"One day, Xingliang suddenly came to visit with a pig's head as a gift, saying he had a good job for us.
"He told my master all about how the Queue Army was recruiting fellow practitioners to serve them.
"Pigtail Marshal Zhang He was very generous with his money. My master was quite tempted and took me to the Queue Army's camp with him.
"For the past six months or so, we haven't done much else. Mostly, we've been helping them catch snakes." Chen Yun spoke at length in one breath, trying to keep his account as clear and orderly as possible.
After hearing him out, Cui Jiuyang fixed him with a piercing gaze and asked, "Why exactly is the Queue Army going to such lengths to catch snakes?"
A trace of bewilderment and helplessness appeared on Chen Yun's face. He shook his head. "I'm afraid even my master may not know their ultimate goal. Only those few senior experts whom the Pigtail Marshal trusts deeply might know the inside story."
"Senior experts?" Something stirred in Cui Jiuyang's mind. He had already vaguely suspected that the Queue Army could not have only small fry on the level of Xuansheng and his disciple. There had to be genuine experts overseeing things behind the scenes.
Chen Yun's words now confirmed his suspicions.
He pressed on. "What are these senior experts' backgrounds? Do you know anything about them?"
At this question, Chen Yun immediately became evasive. His eyes darted about, and he looked hesitant and apprehensive.
But under Cui Jiuyang's increasingly fierce, cutting stare, he finally gave in. Not daring to conceal anything further, he revealed everything he knew about those senior experts. "They... they're from the Directorate of Astronomy! Ever since the emperor was gone, these experts, who drew imperial stipends and