Chapter 349: The Stories of Zhang Chen

Chapter 349: The Stories of Zhang Chen

The two walked out of Qingyun Alley and stepped onto the main street. it was only after they had walked another block that they finally took off their robes.

Just as they were about to find an inn to settle down, they heard a commotion from the crowd before they witnessed a large group of people rushing in one direction. Many of them were shouting "Hurry, go take a look!"

"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.

"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."