Chapter 145: The Wuji Pavilion in Wuji County (Part I)

The sound of horse hooves rang crisp and clear along the ancient path.

Little White’s steps were as extraordinary as the steed itself. Unlike ordinary horses, it soared gracefully through its gallop, and Zhang Yu could occasionally catch faint traces of fluorescent light weaving around its legs.

Beat by beat, the sound was pure and bright, soothing the soul and making the entire body feel as light as if a thousand-pound burden had been lifted.

Walking-in-the-Waves obediently trailed behind, eating dust, its own hoofbeats sounding like a harmonious accompaniment to Little White’s melody. In this picturesque world, the sole focus belonged exclusively to that single man and his horse.

Even though there were nearly a hundred people traveling in their company.

The Wine-Pouring Scholar who had previously overseen the Exiled Immortal Pavilion, along with some troops brought by Yuan Shao and Gao Lan, had already received orders from their lord to remain in Lunu City—yet another gesture of goodwill from Yuan Shao.

From this moment on, these nearly five hundred soldiers were nominally guards protecting Lunu, but in reality, they had all become the private armed force of our Marquis of Wuji.

With men now at his command, Zhang Yu was naturally brimming with ambition and strutting with pride. To outsiders, he appeared noble, handsome, profoundly learned, immensely talented, yet entirely indifferent to fame, fortune, or worldly glory. Already, people in Hebei had begun calling him "The Number One Young Master under Heaven," and this pleasant title was slowly spreading far and wide.

Yet, deep down, Zhang Yu retained a streak of frivolous humor. After all, in his own mind, he remained a transmigrator, a good citizen of the twenty-first century, and a probationary communist warrior bearing the great task of building socialism.

Today’s Zhang Yu felt more like a combination of Zhang Sifan and Zhang Yu. He was no longer simply the college youth Zhang Sifan, nor did he merely inherit Zhang Yu’s striking appearance; but without a doubt, whichever version it was, he was his true and unique self.

Dozens of soldiers followed closely behind Zhang Yu, wearing armor and side swords, exuding an imposing momentum like a rainbow along the sparsely populated official road.

Flanking him were Xiahou Long and Han Long, the men he trusted most, while he himself was draped in a crane-patterned robe of purple gauze trimmed with gold—luxurious and dashing.

At this moment, galloping on horseback, Zhang Yu’s immortal-like posture and Little White’s soaring magnificence lent the scene a touch of the ethereal. Such moments of youthful vigor and high spirits were always as beautiful and fleeting as morning dew.

"Wuji... Luo'er, I have returned."

Time flowed backward, several days into the past.

"So, looking at it now, your career quest can barely be considered complete."

"A career quest?" Zhang Yu paused in surprise, then cast his consciousness deep into his mind.

"[Career Quest]: Establish yourself as an independent faction or pledge allegiance to a lord. [Quest Reward]: One random architectural blueprint."

Beside this entry, the button indicating [Complete], previously gray and unavailable, had turned a glowing golden yellow and was pulsing gently up and down.

"But I neither established myself nor pledged allegiance to anyone," Zhang Yu questioned. "Yuan Shao’s invitation was just rejected by me, in case you forgot."

"You declared your eternal refusal to serve before Yuan Shao and composed *Ode to the Lotus* to proclaim your mindset to the world. The system has defaulted to choosing independence for you—"

"Wait a minute!" Zhang Yu hurriedly interrupted. "Does this mean I have to contend for dominance over the realm?"

"Until your next successor is found, the system has no such plans for the moment."

"That's a relief... No, wait! Hey! What do you mean by that? Sounds like you're clearly planning to abandon me, right?"

The homeroom teacher let out a soft chuckle. "You, you're still too young. Look at me, what kind of storms and waves haven't I seen..."

"Stop flattering yourself, hurry up. Once you're done explaining, I'll turn in the quest."

"Let's put it this way: independence comes in many forms. For instance, while you think of independence as becoming a regional warlord, it also includes remaining neutral amidst troubled times. Through the system's judgment, your current sphere of influence has qualified you to maintain neutrality, which is why the quest was deemed complete."

"A sphere of influence? Hehe, with my pathetic influence... truly terrifyingly strong." Zhang Yu echoed with a sneer. "What do you think if I declare myself a king next, and then take that little freak Li Cunxiao along to have him lead eighteen stout men to capture Chang'an?"

(Note: Unofficial history fictionalizes the top fierce warrior of the late Tang dynasty, Li Cunxiao, as capturing Chang'an City with a mere eighteen cavalrymen.)

The homeroom teacher did not reply further. Too lazy to bother with him, Zhang Yu used his mind to click the button. A flash of golden light erupted, and the quest was successfully submitted.

"Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully completing the [Career Quest]: Establish an independent faction or pledge allegiance to a lord. Obtained [Quest Reward]: One random architectural blueprint."

As the pristine system chime temporarily subsided, a small ball of light materialized out of thin air, then slowly expanded, radiating a dim, hazy glow. Eventually, it transformed into a giant stone card outlined by countless etched lines, standing upright right before Zhang Yu’s eyes, as real as any physical object.

However, when Zhang Yu instinctively reached out to touch it, his hand passed right through it. Much like the system interface in his mind, this was yet another masterpiece of the miraculous system.

"Since you're so capable, why can't you summon military generals or let me buy peerless martial arts manuals?" Zhang Yu complained with resentment, then chose to draw his reward.

The stone card flickered in rhythm with Zhang Yu’s breathing, then suddenly flipped over, revealing four dazzling stars shining brightly at the top.

"Ding! Congratulations to the host for drawing the four-star building—[Langya Pavilion]."

"...Langya Pavilion. It is the most mysterious place under heaven, yet at the same time, the most open place under heaven.

Everyone in the world who has heard of Langya Pavilion knows it sits atop Mount Langya, an exquisite and elegant estate filled with pavilions, terraces, beautiful maidens, and spiritual servants. Outside the estate runs a wide, paved stone path winding all the way down to the official road at the foot of the mountain... Langya Pavilion places almost no restrictions on its visitors."

Zhang Yu smacked his lips, recalling his fur-collared cloak and Lu Banruo whom he had met a few days prior. "The crossover rate of *Nirvana in Fire* feels a bit too high. Are they seriously treating me like Mei Changsu? Poor health, supreme intellect, gorgeous looks to boot... Tell me, is this building actually going to be on Mount Langya? I recall that's pretty far south—"

"The host may inspect the desk."

Zhang Yu rose from the couch and finally noticed a sheepskin scroll that had not been there before, lying quietly in place, its archaic color blending almost seamlessly with the surface of the desk.

Curious, he placed his hand on it to stroke it, then flipped it over to check the other side, failing to spot any difference from ordinary sheepskin scrolls.

"This reward... is just a drawing?!"

"The host may pick it up and take a look."

Doing as he was told, Zhang Yu aimed the blueprint at the empty space inside the room. A miniature, exquisitely carved version of the elegant courtyard was projected into the air as a translucent holographic shadow, glowing with an eye-catching red hue.

"It's just like... Red Alert! Red means it cannot be placed, so green means it can? Is this thing really a building?"