Chapter 157
Zhao Ying picked up her phone and glanced at her email, her expression darkening. "A few generals at headquarters believe that joining the mysterious forces of revival is crucial right now. The elite of the aristocratic families indeed outnumber the Demon-Slaying Division, which is why they’re pushing for collaboration.
"Currently, we have a tricky problem. Li Changbai is dead, and after the incident with the Corpse King Di Jiang, there are hardly any living demon slayers left in the C Province's Demon-Slaying Division. Headquarters wants me to quickly nominate a general to take over as the governor of the C Province's Demon-Slaying Division, or they’ll send a revivalist from one of the aristocratic families over. Where am I supposed to find someone…"
Her gaze instinctively fell on Chen Huai'an.
Xiang Xiaoyuan was also staring at Chen Huai'an, deep in thought.
Chen Huai'an raised an eyebrow and pointed at himself. "What are you all looking at me for? Are you planning to make a college student who hasn’t even graduated the governor of the C Province's Demon-Slaying Division? I haven’t even agreed to join the division yet..."
"The governor can freely allocate the resources of the C Province's Demon-Slaying Division, and that includes money," Zhao Ying adjusted her glasses and sighed. "That’s quite a substantial amount."
Chen Huai'an replied, "So what? Are you using this to test the old-timers?"
Xiang Xiaoyuan chimed in, "If you can manage such a large organization like the C Province's Demon-Slaying Division well, the money you can generate won’t be much worse than what the aristocratic families make. It’s all about making money work for you."
Chen Huai'an was silent.
Though he didn’t want to admit it, Zhao Ying and Xiang Xiaoyuan’s words were indeed tempting.
"Governor, this is the current funding available to the C Province's Demon-Slaying Division," Zhao Ying suddenly pulled out a black card with golden edges and pressed it into Chen Huai'an's hand, her expression serious. "The password is four sevens. There’s ten billion inside, but half of it has to be used to purchase supplies needed by the Demon-Slaying Division."
"What supplies?" Chen Huai'an took the card without showing any emotion.
"Things like holy water from the Church..."
Chen Huai'an recalled the bottle containing a light golden liquid, which also had a strong righteous aura. It was probably similar to the common Lei Huo talisman, but far inferior to the good and top-grade ones, let alone the immortal-grade.
"How much does the Church charge us for a bottle of holy water?"
"Standard price, diluted holy water is one million per bottle."
"What?!" Chen Huai'an's eyes widened.
Diluted holy water, one million, per bottle?
He sold a talisman to the bearded man for a hundred thousand, so he had been ripped off?
Damn that bearded guy.
Chen Huai'an gritted his teeth and slammed the table. "Forget it! Withdraw all those orders!"
Zhao Ying hesitated. "But Governor, if we do that, our demon slayers will lack some safety guarantees when going on missions. Besides, the Demon-Slaying Division doesn’t have enough resources; relying solely on the allure of the Tona method isn’t enough."
"Leave the resource issue to me."
Chen Huai'an narrowed his eyes.
It seemed he had no choice but to take on this role as a two-world middleman.
---
**Chapter 168: The Mysterious Number**
"My master hasn’t come to see me all day..."
In front of the bed in the small room, Li Qingran stopped her meditation, resting her chin on her hands as she gazed into the void, a hint of worry etched on her brow.
Usually, even if her master was busy, he would at least check on her once a day.
This was the first time he hadn’t shown up for an entire day.
Could it be that he encountered an insurmountable beast in that subspace and was gravely injured?
"If only the Central Continent's secret realm could open early," Li Qingran bit her lip and sighed.
Every day, she would use the Longwen Tao to refine the spiritual herbs, which was the only preparation she could make for concocting the Baicao Detox Pill. Beyond that, all she could do was practice diligently, unable to help in any other way.
【Qingran.】
A familiar feeling of being watched washed over her, and Li Qingran's eyes brightened. "Master!"
"Master, where have you been? Did something happen? I miss you so much..."
【Hmm, I fought a great demon and was severely injured, but it’s resolved now... However, one of my companions sacrificed themselves to save me, their physical body shattered, leaving only a wisp of residual soul.】
"Ah..." Li Qingran opened her mouth and fell silent for a moment. She didn’t say any comforting words; instead, she obediently took out a bottle of spiritual wine from under the bed and poured a cup for her master, softly saying, "Master, this is the Dan Zong's Jie Bai Chou. I may not handle alcohol well, but I can still share a pot with you."
Chen Huai'an didn’t refuse. He clicked on 【Drink】, and the cup of spiritual wine appeared in his hand, instantly filling the Zero Containment Facility with its fragrant aroma. The previously drowsy Ba Ji perked up immediately.
However, after glancing at the watchful Jiu Zhuan Ling Lan beside him, it slumped back down.
Bad luck; a tiger falling to the ground is bullied by dogs. If it were at its peak strength, how could it fear such a small herb spirit?
The Dan Zong wine was strong, and after just one cup, Li Qingran was already feeling tipsy, her cheeks flushed.
Taking advantage of her slight inebriation, she spoke with newfound courage.
"Master, don’t be sad. For the sake of the people, you are a great hero. That senior definitely wouldn’t want to see you upset... I will also work hard to cultivate, striving to become a sharp sword that stands behind you, so you won’t have regrets about life and death."
Chen Huai'an chuckled at her words, smiling, "What’s this? With you guarding my back, I’m invincible?"
Li Qingran’s face turned even redder at his words. She pouted and stammered, "I... I will become very strong, very strong. I can protect you, Master..." As she spoke, she leaned against the head of the bed, her eyelids growing heavy.
She was drunk.
Her intoxicated face didn’t resemble the usual shy blush of a girl; instead, it looked like a raccoon that had stolen some celestial nectar, her cheeks rubbing against the embroidered sleeve with koi patterns as she mumbled, "Master... this wine is much harder to bear than the sword classics..."
The moonlight spilled through the carved window, turning the half pot of spiritual wine on the table into a frosty hue. The copper bell at the eaves chimed softly in the wind, startling the silver bell on the girl’s wrist, which had slipped off, but it didn’t wake the sleeping figure curled up in the cloud quilt.
Chen Huai'an couldn’t help but chuckle, moving the cup of spiritual wine a bit further away.
What a joke; if Li Qingran got drunk from one cup, wouldn’t he drop dead from just a sip?
He might as well dilute it with water; who knows, it might have some special effect.
He used his fingers to adjust the quilt, covering Li Qingran properly.
His gentle gaze gradually sharpened.
There were a few urgent matters he wanted to accomplish.
First and foremost was helping Li Qingran navigate the challenges of the Central Continent's secret realm, eliminating all threats. Secondly, he wanted to see if there was a way to revive the bearded man in the Cangyun Realm. To him, the so-called residual consciousness was nothing more than incomplete three souls and seven spirits; surely, he could summon the soul? Being a middleman was just a side task.
Lastly, he needed to increase his own strength.
The real world had undergone drastic changes, and the emergence of the Corpse King Di Jiang had left him feeling utterly insecure. With the sudden appearance of a Corpse King, who knew if an even more formidable foe would show up next?
He didn’t have a second Purple Cloud Divine Thunder talisman.
Opening his character inventory, Chen Huai'an noticed three new items.
【Demon Cultivator Fragment, Broken Soul-Settling Nail, Imperial Sword - Chen Jiang】
"Got some loot!" Chen Huai'an felt a weight lift off his shoulders. It was confirmed that the Corpse King Di Jiang had been obliterated by the Purple Cloud Divine Thunder talisman, which was excellent news; he didn’t have to worry about the old trickster slipping away.
However, the items he received were rather peculiar.
For instance, this Broken Soul-Settling Nail, he vaguely remembered it being nailed to Di Jiang's face, but it had a string of numbers on it—Yī sān qī (137).
What does this mean?
A serial number?
An employee ID? Or is this the 137th Di Jiang, with at least one hundred thirty-six others? Or is it just part of some mysterious code, the complete code linked to a shocking secret or a great treasure?
Chen Huai'an shook his head. "No, could it be that this is just a production number stamped on the nail when it was made, indicating it’s the 137th Soul-Settling Nail? Collecting all the other Soul-Settling Nails would yield a silicone doll of Di Jiang?"
His imagination was running wild; he should probably rein it in a bit.
Looking again at the Imperial Sword - Chen Jiang, the scabbard was wrapped in the skin of a jiao and made from a thousand-year-old dark wood, the hilt was made from dragon bone, wrapped in dark jiao silk, and the blade was forged from underworld iron and Tianhe cold crystal, presenting a dark silver color with rippling water patterns along the edges.
The main feature was the cold aura enveloping the blade; a sword with such effects was clearly a valuable item.
【Imperial Sword - Chen Jiang (High-Grade Spiritual Weapon / Sword Soul Missing): Di Jiang, the Merchant Emperor. During a great drought, when rivers ran dry, Di Jiang forged the sword "Chen Jiang" to draw the waters of the Tianhe to save the people. Once the sword was completed, Di Jiang exhausted his strength and collapsed, his soul transforming into a Canglong, eternally sealed within the sword.】
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