Chương 86: The Naughty Little Feng

After giving his orders, Fang Cheng did not linger in the fields. He rose into the air and hovered over White Flower City. Opening his Heavenly Eye, he located Li Shuyan in the City God Temple. It was dusk. The temple doors were already closed. Inside the main hall, Li Shuyan and Xiaofeng were eating hotpot together.

"Oh?" Fang Cheng noticed that Li Shuyan had reached the Fifth Level. His foundation was solid, and he seemed on the verge of breaking through to the Sixth Realm. Fang Cheng was pleasantly surprised. Not bad. Not bad at all. As expected of his little brother. His cultivation speed was impressive. And Xiaofeng, in just a few days, had also begun cultivating. He was now a First Level cultivator. Not bad. Talented. Fang Cheng descended and walked into the hall. Without a word, he grabbed a small stool and sat down.

"Well, well. Our Brother Cheng returns in triumph." Li Shuyan laughed, set out bowls and chopsticks, and filled a cup of wine for Fang Cheng. Xiaofeng called out "Brother Cheng" and then let out a "hiss, hiss, hiss." Haha. But he did not know that Fang Cheng had now evolved into "chirp, chirp, chirp." Fang Cheng rolled his eyes at Xiaofeng, too lazy to argue with a child. He took a sip of wine, then picked up his chopsticks and grabbed a piece of lamb. Chewing, he asked, "Where did this lamb come from?

It is delicious. No gamey taste at all." Xiaofeng quickly answered, "It is from the steppe-running goat." Li Shuyan added, "It was sent by Butcher Zhang. His meat shop has been doing well lately. He slaughtered a fat sheep. His youngest son studies with me, so he sent some lamb as a gift, hoping I would keep an eye on the boy." Xiaofeng chimed in, "Old Zhang's youngest son is too stupid. He cannot learn anything. Old Zhang was embarrassed, so he sent lamb as an apology."

Because Xiaofeng kept interrupting, Li Shuyan's face showed a hint of displeasure. He glared at Xiaofeng and snapped, "If you do not want to eat, go to your room and practice writing." Ever since his parents died, Xiaofeng had been under Li Shuyan's care and held him in awe. He shrank back and dared not speak. Fang Cheng swallowed another piece of lamb and said slowly, "Everyone is different. Some are good at reading and writing, others at other things. We should teach according to each person's strengths.

Do not lump everyone together." Li Shuyan nodded.

"That is what I told Butcher Zhang. His youngest son is not stupid. He just learns slowly. But once he understands something, he never forgets it. That is a kind of talent too." He pointed at the Everlasting Emperor's statue in the hall and said, "I am eating hotpot in front of the Everlasting Emperor. Are you not going to scold me?" Fang Cheng laughed.

"We are not on the Everlasting Emperor's side anyway. Why should I care? If you wanted to piss or shit on his statue, I would applaud." Xiaofeng perked up at this and clapped excitedly.

"Yes! Yes! I want to do that too!" Li Shuyan snorted at him.

"You can do that if you want. But before the people come to pray tomorrow, you will clean the statue until it is spotless." Xiaofeng pouted and went back to eating his hotpot in silence. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Fang Cheng asked, "Have many people been coming to the temple lately?" Li Shuyan replied, "Not many. Just a few newcomers who do not know the rules. Once they get settled and find work, they will not have time to come."

Fang Cheng nodded approvingly.

"Good. Superstition is our job as cultivators. The people should focus on production and daily life." Xiaofeng laughed.

"This is the first time I have heard a cultivator call himself superstitious. Haha. Brother Cheng, your ideological awareness needs work." Li Shuyan snorted and knocked Xiaofeng on the head, telling him to shut up and eat. Then he turned to Fang Cheng.

"How did things go in Shuili City?" Since Xiaofeng was present, Fang Cheng did not go into detail. He only said that Hu Tong had been dealt with and they would talk later. Li Shuyan nodded and told Fang Cheng about the academy. Since White Flower City had grown prosperous, many poor scholars had come to the city. Li Shuyan had hired them as teachers to educate the people in reading and writing. He himself ran a separate class for gifted children, guiding them on the path of cultivation.

"Good, good." Fang Cheng was very pleased.

"Your idea is excellent. We really do need to train a group of talented cultivators." Fang Cheng possessed the Violet Star Emperor's inheritance. Li Shuyan saw this and planned to start from the ground up, training a group of loyal cultivators to receive Fang Cheng's legacy. Li Shuyan continued, "Qin Hao said the economy needs diversification. Inspired by that, I think culture should also be diversified. If we only promote truth, goodness, and beauty, the people will grow tired of it.

A little grey culture can help them appreciate the true, the good, and the beautiful even more." Fang Cheng raised a concern.

"Are you sure they will not be corrupted by it?" Li Shuyan replied, "White Flower City's literacy rate is over eighty percent. The people can now tell right from wrong. They crave new reading materials. We can proceed step by step. Start by distributing some street novels and see how they respond. Then plan the next move." Fang Cheng immediately grew wary.

"Shuyan, when you say street novels, you are not talking about The Abai Detective Files, are you?" Li Shuyan smiled.

"The Abai Detective Files is actually quite good. It is not just about solving crimes. It explores human nature. I think the people could benefit from reading it."

"Shuyan, you have been brainwashed by Abai. Wake up." Fang Cheng said earnestly.

"Other street novels are fine. But The Abai Detective Files must be banned." Li Shuyan frowned.

"Brother Cheng, it is just a novel. Do you really need to be so strict?" Xiaofeng jumped in, "That is right! I can see with my sharp eyes that Abai is innocent! He is not the killer!"

"See! See! Even the child has been brainwashed!" Fang Cheng pointed at Xiaofeng. He was not biased against The Abai Detective Files for no reason. In Shuili City, when he had fallen into demonhood, he had transformed into a conscious detective bird. That had never happened before. In the past, he either lost consciousness entirely or turned into a mindless animal. But this time, he had been fully aware, even capable of logical deduction. This was unheard of.

After recovering, the more he thought about it, the more uneasy he became. The Abai Detective Files had a strange power that was quietly influencing him. Fang Cheng continued, "Shuyan, do not forget. You were also corrupted by this book and became the masked man's puppet. Think about it. Why did the masked man choose The Abai Detective Files and not some other book?" Li Shuyan's frown deepened. He seemed lost in thought. After a long moment, he said, "Brother Cheng, now that you mention it, I remember something.

One time, I was drinking at Harmony Wine Shop. Old Xu was holding a copy of The Abai Detective Files. He told me there was a sequel and he had a way to get it. I did not think much of it at the time and agreed. In hindsight, Old Xu might have had ulterior motives. The masked man fled to the Everlasting Mountains. Old Xu went to the Everlasting Mountains to meet a friend. Do you think it is possible that the masked man is Old Xu's friend?" Fang Cheng thought for a moment.

"It is possible. But we need evidence. Old Xu is helping us clear the road through the mountains. We cannot bite the hand that feeds us."

"True." Li Shuyan nodded. Xiaofeng cut in, "No evidence needed! With my sharp eyes, I can see that the masked man is definitely Old Xu's friend!" At this, Li Shuyan finally lost his temper.

"I told you to shut up! You keep interrupting, over and over! Do you think I am just talking to hear myself?" He flashed over to Xiaofeng, grabbed him by the ear, and dragged him to the back courtyard. He pulled down the boy's pants and started spanking him.

"Wah! Wah! Wah!" Xiaofeng howled.

"Teacher! I am sorry! Please, have mercy!" Fang Cheng took a sip of wine and leisurely picked up another piece of lamb. He called out to the back courtyard, "Put some strength into it! The boy is a First Level cultivator. He is tough. Do not go easy on him." Li Shuyan obliged and hit even harder. The sound of slaps and the boy's wails formed a pleasant symphony that echoed through the City God Temple. Even the Everlasting Emperor's statue seemed to smile benevolently.