"Master, Senior Brother, you... what do you mean by this?"
"Senior Brother, you went to Ping An County not to commend Chen Fan, but to see whether he had fallen to demonic corruption. If he truly had, then you... were going to kill him?"
Lu Xuening looked at Zuo Qianqiu and Wang Teng, her expression extremely unsightly as she spoke.
"Junior Sister, unless there is absolutely no other choice, I will not make a move against Chen Fan. Even if he truly shows signs of demonic corruption, I will only cripple his martial arts and keep him under control."
"If he has already fallen to demonic corruption, then the process is irreversible. I can only bring myself to strike him down. The calamity of the Blood Demon must not be repeated!"
"Fortunately, everything is still fine for now!"
Wang Teng said somewhat apologetically.
He had gone to Ping An County under his master's secret orders, with impure intentions. Being asked to move against one of their own who had rendered meritorious service to the people left him deeply helpless as well.
But a master's command could not be disobeyed, and the calamity of the Blood Demon could not be repeated!
"So you brought Chen Fan to Dragon Abyss Prefecture because you wanted to keep him beneath your noses as well? The moment Chen Fan suffered a deviation and fell to demonic corruption, you would immediately make a move against him?"
Lu Xuening still refused to give up as she questioned them.
"Yes!"
"That was exactly my intention!"
"For the peace of Dragon Abyss Prefecture, I had no choice but to do this!"
Zuo Qianqiu did not continue making excuses or denying it. Instead, he nodded directly. He looked calmly at Lu Xuening without the slightest trace of shame, because his conduct was upright and his conscience clear.
There was nothing wrong with this youngest disciple of his. Her talent was high as well; she was simply far too kindhearted!
Since ancient times, it had been said: mercy cannot command troops, righteousness cannot manage wealth, kindness cannot be an official, and sentiment cannot accomplish great undertakings!
He, Zuo Qianqiu, commanded more than a thousand soldiers of the Dragon Abyss Prefecture Brocade Guard Chiliarch Garrison. He bore the grave responsibility of protecting the people of Dragon Abyss Prefecture and guarding Purple Mountain, so naturally he had to consider the greater picture!
"Have you never considered how to save Chen Fan, to prevent him from suffering a deviation and falling to demonic corruption, perhaps even allowing him to reconnect the broken path of martial arts?"
Lu Xuening said in a low voice.
"I have."
"But it is difficult."
"Since ancient times, I have never heard of anyone cultivating the 'Blood Fiend Art' without being affected by blood fiend influence, nor have I heard of anyone who mistakenly cultivated the 'Blood Fiend Art' returning to normal, unless he is willing to disperse his cultivation and cripple his own strength."
"I heard that the former Blood Fiend Sect used this very method to deal with cases where blood fiend influence eroded a martial artist's mind, leaving him on the very brink of demonic corruption."
"If he is willing to do so, then the logistics of the Dragon Abyss Prefecture Brocade Guard Chiliarch Garrison will forever remain under his control. So long as I live, he will forever be the Vice Chiliarch of the Dragon Abyss Prefecture Brocade Guard. So long as he does not go too far, I can even turn a blind eye to certain acts of skimming and extortion."
Zuo Qianqiu looked at Lu Xuening, hoping she would convey his meaning to Chen Fan.
Chen Fan had cultivated the "Blood Fiend Art" and even brought it to great completion, opening thirty-six acupoints. In his view, such conduct was simply too dangerous. This was no longer a matter of filing a record or not. If he reported it, those old fossils at the Cloud Prefecture Myriad Household Garrison would certainly take extreme measures.
Lu Xuening was still thinking too simply. In the eyes of the Brocade Guard's upper ranks, merit was merit and fault was fault.
There was no doubt that Chen Fan had rendered merit, but cultivating the "Blood Fiend Art" was wrong. Once he reported this matter, the Cloud Prefecture Myriad Household Garrison would surely send people to seize Chen Fan and cripple his martial arts. They would absolutely not be like him, seeking to use gentle measures to make Chen Fan willingly disperse his cultivation.
The current Chen Fan was like a ticking time bomb. No one knew when he might explode. If they could deal with it in advance and have him disperse his cultivation, then undoubtedly everyone would come out well.
Once news of Chen Fan cultivating the "Blood Fiend Art" leaked out and reached the Cloud Prefecture Myriad Household Garrison, matters would become even more troublesome.
Never underestimate the Dark Guard within the Brocade Guard. Their intelligence-gathering abilities were extremely formidable. Not only were they skilled at collecting information on demons and monsters outside, they were also highly capable of investigating internal affairs.
He had now sealed off the news that Chen Fan cultivated the "Blood Fiend Art." Within Dragon Abyss Prefecture City, only the two disciples before him and himself knew of it.
But where in this world was there a wall that did not let the wind through? Sometimes, even if he wished to conceal something, he was powerless to do so.
"Chen Fan is in the Vice Chiliarch residence within the Chiliarch Garrison. If you want to tell him, then go yourselves!"
"Without Chen Fan, I would have died in Ping An County long ago, and the tens of thousands of people in Ping An County would have died as well. I truly cannot bring myself to play the villain!"
"Master, Senior Brother, please forgive me!"
Lu Xuening clasped her fists and bowed, then decisively turned and left.
"Ah!"
"This girl is good in every way. She is simply too kind!"
Zuo Qianqiu raised his hand slightly and watched Lu Xuening's departing figure, speaking with deep emotion.
"Junior Sister is still young. Once she experiences more things, she will naturally understand Master's position."
"Sometimes it has nothing to do with right or wrong. There is only the sacrifice of the smallest part and the preservation of the greater part."
"For the stable lives of more people, someone must always make sacrifices."
Wang Teng chimed in.
To be honest, he had a good impression of Chen Fan. But if Chen Fan fell to demonic corruption, he would definitely kill him at the first opportunity without the slightest hesitation.
Because one moment of his hesitation might cause countless people to die. He had experienced such things before, so he took them as a warning and carved the greater picture into his bones.
"A Vice Chiliarch has taken office. As the Chiliarch of the Dragon Abyss Prefecture Brocade Guard Chiliarch Garrison, I should meet him."
After turning it over in his mind, Zuo Qianqiu decided he should see Chen Fan in person before discussing anything else.
"Should I bring Chen Fan here?"
Wang Teng asked.
"Forget it. I should make the trip myself!"
Zuo Qianqiu said.
He was a Chiliarch, holding the sixth rank. Chen Fan was now a Vice Chiliarch, holding the Subordinate Sixth Rank. They were separated by half a rank, and Chen Fan had only just arrived, so there was no need to fuss over who should visit whom.
Yet that half-rank difference was like a heavenly chasm. Zuo Qianqiu controlled the Brocade Guard Chiliarch Garrison, commanding ten Brocade Guard squads as well as a personal guard unit of two hundred men.
Only with his permission could Chen Fan mobilize a single squad of one hundred men.
Chen Fan was examining his own detached courtyard.
Within the Dragon Abyss Prefecture Brocade Guard Chiliarch Garrison, there were only four such courtyards. The largest belonged to Zuo Qianqiu. However, he had a residence in Dragon Abyss Prefecture City beside the Prefectural Governor's Mansion, which showed just how much power and status he held in Dragon Abyss Prefecture.
Thus, his courtyard had been divided into several sections, generally for his disciples to live in. The remaining three courtyards of the same specifications were residences for the Brocade Guard Vice Chiliarchs.
The three Brocade Guard Vice Chiliarchs of Dragon Abyss Prefecture were Wang Teng, Wu Yuan, and Zhao Mu.
Wang Teng was Zuo Qianqiu's eldest disciple. Wu Yuan was Zuo Qianqiu's trusted confidant. Zhao Mu was the Vice Chiliarch in charge of logistics, and he was already more than one hundred and twenty years old.
A Divine Aperture Realm martial artist could normally live two or three hundred years without mishap, but Zhao Mu could not. He had fought too fiercely on the front lines in his youth, and his body was riddled with old injuries. At one hundred and twenty, he had already aged beyond recognition.
He felt that he only had another ten-odd years of lifespan left, which was why he had requested retirement and returned home.
Originally, he had accepted Cao De's money and recommended Cao De to become a Brocade Guard Vice Chiliarch and take over his position. But now that something had happened to Cao De, he hurriedly resigned and slunk away in disgrace.
If this matter were truly investigated to the bitter end, Zhao Mu would likely be unable to bear the consequences.
But Zuo Qianqiu remembered the great services he had rendered to the Brocade Guard and saw that he did not have many years left to live, so he directly approved his resignation documents and allowed him to land safely.
However, precisely because of this, Zuo Qianqiu had gained leverage over him. That was why Zuo Qianqiu later overrode all objections and had Chen Fan fill Zhao Mu's vacancy.
Before you continue