In and around the Jinhuai Prefecture Daoist Scripture Hall.

A steady stream of Cultivators came and went, most of them Entering Cultivators. Among them were two Third Realm Cultivators. Today, none of them had gone to their private rooms; instead, they were all gathered in the main hall.

The main hall had been simply decorated to look like the venue for a tea party. The various service counters were nowhere to be seen. On the front wall hung portraits of two Saints, and below them, an incense table was laden with offerings.

In front of the incense table were two Grandmaster’s Chairs, with ten more on either side. Behind these chairs were long benches. Following established tradition, the Entering Cultivators from various sects were subtly vying for the twenty seats, arranging themselves in order. At this moment, the two foremost Grandmaster’s Chairs were already occupied.

One of the two was Ganxing, the Alliance Leader of the Fuming Prefecture Loose Cultivator Alliance and a Third Realm Artifact Cultivator who had been famous for two hundred years. The other was Wu Quan, a Third Realm Cultivator and a Chief of the Nanlin Road branch of the Earth Cave Sect.

Although many present were displeased to see these two in the frontmost seats—especially those from the fractious Earth Cave Sect—no one dared to challenge them in such a public setting.

Crowds had gathered behind both men, while even more people stood by the other chairs, covertly competing for the remaining seats.

「At the entrance.」

Ah Jiu, dressed in gray martial attire, felt a sense of unreality as he gazed upon the grand scene. He kept glancing up at the plaque hanging above the entrance, just to make sure he hadn’t come to the wrong place.

He had become an Entering Cultivator as an Artifact Cultivator, using one of the Daoist Scripture Hall’s internal quotas. But shortly after his promotion, the Mozhou Road Daoist Scripture Hall underwent a major upheaval, causing his status to plummet. Now, he was relegated to doing dirty work.

When news of Wang Ping’s promotion to the Third Realm reached Mozhou Road, he had thought, ’A great era of conflict is coming. Now that Wang Ping is in the Third Realm, he’ll definitely need people.’ He had come to Nanlin Road to try his luck, but he never expected to then hear that Wang Ping was about to become the Pacification Envoy for the Nanlin Road Daoist Scripture Hall.

Looking at the people here and then back at himself, Ah Jiu’s confidence suddenly evaporated.

As he was wallowing in disappointment, a very ordinary-looking Qi Cultivator walked up to him and asked, "Are you perhaps Daoist He Jiu?"

"I am he," Ah Jiu said, clasping his fist in a salute.

"You’re too kind..." the Qi Cultivator hurriedly returned the salute. He knew the man before him was an Entering Artifact Cultivator.

"May I ask why you were looking for me, Fellow Daoist?"

"Please come with me, Daoist," the Qi Cultivator said, gesturing for him to follow.

"Lead the way!"

Ah Jiu suppressed his joy and clasped his hands in thanks.

After the two left, a nearby Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivator remarked, "Wasn’t that Qi Cultivator a steward from the rear courtyard?"

"I think so!"

"Then the person he came to invite must be..."

A commotion instantly broke out at the entrance, attracting the attention of the other Entering Cultivators inside. The news quickly reached the ears of the two men in the front, but they both just gave a faint smile.

As Ah Jiu stepped into the rear courtyard, he heard the discussions at the entrance and an unconscious look of pride appeared on his face. It had been a long time since he’d felt this way.

Unlike the bustling main hall, the central and rear courtyards were exceptionally quiet. The only people moving about were Guardian Cultivators in pale yellow Daoist Robes, stationed in every corner. When Ah Jiu entered, several pairs of eyes immediately fell upon him, scrutinizing him from head to toe.

The small courtyard at the very back was full of people. Everyone present was a close confidant of Wang Ping or Daoist Zi Luan.

When Ah Jiu was led into the small courtyard, he immediately suppressed his budding pride.

"Fellow Daoist He."

A voice came from the side, causing both the leading Qi Cultivator and Ah Jiu to stop. Ah Jiu looked up and saw a Kun Cultivator in a Blue Daoist Robe. She gestured and said, "Fellow Daoist, please rest here for a moment. My master is currently receiving an envoy from the Court."

This was Liu Shuang.

"Of course. Thank you, Fellow Daoist." He Jiu quickly bowed and followed Liu Shuang into a side room where several other Cultivators were already waiting.

「About a quarter of an hour later.」

Liu Shuang appeared at the door. She looked at He Jiu and said, "Fellow Daoist He, please come with me."

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist."

...

「In the main house.」

Today, Wang Ping was seated on the left side of the Eight Immortals Table, while Daoist Zi Luan politely sat on the right.

"Ten years ago, Mozhou Road re-elected its Pacification Envoy. After several rounds of voting, the position ultimately went back to the True Yang Sect. This shows that there is considerable resentment toward our Lord within the Daoist Scripture Hall."

These words, of course, came from Daoist Zi Luan.

Wang Ping found it difficult to respond, so he simply smiled without a word. Yu Lian leaned against his shoulder, leisurely sipping her tea.

Just then, Liu Shuang came to the door and clasped her fist. "Master, Senior..."

He Jiu respectfully performed a fist-clasping salute, bowing his head. "This humble one greets Daoist Zi Luan and Daoist Changqing."

Wang Ping looked He Jiu up and down for a moment, then smiled. "We are Cultivators. There’s no need for such worldly formalities..." He started with a polite remark, then spoke as if to an old friend, "You’ve changed quite a bit. You’ve lost your old sharp edge."

He Jiu clasped his hands again. "In response to the Daoist, this humble one’s sharp edge is still there. I just wouldn’t dare be impudent in your presence."

"Haha!" Wang Ping laughed heartily and called to Liu Shuang at the door, "Serve tea!"

"Thank you, Daoist!"

"Sit!"

He Jiu, ever perceptive, took a seat at the end of the row on the right.

After he sat down, Daoist Zi Luan spoke directly, "Fellow Daoist Changqing tells me you originally cultivated under Xuanhe?"

He Jiu started to rise, but Wang Ping gestured for him to remain seated. He clasped his fist from his chair and said, "I thank Daoist Changqing for his concern. In response to Daoist Zi Luan, this humble one came from a poor family. I entered the Daoist Scripture Hall at the age of ten to do odd jobs. At twelve, because of my diligent training, Xuanhe Daoist took a liking to me and made me a reserve member of the Inspection Team."

"Later, after Xuanhe Daoist violated the regulations of the Daoist Scripture Hall and was expelled, I never saw him again. However, I know he has a secret contact point in Mozhou Road that is still active. In the last ten years, this contact point’s network has spread across more than half of Mozhou Road."

"That is strange!"

Daoist Zi Luan grew thoughtful and took the opportunity to explain some past events to Wang Ping. "I seem to have underestimated Xuanhe. He was originally a pawn I placed in Mozhou Road. I’ll have to check the specific timing, but back then, I selected a group of people, and Xuanhe left the deepest impression on me..."

As they were speaking, a Qi Cultivator walked in with a cup of tea.

Daoist Zi Luan waited for the Qi Cultivator to set down the tea and leave before continuing, "At the time, he was just an Entering Cultivator, but his investigative skills and administrative abilities were formidable. I received word that the True Yang Sect was planning to approach him, and he was also a key prospect for the Earth Cave Sect, so I secretly sought him out."

"Was that old man really so capable? The True Yang Sect and the Earth Cave Sect were both after him."

Yu Lian’s face was full of doubt. "He seemed very mediocre to me. His consciousness and emotions were in a state of extreme equilibrium, almost like one of those useless cultivators in Death Seclusion."

Daoist Zi Luan chuckled in response. "This is why the ancients always said: to judge a person, don’t look at what they say or how they appear. Look at what they do."

Yu Lian nodded thoughtfully. "Putting it that way, he does sound quite formidable."

Daoist Zi Luan looked at Wang Ping and continued the previous topic. "The case you investigated back then was also part of one of my plans. However, the summoning of the false spirit on the first day was not my doing. I was merely going with the flow to drive out Wenyang Taoist and gain further control over Mozhou Road. This was also the Lord’s intention."

"I always knew Xuanhe had dealings with the True Yang Sect, but I never imagined he was also involved with the Taiyin Sect and ’First Day.’ Thinking back, ’First Day’ might have been using Xuanhe’s connections from the very beginning."

As he spoke, he looked at He Jiu and said thoughtfully, "This man is very dangerous. If he cannot be used by us, we must not give him the chance to rise. If he is an enemy, then he must be eliminated as soon as possible, leaving no loose ends."

"This humble one is willing to investigate the situation for you two Daoists," Ah Jiu immediately declared.

Daoist Zi Luan, however, did not respond. He shifted his gaze back to Wang Ping. Wang Ping stared at He Jiu and asked, "You said you haven’t been in contact with Xuanhe?"

He Jiu quickly stood up and answered, "That’s right!"

"And he hasn’t contacted you either?"

"No!"

"He’s cautious. Does he know you discovered his contact point in Mozhou Road?"

"No!"

"You’re so sure?"

"This humble one never shows his face personally."

"It seems you’ve learned his caution."

Wang Ping pointed to the teacup on the small table next to He Jiu and said, "Have some tea."

"Yes, thank you, Daoist!"

Without hesitation, He Jiu decisively sat down, picked up the teacup, and took a drink.

Wang Ping watched him take a sip before asking, "Why did you come looking for me this time?"

He Jiu stood up again, walked to the center of the room, and bowed. "This humble one came hoping to find some work to do for you, Daoist."

"Why not have him investigate Xuanhe’s network in Mozhou Road and see who’s pulling the strings?" Daoist Zi Luan’s words were a question, not a command.

"That could work!"

"And it would be a good way to annoy Ren Kong."

Daoist Zi Luan revealed his characteristic malicious grin. The ’Ren Kong’ he mentioned was the Pacification Envoy sent by the True Yang Sect to Mozhou Road, a man elected by all the Third Seats of the Daoist Scripture Hall.

Wang Ping, however, was wondering why the Xiao Shan Lord would allow this to happen. According to Wenyang Taoist’s intelligence, the True Yang Sect had lost interest in Mozhou Road after he left.

"Shuang’Er..."

Wang Ping called Liu Shuang in and gave her instructions regarding He Jiu.

Before He Jiu could leave, a hearty and familiar voice boomed from outside, "Haha, Fellow Daoist Changqing! Long time no see! You’ve really opened my eyes!"

It was Taishan’s voice.

Daoist Zi Luan was slightly surprised to hear Taishan’s voice, but Wang Ping was even more so. While the two were still surprised, Taishan appeared at the doorway. Seeing Daoist Zi Luan, he said casually, "Senior Brother Zi Luan is here too, I see. Look at you, you’ve already stepped down, but you’re still hanging around. Isn’t that a bit much?"

"You and that sharp tongue of yours," Daoist Zi Luan said, though he wasn’t angry.