Chapter 71: A Double Play

The sun shone brightly, yet Bai Qi’s expression was icy cold.
The resentment from over ten days ago still lingered in her heart. For a tavern owner to dare threaten her was unforgivable even in the past. Now that she had joined the Gu Huan Sect and been accepted as a disciple despite the exceptions, being threatened by such a person was an utter humiliation.
Worse still, this owner held a spiritual array that forced her to hold back her anger.
Every time she went outside to breathe fresh air, Bai Qi felt an intense urge to smash the tables and chairs in the hall to pieces, but she had to endure it, even to the point of suffocation.
Although she didn’t care about strength or spiritual speed arrays, the pressure from her fellow sect members made her acutely aware of the need to grow stronger.
When she heard she had to go to the back courtyard personally, Bai Qi wished she could turn around and leave, but she dared not. With any ordinary person, she wouldn’t take their threats seriously—after all, she was so superior that she didn’t believe they would actually act on their threats.
But for some reason, Bai Qi felt absolutely certain about Lin’s threats, which was why she felt so frustrated.
“Miss Bai Qi, the owner is in that room. I’ll be leaving if you don’t need me.”
As one of the five key employees who had followed Lin Dong from the start, Liu Hao wasn’t afraid of Bai Qi’s anger. He simply pointed at the open door and walked away.
This attitude angered Bai Qi even more. Even an employee dared to act arrogantly toward her—true enough, the master has his servants.
By the time Bai Qi reacted, Liu Hao had already left the back courtyard, leaving her with no one to vent her anger at. Helplessly, she stepped into the room with a cold expression.
As her gaze swept the room, Lin Dong, sitting on a bench on the left, came into view first.
Just as she was about to speak, she noticed another figure out of the corner of her eye. She glanced at it impatiently, but her gaze froze suddenly.
“M-Master? Did you come for me?”
Bai Qi stared at Xiao Tianchi, horrified. Could it be that her master had come to scold her for staying away from the mountain for too long? If others didn’t know the truth, they might think she was spoiled and couldn’t endure the hardships of Gu Huan Mountain.
How could she explain this? If she said she went to the tavern to practice, she couldn’t reveal the reason—who would believe her?
Xiao Tianchi, whose face was full of wrinkles, showed a kind and warm smile. “Bai Qi, have you encountered any difficulties with your spiritual skills during my absence?”

“No, not at all!” Seeing that Xiao Tianchi wasn’t asking about going down the mountain but instead showing such concern for her cultivation, Bai Qi felt overwhelmed with gratitude and quickly shook her head.
“That’s good.” Xiao Tianchi nodded and said earnestly, “In the path of cultivation, one either progresses or regresses. You must train hard from now on. Staying at the foot of the mountain for long periods can easily lead to distraction.”
Bai Qi was shocked. She wanted to explain but didn’t know how.
Xiao Tianchi waved his hand and said, “I’m not blaming you. It’s normal for young people to find the mountain life tedious.”
Bai Qi breathed a sigh of relief. It had only been a short while, yet from all the shock, her forehead was covered in cold sweat.
Her gaze casually swept over the calm as a mountain Lin Dong, then back to Xiao Tianchi. She thought to herself, the ignorant are fearless! In front of her master, she didn’t even dare to breathe loudly, yet this man could sit there even with the Gu Huan Sect’s leader present.
Fearing that Xiao Tianchi might ask another startling question, Bai Qi turned her attention to Lin Dong and said indifferently, “Shopkeeper Lin, the clerk said you wanted to see me?”
“Shopkeeper Lin?” Xiao Tianchi murmured in surprise, frowning slightly as Bai Qi looked at him.
Bai Qi’s heart pounded again. She felt a little relieved when Xiao Tianchi didn’t say more—perhaps he was thinking of something else!
“Bai Qi, I heard from the clerk that you plan to return to Gu Huan Mountain today. I came to give you a few words of advice,” Lin Dong said earnestly. “Once you return to the Gu Huan Sect, you must work hard at cultivating and must not act willfully just because you’re the sect leader’s disciple.”
Bai Qi raised an eyebrow. If it weren’t for remembering that Xiao Tianchi was right beside her, she might have asked, “Who are you?”
“Bai Qi, shopkeeper Lin is showing concern for you. What’s your attitude?” Xiao Tianchi asked unhappily.
Not daring to disobey, Bai Qi glared at Lin Dong and said, “Thank you, shopkeeper Lin, for your concern.”
“Again, shopkeeper Lin?” Xiao Tianchi was surprised. “Didn’t you tell me last time that Bai Qi is the daughter of your close friend?”
Lin Dong explained with a smile, “Bai Qi has been at odds with me lately. It’s natural for a young girl to be a bit willful. Sect Leader Xiao, you’ll need to be patient with her in the future.”
Xiao Tianchi pretended to realize something and said cheerfully, “Since shopkeeper Lin has entrusted Bai Qi to me for guidance, I will surely do my best.”
Bai Qi was confused by this conversation.
“Master, do you know him?”
“Didn’t shopkeeper Lin tell you?” Xiao Tianchi was surprised. “Actually, it’s quite an honor for me. Shopkeeper Lin values me greatly; we’ve been friends for many years.”

Bai Qi was stunned as if struck by lightning, staring at Lin Dong with trembling lips, unable to utter a word. So, it turned out she had indeed been accepted as a disciple by the sect leader thanks to his connections. But how could a tavern owner have a relationship with a sect leader who transcended the mundane world? Moreover, there was even a hint of humility in the master’s tone. Seeing Bai Qi’s paper-white face, Lin Dong sighed inwardly and slowly said, “I didn’t tell you about my relationship with Sect Leader Xiao because I was afraid you’d become spoiled in the Gu Huan Sect.” Bai Qi’s body trembled slightly, as if weighed down by an immense burden. Normally, she would have disdained to look at Lin Dong, but now she didn’t even have the courage to lift her head to glance at him. “I still have some matters to discuss with Sect Leader Xiao. If you have nothing else to do, go back to the Gu Huan Sect first. Think carefully about what I’ve said,” Lin Dong said. Bai Qi nodded blankly, completely forgetting to greet Xiao Tianchi, whom she had always revered in the past. With unsteady steps, she left the room in a daze. Lin Dong and Xiao Tianchi exchanged a look, both smiling wryly in resignation. “Sect Leader Xiao, please take care of Bai Qi in the future. Today’s incident must have been a huge shock to her.” Xiao Tianchi nodded and sat down on the bench. Next came the matter of using spirit stones and acting as guards—both of which were within Xiao Tianchi’s expectations. Two first-tier spirit stones per person per day was well within his anticipated consumption, so he had no objections. As for guarding, being cautious would suffice, and since Lin Dong had promised that disciples who practiced at the tavern wouldn’t need to report to their sect and wouldn’t have to rely on the Gu Huan Sect’s reputation in times of trouble, it shouldn’t cause any major problems for the sect. After some thought, Xiao Tianchi agreed as well. After calling Tian Hao to accompany Xiao Tianchi, Lin Dong went to the guest room to find Fu Chunjian. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he took out the fourth-tier spirit skill and the sect leader’s token given by Xiao Tianchi and handed them over. Upon seeing the two items, Fu Chunjian was overjoyed. “Tavern Master Lin, you’ve done immense credit in saving Xilan City from Zhang Zhanquan’s harm!” “I just did what I could,” Lin Dong replied politely before saying seriously, “Dean Fu, according to your estimate, is it possible to exchange this fourth-tier spirit skill for even greater benefits?” “Greater benefits?” Fu Chunjian was confused. Lin Dong explained, “For example… becoming a county magistrate?”

Fu Chunjian’s heart stirred. A third-tier spiritual technique was already considered off-limits in major sects, and at Tianwei Pavilion, it could only be passed on to the royal family and warriors loyal to the Great Han Nation. Even though a provincial governor was a high-ranking official with great power, he could probably only obtain one or two third- or fourth-tier spiritual techniques from ruthless warriors or sect disciples who valued money over their lives.

To avoid being pursued by Tianwei Pavilion, such techniques had to be practiced secretly, and only used in life-threatening situations.

Now, with a fourth-tier spiritual technique that required no concerns at all right before him, it might seem useless to other provincial governors if someone had to be assigned to practice it. But in the eyes of a governor with a son obsessed with martial arts, its value was undoubtedly extraordinary.

Exchanging it for a county magistrate position would only disappoint his subordinates slightly; with a little manipulation, he could reallocate the benefits, ensuring he wouldn’t suffer any loss.

“But… the candidate issue…” Fu Chunjian racked his brains. There were indeed many good officials, but transferring them would bring comfort to the people of Xilan City while causing harm to their original locations. As for officials below the seventh rank, he had rarely gathered information on them. After much thought, he couldn’t find a single person in Xilan City who was capable of governing the region and resisting countless temptations and pressures from higher-ups.

“Dean Fu, aren’t you the perfect candidate?” Lin Dong asked with a smile.

“Me?” Fu Chunjian was stunned, then shook his head with a bitter smile. He would never again become an official in this life.

Since even Fu Tongshan couldn’t be persuaded, Lin Dong didn’t believe he could convince Fu Chunjian with just a few words. After thinking it over, he simply gave up the effort and said, “I can’t help with the rest. Fortunately, we still have some time. Dean Fu, you decide!”
Fu Chunjian nodded silently.