Chapter Twelve: Seeking One's Own Doom?

Li Zisheng returned to his tent.

Seated inside the delicate enclosure, he took out the note Ling’er had given him. On it were a few simple coded phrases and a unique symbol, resembling both lightning and a cloud. By his own reckoning, Li Zisheng guessed this must be one of the ways members of Three Flavors Residence communicated with each other.

The hundred taels of snow-patterned silver resting on the table were the greatest sum he had acquired in this world thus far. As the saying goes, wealth should not be flaunted; its use was of utmost importance. To him at present, these hundred taels constituted an enormous fortune.

Li Zisheng pondered this, then carefully put the silver away.

“Zisheng, are you ready?” Before Zhong Bai had arrived, his voice already reached Li Zisheng.

“Mr. Zhong, please come in.” Li Zisheng stepped outside the tent and ushered Zhong Bai inside.

“Zisheng, tomorrow you will first meet those who will join you in the literary contest against the Turkic delegation, as well as the martial talents who will participate in the martial contest alongside you.” Zhong Bai spoke, as if holding something back, words hovering at his lips yet unsaid.

Li Zisheng noticed Zhong Bai’s hesitation, but did not press for more.

“When exactly is the literary contest with the Turkic delegation scheduled?” Li Zisheng calculated silently. He still had an important matter unresolved—the issue of Wei the Medicine King. If the Turks found him first…

According to historical records, the Turks were brutal, pillaging and burning, and would likely abduct Wei the Medicine King outright. If so, his hopes of apprenticeship would be postponed for a long time.

“The date is set for three days from now,” Zhong Bai replied patiently.

Li Zisheng was startled. The Turkic delegation’s literary and martial examinations would be held in three days, but the search for Wei the Medicine King would also yield results only then. It seemed he could only hope that Three Flavors Residence would locate Wei the Medicine King ahead of time.

The trial was scheduled for three days hence, set by both sides with no possibility of change, so he had three days to search and make arrangements.

“Mr. Zhong, I have a request.” Li Zisheng would not let slip the greatest resource at his disposal.

“Oh? What do you need?” Zhong Bai was curious. Ever since he had met Li Zisheng, the boy had seemed utterly unperturbed, even after hearing of his mentor’s murder—he quickly regained composure, not at all like an eight-year-old child.

“I hope Mr. Zhong will spread word that there is a person named Li Zisheng, whose mentor is Cheng Zhongliang, who has come to Lingzhou to claim the top rank in the Lingzhou Genius Pavilion, and who alone can challenge every member of the Turkic delegation in the literary contest.”

Li Zisheng spoke with remarkable calm, as if the matter were unrelated to himself.

“Zisheng, are you mad? This is a time of crisis. Many eminent scholars of the Great Tang have been assassinated for reasons unknown—even your mentor did not escape harm. If you casually reveal yourself as Cheng Zhongliang’s disciple, and those hidden powers learn of it, they will surely come after you. You would be risking your life.

“That’s one concern. Another is that you claim you’ve come to Lingzhou to seize the top spot. Such ambition is understandable, but you’ll make countless enemies. Few in the Genius Pavilion are of humble background; most are sons of nobles and wealthy gentry. Such boastful words will earn their hatred, and when you enter the pavilion in the future, you will find every step difficult.

“Finally, you say you can defeat every Turkic scholar—this will incite the delegation’s wrath. The Turks are most sensitive to matters of honor; you will draw their collective animosity, and during the martial contest, those barbarians will surely seek vengeance. Altogether, these three disadvantages mean I cannot help you. If I did, I’d be placing you in peril.”

Zhong Bai was perplexed, even somewhat irritated. Li Zisheng’s request was tantamount to courting disaster, a path to ruin he could not support.

If he aided him, he would only harm him; how could Li Zisheng be so reckless?

Seeing Zhong Bai’s troubled expression, Li Zisheng merely smiled.

“No need for concern, Mr. Zhong. I have my own plans, and you need not worry for my safety. The investigation into the massacre of the scholars has yielded no clues. Now, with the Turkic delegation proposing an exchange—ostensibly for medical purposes but with deeper motives—it is better to stir the waters, and draw these mysterious forces out to seek me themselves.”

“You would not be safe. If anything happened to you, how could I explain to the governor?” Zhong Bai’s confusion remained, though his irritation had lessened somewhat.

“Mr. Zhong, if a key figure is exposed publicly, and you were the strategist of these mysterious powers, would you risk being discovered to assassinate him under the watchful eyes of all parties?”

“No.” Zhong Bai answered swiftly. Anyone with sense would never risk exposing an entire organization for the sake of killing one person. It would be folly.

“That is why, if I remain hidden, the danger is all the greater. It is better to make everything explicit, and once I attract the attention of several major forces, my safety is more assured. That is the first benefit.

“Furthermore, to hunt the snake, one must first see the snake. Though I am exposed, the mysterious force may make no overt moves, but there will be subtle actions behind the scenes. You must monitor the small changes around me, and follow the clues to their source—this is the second advantage.

“As for the Turkic delegation, their intentions are surely more than they claim. If my actions provoke their fury, it may reveal their motives and weaknesses. We can then exploit openings and perhaps uncover something far more significant. The timing of their arrival is too convenient; I cannot believe they are unconnected to the scholar massacre, no matter what.

Upon hearing this, Zhong Bai nodded vigorously.

“The publicity about the Genius Pavilion in Lingzhou has its own merits. Unlike county schools, the pavilion has few students of humble origin; most are sons of wealthy gentry and dignitaries. By spreading such word, these scions will be outraged and come to challenge me in droves. That suits me well—I am seeking people I can use, and these sons of privilege are the best candidates.” Li Zisheng spoke with confidence, as if everything was already in his grasp.

“Are you not afraid that these privileged youths are arrogant and difficult to subdue?”