“Wind at my feet!” Zhao Xing manipulated the Wind Spell, using it to boost his running speed.
But this Spell wasn't for himself; it was for the straw figure.
He also controlled the rhythm of the rain, so that as the straw figure ran under the clouds, its path ahead would be clear of rain.
He deliberately left two subtle differences to mislead Shen Zhui.
Shen Zhui ran to the willow tree and was immediately faced with a choice between two options.
After only a second of hesitation, he chased in the direction of the straw figure.
Feeling Shen Zhui running in the opposite direction, a smile appeared at the corner of Zhao Xing’s mouth.
“What? Another straw figure?!” Shen Zhui looked at the repeating straw figure in front of him, speechless.
Thinking back now, Zhao Xing’s two flaws were clearly given to him on purpose.
Making such a quick reaction in such a short time, without the slightest hesitation, couldn't even be called a first reaction; it was clearly premeditated!
“Hmph!” This time, Shen Zhui didn't speak to Zhao Xing. He directly split the straw figure, not giving the other party a chance to stall, and immediately chased in the opposite direction.
In the study of the Chen Manor.
Chen Shijie sensed this scene and couldn't help but laugh aloud.
He hadn't intended to pay attention, because in his opinion, Shen Zhui, being Rank Seven Gathering Yuan and having mastered his movement technique to the highest level, would quickly catch Zhao Xing.
He hadn't expected Zhao Xing to pull off such a clever trick, making Shen Zhui run around in circles.
“Good kid, merely by using Moving Clouds, Spreading Rain, Straw Figure, and Rising Wind, he managed to create such a favorable environment for himself?”
“If you don't become a Military Agricultural Officer, it would be a terrible waste of talent.”
Chen Shijie stopped reading, grabbed a wine gourd, and sat by the window, intently observing this cat-and-mouse game.
In the heavy rain, Shen Zhui looked at the two figures running in different directions ahead, his mouth twitching slightly.
Zhao Xing had called back the second straw figure he made to provide cover.
Now he had to make another choice.
One had the Rising Wind Spell for acceleration and a clear sky above, while the other had no enhancements.
“Last time the straw figure had the Spell enhancement, this time it must be his real body with the enhancement!”
Shen Zhui chose one direction and pursued it.
Ten breaths later.
Shen Zhui looked at the straw figure in front of him, feeling a bit broken.
“This, this… another straw figure?”
“He anticipated my anticipation?”
Shen Zhui felt like a clown, being played for a fool once again.
He hadn't been this angry even when he lost during sparring sessions with other Martial Artists in the Martial Arts Office.
But facing Zhao Xing truly messed with his mentality.
Brother Zhao, you with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, you look so sunny, yet I didn't expect you to be so good at deception?
“Hmph!” Shen Zhui snorted coldly, and a white light flashed from his iron ruler, shattering the straw figure.
Shen Zhui composed himself, regrouped, and continued his search.
“He adjusts his mentality quite quickly. Even after being fooled three times in a row, he maintained a certain level of calm. Although he showed emotion, his actions were unaffected, and he instinctively made the best recovery.”
After losing contact with the third straw figure, Zhao Xing also gave Shen Zhui a look of admiration.
Because the other party's handling was very good.
As for making the wrong choice?
That couldn't be blamed on Shen Zhui.
It seemed like a fifty-fifty chance between two choices, but Zhao Xing's odds of winning were far greater than fifty percent!
Because he possessed Rank Two Luck!
Through this method, he pulled Shen Zhui and himself into another dimension of competition: gambling on Luck.
“Whether he chases the straw figure or chases me, either choice makes sense, but my Luck Rank is higher than his,” Zhao Xing thought to himself.
Chen Shijie couldn't see this point either.
After all, Rank Two Luck was already quite rare in this small county town. Including the official personnel, perhaps only County Magistrate Li Wenzheng and Chen Shijie possessed Rank Two Luck.
“However, a single burst of energy, then a decline, then exhaustion. The passive activation of Luck follows a hidden rule; gaining an advantage three times in a short period is the limit.”
“Assuming I had a fourth straw figure, Shen Zhui would probably make the correct choice next time.”
“Moreover, I don't have a fourth straw figure.”
Feeling the footsteps behind him rapidly approaching, Zhao Xing gave up resisting.
The clouds dispersed, the rain stopped, and the wind and waves calmed.
With Shen Zhui's iron ruler at Zhao Xing's neck, a sense of satisfaction surged through him.
You run, go on, run again!
“Brother Shen is mighty. I tried everything I could, yet I only managed to delay for a quarter of an hour before you caught me,” Zhao Xing said, cupping his hands.
Seeing this, Shen Zhui also realized he had been a bit too serious. This was just a training game; how could he place his iron ruler at a colleague's neck?
He quickly retracted his ruler, put it back in his waist, and cupped his hands, saying, “I am ashamed. Brother Zhao's Spells are exquisite, and his thoughts are meticulous, truly rare among officials. I am impressed.”
Shen Zhui wasn't being polite; he was genuinely impressed.
Initially, they were only fifty meters apart. Zhao Xing was only Rank Three Gathering Yuan, while he was Rank Seven Gathering Yuan. Logically, he should have been caught long ago. One must know that he was a Martial Artist, and a constable who had completed many missions!
Yet, he was stubbornly delayed by Zhao Xing for so long!
“I was lucky. You just happened to encounter an Agricultural Officer like me. Besides, Brother Shen adapts very quickly. Your footsteps in the rain are almost impossible to grasp. If we have a few more training sessions like this, I'm afraid you'll fully adapt,” Zhao Xing said, also speaking from the heart.
Opportunities for Martial Artists and Agricultural Officers to spar were already few, not to mention he had the advantage of Luck.
Furthermore, Zhao Xing's combat experience and techniques were honed through countless trials in his previous life.
In a small place like Gucheng, he was in a league of his own.
It was quite remarkable that Shen Zhui could force him to constantly run without time to create a fifth straw figure.
“Brother Zhao, there's no need to be modest,” Shen Zhui said with a smile. “You only used four ordinary Spells. If you combined more, I wouldn't know how long it would take me to catch you.”
That was true, and Zhao Xing didn't deny it.
Only having the Straw Figure Spell was too monotonous. If he knew more basic Spells, it would also cause no small amount of interference for Shen Zhui. Combining multiple Spells might even give him a chance to injure the other party.
“Brother Shen, let's stop flattering each other,” Zhao Xing said, pointing to the pear orchard ahead. “Why don't we sit down and eat a pear?”
“This, isn't that good. That's Sir Chen's pear orchard,” Shen Zhui hesitated slightly.
“Sir Chen allows me to eat fifteen Heavenly Yuan Pears a month. What's wrong with me sharing one with you? It's on me, eat without worry!” Zhao Xing unceremoniously picked two from the pear orchard and tossed one to Shen Zhui.
“Alright.” Shen Zhui also didn't stand on ceremony; he could tell these pears were treasures.
After the two finished eating, Chen Shijie walked out of the study with a smile: “You ungrateful boy, using my pears to gain favor? I only said I'd give you some to eat; when did I allow you to pick them?”
“Sir Chen, these pears were picked for me,” Shen Zhui stood up a bit awkwardly, then bowed and said, “If there's a punishment, please punish me alone; it has nothing to do with Zhao Xing.”
Chen Shijie secretly nodded, thinking that the person he chose for Zhao Xing was indeed the right one.
Zhao Xing, seeing that Chen Shijie wasn't actually angry, smiled and said, “Sir, if you want to punish me, I'll accept it, but could you wait a moment?”
“Oh? What do you want to do?”
“Breakthrough to Rank Four Gathering Yuan.”