During that period, as long as Qu Qi entered any county, most of the local officials of that county would come to greet him in advance. As for leaving, another group of people would escort him out of the border, handing him off to the officials of another county, in a repeated cycle.

Initially, Qu Qi found this quite interesting, but after it happened multiple times, he started feeling restricted. Many research projects he wanted to do were left undone, he couldn’t find time to study anywhere, as there was always a group of people following him.

In reality, Qu Qi knew that these people were truly afraid of anything happening to him. If he were to accidentally die within the boundaries of any given county, the officials of that county would be doomed, regardless of how strong their connections were. If he accidentally died in a county, quite a few officials there would likely end up being buried alive.

This was not just wishful thinking on Qu Qi’s part; his reputation was so immense now that some ignorant people would perform three bows and nine knocks upon seeing him, wishing him health and longevity, while the officials beside him pretended not to notice this quasi-royal tribute.

To reason it out, this would be usurpation, yet no one cared whether Qu Qi was usurping or not. Many people performed three bows and nine knocks in front of the Agricultural Emperor Temple, and worshipping Qu Qi as the Agricultural Emperor was not uncommon.

Being treated as the Agricultural Emperor, Qu Qi found it embarrassing, but all the officials deemed it normal. Qu Qi reckoned that if something really happened, these officials would definitely be able to shield him from harm at their own peril.

Thus, after a long time, Qu Qi felt uneasy. Having been out for so long, his research hadn’t even begun, which was simply intolerable. Therefore, on a certain dark and windy night, Qu Qi had Wuu Anguo carry him out and escape.

The next day, upon hearing of Qu Qi’s disappearance, the Grand Administrator of Nanyang nearly stopped breathing. Fortunately, Qu Qi left a message to explain his departure; otherwise, the whole Nanyang County would have been in an uproar.

That night, Wuu Anguo carried Qu Qi out of the Nanyang Prefectural Office, found two horses, and galloped madly down the road. At dawn, they changed their appearances, quickly had a meal and then mounted their horses again for another sprint.

Daytime differed from nighttime; Wuu Anguo’s Great Hammer was too conspicuous, so Qu Qi decided not to take the official roads and chose small paths instead. Only after crossing the Yangtze River and entering the Jingchu Wu Region did they finally settle down.

"After escaping several hundred miles from Nanyang, things should be stable now." Qu Qi wiped the cold sweat from his brow; being too famous wasn’t so great after all.

Wuu Anguo remained silent, not knowing what to say. Along their journey, even the bandits they encountered assisted Qu Qi out of respect, claiming that offending such a person would lead to curses upon their descendants.

"This won’t do, this won’t do. Continuing like this, I would have wasted so much time in vain, and might end up gaining nothing," Qu Qi recalled how he had barely managed to research improved seeds back in Chang’an, and since then hadn’t had time for such activities.

Thinking of this, resentment filled Qu Qi’s heart. His goal was clear: to spread his agricultural knowledge and develop it further so that people throughout the land can be well-fed and clothed. Yet, his fame only made things more complicated.

"Anguo, let’s head further south, to those sparsely populated areas where wild plants are highly valuable and we’re less likely to be surrounded by people," Qu Qi said to Wuu Anguo.

"Wherever you go, sir, I will follow," Wuu Anguo replied solemnly.

"Oh, I now understand why people recognize me everywhere we go. Anguo, you better ditch that Great Hammer. Although I’m well-known, it’s not to the extent where people can recognize me everywhere," Qu Qi said, glancing at Wuu Anguo’s Great Hammer and realizing the reason.

"Throw it away?" Wuu Anguo looked at Qu Qi in astonishment, as it was a refined iron weighing several thousand pounds.

"Find somewhere to stash it," Qu Qi said, rubbing his chin.

Wuu Anguo was helpless, but Qu Qi’s reasoning was sound. Thus, it seemed like he had to part with the Great Hammer.

After crossing the Yangtze River, the elderly boatman bowed respectfully to Qu Qi, "If you don’t mind, sir, you may leave your weapon with me. When Marquis Cang returns, I will welcome you at the Southern Bank of the Yangtze."

Qu Qi’s mouth twitched; he had suspected something about the stability of the boat, yet having seen much since leaving Chang’an, he wasn’t surprised.

Qu Qi returned the bow without asking the elder’s name, and said to Wuu Anguo, "Anguo, give the Great Hammer to the old man."

Wuu Anguo immediately handed the Great Hammer over. Despite its immense weight, which should have destabilized the small boat, the elder took it as if the boat was glued to the Yangtze River without a tremor.

"A fine weapon," the seemingly ancient elder said as he casually received the heavy object, shaken it lightly, and then placed it on the deck. "Take this sword, you need a weapon for protection."

Watching the elder effortlessly handle two Great Hammers, Wuu Anguo’s expression turned serious, but to his relief, the elder harbored no malintent.

After seeing Qu Qi and Wuu Anguo off, the elderly fisherman stood at the bow as the small boat moved swiftly without wind, like an arrow released from its string.

"That old man is quite formidable," Wuu Anguo remarked once the elder disappeared along the Lower Yangtze.

"Let me see the sword he handed to you," Qu Qi turned to Wuu Anguo. Wuu Anguo handed the sword hilt to Qu Qi, who upon seeing the Nangong inscribed on the sword spine recalled who the elder was.

"Ah, Nangong Xue, no wonder he came here to ferry us; we’ve reached his territory," Qu Qi said, flicking the sword spine lightly with his finger, causing the Precious Sword to hum. Then, Qu Qi slid it back into the sword scabbard.

"Keep it with you. That man is the landlord of this region," Qu Qi handed the Precious Sword to Wuu Anguo. "But, speaking of this, I heard important figures are guarded by immortals; I wonder if there are immortals protecting me."

"There surely are," said two overlapping voices, and soon two daoists appeared on each side of Qu Qi, one in black and one in white.

"..." Qu Qi’s lips twitched; in a way, he indeed was a person of notable achievements.

After Wuu Anguo ditched the Great Hammer, the number of people seeking to meet Qu Qi greatly decreased. Apart from a few aristocratic families who could confirm Qu Qi’s identity and personally visited, the previous grand welcoming had completely vanished.

"A humble toast to send off Marquis Cang." When passing through the territories of the Zhang Family and Xu Family, both family heads stood with their legitimate sons and daughters at the farthest edge of their actual domain, silently waiting along the path Qu Qi was taking.

Being personally welcomed by the core members of these ancient aristocratic families felt truly enjoyable to Qu Qi. He now had a precise understanding of what constituted success and fame—roughly, "there’s no one in the world who doesn’t know you!"

However, having roamed and researched throughout his journey, Qu Qi eventually ran into trouble. While examining wild grains at the edge of the Shanyue territory, he was captured by the Shanyue as a spy.

Although most of the Shanyue were impressed by Sunx Ce’s charisma and took the barren lands granted by him to start farming, some still hadn’t come around.

Sunx Ce, regardless of other aspects, was brimful with boldness. Embracing the sparsely populated south, he offered ten years of only ten percent tax on fifty of the hundred acres cultivated by willing citizens, while the taxes on the remaining fifty acres stood as usual.

Of course, for those unwilling to cultivate fifty acres, the land was purchased by Sunx Ce at market price, and combined through land consolidation into military land areas.

Thus many Shanyue people ventured out of their remote lands and feverishly cultivated vacant lands, but just because they trusted Sunx Ce and Zhou Yu didn’t mean they trusted other Han people—even though the Shanyue were essentially Han people...

Naturally, Qu Qi, regarded as a spy, was apprehended. Wuu Anguo intended to resist but was stopped by Qu Qi, and they were subsequently taken to the newly built mountain city of the Shanyue.

As for the two immortals, they could protect Qu Qi, but he hinted at them not to intervene, so they just quietly followed without taking action. However, if real danger arose, they could swiftly carry Qu Qi ten miles away within mere breaths using their spells, one grabbing his head and the other lifting his feet.