The Contest for the New Superintendent

After Xu Yuanhuai asked the question, he noticed that the two white-robed Warlock were looking at him as if he were an idiot.

This made him frown and snort coldly:

What's the problem?

The white-robed Warlock on the left exclaimed "Oh!" as if suddenly realizing something, and slapped his forehead, saying:

"I forgot, you two joined the Bureau of Astronomy when Huaiqing ascended the throne, and it's been quite some time now."

The white-robed Warlock on the right looked at Xu Yuanhuai with a smile:

"I have bad news for you. The Yunzhou army did indeed march on the capital, but they were quelled by Xu Yinluo that same day. Several of the rebel leaders were either killed or captured."

"Young man, the world is at peace now."

Xu Yuanhuai and his sister exchanged a glance and sneered:

"Go ahead and fool a three-year-old."

Why were they imprisoned here? Because the Supervisor was sealed away, the Great Feng Dynasty was doomed, and people were filled with fear. The father and uncle believed that this was an opportunity to hollow out the Great Feng without bloodshed.

Therefore, they agreed to Qi Guangbo's peace proposal.

In other words, the situation in the Central Plains was almost certain that the Great Feng would be defeated.

The siblings were imprisoned in the Bureau of Astronomy for less than a month. According to the trend, the Great Feng was already at its end and on the verge of extinction.

Xu Yuanshuang shared the same opinion as her brother, but remained silent, neither asking questions nor arguing.

She was relatively less worried. Her older brother had risen from a lowly handyman to a powerful figure, so his ruthlessness was undeniable. However, he didn't kill indiscriminately. Even if she and Yuan Huai were useless pawns, at most they would be imprisoned back in the Bureau of Astronomy.

The Warlock of the Bureau of Astronomy were always arrogant, so the two men in white robes disdained to explain.

The siblings, wearing handcuffs and shackles, were led out of the ground and followed by two white-robed Warlock up the steps.

They encountered many white-robed Warlock along the way, who ignored the siblings and were preoccupied with their own affairs.

To turn a blind eye is itself a form of arrogance.

Soon, we arrived at the fourth-floor lobby, turned into the left corridor, and stopped outside a large hall.

Xu Yuanshuang peeked inside and saw a young man with dark circles under his eyes in the east, west, south, and north; an oval-faced girl in a yellow dress with snacks in front of her; and Sun Xuanji, who had an ordinary appearance, and his pet monkey.

And then there was Xu Qi'an, the eldest brother, dressed in an indigo robe embroidered with cloud patterns. He was talking to several Warlock, his face full of helplessness.

A white-robed Warlock stood by the window, his hands clasped behind his back; his face was never seen.

"Xu Yinluo, they're here!"

The two white-robed Warlock greeted each other and then turned to leave.

The siblings stood frozen at the doorway, unsure whether they should go inside.

Come in!

Xu Qi'an composed himself and glanced at the siblings with an indifferent expression.

Xu Yuanhuai hesitated for a moment, then entered the hall first, saying coldly:

"You want to use us, siblings and I, as bargaining chips to blackmail Father?"

"Then I advise you not to be delusional. Advancing to the first rank is Father's lifelong wish, and he is willing to pay any price for it. Yuan Shuang and I are not worthy of that."

"Kill me or torture me, it's all up to you. I, Xu Yuanhuai, beg you once, and I'm no man."

The supervisor's disciples glanced at him, somewhat surprised.

Xu Ningyan's younger brother is quite a tough guy, with a lot of integrity.

Xu Qi'an looked at Protector Yuan and asked:

What did he say?

Protector Yuan stared at Xu Yuanhuai with his azure eyes for a moment, then answered honestly:

"Same."

This means that what Xu Yuanhuai said was exactly what he was thinking.

The same thought flashed through the minds of everyone present: he was a simpleton.

These days, anyone who thinks the same thing as what they say is just a fool.

Protector Yuan's azure eyes swept over the crowd, and he nodded, giving an affirmative answer:

"I also think he's a dullard, boring!"

The siblings standing nearby couldn't understand a word they were saying.

Xu Qi'an said calmly:

"The rebellion in Yunzhou has been quelled. You are free. Wait in the main hall outside. I will take you to see your birth mother later."

After saying that, he waved his hand, and Xu Yuanshuang and Xu Yuanhuai were gone in a flash, having already left the hall and returned to the fourth-floor lobby.

Xu Yuanhuai pondered and said:

"He said he'd take us to see Mother; he really was just using us as bargaining chips to make a deal with Father."

He let out a long breath:

"Father hasn't forgotten us; we can finally go home."

Xu Yuanshuang nodded.

At that moment, a white-robed Warlock walked out from the other side of the corridor.

Xu Yuanshuang's heart skipped a beat, and she went to meet them amidst the clanking of their shackles.

Xu Yuanhuai followed closely behind her.

"Sir."

Xu Yuanshuang said softly, "I'd like to ask you something, brother."

Seeing that it was a beautiful young woman, the white-robed Warlock suppressed his impatience and smiled:

"Please speak, young lady."

Xu Yuanshuang asked:

"Has the Yunzhou army reached the capital?"

The white-robed Warlock nodded and hummed in agreement.

As expected, the siblings understood that Xu Qi'an was indeed using them as bargaining chips to make a deal with their father.

So what I meant by seeing our birth mother was getting our father to forgive us and take us back. Xu Yuanshuang breathed a sigh of relief. Xu Qi'an's words meant that his deal with his father didn't involve the bigger picture, so his father would be willing to redeem them.

Xu Yuanhuai said in a deep voice:

"What is the situation? Has the Great Feng reached a dead end?"

He thought to himself, "They're probably about to march on the capital."

The white-robed Warlock scrutinized them:

"The rebellion was quelled long ago; you two just came out from underground, didn't you?"

"How is that possible?" Xu Yuanshuang's voice became sharper.

"What's impossible?" the white-robed Warlock retorted.

"Yunzhou has two First Rank officials. Putting aside everything else, just their actions alone could wipe out the Great Feng," Xu Yuanhuai said in a deep voice.

"Oh, Xu Yinluo and the Imperial Preceptor have also been promoted to the first rank," the white-robed Warlock said with a chuckle.

"The high-ranking rebel leaders in Yunzhou are either dead or have surrendered; it all happened several days ago."

Xu Yuanshuang and Xu Yuanhuai stood frozen in place.

Yunzhou has fallen, but what about Ji Xuan? What about his father? What about the two first-rank officials, Jialuo Tree and the White Emperor?

Xu Yuanshuang raised these questions.

The white-robed Warlock shrugged.

"How would I know? I don't care, I don't care. If you want to know, go ask someone else. I still have alchemical experiments to do. Goodbye."

After the white-robed Warlock's figure disappeared down the corridor, Xu Yuanhuai murmured:

"First-class, Grade One?"

If those two white-robed Warlock were just teasing them, then this Warlock had absolutely no reason to lie.

All of this could very well be true.

Xu Yuanshuang said softly:

"First-class! Yuan Huai, your father's grand undertaking, planned for twenty years, meticulously calculated and developed step by step, was ultimately destroyed in just two years of cultivation by Xu Qi'an."

The siblings looked at each other, and four words flashed through their minds:

Cause and effect!

In the hall, Xu Qi'an scrutinized the disciples of the supervisor and said:

Okay, let's continue.

"I can understand your eagerness to replace the old scoundrel, the Supervisor. Yongxing and Prince Yan downstairs can also understand, but they're not in a hurry."

"The former supervisor's body is barely cold—no, the former supervisor hasn't truly perished. There's no rush to appoint a new supervisor."

It's better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early. He happened to arrive just in time for the infighting among the disciples of the Director of the Imperial Observatory, who were planning to select a new Director to take charge of the Bureau of Astronomy.

This intense competition was initiated by Yang Qianhuan for a simple and unpretentious reason.

"A country cannot be without a ruler for a single day. Although the Imperial Supervisor is not dead, it is no different from being dead," Yang Qianhuan said in a deep voice.

"I believe it is necessary to select a new Director of the Imperial Observatory to make a name for himself and bring benefits to the people. As the most prestigious person in the Bureau of Astronomy, I should be the new Director. I hope that Xu Yinluo will put in a good word for me with His Majesty."

"In return, Yang will expose all the details of how Li Lingsu, the Holy Son of the Heavenly Sect, plotted against you."

A country cannot be without a ruler, but you're just a lowly Bureau of Astronomy or not doesn't really matter, right? Besides, you only want to become Director to show off your abilities in front of others, don't you? Xu Qi'an waved his hand:

"Li Lingsu is already in jail, she's pitiful enough, I don't plan to hold it against her."

He then looked at Song Qing and said irritably:

"Senior Brother Song, I really didn't expect you to be so interested in the position of Supervisor. You just need to have Alchemy experiments to do."

Song Qing shook his head and said in a deep voice:

"The Bureau of Astronomy is my teacher's foundation, and I cannot allow it to be ruined by Yang Qianhuan. For this reason, I am willing to give up my beloved Alchemy and strive for the position of Director."

Xu Qi'an, who did possess some loyalty and filial piety, said with relief, and then heard Chu Caiwei say:

"Senior Brother Song is afraid that Senior Brother Yang will do what he did last time and donate the Bureau of Astronomy's silver to relieve disaster victims, which would leave him without the money to conduct alchemy experiments."

"Moreover, once he became the Director of the Imperial Observatory, he was able to use all the funds of the Bureau of Astronomy for alchemical experiments."

Song Qing said unhappily:

"Junior Sister Caiwei, how could you tell outsiders about this?"

When they need me, I'm Young Master Xu; when they don't, I'm an outsider? Xu Qi'an was full of complaints as he stared at the big-eyed cute girl:

"Then why are you getting involved?"

Chu Caiwei said in a very serious tone:

"My senior brothers sent me here. They said I'm also a disciple of the supervisor and have a right to succeed him."

She looked proud, believing that this showed her senior brothers' respect for her, no longer treating her as a child, but as an equal peer.

Upon hearing this, Xu Qi'an glanced sideways at Protector Yuan.

Protector Yuan understood immediately, his azure eyes scrutinizing the Warlock present, and slowly said:

"Your hearts tell me:"

"If Chu Caiwei gets lucky and becomes the supervisor, it's no different from me becoming the supervisor."

This means that with Chu Caiwei's intelligence, anyone can fool her. Xu Qi'an raised his hand to cover his mouth, almost bursting out laughing.

It took Chu Caiwei several seconds to understand what Protector Yuan was saying. She stared wide-eyed in disbelief at her usually respected senior brothers.

She sensed the deep malice emanating from her senior classmates.

"And what about Senior Brother Sun? Are you also aiming to become the Supervisor?"

Xu Qi'an looked at Protector Yuan.

The latter immediately read Sun Xuanji's inner thoughts:

"I am the second disciple. My eldest brother is dead, so I am the first in line to succeed him."

"What about Zhong Li? Have you forgotten about Zhong Li?"

Xu Qi'an thought of his poor little guy.

Yang Qianhuan chuckled.

"Given Zhong Li's fate, she is not capable of bearing the destiny of the Director of the Imperial Observatory. If she becomes the Director today, the entire Bureau of Astronomy will be waiting for her to take the lead tomorrow."

Life is not worth living. Xu Qi'an pinched the bridge of his nose and suddenly understood the supervisor's feelings.

"Alright, I will report this matter to His Majesty as instructed. You all await further news."

Xu Qi'an cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, his body transforming into a shadow and melting away.

The next moment, he appeared in the lobby outside and saw his younger siblings waiting patiently.

Xu Yuanshuang and Xu Yuanhuai subconsciously held their breath, their faces filled with tension.

The man before them was both their elder brother and a first-rank martial artist.

A first-class martial artist!

Xu Qi'an nodded slightly to the two of them, said nothing more, and then leaped away from the Star-Gazing Tower with them in a shadow.

In Xu Yuanshuang and Xu Yuanhuai's vision, the world was shrouded in shadow. Scenes of the capital city flashed by like a revolving lantern. When the picture became clear, they saw the gate of the Xu Residence.

In the Xu Residence in the capital, Xu Residence Yuanshuang slightly widened her eyes and suddenly turned her head to look at Xu Qi'an.

He took his mother back to the capital!

Just now in the Star-Gazing Tower, Xu Yuanshuang had a vague guess in her mind.

Only when he saw him bring him and Yuan Huai to the Xu Residence did he truly realize it.

His father treated him as a tool to absorb destiny, and the royal family of Qianlong City wished they could skin him alive. She and her brother, having been influenced by this since childhood, also harbored some hostility towards him.

Even so, even if everyone wants to harm him and kill him.

He was still willing to bring his mother back to the capital.

In that instant, Xu Yuanshuang felt as if she had been stabbed in the heart with a needle, the pain making her nose sting and her eyes redden.

Her vision was somewhat blurred as she looked at Xu Yuanhuai and saw him with his head down, silent, a hint of confusion and shame flashing in his eyes.