Chapter 92: Just Wanted to Get Things Done (Request Subscription)

“National law? Military law?”

Dong Zhao, watching the furious Zhou Jianping, head of the Yangdu Dao Academy, still smiled amiably, then waved his hand—Blood Butcher Tian Zhang strode forward.

“Report, Headmaster,” Tian Zhang reported, “after preliminary investigation, at least fifteen hundred of the women abducted as Star Slaves originate from our Jinshan Commandery.”

“Headmaster Zhou, did you hear that number?”

“Rescuing the abducted civilians of Jinshan Commandery is my duty.”

“I have violated not a single thread of national or military law.” Dong Zhao smiled sweetly, his tone soft—but the meaning behind his words was harder than steel!

“You!”

Headmaster Zhou Jianping of the Yangdu Dao Academy was so enraged he felt like spitting blood—it was as if he’d punched cotton: the other side showed no reaction, yet his own fist ached fiercely.

At that moment, Zhou Jianping noticed his superior, Lu Chenfeng, Director of the Yanzhou Dao Academy, watching them both with a dark expression; the anger still boiling in his chest instantly found a new target.

Yet the quarrel had drawn the attention of many.

For instance, Hu Xuechuan, who had arrived earlier, and Mei Longwei, Director of the Yanzhou Branch of the Cangming Star Palace—all watching with detached amusement.

“Director Dong, even if you have justification to mobilize troops, we are colleagues, all members of the Yanzhou Dao Academy. Even if you must act, shouldn’t you at least notify us?”

“You storm into my Yangdu Commandery without warning, complete your mission, and now—what are you trying to do?”

“You’re trying to step on your colleagues to climb higher. At the very least, give us a way to survive!” Zhou Jianping spat.

This was escalating to the highest level.

Dong Zhao’s ever-smiling expression grew slightly grim.

“Hmph, notify you?”

“I’m afraid you’d leak word!” Tian Zhang suddenly spoke up.

In an instant, Zhou Jianping exploded like a cat with its tail stepped on, his temper flaring.

“Tian Zhang, what do you mean?”

“Explain yourself clearly!”

“What ‘leaking word’?” In his fury, Zhou Jianping fired off three questions in rapid succession.

“Headmaster Zhou, some matters can be discussed in detail after we’ve finished our task,” Dong Zhao said slowly, his tone laden with implication.

Dong Zhao wasn’t in a hurry, but Zhou Jianping couldn’t bear it—Tian Zhang’s few words were like a bucket of filth dumped on him; if he didn’t react now, he’d never wash it off.

“No! Tian Zhang, if you don’t explain yourself clearly today, I won’t let you go!” Zhou Jianping roared, star energy surging around him, ready to strike at the slightest provocation.

“Fine! You asked for it!”

Tian Zhang also lost his temper, pointing at the surrounding girls and the corpses hanging on poles, “Do you know how long the Worship of the Dipper Cult has been operating here?”

“Three months—at least three months!”

“Over three thousand girls abducted, at least one thousand from your Yangdu Commandery?”

“For three months, you didn’t notice a thing.”

“And now you expect Jinshan Commandery to notify you?”

“Are the Yangdu Dao Academy’s people pigs? Did you all sleep through three months?”

“You—you what?!” Under the gaze of countless onlookers, Zhou Jianping was so stunned by Tian Zhang’s outburst he failed to catch Dong Zhao’s earlier implication.

Dong Zhao’s earlier remark had meant: this isn’t the time to discuss this—it’s inappropriate, and saying more would only humiliate everyone.

When no one’s watching, we’ll talk slowly.

But Zhou Jianping didn’t listen.

Now he’d been struck right at the vital point!

“But the question is—do the Yangdu Dao Academy’s people really sleep for three months without waking?”

“No!”

“The Yangdu Dao Academy’s people are elites, not pigs!”

“Yet this problem has festered for three months—and you didn’t notice!”

“Tell me—what would you think?”

“Anyone would think the same!” Tian Zhang roared.

“You—”

“Enough!”

Director Lu Chenfeng of the Yanzhou Dao Academy barked sharply, striding over with a dark face; Zhou Jianping, as if finding a lifeline, cried out, “Director Lu, he’s falsely accusing—”

“Shut up! Are you not humiliated enough already?!” Lu Chenfeng roared. Zhou Jianping fell silent, his anger instantly cooling.

Within moments, Zhou Jianping’s face turned pale.

Calm now, he realized he’d just committed a grave error.

At that moment, a streak of light hovered above Qianye Island; only then did Xu Jin realize it was a ship.

A flying vessel, wreathed in starlight, floating midair.

Instantly, Xu Jin gained a new understanding of this world: its use of transcendent power extended beyond the individual.

The vessel was small—about six meters long, streamlined—and once it hovered, a line of officials descended.

Many hurried forward to pay respects.

“Your Excellency.”

“Your Excellency.”

“Director Li.”

Lu Chenfeng, Hu Xuechuan, Mei Longwei, and others all bowed slightly in greeting.

The newcomer was Li Da, Viceroy of Yanzhou.

In Chen Guo’s bureaucracy, the Inspector managed provincial civil affairs; the Viceroy oversaw military affairs—but not the Dao Academy’s Star Patrols. Still, the Viceroy held slight authority over them, and all military operations, regardless of origin, required reporting to the Viceroy’s office.

Li Da, over sixty, wore a black cloak and strode forward with fierce, lethal energy.

“What’s the full tally?” Li Da demanded.

“Report, Your Excellency: one Star Official of the Worship of the Dipper Cult slain, three Star Officials of the Condensing Star Realm as bodyguards killed, one captured, two Cultists of the Star Refining Realm captured, twenty-seven other demonic cultivators slain. Two thousand three hundred and forty-two abducted girls rescued. Additionally, a mass grave was found in the rear mountain—over three hundred corpses.”

“According to interrogation, this Worship of the Dipper Cult hideout has existed for over three months.”

“Preliminary estimates show half the abducted girls originated from Jinshan Commandery; the rest mostly from Yangdu Commandery,” Tian Zhang replied.

“Three months. Nearly three thousand people.”

Viceroy Li Da’s gaze flashed like lightning, landing on the trembling Zhou Jianping of the Yangdu Dao Academy, “Headmaster Zhou, this falls under your Star Patrol’s jurisdiction. What do you say?”

“Your Excellency, I admit negligence.”

“But the entire Yangdu Commandery is the Marquis’s fiefdom, and Qianye Island in Qiuyue Lake is his private land—no unauthorized person may enter!” Now, Zhou Jianping no longer cared about offending anyone—he had to shift blame.

Earlier, it hadn’t seemed serious—but as Tian Zhang listed the numbers, Zhou Jianping’s head spun.

This was the largest Worship of the Dipper Cult mass-atrocity case discovered in two decades.

Finding a thousand victims was already a major case.

Here, nearly three thousand—possibly more!

“I have no jurisdiction over your Dao Academy and cannot impose punishment, but I will submit all details to the National Dao Academy, awaiting the Grand Master’s decree,” Li Da said, looking directly at Lu Chenfeng.

“Your Excellency’s righteousness,” Lu Chenfeng replied flatly.

“Where are the Yangdu Commandery’s Chief Secretary and Military Advisor?”

These two were directly responsible for the Worship of the Dipper Cult incident—but they hadn’t arrived yet.

“White Flag.” Li Da suddenly called.

“Your servant is here!”

“Go find them. If they resist, kill them on the spot!” Li Da ordered.

“Your servant obeys.”

The burly guard commander Bai Qi licked his lips, smiling as he departed—he could kill again!

Yet less than three minutes later, Bai Qi returned.

Behind him trailed two pale-faced officials.

One was Lu Yuanchen, Military Advisor of the Yangdu Marquis’s household; upon seeing Viceroy Li Da, he immediately knelt and banged his head on the ground, “Your Excellency, it was my negligence that allowed these demonic cultists to infiltrate Qianye Island. I beg Your Excellency’s punishment.”

“Is that your confession?” Li Da demanded.

Lu Yuanchen said nothing, only continued banging his head.

“Chief Secretary Zhou, do you have anything to say?”

Zhou Xianxian, Chief Secretary of the Yangdu Marquis’s household, bowed hastily, “Your Excellency, we’ve confirmed: Lu’s personal attendant accepted silver to issue a pass to a childhood friend, allowing him to fish in the lake, with additional bribes.”

“Lu was deceived. Please, Your Excellency, show leniency.”

Li Da looked up at the sky, then toward the direction where Tian Zhang had faintly pointed—the grave pit—and in his sleeve, the Star-Plucking Order glowed with one after another message of starlight from Marquis Yangdu.

Li Da glanced at the sky, then toward the direction Tian Zhang had subtly indicated—the mass grave. Inside his sleeve, the Star-Removal Token pulsed with repeated starlight messages from the Yangdu Marquis.

After a long silence, Li Da suddenly opened his eyes: “Even if I wished to show leniency, the hundreds of murdered girls’ vengeful spirits would not!”

“Kill him!”

In an instant, the Guard Captain Bai Qi drew his white banner longsword and slashed down; the head of the Military Advisor Lu Yuanchen rolled several meters away, blood gushing wildly from the neck cavity, killing him on the spot.

In an instant, Commander Bai Qi drew his blade and slashed—Lu Yuanchen’s head rolled several meters away, blood spurting from his neck, dead on the spot.

Seeing the Military Advisor’s head fall, Chief Secretary Zhou Xianxian secretly exhaled in relief.

“Bai Qi, send orders to the Viceroy’s office: send troops immediately to Yangdu Commandery, confiscate Lu Yuanchen’s estate, arrest his entire family, imprison them, and await the court’s final judgment.”

Upon receiving the order, Guard Captain Bai Qi felt a tinge of disappointment—he would not be assigned to carry out the family confiscation, a task that was not only a fine opportunity for wealth but also a fine opportunity for killing.

Commander Bai Qi obeyed, yet felt disappointed—he wouldn’t get to carry out the estate seizure. That task wasn’t just profitable—it was also a chance to kill, cleanly and without fuss.

In the next instant, Viceroy Li Da pulled out his Star-Taking Token, swept his palm over it, and a projection of starlight appeared—within an instant, the spectral figure of Yangdu Marquis, clad in a python robe, materialized before them, his voice echoing as well.

“My household has been poorly managed, causing you all trouble.”

“I thank you, Master Dong, and Dean Lu, for without you, I would still be on the battlefield, completely unaware of what they had concealed—how long they might have fooled me. Thank heavens you were here.”

Master Dong Zhao bowed to the starlight projection. “It is merely my duty, Marquis. You overstate it.”

Dean Lu Chenfeng of the Yanzhou Dao Academy, however, replaced his gloomy expression with a faint smile. “Marquis, you overstate it.”

“Li Viceroy, I am far away on the battlefield—handle these disgraceful matters yourself!”

“If you find anyone in my household involved, arrest and execute them. Interrogate them under torture. If you uncover any connection, do not bother to consult me—arrest or execute as you see fit. You alone shall decide. I demand to be cleared of all suspicion!” said Yangdu Marquis.

“Marquis, rest assured—I will handle this fairly and impartially.”

“Good.”

The starlight projection of Yangdu Marquis cast one final glance at Dong Zhao, then dissolved.

“That concludes it. From now on, my Viceroyalty takes charge. These rescued girls may return to their families, but observe them for a time—there may still be remnants hiding among them.” Viceroy Li Da issued his final orders.

Hu Xuechuan and Mei Longwei, both masters of the Star Palace’s branch temples, exchanged a glance, visibly disappointed.

They gained no benefit, and missed the whole spectacle.

They had hoped to pick up some rewards—Baidou Sect was a heretical cult, but when crushing its dens, real gains were to be had.

Too bad they arrived late; by the time they got there, Cao Chun had already claimed most of the spoils. They could only watch helplessly.

It occurred to them that Dong Zhao might have planned this all along—his actions left no loopholes.

The Imperial Master’s direct disciple—truly deserving of his reputation!

What followed was simple, yet horrifying.

The naval troops recovered roughly 360 corpses from the mass grave; the rest were too mangled to reassemble, so they were buried haphazardly.

Including those hung on poles, over four hundred girls had died.

However, upon Ning Yuchan’s strong recommendation, the naval fleet did not awaken the girls immediately, but let them sleep until dawn, then transported them in batches.

Those still unconscious, let them sleep.

Those awake, let them state their origins, so they could be sent home.

Only now did Xu Jin have a chance to be with his sister Jiang Er.

Under the pretense of escorting, Xu Jin boarded a ship with Jiang Er, still unconscious. Following Qi Shan’s earlier warning, he did not reveal his identity or give her special treatment.

He merely borrowed some cloaks to cover the sleeping girls—naturally, one was given to Jiang Er.

On the return voyage, Xu Jin had countless questions and thoughts about his newly forged Divine Soul Star in the Star Palace.

He wanted to know: how much had his cultivation base improved since the Star Palace forged his Divine Soul Star?

Previously, merely engraving the Pure Soul Star Pattern had granted him a significant boost—this time, he had forged a Divine Soul Star, instantly reaching the peak of Star Forging, and even refining his star to the Third Level.

How great would the improvement be?

Xu Jin also worried: now that he had forged a star in the Star Palace, could the Middle Star Palace forge one too?

Too bad Qi Shan wasn’t here to ask.

If the Middle Star Palace could forge a star, could the Lower Star Palace do the same?

Would that mean he could forge three stars?

Xu Jin was filled with speculation and questions, but kept them all locked inside.

Only after returning and meeting Qi Shan again would he find answers.

The rescued girls and Xu Jin’s group set off home. On the brightly lit Qianye Island, only Master Dong Zhao and Dean Lu Chenfeng remained.

Seeing no one around, Lu Chenfeng walked over, face dark. “Dong Zhao—is this really necessary?”

“What do you mean, Dean?” Dong Zhao smiled as ever.

“Could you not have warned us before the operation? Was that so hard?”

“We wouldn’t steal your credit—but must you make it so absolute?” Lu Chenfeng demanded.

“Do you mean I did wrong?” Dong Zhao asked.

“Dong Zhao, you know what I mean!”

Lu Chenfeng, rebuffed, grew angrier, his face darker. “Dong Zhao, your Jinshan Dao Academy is part of Yanzhou—I am your superior!”

“So I informed you, Dean Lu.”

“Was that informing? You finished everything, then told me—and notified others too. What good is that?”

“But I did inform you,” Dong Zhao replied calmly, smiling.

Looking at Dong Zhao’s smile, Lu Chenfeng suddenly found it unbearable—how much he hated it, he hated it that much.

Yet he suppressed the urge to roar.

“Dong Zhao, I understand your ambition—I get it, I support it! But why must you climb over me?

You’ve done this again and again—don’t blame me if I lose patience!”

“Dean, I swear—I have no such intent. I am merely doing my duty!” Dong Zhao protested.

“Hmph. Don’t think I don’t know your mind—you only care about returning to the National Dao Academy.”

“But don’t forget—you are Master of Jinshan Dao Academy. To return to the National Dao Academy, you need not only great merit, but an excellent Autumn Evaluation!”

“Since you won’t listen, don’t blame me if I act harshly!”

With that, Lu Chenfeng swept his sleeve and vanished, stepping on starlight.

Watching Lu Chenfeng leave, Dong Zhao’s smile faded slightly. “I truly wish to return to the National Dao Academy—but I also truly wish to act, to save lives.”

“Is there fault in acting? In saving lives?”

“I think not.”

With a sigh, Dong Zhao also stepped on starlight and rose into the sky.

(End of Chapter)