"Heh heh, I didn't expect this, you're really something!" Seeing the crisis resolved, the sturdy young man was secretly relieved. He came up to Chen Xiao, extending his hand to help him up.
Chen Xiao stood up and said with a smile, "I must thank the young hero for your righteous intervention. It was thanks to you tying him up that I had the chance to use that move. Oh, right, my name is Chen Xiao. May I ask your surname, young hero?"
The young man chuckled heartily and said, "Don't call me young hero. My name is Wang Ke. These so-called nobles are too arrogant, I've been fed up with them for a long time. I just happened to see that fellow sneakily following you and knew he had ill intentions, so I followed quietly."
"My name is Xiao Liuzi. From now on, we're friends, heh heh." At this moment, Xiao Liuzi also walked over, greeting them warmly and asking with concern, "Brother Xiao, are you alright? Is your injury serious?"
Xiao Liuzi was too weak, so Chen Xiao didn't blame him for hiding on the side. He waved his hand and said, "It's nothing, Xiao Liuzi. Brother Wang has saved our lives, we must thank him properly."
Xiao Liuzi quickly said, "Of course. Brother Wang, when you registered just now, your father was also with you. May I ask where he is now?"
Wang Ke replied, "Oh, my father has already gone home. We are hunters from the mountains. We are used to staying in the mountains and can't stand being here for a moment. After he accompanied me to register, he went back first."
"No wonder, I sensed a hunter's instinct when I saw you fighting," Chen Xiao felt a good impression of this young man from the mountains and invited him, "Why don't you come back with me? We'll attend the assessment together in three days. What do you think?"
"Then I won't be polite!" Wang Ke agreed immediately, skipping the pretense of politeness. His nature was always straightforward. Most importantly, he felt Chen Xiao was a good person and a friend worth making.
"Alright, let's go then!" Wang Ke's straightforward personality suited Chen Xiao's taste. He even began to consider cultivating Wang Ke properly, thinking he would be a good helper in the future.
The three walked towards Zhengyi Pavilion, chatting and laughing, and soon entered the city.
Wang Ke had lived with his father in a mountain village, making a living by hunting since he was young. This was his first time in the bustling capital. Everything in the city seemed new and exciting to him. At this moment, he was no longer the mature hunter who could lie in the snow for three days without moving, waiting to kill a four-hundred-pound brown bear. His youthful spirit was fully displayed.
After all, he was still a fifteen-year-old boy, even younger than Xiao Liuzi. It was only his dark skin, tanned by the sun and wind in the mountains for years, that made him appear slightly more mature than his peers.
When the three returned to Zhengyi Pavilion, they found the entrance completely blocked by a crowd of people, and the main door of Zhengyi Pavilion was shut tight.
"This old drunkard, why is he closing the door in broad daylight? Is he hiding to drink again?" Xiao Liuzi looked puzzled, not understanding what was happening.
Chen Xiao approached the crowd and patted the person at the very front, asking, "Excuse me, what happened here? What are you all doing?"
A man, about thirty years old, turned to look at Chen Xiao. "You don't even know? We're waiting for Zhengyi Pavilion's Chen..."
At this point, the man suddenly covered his mouth, rolled his eyes, and mumbled, "Go on, play somewhere else. This is a secret, I can't tell you!"
There was only one person surnamed Chen in Zhengyi Pavilion, and that was Chen Xiao. Chen Xiao immediately understood. These people should be the ones who registered at the ghost market yesterday to buy formation talismans. They were being secretive probably because they didn't want too many people to know, which would lead to everyone coming to buy and their advantage disappearing.
Chen Xiao let out a wry smile. You're making such a fuss, and now even those who didn't know will be curious. The news will spread even faster. Are these people pigs?
However, Chen Xiao dared not voice his thoughts. These people were his customers, and he absolutely could not offend them. Although Chen Xiao didn't care about money, having more money wouldn't hurt.
So Chen Xiao took a deep breath, cupped his fists, and shouted in a loud voice, "I am Chen Xiao of Zhengyi Pavilion. I apologize for keeping you all waiting. My deepest apologies!"
As soon as Chen Xiao finished speaking, the man who had covered his mouth was stunned. It turned out he had run into the main person himself. At this moment, he wished he could slap himself twice. Mr. Chen was such an impressive person, and he could have had a few more words with him. He had missed such a great opportunity for nothing.
Upon hearing Chen Xiao's call, everyone turned around. Seeing that it was indeed Chen Xiao himself, the crowd erupted in excitement.
"It's no trouble at all. As long as we can wait for Mr. Chen, we wouldn't mind waiting another three days."
"Exactly, exactly. Mr. Chen, you're too polite. We're idle anyway, and the scenery here is beautiful. It's truly a worthwhile trip. I should come here more often in the future."
"Mr. Chen, please come this way quickly. Those at the entrance, make way, let Mr. Chen enter the shop!"
Flattery rained down from all directions. It was no wonder. Chen Xiao, who was so young yet could draw Level Four formation talismans, was someone no one dared to offend. In fact, they felt it was their good fortune to have the chance to flatter Chen Xiao.
Chen Xiao was speechless. He waved his hand to signal everyone to quiet down, and they immediately fell silent.
Seeing how high Chen Xiao's prestige was among the crowd, Wang Ke was stunned. He was immensely impressed. His new friend was too amazing!
At this moment, with a creak, the door of Zhengyi Pavilion opened, and Old Wang's long, drawn-out face appeared before everyone. Although he was old, seeing Chen Xiao being so admired on his turf, he couldn't help but feel a bit jealous. He had dedicated half his life to the art of formation talismans, yet in the end, he was not as good as a teenager. He felt so bitter!
Chen Xiao immediately noticed the displeasure on Old Wang's face and understood why Old Wang had refused entry to these people. He chuckled inwardly, thinking this old man was truly childish, but he didn't blame Old Wang. He thought about teaching Old Wang the formation talisman skills quickly, which would save him a lot of trouble.
Just as Chen Xiao was about to walk into the shop, he suddenly noticed several people in official uniforms striding towards him with imposing airs. The leader came directly in front of Chen Xiao, a man with a full beard, and said arrogantly, "You are Chen Xiao, right? We received a report that you are illegally selling formation talismans. Is this true?"
Chen Xiao frowned. These officials were clearly here for him, otherwise, they wouldn't have recognized him as Chen Xiao at first glance. Moreover, they arrived as soon as he did, clearly having waited in the shadows for a long time.
"It must be Zuo Youren's doing!" Chen Xiao quickly figured out the situation. Yesterday, he had made Zuo Youren lose so much face that Zuo Youren would definitely not let it go. Furthermore, for the officials to wait here for half a day, only the Zuo family had such influence among Chen Xiao's enemies.
"Are you sent by the Zuo family?" Chen Xiao said with a cold smile, directly exposing their being instructed by someone.
The bearded man's old face flushed, then he deliberately raised his voice, puffed out his chest, and yelled, "Hmph, who sent us? We are acting impartially. Don't talk nonsense to me. I advise you to confess quickly and come with us, or you'll regret it."
Chen Xiao was not easily intimidated. The other party's harsh words did not affect him in the least. He calmly said, "Then tell me, what illegal thing have I done?"