NOVPUBLi Youu knew the lie could no longer be sustained. It was too obvious. Now, thinking back on what Chen Xi had told him, that it was all made from mud and sand, Li Youu followed behind Liu Bei, carefully wiping the sweat from his forehead, wondering how he could have been so bewitched as to believe it?
The materials and the final crafted item were completely different. The craftsman’s skill was what mattered. Inferior craftsmen could ruin divine-level materials completely, whereas divine-level craftsmen could turn decay into magic. And the craftsmen who built Liu Bei’s ancestral home were naturally selected from millions, even those assisting were exceptional by any other standards.
Therefore, the end result was that this group of people had fully embraced the materials provided by Chen Xi. Then Sunx Qian was the first to feel dizzy, and Liu Bei, who was supposed to come to inspect the goods, felt a pang in his heart. Li Youu didn’t even have the heart to keep up the pretense anymore; there was no way to cover it up!
Although the lie couldn’t be sustained, Li Youu was still very satisfied with the building itself. "As the saying goes, ’live in the land and you will draw from its energy.’" Li Youu believed in this adage. He thought that if he could have built a residence of this caliber for Dong Zhuo, even in the imperial palace, Dong Zhuo could have looked down on those "country bumpkins" with disdain. That’s what vision is, that’s what confidence is.
Looking at the high-end and sophisticated glass, Liu Bei swallowed hard. In fact, aside from Liu Bei, everyone arriving at the Library Pavilion was also swallowing their saliva. Although they couldn’t go inside, the opulent glass door was truly blinding, regardless of whether it was smooth or contained impurities. Such a large piece was enough to blind all the "country bumpkins" who had never seen the wider world.
Looking at the Library Pavilion as a whole, the exterior lacked the ceramic tiles like Liu Bei’s residence had, but the roof was covered with almost identical red counterfeit glazed tiles, shimmering brightly. Seeing this, Li Youu felt relieved. How much Chen Xi spent was Chen Xi’s business; as long as it truly met what he had initially described to Liu Bei, it did not matter.
"How much did this cost?" Liu Bei almost popped his eyes out. He knew that when these constructions were being built, Chen Xi had not sold any land yet. How did he manage to get so much money? This simply didn’t make sense. As for embezzling government treasury funds, that was a joke. Did they really think Liu Bei knew nothing? At that time, the government treasury was practically empty. What Chen Xi played was called zero-capital operation!
"I need to go inside!" Liu Bei took out his seal ribbon and waved it at the Chiliarch who was on patrol outside the Library Pavilion’s outer wall. Soon, the man went to find Hua Xiong. There was no choice; recently, the cavalry had nothing to do, and Chen Xi had assigned Hua Xiong and Zhang Fei to Fenggao to stabilize its security. After all, such a costly building couldn’t help but attract attention.
"I have seen the Lord!" Hua Xiong saluted with a fist, and his men followed suit.
"Open the gate, I want to see what Zichuan has made of the Library Pavilion," Liu Bei said to Hua Xiong, trying to stay as calm as possible. He was stunned by Chen Xi’s boldness.
"Alright." Hua Xiong said with a wry smile, then took out the key and unlocked the large gate on the outer wall. He had also been startled when he received the job of patrolling and guarding earlier that morning. How much money did this cost?
"Lord, may you invite a few representative scholars to join us inside? It would honor Zichuan’s promise," Li Youu whispered as he saw Liu Bei was about to enter.
Liu Bei nodded slightly, pausing for a moment. He stood at the entrance of the Library Pavilion, turned around, and spoke to the scholars whose emotions surged due to the opening of the Library Pavilion, "I am the General of the East, Marquis of Fanyang Pavilion, Liu Xuande, here to assess the Library Pavilion’s completion. You may select ten individuals to accompany me inside!"
"If Lord Xuande would not mind, I wish to join in," a scholar dressed in green said with a smile as he stepped forward.
Liu Bei was taken aback. Even Mao Sui was not this composed when he volunteered himself, so Liu Bei smiled and nodded, "Sure! But do the others agree?"
"Lord Xuande has said to select ten people without specifying how to do so. I believe I, Chen Gongxi, am qualified to be one of the chosen ten. And since the number is not yet complete, why can’t I be one?" Chen Chi exuded tremendous confidence, speaking with a smile on his face.
"Indeed, you are qualified," Liu Bei nodded and said. His judgment was sharp; though it was their first meeting, he sensed that Chen Chi was not one devoid of virtue or talent.
"Since Lord Xuande has mentioned that ten may enter, I wonder if this humble girl also possesses the qualifications?" A serene voice tinged with a touch of sorrow floated over, and the slightly restless scene suddenly fell silent. Looking over, they saw Cai Zhaoji had alighted from her carriage, cradling her Burnt-Tail Zither as she stood quietly by the side.
"If Miss Cai has spoken, how can it be otherwise," Liu Bei said with a bitter smile. He saw Li Youu give him a look, and after Liu Bei slightly nodded, Li Youu walked over and ordered people to clear a path for Cai Yan to come in.
"I have seen Lord Xuande, Uncle Li, General Hua," Cai Yan greeted them with a bow as she walked in, then followed behind Li Youu.
"Brother, help plead my case, I am also interested." As Hua Xiong approached the crowd, an arm stretched out from amongst them, catching Hua Xiong around the neck, nearly dragging him beside the person exerting the force. It should be noted that Hua Xiong was a master of Inner Qi Manifestation, and even inattentively, the fact that he could be pulled aside attested that the strength of the person was not less than the peak of Qi Refining to Gang.
The next moment, Hua Xiong felt the colorless Inner Qi rising from the other person’s hand. Although it hadn’t yet stabilized completely, it already belonged to a top-notch master of Inner Qi Manifestation.
Hua Xiong let out a hearty laugh, his arm reaching out to drape around the other person’s neck like old friends, his radiant red Inner Qi bursting forth, directly dragging the other person out. In an instant, Chen Dao’s face turned as black as the bottom of a pot. As a greenhorn who had just left the mountains, he hadn’t thought twice before coming to rescue his friend taken to Mount Tai, and right upon his arrival, he encountered such a predicament.
"Lord Xuande, this is a good friend of mine whom I haven’t seen for years. May he be granted a spot?" Hua Xiong was straightforward but not foolish, naturally not mentioning the embarrassing fact that he was being held hostage. It should be said that both men were holding each other so tightly that their bones were creaking; neither was an easy adversary.
"Since it’s Zijian’s recommendation, why not!" Liu Bei said with a smile.
"I’m warning you, if you dare to act up today, I’ll teach you what ’dead’ means!" Hua Xiong whispered to Chen Dao with a voice Liu Bei couldn’t possibly hear.
"Do you think I’m as brainless as you? I knew of Lord Xuande’s benevolence as soon as I arrived at Mount Tai. How could I do something that would harm Lord Xuande?" Chen Dao glared at Hua Xiong and replied in the same low voice, "Count one, two, three, and we all let go! If I get the chance, I’d definitely like to spar with you!"
"Alright!" Hua Xiong responded. He could sense the admiration for Liu Bei in Chen Dao’s words, so he decided to trust him. Moreover, with Xuu Chu’s attention shifting over, even if Chen Dao made a sudden move, the two of them combined were fully confident in stopping him. (To be continued. If you like this work, we welcome you to vote for it on Qidian (qidian.com), and your support will be my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
