HSSB803: People fear fame
“People fear fame as pigs fear leanness!” Yan Zhaoge rubbed his face, “These ghosts and gods and demons and devils have all come crawling.”
Beside him, Feng Yunsheng and the other two had strange expressions on their faces.
Yan Zhaoge rolled his eyes, “Laugh if you want. Hold that in and you’ll hurt your body.”
Ah Hu instantly began laughing while Xiao Ai was filled with righteous indignation, “Someone is impersonating Young Master!”
She paused slightly, “Even if Young Master really forced men and snatched women, with all of us following by his side, it would be impossible for us not to know it.”
Feng Yunsheng had still been able to hold herself back before. Still, hearing Xiao Ai’s words, she too became unable to hold back the smile from appearing on her face.
In her arms, Pan-Pan’s eyes curved as he moved his paws together before his chest, giving applause.
Yan Zhaoge curled his lips, “Hey, even if I really do go around snatching random women, wouldn’t I get the Northern Ocean Clone to do it instead?”
Xiao Ai stared wide-eyed, only exclaiming after a while, “Right!”
She stole a glance at Yan Zhaoge, “Then, Young Master, are you who they’re talking about outside?”
Yan Zhaoge raised his brows, “Guess.”
They bickered within the elegant room while listening to the conversation that was ongoing outside.
That youth was clearly somewhat lost for words, “How could there be three Yan Zhaoges? This…”
The other party sighed, “Yesterday evening, someone claiming to be the Solar Luminary Young Master arrived at Whale Fishing City, directly entering the Xie Family Manor before receiving courteous treatment from the Xie Family.”
“Who could have known that late at night, yet another Solar Luminary Young Master would show up. A conflict instantly arose with both sides accusing each other of being imposters.”
“Just as things were getting heated up, a third one actually sprung up all of a sudden. It’s crazy now.”
The speaker shook his head, “The Xie Family Head has sent people to look for those who have visited the Royal Reed Sea personally or seen images of the actual Solar Luminary Young Master before.”
“Three Solar Luminary Young Masters, all proclaiming themselves to be real. In the end, it was decided that there would publicly confront each other this afternoon, verifying their identities.”
As he spoke, he stood up, preparing to exit the winehouse, “Speaking of this, the hour is nearly upon us. I have the intention of going over to take a look at the commotion.”
Others stood up as well, all saying, “Indeed, the hour is nearly upon us. Well, let us travel together.”
Some kind-hearted person said to that youth, “Of the three, two are definitely fakes. Perhaps none of them are real, but the real Solar Luminary Young Master may be there as well. You should come along. If it was a fake who did it, tarnishing the reputation of the Solar Luminary Young Master, the real one will definitely not let it go. He will definitely uphold justice on your behalf.”
Regaining his wits, feeling much calmer, the youth nodded, “Yes!”
Within the elegant room, Yan Zhaoge looked like he was smiling whilst also not as he played with his empty teacup.
Brimming with excitement, Ah Hu said, “Young Master, let us go take a look as well.”
Yan Zhaoge said, “No rush.”
A figure flashed as the Northern Ocean Clone momentarily appeared in the room before vanishing.
Yan Zhaoge stroked his lower chin, “Interesting. What good fengshui is there in this Whale Fishing City that it has actually simultaneously attracted three fakes at once?”
If it were a single person borrowing his identity to act ostentatiously, he was probably a swindler.
Yet, three of them having cropped up at once, congregating in Whale Fishing City at virtually the same time, this went to show that they had all probably come bearing the same motive in mind.
Coincidentally, they had all happened to choose the same method.
As for why they were impersonating him, Yan Zhaoge felt that the trio was probably trying to capitalise on that rumoured amicable relationship between him and the Southeastern Exalt.
More than half a year ago, travelling to Golden Court Mountain, Yan Zhaoge had been allowed to ascend the mountain right away rather than waiting outside. Then, he had even been personally escorted out of the area by the Southeastern Exalt’s personal disciple, the Seeing Divinity Martial Saint Chen Zhiliang. News of this had gradually spread in the southeastern Yang Heaven Territory.
Whatever the speculations regarding Yan Zhaoge’s background, it was still an indubitable fact that the Southeastern Exalt admired him greatly.
Within the southeastern Yang Heaven Territory, this was actually equivalent to a status that ensured that the path ahead of him would always be smooth.
The smaller the place, the greater its use.
“Logically speaking, it should actually be very difficult to impersonate you, right?” Feng Yunsheng asked, “After all, such young Martial Saint experts like you are definitely rare as the feathers of phoenixes and the horns of Qilin. I actually even feel that such people may not even exist.”
“Such people would be greatly renowned in the first place. Why would they impersonate others?”
Ah Hu scratched his large head, “Could it be someone of the southern Blazing Heaven Territory? It wouldn’t be easy for them to travel within the domain of the southeastern Yang Heaven Territory.”
Yan Zhaoge said, “It could be anything.”
“While determining one’s actual age is not difficult, it is not always faultless. I know of at least two methods to tamper in this aspect. As long as someone’s cultivation base does not surpass yours by too much, it would be very difficult for them to identify your actual age.”
“There were once young geniuses who were actually fakes. They masqueraded as being younger than they actually were, thus receiving the appreciation and respect of others and greater benefits.”
Still, due to the difficulty of the required materials and methods, such things were still comparatively rare. Also, the risks of being exposed would still exist.
Ah Hu grinned, refilling Yan Zhaoge’s tea while saying, “Still, these three fellas are really as audacious as the heavens! Having run into one another, they still dare to have a direct confrontation?”
Others might not know whether those three were real. They, however, could not be clearer on that.
Feng Yunsheng said, “It is precisely because there are three of them that they all still feel confident.”
If there had merely been two of them, they would inevitably have a bit of a guilty conscience as they wondered if the other party was truly the real Yan Zhaoge.
Since there were three of them together, there was the possibility that all three of them were fakes, hence giving everyone the courage to take a risk and go for it.
If they were able to beat the other two fakes, they would thus temporarily be the authentic version!
If the actual Yan Zhaoge really was one of the other two, there was nothing they could do about it.
Having coincidentally run into him on a narrow path, they would only be able to forcibly walk on without any path of retreat whatsoever.
“Because of the meeting of these three fakes, those of Whale Fishing City will feel suspicious and try to seek out a true picture of me as best they can. The three of them all appear very confident now in confronting each other directly actually because they have no other choice, and can only try to wrest the initiative,” Yan Zhaoge reached out, drawing a circle with his finger in mid-air.
True essence surged as a scene of light appeared, consisting of the image within the Northern Ocean Clone’s field of vision.
Many people had already congregated outside the Xie Family Manor just to watch the commotion.
Still, while it was said to be a public confrontation with everyone serving witness, as the owners of Whale Fishing City, the Xie Family naturally wasn’t someplace that any random person could enter.
Only the leaders of powers that possessed a certain status and position in Whale Fishing City were allowed into the manor.
Most people were just waiting outside the manor as they waited to hear of what transpired inside.
Waiting inside the winehouse was the same. Still, some just wanted to hear of the news firsthand.
The Northern Ocean Clone did not impatiently enter as well. His gaze swept the area, directly penetrating through its defensive mechanisms as he set his eyes on the ongoing scenes inside.
There were four groups of people which were all seated, the first comprising of those of the Whale Breath Sect and the Xie Family.
In the other three directions were several crowds. The most conspicuous of them all were the three people with youthful appearances there.