Does this matter also depend on talent?

Three years later, at the Patrol Prefecture.

What was once a place of solemn authority had long since changed. The main hall was now opulent and luxurious, bearing no resemblance to its former self.

Lin Chang'an lounged lazily on a brocade couch, one maidservant massaging his shoulders while he rested his leg in another maidservant's lap for a leg rub.

In the spacious main hall, six dancing girls swayed gracefully, their slender waists undulating beneath thin, gauzy skirts.

To one side, a beauty in an exquisitely ornate long dress sat with her head bowed, diligently playing a zither.

"Haha, Junior Brother Lin still knows how to enjoy himself."

Zhang Qing, his face weathered, stepped into the hall. Seeing the place where he once worked with authority transformed into a den of revelry, he showed no anger, only a smile.

"Senior Brother Zhang, I just finished refining pills yesterday." Lin Chang'an, feigning exhaustion, leaned back on the couch and motioned for Zhang Qing to sit and enjoy the music.

Zhang Qing, looking at the elegant music and dance in the hall, shook his head and waved his hand. The music immediately ceased. The pampered dancers bowed respectfully and retreated with small, quick steps.

Lin Chang'an, witnessing this, couldn't help but sigh at their politeness, their departure as graceful as their performance, showing not the slightest disrespect.

"Senior Brother, what could be more important than listening to music? I just finished a batch of pills."

Watching the dancers leave, Lin Chang'an smacked his lips. The attending maidservants bowed respectfully and slowly withdrew. He turned his gaze to his senior brother.

"Junior Brother Lin, you!"

Seeing Lin Chang'an so content with his enjoyment, Zhang Qing chuckled and scolded him, "Your life these past three years has been quite comfortable."

Lin Chang'an, seeing Zhang Qing's envious look and noticing they were alone, glared at him good-naturedly. "I can't mess around, but can't I at least look and listen to music?"

Hearing Lin Chang'an's complaint, Zhang Qing burst into laughter. Yes, if the junior brother couldn't play around, he could at least look.

"Junior Brother, I think you'll be able to play around soon."

Zhang Qing said with a wink. Lin Chang'an's temper flared instantly. He sat up abruptly, grabbed his tea, and downed it in one gulp.

"Play around soon? I've only just broken through to the sixth layer of Qi Condensation!"

Thinking about this, Lin Chang'an felt a surge of frustration. He had been here for three and a half years. While his cultivation speed couldn't be compared to prodigies, it wasn't slow either.

Being at the sixth layer of Qi Condensation at twenty-one years old was considered quite a remarkable talent here.

Seeing Lin Chang'an grumbling, Zhang Qing chuckled, "Junior Brother, Murong Yue, with her High-grade Spirit Root, is also only at the sixth layer of Qi Condensation."

"Is that the same?" Lin Chang'an pouted. Over the years, he had received far more resources for cultivation than she had. After all, the value of a genius alchemist far surpassed that of a cultivator with a mere High-grade Spirit Root.

"After three years of stability, some people are no longer satisfied with the status quo. Human hearts are always like this."

Zhang Qing suddenly sighed. Cultivators like them, born in a land of chaos, cherished stability even more. But profit was always the way of things.

Lin Chang'an, hearing Zhang Qing's sigh of emotion, raised an eyebrow and said with a testing smile, "Senior Brother Zhang, aren't you exaggerating? It's just a few small fish and shrimp making a fuss."

Zhang Qing didn't respond to Lin Chang'an's probing. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and a few account books appeared from his storage bag.

"Junior Brother Lin, recently, many robber cultivators have been harassing us in secret. Many of our supply routes have been intercepted, and even disciples from our sect have suffered casualties. These are our recent losses."

He paused, then licked his lips with a smile and opened an account book, pointing to the records.

"Junior Brother, take a look. We've suffered quite a few losses."

Despite talking about the sect's losses, Zhang Qing's mouth was curved into a smile. He held up three fingers, testing the waters. "Junior Brother Lin, the brothers have been working for the sect, many haven't returned for over three years. Do you think you could report three more percentage points?"

Good heavens, who would have thought that Zhang Qing, who used to secretly skim a little profit, would become like this in just three years? He didn't even need to speak; Lin Chang'an would have inflated the losses himself.

An extra three percent in losses! Lin Chang'an looked at the altered entries in the account book, raising an eyebrow, and calmly said, "Senior Brother Zhang, this doesn't seem quite right."

Hearing this, Zhang Qing's face fell. With a pained expression, he retracted one of his three fingers, leaving two. However, Lin Chang'an shook his head.

Seeing this, Zhang Qing's expression was as if his parents had died. "Junior Brother, what can one percent do?"

"Junior Brother, you're still young; you don't understand how difficult it is to break through to the late Qi Condensation stage. When I was young, I was too honest, which is why I didn't refine more pills. As a result, my breakthrough failed, and I haven't..."

Zhang Qing's face filled with sorrow as he spoke of his painful past. If only he had had a few more good pills back then, he might have already become an elder or honored guest of the sect.

People are like this; they always believe that if they had done something differently back then, things would be better now.

Lin Chang'an, seeing Zhang Qing's sorrowful expression, calmly shook his head.

"Senior Brother Zhang Qing, you are mistaken. Recently, robber cultivators have been rampant outside the market town, not only affecting the stability of the market town but also audaciously plundering our transport supplies."

As he spoke, Lin Chang'an put down his teacup, his face showing a solemn expression. "The brothers below have paid so much for the sect, sacrificed so much. Senior Brother, you have clearly overlooked and misrecorded the losses in this account book."

Lin Chang'an then held up three fingers. Seeing this, Zhang Qing's gloomy expression instantly cleared, and a smile spread across his face. "As expected, Junior Brother is loyal to the sect. Three percent is good!"

However, Lin Chang'an calmly shook his head. "Senior Brother, you misunderstand. I said thirty percent!"

Pfft!

Zhang Qing, who had been smiling and lifting his teacup, widened his eyes upon hearing this. The tea in his mouth sprayed out with a pfft, and he began coughing repeatedly.

"Junior Brother! Thirty percent could easily lead to trouble! How about ten percent!"

Without time to wipe the tea from his mouth, Zhang Qing gasped, looking at Lin Chang'an's serious expression. It was as if he was asking, "Junior Brother, are you serious about thirty percent? That's too ruthless."

However, facing Zhang Qing's shock, Lin Chang'an calmly picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and then narrowed his eyes meaningfully, saying, "I heard that there have been many robber cultivators outside the market town recently. It's clear this is a planned operation, with someone behind it."

"For the sect's prestige, Senior Brother should lead people to deliver a heavy blow to these robber cultivators!"

Lin Chang'an paused here. When Zhang Qing looked confused, he slowly said, "This robber cultivator was brutal, wantonly slaughtering cultivators in the market town. Senior Brother Zhang Qing, in order to draw out this group of robber cultivators, used valuable resources as bait, aiming to achieve victory in one fell swoop and defend the sect's prestige by crushing this group of robber cultivators. However, the resources used for bait were destroyed..."

Good heavens, Lin Chang'an's words explained the cause of this loss almost perfectly.

This was practically a report during a debriefing. Zhang Qing had experienced quite a bit over the past three years. He suppressed his emotions and swallowed, putting on a calm demeanor.

"Junior Brother Lin, it was all for the sect."

Although it wasn't the first time, Zhang Qing couldn't help but be shocked. They had cooperated for many years, so why was the gap between them so large? How could he be so calm yet so ruthless, even coming up with a reason for the loss, and so meticulously at that?

Even with such an operation resulting in such a significant loss, he not only wouldn't be punished but would even be credited with merit.

Could it be that this also depended on talent?

The initial trial recommendation has been pushed. In fact, the results of the first round of recommendations can roughly indicate how far a book can go. I hope all fellow Daoists will support and follow along on Tuesday.