NOVPUBIn an instant, Xi Zhicai felt at ease, greatly satisfied that his journey to Mount Tai was not in vain! He had already secured one, two others were essentially on their way, and the last one was still waiting for him to capture.
Afterwards, Xi Zhicai discussed the situation of the world with Zhuge Jin, and the more they talked, the more he realized that Zhuge Jin was no ordinary person. Each and every one of Zhuge Jin’s remarks deeply moved Xi Zhicai, almost feeling as if his thoughts were gushing forth like a fountain.
"Ziyu, since that’s the case, let’s settle it then. When the time comes, I’ll send someone to Xuzhou to receive you." Xi Zhicai said, his enthusiasm undiminished, feeling extremely satisfied with Zhuge Jin.
"That’s settled then. Once I’ve dealt with my family affairs, I will surely head to Yanzhou. At that time, I will count on Brother Zhicai to recommend me," Zhuge Jin said with great earnestness. "When the time comes, Brother Zhicai, please don’t blame me for the disturbance."
"Hahaha, I will surely clean the couch to welcome you!" Xi Zhicai laughed heartily.
After chatting idly for a few more moments with Zhuge Jin, Xi Zhicai prepared to visit the last person with Spiritual Talent for a long night’s discussion by candlelight!
Upon leaving, Dian Wei, who was following behind Xi Zhicai, clearly expressed his dissatisfaction with grunts and murmurs.
"Elai, if you have any dissatisfaction, just say it. How could I possibly aggrieve you?" Xi Zhicai, now in a good mood, teased Dian Wei, who was grumbling, "Could it be that you are hungry again? I remember ordering ten pounds of pork chops and twenty big steamed buns for you, which you’ve just finished. Do you want to feast again?"
"It’s not about being hungry, I just want to know why the strategist is so nice to that seemingly frail young man," Dian Wei asked, puzzled. "I can’t see what’s so special about him. The things he says are no different from what those people in the tavern were saying."
"Hahaha, Elai, you think too! It’s quite different, vastly different. This man’s talent could serve as the country’s prime minister. How could those students be mentioned in the same breath?" Xi Zhicai laughed uproariously. "His talent lies within, seemingly no different from others, but the strategies within are worth such treatment. Those two are truly remarkable talents. Let’s go meet the last exceptional talent now! Hopefully, we can return with a full harvest."
"Kongming, why didn’t you just say you would stay at Mount Tai? Why speak out like this?" Zhuge Jin asked curiously after confirming that Xi Zhicai had left.
"Just being cautious," Zhuge Liang replied plainly, not offering any explanation, and Zhuge Jin didn’t ask further. Being cautious when away from home was proper. One may not harbor malicious intentions, but must remain vigilant against others.
"Cao Mengde, eh? It might be good to see for myself, perhaps he is indeed a wise ruler," Zhuge Jin thought about what Xi Zhicai had said and decided it was best to visit Chenliu in person. Some things should not be judged subjectively; it’s always best to see for oneself. "But in the limited time hereafter, let’s first read in the Library Pavilion. However, Brother Boda actually left so early."
"They are different from us," Zhuge Liang said succinctly.
"Sometimes I wonder whether it’s better to spread the family teachings and reap the benefits or to keep them within the family so that even if the clan falls, it wouldn’t take much time to rise again," Zhuge Jin said with a sigh, feeling some confusion about the legitimacy of the clan’s existence.
"I don’t know, but I’d like to see what kind of effect spreading the family teachings will have," Zhuge Liang said, his expression somewhat animated.
Meanwhile, Xi Zhicai, accompanied by Dian Wei, rushed towards the location of the last person with separate Spiritual Talent. As they approached the vicinity of that person with Spiritual Talent, Xi Zhicai sensed an ambiguous Spiritual Talent and thought of Xiahou Yuan’s awakening of the Legion Talent. Xi Zhicai couldn’t help but be taken aback—could there be other rare types of talent?
Regarding the awakening of talents, after seeing and understanding a lot, Xi Zhicai had summarized some information. Firstly, those with Spiritual Talent must be top-tier Sages who have formed a complete value system and unwaveringly follow through with it.
As for the Legion Talent of Martial Artists, Xi Zhicai, due to seeing few examples, couldn’t guarantee its absolute correctness, but he guessed that only experts at the Inner Qi Manifestation Rank could possibly possess such talents, though how to awaken them was unclear.
It was precisely because of the existence of these strange and varied talents that Xi Zhicai, combining the evidence he had gathered and comparing it with historical circumstances, finally concluded that talents might appear when someone’s certain capability reached its pinnacle and, following a moment of enlightenment and sublimation, manifested.
This led Xi Zhicai to speculate whether some non-Civil Officials or Military Generals might also possess their own talents or perhaps some could have two or even more. The thought of such a scenario sent shivers down his spine.
Now, Xi Zhicai felt a familiar but indistinct talent within himself, which gave him pause, as it could very well be the situation he had speculated about, and it was worth clarifying, because it concerned whether someone could have two or even more talents simultaneously!
[Fenggao City is truly a place where crouching tigers and hidden dragons reside, but all to my advantage. My Spiritual Talent, besides copying, is more so used for finding top-tier talent!] Xi Zhicai thought proudly to himself, after all, every Top Strategist signified a massive addition to one’s own strength!
"Ding ding ding!" Without hesitating, Xi Zhicai chose to knock on the door immediately. After a while, a little Lolita with a Circular Hairdo peeked out and asked Xi Zhicai, "Who are you?" 𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒑𝒖𝒃.𝙘𝙤𝒎
"I am Xi Zhicai, a Strategist under the Governor of Yanzhou, Cao Mengde, and I have come to see the Second Miss," Xi Zhicai said with a smile, greeting Second Miss Cai with a bow.
"Oh? Oh! I remember who Cao Mengde is now. Come in," Second Miss Cai said, scratching her Circular Hairdo, "Yangg Lian, please entertain Strategist Xi for a while, I’m going to find my sister." And with that, she scurried off toward the backyard.
In the meantime, Xi Zhicai, with a puzzled expression on his face, was greeted by an elegantly composed young lady.
"It’s a pleasure to meet you, Strategist Xi. I wonder how my senior brother Cao Mengde has been doing lately," Cai Yan greeted Xi Zhicai with a gracious bow.
Her elegant demeanor left the well-experienced Xi Zhicai momentarily stunned, and although he quickly recovered, he couldn’t stop his old face from blushing slightly.
However, Xi Zhicai was now certain that the subtle fluctuations of Spiritual Talent were emanating from this young lady who had just appeared, and even though he didn’t understand what was going on with her, he heard the words "my senior brother Cao Mengde" quite clearly.
"My lord has been well, though he misses the miss somewhat," Xi Zhicai blurted out, spinning a yarn as he didn’t even know who she was. After all, who in Cao Cao’s intelligence organization in Qingzhou would bother with a woman’s details? Knowing the gender of Liu Bei’s wife was enough!
Once these words were uttered, Xi Zhicai clearly saw a blush spread across her face, and he instantly knew there was a play here. So, while making conversation, he also mentioned Cao Cao’s concerns for Cai Yan. In summary, the message was simple: My lord has been so distracted by thoughts of you that he can’t even eat or drink properly. It’s best you come back to Yanzhou with me, where our lord can protect you.
As to the trouble that bringing Cai Yan back might cause for Cao Cao, Xi Zhicai felt sure that Cao Cao could handle it, and besides, bringing a young lady with Spiritual Talent back with him would be worth the trouble Cao Cao might endure!(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets on qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
