Hao Yongtai stared blankly for a moment when he heard Chu Qiguang's request, completely taken aback that he would ask for such a thing.
Yet in this world, knowledge had always been expensive, and books were luxuries beyond the reach of ordinary folk. The volumes and records hoarded by prominent clans were utterly out of reach for commoners.
Seen in that light, it made good sense that Chu Qiguang would want to borrow books from the Hao family collection. Hao Yongtai confirmed once more that Chu Qiguang was not after secret manuals of martial arts or Daoist arts, but merely ordinary classics, histories, philosophical treatises, and literary collections.
He also considered that Chu Qiguang studied at Yinglue Academy, making them fellow students.
With that, Hao Yongtai nodded in agreement. "Brother Chu, it's only borrowing books. For the next month, you need only go to our door and give my name. As for these two hundred taels, if I accepted them, the Hao family would have no face left in the county."
Seeing that Hao Yongtai not only permitted him to visit and borrow from their library for a month but had also waived the two hundred taels of silver, Chu Qiguang felt a flash of delight. He thought to himself, *What a good man. So much more reliable than your younger brother.*
Hao Yongtai then hosted a feast at a tavern, treating Chu Qiguang, Daoist Fayuan, and He Xian. At the table, cups clinked and wine flowed. Chu Qiguang sat in the middle, smoothing conversation and keeping the mood lively. From time to time, he chatted with Hao Yongtai about the martial examinations, spoke with Daoist Fayuan about monsters, and discussed solving cases with He Xian, leaving both host and guests thoroughly delighted.
Taking full advantage of this opportunity, Chu Qiguang truly established ties with Hao Yongtai, He Xian, and Daoist Fayuan, planting half a foot inside the county's prominent circles.
The fox Gu Wei had captured was also released by Chu Qiguang and handed over to Qiao Zhi to take back into the mountains.
***
Late that night, as soon as Chu Qiguang returned to his small courtyard, Wang Cailiang came rushing up to greet him with a look of utter astonishment, shouting, "Brother Chu! I heard from Reckoner Li over at the Revenue Office that you cracked the Bloody Corpse Case! Is it true?"
Chu Qiguang waved a hand with an easy smile. "Ah, it was all pure coincidence."
Catching the scent of wine on Chu Qiguang, Wang Cailiang guessed, "You just got back from a banquet? Hosted by the Hao family?"
Chu Qiguang knew he couldn't hide it, nor was there any need to, so he said, "Hao Yongtai treated Daoist Fayuan, Young Master He Xian, and me."
Wang Cailiang looked at Chu Qiguang with envy in his eyes. Though he frequently bragged in front of Chu Qiguang about how vast his network was and how many people he knew in the county, he knew in his heart that his circle of local landlords was insignificant in Qingyang County. The figures Chu Qiguang was mingling with now—Hao Yongtai, He Xian, Fayuan—were the true high society, the very circle he had always yearned to enter.
Moreover, since his family had an ongoing dispute with the Haos over ancestral graves, Wang Cailiang was all the more eager for a chance to resolve it.
Wang Cailiang asked tentatively, "Brother Chu, the next time you go drinking, could you bring me along?"
Chu Qiguang clapped Wang Cailiang on the shoulder. "Do you even need to ask? We're brothers. If you want to drink with us, of course I'll take you. I know you're worried about the land dispute between the Hao family and yours. I'll help you with that."
Inwardly, he added, *Depending on how much silver your family is willing to cough up.*
"Brother Chu!" Wang Cailiang was overwhelmed with gratitude once more. Looking at Chu Qiguang, he recalled how this man had always known how to talk big, had taken good care of him, had even cured his canine poison, and now, after entering high society, had not forgotten to give him a hand up...
"You're truly a man of honor!" Wang Cailiang felt it was an absolute blessing to have Chu Qiguang as a brother.
Wang Cailiang thumped his chest. "Don't worry, Brother Chu! Your brother here definitely won't make you lose face! When the time comes, the two of us will dominate Qingyang and pass the martial examinations together!"
After making plans to drink together the following day, Wang Cailiang took his leave in high spirits.
Chu Qiguang returned to his room, only to see Qiao Zhi sprawled on the bed with his belly exposed, looking completely worn out.
"Master Qiao worked hard today." Chu Qiguang sat on the bed and began stroking Qiao Zhi's belly while weighing his gains and losses from the day.
*Earned two hundred taels of silver, bringing my funds back up to over nine hundred taels.*
*Established ties with the Hao family, He Xian, and Fayuan, expanding my network.*
*Still, there's one last fruit of the Bloody Corpse Case left to harvest.*
Chu Qiguang rubbed his chin and chuckled. "Master Qiao, tomorrow I'll need you to track down those cat monsters who were under Lin Nan. We need to prepare to unify the cat forces of Qingyang County."
The moment Qiao Zhi heard this, his drowsiness vanished. His ears pricked up, and he asked, "What do you plan to do?"
Chu Qiguang chuckled. "Adopt these adorable stray cats, of course. They can all be my godchildren. From now on, we'll be one big family."
Qiao Zhi muttered, "You have to treat them well. You can't mistreat them."
Chu Qiguang said, "How could I mistreat them? Just look at my dog sons—aren't they living well right now? They have work every day, and food and lodging are fully provided.
"For food, our servant Chen Gang makes special trips to the major taverns to buy all kinds of meat and dishes.
"For lodging, they stay in the ruins of the Buddhist temple inside the county town—plenty of space, abundant sunlight, and only a five-minute walk from the county's CBD.
"And by following me, their prospects are brighter still. They're striving for the future integration of the demon race into the human world, fighting to build a harmonious society..."
Listening to Chu Qiguang blather on and on with words he could barely comprehend, Qiao Zhi could only nod along halfheartedly. "Mm, that's fine then."
Chu Qiguang smiled. With dog monsters roaming the streets and tracking scents to dig up news on one hand, and cat monsters scaling walls and climbing rooftops to gather intelligence on the other, he would be able to lay down an information network across all of Qingyang. It would be like adding wings to a tiger.
Out of Chu Qiguang's sight, however, Qiao Zhi was frantically licking his calming fur, thinking to himself, *It should be fine, right?... Chu Qiguang's temper is much better now. Meeting the cat monsters shouldn't cause any trouble... right?*
Late the next night, Chu Qiguang followed Qiao Zhi over the wall and out of the courtyard. Avoiding the night watchmen all the way, they arrived at the newly rented courtyard.
Over the past several days, Qiao Zhi had been fighting and feeding the stray cats daily. Relying on his status as a cat monster, his formidable martial arts, and the steady stream of food Chu Qiguang provided from behind the scenes, he had firmly established a foothold among the cat monsters of Qingyang County.
This had calmed the cat monsters, who had been thrown into disarray after losing Lin Nan's leadership.
And tonight was the day Qiao Zhi had arranged for the cat monsters to gather in this newly rented courtyard to meet Chu Qiguang.
To be safe, Chu Qiguang was originally not supposed to meet these cat monsters, relying entirely on Qiao Zhi to contact and command them.
However, Qiao Zhi's efficiency in this area had always left Chu Qiguang dissatisfied. Moreover, the orange cat showed faint signs of siding too much with his fellow cat monsters, giving Chu Qiguang the feeling that he couldn't truly direct them.
Considering how vital this early stage of his venture was, Chu Qiguang had decided to take a slight risk and meet this band of cat monsters in person.
***
The courtyard Chu Qiguang had rented had long stood unoccupied. Over the past few days, he had hired people to clean it up and moved in some furniture, leaving it fairly neat and tidy.
A dozen or so cat monsters had gathered in the center of the courtyard. Some sat licking their fur, others lay in a daze, and a few wrestled and played with one another, looking just like an ordinary clowder of feral cats. Scattered across the ground around them were several half-eaten plates of leftover food and water, all of which Chen Gang had delivered under Qiao Zhi's instructions over the past few days.
This was the scene that met Chu Qiguang and Qiao Zhi as they climbed over the wall and entered the courtyard.
Yet the moment Chu Qiguang appeared, the cat monsters leapt into the air like a startled flock of sheep and instantly scattered in all directions.
Chapter 60