Before they arrived, Yi Chongyue had already explained who was in charge of the Evil Hunting Hall.
Luo Tao.
He is of the same generation as Yi Chongyue's master, and has reached the Foundation Establishment Perfection. Due to limited talent and unwillingness to waste the sect's precious materials, he abandoned the idea of closing his doors to break through to the Golden Core stage. He is serious in his conduct and hates evil. Under his leadership, the Evil Hunting Hall has been quite aggressive in its actions over the past ten years.
In terms of seniority, Yi Chongyue is Chen Shuangbai's master, while this Foundation Establishment Perfection cultivator is from the same generation as Yi Chongyue's master. Therefore, Chen Shuangbai should address him as "Grandmaster Uncle".
"Disciple Chen Shuangbai pays respects to Grandmaster Luo!"
Luo Tao, dressed in a moon-white Confucian robe, was bowing his head as if dealing with some official documents. The Jade Slip table beneath him was piled high with jade slips, and four young Daoist attendants stood respectfully to the side. Upon seeing Chen Shuangbai enter, they cupped their hands, bowed, and knelt down.
Upon hearing this, Luo Tao, who was processing official documents, looked up, revealing a kind face. He first looked Chen Shuangbai up and down, then nodded with satisfaction and said, "When you were laying your foundation, I was dealing with an urgent matter, so I didn't go to congratulate you. But I did see your extraordinary phenomenon from afar... Do you possess any divinely bestowed Divine Ability powers?"
Chen Shuangbai nodded, but did not say who Divine Ability was.
Luo Tao didn't ask any further questions, but his smile grew even wider. After saying "good" several times, he picked up a jade tablet from the jade table, handed it over with his Law Power, and said, " The Evil Hunting Hall is busy with official duties, and I need to be here to handle them. This kind of writing is very time-consuming. You are a hero of our sect's generation, so naturally you don't need to handle this matter. This old man can do it."
Chen Shuangbai never expected her grandmaster to say such a thing...
"Then... what is my duty, Grandmaster Uncle?"
Chen Shuangbai remained silent for a moment before asking this question.
Luo Tao nodded slightly and said, "Although each of the nine halls has one head and two deputies, the Evil Hunting Hall is a bit special. It only has me, this old man, and two other old men. However, they all passed away not long ago, so now it's just the two of us, one old and one young, in charge."
"Your job is quite simple. I'll handle the paperwork, but when it comes to the specifics of execution, that's where you, this young man, will have to step in for this old man."
At this point, Luo Tao seemed to remember something. He rummaged through the jade table for a while and finally found three Jade Slip. He handed them over in mid-air and said, "This department is extremely busy. I'm afraid you won't be able to rest for quite some time to come."
"It is an honor for Shuangbai to be able to contribute to the sect."
"Alright, alright, no need for such polite words. Go on, go on."
Chen Shuangbai walked out of the main hall, followed by a young Daoist disciple who bowed respectfully and said, "Chen Tang, please follow me."
The young Daoist priest led Chen Shuangbai toward a palace on the left.
The hall is named the [ Suspended Sword Hall ]. It is much smaller than the main hall, but its layout is equally rigorous, with flying eaves and brackets, exuding a simple and grand atmosphere.
Pushing open the white jade door, one could see two people already standing inside. One was wearing a white feather robe and had a slender figure, while the other was wearing a green cloak and had a thin figure. Upon seeing Chen Shuangbai, they bowed and knelt down.
" Bai Jin and Lü Zhang greet Chen Tang."
Chen Shuangbai sensed a faint Yao Qi emanating from the two individuals. Turning to the young Daoist, the boy explained, "These are two Foundation Establishment demons who originated from the sect's guardian spirit beasts. After successfully transforming into human form, they were assigned to the Evil Hunting Hall to coordinate the affairs of the two clans within the hall."
These two guest advisors often remain in the main hall to receive orders and participate in field missions.
The young Daoist then pointed to an empty rosewood chair behind the desk, "This is where you handle official business and discuss matters with your colleagues."
"Luo Tang said that all affairs of the Evil Hunting Hall, including field operations, will be under your overall coordination."
Chen Shuangbai nodded and sat down behind the desk.
Luo Tao was only responsible for giving orders; Chen Shuangbai was in charge of the actual execution.
This power... cannot be underestimated.
Aside from these two Demon Cultivator, Chen Shuangbai thought he should also check on the direct supervisors of the other departments within the Evil Hunting Hall, so he ordered them all to be summoned.
There are four departments within the Evil Hunting Hall.
[Slay Evil], [Interrogate], [External Objects], and [Swift Movement].
The young Daoist priest acknowledged and withdrew to summon the messenger.
Before long, steady footsteps were heard outside the hall, and four cultivators with different demeanors filed in, stood in front of Chen Shuangbai, and bowed in unison.
"Your subordinate pays respects to Chen Tang."
Chen Shuangbai glanced at the four people, nodded slightly, and raised her hand to indicate, "Please, everyone, there's no need for such formalities. Please sit down and let's talk."
Rosewood chairs had been prepared inside the hall, and the four people thanked the hall staff and took their seats in turn.
This young apprentice was originally meant to serve Luo Tao, but since Chen Shuangbai currently lacks a capable successor, he has temporarily come here. After everyone was seated, he served tea and then stood respectfully to the side.
Silent and still, like a piece of wood.
Chen Shuangbai first looked at the leader and smiled, "It's been a long time... Senior Brother Yan."
It was Yan Qi.
Yan Qi never expected that the people he had tried to befriend in the outer sect back then would have already come to his side and even reached their current positions in just over a decade.
He was inwardly moved, but his face remained impassive. He stood up, bowed, and said, "Those who have achieved mastery in cultivation come first. Chen Tang's words are too kind."
Chen Shuangbai knew he couldn't be too informal, so he said, "I've been entrusted with an important task by the sect. Upon taking up my post here, it's only natural that I first meet you all, since we'll need your strong support in our future work together."
These four people were all Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Although they are all at the Foundation Establishment Early Stage, the Evil Hunting Hall alone now has six Foundation Establishment cultivators... This shows that the Jade Spring Sect's foundation is far from being as ordinary as it appears on the surface.
Moreover, these four department heads all looked very young, and it was obvious that this was intentional on the part of the sect.
After a brief conversation, the group gained a basic understanding of each other.
Chen Shuangbai didn't exchange many pleasantries, but instead spread out the three Jade Slip slips directly.
This was something Luo Tao had instructed us to do immediately.
These three external tasks are: one is to resolve the discord between two lineages under Jade Spring's command; another is to deal with a case of evil spirits harming people in a certain county; and the last one... is a bit special, as a certain Foundation Establishment elder cultivator in the sect has done some wrong things after returning to his hometown, and the Evil Hunting Hall needs to set things right.
Each of these three matters is extremely difficult to handle.
It's clear that Luo Tao was intentionally testing him.
The four humans and two demons were secretly astonished as they looked at the three official tasks, eager to see what this person would do.
Chen Shuangbai knew they wanted to see his abilities, so he didn't hesitate much and calmly ordered, "Men, prepare the carriages and horses. I will handle this personally."