"Supervisor Zhao? Heh, what wind blew you here?" Lin Mo rose, forcing a numb smile onto his aged face.
He knew why Zhao Donghai had come, but now was the time to play dumb.
If someone from the Maidservant Department's Rebirth Hall hadn't come to collect his corpse, could he possibly have come to discuss his dreams and ambitions?
Zhao Donghai offered a smile that never reached his eyes. "According to the Maidservant Department's personnel records, you should have died of old age by now. I certainly didn't expect to find you still looking so radiant."
"It seems you still have some time left, Lin Mo."
"Heh, perhaps Heaven has taken pity on this old man, allowing me to offer one last humble service to the sect leader," Lin Mo said.
"That won't be necessary."
Zhao Donghai's tone brooked no argument. "The higher-ups have already assigned someone else to handle the Purple Heaven Palace's chores. Since those old bones of yours still have some time left, return to the Maidservant Department and enjoy your twilight years."
"You've devoted your entire life to the First Saint Sect. The Maidservant Department won't mistreat you. When the time comes, I'll oversee the Rebirth Hall and ensure you leave this world with dignity."
At those words, Lin Mo gave an indescribable smile.
He asked pointedly, "Supervisor Zhao, by 'when the time comes,' do you mean tomorrow or the day after?"
Lin Mo had no doubt that once he left the Purple Heaven Palace and returned to the Maidservant Department,
within two days at most, he would die by suicide-with eight stab wounds in his back.
Zhao Donghai simply dropped the pretense and sneered, "You've already got one foot in the grave, yet that brain of yours still works quite well."
"You have neither the talent to cultivate nor the energy to continue performing your chores. What value do you still have to the First Saint Sect?"
"I'm giving you a chance to preserve your dignity. If you don't know what's good for you, I'll preserve it for you."
The Maidservant Department held the lowest status in the First Saint Sect, but even among its servants, there was a hierarchy of contempt.
Generally speaking, serving as the Purple Heaven Palace's Exclusive Servant was the most comfortable posting available.
Why?
Liu Ziyan might have been a little strict, but at least you didn't have to suffer bullying and suppression from the Maidservant Department's seniors, and your free time was relatively your own.
Then there was the most important factor: seniority.
Once someone stepped down from serving as the Purple Heaven Palace's personal servant, their subsequent career in the Maidservant Department was practically assured of a meteoric rise.
As for the servant disciples outside the Purple Heaven Palace's Exclusive Servant,
especially the newcomers, every filthy, exhausting job fell to them, and they also had to endure their seniors' bullying and suppression.
Lin Mo had experienced this firsthand during his first few years as a greenhorn servant disciple in the First Saint Sect.
Even after becoming a seasoned old hand, he still had to contend with the Maidservant Department's internal struggles.
Anyone who wasn't slippery enough, or who was a little too rigid, would most likely come to a bad end.
That was why countless servant disciples had their eyes on the position of personal servant to the Purple Heaven Palace.
Back then, Lin Mo had possessed neither backing nor connections. He had only become the Purple Heaven Palace's Exclusive Servant because Liu Ziyan had personally promoted him.
At the time, the personal servants repeatedly sent to the Purple Heaven Palace by the Maidservant Department had all performed poorly. In her anger, Liu Ziyan had punished the department,
and personally selected a servant with outstanding abilities.
That person was Lin Mo.
Lin Mo had spent a hundred years at the job.
He had gone from a spirited youth to a white-haired old man in the twilight of his life.
Now that Lin Mo's lifespan was nearly exhausted, the Maidservant Department's steward was naturally eager to arrange for his own man to take Lin Mo's place.
If Lin Mo refused to cooperate, they could simply resort to force.
After all, Lin Mo truly was old, with little time remaining.
Even Liu Ziyan would no longer intervene.
Although the First Saint Sect was a demonic sect, its rules expressly forbade fellow disciples from killing one another-at least openly.
But once he returned to the Maidservant Department, they had countless ways to make Lin Mo "die by suicide," causing him to vanish from the world without anyone being the wiser.
As a seasoned old hand, Lin Mo naturally understood this all too well.
That was why he absolutely could not return to the Maidservant Department with Zhao Donghai. By the time Liu Ziyan realized what had happened, even if she wanted to save him, he would probably already have reported to the King of Hell.
Looking Zhao Donghai straight in the eye, Lin Mo said sarcastically, "Supervisor Zhao, telling me all this is useless."
"I can accept the Maidservant Department's personnel arrangements, and I can return there to enjoy my twilight years. But as the supervisor of its Rebirth Hall, you don't seem to have the authority to transfer the department's personnel."
"If you want me to vacate this position and return to the Maidservant Department, fine. Have the department's steward come speak to me."
Zhao Donghai scoffed. "You old bastard, I don't think you have any idea what sort of trash you are. Do you think you deserve a personal visit from the steward?"
Lin Mo was merely a small fry without connections or backing. If he hadn't relied on his outstanding work as a servant,
how could he have spent so many comfortable years as the Purple Heaven Palace's personal servant?
As he spoke, Zhao Donghai swept out his hand.
He was about to order the two servant disciples accompanying him to carry Lin Mo away by force.
Lin Mo waved a hand, stopping the two servant disciples in their tracks, and said unhurriedly, "Supervisor Zhao, we're standing at the entrance to the Purple Heaven Palace. If you dare cause trouble here, you'd better think carefully about whether you can withstand the sect leader's wrath."
"Which of the First Saint Sect's hundred thousand disciples doesn't know that the sect leader hates having her secluded cultivation disturbed above all else?"
"This old man's worthless life hardly matters. But you're different. As the Rebirth Hall's supervisor, your life and prospects are far more precious than mine."
"Fine. Very well!"
Lin Mo's words instantly cooled Zhao Donghai's rising temper.
On reflection, there really was no need to cause such a commotion at the Purple Heaven Palace's entrance over a dying man.
"Stay right here and wait, you old bastard."
Zhao Donghai spoke coldly, his gaze vicious.
Once they returned to the Maidservant Department, he would have no shortage of ways or energy to deal with Lin Mo.
Although the Rebirth Hall had no authority to transfer the Maidservant Department's personnel, he, Zhao Donghai, still held the title of its supervisor.
How could he tolerate a lowly servant like Lin Mo challenging his authority?
Lin Mo shrugged and said indifferently, "These old bones aren't in good shape, so forgive me for not seeing you farther out, Supervisor Zhao."
Having sent Zhao Donghai and his companions away,
Lin Mo rubbed his nose and chuckled. "You're just the supervisor of the Rebirth Hall under the Maidservant Department. Anyone who didn't know better would think you were some important supervisor."
As the saying went, the King of Hell was easy to meet, but his little devils were hard to deal with.
That described people like Zhao Donghai perfectly.
Within the First Saint Sect as a whole, Zhao Donghai's standing wasn't much higher than that of bottom-rung servant disciples like them.
"That said, I still need to find a way to resolve this..."
If not for the Life-Prolonging Pill, he really would have ridden a crane westward to the afterlife by now.
That was why the Maidservant Department had arranged in advance for a servant disciple to replace him.
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