Xue Mu sighed. "Chief Constable Xiahou, frankly, keeping Yin Ye locked up will only make the Six Fan Gates and the Star Moon Sect deadlock until the end. The only ones who'll be laughing are the others, and that's the exact opposite of what you're trying to achieve."
Xiahou Di remained unmoved. "Perhaps you all think I'm trying to establish my authority, but I've already told you my true intentions. Yin Ye's cultivation method is far too terrifying. It should never have existed in this world. I haven't killed her only because I'm wary of the consequences for the Imperial Court's larger plans, and don't want to push the Star Moon Sect too far."
Xue Mu froze for a moment. Just how terrifying was Yin Ye's cultivation method? Was it even less acceptable to the world than his own, which could turn him into a walking plague?
Xiahou Di continued, "Sect Master Xue should know that the Nine Cauldrons suppress the world's baleful spirits and demons. But such things dwell in people's hearts, and the Nine Cauldrons are nothing more than dead objects. How could they possibly suppress them forever? If Yin Ye emerged, and people's hearts grew weak as baleful forces flourished, I fear the Nine Cauldrons would eventually collapse. Then the world would once more descend into the demons' rampage of a thousand years ago, and peace would never return."
Xue Qingqiu scoffed. "You're fearmongering. How long would it take that girl to reach such a level? Besides, apart from going where she must to cultivate, Yin Ye rarely leaves home. It's even less likely she could have that kind of influence."
Xue Qingqiu hadn't actually disputed Xiahou Di's assessment of Yin Ye's cultivation method. She just thought it wasn't yet that dangerous, and that left Xue Mu stunned. He suddenly suspected there was a reason this world had become one where might made right—perhaps some upheaval a thousand years ago had set it on this course, and the consequences had endured ever since. That also explained Xiahou Di's seemingly irrational behavior. She truly was worried about the world. She knew full well that keeping Yin Ye locked up wouldn't do her any good, so she must be torn about it too.
But Xiahou Di said, "Perhaps Yin Ye can't reach that level, but it's always better to be cautious. My decision stands."
Xue Qingqiu gritted her teeth. "You madwoman. Do you really think I wouldn't dare kill?"
Seeing tempers flare again, Xue Mu hurriedly said, "Chief Constable Xiahou, which matters more: a precaution against a danger you know is unlikely, or the future of the Six Fan Gates?"
Xiahou Di hesitated slightly, then asked, "Young Master Xue, please tell me plainly what kind of business you have in mind."
As expected, Xue Mu's judgment had been right. Xiahou Di had a desire: her obsession with restoring the Six Fan Gates' authority. The collapse of the Nine Cauldrons and the destruction of the world—she wasn't a saint. How could she put such a remote possibility above everything else? If the sky fell, someone taller would hold it up. The Eight Great Sects of the Righteous Path were still around, with a bunch of Void Insight experts tucked away. If the Six Fan Gates remained as downtrodden as they were now, it would be a joke for them to try to save the world...
Xue Mu pulled a book from his robes and handed it to Xiahou Di. "I bought this martial world chronicle at a bookshop. Does it say here that it was published by the Six Fan Gates?"
Xiahou Di glanced at the cover: Chronicles of Major Events in the Martial World, Year Twenty of Chongan. In the corner, it read, "Reviewed by the Six Fan Gates in Year Twenty-Two of Chongan." She casually opened it to a page. There, in bold print, it said: "In the autumn of Year Twenty of Chongan, Xue Qingqiu single-handedly massacred the Cold River Sect. In this battle, the Six Fan Gates resisted the Demon Sect's might, and three gold-badged constables died in the line of duty. In the end, they saved an orphan and helped him escape. Yet from the sect leader down, all two hundred and thirty-seven members of the sect perished, turning the river itself a different color. The ruins of the Cold River Sect remain to this day, and bones still lie white on the riverbed. Thus was born the name Blood-Handed Qingqiu."
Xiahou Di gave a cold laugh and tossed the book back. "Are you using your elder sister's exploits to threaten me?"
Xue Mu himself hadn't even read that page. He glanced at it and broke out in a cold sweat. He hadn't just latched onto a powerful backer; he'd hitched himself to a living legend of demonic slaughter... But he really hadn't meant to provoke Xiahou Di, and hurriedly explained, "It's a misunderstanding. How was I supposed to know you'd happen to open to this page?"
Xiahou Di froze, then said irritably, "That's right. It's a collection of martial world anecdotes published by the Six Fan Gates. So what?"
Xue Mu asked, "Is it because the Six Fan Gates needs to bring in revenue too?"
If an ordinary person had asked such a question, which could undermine the dignity of her office, Xiahou Di would probably have thrown him out. But she clearly considered Xue Mu an important person worth talking to. There was no point hiding it from someone who knew the score, so she answered honestly, "Bringing in revenue is part of it, but the main reason is that people need these books. Many major events in the martial world are passed along by word of mouth, and the versions are too numerous and too muddled. The Six Fan Gates has a duty to set the record straight."
Xue Qingqiu mocked her. "What a load of crap about setting the record straight. How come I don't remember the Six Fan Gates taking part in the battle at the Cold River Sect? Yue Qianjiang is still locked up in my Ling Province. Who exactly did you save? Name those constables who supposedly died, while you're at it. You're adding to my tally for nothing, and I don't even want the credit."
Xiahou Di looked a little embarrassed and fell silent.
So, "setting the record straight" meant shaping a positive image of the Six Fan Gates or the Imperial Court. This story was meant to show that the Six Fan Gates had done its best to resist the Demon Sect's rampage. Against such a ridiculously powerful foe, three of its men had died, but they'd finally managed to save an orphan—a stirring, tragic tale. This was the most basic use of propaganda, in other words, gilding their own image or riding someone else's coattails. The Star Moon Sect wasn't going to contradict them, either. It was only natural for the Six Fan Gates to pull this kind of stunt. If they couldn't even do that, they might as well slit their own throats.
That wasn't what caught Xue Mu's attention. Instead, he said, "I noticed plenty of similar martial world anecdotes at the bookshops. Some were published by the Six Fan Gates, and others were accounts from wandering martial artists. But I didn't see any from the other sects. Why is that?"
Xiahou Di replied coolly, "Naturally, I won't let them blow their own horns or publish things that smear others and pollute the Capital City with rumors."
Xue Mu smiled. "Then, by the same logic, the territories controlled by the various sects won't circulate other people's publications either. They'll only have their own self-praise, right?"
"Of course, things published by the Six Fan Gates circulate there too. The local authorities are there, and so are our branch offices. Unless they're rebelling, how could they ban the authorities from publishing?"
This was a completely natural, unique, nationwide, monopolistic channel! A channel, lady!
The kind of channel modern people dreamed of!
And they didn't even know how to make use of it? Could he call them all idiots?
Xue Mu felt reassured. Several ideas had already come to him in that instant, but which one would work best—and, ideally, get the Star Moon Sect involved too...
Xiahou Di was starting to lose patience. "You've been going on for ages. You still haven't told me what kind of business you want to do!"
Xue Mu ventured, "Chief Constable Xiahou, have you ever considered what matters most to people in the martial world?"
Xiahou Di replied impatiently, "Making a name for themselves."
"Exactly, making a name for themselves." Xue Mu smiled. "But the kind of major event that can spread throughout the martial world is rare. Your Chronicle of Major Events is only a thin volume each year, and it's filled with news everyone already knows. Plenty of people in the martial world have done things they're proud of, but others usually don't know about them. It's embarrassing to boast about yourself, and even if you do, it's hard to spread the word everywhere. I think... there's something missing from the martial world..."
Xiahou Di's heart stirred, and Xue Qingqiu finally opened the eyes she'd kept shut in her usual pose of supreme aloofness.
One could serve as the chief constable of the Six Fan Gates, and the other could lead a sect. Neither was stupid; both had sharp eyes. The moment Xue Mu made his suggestion, they could tell it held great promise. But the limitations of their era kept them from seeing the whole picture at once.
Xue Mu continued, "For example, what's missing is a review of rising stars in the martial world—a publication recounting their exploits, analyzing their potential, and evaluating the strengths of their techniques. Especially for people in second- and third-rate sects, and lone practitioners. They might have done things they're proud of in their lives, yet no one knows about them. To make a name for themselves, they have to set up a challenge ring like street performers, and even then the results are poor... If the Six Fan Gates could do them this service, the whole world would rally to its side..."
Rallying the whole world was too vague. Xiahou Di immediately saw what really mattered: once the rankings caught on everywhere, the Six Fan Gates would control the shortcut to fame. Even the greatest sects would have to come to the Six Fan Gates to put in a good word for their disciples!
From Xiahou Di's expression, Xue Mu could tell what she was thinking. He smiled faintly and continued to paint the picture. "Once it truly becomes a trendsetter, why would the Six Fan Gates ever lack authority?"
Xiahou Di couldn't sit still. She sprang to her feet and paced back and forth. When she paced over to Xue Mu, he realized just how tall she was—nearly a meter eighty, by the look of it. Best of all were her long legs, probably a meter and twenty centimeters, straight and perfectly rounded, without an ounce of excess fat. Their shape was exquisite. They were the ultimate treat for leg-lovers, the kind you could admire for a whole year. He wondered what they'd look like in long black stockings...
Xiahou Di had no time to notice Xue Mu's gaze. After pacing for a while, she finally stopped and let out a quiet sigh. "It's a good idea, and would benefit the Six Fan Gates in every way. But the various sects have us badly constrained in the provinces, and we're short on manpower... If the accounts we collect are seriously inaccurate, or incomplete, it could undermine our credibility and turn us into a laughingstock."
Xue Mu blinked. "Our Star Moon Sect disciples are spread across the land, and the line of work we're in is... well, we have an incredibly broad network of sources. See? Doesn't this mean our businesses can work together?"
Before you continue