Wei Shangren's smile slowly froze, leaving him stammering and speechless.
Zhou Xun, on the other hand, wore a look of surprise. Originally prepared to pack up and flee, the situation had suddenly taken a miraculous turn.
He cast a half-smiling glance at Wei Shangren and said, "Brother Wei is as fond of joking as ever. I almost actually believed you just now!"
Wei Shangren forced an ugly smile, nodded stiffly, and replied, "Yes, exactly, just playing a little joke with Brother Zhou, haha..."
With that, he hurriedly squeezed through the crowd and beat a hasty retreat.
He needed to go back and ask his older brother why that middle-aged manager had taken gifts without delivering results—wasn't he his own brother-in-law's uncle?
He couldn't make sense of it!
Neither could Zhou Xun.
He certainly didn't believe Wei Shangren was merely joking with him.
That middle-aged manager must be his brother's brother-in-law, and the attempt to reject him had undoubtedly happened.
It was just that some unexpected twist must have occurred along the way, leading to the current outcome.
That middle-aged man was a senior manager at Danbao Pavilion, after all.
For someone to foil his scheme must involve the higher-ups of Danbao Pavilion. If that were the case, he would need to carefully consider whether joining Danbao Pavilion was even necessary.
Over on Wei Shangli's side, hearing Zhou Xun's name left him utterly stunned.
He stared blankly at his third younger brother, Wei Shangyi, wondering if he had misheard.
His brother-in-law had given him absolute assurances, and he had personally seen that critical evaluation accompanied by a giant red cross.
Yet Zhou Xun had still been accepted.
He refused to believe his brother-in-law had taken bribes and failed to deliver.
As the son-in-law of the Wu Family and a young talisman master with a bright future—not to mention their familial ties—there was no reason for him to deceive himself.
No normal person would do such a thing!
Could it be that he wasn't normal after all?
Wei Shangli even began to harbor a shred of doubt.
In truth, he was not the only one.
Even Manager Lin himself felt a trace of disbelief upon seeing Zhou Xun's name.
Still, he calmly read out Zhou Xun's name without changing expression.
This was the list personally drafted by Master Yunku. Although he was a member of the Lin Family, he dared not offend this guest elder.
If he hadn't grown accustomed to handling grand occasions through years of greeting guests, he would have made a fool of himself.
While his mouth mechanically read out the names, his mind was racing.
Once the list was submitted, only Lin Zhishan and Master Yunku had the authority to make changes.
"Could this fellow have some connection to Lin Zhishan or Master Yunku?" the manager speculated.
Impossible!
Manager Lin quickly dismissed the thought.
If Zhou Xun had such powerful connections, he would have joined Danbao Pavilion long ago and would never have sunk to being expelled by Miaofu Pavilion.
It seemed that during this recruitment drive, Master Yunku must have noticed that this kid was a local of Red Leaf Market and simply decided to grant him a slot.
It had to be that.
Yet, nothing in this world was absolute, and often the most unlikely explanation turned out to be the truth.
He could not afford to take a single risk with this matter!
The position of senior manager at Danbao Pavilion was a lucrative post, coveted by countless people lurking in the background.
From now on, not only must he avoid targeting Zhou Xun, but he also needed to find a way to get on his good side.
Manager Lin carefully recalled his own written evaluation.
"Expelled by Miaofu Pavilion, not recommended for admission!"
"My reasons for rejecting this fellow are entirely defensible. No one would suspect I was deliberately targeting him; even if Master Yunku found out, he would only think I acted with strict impartiality!"
"Apart from the Wei brothers, no one knows the truth. I'll simply return the spiritual liquid, give them a warning, and this matter will be put to rest!"
With that thought, Manager Lin felt much lighter, and his voice carried significantly more vigor as he continued reading.
Soon, the thirty accepted alchemical apprentices and fifty accepted handymen had all been read out.
"All accepted individuals, please report to Danbao Pavilion in three days. Failure to arrive on time will be regarded as forfeiting the position!"
Having spoken the final sentence, Manager Lin stepped down from the platform.
Once the people from Danbao Pavilion departed, the crowd in the square gradually dispersed.
As people returned home, the list of successful applicants for the recruitment assembly began to spread throughout Red Leaf Market.
The alchemical apprentices, in particular, were targets of universal envy.
By the very day they returned home, many of their doorsteps had been worn flat by matchmakers.
Joyful Fragrance Tower, private room.
After the crowds dispersed, the Wei brothers invited their close friends to celebrate.
Although the plan to reject Zhou Xun had failed, his third brother's auspicious success could not simply be ignored.
Relationships between brothers required nurturing, too.
Wei Shangli understood this principle deeply.
Among the banqueters were talisman masters and apprentices from Miaofu Pavilion, Manager Lin himself, and even a newly minted alchemical apprentice they had just met in the square.
Cups and goblets were exchanged amidst warm and cheerful laughter.
The gathering did not break up until late into the night.
As they were leaving, Manager Lin sought out Wei Shangli.
With a look of remorse, he said, "I am truly ashamed, nephew. Things didn't work out... you should take this back!"
As he spoke, he produced the bottle of spiritual liquid and handed it back.
"What is Uncle saying? This spiritual liquid was merely a junior's token of filial respect for his elder; there's no reason to take it back. Please keep it with peace of mind, Uncle!"
How clever was Wei Shangli? If he accepted it back this way, wouldn't he offend his uncle? His third brother would need plenty of looking after from him in the future.
"I accept your good intentions, but you must take this spiritual liquid back!" Manager Lin was resolved to return it.
"My third brother Shangyi will be heading to Danbao Pavilion soon, and I must ask Uncle to look after him. Consider this spiritual liquid compensation for that favor," Wei Shangli said helplessly.
Hearing this, Manager Lin's heart stirred, as he was exceedingly reluctant to part with the spiritual liquid.
After weighing the options, he stepped forward and lowered his voice.
"That business last time was rather fishy. I advise you to make peace with that person!"
"Furthermore, this spiritual liquid is accepted purely for looking after your third brother, and has absolutely nothing to do with that person's affair! And as for what happened last time, you must keep your mouth shut tight, or I would never dare accept this liquid!"
"Rest assured, Uncle. Shangli knows the gravity of the situation; I've already warned my second and third brothers to take this secret to their graves!"
"Then I can rest easy!" Manager Lin nodded with satisfaction and took back the bottle of spiritual liquid.
"Right, for a while, you and I should keep our interactions to a minimum to avoid arousing unnecessary suspicions in others," Manager Lin remembered something and turned back to warn him.
"Shangli will remember it!" Wei Shangli nodded and cupped his fists in salute.
After Manager Lin left, his expression grew somewhat grave.
For a senior manager of Danbao Pavilion to act with such vigilance meant that unexpected developments had exceeded his predictions, and it might even involve the upper echelons of Danbao Pavilion.
"Brother, I have a way to deal with Zhou Xun!"
As he was deep in thought, Wei Shangren's voice rang out.
Wei Shangren had held back these words for a very long time; with so many people around during the banquet, it hadn't been the right time to speak.
Looking at his second younger brother, Wei Shangli wore a complex expression. After a moment of thought, he spoke up:
"Second brother, is there any possibility of reconciliation between us and Zhou Xun? Although we made a move against him, he doesn't actually know it was us."
"Reconciliation?" Wei Shangren reacted like a rabbit whose tail had been stepped on, his voice instantly shooting up.
"Out of the question! Besides, I already told him to his face that we made a move against him," Wei Shangren said with resentment.
"You—"
Wei Shangli felt a deep sense of frustration. At that moment, he had a hunch that this younger brother of his was the single biggest obstacle to reviving their family!
"Brother, why would we need reconciliation? There are still three days before the reporting deadline. As long as we make sure he can't report, he won't be able to turn things around!"
Wei Shangli glanced at his foolish brother, took a deep breath, and finally said, "I will handle this matter myself. Just focus on studying talisman-making and strive to become a talisman master soon!"
Wei Shangren held both awe and respect for his elder brother. Seeing him issue such an order, he could only give a hesitant assent.
Upon learning the news of his acceptance, Zhou Xun returned home.
He opened his spiritual rice jar, scooped out three generous ladlefuls, and resolved to eat his fill today.
He had already decided to report to Danbao Pavilion in three days.
"Even if that senior manager of Danbao Pavilion means to give me a hard time, the worst he can do is expel me. My situation won't be any worse than it is now!"
"Besides, today's twist shows that Manager Lin isn't omnipotent in Danbao Pavilion. I have a strong chance of standing my ground there."
"An alchemical apprentice at Danbao Pavilion—this is my most upright and promising opportunity to access all kinds of spiritual herbs!"
"The risks and rewards are completely proportional. I cannot miss this!"
Having thought everything through, Zhou Xun began to enjoy his spiritual rice.
"Brother Zhou! Brother Zhou!"
Before he finished his meal, a series of calls came from outside his door.