How to find an unknown teahouse in such a huge city?
Ji Ping'an said that it was too easy for star officials.
After some divination in their minds, the group of people turned around and finally found their target at a slightly secluded street corner.
Perhaps due to its poor location, this teahouse called "Anxiang" has few customers, but the environment is very elegant, unlike the popular places in the market where peddlers drink tea and eat cakes.
Not only was there a hanging ivy on the outer wall, but when Ji Ping'an and the other two walked into the building, they could see the walls covered with calligraphy and paintings everywhere.
"Hey, the environment here is quite good. How did you know that there is such a good place in the capital of God?" Mu Yaoyao looked around curiously, thinking that Ji Ping'an had known about this place for a long time.
Luo Huaizhu's eyes were not squinting. She was not interested in the things of these literati.
"Three guests, please come in."
The waiter came up to them. He was first amazed by the appearance of the two girls, and then cast an envious look at Ji Ping'an.
“One of each of the signature refreshments.”
There were not many people in the teahouse, so Ji Pingan found an empty table and sat down.
After the waiter left, Mu Yaoyao finally couldn't help it and said anxiously: "Everyone else has gone to track down the murderer, what are we doing here?"
Ji Ping'an smiled and said:
"Why are you anxious? Since a three-day time limit has been given, it means that the prison has evaluated the case and doesn't think we can solve it within a day or two. Instead of running around the city, it is better to rest your mind and body first, or wait until you meet the murderer. Can't beat them."
After a pause, he added:
"And, are you confident that you can compete with them?"
Mu Yaoyao lowered her face in frustration and said nothing, understanding what Ji Pingan meant:
Compared to the elites from other academies, the two from Muyuan are more like soy sauce, or in other words, they were forced to come in in order to avoid the quota being allocated.
In fact, she had been mentally prepared for this, and she did not expect to pass the selection and participate in the Shendu Grand Prize.
It was just the addition of Luo Huaizhu that gave her some unrealistic fantasies.
But Ji Ping'an's words brought her back to reality.
Although Luo Huaizhu is strong in combat, he doesn't look very smart, and she is too weak to help. Although Ji Ping'an's mind is good, his cultivation is not good enough, so he has all the shortcomings.
Under such circumstances, how can he compare with the geniuses of the Fourth Academy?
Instead of working until you get nothing, it’s better to ruin it as early as possible.
Thinking of this, Mu Yaoyao suddenly stopped thinking about investigating the case. She picked up the cakes on the table and started eating.
Luo Huaizhu closed his eyes and meditated, not caring about these things.
Ji Ping'an smiled and thought that it would be nice to have two fools with him. At least they would be easy to fool and wouldn't get to the bottom of things.
But he still couldn't determine when the murderer would arrive.
Just sitting like this?
When he drank the third cup of tea, he asked the waiter to get some pen and ink, and passed the time by drawing.
…
…
On the first day, the murderer did not show up.
Ji Ping'an and the others sat in the teahouse until sunset before returning to Qintian Prison.
It was not surprising to learn that the other teams had not made any progress, and as the list of special training classes was released, there was an uproar in Qintian Prison as expected.
Just as Huang He was worried, when the alternative name Ji Ping An appeared on the list, the nerve called "fairness" was aroused.
"Why? Why did Ji Ping'an stuff it in? He is very talented, but he has only practiced for more than a month, and his cultivation level is worse than ours. This is against the rules!"
In the dining hall, Si Chenyi, who had a hot temper, was filled with anger and slapped the table angrily.
"That's right. I also admit that he is very powerful, but the special training class is set up for the Summer City of Gods Awards. With his cultivation level, it is really inappropriate to force him into it." Another Si Chen agreed.
"Huh, rules? There is no written word in the prison about who can enter, only the number of branches. It is said that Ji Ping'an has become the new top disciple of Mu Yuan, so it is normal for Xu Jianhou to be partial to one or two." A star official of Shui Yuan. Weird and strange.
It seems that he is speaking for him, but in fact his intention to stir up trouble is obvious.
really.
As soon as these words came out, not only the star officials who felt that their opportunity had been taken away were unhappy, but even the ordinary supervisors who had not yet entered the practice of cultivation also complained.
It is shameless for Xu Jianhou to rely on his power to benefit others.
Shi Jilun in the crowd hesitated to speak. He wanted to sell Ji Ping'an's benefits, but he was also worried about provoking public backlash. He was in a dilemma.
A disciple of Muyuan couldn't listen and stood up and said angrily:
"The quota belongs to our Muyuan. We are willing to give it to Senior Brother. What does it have to do with you?"
The young man in brocade clothes who had not appeared for a long time shouted:
"Theoretically, we can't control it, but there is justice in everything. Ji Ping'an has made contributions to you, and it is barely reasonable to get benefits, but what did he do?
"I heard that when the geniuses from all the branches were all over the city of God to investigate the case today, the two 'geniuses' from your Muyuan hid for a day and drank tea. Such an attitude is simply a blatant bastard."
When the words fell, the Muyuan disciple choked, his face turned red suddenly, and he was unable to refute.
"Say less!" Xue Hongjian, who was sitting aside, frowned and pulled him behind her.
Mr. Jinyi said angrily: "Brother Xue, I'm not telling lies. Why are you trying to stop me? I think Ji Ping'an's life has been too smooth and his mentality is in a trance."
Xue Hongjian shook his head: "Ji Ping'an is definitely not a short-sighted person. He may have some hidden agenda."
Junior Sister Wang sighed: "Senior Brother Xue, you always think too well of people. After all, he was born in the countryside and suddenly became a disciple of Muyuan. It is natural for his mentality to change."
Xue Hongjian was unable to refute.
Soon, news about the contents of the special training class and Muyuan's unabashed fishing behavior spread wildly throughout the Qintian Prison, with the three dining halls as the core.
The general idea is:
The two people in Muyuan knew that their cultivation was shallow, so they lay flat on their backs. They didn't even want to pretend, and they blatantly went about their lives.
It should be noted that members of the special training class will all have resources. Even if they are badly used, they will only get less.
This makes people feel more and more unfair. Some people with strong personalities even publicly criticized Xu Xiurong for showing favoritism and using the system to harm the public and enrich himself.
Of course, there are fewer followers of such extreme remarks, and most of the firepower is still concentrated on Ji Ping'an alone.
…
At the same time, five supervisors were also in the meeting hall, accepting Pei Sili's report.
"Today's performance records of the five academies' teams are as follows."
Pei Sili presented the paper full of words and supplemented it with explanations.
As usual, each team will write down what they have learned and send it to him, who will then forward it to the warden for review.
The five people scanned the progress of each team one by one, nodded slightly, and gave comments.
"Yes, Wang Xian is worthy of being ranked second on the Heavenly List, second only to Si Chen, Luo Huaizhu. He has clear thinking and accurate divination. Although he has not found the murderer yet, he is making great progress."
"Lin Qin and the others have taken a different approach. This direction of divination is quite interesting."
"Shi Hao...well, playing steadily and steadily, although it is a little slow, it is not bad."
"Zhao Xinghuo and the others are still a bit reckless, but the star officials of Huoyuan are... normal." When Bai Chuan commented, he did not forget to criticize his old enemy.
Fang Liuhuo raised his eyebrows, glared at him fiercely, and cursed, feeling that his disciple was a bit unsatisfied, but there was nothing he could do about it.
Most of the Star Officers of the Fire Academy inherited his recklessness and irritability, but few of them were smart.
In his irritation, Fang Liuhuo noticed something was wrong, turned over the paper again, and asked doubtfully: "Where is the progress of Mu Yuan? Why isn't it here?"
The other people also looked at him in confusion. Pei Sili was silent for a moment and said with a wry smile: "No."
As if he was afraid that the prisoners would not understand, he explained:
"After the Muyuan team left the government office, they found a teahouse and sat there for a day. Well... Huaizhu was practicing, Mu Yaoyao was eating and drinking, and as for Ji Ping'an... he was painting to relieve his boredom."
?
A question mark slowly floated over the heads of the five chief eunuchs. Immediately, they looked at Xu Xiurong with different expressions.
The governors were well aware of the two people recommended by Muyuan and did not think they could participate in the Grand Prize of the Divine Capital.
Well, Mu Yaoyao works hard, and if she is lucky, she will still have a chance. As for Ji Ping'an... his cultivation is his biggest shortcoming, so he won't take it into consideration.
In short, the governors did not have high hopes for it, but if it was exposed in such a public way, its reputation would not be good at all.
Fang Liuhuo smiled: "It's a wise move."
Bai Chuan glanced at him, thinking that you, a fool like me, could imitate my yin and yang and become eccentric.
On Li Guofeng's majestic face, his brows furrowed slightly, with a hint of displeasure, and he said lightly: "That's it."
Only Xu Xiurong's eyes flickered, feeling that that guy was planning something again.
Her eyes were lowered, neither happy nor sad: "It ends in three days, and this is only the first day."
…
It's going to be night.
A carriage slowly stopped outside the Duke's Mansion, the curtains were raised, Xue Hongjian stepped out and let out a deep breath.
As the son of the Duke, he would return to the mansion to stay for a night every once in a while. This was not only to comfort his homesickness, but also necessary.
The contemporary Duke of Lu has given birth to many children, and Xue Hongjian is not outstanding among them. He also faces the struggle for power among brothers and sisters.
Therefore, it is necessary to "brush your face" in front of your parents from time to time to increase your sense of presence.
However, when he returned home today, he suddenly realized something was wrong.
Outside the majestic Duke's Mansion, there were two carriages parked on both sides of the vermilion gate. One of them was particularly noble and luxurious, surrounded by armored guards.
Seeing him approaching, they all looked at him with vigilance and pressed their hands on the hilts of their swords, as if they would draw their swords and kill him if he did something wrong.
"Master, you are back." Suddenly, a servant walked out of the mansion quickly, and the imperial guards had just restrained their murderous intent.
Xue Hongjian looked serious: "Which noble person in the palace is here?"
The old servant led him into the courtyard and whispered:
"His Majesty the God Emperor is here today to be a guest. Mr. Gao from Mo Lin is also here. The Duke is staying with us in the hall."
Your Majesty is here?
Xue Hongjian was slightly shocked, but it was not uncommon for the God-Emperor to leave the palace occasionally and have family affairs with the princes. He quickly calmed down his emotions, his eyes flashed, and he hesitated whether to go over to pay homage.
While he was hesitating, a maid came over and said, "Master, the Duke heard that you were back and asked you to come over and said that His Majesty wants to see you."
…
ps: Thanks to the boss leader for the reward! The boss will pick up money when he goes out, and he will win prizes by scratching bottle caps!
