A Bright Future Ahead

Su Che gave Shi Chibao a general account of what he had discovered in Tian'an County.

Captain Shi shook his head in disapproval.

"Brother, you still lack experience."

"Please give your instructions Captain Shi."

"Let's not talk about showing respect or not. We're brothers, and I have a few words from the bottom of my heart for you to hear."

After saying this, Shi Chibao waved his hand to dismiss the people around him, leaving only Su Che and Shi Chibao in the room.

"Brother, what's your background?"

"I?"

Shi Chibao let out a long sigh and said, "You are the young master of the Duling Su Clan and a disciple of the True Person Yulizi of the Yellow Heaven Sect. Why do you care about such trivial matters?"

"A night watchman had his life force drained, and that's that. Do you know how many depressed young men in Ci Prefecture wander aimlessly around ancient tombs every day, just waiting to find a beautiful female ghost to defile their Yang Essence?"

Shi Chibao, exasperated, continued, "Don't even mention those damn bored teenagers, there are plenty of bored middle-aged and old people too. They're all just bored out of their minds."

"The Devil Sect is ubiquitous. Although they claim to be based in the northern Southern Wastes, they also have presence in the Central Land, and their numbers are even greater in the Eastern Sea."

"That's just how the world is. As the sages said, 'Cultivate oneself, regulate one's family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world.' This is a complex matter, but to put it simply, everyone should take care of themselves first before worrying about others."

"What use is that county magistrate to you?" Shi Chibao said indignantly. "He's just a lousy county magistrate, frankly speaking, he's just a tax collector for the emperor. What use would it be for you to borrow a few yamen runners from him? We're not like the peaceful early days of the founding of the nation anymore. They're just a bunch of good-for-nothings who come to make up the numbers."

"There's Corpse Demon in the county. Can you really hide it from the City God? It's just a matter of whether he wants to or not. We, the Imperial Demon Hunters, must consider the bigger picture. What is the bigger picture? The Emperor wants the bigger picture."

"Go back to Ci Prefecture and send a centurion with a few brothers. They'll get the gist of this in no time. The Sword Cultivation of the Eastern Sea say that when wielding a sword, first Cang Feng. Hide your sharpness so they don't know where you're going to strike. Once you do, it'll be a whirlwind that will catch them off guard."

Su Che didn't agree with Shi Chibao's philosophy, but he respected it. Su Che felt he still needed to learn more about Shi Chibao's methods.

"Sigh, brother, you have a bright future ahead of you. If you like what I'm saying, take it to heart. If not, just ignore it. But my heart is truly with you..."

That sounds weird.

Su Che looked at Shi Chibao: "There's something else I'd like to ask you, Chief Justice. What's our stance on the Prince of Wuling's arrival in Ci Prefecture?"

The imperial court had not appointed a prince to a post in a distant region for a long time.

The dispatch of the Prince of Wuling to govern Ci Prefecture this time was undoubtedly aimed at the phrase "the Three Suns Calamity."

The crown prince has already established his power, and the emperor must suppress his influence.

This isn't a case of "no fathers or sons in the imperial family," but rather a perfectly normal tactic.

It's likely that the Prince of Wuling was merely a weapon in the emperor's hand, brought out to be displayed at this particular moment.

"I don't know." Shi Chibao looked at Su Che: "What you mean, brother, is what I mean."

Hey, this is Captain Shi.

Su Che asked himself if he were in Su Che's shoes, and he would have the same attitude.

There's a saying that might sound complicated, but the principle is the same.

The Imperial Demon Hunters were backed by the Imperial Stud Directorate Imperial Stud Directorate, which was headed by Lord Su. Whether the Imperial Demon Hunters belonged to the Imperial Stud Directorate or the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs, no matter which department of the inner court they were under, there had to be someone like Lord Su in charge of them.

Why? Because when Yuwen Rui comes to stir up trouble again, the leader of the Imperial Demon Hunters must be able to match him and fight to a draw. If he is defeated by the Grand Tutor of Northern Wei in just a few moves, then he is not worthy of being the leader of the Imperial Demon Hunters.

Therefore, the Imperial Demon Hunters must be under the command of Lord Su. As for whether Lord Su will insist on protecting the Crown Prince or decide to support someone else, that remains to be seen.

This has nothing to do with Shi Chibao. As long as a sword light doesn't fall from the sky and kill Lord Su, Shi Chibao has no personal opinion.

In short, follow Lord Su.

If Lord Su did not explicitly state otherwise, then follow Lord Su's nephew.

"Speaking of which, there's something small I'd like to ask you for some advice on."

Su Che then interjected, "I've got my eye on Tongde Tower in Tian'an County."

"Tongde Tower?" Shi Chibao naturally knew which restaurant was behind Tongde Tower.

"What do you need a shabby restaurant for? We have plenty of ways to make money. Ci Prefecture Port connects to the Eastern Sea; countless rare delicacies come from there..."

"It's nothing else, I just want to take this opportunity to test the waters with the Prince of Wuling."

Su Che said, "In the end, we should first see what the Langya Wang Clan thinks. Brother, rest assured, my idea is that I'll play the villain, and you'll be the one to mediate."

Shi Chibao was right. Even if a restaurant was built to be more magnificent and beautiful than the Jiankang Terrace City in Jiankang, Su Che had no interest in it whatsoever. He was just looking for an opportunity to get to know the person behind it.

"You're very kind, brother."

Shi Chibao looked at Su Che: "I will remember this favor."

At this point, Su Che's meaning was quite clear.

Third Young Master Su plays the role of a wicked young master who seizes other people's property and clashes with the Langya Wang Clan. Shi Chibao will then mediate and play the role of a good-natured person.

The characters are well-defined, and the story is simple.

The effect? Mainly, it's to make a preliminary contact with the Langya Wang Clan and see what this seemingly powerful figure behind the Prince of Wuling is really thinking.

"What are your plans, bro?"

"Find a pretext to seize the manager of Tongde Tower, then seal off this place for a few days." Su Che smiled. "Spread the word that I've taken a liking to this place and am planning to acquire it."

Having a bad reputation has its advantages; it makes doing such things seem more reasonable and justifiable.

"Yes, this is a good opportunity to do it together with taking down the Tian'an City God."

Shi Chibao pondered for a moment, "Someone from Tongde Tower must have gone to the City God Temple to burn incense; these are irrefutable pieces of evidence."

"Speaking of which, how does the Chief Justice plan to take down the Tian'an County City God?"

Su Che was very curious about this question.

Although the City God is similar to a county magistrate, he is not a real county magistrate, but a Divine Path cultivator with Divine Ability.

A county magistrate can be dismissed from his post or even have his entire family executed with a single imperial edict, but dealing with a City God is not so easy.

The county magistrate is a rotating official who changes every few years, while the City God is a deeply rooted and powerful deity.

"It's like felling a tree; you have to cut away all the annoying branches and leaves before you can touch the root."

Shi Chibao grinned, revealing his gleaming white teeth.

"We need to work together sincerely for this matter to be resolved."

"Sir, please give your orders, and I will obey."

"With your words of reassurance, I can finally rest easy."