Start with acting, and you'll achieve immortality!

Near the county government office.

In a large courtyard belonging to the Hu family, which occupies several rooms.

Hu Guan, with a full beard, strode in and sat down at the stone table in the courtyard.

A throng of servants.

They bowed deeply to welcome him and hurriedly offered him various fruits and delicacies.

Not long after.

The stone table was then covered with various items.

Hu Guan waved his hand.

All the servants dispersed.

Only a young man dressed in a long robe with a sword at his waist, dressed as a wandering knight, remained and sat beside Hu Guan.

Seeing Hu Guan acting so recklessly, eating and drinking to his heart's content, as if he were not worried at all about the inspector's visit the next day.

The young man looked slightly anxious.

"Father."

"Aren't you really worried?"

"Do you really think today's drill can fool that inspector?!"

"That ridiculous idea Li Ping came up with—to put on a show to fool the inspector—is obviously not stupid; how could the inspector not see through it!"

"If we get dismissed from our posts, we'll be at a huge loss!"

"If we're not careful, we'll be driven out of the city and forced back into the mountains, where we won't even be able to save our lives!"

talking.

Hu Guan showed no reaction whatsoever.

They even wanted to tear the roast chicken off the stone table.

This young man, who was already short-tempered but had only managed to say so much because of his status, suddenly became furious.

He stretched out his hand.

He snatched the roast chicken directly from Hu Guan's hand and, as if in defiance, tore it apart fiercely from his mouth.

Seeing his not-so-bright eldest son behaving like this.

Hu Guan looked utterly helpless.

He abandoned his usual honest and simple demeanor in front of others and let out a sigh.

Hu Guan put down his food, stood up, looked around to make sure no one was around, then kicked his eldest son and cursed under his breath.

"idiot."

"After cultivating for so long, almost reaching the Qi Refining stage, how can you still be so stupid?"

"Where did all your spiritual energy go?!"

"Do you really think your dad's a fool?!"

"Li Ping's scheme is so unreliable, and his acting is so terrible, how could I possibly place my hopes on him?!"

The young man, who was tearing at the roast chicken as if venting his anger, looked up blankly.

"That..."

"Father... what are your plans now?"

I was asked this question hastily.

Hu Guan sneered, looked up at the moon, put his hands behind his back, and looked like a hermit.

"I've already inquired about it."

"That Li Ping is just an ordinary person with no cultivation whatsoever."

"tomorrow."

"The exercise will proceed as usual, except that you will be the one being held hostage."

"At that time."

"Once the inspector arrives, secretly cast a silencing spell on Li Ping, so he doesn't have a chance to speak."

"I'll just take this opportunity to slap Li Ping to death!"

"When the time comes, just say that Li Ping had malicious intentions and that we discovered them in advance. Once he's turned into mincemeat, he won't be able to say anything more."

"At that time."

"No one can tell whether this whole thing was real or fake!"

Upon hearing this...

The young man with a long sword at his waist was almost trembling with excitement.

"This...this...this...is this fake acting turning real?!"

"Father...is truly resourceful!"

"In this way, even the inspector who came to examine all the officials couldn't find any fault with it!"

Upon hearing this, Hu Guan nodded slightly and stroked his beard.

He chuckled softly and remained silent.

......

Just as the Hu family father and son were secretly plotting...

Another place.

The urban area near the city wall.

Countless laborers and country folk often gathered here.

A small courtyard is located here.

Pulled along by his sister-in-law, Li Ping strode past countless familiar companions toward his own courtyard.

The two stood in front of the door.

There's no need to reach out and push the door open.

I only felt a gentle breeze pass by.

With a creak.

The wooden gate to the courtyard opened by itself.

This scene.

Seeing this, Zhang, who seemed to have little experience of the world, turned pale with fright, thinking that some wandering ghost had come and disturbed the house while she was away.

Zhang retreated repeatedly, and immediately asked to find some strong men around him to exorcise the evil spirits from his house.

Li Ping, however, had a sharp eye.

At a glance, they spotted a young man in a blue robe sitting upright in the courtyard.

"Brother Ren!"

"Why are you here instead of in Jiangning City?!"

Almost the instant he saw the young man, a look of joy appeared on Li Ping's face.

He grabbed Zhang's arm.

"Sister-in-law!"

"Don't be afraid!"

"This is my classmate from when I was studying in Jiangning City, Senior Brother Ren Jun!"

"It must have been my senior brother Ren who used magic to open the gate!"

After listening to Li Ping's introduction.

Zhang finally caught her breath.

She carefully bowed to Ren Jun.

Ren Jun, the young scholar sitting upright in the courtyard, finally smiled and waved to Li Ping.

"Zizhi!"

"Long time no see!"

Zizhi.

It was the courtesy name given to Li Ping by his teacher when he was studying in Jiangning City.

Li Ping was sensible.

He strode over and sat down next to Ren Jun.

"Senior brother hasn't said yet."

"Jiangning City is so prosperous and full of spiritual energy, why did my senior brother, who wasn't in Jiangning City with him, suddenly come to my small town?"

Seeing this, Zhang...

He quickly bypassed the two and headed towards the kitchen.

Wait until Zhang has fully entered.

Ren Jun then looked at Li Ping. He stretched out his hand, which was empty. However, when he pushed it towards Li Ping, two teacups inexplicably appeared in his hand.

Hot fog lingered.

Li Ping was slightly taken aback and felt a pang of emotion.

He raised his teacup.

I took a sip.

Ren Jun stared straight at him.

After he had swallowed the whole thing, he suddenly spoke.

"I came here only to tell Zizhi something."

"The teacher got promoted."

"He was promoted to Prefect of Jiangbei Commandery, in charge of the administration of the commandery."

Upon hearing this, despite having some suspicions about Ren Jun's intentions, Li Ping couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

He started coughing violently.

"Cough! Cough cough!"

He clearly remembered the teacher he had apprenticed under in Jiangning City. He was a decrepit old man, so poor that he couldn't even afford to eat. As a result, anyone who gave him a little money could listen to his lectures.

otherwise.

Li Ping, from an ordinary family, had no way of finding a master to teach him.

Most of the scholars in Jiangning City considered this old man a disgrace, feeling that he had corrupted the integrity of scholars and damaged the social order.

Today, my senior brother came.

He then told himself, "My teacher has become the prefect?!"

How is that possible?!

To know.

In the Great Qian Dynasty.

Prefect!

He was the governor of a prefecture, holding the lives and deaths of tens of millions of people in the prefecture in his hands!

If this is true.

Why should I stay in this small town and play along with that charlatan?

When one attains enlightenment, even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven. His own teacher has become a prefect. Although he wasn't particularly favored when he was under his tutelage, getting an official position and obtaining a magic technique shouldn't be a problem, right?

Before Li Ping could calm down.

Ren Jun, with a smile on his lips, seemed afraid that Li Ping wasn't shocked enough, and suddenly threw out another sentence.

"Oh, right."

"Zizhi, besides finding you and delivering a message, I have another matter to attend to."

"What's wrong?" Li Ping asked, still dazed.

"You're a local, do you know Hu Guan?" Ren Jun asked calmly, his expression composed.

"Hu Guan?" Li Ping repeated.

"Yes!" Ren Jun nodded emphatically.

"My esteemed teacher appointed me as an inspector, and I have come here to inspect the various counties!"

"This Hu Guan is the first person I want to see!"

"To capture Hu Guan, Zizhi, you must help me!"

This statement came out.

Li Ping was so shocked that he stood up immediately, covered in a cold sweat.