On the fifteenth of June, there were only two weeks left until the township examination on the fifth of July.

Chen Xu walked out of the Lingxi Mountains and boarded a boat crossing the Shimmering Star Lake spanning the Pingyang and Qinglin Prefectures.

The common saying goes, Nine Hundred Miles of Shimmering Star Lake, the vast expanse of misty waves is endless.

According to Chen Xu's original route, coming from Yunjiang Prefecture, whether by land to Pingyang Prefecture or by water through the Broken Jade River and the Yuan Cang River, it would be difficult to pass through the Shimmering Star Lake.

This was taking the long way around, even deviating excessively from the original route.

Who could have guessed he'd enter Pingyang Prefecture via Shimmering Star Lake in this manner?

Once again, he's "not taking the usual path," plainly, Chen Xu is still "seeking enemies in the void" to respond to that inexplicable "crisis."

All in all, regardless of what the crisis is or how much Chen Xu's cultivation has advanced, he will never be complacent.

No matter if he's being overly cautious, this kind of "defensive measure" is never unnecessary.

What Chen Xu doesn't know is that his precaution wasn't in vain.

If he hadn't been cautious and had taken the usual route or chosen to enter Pingyang Prefecture directly after leaving the Lingxi Mountains, he would have been discovered at the checkpoints along the way.

Though Chen Xu's cultivation has progressed rapidly, he still can't match the aristocratic families when it comes to resources.

These noble families have no shortage of manpower, servants, and connections, to an excessive degree.

In places where it's hard to deploy their own people, they can always find someone to do their bidding with a few letters.

Like Cui Yunqi, who holds no malice towards Chen Xu.

Though he intends to look after Chen Xu, he still deployed people around the four gates of Pingyang City, so that no matter which entrance Chen Xu uses, he could be detected and reported to Cui Yunqi.

And Cui Yunqi's placement of people at the city gates is considered extremely restrained.

His cousin Chi Jie, who has been relentlessly tracking Chen Xu, is acting many times more aggressively.

Yet Chen Xu took the unusual route, and despite Chi Jie's half-month pursuit, he only glimpsed Chen Xu's trail once in Lingxi County, and his efforts to find him since have been in vain.

Chi Jie's eyes turned pale with exhaustion, and after another fit of rage, a retainer finally reminded him:

"Young Master, if no trace can be found at any checkpoint, it might be that Chen Xu isn't taking the usual roads?

The roads into Pingyang Prefecture are vast and numerous, what if he's taken a more circumspect path…"

Chi Jie, with a gloomy tone, asked, "Then tell me, how else could he have evaded?"

His sinister tone implied that if the retainer failed to come up with a valid explanation, he'd be met with immediate punishment.

The retainer internally sighed, which was why he had been reluctant to voice his speculations earlier.

After all, sometimes, the more you say, the more mistakes you make; saying nothing incurs no errors.

Unless necessary, the retainer didn't want to burden himself by frequently reminding this "ignorant" young master.

But, Chi Jie was so persistent that he seemed to be going mad in his search for Chen Xu.

The retainer feared that if he went on like this, everyone around him would suffer.

This was the downside of serving such a master.

Sometimes, it's not fear of mediocrity, ambition, or even rampant wrongdoing, that is worse than someone like Chi Jie.

Who is Chi Jie?

He is someone who has clawed his way up from the mire!

Not by his own skills, but by nepotism, lifted by the Fifth Prince, soaring to great heights.

He lacks logic, reason, fawning upon superiors, and deranged with inferiors.

He lacks order when order is needed, truly a case of wild blows felling a master.

Even with strength at his disposal, the retainer had to rely entirely on this volatile master for his livelihood.

His family was further tied to the Chi family, so he had no choice but to say, "Young Master, if you insist on intercepting him before he enters Pingyang Prefecture, we could only search every route from east to west.

Especially the Nine Hundred Miles of Shimmering Star Lake."

Chi Jie frowned, "How could Shimmering Star Lake be searched?"

The lake was too vast, entering Pingyang Prefecture could be possible from any path.

Even if Chi Jie could mobilize more people, surrounding the entire Shimmering Star Lake would be impossible.

The retainer gritted his teeth inwardly, "Young Master, it's said that the Mo Family in Qinglin Prefecture had befriended a Water Monarch of Shimmering Star Lake.

The Mo Family keeps a communication artifact with this Monarch, why don't we borrow it?"

"This..." Chi Jie hesitated for a moment.

Though rash and mad, he knew well where the line was drawn.

Some people he could provoke, others he definitely could not.

The Mo Family is not only a local aristocratic family in Qinglin Prefecture with influence surpassing even the Cui Family in Yunjiang but also has strong foundations in the Jade Capital Celestial City.

Mo Zhen, a concubine of the court, had been openly and secretly squabbling with Queen Cui for some time.

Relying on her youth, Mo Zhen had even caused Queen Cui to suffer losses a few times.

Now, asking him to approach the Mo Family for help seemed more like digging his own grave.

Moreover, to convince the Shimmering Star Lake Water Monarch to help.

What price must be paid, and is it one he's willing to bear?

Seeing Chi Jie's hesitation, the retainer steeled himself and added, "Young Master, if it were for others, the Mo Family might not lend it.

But for Chen Xu, they might! You know, Mo Even, is a direct descendant of the Mo Family.

Chen Xu and he are rivals in competition."

For the Mo Family, regardless of what Chi Jie intends, once the artifact is lent, they're not involved.

The Mo Family, respectable as they are, might not act directly against Chen Xu, but what if someone else insists on doing the deed?

This was the retainer's thought, though he couldn't state it plainly, nor could he guarantee the Mo Family would lend the artifact.

Yet he brought a solution to his master's problem, hoping to avoid his wrath for a while.

Chi Jie pondered for a moment, then smiled, clapping the retainer on the shoulder.

"Haha, good! You're quite capable; I commend you. Here, this bottle of Cyan Yuan Pill, is your reward, hahaha!"

A Jade Bottle was tossed over, which the retainer caught.

His face filled with joy and smiles, yet in his eyes was bitter resignation.

Upon the Shimmering Star Lake, a vast sea of mist stretched endlessly.

Chen Xu boarded a tower ship, and with this vessel, he would reach Pingyang Prefecture's Dongning County in ten days.

And Dongning County was less than two hundred miles from Pingyang City.

At Chen Xu's pace, should he wish to hurry, he could easily cover these two hundred miles in half a day and arrive at Pingyang City.

By then, with eight or nine days before the official start of the township examination, it would be enough time for all his preparations.

In the evening, Chen Xu sat in a second-floor room of the tower ship, writing something.

A little hedgehog and a little mouse accompanied him.

The bantering between the two little demons was a delight of its own.

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