I can only beat noobs.

Chapter 97 Heavenly Alliance

That evening, Zhao Shouchang did not eat at home and did not return until very late. As soon as he got home, he went to his study and wrote characters over and over again.

The old butler personally stood guard outside the door, preventing anyone from disturbing them.

He knew that the master would only lock himself in his study to practice calligraphy when he was in a bad mood. He figured he must have encountered some trouble within the Six Doors (a government agency).

During this time, the young lady came over with some snacks, but the butler stopped her. She left the snacks behind and then left.

"Uncle Fu".

Finally, the old man's calm voice came from inside the house.

The butler replied, "Yes."

Zhao Shouchang asked, "Did Yan'er just come over?"

The butler replied, "Yes, I left when I learned that the master was practicing calligraphy, but I left some snacks behind. I was worried that you hadn't eaten anything."

The door creaked open, and Zhao Shouchang came out, saying, "Let's go to Yan'er's."

The old steward carried a lantern and led the way.

Zhao Shouchang followed behind, asking, "Has Yan'er gone out these past few days?"

"I went out in the morning and came back right after noon."

"Mother sent a letter through someone, saying she misses Yan'er and Xian'er very much. Have someone prepare so that Madam can take them back to Jinzhou in a couple of days."

The old steward was startled, paused for a moment, and then replied, "Yes, sir."

……

Before long, the two arrived at a quiet courtyard.

Two maids were guarding the door. Upon seeing him, they quickly bowed and said, "Master."

Soon, Zhao Xiyan heard the noise and came out to greet him, "Dad, you're here."

"Come and see you."

"Did you eat the snacks my daughter sent over? I made them myself."

"I'll definitely try it later."

As they spoke, the father and daughter went into the room.

Seeing the melancholy in her father's eyes, Zhao Xiyan advised, "Dad, you look a little tired. No matter how heavy your official duties are, you must take care of your health."

"it is good."

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

Zhao Xiyan asked softly, "Is Father still worried about the Eternal Life Cult?"

"Yan'er, it's best for girls not to appear too smart, as it makes it harder for people to get close to them."

His words of advice meant that she had guessed correctly.

Zhao Xiyan said coquettishly, "Father, do I have to pretend to be stupid in front of you? No way."

“There is no need for such formalities in front of your father.”

"That's pretty much it."

Even as a high-ranking official of the third rank, Zhao Shouchang could only relax and relieve the pressure of official duties in front of his daughter.

Zhao Xiyan then said, "Father, I have a plan that can help you lure out those evil people from the Longevity Cult who are hiding in the shadows."

Zhao Shouchang casually replied, "Oh, tell me about it."

"Today, my daughter went out and met Feng Youdao's third son."

The name made Zhao Shouchang's expression become more serious.

The head of Guanglong Trading Company, one of the seven major merchant guilds, is considered an important figure in Qingfeng City.

As an ambitious young official, he naturally wouldn't get too close to these seven major merchants, and he had never even met their prominent figures in private.

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

However, Zhao Shouchang knew that his daughter was not the kind of person who didn't know her place, so he patiently continued to listen.

"...The maritime merchants have always lacked martial artists. This Feng San suddenly had a brilliant idea to imitate the martial arts tournament and hold a martial arts competition..." As Zhao Shouchang listened, his expression became more and more serious.

While observing her father's expression, Zhao Xiyan carefully chose her words, "At first, I didn't think much of it, but then I suddenly realized that Father is troubled by not being able to capture the sorcerers of the Longevity Cult, isn't he? Perhaps, doing this might lure those people out of the Longevity Cult, so I didn't immediately refuse... Father, what do you think of this idea?"

Zhao Shouchang quickly weighed the pros and cons and made a judgment: "Tell him that this can be done."

Zhao Xiyan breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good. I was worried that I might cause trouble for Father."

Zhao Shouchang said, "The Longevity Sect is a top priority for the imperial court. There's something you don't know yet. Two months ago, the Heavenly Dao Alliance sent two disciples to Qingfeng City, but they disappeared en route and vanished without a trace. It wasn't until half a month ago that the Heavenly Dao Alliance realized something was wrong and sent a first-rank official here, firstly because of the Longevity Sect's disappearance, and secondly to investigate the disciples' disappearance."

"Is there such a thing?"

Zhao Xiyan was taken aback.

The Heavenly Dao Alliance is the most powerful of the nine major sects in the world. Unlike the other eight sects, the disciples of the Heavenly Dao Alliance all engage in worldly cultivation and have a deep cooperation with the imperial court.

Many people even viewed the Heavenly Alliance as an institution of the imperial court, specifically tasked with supervising officials.

Emperor Taizu once issued an edict that the disciples of the Heavenly Alliance had the right to supervise all officials, and if they discovered any acts of wrongdoing, they had the right to execute them first and report later.

Of course, this edict was abolished by Emperor Zhongzong three hundred years ago.

However, the common people didn't care about that and still regarded the disciples of the Heavenly Dao Alliance as upright officials who could help them seek justice.

Although the disciples of the Heavenly Dao Alliance no longer possess the same privileges as at the beginning of the dynasty, where they could kill officials as easily as slaughtering chickens, they still retain the power of oversight. Generally speaking, officials find dealing with disciples of the Heavenly Dao Alliance quite troublesome.

What's more, this time the one who came was a first-rank expert from the Heavenly Dao Alliance. She couldn't beat him in a fight, and his status was extraordinary, no wonder her father was so troubled.

Zhao Shouchang said, "That one said that if we can't find any clues about the Longevity Sect, he will start by targeting the Seven Great Merchants."

Zhao Xiyan exclaimed in surprise, "The Heavenly Dao Alliance suspects that the Seven Great Merchants are colluding with the Longevity Sect? How is that possible?"

Zhao Shouchang shook his head and did not continue the topic, only saying, "If he really takes action against those seven maritime merchants, then I will be in a passive position."

The Heavenly Alliance members are known for their reckless actions, believing they are acting on behalf of Heaven and daring to kill anyone. If they were to wipe out all seven major merchants, they would be the ones to suffer.

Because the imperial court can't do anything about the Heavenly Dao Alliance, in the end, he'll definitely have to take the blame. Who told him to fail to appease the experts of the Heavenly Dao Alliance?
Finally, Zhao Shouchang instructed, "Don't tell anyone about the Heavenly Dao Alliance, especially that Feng San'er."

"My daughter knows."

Zhao Xiyan nodded quickly. She naturally knew the importance of the matter.

……

The next morning, Chen Ming received a letter from Zhao Xiyan's maid. After reading the letter, he felt relieved and knew that the matter had been resolved.

As for how many martial artists this will attract, that depends on Guanglong Trading Company's promotional capabilities.

In the afternoon, Chen Ming went to find Feng Siyuan and told him the good news.

Feng Siyuan was overjoyed and wanted to invite Chen Ming to Yihonglou to celebrate.

Chen Ming said, "Time is of the essence, delay might cause unforeseen changes. We only have two months. Not a moment can be wasted. Here's what we'll do: Go and invite the heads of the caravans from Guanglong Trading Company who are about to head to various parts of Jiangzhou. Invite them for drinks and ask them to help spread the word. It would be best if you could find some storytellers..."

The success of this project hinges on effective publicity.

He decided to take a two-pronged approach: on the one hand, he asked the caravan to help spread the word, and on the other hand, he asked Feng Siyuan to find storytellers, hoping to spread the news throughout the fifteen counties of Jiangzhou within a month.

Feng Siyuan was indeed someone who listened to advice; upon hearing it, he immediately went to do it.

This was his first time working outside, so naturally he hoped to do a great job and impress his father.

Despite Feng Siyuan's past as a playboy who spent his days indulging in pleasure, he still had quite a few men under his command. He immediately assigned over a dozen of them to serve Chen Ming.

When Chen Ming asked, he learned that these were his mother's men.

As for money, there's even less to worry about. To put it bluntly, the Feng family's wealth is so great that even a single hair on their head is thicker than the Chen family's leg.

Chen Ming also got busy, starting to write the rules for the martial arts tournament. How the competition would proceed, what the competition format would be, how to ensure fairness…

His life motto is: if you're going to do something, do it well.

He wrote tens of thousands of words just on this charter, and in the process, he also mastered calligraphy.

And so, the days passed, and news of the two Rank 3 experts taking on disciples began to circulate throughout Jiangzhou...

PS: Second update, please vote with monthly tickets.

(End of this chapter)