Chapter 85

Early in the morning, Zhang Yuqi hurried to the academy.

Xun Yi had gone missing, and everyone spent the entire afternoon searching for him in the city. Jin Yidian had not made much preparation at all.

"Ah, I wonder how the class president is doing now." Zhang Yuqi had no interest in holding the ceremony. Early in the morning, he went to the academy to ask Li Junde for the latest news.

Just as he reached the academy gate, he felt that the atmosphere at Lingfeng Academy was different from before. The walls on both sides and the gate sign had been cleaned, and two large blue-and-white porcelain vases replaced the original stone lions at the entrance.

The vases were filled with golden lotuses and green lotus leaves, emitting a fresh fragrance that instantly invigorated the spirit.

"Who put these here?" Zhang Yuqi muttered to himself, pushed the door open, and was stunned.

The courtyard, which was originally paved with blue stone slabs, had undergone a complete transformation. The water shimmered, reflecting the rising sun in the east, turning the entire courtyard into a pond.

"What is this?" Zhang Yuqi's face changed completely. Such a grand gesture...

"It turns out you were the first to arrive." In the center of the pond stood a circular platform with a tall building. Xun Yi, rubbing his sleepy eyes, greeted Zhang Yuqi: "I've prepared clothes for you all. Try them on."

Pointing to the robes embroidered with lotuses, Xun Yi yawned: "I was busy all night. You can guide Li Junde and the others to change clothes while I get some more sleep."

Xun Yi had long guessed that after his disappearance, the preparations for Jin Yidian would likely be put on hold. Therefore, he deliberately invited the demons from Chulü and the city's spirit beasts to help set up the entire venue for Jin Yidian.

Liu Gong used magic to create wooden pools, filling the entire courtyard. The edges of the wooden pools touched the doors of the various classrooms. Then, he filled the pools with water and asked the demons to gather lotuses from various places and transplant them.

The wooden pools were connected, and wooden bridges and planks were built over the water as stepping stones. Even a three-zhang tall tower was constructed, spanning between Class A and Class B, with a horizontal banner hanging across it.

"Jin Yidian" three characters came into view. Zhang Yuqi was speechless for a moment: "This grand gesture, how many people did it take to complete it in one night?"

According to Zhang Yuqi's plan, they only needed to arrange tables and chairs in the classroom and invite guests for a meal. But Xun Yi's grand setup had twice as many seats as they had planned.

"The fruits and food we prepared are not enough." Suddenly, Zhang Yuqi caught a whiff of fragrance and followed it.

He saw several large cauldrons on the other side, cooking various pork, beef, and mutton dishes. Iron pots on the side held various stir-fried dishes. On the other side, there were mountains of pastries and fruits. Dishes, plates, and chairs were piled up nearby.

"Truly worthy of a young master from a noble family." Zhang Yuqi walked around, seeing the entire venue transformed into a water village with exquisite arrangements, and he was deeply impressed. "To pull off such a grand scene in one night, it must have taken over a hundred people."

At this moment, others gradually arrived at the academy. Seeing the lotus pond and the water village, Li Junde and the others were stunned. They walked a few steps to join Zhang Yuqi and saw Xun Yi sleeping soundly in the center.

"Was this done by the boss?" Li Junde immediately understood: "This morning, my father mentioned that the boss solved a missing person case in the city last night and saved many people. He still had time to do all this?"

"Um." Zhang Yuqi's expression was complex: "How else could he be the boss? It saves us from having to work hard early in the morning. By the way, the boss told us to change into the clothes." He pointed to the robes. Xun Yi had found skilled spirit beasts to tailor these robes according to the sizes of the people.

Li Junde found the robe with his name on it, tried it on, and then helped the others change. They lingered by the pond, admiring the scenery.

Xun Yi had been busy all night and was then pulled away by several Destiny Deities to explain the path of the Destiny Deities.

"Destiny is not fixed. Our duty as Destiny Deities is to adapt to the overall trend and make changes." The Matchmaker Deity brought two companions for Xun Yi: one was the Wealth Deity, and the other was the Scholar Deity, Ke Zhuangyuan, who managed literary fortune.

The three deities explained to Xun Yi, and he gradually understood the path of the Destiny Deities.

The Destiny Deities do not rigidly define the fates of all living beings but guide them by influencing the results of their actions. Good deeds lead to good outcomes, and evil deeds lead to evil outcomes. This is the intention of Emperor Yan in assigning the Destiny Deities to manage destiny: to promote good and punish evil.

"Then, what should I do about my maid's situation?"

"Observe her usual behavior. If she is virtuous, her fate can be modified."

"Wouldn't that affect many others?" Xun Yi looked at the web of destiny, touched Lili's fate line, and saw the significant ripple effect after changing her fate.

Ke Zhuangyuan said, "Just make minor adjustments and introduce other events." He threw two white chess pieces, which turned into two small events in the web of destiny, calming the ripples.

These two small events guided others to intervene, ultimately leading to a resolution that returned everything to the original web of destiny. Lili would no longer suffer the humiliation of being harassed that morning, as officials from the Temple of Literature would intervene.

"The Destiny Deities oversee the whole picture. Each Destiny Deity has their own influence..." Before the Matchmaker Deity could finish, Xun Yi was suddenly awakened by a jolt, his soul leaving the Heavenly Dao space.

The three deities laughed: "He is still a human deity with unfinished earthly ties, different from us who have truly entered the divine path."

"Yes, with unfinished ties, it's hard for him to focus on the divine path."

"However, he still has unresolved matters in the human world. In the future, we can have him help us correct the web of destiny." The Wealth Deity said, "After all, we, as deities, cannot easily interfere in the human world."

The Matchmaker Deity and Ke Zhuangyuan pondered the Wealth Deity's suggestion.

"Brother," Xun Tan's voice called out. Xun Yi opened his eyes, and with the morning light filtering through, he saw the girl kneeling beside him, checking his body.

"Don't worry, I'm fine." Seeing the concerned looks of those around him, Xun Yi gestured: "Quickly finish the final preparations. The guests will arrive soon."

Pulling Xun Tan aside, Xun Yi asked, "Why are you here?"

Xun Tan didn't speak, checking Xun Yi's body, feeling both angry and frustrated. Last time, she only found out after her brother nearly died. This time, she was still too late. By the time she arrived, her brother had already taken care of everything, and she didn't know what had happened.

However, why did she feel that her brother's heartbeat was different?

Originally, using Xun Tan's heart, their heartbeats should have been completely synchronized. But now, Xun Tan felt that something was missing between them.

"Princess, don't you want to introduce us?" A teasing voice came from the side, and a young man appeared before Xun Yi with a playful smile: "I am Yuan Shixiao, meeting the young master of the Xun family."

"Tang Shiyuan." Another young man, seeing his companion speak, quickly introduced himself: "We are all disciples of Qingyuan Hall."

Qingyuan Hall, that's one of our own. Xun Yi mentally categorized the friend and foe, smiling and greeting the two.

"Brother, don't mind them. What did you do yesterday?" Xun Tan sent the two companions to help and asked Xun Yi with a cold expression: "Don't say you're fine. The special connection between siblings tells me you almost died again."

"Almost, but I didn't, right?"

Seeing Xun Tan's raised eyebrows, Xun Yi briefly explained yesterday's encounter: "It was still about the City God. But it's resolved now, and even my heart condition has been cured." Xun Yi's eyes sparkled. His mother's soul was found, his heart condition cured, and he had recovered much of his memory, laying the foundation for his future as a Blessing Deity.

"City God, City God again?" Xun Tan was furious: "Brother, should you continue working directly in the Blessing Deity system or come to Qingyuan Hall for cultivation? The City God has the responsibility to guard the local demons, while the Blessing Deity is more relaxed. Or come to Qingyuan Hall, where our elders can protect you."

"The requirements for the Blessing Deity system are too high. Blessing Deities before the third heaven are not part of the official system, so I need to accumulate merit through the City God. Don't worry, I know my limits."

"The people of the City God's office are unreliable." Xun Tan was displeased: "A deity should stay in the background to manage the whole picture, not put you in danger every day."

"No, the City God can't be trusted. Brother, you already have the right to establish your own office. In the second heaven, a Blessing Deity should have four first-heaven sub-deities." Xun Tan said, "Find people from Qingyuan Hall to form your own guard. Leave the fighting to others, and you must not put yourself in danger."

"Alright, alright, I understand. By the way, I just learned about Mother's situation."

"Mother?" Xun Tan's heart ached. She had been sent to Qingyuan Hall since birth and had never met her parents. No, she had met them once, at their burial.

Growing up without feeling maternal love, suddenly hearing about her mother, Xun Tan felt a wave of emotions.

Li Junde came over to call Xun Yi, who went to the front to greet the guests, leaving Xun Tan at her seat. "Wait here, there will be a good show soon."

At the entrance, besides Hu Xiaoman and her classmates, more parents and guests invited by Xun Yi arrived one after another.

Seeing Liu Zhenying arrive, Xun Yi greeted him: "You've been quite mysterious these past two days. I couldn't find you. You left everything to me for Jin Yidian." He patted Liu Zhenying's shoulder, but Liu Zhenying subtly avoided it: "Nothing, I've been practicing calligraphy at home. By the way, I heard you went missing yesterday."

"Nothing, just a chaotic night." Xun Yi lowered his hand and faintly smelled a bloody scent from Liu Zhenying. But the next moment, he felt nothing unusual: "It must be an illusion."

Seeing more guests arriving, Xun Yi said, "Change into your clothes first. I'll go see the principal, and you can handle the reception here."

"Wait," Liu Zhenying pulled Xun Yi aside: "What are you up to? This grand banquet must be more than just a celebration for you all."

"You'll see soon." Xun Yi smiled mysteriously and moved among the guests like a skilled dancer.

He had the demons distribute invitations in the city. Most of the nobles in Qinglong City received invitations from Lingfeng Academy, and some even received personal invitations from Xun Yi.

Mr. Qiu, the owner of Qiu Lan Casino, originally didn't want to come, but seeing Xun Yi's personal invitation, especially the request to help maintain order, he invited his business partners and many local gentry and wealthy merchants to join.

Even Li Taishou, who initially planned to send his wife to attend the ceremony for his son, received a personal invitation from Xun Yi, using the name of the Xun family head. Even the city governor had to consider the implications.

Most other families in the city did the same. Seeing Xun Yi's invitation, they quickly prepared their carriages and horses to head to Lingfeng Academy.

Seeing the pond full of lotuses, Mr. Qiu marveled: "This is quite a grand gesture. The young master knows how to play."

"Grand indeed," a local gentry remarked: "Just the lotuses alone must be very expensive. Mother and child embracing, three yuan embracing the sun, seven stars inviting the moon, phoenix claws and dragon heads. It's impressive that the academy managed to find all these rare lotuses. But since this is a personal invitation from the Xun family head, it must be the Xun family behind this."

The head of the Zhang family smiled: "According to my daughter Yuqi, Jin Yidian wasn't prepared at all yesterday. Now, seeing this setup, the Xun family head must have a grand plan." As the parent of Zhang Yuqi and Zhang Miao, he often saw Xun Yi. But given Xun Yi's character, why would he suddenly do this?

The principal of Lingfeng Academy, Old Master Zhang, and lecturers like Han Feng stood on the three-zhang tall platform between the classrooms. Xun Yi climbed up and bowed: "I acted rashly. I hope the principal won't be angry."

"Not at all," Old Master Zhang smiled, pleased with the scene. Xun Yi's grand gesture was a great promotion for Lingfeng Academy. It might attract more students during the August enrollment.

"But you must have put in a lot of effort. It's not just to celebrate your own success as a Jieyuan, right?" Han Feng, a literary cultivator, had seen the demons working in the academy last night.

It was a chaotic scene, with a sea of demons making noise all night, making it impossible to sleep. But he didn't expect such results in just one night.

The lotuses reflected the sun, with various postures and colors, and a fragrant aroma. The food, prepared by the Food Deity, was also impressive. It couldn't just be for celebrating a few Juren.

Xun Yi clasped his hands and bowed to Old Master Zhang: "Helping others is helping oneself. I hope the old principal can help maintain order and deal with a few people."

"Who?" Old Master Zhang asked casually, and Xun Yi pointed to Xun Kun and Xun Sheng entering the gate: "You see, those are the people."

At 2 PM, there will be a recommendation on the Sanjiang channel. I hope everyone will vote enthusiastically.

Open the homepage of Qidian, find the Sanjiang channel, and click on "Sanjiang Ticket" on the right to claim your ticket after 4 PM. Then, find Taiyi at the bottom and vote for the Sanjiang recommendation. As long as you have a Qidian account and a certain level, you can vote.

The votes reset daily, so you can vote again the next day. Please take the time to vote. If the votes are high, there will be extra updates.

Additionally, to celebrate the first hall master and the Sanjiang recommendation, there will be three updates today.

There will be another update in the afternoon, around 3 or 4 PM.

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