When Xi Zhicai entered Fenggao, his first impression was one of awe, followed by a sense of the city's prosperity. The reason for this was that upon entering Fenggao, Xi Zhicai activated his spiritual talent and immediately sensed several other spiritual talents within his range.
Through the barrier of the carriage, Xi Zhicai's eyes seemed to pierce the heavens, focusing on the vague, swirling spiritual energies above. Once again, he felt a sense of helplessness, much like when he had encountered Xun You's spiritual talent. He could sense the talent's presence but felt like a tiger facing the sky, unable to grasp it—completely incapable of replication.
Silently gazing upward, Xi Zhicai felt resigned. His greatest concern was that the owner of this spiritual talent might be like Xun You—a person who, once they activated their talent, never deactivated it. This would leave him perpetually frustrated, able only to observe the talent without ever being able to replicate it.
Recalling his past experience with Xun You, Xi Zhicai silently prayed. He hadn't intended to reveal his spiritual talent to anyone, but after analyzing Xun You's talent and realizing its usefulness, he had no choice but to confess to Xun You about his abilities. Xun You had kept his talent active for three long months, leaving Xi Zhicai no chance to replicate it. Eventually, he had to come clean.
From that moment on, Xi Zhicai understood that certain unique talents were challenging to replicate. However, as long as they were talents, he could replicate them—albeit with difficulty. For example, with Xun You's camouflage talent, Xi Zhicai could only replicate it while Xun You's talent was active.
Similarly, Xi Zhicai could detect Chen Xi's talent, meaning he could replicate it. But since Chen Xi's talent was a passive one, Xi Zhicai had only one chance to replicate it—when Chen Xi first awakened his talent. Afterward, there would be no other opportunities, though this limitation had spared Xi Zhicai's life.
At present, Xi Zhicai was focused on analyzing the spiritual talent above, hoping to replicate it when it reactivated. Unfortunately, this type of talent, which couldn't be easily replicated, made the analysis process slow and laborious.
Returning his gaze, Xi Zhicai calmly observed a gathering of spiritual talents. However, instead of the concentrated area, he was more interested in the three talents that were clearly outside the range of the altar—intellectuals who hadn't yet joined Liu Bei's camp. They were his targets.
Xi Zhicai's arrival in Fenggao was poorly timed, so he didn't receive the same reception as Ju Shou. A group of city guards merely escorted him to the guest quarters, informing him that Liu Bei would meet with them after the sacrifices concluded. Xi Zhicai, however, had no complaints about this arrangement.
"Changwen, Boda, I'll handle the alliance negotiations with Taishan," Xi Zhicai said with a smile, taking the lead.
"Understood. I also need to pay a visit to Chen Zichuan. Boda, will you accompany me? After all, you did leave your family heirloom as a gift," Chen Qun replied calmly.
"If Chen Zichuan isn't around, you probably just plan to deliver a letter and return, right? Do you really need to drag me along? That's not very considerate," Sima Lang responded without hesitation.
"Fine, stay here, then. I'll go see Chen Zichuan and take care of some other matters," Chen Qun chuckled. "They say Taishan is prosperous. Now that I'm here, I should see it for myself and compare it to Nanyang's former glory."
"I think you'll be in for a surprise," Sima Lang replied with a smile.
Sima Lang had already explored Fenggao in the past few days and knew that the city's prosperity wasn't merely comparable to Nanyang but had surpassed it in many ways. His keen eye had discerned the cleanliness, wealth, and orderliness of Fenggao. Such prosperity was rare, and he understood that Liu Bei's confidence in his education initiatives stemmed from this foundation. However, Sima Lang also believed that replicating Fenggao's success elsewhere would be nearly impossible. Just as there was only one Chen Zichuan, there was only one Fenggao—a miraculous city, born of unique opportunities, talent, and fortune.
Since miracles couldn't be replicated, it meant that Liu Bei's grand plans for education would likely remain unfulfilled. Many things were destined to be.
After resting for a while, Xi Zhicai took Dian Wei along to seek out the top scholars who clearly weren't part of Liu Bei's camp. His plan was simple: if they were unaligned, he'd deceive and recruit them. If they already had an allegiance, he'd see if he could sway them. From the beginning, Xi Zhicai had come to Qingzhou with the intent to recruit talent.
"Greetings, Lord Ju," Xi Zhicai said, stopping in his tracks when he recognized Ju Shou. His initial instinct was to leave immediately, not wanting to waste time, but before he could slip away, Ju Shou called out to him, forcing Xi Zhicai to turn back and offer a respectful bow.
"Zhicai, it's been a long time," Ju Shou greeted him with a smile, pouring a cup of wine. He glanced at the robust figure behind Xi Zhicai, whose waist was girded with hand axes and who carried two large halberds. Ju Shou narrowed his eyes. "This must be General Dian, famed for his battle against Lü Bu at Wancheng. Truly worthy of the title 'Ancient Evil Lai.' Come, General, let me offer you a cup."
Dian Wei laughed heartily, shifting both halberds to his left hand, then accepting the cup with his right. He drained it in one gulp, set the cup down, and scratched his head. "What do you mean, not defeated? Lü Bu was too fierce. When he flew into the air, I couldn't even reach him," Dian Wei said without reservation.
Ju Shou frowned slightly. From Dian Wei's words, he could infer a lot. The man wasn't defeated by Lü Bu; he simply couldn't reach him.
"Haha, as expected of General Dian," Ju Shou remarked, impressed. He had witnessed Lü Bu's ferocity firsthand—an unparalleled warrior who could defeat Yan Liang and Wen Chou in fifty moves. Yet here was a man who could hold his own against him.
"Lord Ju, have you gained anything from this visit?" Xi Zhicai asked with a smile after seating Dian Wei. He wasn't concerned about Ju Shou's political maneuverings.
"Taishan's prosperity rivals that of Nanyang. This Liu Xuande will undoubtedly become a threat to my lord. However, for now, his wings aren't fully grown, and my lord hasn't yet secured the north. He can't afford to look south. Otherwise, he wouldn't let Liu Bei grow stronger," Ju Shou replied bluntly. "What's more, Taishan is the gateway to Xuzhou. Without it, there's no access to surplus grain."
Xi Zhicai sipped his wine in silence. He knew all too well that Ju Shou was referring to his lord, Cao Cao. Currently, only Cao Cao had truly stabilized his situation in the central plains, while Liu Bei was still entangled in endless expansion in Qingzhou.
Yuan Shu was preoccupied with relocating his capital to Shouchun and fending off Liu Biao's counterattacks. He should be grateful that Cao Cao wasn't attacking him.
Liu Bei's campaign to open up Qingzhou dragged on due to his methodical approach. Many Qingzhou Yellow Turbans were spending the winter working in infrastructure projects. Come spring, Liu Bei would surely launch a major offensive, which would require even more resources to rebuild Qingzhou. Meanwhile, Xuzhou's Tao Qian was too old and weak to meddle in the affairs of the world.
In the north, Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan wouldn't stop fighting until one of them was dead. Guo Si and Li Jue in Yongzhou didn't have the courage to extend their reach into the central plains and were content with their small skirmishes in Xiliang. Only Cao Cao had truly stabilized his situation. It was inevitable that he would seek further expansion, and taking Taishan to fully occupy Yanzhou and then annexing Xuzhou would be the best course—without Liu Bei, of course!