Qin Chuan seemed like someone who liked to speak his mind, and it turned out to be true.

Chu Jiubian, who spent his days in the capital navigating all kinds of complicated schemes, found it quite refreshing to encounter such frankness, and spoke straightforwardly as well: “There is indeed something I need you to do.”

It was unknown what Qin Chuan thought about this, but he simply said: “Please give me your orders, High Priest.”

Chu Jiubian was somewhat surprised.

He hadn’t even done anything yet, but Qin Chuan had already agreed to work for him?

Although he was puzzled, he said frankly and without hesitation: “Go to Southern Zhili and verify the characters of these people.”

A piece of paper with over a dozen names written on it appeared on the table, and Qin Chuan picked it up.

The moment he touched the smooth, pristine paper, a faint light flashed in his eyes.

Upon closer inspection, the writing on the paper was small and delicate, and although it had a sharp, precise quality, it was definitely not written with a brush.

Was this what they called a divine artifact?

It was indeed extraordinary.

Showing no outward expression, Qin Chuan casually read through the names one by one, and the more he read, the faster his heart began to beat.

The day before yesterday, he had received a letter from the palace instructing him to personally make a trip to Southern Zhili.

That letter had also included a list of names; Qin Xiao wanted him to go to Southern Zhili and investigate the backgrounds and characters of these people.

Qin Xiao didn’t distrust Wei Yi. It was only that some secrets could only be uncovered by leveraging the connections of people from the jianghu.

The waterway transport matter was of paramount importance, and he needed to ensure that everything proceeded flawlessly.

And the names the High Priest had just given him were, without exception, all on the previous list!

And the task the High Priest had for him was exactly the same as the task given to him by Qin Xiao!

Qin Chuan didn’t believe in coincidences.

His thoughts inevitably turned to Grand Tutor Chu in the capital.

Chu Jiubian definitely knew of Qin Xiao’s plans, so was it possible that the High Priest and Chu Jiubian were…..

Qin Chuan put down the list and looked up at the god: “Why ask me specifically?”

“We were destined to meet,” Chu Jiubian said mysteriously. “And you possess the necessary capabilities.”

“May I ask why you are investigating these people?”

Rather than answer, Chu Jiubian said: “If you succeed, I will grant you a precious item.”

He didn’t yet know what Qin Chuan needed, so he would put off giving him this item for now and simply buy something from the System later.

Chu Jiubian knew he would agree.

Because given Qin Xiao’s personality, in order to ensure that everything was foolproof, he would definitely send someone to investigate in secret in addition to the investigation conducted by Wei Yi. 

And Qin Chuan was the most suitable candidate.

Thus, Chu Jiubian suspected that Qin Chuan had already received this list from Qin Xiao.

Qin Chuan was already planning to investigate this matter, so taking on Chu Jiubian’s task was a highly-profitable deal.

As long as Qin Chuan wasn’t a fool, he was certain to accept this task.

As expected, Qin Chuan said after a moment of silence: “This one will carry out this task on your behalf…..”

Chu Jiubian raised his eyebrows.

He had only said half of what he wanted to say. Was the other party trying to negotiate with him?

Qin Chuan carefully considered his words before continuing: “But I wonder what kind of precious item you’re referring to?”

It sounded like he wanted something from him.

“What do you want?” Chu Jiubian asked with interest.

Qin Chuan detected the keen interest in his tone and couldn’t help but carefully examine the tall, majestic form hidden within the mist.

His specific features were unclear, but it could be vaguely seen that the deity had long, silver-white hair.

Just like Chu Jiubian.

Did all gods look like this, or just Chu Jiubian and the High Priest?

With this sudden shift in thought, Qin Chuan said: “The High Priest possesses supernatural abilities, and the treasures he bestows must be unparalleled in this world. As I travel the jianghu, I inevitably suffer injuries – sometimes serious ones.”

His eyes were bright as he asked: “I wonder if the High Priest could bestow upon me a life-saving elixir?”

Chu Jiubian: “……”

He asked in his mind: “System, does such a thing exist?”

[It does, Host, but you do not have permission to purchase it.]

“Why not?”

[The items Host can purchase in this world can only be things that exist in this world’s past or future. For example, the fine salt you purchased earlier, and other similar items, are things that would naturally appear in this world’s future. When you purchase such an item, you are only accelerating the time of its appearance, not creating something out of nowhere.]

[Life-saving elixirs exist in the world of cultivation, but neither the past nor future of the world you currently inhabit contains any immortal cultivation techniques. Therefore, you are unable to purchase such items.]

Chu Jiubian immediately extracted the key points from this information and asked: “Then if Qin Chuan or any of the other Believers were to be seriously injured, could I use future medical technology to save them?”

[Yes, Host will just need to purchase the relevant books and medications in order to master them. The range of medical skills available for purchase includes those from Host’s former world, as well as those from interstellar worlds hundreds of years in the future.]

The selection was that broad?!

Chu Jiubian was pleasantly surprised.

It seemed he would need to find some time to read through the descriptions of all the medical books in the System Mall so that he could buy them immediately when the need arose.

“What if surgery is required? Is there a sterile environment available?”

[Surgery can be performed in the Divine Realm under special circumstances, but it will cost Host 500 points.]

Five hundred points?!

Although Chu Jiubian’s points were still increasing, they were rising much more slowly than at the outset, and he also had more expenses to cover.

Even now, he had less than a thousand points in his possession.

If he really needed to perform surgery, it wouldn’t just be those five hundred points that he lost. There were still the books and surgical instruments that would have to be purchased…..

In other words, if he agreed to Qin Chuan’s request, he must keep at least six hundred points in reserve to be on the safe side.

Chu Jiubian had a bit of a headache.

Compared to Qin Chuan, the three Believers before him were practically little angels!

However, Qin Chuan had a special status, and Chu Jiubian didn’t expect to win him over easily.

After some thought, he said at last: “Fate is predetermined, and I cannot bring the dead back to life. But if you still have one breath left in you, I will be able to save you.”

Qin Chuan felt a little nervous after asking this question.

Potions of immortality and life-saving elixirs – those were all things invented by daoist priests and storytellers.

But what had he just heard?

The High Priest actually said that if he only had one breath left, he could bring him back to life!

Qin Chuan’s heart was pounding wildly, but he continued to maintain a composed expression. Then, pushing his luck a little, he asked: “What if I want to ask you to save someone other than myself?”

“It can be done. But you will only have one chance,” Chu Jiubian said.

Qin Chuan immediately stood up and knelt deferentially before Chu Jiubian, bowing three times as if he were worshiping at a temple or a daoist shrine.

When he finished bowing his head for the third time and looked up, he found that the scene before him had completely changed.

Gone was the ethereal Divine Realm, gone were the roars of dragons and cries of phoenixes, and gone too was that magnificent, towering figure. All that remained was the intricately carved frame of a bed in a guestroom.

He abruptly sat up and cast his gaze around.

Sure enough, he had returned. 

He took out and lit a tinderbox, and noticed a piece of paper sitting on the bedside table from the corner of his eye. He picked it up and read it.

He didn’t even need to take a close look at the contents; just by touching it, he knew that this was the divine paper he had touched in his dream!

Something from his dream had actually appeared in reality! Incredible!

Qin Chuan folded the piece of paper into a square, then got up and went to the table, where he lit the oil lamp and began to quickly grind ink.

He intended to send word back to the capital and inform Qin Xiao of his meeting with the High Priest. 

As for whether the High Priest had learned of the waterway transport candidates from Chu Jiubian, or simply through his supernatural abilities, Qin Xiao could investigate that himself.

Qin Chuan unfolded some rough, yellowed paper and dipped his brush in ink.

In a dream, I encountered a god and received…..

He had only written the fifth character when he suddenly stopped, his eyes fixed on the words on the paper.

Those characters were slowly beginning to dissolve.

The ink blurred and spread, and very soon, the writing was no longer visible.

His heart skipped a beat. He began to write again, but no matter how carefully he chose his words or how subtly he phrased them, the words on the paper would disappear.

He set aside the ink-stained piece of paper and started on a new page, writing: Is my elder brother well?

He waited when he was done writing, but the words remained unchanged.

After those few words, he tried writing further: I have arrived in Southern Zhili. And I had a dream last night…..

The characters started to melt again, but this time, it only affected everything starting with ‘and I had a dream last night.’

Qin Chuan felt cold sweat break out on his back as he stared at the cluster of ink stains.

He put down his brush and walked to the window, where he pushed it open and took out a whistle. After blowing it only once, he stepped back a few paces and then stood in place.

The whistle was as clear and crisp as a bird’s call, and in just two breaths, a dark figure silently leaped through the window and dipped into a respectful bow.

“Just now, I…..” Qin Chuan could feel the words on the tip of his tongue, but couldn’t manage to say them.

It wasn’t that he had gone mute, but that he was unable to even form the words with his mouth!

His subordinate looked up at him and asked: “What are your orders, Alliance Leader?”

Qin Chuan’s throat bobbed, and he finally said after a few breaths: “Tomorrow, go to the prefectural city of Ruyang and visit the owner of Ruihua Tower. Remember to buy some of her favorite pastries.”

Ruihua Tower was located in Ruyang Prefecture’s capital city, and was the largest brothel in all of Southern Zhili. The owner was Lady Ruihua, who was renowned throughout the jianghu and privy to all sorts of intelligence throughout Southern Zhili.

Naturally, she was also a close friend of Qin Chuan’s.

After receiving the message from Qin Xiao, Qin Chuan had led his people to Southern Zhili. He had just met with some old friends in the city of Suiyuan today, and asked them for help investigating and keeping an eye on several students on the list from the local area.

He was currently staying at a friend’s house, and planned to go to Ruyang Prefecture tomorrow.

His subordinate bowed at once, saying: “This subordinate will obey.”

When his subordinate left, Qin Chuan walked back to the table. The ink on the paper was still there.

He burned both pieces of paper.

The flickering light of the fire reflected in his deep-set eyes.

He was unable to tell anyone about matters relating to the Divine Realm, including his closest relative.

*

*

Inside the Divine Realm, Chu Jiubian sat with his legs crossed, resting his chin on one hand as he watched the image displayed on the card screen.

It seemed that Qin Chuan really wouldn’t be able to tell Qin Xiao about what happened inside the Divine Realm.

Chu Jiubian had waited so long before summoning Qin Chuan because he wasn’t confident that he could persuade the man to serve him.

He had hinted to the other party that he had a connection with Chu Jiubian and stood together with him, which by extension meant that the High Priest and Qin Xiao were also on the same side.

Therefore, as long as it didn’t interfere with Qin Xiao’s interests, Qin Chuan would remain a very useful Believer for the High Priest.

But at present, Chu Jiubian had no intention of allowing Qin Xiao to meet his other Believers.

Other than Lu Yao, this superhuman being who needed Qin Chuan’s protection.

Furthermore, Qin Chuan could not reveal Lu Yao’s identity to Qin Xiao at this time. That way, even if Lu Yao were to pass the Imperial Examinations, Qin Xiao wouldn’t know that he was connected to the High Priest.

Onscreen, Qin Chuan had given up on writing the letter, and turned to go to bed.

Chu Jiubian turned off the screen and, as a matter of routine, asked the System: “Is Lu Yao still not sleeping?”

[Yes, Host.]

Chu Jiubian: “…..”

If the System wasn’t so reliable, he would start to think that Lu Yao wasn’t even human. 

However, he also knew that there were varying degrees of difference between people, both in terms of intelligence and physical ability.

Some people simply possessed the ability to remain alert at all times, but it wasn’t that they didn’t sleep at all – they just compressed and broke down their rest time into short, fleeting moments.

In an instant, they could enter a state of extremely deep sleep.

And immediately after, they could regain consciousness with perfect clarity.

For example, after an hour of intense mental activity, they would give themselves a one-minute period of deep sleep, and then drift off to sleep for a second or two every few minutes. After a day of this, they got just enough sleep to meet their body’s requirements, but their health was still harmed on some level.

And Lu Yao was only nineteen years old. He was still very young, and needed to take better care of his health. He shouldn’t squander it in his youth.

Once he summoned this person, he must stipulate that he sleep five to seven hours every night.

Chu Jiubian withdrew from the Divine Realm with a yawn, then rolled over and fell asleep.

There would be much to discuss at tomorrow’s morning court session. 

The rain that had been falling for several days had stopped, and the past few days had been sunny.

Early in the morning, all of the officials gathered outside the palace gates.

The follow-up matters in Hexi Prefecture had mostly been handled, with only a few minor matters remaining. Those could be handled by the newly appointed county magistrate, Han Yuandao.

Hexi Prefecture was currently lacking a Prefect, and Han Yuandao, a mere agricultural official, had suddenly become the highest-ranking authority in the prefecture. It went without saying how much pressure he was under.

Meanwhile, Minister of Works Jian Hongzhuo, who had been stationed there to oversee the work, along with Liu Junqi, the newly-appointed Deputy Minister of Works, had returned to the capital yesterday before the city gates were locked.

Therefore, it was the entire contingent of officials who had arrived this morning.

Everyone exchanged pleasantries, but it was unclear how many of them were genuine.

Minister of Rites Wang Zhiyuan looked over at Xiao Huaiguan – the man seemed to be in considerably better spirits, which he couldn’t help but find somewhat strange.

This old man had previously looked as if he was on the verge of death, but now, he seemed to be getting more energetic by the day. Could he have found some kind of miracle elixir?

Xiao Huaiguan noticed his attention and turned his head to look at him with a smile: “What is Minister Wang looking at me for?”

“Lord Xiao looks even younger now,” Wang Zhiyuan said with a faint smile. “Could it be that because there are no younger Xiao family members left in the Imperial Court, Lord Xiao had to beg the heavens for a few more years of life?”

There were naturally still members of the Xiao family in the Imperial Court, and many of them held positions of the fifth rank or higher.

But without the exceptionally capable Xiao Wendao, Xiao Huaiguan found himself truly isolated, with a dearth of support in the Imperial Court. 

Xiao Huaiguan’s thoughts were unknown. He revealed no anger on the surface, and instead gave a gentle smile: “I naturally cannot compare to Minister Wang, who is enjoying such great success. The entire Imperial Court is practically under the control of your Wang family.”

“Lord Xiao’s words are not quite accurate,” Wang Zhiyuan said with a smile. “The members of my Wang family have always been just and upright, and we solely serve His Majesty.”

“Indeed,” said Xiao Huaiguan. “I had previously heard that the head of the Wang family and his heir were not on good terms, but that must have been a false rumor, right?”

As the saying went, family secrets should not be aired in public. What these powerful families feared most was outsiders accusing them of internal discord, as it would make their family members seem petty and quarrelsome.

It was truly improper for public display.

Suffice it to say that the Wang family, who were known for their attention to etiquette, would consider this a great disgrace.

However, Wang family head Wang Huanzhi insisted on doing things his own way, gradually creating more and more distance between himself and his heir. At present, the two factions within the Wang family were basically at each other’s throats.

Wang Huanzhi was determined to replace Wang Qichen as his heir and install his second son, Wang Wenyao, in his place.

He was able to have such thoughts because the Wang family had always chosen the most outstanding individual from the members of the younger generation to inherit the position of family head.

Even the heir himself could be replaced.

But aside from Wang Pengyi, who held a high official position, there were actually very few outstanding individuals among the younger generations of the Wang family.

However, once someone entered officialdom, they no longer had the energy to spare to handle family affairs. Therefore, the head of a powerful noble family and a high-ranking official in the Imperial Court could never be the same person.

Since Wang Pengyi had already entered the Imperial Court, it was impossible for him to serve as head of the family.

Furthermore, Wang Pengyi was soft-hearted and easily swayed, and was sometimes prone to acting on emotion, so he was decidedly not suitable for the position of family head.

Even within the Imperial Court, he was never able to be as sharp and assertive as Xiao Wendao.

That being said, apart from Wang Pengyi, the Wang family was truly unable to find anyone else suitable to take on the role of family head.

But recently, things had changed.

Wang Qichen had completely reversed his previous spoiled and frivolous demeanor. He actively interacted with his close relatives and wrote many eloquent articles, gradually revealing a brilliance that suited the family heir.

But rather than feeling proud, Wang Huanzhi was furious.

He was like a clueless fool who was determined to fight against his own son, and now this family scandal had become common knowledge among the capital’s elite.

Wang Zhiyuan could barely maintain his smile as he listened to Xiao Huaiguan’s taunts.

“What outsiders see is just baseless rumors and speculations,” he said with faux nonchalance. “The position of Wang family head has always been held by the most capable person, and some harmless discussion and debate is perfectly normal.”

Right as he was speaking, the palace gates began to open.

Wang Zhiyuan felt a sense of relief wash over him.

Xiao Huaiguan glanced over at him, the gentle smile on his lips fading slightly.

The Wang family was currently in a state of turmoil and internal conflict.

But the Xiao family wasn’t in a much better situation.

The head of the Xiao family, Xiao Yao, had damaged his health while attempting to quit mandala, and was still recovering. None of the family’s younger generations were capable of taking over, and with Chu Jiubian keeping a careful eye on the Ministry of Personnel, it would be difficult for Xiao Huaiguan to use his influence to promote Xiao Wendao again.

For now, they could only wait for an opportunity, and try to find a way for Xiao Wendao to perform a meritorious service so that they could promote him legitimately.

But how could Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian possibly give them such an opportunity?

Regarding the marriage between Jiannan-wang and Su Xi’er, Xiao Huaiguan had no good expectations for it from the very beginning. However, Xiao Yao said there was no harm in trying, since his Xiao family and Su Sheng, that loyal official, were already at odds. If it worked out, excellent. If it didn’t, then it didn’t matter if they offended him.

Unable to persuade him, Xiao Huaiguan could only observe with a cold expression.

And the final outcome was exactly as he had expected: the marriage alliance fell through, and the young emperor was given an opportunity to protect his subordinate. He was already so intelligent at such a young age, able to vaguely discern the political situation in the court, and thus, was able to garner the trust and loyalty of a group of loyal officials.

It would be no exaggeration to say that rather than gaining an advantage, they had suffered even greater losses.

Xiao Huaiguan may have claimed that the Wang family was plagued by internal conflict, but in reality, his own Xiao family was the same.

This Minister of Revenue was somewhat estranged from family head Xiao Yao, and there was no true reliance or trust between them.

Even the other members of the family had their own ambitions and schemes.

As a tree grew taller and its branches spread, so too did people’s hearts and minds tend to drift apart.

Xiao Huaiguan let out a slow exhale, then made his way toward Fengtian Hall.

Meanwhile, Minister of Revenue Su Sheng, whom he had just been thinking about, was not having an easy time of it either these days.

Outwardly, he remained a loyal official who was devoted to the emperor, but Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian had already begun to suspect that the emperor was not his true “master.”

After the Imperial banquet, he specifically took the time to review how he could have been exposed.

But no matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t figure it out.

He had considered the possibility that Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian might be harboring suspicions about him without any basis, but he didn’t dare take the gamble.

What if those two actually had some evidence in their hands?

This worry left him unsure of how he had exposed himself and whether he had implicated his backer. Due to this, he had been acting with much more caution lately, and it felt as if he was walking on thin ice.

And then there was Su Xi’er.

His beloved daughter had, in the end, been sent away from the capital.

He harbored resentment against the Xiao family, but there was nothing he could do.

The Xiao family was a powerful and influential entity, and were on a completely different level than the exiled Zhao Qianhe.

Each absorbed with their own thoughts, the officials arrived at Fengtian Hall and were unsurprised to find Qin Xiao and Chu Jiubian already there.

The morning court session commenced.

Liu Junqi, the newly-appointed Deputy Minister of Works, stepped forward and spoke of the dam construction in Hexi Prefecture, as well as the post-disaster relief efforts.

The human and material losses from this disaster were enormous, but fortunately, it had finally reached its end.

The common people had already begun rebuilding their homes, but the friends and loved ones they lost would never return.

Subsequently, several other officials came forward to speak of local matters.

For example, there were reports of a significant decrease in silk production in the Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions, and the troops on the northwestern frontier had submitted another petition requesting military supplies and provisions.

Almost every report was a complaint about receiving less money despite rising expenses.

Once the majority of these matters had been reported, Chu Jiubian finally raised his eyes to look at Qin Xiao.

Qin Xiao exchanged a subtle glance with him, then said: “This lord also has something he would like to discuss with all of you gentlemen.”

Only when everyone had given him their attention did he go on: “The day before yesterday, a memorial was received from the southern regions. It stated that the middle section of the canal has silted up, making navigation difficult for merchant ships.”

At the first mention of the canal, Minister of Justice Qiu Heng sensed that something was amiss.

Since the responsibility for waterway transportation had been entrusted to the Qiu family for so many years, no one understood the problems facing the canals more than him. 

Qin Xiao looked at Qiu Heng and said mildly: “The number of merchant ships traveling by canal have increased in recent years, but with lax management, there have been frequent incidents of piracy.”

Qiu Heng’s brow furrowed slightly.

He thought to himself, so this is what it’s really about.

It was true that there were sometimes bandits on the canal, but if they paid enough tribute money to the Qiu family, these merchant ships could fly their official banner, which the bandits wouldn’t dare attack.

As for those who declined to offer tribute money, or whose transported goods did not meet the Qiu family’s approval, they would not receive an official banner.

Bandits could then freely plunder those ships. The stolen goods would be divided between them and the Qiu family, with the Qiu family receiving 60% of the haul.

Over the years, the Qiu family had amassed so much wealth using these methods that it was almost impossible to calculate.

However, neither Emperor Chengzong nor Emperor Yingzong took these matters seriously, especially since the Qiu family paid the most taxes to the Imperial Court each year.

But just because those two foolish emperors didn’t know the truth didn’t mean that Qin Xiao was unaware.

Although the Qiu family paid a hefty sum in taxes each year, the amount they received from the Imperial Court through the waterway transport system was even greater.

They consistently employed the strategy of making small concessions to achieve greater gains.

But now, what were Qin Xiao’s intentions in bringing up the canal?

Did he want the Qiu family to pay more taxes to fill the gaps in the treasury, or did he intend to seize power from the Qiu family directly?

If it was the former, it was simply a matter of losing money to prevent a greater disaster.

But if it was the latter, Qiu Heng dared not imagine how great the losses for the Qiu family would be.

“Minister Qiu,” Qin Xiao addressed the man.

Qiu Heng quickly stepped out of the ranks and gave a respectful bow, saying: “My Lord.”

Qin Xiao said calmly: “During Emperor Wuzong’s reign, you were granted authority to oversee the waterway transport system. Now, more than thirty years have passed, and the money the Qiu family provided to Emperor Wuzong to aid him in conquering the empire has been mostly repaid.”

His words implied that the Qiu family had embezzled a huge amount of money from the waterway transport business.

But this was precisely the truth.

Qiu Heng, however, couldn’t admit to this. He immediately said in a fluster: “This subordinate wouldn’t dare! Having received His Majesty’s favor, the Qiu family has diligently managed the waterway transport system, never daring to slack in our duties or seek any personal gain.”

“Bandits have been rampant around the canals for quite some time now,” Qin Xiao said. “If my memory serves me correctly, this has been the case for at least ten years.”

Qiu Heng pursed his lips tightly, not daring to speak a word.

Qin Xiao continued: “In the past ten years, not only have the bandits not been suppressed – they have even become more rampant. Since your Qiu family is so incompetent, you should no longer be involved in the management of the waterway transport system.”

---

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Chapter 57 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 59