Seeing that the County Deputy was about to step forward, Mr. Cooper hurriedly came up to lead the way, pushed open the remaining half of the door, glanced inside, and said, “Oh, someone spent the night here.”

Inside the temple, the traces of a fire were still fresh, and the ashes of incense had not yet been scattered by the wind. This immediately put the two men with knives on alert: “Please wait a moment, sir!”

With that, they rushed in and carefully searched the temple.

The County Deputy didn’t mind, stepped inside, took the burning incense from Emily, offered his prayers, and then placed it in the incense burner.

Suddenly, a personal guard exclaimed in surprise.

“What is it?” The County Deputy frowned and asked.

“Master, there’s a sacrificial text here... please come and take a look.”

“Oh?”

The County Deputy knew these clansmen were not ones to make a fuss over nothing, so he walked over and saw a poem written on the wall. At a glance, the entire wall was filled with golden literary aura.

“It’s quite a good sacrificial text. I wonder which scholar spent the night here, full of youthful spirit, and wrote this as an offering... Hm, the calligraphy is also quite innovative.”

The County Deputy paused, then looked closely at the sacrificial text: “A later student passed by on his journey, deeply moved, and respectfully leaves this here: The general was born in the previous dynasty, emerging from humble origins. When the emperor lost control of the realm and chaos broke out, the general campaigned north and south, repeatedly quelling rebellions, and fought on the battlefield for fourteen years. Alas, the fortunes of the world must come to an end, and each follows their own virtue, thus came this defeat—not the fault of war. Now, the spirits are not blind, their witness endures to this day. May you enjoy this offering!”

At first, the County Deputy smiled, feeling a stir in his heart. The sacrificial text was well written. As he looked again, he vaguely saw a wisp of blue aura, and was startled, looking up.

“Song of Ascending the Ancient Wei Battlefield”

“In front, I see no ancients; behind, I see no followers.”

“Thinking of the vastness of heaven and earth, I am alone and my tears fall!”

These mere twenty-two characters seemed to have a magical power, drawing the County Deputy’s gaze, making him recite them over and over, his expression melancholy, which surprised the maid Emily behind him.

Because she learned by example, she too understood poetry and was good at appreciating it, though she had no official title and could not practice Daoist arts, nor perceive literary aura. Thus, she was a bit puzzled: “Master, though this poem is good, isn’t this a bit much?”

“Emily, you do not practice Daoist arts, and as a woman, it’s hard for you to understand... The sacrificial text is one thing, but this poem, with its golden hue tinged with blue, cannot be viewed with ordinary eyes. To distinguish carefully, this can be called a Daoist poem—truly extraordinary!”

Emily was astonished to hear this; such praise was no small matter.

At this point, the County Deputy noticed the signature below the poem, and was moved, sighing with emotion: “Edward Clark, must be a member of the The Clark Family in this county. Without an official title, he must be a commoner... Yet this sacrificial text and poem faintly show the bearing of a scholar. The The Clark Clan is truly blessed—how enviable!”

Everyone echoed in agreement, and then heard the County Deputy instruct: “Go and find out who this Edward Clark is. As the county’s academic master, I cannot be ignorant of local talent!”

“Yes,” someone replied. The village elders below all listened with secret envy, and a hint of jealousy.

According to the current system, the county magistrate governs the whole county, while the County Deputy is in charge of literary and Daoist records, and presides over the children’s examinations. With this, it seemed that this Edward Clark would surely become a student.

After inspecting the northern part of the county, it was only natural for the County Deputy to visit the local prominent families to strengthen ties and cooperation, and the The Clark Clan was naturally among them.

Tower Beyond Towers

The laughter of the clan leader Henry Clark could be faintly heard even from downstairs, clearly in rare good spirits. As they drew closer, the voice became clearer and clearer.

During the conversation, the County Deputy’s surname was Lu, given name Ming, from a distinguished family in Luzhou. His branch was distantly related to the The Clark Family, so the County Deputy addressed himself as uncle, which meant there was already a foundation for cooperation between the two sides. If they could find more common interests...

Henry Clark, dressed in a white hemp Daoist robe, was quick-witted, pouring tea without the slightest delay: “Sir, if only you had come earlier, I could have introduced my third son to you. He’s a few years younger than you, and in the past two years has been doing mountain goods business in Luzhou, but is troubled by being unfamiliar with the place and lacking connections.”

At this moment, the County Deputy wore a blue casual robe, stroked his beard and smiled: “That’s easy. When I return, I’ll write a letter—Luzhou merchants will give some respect. As for these mountain goods, from what I’ve seen along the way, this place is close to Mount Beimang, the goods are precious but hard to come by. It’s impressive to have come this far.”

Henry Clark personally offered a cup: “Virtuous nephew, you truly care for the people. I use tea in place of wine to toast you on behalf of the villagers.”

The County Deputy quickly accepted with both hands: “To serve as an official is to benefit the people—I dare not accept such courtesy from Lord Clark... In fact, I’ve long wanted to travel the whole county, but as a newcomer, I couldn’t outshine the old Magistrate, so I had to rest quietly in the county for half a year. I am ashamed, truly ashamed!”

“Magistrate” refers to the county magistrate, the chief official above the County Deputy, also known in officialdom as “the lord of a hundred miles.”

Henry Clark understood at once—this was the County Deputy seeking a local alliance, but he was in no hurry to respond, instead turning the conversation to local anecdotes and stories. This was not just reserve; after all, it concerned the rise and fall of a family. Even if willing, he could not agree too quickly, lest he seem overeager and be looked down upon.

The County Deputy was well aware of this and did not press, chatting along amiably.

A gentle breeze blew, and the small gathering soon became harmonious. After two cups of tea, wine was brought out, and Henry Clark summoned three young ladies to accompany them.