man chuckled and said, "Oh, I heard that Zhang Chen, the head disciple of Ascending Dragon Academy, is here. Everyone is rushing to get a good look at him."

"Zhang Chen?" Chu Liang said, turning to look at the growing crowd. "I didn't expect him to be this popular."

In fact, this highlighted the limitations of being a disciple of an immortal sect.

In the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten or the world of immortal cultivators, Zhang Chen wasn't as famous as those prodigies. However, among the common people of the Yu Dynasty, he had a large and loyal following.

This was because Ascending Dragon Academy was deeply rooted in the common folk, supported by the Yu Dynasty, and recruited students widely. The best scholars from all over could try to enter the academy. Many of its outstanding disciples went on to become officials, giving back to the people.

The prodigies of immortal cultivation were still distant figures to the common people, but the students of Ascending Dragon Academy could directly impact their future welfare, thus garnering more attention.

And Zhang Chen was the most popular head disciple among recent generations of the academy.

"Hey, of course," the old melon seller said immediately after hearing Chu Liang's words. "Zhang Chen is exceptionally talented and very kind-hearted. Everyone hopes he'll become an official in the imperial court in the future and bring us blessings. If it wasn’t because of my stall, I'd go see him myself."

"Wow."

Upon seeing their reaction, the old melon seller felt a bit puzzled and asked, "Haven't you heard his story?"

"His story?" Both Chu Liang and Yun Chaoxian were intrigued.

"Have you heard the story of 'Searching for the Sheep in the Muddy Path'?" The old melon seller asked, taking on the posture of a storyteller. "This was the story of Zhang Chen finding out an old man had lost his sheep and was heartbroken. And so, he didn’t hesitate to help. To find the sheep, he trudged through a muddy path and managed to return the sheep to the old man. He was completely unbothered by the fact that his feet were covered in mud.”

"Do you know the story of 'Walking in the Rain in Plain Clothes'?" the old melon seller continued. "It tells of a rainy day when Zhang Chen saw an auntie walking in the rain. He took off his outer garment to shield her, walking through the rain himself in plain clothes."

Chu Liang listened and nodded slightly.

It seemed that this head disciple of the academy was indeed a noble and moral person without any low or selfish interests.

Yun Chaoxian laughed and said, "With his popularity, now that so many people are flocking around him, he certainly won't be able to get anything done."

"This means that..." Chu Liang smiled as well. "He definitely was not the one who released the news."

...

Zhang Chen sat on a chair in the inn, gently rubbing his forehead with a hint of a helpless smile on his face.

He had just spent quite some time talking to the enthusiastic townsfolk outside, making sure a group of them went home peacefully. However, more and more residents of Donghuai City who admired him kept coming. If he had to appease them all, he wouldn't have time for anything else in the coming days.

"Someone intentionally spread the news of me coming to Donghuai City to slow us down," Zhang Chen said, shaking his head. "It must have been one of your... I mean, one of those helpers invited by your fellow disciples who came up with this idea."

"So what do we do now?" Ren Hongdao, who was sitting beside him, asked.

"The people outside came to see me, and I can't disappoint them. I'll go out and show my face again, telling them that I'll be heading to another city soon. After that, let's try to be careful and not reveal our whereabouts," Zhang Chen said.

"I didn’t think you would be this popular," Ren Hongdao said, astonished, as he listened to the noise outside.

"Haaaaih... it's all fake," Zhang Chen smiled wryly. "The academy intentionally built up my image, so I'm inevitably burdened by fame."

"So are all those stories about you fake?" Ren Hongdao asked.

"They aren’t necessarily fake, but they are exaggerated," Zhang Chen replied.

"Is the story about you finding the old man’s sheep fake?" Ren Hongdao asked.

"Of course it's true, but..." Zhang Chen explained, "the old man is the headmaster of the academy, and the sheep was his spirit pet. It wandered into a swamp in the hill area behind the academy, so we had to help find it. Honestly, we were reluctant, but since it was the headmaster's spirit pet, we had no choice. When the story spread from the academy, it turned into 'Searching for the Sheep in the Muddy Path.'"

"Really?" Ren Hongdao blinked. "What about the story of you giving your clothes to shield an auntie from the rain..."

"That's true too, but the auntie was actually our headmaster's wife," Zhang Chen said with a wry smile. "The headmaster had secretly accompanied some guests to a brothel, and when his wife found out, she stood in the rain, refusing to leave until he returned. As disciples, we didn't dare say anything, so I covered her with my clothes and rushed to inform the headmaster."

"The headmaster's wife didn't get much rain on her, because the headmaster received the message and returned shortly after. He ended up kneeling in the rain for most of the night, while she had already gone back inside to sleep."

"When this story spread from the academy, it turned into the story of 'Walking in the Rain in Plain Clothes,'" Zhang Chen laughed.

"I see," Ren Hongdao said with a nod.

Rumors were clearly not to be trusted easily. Even if they had some truth to them, they might not be entirely accurate. By exaggerating one part of the story and concealing another, the truth could become something completely different.

...

“Isn’t this a bit underhanded?” Li Fujian asked, looking at Zhuge Guanxing with concern.

“We only spread news of Zhang Chen’s location to slow them down,” Zhuge Guanxing replied. “We didn’t actually hurt them, so what’s the harm in that?”

“That’s true, but...” Li Fujian scratched his head as he spoke, “I still respect my Eldest Senior Brother very much.”

"In a competition, there should be no distinction between seniors and juniors," Zhuge Guanxing said with a smile. "Rules can be set afterward, but when we're all facing the same trial, we must give our best to win. Your Senior Brother is the strongest in terms of power, and Zhang Chen is likely the most cunning. Their combination is formidable. Without a bit of cunning ourselves, how else can we hope to win?"

“That’s true,” Li Fujian agreed. “Can we find Li Feiyu’s location?”

Although they had pinpointed Donghuai City earlier, finding a more precise location was difficult. After all, divination wasn’t foolproof.

“Wait a moment.”

Zhuge Guanxing took a deep breath, formed a finger seal with his left hand, and tossed three black-gold copper coins into the air with his right hand. When the coins fell, he tossed them again, repeating the process several times.

He then opened his eyes gently and uttered the word, “Fire.”

“Fire?” Li Fujian was puzzled.

"The divination reading revealed that the main element is fire. The person we're looking for will appear in a place associated with fire tonight."