Bringing some shocking pranks to the Cultivation World
Chapter 62 - 62 55 Delighted

62: Chapter 55 Delighted 62: Chapter 55 Delighted “Hou Jue?”

When the crowd heard this name, a variety of peculiar expressions surfaced on each of their faces.

Zhou Li furrowed his brows, recalling the lively eunuch at Spirit Vulture Mountain.

Tang Wan stretched her neck, a trace of bewilderment crossing her delicate features, wondering why someone from the Eastern Depot would be using the name of a Jinyiwei officer, and began to ponder what effects the Gender-Change Spring would have on a eunuch.

Qianhu?

Qianhu was also reminiscing, only…

“Hou Jue…”

Bowing his head, Qianhu’s eyes flashed with a hint of confusion, as if some memory was breaking through the soil to emerge.

He felt he had heard this name before, and that it was extremely important to him, as if someone had entrusted this Hou Jue to his care.

Qianhu’s brows knitted tightly together as he searched his memory for the keyword Hou Jue.

Soon, a vision of a room faintly appeared before Qianhu, it seemed to be a warm and fragrant attic, where a frail woman looked at him, mentioning the name Hou Jue.

At that moment, he had felt a heaviness in his heart, a sense of indescribable powerlessness pervaded his entire body, almost moving him to tears.

Could it be?!

Qianhu suddenly raised his head, a look of astonishment and realization dawning in his tiger-like pupils.

Could this Hou Jue be my long-lost son?!

No wonder he felt overwhelmed and weakened upon thinking of that beautiful woman, accompanied by a touch of worry and fear.

If he had lost his only child to perform his duties to the nation, then these strange emotions he experienced made sense.

My estranged flesh and blood…

Closing his eyes, Qianhu let out a deep sigh.

In his recollection, he seldom returned home, usually living alone in mountain caves, or tirelessly poring over documents at the Jinyiwei strongholds—wasn’t this also a form of self-punishment?

With this thought, Qianhu felt a light in his eyes.

The blockage in his heart was suddenly cleared.

He looked at Li Kuan beside him and said,

“Director Li, it seems this Hou Jue is an old acquaintance of mine.

If possible, please allow me to meet with him.”

An old acquaintance?

Li Kuan paused.

As a prefect, he knew that the Jinyiwei often spoke in codes.

Sometimes, “old acquaintance” could refer to fugitives or treasonous scoundrels, and “meet with” meant setting up a trap to capture them.

But to be on the safe side, Li Kuan still felt uneasy and asked in a low voice, leaning close to Qianhu, “I wonder, what type of ‘old acquaintance’ does the officer speak of?”

“This…”

A conflicted expression appeared on Qianhu’s face, uncertain how to proceed.

After all, admitting to having let his own flesh and blood be scattered and lost was not an honorable thing to disclose, yet he did not wish to deceive anyone.

After a moment’s reflection, he looked at Li Kuan and cautiously said,

“This old acquaintance…

is an unspeakable one from my past, and perhaps by seeing him again, I might learn something.”

Alright, a fugitive, I understand.

Li Kuan immediately came to a revelation.

Besides playing dumb, reading people’s expressions also served as one of Li Kuan’s survival skills in his official career.

He promptly saluted Qianhu, then retreated to the side and exchanged a few words with the city’s guards.

Watching the burly man radiant with paternal love and the county official whose eyes were filled with sinister malice, Tang Wan turned her head and said to Zhou Li with an expressionless face,

“These two have definitely fallen into a rather dull misunderstanding.”

“You know nothing.”

Zhou Li, who had been crouched behind a pillar without anyone noticing, hands stuffed in his sleeves, one side of his face showing righteous indignation and the other side eager to watch the drama unfold, looked at the two men in front of him and cheerfully said,

“How interesting.”

Tang Wan fell silent, and after a moment, she imitated Zhou Li, tucked her hands into her sleeves, and squatted down beside him, her tiny figure in pure white especially eye-catching.

She slightly lifted her head to look at the expressive Qianhu and the Prefect harboring good intentions, and nodded in understanding.

“Indeed.”

“Indeed.”

At the marketplace north of the city, after chatting with a local supplier of court necessities, Guo Lingyun nodded and remarked, “This Director Li truly is…

governing by doing nothing.”

“Isn’t that the truth.”

The vendor chuckled as he handed over a large stack of notice papers to Guo Lingyun, took three taels of silver, and then said with a sigh:

“Director Li has been in office for six years, and we’ve never seen him issue any notices.

If The Imperial Court wants to reduce or increase taxes, Director Li just sticks the decree from The Imperial Court on the city wall.

If someone cries injustice, he refers them to the local Court of Judicial Review; if they see a rare and exotic beast, he directs them to the Imperial Academy Mansion; if they want to see him, he just stands there like a pole.

In short…”

Waving his hand with a hint of gratitude, the vendor continued, “He’s really nothing.”

Guo Lingyun was stunned for a moment.

Although the vendor spoke of Li Kuan as being nothing, his tone was quite affectionate.

Seeing this, Guo Lingyun asked with some confusion:

“Old brother, from what you’re saying, this Li Kuan seems to be an indecisive do-nothing.

Why do I feel like you guys actually hold him in high regard?”

“Hey, young brother, you’re Jinyiwei, so you, of course, think much further than us country bumpkins.”

Giving a thumbs up, the vendor laughed and continued:

“But for us commoners, a prefect who is not corrupt, who lets professionals handle matters, and who never interferes unnecessarily; who is always cheerful, without airs, and doesn’t oppress the people—that kind of prefect is a blessing we in Beiliang might come across only once in a hundred years.

Other places are too envious to even have time for it.”

Upon hearing this, Guo Lingyun was at once taken aback, but then he found it somewhat amusing.

To these commoners, the highest standard for a prefect was simply not to be corrupt and not to oppress the people.

As long as one achieved these two things, even if the prefect did nothing else, he would still be beloved by the people.

This world…

Guo Lingyun sighed silently to himself, picked up the notices, bade the vendor goodbye, and turned to leave.

Just then, he suddenly heard a commotion coming from the city gate.

“What are you doing?

What are you doing?

Don’t take off my pants!

Do you know that’s illegal?!

I used to be Jinyiwei!!!”

Hmm?

Upon hearing this familiar voice, Guo Lingyun paused, picked up his bag, and headed towards the city gate.

Peering through a covert window beside the gate, Guo Lingyun saw a familiar figure.

What’s this kid doing here?

Watching Hou Jue, who was being pinned to the ground by a city guard’s knee pressed against his neck, struggling non-stop, Guo Lingyun stroked his chin, his eyes flashing with indecision.

“I’m telling you, I’m a former Jinyiwei, Four Realms Spirit Qi Master, I can even breathe with my buttocks!

If you know what’s good for you, let me go right now.

Do you believe that the air in my farts will be the same as the air you breathe?!”

No way.

With a long, resigned sigh, Guo Lingyun didn’t know why Jinyiwei had so many talented individuals with bare butts pulling mills, and to prevent Hou Jue from further tarnishing Jinyiwei’s reputation, Guo Lingyun gripped a protruding stone with his right hand, leapt into the air, and landed in front of Hou Jue from atop the city wall.

“This man is an old acquaintance of mine, let him go.”

No sooner had he spoken than Guo Lingyun, fearing the guards might misunderstand him, quickly added, “I mean a real old acquaintance.”

Meanwhile, Hou Jue on the ground heard Guo Lingyun’s words and struggled to lift his head, catching a glimpse of Guo Lingyun’s face.

Suddenly, Hou Jue chortled, struggling as he sardonically said:

“Isn’t it just too sad for you, bro?

You look like Guo Lingyun, sound like Guo Lingyun, and even the bow on your back is just like Guo Lingyun’s, even the name is…”

“Damn, Guo Lingyun??!!!”