Mercy Doesn't Command Armies, Kindness Doesn't Hold Office!

"Master, Senior Brother, what... what do you mean by this?"

"Senior Brother, you went to Ping'an County not to commend Chen Fan, but to see if he had become a demon. If he really had, you... you would kill him?"

Lu Xuenning looked at Zuo Qianqiu and Wang Teng, her face extremely grim as she spoke.

"Junior Sister, I wouldn't act against Chen Fan unless absolutely necessary. Even if he showed signs of becoming a demon, I would only cripple his martial arts and restrain him."

"If he has already become a demon, then the process is irreversible, and I would have no choice but to strike him down. The calamity of the Blood Demon must not be repeated!"

"Fortunately, everything is fine now!"

Wang Teng said with some guilt.

He had gone to Ping'an County under his master's secret orders, with impure intentions, to act against their own man who had benefited the people. He felt very helpless.

But a master's command could not be disobeyed, and the calamity of the Blood Demon must not be repeated!

"So you brought Chen Fan to Longyuan Prefecture to keep him under your watchful eyes. Once Chen Fan goes berserk, you would immediately act against him?"

Lu Xuenning still asked, unwilling to give up.

"Yes!"

"That was my intention!"

"For the peace of Longyuan Prefecture, I had no choice but to do this!"

Zuo Qianqiu no longer tried to quibble or deny it. He nodded directly. He looked at Lu Xuenning calmly, without any trace of shame, because he was upright and honest.

His young disciple was good in every way, with high talent, but too kind!

As the saying goes, kindness does not command troops, righteousness does not manage finances, benevolence does not govern, and sentimentality does not accomplish tasks!

He, Zuo Qianqiu, commanded the thousands of soldiers of the Longyuan Prefecture Jinyiwei Commander's Office, bearing the heavy responsibility of protecting the people of Longyuan Prefecture and guarding Purple Mountain. Naturally, he had to consider the bigger picture!

"Haven't you considered how to save Chen Fan, prevent him from going berserk, and even help him reconnect his broken martial path?"

Lu Xuenning said in a deep voice.

"We have considered it."

"But it's very difficult."

"Since ancient times, I haven't heard of anyone cultivating the Blood Sha Skill without being affected by the Blood Sha. Nor have I heard of anyone who mistakenly practiced the Blood Sha Skill and recovered to normal, unless they were willing to disband their cultivation and cripple themselves."

"I heard that the Blood Sha Sect used this method to deal with the Blood Sha's erosion of a martial artist's mind, pushing them to the brink of becoming demons."

"If he is willing to do so, then the logistics of the Longyuan Prefecture Jinyiwei Commander's Office will always be under his control. As long as I am alive, he will always be the Longyuan Prefecture Jinyiwei Deputy Commander. As long as he doesn't go too far, I can turn a blind eye to some minor corrupt practices."

Zuo Qianqiu looked at Lu Xuening, hoping she would convey his intentions to Chen Fan.

Chen Fan cultivating the Blood Sha Skill, and furthermore, reaching its Great Perfection, opening up Thirty-six Spirit Apertures, was an act that, in his view, was far too dangerous. This wasn't a matter of whether it was filed or not. If he reported it, the old fuddy-duddies at the Yun Prefecture Myriad Household Office would definitely take extreme action.

Lu Xuening still thought things were too simple. In the eyes of the Jinyiwei high command, merit was merit, and wrongdoing was wrongdoing.

It was true that Chen Fan had merit, but his cultivation of the Blood Sha Skill was wrong. Once he reported this matter, the Yun Prefecture Myriad Household Office would definitely send people to apprehend Chen Fan and cripple his cultivation. They certainly wouldn't act like him, trying to use gentle persuasion to make Chen Fan voluntarily disband his cultivation.

Chen Fan was currently like a ticking time bomb, no one knew when he would explode. If they could deal with it in advance and make him disband his cultivation, it would undoubtedly be a win-win situation for everyone.

If the news of Chen Fan cultivating the Blood Sha Skill leaked and was known by the Yun Prefecture Myriad Household Office, things would become even more troublesome.

Never underestimate the secret guards within the Jinyiwei. Their intelligence-gathering capabilities were exceptionally strong, not only in collecting information on Demonic Creatures externally but also in investigating matters internally.

He had now sealed the news of Chen Fan cultivating the Blood Sha Skill. In Longyuan Prefecture City, only his two disciples before him and himself knew.

But in this world, where could one find a wall that didn't let any wind through? Sometimes, even if he intended to conceal it, he was powerless.

"Chen Fan is in the Deputy Commander's Separate Courtyard at the Commander's Office. If you want to go talk to him, go yourselves!"

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

"I ask for your understanding, Master, Senior Brother!"

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

"Sigh!"

"This girl, she's good in every way, just too kind."

Zuo Qianqiu raised his hand, gazing at Lu Xuening's departing back, and said with great emotion.

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

"Sometimes, it's not about right or wrong, only about sacrificing a very small part to preserve the vast majority."

"For the peaceful 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 were to become a demon, he would definitely kill him the first moment he could, without hesitation.

Because perhaps due to his hesitation, countless people might die. He had experienced such a thing before, so he took it as a warning, etching a sense of the bigger picture into his very bones.

"As the Deputy Commander is taking office, I, as the Commander of the Longyuan Prefecture Jinyiwei Commander's Office, should naturally meet him."

After much deliberation, Zuo Qianqiu decided to meet Chen Fan in person before saying anything else.

"Then I'll go bring Chen Fan over?"

Wang Teng spoke.

"Forget it, I'll go there myself!"

Zuo Qianqiu spoke.

He, as the Commander, held a sixth-rank official position. Now Chen Fan was the Deputy Commander, holding a subordinate sixth-rank position. There was a half-rank difference, and the other party was new to the post, so it didn't matter much who visited whom.

However, this half-rank difference was like an insurmountable chasm. Zuo Qianqiu was in charge of the Longyuan Prefecture Jinyiwei Commander's Office, overseeing ten Jinyiwei brigades and a personal guard of two hundred men.

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

Chen Fan was surveying his own exclusive, independent courtyard.

Within the Longyuan Prefecture Jinyiwei Commander's Office, there were only four such courtyards. The largest one was Zuo Qianqiu's residence. However, he had a mansion in Longyuan Prefecture City, next to the Prefect's mansion, which showed his power and status in Longyuan Prefecture.

Therefore, his courtyard was divided into several rooms, usually for disciples to live in. The remaining three courtyards of the same specifications were residences for the Jinyiwei Deputy Commanders.

The three Jinyiwei Deputy Commanders of Longyuan 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 Deputy Commander in charge of logistics. He was now over one hundred and twenty years old.

Spirit Aperture Realm Martial Artists could live for two to three hundred years if nothing unexpected happened, but Zhao Mu couldn't. He had fought too fiercely on the front lines when he was young, and his body was full of hidden ailments. Now, at one hundred and twenty years old, he looked incredibly old.

He felt he only had about ten more years of lifespan left, which was why he was retiring and returning home.

Originally, he had taken Cao De's money and recommended Cao De to be the Jinyiwei Deputy Commander to take his place. Now that Cao De had an accident, he also hastily resigned and left in disgrace.

If this matter were thoroughly investigated, Zhao Mu would likely be in serious trouble.

But Zuo Qianqiu, considering his past contributions to the Jinyiwei and his limited remaining lifespan, directly approved his resignation, allowing him to step down safely.

However, precisely because of this, Zuo Qianqiu had found a weakness in him, which was why Zuo Qianqiu later overruled all objections and let Chen Fan fill Zhao Mu's vacancy.