After Zhao Yuanjing left, the middle-aged man reached out and picked up the teacup on the table beside him, unhurriedly scraping the floating tea leaves with the cup's lid as his gaze turned to Qin Mu.
"Although we still don't know whether what you said is true or false, it does look like you're a person of deep fortune."
Qin Mu cupped his fist and bowed.
The middle-aged man continued, "Before you even had a Spiritual Root, you attended the Ascension Ceremony. Now that you have one... do you still hold thoughts of Cultivation in your heart?"
Qin Mu nodded lightly and said, "As for the Spiritual Root, I was only guessing at first. It was thanks to the various lords of the Demon Suppression Division today that I was able to confirm I truly do have a Spiritual Root."
Having said this, he smiled.
"As for Cultivation, who in this world doesn't wish to transcend the mundane and attain Eternal Life and Vision?"
The middle-aged man nodded, smiling with a hint of deeper meaning. "Attaining the Dao through cultivation and achieving Eternal Life and Vision is indeed something many people dream of. But without guidance, no matter how vast your talent, you won't be able to find a true immortal, nor attain the Immortal Path."
"Though the Immortal Sects of the realm are as numerous as the stars, the one at the top rank on the earthly rankings is Great Yu. Moreover... aside from the Holy Lands, the Imperial Court holds backups of the Cultivation Methods of every Sect."
"Even the disciples of the Sects are on record."
"You do indeed have a Spiritual Root now, but for the time being, we cannot confirm whether what you've said is true or false."
"So, until the Demon Suppression Division gives its consent, you cannot take a single step outside Guanhai City, nor may you join any Sect."
"Of course, you could also choose to join the Demon Suppression Division."
"Once you join the Demon Suppression Division, Young Master Qin will naturally become our colleague. And toward our colleagues, we always bear the greatest goodwill."
"By then, as long as Young Master Qin has no mission at hand, he may go wherever he pleases in this vast realm."
Upon hearing this, Qin Mu gave a bitter smile and cupped his fist. "Since you've put it this way, sir, do I even have a choice?"
The middle-aged man smiled and said, "Of course you have a choice. Young Master Qin is entirely free to choose to remain a Mortal — though in that case, you would have to accept our protection."
Hearing this, Qin Mu sighed inwardly. This was hardly protection — it was clearly surveillance.
Just as this thought crossed his mind, the middle-aged man continued speaking.
"Also, this official has a Gift he wishes to give Young Master Qin."
With that, he gave a light shout.
"Bring it in!"
The next moment, a heroic and valiant woman walked in, carrying a string of severed heads.
Blood from the necks of the severed heads dragged long trails across the floor of the hall, and the expressions frozen on their faces still held the terror of their final moments before death.
The instant Qin Mu saw the string of heads, his face changed drastically in shock, and he subconsciously stepped back several paces.
The middle-aged man gave a light laugh. "Does Young Master Qin still recognize any of these people?"
Hearing this, Qin Mu forced down his revulsion and, steeling his courage, stepped closer.
He saw that the hair of the severed heads had all been tied together and strung along a length of hemp rope.
When his eyes fell upon a knife scar on one of the faces, his expression suddenly froze. Almost in that same instant, the anguished dying cries of Father and Mother Qin surged up in his mind.
His mouth and throat suddenly went dry, and his voice began to stammer.
"These people..."
The middle-aged man nodded. "That's right. They are the bandits who ran rampant across Demon Extermination Ridge for two months — fifteen in total."
Upon hearing this, Qin Mu drew a deep breath and bowed low before him.
The middle-aged man smiled and said, "Young Master Qin, don't be so quick to offer thanks. This is not the Gift this official intends to give. These bandits terrorized Demon Extermination Ridge for two months — we annihilated them to rid the people of this scourge."
With that, he nodded toward the woman holding the string of heads.
The woman immediately handed the bundle she carried in her other hand to Qin Mu, who stood nearby.
Qin Mu took the bundle, set it on the ground, and untied it. Inside were two rolled-up scroll paintings and two small jars.
He unrolled one of the scroll paintings, and his eyes instantly went wide.
The painting depicted a full-body portrait of Father Qin.
He swallowed hard, then lifted the lid off one of the jars, revealing a grayish-white powder inside.
"This... this is..."
The middle-aged man nodded. "That's right. These are the Ashes of Young Master Qin's parents."
"I heard that the day Young Master Qin returned, he built a Cenotaph the very next day and held a funeral for his parents. This official then sent people to search for the two of them."
"In the end, they were found beneath a cliff."
"By then, their corpses had already begun to rot, so the Demon Suppression Division's Painter, working from their bone structure and descriptions given by some neighbors, sketched out their posthumous likenesses."
"Because the corpses had rotted too severely to be properly collected, they were cremated into ashes instead."
Having said this, he began to laugh.
"I wonder — is Young Master Qin satisfied with this Gift from this official?"
Qin Mu was, of course, satisfied — this Baihu of the Demon Suppression Division had first tempted him, then threatened him, and finally bestowed favor upon him.
Especially this final act of favor, which frankly left him shaken.
Under these circumstances, if he still dared to refuse, there was no telling what might await him.
With this thought, he sealed the lid of the ash jar back on and re-tied the bundle.
Finally, he slowly rose, cupped his fist, and bowed deeply, saying in a low voice, "I am willing to join the Demon Suppression Division."
The middle-aged man gave a light laugh. "This official is named He Longxing, Baihu of the Guanhai Town Demon Suppression Division, holding the official rank of upper sixth grade. In this city of Guanhai, aside from the City Lord, this official ranks highest."
"That woman beside you is named Qi Shayu, Banner Lord of the Sha Character Banner of the Demon Suppression Division."
"In our Guanhai Town Demon Suppression Division, this official stands at the very top. Beneath this official are ten Banner Lords, and each Banner Lord commands six Patrol Inspectors, two Captains, one Painter, and one Clerk."
"The Patrol Inspectors are responsible for patrolling for demons and monitoring the Sects, while the Captains are responsible only for killing."
"The Painter is responsible for depicting demons, as well as creating Posthumous Portraits for colleagues who die in battle, while the Clerk is responsible for recording all the actions of the Demon Suppression Division."
"Though that's how it's meant to be organized, reality falls somewhat short. Here, we currently have only one Painter."
Having finished this introduction, He Longxing turned to Qi Shayu and said, "As it happens, your Sha Banner's Clerk died in the line of duty. This kid is new here, has no Cultivation Level to speak of, and as it happens, his family runs a bookstore — so put him under your command as a Clerk."
Hearing this, Qin Mu's heart gave a start.
Wasn't a Clerk only supposed to keep records?
How could one die in the line of duty?
Qi Shayu, expressionless, nodded at this, then turned to look at Qin Mu and said coldly, "Bring your things, and carry that string of heads properly. Come with me."
Qin Mu, heart pounding with dread, glanced at the blood-soaked hemp rope, and carefully reached out, doing his best to keep his hand from touching the head hanging at the very top.
Seeing this, Qi Shayu said nothing, simply handed him the rope, then turned and walked toward the door.
Qin Mu looked back at He Longxing, only to find him already bowed over his tea, drinking.
He had no choice but to carry the bundle of scroll paintings and ash jars in one hand and the string of heads in the other, following closely behind Qi Shayu as they left.
Not long after he left, a refined and cultured man in black robes emerged from the side room.
Without even raising his head, He Longxing asked, "Well? Was what that kid said true or false?"
The man shook his head lightly. "There's a peculiar Spiritual Power on him that blocked my investigation, but his expression and heartbeat showed nothing abnormal."
Hearing this, He Longxing's brow shot up, and he looked up in surprise. "A peculiar Spiritual Power?"
The man nodded slowly.
Beyond his astonishment, He Longxing gave a smile, finding it rather intriguing.
"He has no Spiritual Power of his own, and yet he carries a peculiar Spiritual Power capable of blocking investigation. Could it really be, just as he claimed, that eating a fruit was what allowed him to reshape his Spiritual Root?"
Seeing that the Baihu seemed to be in a good mood today, the man worked up his courage and asked, "Baihu, this kid's Aptitude is only middling, his state of mind doesn't meet the standard, and he hasn't even taken the assessment or training. He merely answered a few questions, and yet he was allowed to join us so easily."
"What's more, you even had the Painter draw a Posthumous Portrait for his deceased parents, and you recovered their remains for him."
"This subordinate doesn't understand — why do you look after him so carefully?"
He Longxing smiled and said, "Since the State Preceptor has given the order, we naturally have to cooperate."
"As for Qin Mu, just treat him as a normal colleague. Only, since you weren't able to determine whether what he said was true or false, it's best to stay a little guarded in all matters."
"Also, I noticed Banner Chief Qi gave Qin Mu quite the show of force the moment they met."
"When you see her, tell Banner Chief Qi to go easy on him. Since he has ties to those above, there's no need to make things difficult for him. Isn't he just lucky? Let's just think of it as keeping a good luck charm."
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