Chapter 83 : It Was Time to Submit the Reports
Chapter 83: It Was Time to Submit the Reports
Perhaps because he was standing alone atop a small earthen mound and looked too conspicuous, the two people passing by had clearly noticed him first.
When Shi Manyu recognized Long Tao, she did not hesitate in the slightest.
She directly brought along the disciple behind her, her figure flickering as she swept over like a gentle breeze, arriving before Long Tao in an instant.
The speed was so fast that Long Tao almost failed to see the process clearly.
“Shi… Shi True Person?!” Long Tao hurriedly bowed in greeting, his tone carrying just the right measure of surprise and respect.
“Since we happened to meet on the road, it should have been this disciple who went forward to pay respects to you. How could I trouble you to personally come to me?”
Facing a true power-holder within the sect, Long Tao kept his attitude impeccably proper.
What was more, this person would very likely become his immediate superior in the future—there could be no room for the slightest negligence.
“That’s enough. I don’t like those empty formalities.” Shi Manyu waved her hand, her tone crisp and decisive, just like the impression she gave others.
“Time is more precious than anything. Waiting for you to dawdle your way over to me, who knows how many breaths would be wasted. It’s faster for me to fly over instead.”
“This… you truly are a role model of the sect,” Long Tao nearly blurted out the words “internal competition king,” but fortunately switched in time to a steadier phrase.
“But… isn’t the sect about to go to war with the Wuyi Sect right now? How do you have the time to personally come here?”
“Going to war is the headache of those from the pro-war faction,” Shi Manyu replied flatly, as if she were speaking of a task that had nothing to do with her.
“I have always only been responsible for internal affairs. This Yingxia Town is one of the sect’s key focuses in its future plans, involving large-scale resource allocation and personnel placement. I need to come over frequently to personally check the progress and ensure nothing goes wrong.”
Her tone shifted, and those sharp phoenix-shaped eyes turned toward Long Tao.
“As for you—after going through such upheaval in the secret realm, instead of properly recuperating and regulating your breath at your residence, what are you doing running around here?”
Long Tao quickly presented the land deed in his hands with both palms and explained as he did so.
“Reporting to True Person, this disciple previously obtained this feng shui treasure land by sheer luck due to certain fortuitous opportunities. Today, having some free time, I wished to come take a look on-site and consider whether I might be able to bring my family members here to reunite in the future.”
Shi Manyu took the land deed and swept her gaze across it quickly.
No look of surprise appeared on her face; she merely commented casually.
“Having this kind of intention is a good thing. The sect has always encouraged disciples to put down roots within the sect and multiply their families. After all, those who come from outside—no matter how high their aptitude—ultimately cannot compare, in terms of loyalty, to those affiliated clans that have been attached for generations.”
She clearly thought of something and continued, “For example, that Chu Yuanbai.”
At the mention of this name, a complex emotion welled up in Long Tao’s heart—both anger and a trace of regret.
Back then, Chu Yuanbai had once protected him during cultivation when he had just entered the sect.
He was humble and courteous in dealing with others, and in all aspects could be considered an excellent senior brother.
Coupled with the fact that he had long been internally designated by Su Muzhi as a personally transmitted disciple, his future had been dazzlingly bright.
Long Tao truly could not understand why such a person would betray the sect.
“Is there something wrong with his brain?” Long Tao could not help muttering under his breath.
The words were crude, but they genuinely reflected his confusion.
Even Shi Manyu shook her head at this question, a trace of puzzlement appearing on her usually composed face.
“We also find it strange. Given his talent and established prospects, the sect did not treat him unfairly. I do not believe the Wuyi Sect could offer any promise sufficient to make him willingly become a traitor. To this day, some elders and peak masters still believe that he may have been acting against his will, controlled or hypnotized by some secret technique. They advocate not lightly employing soul-searching techniques, lest his divine soul be damaged and the truth misjudged.”
Her tone paused slightly, carrying a hint of pessimism.
“So for now, only preliminary interrogation is being conducted. But he is extremely uncooperative and refuses to speak. In my view… we are probably not far from ultimately resorting to soul searching.”
Hearing this, Long Tao said no more.
Chu Yuanbai’s matter had little to do with him anymore, and excessive curiosity was often not a virtue in the cultivation world.
He was secretly pondering how to tactfully end this chance encounter so that this powerful Vice Sect Master could attend to her proper business, when he saw her gaze fall back onto the land deed again, as if she had suddenly remembered something.
“Oh… I seem to have some impression now.” Shi Manyu tapped a certain mark on the land deed with her fingertip.
“This plot of land… I recall it was originally allocated as part of Moon-Washing Peak’s share. Your ‘fortuitous opportunity’ was actually related to them? Heh… looks like you had quite a stroke of romantic luck.”
Moon-Washing Peak was publicly acknowledged within the Nine-Xia Heavenly Sect as a “beauty peak,” its disciples excelling in both looks and bearing.
Whenever a male disciple had even a bit of involvement with Moon-Washing Peak, he was bound to be teased by fellow disciples for having “thriving romantic luck.” Only, for Long Tao, that particular “peach blossom” he had encountered back then was far too poisonous—he had nearly lost his life because of it.
“True Person Shi, please don’t tease this disciple,” Long Tao hurriedly waved his hand, revealing a wry smile.
“The fairy senior sisters of Moon-Washing Peak are far beyond my reach. I merely happened to help a little by chance and, thanks to a senior sister’s kindness, was rewarded with this plot of land.”
“Fine, let’s not talk about that.” Shi Manyu went along smoothly and shifted the topic, her tone returning to brisk, businesslike efficiency.
“Since we happened to meet today, it saves me the trouble of sending someone to look for you again. Previously, I should have had Bonade notify you to write more reports and submit them to the Heavenly Pivot Pavilion, correct?”
Hearing this, Long Tao subconsciously glanced at the senior brother behind Shi Manyu, who was wearing a helpless, bitter smile.
So his name was Bonade.
Working under a superior and master like True Person Shi, who pursued efficiency to this extent, he was clearly a fellow sufferer just like himself.
“Senior Brother Bo did indeed convey True Person’s meaning,” Long Tao replied respectfully.
“However, at that time, this disciple was at a critical point of breakthrough, so senior brother did not urge me.”
“Mm, prioritizing a breakthrough is correct.” Shi Manyu nodded, indicating her understanding, but then immediately shifted her tone again.
“However, now that you have already stabilized at the Qi-Refining Sixth Layer, you should also be clear that from the sixth to the seventh layer—even with ample resources—given your Five Spiritual Roots aptitude, without at least half a year to a year of slow grinding effort, a breakthrough would be difficult. Since that is the case, this period is just right for making up the reports you’ve been putting off.”
She looked at Long Tao calmly, her tone brooking no argument.
“Sooner is not as good as just in time. Coincidentally, the mission report for your recent secret realm journey has also yet to be written. Combine the two into one—once it’s finished, deliver it directly to the side hall of the main hall and hand it to me.”
Good grief… so this was where she had been waiting for him!
Long Tao inwardly cried out in misery, but outwardly he could only respond respectfully.
“Yes, this disciple understands. After returning, I will write it as quickly as possible.”
Sigh—on second thought, it was not really surprising.
Cultivators all placed cultivation first, and most people avoided tedious clerical work like the plague.
It was said that the sect had previously tried recruiting mortals skilled at handling mundane affairs to do such work.
However, while mortals staying in cities at the foot of the mountain was one thing, handling sect affairs would inevitably require going up to the main peak.
Living long-term on the main peak—where spiritual energy was abundant and the aura of great powers pervaded invisibly—not only made daily life inconvenient, but over time their bodies and divine souls simply could not endure it.
In the end, such attempts all came to nothing.
Seen this way, someone like himself—of average cultivation talent yet inexplicably adept at handling paperwork—might be regarded by other True Persons as a worthless nobody, but in the eyes of Vice Sect Master Shi Manyu, who presided over sect internal affairs and was buried under mountains of documents, he was probably a prized asset.