Hao Yongtai was taken aback by this request.

In this world, knowledge was quite difficult to come by, and for the common folk, books were often an inaccessible luxury. With that in mind, it wasn't strange that Chu Qiguang wanted access to the Hao Clan's private library.

After confirming that Chu Qiguang only wanted access to ordinary historical texts and not the Hao Clan's martial arts and Dao arts scriptures, Hao Yongtai found the request acceptable.

"For the next month, you may visit our clan's private library whenever you wish, Brother Chu. Just inform the servants that you have my approval, and they'll let you in. You can also keep the two hundred taels of silver. If I take this money away from you, our Hao Clan's reputation would be damaged!"

Chu Qiguang was ecstatic. This guy is far better than his brother!

Afterward, Hao Yongtai arranged a banquet at a restaurant and invited Chu Qiguang, Daoist Master Law Origin, and He Xian. Chu Qiguang was in his element in such social settings, and he took full advantage of the opportunity to get on good terms with Hao Yongtai, Daoist Master Law Origin, and He Xian.

By the end of the banquet, he already gained a foothold in the county's elite circle.

The fox captured by Gu Wei was one of Qiao Zhi's subordinates, and Chu Qiguang released it so Qiao so could take it back to the mountains.

***

That night, Chu Qiguang returned to his courtyard, where he was greeted by an astonished Wang Cailiang.

"Brother Chu! I heard from Accountant Li that you solved the Hao Yongnian case! Is that true?"

"I was just lucky," Chu Qiguang replied modestly.

Wang Cailiang could smell the alcohol on Chu Qiguang, and asked, "Did the Hao Clan invite you out for a meal?"

This wasn't something Chu Qiguang could hide, nor was there any need to hide it from Wang Cailiang, so he confirmed, "That's right. Hao Yongtai invited Daoist Master Law Origin, He Xian, and me out for a meal."

A look of envy appeared on Wang Cailiang's face upon hearing this. He had often boasted to Chu Qiguang about his connections in the county, but he knew that the circle of village landowners he belonged to wasn't actually an elite circle in Azure Sun County.

Now that Chu Qiguang had established ties with Hao Yongtai, He Xian, and Daoist Master Law Origin, he had entered an elite circle that Wang Cailiang had always longer to join.

In particular, his clan was at odds with the Hao Clan over the dispute concerning the ancestral tomb, and he was eager to find a way to resolve it.

With that in mind, he asked in a hopeful manner, "Can you take me next time you get a chance to dine with Young Master Hao?"

"Of course!" Chu Qiguang replied as he gave Wang Cailiang a pat on the shoulder. "You and I are as close as brothers. I know you're worried about your clan's conflict with the Hao Clan, and I'll be sure to help you out with that."

But it depends on how much money your clan can give me, he added inwardly.

"You're the best, Brother Chu!"

Wang Cailiang was overwhelmed with gratitude. Not only had Chu Qiguang cured him of his canine poisoning, he was still looking out for him in Azure Sun County. He felt as if Chu Qiguang had been sent by the heavens to help him.

"Rest assured, Brother Chu, I won't let you down!" Wang Cailiang promised. "The two of us will pass the martial examination together and become pillars of the empire!"

The two of them then made plans to have a meal together the next day before Wang Cailiang left happily.

After returning to his room, Chu Qiguang spotted Qiao Zhi lying flat on his back on the bed, looking completely exhausted.

"Thanks for your hard work today, Master Qiao," Chu Qiguang said as he sat down on the bed and began stroking Qiao Zhi's belly.

I've earned two hundred taels of silver, bringing my total funds back to over nine hundred taels of silver. On top of that, I've built connections with the Hao Clan, He Xian, and Daoist Master Law Origin. However, there's another benefit to all this.

With that in mind, Chu Qiguang smiled and said, "Master Qiao, I'll have to trouble you to round up Lin Nan's cat fiend subordinates tomorrow."

Qiao Zhi immediately perked up, all of his drowsiness gone as he asked, "What are you planning to do?"

"I'm planning to adopt all of those adorable stray cats, of course," Chu Qiguang replied with a smile. "They can all be my godsons and goddaughters, and we'll be one big, happy family from now on."

"Make sure to treat them well, and don't try any funny business!" Qiao Zhi warned.

"Of course I'll treat them well!" Chu Qiguang replied. "Haven't you seen how I've been treating the dog fiends? I've given them jobs, and I get Chen Gang to buy food from restaurants every day to feed them. On top of that, they get to stay in what was once the county's Buddhist monastery. It has plenty of space, good ventilation, and is only a five-minute walk from the county's central business district! My ultimate goal is to integrate them and all fiends into human society to create a harmonious and unified world..."

As Chu Qiguang continued to outline his plans for the future, Qiao Zhi found it increasingly difficult to follow. In the end, he could only nod along and pretend he understood.

The dog fiends were constantly gathering information from the streets, while cat fiends could sneak into houses and other buildings. With both of them working for him, he would have an intelligence network that covered the entire county with almost no blind spots!

The next day, Chu Qiguang snuck out of the courtyard with Qiao Zhi late at night. They made their way to a newly rented courtyard, carefully avoiding the patrols enforcing the night curfew.

Recently, Qiao Zhi had been going out every day to fight the stray cats in order to establish his authority. After beating them into submission, he would feed them with the food given to him by Chu Qiguang. At this point, he had already become a respected figure among the cat fiends of Azure Sun County.

There had been some unrest among the cat fiends after losing Lin Nan's leadership, but Qiao Zhi had seamlessly filled the power vacuum left in Lin Nan's wake.

On this day, Qiao Zhi instructed all of the cat fiends to assemble in the newly rented courtyard to meet with Chu Qiguang.

Originally, Chu Qiguang had planned not to meet them in person and to rely entirely on Qiao Zhi to contact them and pass on instructions.

However, he found Qiao Zhi's efficiency in this regard a little lacking, and he also felt that Qiao Zhi's leadership style was too soft, likely because he had a soft spot for his fellow cat fiends.

Considering the importance of making a good start, Chu Qiguang decided to take a small risk and meet the cat fiends himself.

***

The courtyard rented by Chu Qiguang had been uninhabited for some time. He had hired some people to clean it up and moved in some furniture, so it was now tidy and organized.

At this moment, around a dozen cat fiends were gathered in the center of the yard. Some were grooming themselves, some were lying on the ground, and others were playing around. They looked no different from ordinary stray cats. Half empty dishes of food and water were scattered across the yard, all brought by Chen Gang over the past few days.

Chu Qiguang and Qiao Zhi climbed over the wall into the courtyard. The moment the cat fiends saw Chu Qiguang, they scattered in all directions like startled sheep.