Kindness Does Not Control Soldiers, Benevolence Does Not Make an Official!

"Master, Senior Brother, what… what does this mean?"

"Senior Brother, you went to Ping An County not to commend Chen Fan, but to see if he had fallen into demonic cultivation? If he really has, you… you're going to kill him?"

Lu Xuening asked, her face pale as she looked at Zuo Qianqiu and Wang Teng.

"Junior Sister, I won't act against Chen Fan unless it's absolutely necessary. Even if he shows signs of demonic influence, I'll only cripple his martial arts and restrain him."

"If he's already fallen, the process is irreversible, and I'll have no choice but to kill him. The Blood Demon disaster must not be repeated!"

"Fortunately, everything is still fine now!"

Wang Teng said, feeling somewhat guilty.

He went to Ping An County with his master's secret orders, his motives impure. He felt helpless having to act against someone who had contributed to the people.

But a master's orders cannot be disobeyed, and the Blood Demon disaster must not be repeated!

"So, you brought Chen Fan to Dragon Abyss Prefecture to keep him under your watch, and if he loses control and falls into demonic cultivation, you'll immediately take action against him?"

Lu Xuening asked, still unwilling to give up.

"Yes!"

"That's what I'm thinking!"

"For the peace of Dragon Abyss Prefecture, I have to do this!"

Zuo Qianqiu didn't try to deny it, but nodded directly. He looked at Lu Xuening calmly, without a trace of shame, because he was acting justly.

His little disciple was good in every way, and talented too, but too kind!

As the saying goes, kindness doesn't lead armies, righteousness doesn't manage finances, benevolence doesn't make officials, and sentimentality doesn't accomplish things!

As the Chiliarch of the Dragon Abyss Prefecture Brocade Guard, Zuo Qianqiu commanded thousands of soldiers and bore the responsibility of protecting the people of Dragon Abyss Prefecture and guarding Purple Mountain. Naturally, he had to consider the big picture!

"Have you ever thought about how to save Chen Fan, to prevent him from falling into demonic cultivation, and even help him resume his martial arts path?"

Lu Xuening said in a deep voice.

"We have."

"But it's difficult."

"Since ancient times, I haven't heard of anyone who cultivated the Blood Fiend Art without being affected by the blood fiend energy, nor have I heard of anyone who accidentally cultivated the Blood Fiend Art and returned to normal, unless they were willing to dissipate their power and cripple their cultivation."

"I heard that the Blood Fiend Sect used this method to deal with the situation where blood fiend energy eroded a martial artist's mind, almost pushing them to the brink of demonic cultivation."

"If he's willing to do that, then the logistics of the Dragon Abyss Prefecture Brocade Guard will always be under his control. As long as I'm alive, he'll always be the Deputy Chiliarch of the Dragon Abyss Prefecture Brocade Guard. As long as he doesn't go too far, I can turn a blind eye to some petty corruption."

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 achieved Grand Perfection, opening thirty-six acupoints. In his opinion, this was too dangerous. This wasn't just a matter of reporting or not reporting. As soon as he reported it, the old fogeys in the Cloud Province Commandery would take extreme action.

Lu Xuening was thinking too simply. In the eyes of the Brocade Guard superiors, merit was merit, and fault was fault.

It was true that Chen Fan had made contributions, but it was wrong for him to cultivate the Blood Fiend Art. Once he reported this matter, the Cloud Province Commandery would definitely send someone to capture Chen Fan and cripple his cultivation. They wouldn't be like him, trying to use gentle methods to persuade Chen Fan to voluntarily dissipate his power.

Chen Fan was like a ticking time bomb, not knowing when it would explode. If they could deal with it in advance and make him dissipate his power, then it would undoubtedly be good for everyone.

Once the news of Chen Fan cultivating the Blood Fiend Art leaked and was known by the Cloud Province Commandery, things would become even more troublesome.

Never underestimate the secret guards within the Brocade Guard. Their intelligence-gathering ability is very strong, not only in collecting information about demons and monsters but also in investigating internal matters.

He had already blocked the news of Chen Fan cultivating the Blood Fiend Art. In Dragon Abyss Prefecture, only his two disciples and himself knew about it.

But there is no wall that doesn't leak. Sometimes, even if he wanted to cover it up, he would be powerless.

"Chen Fan is in the Deputy Chiliarch's residence in the Chiliarch's compound. If you want to talk, go yourself!"

"If it weren't for Chen Fan, I would have died in Ping An County long ago, and tens of thousands of people in Ping An County would have died too. I really can't bring myself to be the villain!"

"Please forgive me, Master, Senior Brother!"

Lu Xuening cupped her fists in a bow, then resolutely turned and left.

"Sigh!"

"This girl, she's good in every way, but too kind!"

Zuo Qianqiu raised his hand and looked at Lu Xuening's departing figure, feeling very emotional.

"Junior Sister is still young. Once she experiences more, she'll naturally understand Master's position."

"Sometimes it's not about right or wrong, but about sacrificing a small part and preserving the vast majority."

"For the stable lives of more people, someone always has to make sacrifices."

Wang Teng echoed.

Honestly, he had a good impression of Chen Fan, but if Chen Fan fell into demonic cultivation, he would definitely kill him at the first opportunity, without hesitation.

Because it might be because of his hesitation that countless people would die. He had experienced such a thing before, so he took it as a warning and engraved the big picture in his bones.

"With the new Deputy Chiliarch taking office, I, the Chiliarch of the Dragon Abyss Prefecture Brocade Guard, should meet him."

Zuo Qianqiu thought about it and decided to meet Chen Fan in person before saying anything else.

"Then shall I bring Chen Fan over?"

Wang Teng spoke up.

"Forget it, I should just go in person!"

Zuo Qianqiu said.

As a Chiliarch, he held the official rank of Sixth Grade. Now that Chen Fan was the Vice Chiliarch, holding the rank of Sixth Grade, Minor, there was only a half-grade difference. Plus, the other party was new, so there wasn't much need to stand on ceremony about who visited whom.

However, that half-grade difference was like an insurmountable chasm. Zuo Qianqiu was in charge of the Brocade Guard Chiliarchy, overseeing ten Brocade Guard platoons and a personal guard of two hundred men.

And Chen Fan, with his permission, could only mobilize one platoon of a hundred men.

Chen Fan was currently examining his independent courtyard.

Within the Dragon Abyss Prefecture Brocade Guard Chiliarchy, there were only four such courtyards. The largest one was Zuo Qianqiu's residence, but he had a mansion in Dragon Abyss Prefecture City, next to the Prefectural Governor's residence, which showed his power and status in Dragon Abyss Prefecture.

So, his courtyard was divided into several rooms, usually for his disciples to live in. The remaining three courtyards of the same size were the residences of 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 confidant, and Zhao Mu was the Vice Chiliarch in charge of logistics, now over a hundred and twenty years old.

Divine Aperture Realm martial artists could generally live for two to three hundred years without any mishaps, but Zhao Mu was an exception. He had fought too fiercely on the front lines in his youth, and his body was full of hidden ailments. Now, at the age of one hundred and twenty, he looked incredibly old.

He felt that he only had a dozen or so years of life left, so he retired and returned to his hometown.

Originally, he had taken Cao De's money and recommended Cao De to be the Brocade Guard Vice Chiliarch, taking his place. Now that Cao De had run into trouble, he also hurriedly resigned and left in disgrace.

If this matter were thoroughly investigated, Zhao Mu would probably be in deep trouble.

But Zuo Qianqiu, remembering his past contributions to the Brocade Guard and knowing that he didn't have many years left to live, directly approved his resignation documents, allowing him to land safely.

However, precisely because of this, Zuo Qianqiu had a hold over his weakness, which is why Zuo Qianqiu overruled everyone and allowed Chen Fan to fill Zhao Mu's vacancy.