On the way back, Chen Fan sat in Jiang Qingyuan's flying boat, still looking through the case transcripts he had just finished organizing.
The flying boat was extremely fast, and the scenery outside the windows raced backward.
"What are you thinking about?" Jiang Qingyuan sat opposite him, holding a cup of spirit tea, and spoke casually.
"Hu Zhongyuan." Chen Fan put down the transcripts and looked up. "He was a vice president in the Body Integration Realm. Was it really worth taking such a huge risk for a few international students? Doing it purely for the university rankings doesn't quite make sense."
However important the rankings were, they could not compare to his own position, fortune, and life.
Hu Zhongyuan could not have been that stupid if he had made it to vice president.
Jiang Qingyuan glanced at him, a hint of approval in her eyes.
This kid was sharp. Victory hadn't gone to his head; he could still think about what lay beneath the surface.
"You're right. It wasn't that simple." Jiang Qingyuan took a sip of tea and said slowly, "Hu Zhongyuan worked so hard to cover for them for more than just the rankings. The Freedom Divine Domain and the Holy See privately gave him plenty of benefits: spirit stones, cultivation methods, cultivation resources, and the Holy See's Holy Water Baptism, which could help him attempt to reach Tribulation Transcendence."
Understanding dawned on Chen Fan.
So it was an exchange of benefits.
No wonder Hu Zhongyuan had been so utterly devoted. He'd been taking their benefits.
The temptation of attempting to reach Tribulation Transcendence was indeed enormous for an Integrated Body Realm Cultivator.
"Is the Holy See's Holy Water Baptism that powerful?" Chen Fan asked curiously.
"It has some use. It can purify the soul and stabilize one's realm, offering some assistance in advancing from Body Integration to Tribulation Transcendence." Jiang Qingyuan's tone was calm, with a trace of disdain. "But the side effects aren't minor either. It makes it easy for a divine sense mark to be planted in you, effectively putting you under the Holy See's control. Hu Zhongyuan must have lost his mind to dare touch something like that."
Chen Fan nodded and committed that to memory.
It looked like the Freedom Divine Domain and the Holy See were up to no good.
Giving international students special privileges, buying off university executives-who knew what mischief they were brewing?
But they only dared resort to these underhanded little tricks. They would never dare wrestle with the Immortal Palace head-on.
"Oh, right." Chen Fan suddenly remembered something. "Last time, when my Spirit Sea went out of control and you manifested your Dharma aspect at the border, did the Netherworld do anything besides come over to investigate? I heard the Netherworld and the Freedom Divine Domain wear the same pair of pants. Wouldn't they take the opportunity to stir up trouble?"
Both sides had suppressed the matter, making it a semi-secret incident that ordinary cultivators knew nothing about. But since he had been involved, Han University's principal would certainly have mentioned it to him.
"What could they do?" Jiang Qingyuan spoke lightly. "They sent an elder over to put on a show of confronting us, but he slunk back after my senior schoolmate intimidated him a little. Even if you lent them ten times the courage, they wouldn't dare cross the border to cause trouble."
She did not give too many details. For one thing, there was no need to make Chen Fan worry too; for another, the fewer people who knew about such things, the better. Chen Fan's cultivation was still low, and exposure to too many high-level secrets would do him no good.
In her view, the Netherworld was merely an itch on the skin, something she could deal with casually, not worth bringing up specifically.
Chen Fan nodded without giving it much thought.
"That's good." He smiled. "I was worried I'd caused you diplomatic trouble at the border."
"A little thing like that hardly counts as trouble," Jiang Qingyuan said calmly. "If the Netherworld really dared cross the border on a large scale, I wouldn't need to act. Even the Xuzhou garrison wouldn't have to act. The Law Enforcement Immortal Hall alone could steamroll them."
The more Chen Fan heard, the more reassured he felt.
With such powerful backing, he could investigate cases with confidence.
The flying boat soon returned to the villa district inside Han University.
They walked through the door one after the other. Jiang Qingyuan casually took off her outer robe, revealing the plain-colored house dress beneath. She looked less severe and more gentle.
"What would you like for dinner?" Jiang Qingyuan suddenly asked.
"Huh?" Chen Fan froze for a moment. "Me? Anything's fine. I'm not picky."
He had thought Jiang Qingyuan would go straight to cultivating or handling official business. He had not expected her to ask what he wanted to eat.
"Mm." Jiang Qingyuan nodded and headed for the kitchen. "Then I'll decide."
Chen Fan stood where he was, watching her retreating figure with a subtle feeling in his heart.
By day, she was a decisive, ruthless Heaven-Rank Law Enforcement Envoy; by night, she came home to cook.
Wasn't that contrast a little too stark?
He shook his head, tossing those strange thoughts aside, and returned to his room to organize the case files first.
Although Jiang Qingyuan had said he did not need to worry about diplomatic matters, he could not rely on her for everything. This was his case, and he had to make the chain of evidence watertight so no one could find fault with it.
Besides, he wanted to see just how the diplomatic department would stamp its feet.
By the time he finished organizing the files and came downstairs, delicious smells were already wafting from the dining room.
Jiang Qingyuan had just brought the final dish to the table: four dishes and a soup, a mix of meat and vegetables with enticing colors.
"Come and eat." She took off her apron and set it aside.
Chen Fan went over, sat down, and picked up his chopsticks, praising her sincerely. "Professor Jiang, your cooking is incredible. Whoever gets to marry you must have cultivated good fortune for eight lifetimes."
The moment the words left his mouth, he regretted them a little.
Wasn't that a bit too forward?
Jiang Qingyuan paused and raised her eyes to glance at him, a hint of a smile in her gaze. "What, are you trying to butter me up so I'll open a back door for you?"
"No, I meant it." Chen Fan gave a dry cough and hurriedly lowered his head to eat, hiding his embarrassment.
Watching his slightly flustered expression, Jiang Qingyuan's lips curved faintly, and she did not tease him any further.
After dinner, Chen Fan took the initiative to clear the dishes and wash them. Jiang Qingyuan did not stop him, leaning against the kitchen doorway to watch.
The young man stood tall and straight, dressed in simple loungewear, his sleeves rolled up as he washed the dishes with brisk movements.
The light fell on him, warm and soft.
As Jiang Qingyuan watched, it felt as though something gently nudged a corner of her heart.
All these years, she had always come and gone alone, accustomed to cultivating alone, investigating cases alone, and eating alone.
Suddenly, there was someone beside her, eating with her, investigating cases with her, and living under the same roof.
It seemed... not so disagreeable after all.
"Oh, right." Chen Fan finished washing the dishes, dried his hands, and turned around, meeting Jiang Qingyuan's gaze. He paused. "What is it?"
"Nothing." Jiang Qingyuan immediately averted her gaze and resumed her cool demeanor. "There's something I want to tell you. I intend to use this case to push for reforms to the foreign student management system at the Immortal Palace's universities across the Nine Provinces."
Chen Fan's eyes lit up. "What kind of reforms?"
"Abolish all treatment that puts foreign students above Immortal Palace citizens. Standardize assessment criteria and the system of rewards and punishments." Jiang Qingyuan's voice was calm, yet carried force. "From now on, any university administration that dares grant special privileges or shield foreign students will be thoroughly investigated, without exception."
"That's a major move," Chen Fan said with feeling. "You'll be cutting into a lot of people's cake."
"Cake?" Jiang Qingyuan sneered. "The Immortal Palace's universities are places for nurturing students of the Nine Provinces, not back gardens for outsiders."
"Then how do you plan to push it forward?" Chen Fan asked.
"First, bring a group of universities together to issue a joint declaration," Jiang Qingyuan said. "I've already spoken to Principal Zhou of Han University, and he agreed. Next, I'll contact President Gu of Jingfu. With Jingfu taking the lead, we'll unite a group of higher education institutions and settle this together."
The more Chen Fan heard, the more fired up he became.
"Oh, right." Jiang Qingyuan suddenly added, a mischievous note in her voice, "We'll do this in secret. Keep Huaqing University in the dark."
Chen Fan: "?"
"Keep Huaqing in the dark? Why?"
Jiang Qingyuan raised an eyebrow and said as though it were only natural, "We're Jingfu people. To us, nothing else matters, but anything that lets us get one over on Huaqing matters very much. By the time they react, they won't even get any hot soup."
Chen Fan: "..."
Good grief. So even while making such a huge move, you were still thinking about outcompeting Huaqing on the side?