After the wine tour, several people walked out from the main gate of the County Office. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Seeing them off was Clerk Qin. Shen Yanliu had drunk quite a bit and was already a little tipsy.

Li Xianjiang, too, was flushed with alcohol. With a slight smile on his face, he crossed the threshold of the County Government Office. He glanced at the platform already set up in front of the County Office for the Martial Arts Selection Platform...

Feeling the effects of the alcohol, Li Xianjiang turned his head to look at Clerk Qin and said, "Not bad, the platform is already set up. Your County Magistrate really handles matters decisively!"

They had arrived early, as the examination would not be held for another three days.

Clerk Qin smiled and said, "Cultivating talents is a triennial major event, and the County Magistrate has always placed great importance on it."

Li Xianjiang nodded, obviously in a good mood, as he was very satisfied with the wine served at the banquet earlier.

However, standing beside him, Zhu Qunxiang, Lu Qingfeng, and Wang Shanshan all looked somewhat displeased. Shen Yanliu had only toasted them each with one cup of wine before neglecting them, focusing instead on drinking and chatting with Li Xianjiang.

But it wasn’t entirely Shen Yanliu’s fault; in the world of officialdom, one naturally serves according to the person’s status.

Even though they were all Sect Envoys, a month ago, Chu Ming, who came to review the important case of impure blood, was treated with the respect reserved for a superior by Shen Yanliu.

However, with Fan Yuanhai, Zhu Qunxiang, Lu Qingfeng, and Wang Shanshan, he wasn’t as attentive.

There were, of course, subtleties in the ways of officialdom.

One must understand how critical the task of reviewing the impure blood case is. Any Sect Envoy, or Outer Disciple, tasked with such a mission is virtually guaranteed to ascend to the inner sect.

While the exam for Inspection Named Disciples was also important, it was routine, and the merit points were divided among the five. Outer Disciples assigned to such tasks either had just left the sect for experience, or were marginalized with no hopes of promotion.

Take Fan Yuanhai, for example; his mishandling of the Xu Ruhu case led to a lack of significant assignments thereafter.

In truth, Zhu Qunxiang, Lu Qingfeng, and Wang Shanshan were in a similar situation.

All these facts were known to Shen Yanliu.

Clerk Qin escorted them outside the gate, then excused himself and returned to the government office.

Zhu Qunxiang looked at Fan Yuanhai with a smile and said, "Brother Fan, you’ve been to Xianggu County once before. How come you didn’t mention it during the journey?"

Fan Yuanhai looked a bit embarrassed. He’d faced a setback here in Xianggu County due to the Xu Ruhu case, so he was naturally reluctant to bring it up. However, earlier at the banquet, Shen Yanliu, intentionally or not, brought up the matter.

Fan Yuanhai said, "It was merely a case handled here in the first half of the year, nothing worth mentioning."

By now the alcohol buzz had hit Li Xianjiang, and he was feeling dizzy. Seeing the group chatting at the County Office entrance, he said, "After such a tiring journey, let’s head to the inn for some rest."

Zhu Qunxiang smirked upon hearing this and said, "Is the inn such a great place?" He turned his head to Fan Yuanhai and asked with a smile, "Brother Fan, since you’re revisiting, you surely know where to stay, right?"

Fan Yuanhai chuckled at Zhu Qunxiang and said, "Brother Zhu asked the right person. The best inn in Xianggu County is the Spring Breeze Inn on West Main Street. Shall we head there?"

As Fan Yuanhai spoke, his gaze swept across the group, with Lu Qingfeng and Wang Shanshan nodding in agreement, while Lv Qingzhu simply stood there smiling without joining the conversation.

Seeing Lv Qingzhu remain silent, Zhu Qunxiang smiled and asked, "Miss Qingzhu, since Brother Fan says the Spring Breeze Inn is decent, why don’t we check it out? It must be better than the poor accommodations at the inn, right?"

Lv Qingzhu continued smiling and said, "It’s fine with me."

With Lv Qingzhu’s assent, Zhu Qunxiang cast a glance at Li Xianjiang and said, "Then let’s go."

With that, the group left the entrance of the County Office and headed south along West Main Street.

Li Xianjiang stood there, watching their backs, and snorted, "They leave a free inn to go stay at some inn. The world is truly in decline, and youngsters today have really lost their minds!"

As Li Xianjiang spoke, he lifted his foot towards the inn. Not only was the lodging free, but it also covered three meals a day. He really couldn’t understand why those people wouldn’t go there.

If they can’t see what’s cheap and available, what else can they be but fools?

Of course, he couldn’t comprehend that for Fan Yuanhai and Zhu Qunxiang, as long as they were comfortable, spending some money didn’t matter.

It’s not like Li Xianjiang lacked money; it is just a matter of personal preference.

Not only did he not lack money, but he was also exceedingly wealthy, working as a Chief in the Governor’s Office, managing the taxes and finances of two counties. The hidden profits were countless...

Fan Yuanhai, Zhu Qunxiang, Lu Qingfeng, Wang Shanshan, Lv Qingzhu, and A’Mo walked along the road, chatting about the local customs of Xianggu County.

Mostly, it was Fan Yuanhai speaking while the others listened.

Since the assessment wouldn’t start for another three days, they found themselves with leisure time, and soon the conversation turned to places of leisure.

Originally speaking in a normal tone, Fan Yuanhai suddenly lowered his voice.

A’Mo faintly heard, "Huaying Building... something about the Four Great Flower Shadows..."

A’Mo frowned, her fists clenched tightly, making a creaking sound, but Lv Qingzhu suddenly placed her white, lotus-like hand on A’Mo’s fist and shook her head. A’Mo quickly released her fists, dispelling her anger.

Talking as they went, the group soon arrived at the Spring Breeze Inn.

A’Mo immediately opened the door and invited them in warmly, delighted to see Fan Yuanhai bringing so many people at once.