A Demon Cultivator Who Understood How to Serve as an Official

Tan Shuchang's meeting with the Heavenly Wonder Pavilion's Grand Pavilion Master ended quickly. It neither broke up on bad terms nor became a pleasant conversation. After they left, Qiu Junlin kept shooting Tan Shuchang odd looks, seeming as though he wanted to say something but held himself back.

Thus, Tan Shuchang thoughtfully said, "If you've got something to say, say it."

"You're actually a Dao General?" Qiu Junlin couldn't help sounding astonished. As the Grand Pavilion Master's son, no matter how little he cared about Heavenly Wonder Pavilion's affairs, he knew very well what the post of Dao General represented.

Principal Third Rank might not sound like much at first, seemingly neither high nor low, but once assigned to a local region, such officials stood at the very pinnacle of power without exception.

The great officials governing the frontier were generally of this rank.

When Qiu Junlin had deliberately gone to Blackheart Mountain in Yue Prefecture, he had people gather information on Tan Shuchang. He truly couldn't understand it—Tan Shuchang's entire family had been executed by the Emperor, yet the Emperor had turned around and summoned him back to serve as an official?

Being summoned back into office wasn't too strange. Similar cases had happened before, usually because the Emperor wanted to put on a show and leave behind a name for benevolence in the annals of history.

But appointing someone directly as a high minister of the third rank—this was truly the first time in all ages.

After all, at that level, one already had the power to stir up a rebellion of no small scale.

"Here, the imperial decree's right here. Want to take a look?" Tan Shuchang said, but even as he spoke, he had already pulled the rolled decree from his sleeve and tossed it to Qiu Junlin.

Qiu Junlin showed not the slightest reverence upon seeing the decree. He simply caught it and opened it for inspection.

After roughly a few breaths, Qiu Junlin had finished reading it. He couldn't help baring his teeth as he said, "I remember that drafting imperial decrees is the Crown Prince's job. Still, for this decree to be issued smoothly, it must also be the Emperor's intention. What do you think that father-son pair in the palace is trying to do?"

Qiu Junlin couldn't help saying this mainly because the reason given for Tan Shuchang's appointment was simply too absurd. Something about not bearing to see his talents wasted in the countryside, and thus specially summoning him back to court to serve as the Dao General overseeing swords at Heavenly Wonder Pavilion...

From the information he had collected on Tan Shuchang, claiming the boy had been appointed because he killed Blackheart Elder would have been more believable than that excuse.

"You don't know?" Tan Shuchang was somewhat surprised.

"Know what?" Qiu Junlin looked utterly bewildered, then turned to his attendant. "Has anything happened recently involving this Tan fellow?"

This attendant was the youth who had come to Blackheart Mountain with Qiu Junlin back then. Upon hearing the question, the youth thought for a moment before answering, "I once heard several Uncle-Grandfathers mention that Sword Disciple Mountain had found a whetstone for their Heaven's Chosen. I imagine that whetstone must be Dao General Tan?"

"Their whatever hundred-year grand plan?" Qiu Junlin finally realized.

"Young Master, it's the Righteous Path Grand Plan, not a hundred-year grand plan," the attendant youth hurriedly corrected.

"Do you need to tell me that? I just couldn't remember it!" Qiu Junlin snapped irritably. Having recovered a little of his dignity, he turned back to Tan Shuchang and said in a tone of utter shock, "Sword Disciple Mountain is using you as a whetstone for their Heaven's Chosen? Isn't that bullying people too much? A whetstone? I think you're more like a stepping stone they'd split in half with a casual stroke!"

The information he had gathered clearly stated that this Tan fellow had only cultivated for three years.

The Heaven's Chosen might have been found only recently, but given Sword Disciple Mountain's regard for him, a few months of cultivation there could likely grant him twenty years' worth of cultivation.

Moreover, Sword Disciple Mountain was a holy land for sword cultivators, which meant that Heaven's Chosen was certainly a sword cultivator.

A sword cultivator with twenty years of cultivation, wielding a top-grade flying sword at the level of a Spirit-Communing Dharma Artifact—every one of his family's "Uncle-Grandfathers" would be no more than a one-strike kill beneath his blade!

When the Grand Pavilion Master was young, he had once disguised himself as a wandering hero and sworn brotherhood with quite a few like-minded people. Later, after revealing his cultivation, he could no longer remain in the mortal martial world, so he simply brought those sworn brothers along the path of cultivation.

Those sworn brothers knew that everything they had today was thanks to the Grand Pavilion Master, so in all things, they regarded him as their leader.

Over time, they became the Grand Pavilion Master's trusted confidants.

Qiu Junlin therefore addressed these people as "Uncle-Grandfathers."

"What did you do to provoke Sword Disciple Mountain, enough for them to make you that Heaven's Chosen's stepping... whetstone?" Qiu Junlin asked curiously.

Since he was currently in a position of asking for favors, Qiu Junlin restrained himself and tried to phrase it as tactfully as possible.

"Speaking of it, this was my benefactor-master's fault." Tan Shuchang sighed faintly.

"Your benefactor-master..." Qiu Junlin nodded along instinctively, but the moment the words left his mouth, he realized something was off. His eyes widened as he stared wordlessly at Tan Shuchang.

Though he said nothing, Qiu Junlin's meaning was obvious—how did you have the nerve to say the words benefactor-master? And so naturally, too?

"That's right, my benefactor-master." Tan Shuchang spoke with a perfectly natural expression. Setting aside the facts, Blackheart Elder truly had shown him kindness.

"Go on..." Qiu Junlin gestured for Tan Shuchang to continue, because he suddenly understood what a demon cultivator was.

"My benefactor-master was selected by Sword Disciple Mountain to become an incomparably important part of their Righteous Path Grand Plan. Then, after my benefactor-master and I completed the Holy Sect's fine tradition..."

"Wait, the Holy Sect's fine tradition?" Qiu Junlin couldn't help interrupting Tan Shuchang's account.

It truly sounded deeply wrong to him.

"What's wrong?" Tan Shuchang asked naturally, with a trace of surprise.

But Tan Shuchang's composed manner left Qiu Junlin completely at a loss. He couldn't help frowning as he asked, "May I ask what exactly this fine tradition of your Holy Sect is?"

"Of course it's murdering one's master and exterminating one's ancestors! What else could it be?"

Qiu Junlin: "..."

If this Tan fellow weren't already a Principal Third Rank Dao General, Qiu Junlin would have had someone lock him in Dragon Valley within the Twelve Zodiac Forbidden Grounds to calm him down!

However, with Tan Shuchang's explanation, Qiu Junlin fully understood. "Because you killed Blackheart Elder, Sword Disciple Mountain made this arrangement."

"That should be the case." Tan Shuchang didn't answer directly.

"Then Sword Disciple Mountain's plan will most likely come to nothing." Qiu Junlin laughed, then before Tan Shuchang could speak, pointed at the words "West Isle City" on the imperial decree. "West Isle City is now Ning family territory, and the Ning family is no longer what it used to be. One joined the Dong Family of Heavenly Sword Manor in Chu Province as a live-in son-in-law, while the other became Moon-Gazing Adept's disciple—the final disciple of that peerless sword cultivator."

"You mean that if I go investigate, I'll undoubtedly die?" Tan Shuchang instantly grasped Qiu Junlin's implied meaning.

Qiu Junlin nodded, then said with a half-smile, "I wonder who reported the Ning family. They truly don't know de—"

"I reported them."

Before Qiu Junlin could finish, Tan Shuchang satisfied the man's curiosity.

"..."

After a moment of silence, Qiu Junlin looked at Tan Shuchang with pity. "Tell me, what color joss paper do you like? Any requirements for burial offerings? For the sake of our acquaintance, this young master can give you a lavish funeral."

"I just won't go. What's so strange about that?" Tan Shuchang looked utterly baffled.

Was he somehow obligated to go?

"Not go?" Qiu Junlin was stunned.

"That's right!"

"Then how will you explain it to the Emperor?"

"I'll copy down the information you just told me and send it to the Emperor." Tan Shuchang spoke calmly.

"..."

After falling silent once more, Qiu Junlin finally couldn't stop himself from cursing, "Is that any way to serve as an official?"

"Isn't that how all officials are?"

"..."

Qiu Junlin fell silent for the third time. Then, without even looking at this Tan fellow, he turned and left!