Chapter 1096 - 915: Public Opinion (2)

At a teahouse, Fan Qingfeng and Dongguo Shou, who had disguised themselves, were also on site, unable to resist coming to see for themselves after hearing the commotion.

This spectacle made both of them feel a pang in their molars, fully experiencing the frustration of being outdone.

After holding back for a good while as he watched the flow of people outside the window, Dongguo Shou finally couldn't help but say, "Sometimes I feel like Shi Chun and I are people from two different worlds. Many things I really can't understand how he thinks. If I say I'm too weak to see it, then the Sect..." He originally wanted to say the Sect should be able to see, but changed his words at the last moment, "With what he's doing, what should we do?"

Fan Qingfeng sneered coldly, "More than ten billion, I'd like to see where he gets that much money. Without it, everything is for naught."

Dongguo Shou sighed, "Elder, to be honest, I oddly feel confident in him. I feel like he can get this money. He wouldn't make pointless claims. His sudden actions make me a bit scared inside, afraid to let down the Sect's high hopes."

Originally, he was the Sect's golden child, mastering various Divine Skills at such a stage and age, quite confident. But after the Battle of Great Pardon against Shi Chun, that confidence seemed to have been worn down bit by bit.

Now whenever he sees Shi Chun, he has the inexplicable feeling of seeing his superior.

Fan Qingfeng thought to himself, do you think I'm not scared? Truly unafraid, would I come here to personally check?

But still, outwardly, he turned his head and glared coldly, "Do you know what ten billion means?"

In a calm tone, Dongguo Shou advised, "Elder, I think if we learned from him quickly and did the same thing now, it might still be on time. If we delay further, I really fear it'll be too late."

Fan Qingfeng: "You say it lightly, Dingdong Mansion alone is short of sixty million people, doing this, do you know how much money that takes?"

Dongguo Shou sighed, "Probably several billion."

Fan Qingfeng countered, "Where can that kind of money be found? With the Sect's strength, it's not impossible to gather, but the problem is, you know it's only potentially on time. What if we lose in the end, who fills this huge gap? Whoever decides takes responsibility."

Dongguo Shou looked up at the sky outside the window and murmured quietly, "But his gap reached ten billion, how does he dare..."

In another part of the city, within an inn, Manxi, also disguised, stood by the window watching the scene outside, unable to resist witnessing the grand occasion, his expression growing grimmer with each passing moment.

After arriving, he wandered around the city, listening to the situation firsthand, hearing some things Mo Hei had not disclosed, filling his guts with public opinion favoring Shi Chun.

Public opinion has overwhelmingly leaned towards Shi Chun.

Here, Shi Chun is as he says, participates in the Battle of Great Pardon, and the rabble at Heavenly Domain Central scold him daily, yet here, work tirelessly as unpaid laborers... it's truly bizarre.

He had closely monitored Shi Chun's movements, secretly intending to learn from him, thinking that if worse comes to worst, he could mimic him. But found it impossible to imitate, discovering that Shi Chun was a hands-off Shopkeeper, lazier than him, yet somehow things turned out like this?

He knew Shi Chun's public opinion in the Heavenly Domain was high, but didn't realize it was so absurdly high like this. Now, outside mentions of the Heavenly Domain are all about Shi Chun, as if Shi Chun were the Domain Master, overshadowing him, Manxi, completely, while Shi Chun, that dog, as a subordinate made no effort to hide it.

He knew clearly, the Heavenly Court was not deaf or blind, likely having ears here, Shi Chun's public opinion in the Heavenly Domain had surely reached the Heavenly Court, and likely the complaints about himself had long reached them...

Behind the window of a pub, Shi Chun stood with hands crossed behind his back, he had personally come to inspect the escort situation.

Though he wasn't personally managing things, visiting the scene in his spare time was necessary, as after all, he couldn't rely solely on others' words.

Next door, through the wall, occasional voices of conversations faintly drifted out, "It's truly a spectacular event, I heard Domain Central and Dingdong Mansion there, have only recruited thirty to forty million people, while Dingxi and Dingbei started with such an endless flow of people. In less than half a year, they might surpass them, those two won't hold their positions."

"Won't holding their positions be good? Haven't you heard how people curse them over there? If they gain power, our lives may not be better, our Southern Commander truly cares for the people."

"Indeed, their lower house is ten cities strong, but our Commander bypassed founding the Prefecture City, makes do with City Lord Feng, putting saved money into free housing for everyone."

Listening intently, Shi Chun was slightly stunned by the words. He certainly hadn't planned this, initially when founding the city, the edict for attracting population had yet to arrive, who knew someone was spreading such rumors?

Turning his head inadvertently, he saw Feng Chi beside him pursing her lips in amusement, suddenly understanding that it was this woman propagating and beautifying the story.

"Is there a possibility that the Commander and City Lord Feng have an affair, simplifying housing arrangements for convenience? Look at City Lord Feng's porcelain-white complexion and plump beauty, quite tempting. Given prolonged male-female cohabitation, I don't believe nothing's happening between them..."

Shi Chun's brows furrowed slightly, surprised to hear his own romantic rumors, though he didn't take it seriously, still turning his head again to glance at Feng Chi.

To his surprise, Feng Chi seemed on the brink of laughter, leaned in slightly to whisper, "It's not impossible. As long as you don't mind, I certainly have no objections."

Shi Chun glanced at her unexpectedly, assuming she was joking with him. As far as he knew, this woman once refused to submit to such matters despite destroyed cultivation, even giving up the Demon Path Saintess title.

Of course, he also knew her status was now different, with high prestige in Dingnan Prefecture. A brothel background's blemish overturned as life's embellishment, per Wu Jinliang, many brothel girls now hung her portrait in their rooms, seeing Feng Chi as an example for reform.

After those opinions veered off for a bit, they returned to Shi Chun, barely speaking truthfully, mostly garbled rumors, or exaggerations.

Just as this happened, Feng Chi took out and glanced at a Mother-child Talisman, then slightly startled, promptly approaching and softly reported, "Sir, the Phoenix Clan Chief has personally arrived outside the official residence, intending to visit you."

"Feng Xi?" Shi Chun was quite surprised, hesitantly asked, "Given his status, how could he lower himself for a visit?"

Speaking suddenly, Shi Chun was thoughtful, inevitably connecting it to the 'Beidou Refusal Array.'

Regardless, he truly couldn't conceive why someone of such status would visit him, with enough high-ranking, powerful officials in the Phoenix Clan to not stoop to him.

He vaguely sensed Wu Jinliang's use of large arrays on Yanfu Continent might have been interpreted by the Phoenix Clan, fearing that the visitor's intentions aren't good.