Chapter 57: Shattered Ideals

Chapter 57 Shattered Ideals

On the twelfth floor of the Star-Plucking Tower.

In the crisp autumn wind of early morning, Zheng Sanfa and the Directorate Supervisor stood side by side.

One was completely bald, presenting a rather abrupt appearance; the other wore a simple hair bun, exuding an air of unworldly detachment.

Both gazed into the distance in unison.

It was as if the entire realm of dynasties lay beneath their feet.

Suddenly withdrawing his gaze, Zheng Sanfa asked with a gloomy expression, "Supervisor, did Lü Li truly die from a deviation in his cultivation?"

No one understood Lü Li better than Zheng Sanfa; Lü Li was extremely protective of his own life.

At the slightest hint of danger, he would never have allowed a cultivation deviation to befall him.

Pulling his attention away from Qin Yuan and Yang Youqi on the lower level, the Supervisor nodded and said, "I have inspected him repeatedly. There is no doubt it was a cultivation deviation."

The Supervisor would not dare claim to be the strongest person in this land, but when it came to esoteric arts, if he claimed to be second, no one dared claim to be first.

Zheng Sanfa’s expression shifted several times before finally settling into dejection.

He had employed this Lü Li for over twenty years, and the man had been exceptionally useful to him.

His sudden demise left Zheng Sanfa feeling as though his eyes had been blinded and his limbs bound.

After a moment, Zheng Sanfa spoke again, "I have another matter upon this visit. My subordinate, the Registrar Nong Difei, is suspected of being a secret informer for the Great Harmony Army. Help me examine whether there is truly any problem with him."

The Supervisor looked at Zheng Sanfa in surprise.

Was this not the man who would rather execute ninety-nine innocents than let a single guilty person escape?

"Registrar Nong handles his duties with exceptional capability. I cannot bear to kill him."

Zheng Sanfa sighed.

Though he had many subordinates, they were either entirely consumed by self-interest or utterly mediocre; not even a handful possessed the competence of Nong Difei.

"So that is how it is."

The Supervisor understood in a flash and casually remarked, "This is simple. Just send a Qi-watcher."

After the Supervisor left, Zheng Sanfa descended into the underground chamber.

To be precise, it was an underground world.

The flesh of exotic beasts, used for cultivating strength gu and practicing gu sorcery, was piled as high as mountains.

Hundreds and thousands of cultivators were used to practice the Qi-Consuming Scripture—yes, actual cultivators, for the Qi-Consuming Scripture devoured the spiritual energy cultivated by others.

Yet Zheng Sanfa’s gaze fell upon a Daoist artifact.

On the surface, it appeared to be merely a bone club, but it possessed the ability to devour other Daoist artifacts.

Over the past twenty years, it had consumed an untold number of them.

"The time when I truly reign supreme over the world is drawing near."

Zheng Sanfa was filled with ambition.

Soon, however, sorrow clouded his face.

He was fast approaching his next heavenly tribulation.

The stronger a cultivator was, the more terrifying their heavenly tribulation became.

This time, he had not the slightest confidence in safely surviving the tribulation.

"How wonderful it would be if I did not have to undergo the tribulation at all."

He finished speaking with a self-mocking smile.

Which cultivator ever escaped the tribulation?

It was as laughable as the notion that cultivators could achieve immortality.

...

Three days later.

The Star-Plucking Tower.

"I am going as well? I only became a Qi-watcher three days ago."

Dressed in a brand-new white robe, Qin Yuan feigned astonishment as he looked at Yang Youqi.

Just moments prior, Yang Youqi had informed him that the Supervisor had assigned the Qi-watching Bureau a mission to root out an internal traitor.

Yang Youqi hoped he would come along as well.

"Then you had better not go."

Yang Youqi replied with utter sincerity.

Qin Yuan: "..."

I was merely putting on an act; why did you take it seriously?

This dim-witted fellow.

"I shall go after all. Learning while doing might prove even faster."

"Very well."

Yang Youqi nodded once more.

Before long, outside the gates of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, Qin Yuan mounted his beloved fifth-generation little donkey (this time he refrained from making any grand declarations about ensuring the donkey did not starve, as his face was already swollen from slaps).

He glanced sideways.

Yang Youqi emerged riding a creature bearing a striking resemblance to an elephant.

"What is this?"

"A tundra mammoth."

The tundra mammoth raised its head and let out a roar, brimming with dominance.

Qin Yuan lowered his gaze to look at the shivering little donkey beneath him, which looked as though it were about to wet itself from terror. His affection vanished instantly.

Upon arrival at the Ministry of Punishments' heavenly prison... or rather, the Embroidered Uniform Guard prison right next door.

Qin Yuan and Yang Youqi leaped down from their mounts and produced their respective tally tokens and official documents.

They were smoothly...

Turned away.

It was not a matter of demanding bribes.

Purely because the internal warrant had not yet arrived.

If anyone was to blame, it was Qin Yuan and Yang Youqi for traveling far too quickly.

Fortunately, not long after, the internal warrant from the Embroidered Uniform Guard arrived.

Entering the prison of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Stench, gloom, and claustrophobia... were entirely absent.

Not only was it clean and brightly lit, but every corner also exuded an abundance of wealth.

In Cell Number Eight of the Jia Sector.

They met their target for this operation—Nong Difei.

Having lived in this world for so long, this was the first time Qin Yuan had encountered someone bearing the surname Nong.

Unlike what one might imagine, Nong Difei bore not a single superficial wound, and his demeanor was remarkably calm.

"People from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau?"

Lifting his head, Nong Difei remained utterly serene.

He seemed not the least bit afraid of the people from the Astronomical Bureau.

With a heavy clatter, the massive cell door was swung open by two brawny executioner-guards.

By the way, the doors to this prison opened upward.

Qin Yuan stepped inside and spoke, "I am Qin Cao, an official scribe of the Qi-watching Bureau under the Astronomical Bureau, and the man beside me is Yang Youqi, Director of the Qi-watching Bureau."

A director was the head of a department, while an official scribe was tasked with administrative duties.

This was similar to his previous archival position in the Left History Office.

"So it is Director Yang and Scribe Qin. Please take a seat."

Nong Difei remained completely composed.

After sitting down,

Yang Youqi said to Qin Yuan, "You do the questioning; I will observe."

Qin Yuan nodded and produced a voice-recording stone (a stone capable of recording sound).

With a gentle tap, the voices of two women emanated from it. During their conversation, one of the women admitted that a certain member of the Great Harmony Army was her lover.

Qin Yuan tapped it again, and the sound ceased.

Quite a handy device, indeed.

"Is the woman mentioned above your younger sister?"

"My younger sister has lost her mind; what she says cannot be taken seriously."

"Just answer whether it is true or not."

"It is."

Nong Difei added, "This was merely pieced together using several voice-recording stones by my rivals in officialdom."

Qin Yuan looked at Yang Youqi.

He wondered if his grand-nephew could see through this.

The golden light vanished from Yang Youqi’s pupils as he said, "He is not speaking falsely."

Had Nong Difei managed to deceive Yang Youqi? Or was he truly wrongfully accused?

Qin Yuan pondered for a moment and said, "Do you dare swear an oath to the Heavenly Dao that you have not betrayed the Grand Governor?"

Swearing oaths to the Heavenly Dao had become popular over the past twenty years.

Based on Qin Yuan’s observations over the past few days, however, it was utterly useless.

"I swear to the Heavenly Dao that I have not betrayed the Grand Governor."

Nong Difei spoke without the slightest hesitation.

The golden light vanished from Yang Youqi’s eyes as he nodded: "Still true."

Neither test revealed any flaws.

Could he truly have been wronged?

"He is speaking falsely."

An aged voice rang out.

Following that, two figures materialized within the cell.

One was the Directorate Supervisor (Qin Yuan had seen portraits of him).

The other was Zheng Sanfa.

"Greetings, Grand Governor; greetings, Supervisor."

Qin Yuan and Yang Youqi stood up and cupped their fists in salute.

Neither of the two men acknowledged them.

Zheng Sanfa asked with a puzzled frown, "How was he able to deceive your disciple? Could it be that your disciple's mastery of the craft is lacking?"

These words caused the honest and dull-witted Yang Youqi to flush beet red.

Had there been a crack in the ground, Yang Youqi would surely have burrowed into it.

The Supervisor spoke with a calm expression, "He excised his true heart and replaced it with a false one. It is only natural that my disciple failed to detect it."

The Supervisor was no stranger to ruthless individuals.

Yet this was the first time he had ever witnessed someone ruthless to the degree of Nong Difei.

Hearing this, Zheng Sanfa grew so furious that the few remaining hairs on his head stood on end. He interrogated Nong Difei, "I treated you like a son or nephew, helping you with your cultivation, yet you actually defected to the Great Harmony Army, even going so far as to carve out your own heart!"

Now that he had been exposed, Nong Difei no longer bothered to conceal anything.

He raised his chin and met Zheng Sanfa’s gaze directly. "I am not with the Great Harmony Army."

This statement left Zheng Sanfa utterly bewildered. "Not with them?"

Could he be affiliated with the Fivefold Immortality Immortals or the Gu Tribe?

A thought flashed through his mind.

"I was the one who sought out the Great Harmony Army of my own accord."

Nong Difei raised his chin even higher.

To him, this seemed to be a matter worthy of pride.

Zheng Sanfa’s psychological defenses completely crumbled.

His own most trusted confidant had actively aided the enemy.

Was his rule truly so deeply unpopular among the people?

"Go fuck your mother..."

Zheng Sanfa cursed furiously.

Cursing and beating people were things Zheng Sanfa did often (Lü Li could testify to this).

But to be enraged to this extent was a first in all these years.

After a long while, he finally stopped.

Taking a deep breath, he said, "I will give you one last chance. As long as you turn back now and betray the secret agents of the Great Harmony Army hidden in the capital, I will continue to employ you in high office."

"I do not know where those people are; how am I to betray them?"

Nong Difei’s rhetorical question

left Zheng Sanfa laughing out of sheer anger.

It was his first time witnessing someone tripping over themselves to assist the enemy to this extent.

"I belong to the People's Will Army—the People's Will Army, where all hearts beat as one."

Nong Difei spoke with a serene expression, pronouncing each word clearly.

Some are bought off by wealth.

Some "betray" out of ideals.

And others "betray" because their ideals have been shattered.

*Humanity*.