Be the Hardest Working Demon Cultivator!

Tan Shuchang’s meeting with the head of the Qitian Pavilion ended swiftly, neither on a sour note nor with particular warmth. After departing, Qiu Junlin would occasionally glance at Tan Shuchang with a strange expression, seeming to have something to say but hesitating to speak.

Therefore, Tan Shuchang, very considerately, said, "If you have something to say, just say it."

"You’re actually a Daoist General?" When Qiu Junlin said this, his tone inevitably carried a sense of amazement. As the son of the head of the Pavilion, even if he paid little heed to its affairs, he was very clear what the position of a Daoist General meant.

Though the third rank might not appear impressive at first glance, seeming neither high nor low, if considered in a local context, it was invariably an apex of power.

The Frontier Officials usually possessed this rank.

And Qiu Junlin, having specifically sent people to Black Heart Mountain in Yuezhou to gather information about Tan Shuchang, couldn’t comprehend how someone whose family had been executed by the Emperor was summoned by that very Emperor to become an official?

In truth, being summoned to take an official post was not a problem, as similar instances had occurred before, mainly for the Emperor to show off his benevolence, leaving his name etched in the annals of history.

But for someone of the third rank, this was truly the first time in both ancient and modern times.

Because at this level, one could stir up a rebellion that was neither too large nor too small.

"Here, the imperial edict is with me, do you want to read it?" Tan Shuchang said as he spoke, but as he did so, he had already taken the rolled edict from his sleeve and tossed it to Qiu Junlin.

Seeing the imperial edict, Qiu Junlin didn’t show the slightest bit of reverence; he directly caught it and opened it to read.

A few moments later, Qiu Junlin had finished reading the edict and couldn’t help sneering, "I remember that drafting edicts is the Crown Prince’s responsibility, but since this edict was issued smoothly, it must also be the Emperor’s wish. What do you think this father-son duo in the palace wants to achieve?"

Qiu Junlin couldn’t help saying this mainly because the reason given for the appointment in the edict was far-fetched – something about not letting his talents go to waste in the countryside and specially summoning him back to the court, appointing him as the Sword Command Daoist General of the Qitian Pavilion...

According to the information he had gathered about Tan Shuchang, claiming that the youngster killed the Heartless Old Man would have been more credible than this reason.

"You don’t know?" Tan Shuchang was somewhat surprised.

"Know what?" Qiu Junlin looked utterly confused. He then turned to look at his attendant, "Has anything related to this Tan recently occurred?"

This attendant was the same youth who had gone to Black Heart Mountain with Qiu Junlin back then. Upon hearing Qiu Junlin’s question, the youth pondered for a while before he answered, "I’ve heard a few uncles mention that Tutian Mountain has found a whetstone for their Son of the Heavenly Mandate. I suppose this Daoist General Tan must be that whetstone, right?"

"That thing about their ’century-long plan’?" Qiu Junlin suddenly realized.

"Young Master, it’s not the ’century-long plan,’ it’s the ’righteous path plan,’" the attendant promptly corrected.

"Did I ask you? Didn’t I just forget?" Qiu Junlin scolded irritably, then to save some face, he turned back to Tan Shuchang, speaking with a tone full of shock, "Tutian Mountain is using you as a whetstone for their Son of the Heavenly Mandate, isn’t that a bit too demeaning? A whetstone? More like a stepping-stone split in half!"

In the information he had collected, it was explicitly stated that Tan Shuchang had only been cultivating for three years.

Despite the Son of the Heavenly Mandate probably being identified not long ago, given the importance Tutian Mountain placed on him, a few months of cultivation at Tutian Mountain might equate to the efforts of one or two decades.

Moreover, Tutian Mountain was a holy land for Sword Cultivators, which also meant that the Son of the Heavenly Mandate was bound to be a Sword Cultivator.

A Sword Cultivator with the strength of one or two decades and wielding a magic artifact-quality top-grade flying sword would spell instant death to his uncles at a single strike!

In his youth, the head of the Pavilion had once disguised himself as a Chivalrous Expert and sworn brothers with many of like-minded people. Later, when the head could no longer remain among mortals due to revealing his cultivation, he simply led these brothers on the path to immortality.

These brothers of the head, knowing that their current status was all thanks to him, followed his lead in all matters.

As a result, these men became the closest confidants of the head over time.

And to these people, Qiu Junlin referred to them as "Uncle."

"What have you done to cause trouble with Tutian Mountain, and even serve as the stepping stone… the whetstone for their Son of the Heavenly Mandate?" Qiu Junlin asked curiously.

As he was somewhat in the position of asking a favor, Qiu Junlin restrained himself and phrased his question as diplomatically as possible.

"Speaking of which, this matter is my mentor’s fault," Tan Shuchang sighed deeply.

"Your mentor..." Qiu Junlin nodded subconsciously in response, but as the words left his mouth, he realized something was amiss. He widened his eyes in disbelief, looking at Tan Shuchang without saying a word.

Although he didn’t speak, Qiu Junlin’s meaning was quite obvious—how could you have the audacity to utter the words "my mentor" so naturally?

"That’s right, my mentor." Tan Shuchang said with a natural look, and indeed, if one were to overlook the facts, the Heartless Old Man did show him favor.

"Continue..." Qiu Junlin gestured for Tan Shuchang to go on, as he suddenly understood what a Demon Cultivator was.

"My mentor was chosen by Black Heart Mountain to become an extremely important element in their grand righteous plans, and after my mentor and I completed the fine inheritance of the Sacred Gate..."

"Hold on, the fine inheritance of the Sacred Gate?" Qiu Junlin couldn’t help but interrupt Tan Shuchang’s narration.

Because it sounded really off to him.

"What’s wrong?" Tan Shuchang asked with a natural look and a slight hint of surprise.

Qiu Junlin was flustered by Tan Shuchang’s calm demeanor, hence he frowned and asked, "May I inquire, what is this fine inheritance of the Sacred Gate you speak of?"

"Of course it’s betraying and annihilating one’s own master and ancestors! What else could it be?"

Qiu Junlin: "..."

If it weren’t for the fact that this surnamed Tan was already a third-rank Daoist general, he would have had someone lock this surnamed Tan away in the Chen Long Valley of the Zodiac Forbidden Land to recover from the shock!

However, with Tan Shuchang’s explanation, Qiu Junlin also completely understood, "Because you killed the Heartless Old Man, Black Heart Mountain then made such an arrangement."

"It seems that way." Tan Shuchang did not respond directly.

"Then the plan of Black Heart Mountain is most likely to fail." Qiu Junlin started to laugh at this point, and then, without waiting for Tan Shuchang to speak, he pointed at the words "Western Zhou City" on the imperial decree and said, "Western Zhou City is now under the jurisdiction of the Ning family, and this Ning family, at present, is quite different from before—one became the son-in-law of the Tianjian Mansion of Chu State, and another has become the closed-door disciple of the peerless Sword Cultivator, Master Wangyue."

"You mean, if I go to investigate, I’m bound to die?" Tan Shuchang instantly grasped the hidden meaning in Qiu Junlin’s words.

Qiu Junlin nodded, then said with a mocking smile, "I wonder who reported this Ning family, truly ignorant about death..."

"I reported it."

Before Qiu Junlin could finish speaking, Tan Shuchang had satisfied the man’s curiosity.

"..."

After a moment of silence, Qiu Junlin looked at Tan Shuchang with a pitying gaze, "Tell me, what color of paper money do you favor, and do you have any requirements for your burial goods? Out of consideration for our acquaintance, I’m willing to give you a generous funeral."

"If I don’t go, wouldn’t that be fine?" said Tan Shuchang, looking utterly baffled.

Was he really obliged to go?

"Not going?" Qiu Junlin was stunned for a moment.

"Right!"

"Then how will you explain yourself to the emperor when the time comes?"

"I’ll just copy down the information you just mentioned and send it to the emperor," Tan Shuchang said calmly.

"..."

Once again, faced with silence, Qiu Junlin couldn’t suppress his outburst, "Is that how you do your official duties?"

"Isn’t that how all officials operate?"

"..."

Qiu Junlin fell silent for the third time, so he turned around and left without giving Tan Shuchang another look!