"But is it because I am not a citizen of Jiangnan?"
"I suppose so," the old gentleman nodded slightly and smiled.
Upon hearing this answer, Murong Bingyun gave a wry smile. Back in the Northern Wasteland, her excessive admiration for Central Plains culture had made her somewhat out of place. Now that she had come to the Central Plains, her identity as a Northern Wasteland native still made her feel out of place. Was she pleasing neither side?
Just as he was about to resign, he heard the other person say, "Your experience is insufficient. If you are sent out now, at most you'll be Underworld in a small county in the southeast. The position of Underworld City God seems to have a lot of power, but it's very difficult to get promoted."
Murong Bingyun was stunned, and stared blankly at the other person.
He wasn't stupid; he immediately understood what the other person meant.
This wasn't because of his status that he was putting himself down; on the contrary, he felt it was beneath him to be appointed as the Underworld.
Looking back now, although the other party never sent me out to work, they had been carefully cultivating me through their words and deeds, and had basically left me to handle all the Underworld business in the Southeast Province.
This has led many wandering spirits to believe they are the supreme rulers of the Underworld in Southeast Province.
Logically speaking, such training should not be intended to suppress oneself.
But if it's not suppression, then what does it mean?
The old man smiled and said, "Although you are young, you are quite composed and far-sighted. You were also the direct heir of a prominent family in the Northern Wasteland in your previous life. Are you really so fixated on a county-level Underworld? What? Are you so reluctant to part with that girl named Shen Xue?"
These words made Murong Bingyun blush instantly.
Shen Xue was engaged. Although the Bai Family had no Transcendent individuals, not even a sorcerer, they were still a prominent family of Neo-Confucian scholars. For the sake of their reputation, Shen Xue could only fulfill her original agreement and marry the eldest son of the Bai Family.
However, sorcerers have long lifespans. None of the Bai Family possess the qualities of a sorcerer, and even in a blessed land like Jiangnan, they would only live to be a hundred years old at most.
With Shen Xue's talent, it's only a matter of time before she steps into the Transcendent. In the past, the maximum lifespan of a sorcerer was eight hundred years, and an Transcendent sorcerer would definitely live to be over a thousand years old.
To Shen Xue, the eldest son of the Bai Family was merely a passerby in her life.
However, if one cannot become the ruler of the Underworld and accumulate enough Underworld Lifespan, then one may have to Samsara in a few decades at most. After Samsara, all obsessions will cease to exist.
"Don't worry, you have a great chance," the old man said with a smile.
"Opportunity?" Murong Bingyun frowned, looking puzzled. Jiangnan was teeming with talented people; what opportunity could a dead member of a foreign tribe possibly have?
"A month ago, Master Ziyue took charge and captured North Sea City. Are you aware of this?"
"Of course I know," Murong Bingyun nodded, but she was still puzzled as to what this had to do with her.
You've heard the news that Northern Yan has allied itself with Jiangnan, haven't you?
"I've heard about it. But so what? It's just dependence."
"Just subservience?" The old man chuckled. "Didn't you see when we attacked the southeast? As soon as the soldiers defending the city surrendered, the Yin-Yang Road area there would become our Underworld territory."
"Uh..." Murong Bingyun was taken aback, and then her heart skipped a beat!
"Sir, you mean..."
No way? Could it be...?
"It's just as you think," the old man said, looking north. "The Lord of the Northern Wasteland is determined to acquire it, as it relates to a very important passage in the future. Although Northern Yan is a vassal state, I suspect that the Underworld of Northern Wolf City already existed the moment the Northern Yan emperor announced his submission."
"To prevent the Northern Yan emperor from breaking away in the future, the lord will definitely sideline the newly enthroned emperor as quickly as possible. Foreign tribes can only sideline a legitimate emperor through internal power. Whether the emperor's words carry weight depends mainly on the strength of his financial and military power. If I'm not mistaken, military power will likely be secured through the unique mechanisms of the Fighter Army to entice ordinary soldiers of the Northern Wasteland to serve. As for financial power, that will rely on the Underworld!"
Murong Bingyun hard and looked at the other person. "Does the master mean that His Majesty will choose a representative to control the power of the Underworld, and then unite with other families, gradually winning them over, and using the business in Jiangnan and the system of the Underworld to make the major families and ministers lean towards Jiangnan?"
"That's the only way," the old man chuckled. "Though you are young, your political acumen is sharper than that of most seasoned officials. You should be able to guess what's going on. Forcibly winning them over with wealth may not win their hearts. The best way is to show those families greater benefits, and the Underworld is a perfect place for that."
"The Lord of the Underworld has only a ten-year term of office. If your Murong Family member can serve as Lord, then naturally other aristocratic families can too. Once they realize the benefits of being Lord of the Underworld, they will no longer care about the legitimate imperial power, because for a family, the power of the Underworld is more useful than any other power."
Murong Bingyun nodded. For large families, the position of Lord of the Underworld is indeed more useful than any other power. There is no need to be overly biased. As long as more qualified souls are sent to their own family, it will already create a prosperous scene, not to mention other benefits.
"What you mean, sir, is that the Lord would allow me to do this? How could that be possible?"
With no qualifications whatsoever, how could someone become the Underworld of a nation simply because of their past status as the future high priest of the Murong Family? Is that realistic?
Having been in the Underworld for so long, he had come to understand many of its mechanisms. The Great Underworld was organized by province, with counties as the smallest unit under its jurisdiction, and there were thousands of Underworld City God. However, in Northern Yan, there were no such things as small counties; there was only one city, Northern Wolf City. In other words, he was in charge of the entire Underworld of the Northern Wolf Kingdom!
Is this even possible? Such immense power, such an important task—would it really fall into my lap?
Just as he was thinking this, a voice called out from outside the Underworld: " Shen Qi requests an audience with the Great Underworld!"
"You came quite quickly." The old man smiled slightly, waved his hand, and the darkness around them instantly brightened. In the blink of an eye, they were in the human world.
"Mr. Shen Qi?" Murong Bingyun's breathing quickened. Mr. Shen Qi had always been with the master; his sudden arrival now... could it be...?
"How have you been doing lately Bingyun?" Shen Qi asked gently, looking at Murong Bingyun.
Murong Bingyun quickly bowed and said, "This junior is very kind. I have been following the Grand Underworld and have benefited greatly."
Upon hearing this, Shen Qi looked at the old man. There was no position of Grand Underworld in Jiangnan, and he wondered if the master had deliberately not given it to him. The position of Grand Underworld in Southeast Province was of great importance, and many people were speculating about who would get it. Who would have thought that it would end up in the hands of an ordinary old man?
The old man is no simpleton. He saw through the master's plan long ago and kept Murong Bingyun by his side for several months to train her and teach her how to manage the affairs of a provincial Underworld. It's impossible that he didn't guess something.
Thinking of this, Shen Qi bowed again.
Truly worthy of being called the Mr. Five Poisons from back then!!