Chapter 316: Network
"Please, I can join your network! I can serve you!" Liu Yao hurriedly said, desperately trying to appease Chu Qiguang.
Chu Qiguang raised an eyebrow upon hearing this.
"My network?"
"You think I don't know what's going on?" Liu Yao asked with a strained smile. "You're a fiend, yet you've managed to become a hundred-man commander of the Demon Vanquishing Department, and you possess the ability to turn others into fiends. I can't be the only one you've done this to. Right now, I can only imagine that the imperial court must be full of your pawns!"
Chu Qiguang stared at Liu Yao in surprise, unsure of how to respond.
Liu Yao took his silence as an indirect admission and continued, "You have the backing of a Dao Comprehension-state fiend, and you can turn humans into fiends. Even the Demon Vanquishing Department isn't safe from your infiltration. If I want to survive, I have no choice but to join you."
"You have quite a keen eye," Chu Qiguang remarked.
Clearly, Liu Yao had come up with a series of conspiracy theories in his head, and Chu Qiguang naturally wasn't going to correct him. Instead, he decided to play along and feed Li Yao's delusions.
"That's right. There are indeed many people in the imperial court who are a part of our network."
Liu Yao wasn't surprised in the slightest to have his suspicions confirmed.
"Is Bai Shihe also on your side?"
"Of course," Chu Qiguang replied, continuing to play along. "Why else do you think I helped him in his battle against Li Yaofeng?"
This revelation immediately made Liu Yao feel much better about the situation he had found himself in.
By joining Chu Qiguang's network, he would be on the same side as Omniscient and Bai Shihe, who were two Dao Comprehension-state cultivators! All of a sudden, his future looked much brighter than he had imagined.
"As a matter of fact, Hao Xiangtong is also part of my network," Chu Qiguang continued.
Liu Yao was stunned to hear this.
As if to prove his claim, Chu Qiguang briefly left the room and returned with Hao Xiangtong. He then gently struck her back several times in quick succession.
He had already performed the Heavenly Fiend Foundation Establishment Technique on her back when he sold her the Golden Wine in Azure Sun County. This time, he partially activated her fiendish bloodline, causing a slight change in her appearance.
Liu Yao could only look on in shock as Hao Xiangtong's pupils turned into vertical slits.
"What was that for?" Hao Xiangtong asked, turning to Chu Qiguang with a puzzled expression.
Chu Qiguang pressed a hand against her back to suppress her fiendish bloodline again and gave her a vague explanation, "Liu Yao didn't believe me, so I had to show him."
Hao Xiangtong couldn't help but blush at the warm sensation of Chu Qiguang's hand against her back.
Is he putting on a display of physical intimacy to make Liu Yao give up on me?
She turned to Liu Yao to gauge his reaction. Judging from his dumbstruck expression, she was convinced that Chu Qiguang had accomplished his objective.
It was only after Chu Qiguang sent Hao Xiangtong on her way that Liu Yao finally returned to his senses, and he muttered to himself, "I can't believe even Hao Xiangtong is part of your network..."
"Not just her, but the entire Hao Clan," Chu Qiguang said with a smile.
Liu Yao was stunned once again.
"The entire Hao Clan? Could the Wu Clan be involved as well?"
Chu Qiguang didn't answer the question directly. Instead, he continued, "Whether it's Bai Shihe or Hao Xiangtong, what you're seeing now is only the tip of the iceberg. Even I don't know exactly how many people in powerful positions throughout the empire are part of our network. All I know is that our organization is far more powerful than you can imagine."
Liu Yao couldn't help but shudder as he imagined the massive network hiding in the shadows and exerting its influence over every corner of the empire. At the same time, he suddenly felt very fortunate.
If this organization is truly as powerful as Chu Qiguang claims, then surely I'm now on the right side of history!
"These are all highly confidential secrets of our organization, and I'm only revealing them to you because you seem like a smart man," Chu Qiguang continued. "But if you dare reveal these secrets to anyone else..."
"I won't! You have my word!" Liu Yao hurriedly promised.
"Also, every member of our organization abides by a code of secrecy. Unless you're introduced by a higher-up, the other members will simply play dumb if you try to make contact with them," Chu Qiguang said. "From now on, just behave as usual and don't do anything that might expose you."
Liu Yao nodded in response. This made perfect sense to him.
"I'll have you work under me for now, so you can move into Earth Gate Fort," Chu Qiguang continued.
Liu Yao felt like a completely different man when he left the Daoist temple. On the way here, he had felt like a lost dog, and his future had seemed full of doom and gloom. By the time he stepped out of the Daoist temple, however, he was brimming with confidence. He felt as though countless powerful backers were watching over him from the shadows!
At that moment, Bai Shihe left the Daoist temple on horseback with several of his subordinates.
As he passed Liu Yao, their eyes met briefly, and Liu Yao gave him a mysterious, knowing smile. Bai Shihe completely ignored Liu Yao's peculiar smile and departed without so much as a backward glance.
Now that's a true professional! I still have much to learn.
Liu Yao hurriedly adopted a neutral expression after seeing Bai Shihe's aloof and professional display. He then returned home to pack his belongings before moving into Earth Gate Fort.
Meanwhile, Chu Qiguang shook his head in amusement as he made his way back to the scripture library.
His job would certainly be much easier if everyone gaslit themselves into submission like Liu Yao.
Although this was a rather unexpected turn of events, Liu Yao was certainly a welcome addition to his brigade of underlings. Not only was he a fifth-state martial artist, he also possessed immense wealth and influence in Spirit Province, both of which would be very useful.
That reminds me, the stock prices in Spirit Province are beginning to rise to unsustainable levels, so it's about time I went back to reap some profits. That way, I'll have enough funds to start making moves in Shu Province. Once I have money, everything will become much easier.
***
Inside the Palace of Eternal Life in the capital, Chief Eunuch Chen Zhong was presenting a book to the Yong'an Emperor.
"Your Majesty, we have received an offering in the form of a travel journal written by a northern wolf fiend during his exploration of the extreme north."
"Oh? This must be quite a remarkable journal if you're presenting it to me," the Yong'an Emperor said with an intrigued expression.
"Initially, I thought it was merely an ordinary travel journal. However, after reading through it, I discovered that its author had found a set of Imperial Heavenly Dao ruins in the extreme north. He also stumbled upon a dragon carcass within those ruins," Chen Zhong revealed.
The Yong'an Emperor's eyes immediately lit up at the mention of a dragon carcass, and he began reading the travel journal at once.
"Who presented this travel journal?" he asked.
"It was Hundred-Man Commander Yang Ling of the Demon Vanquishing Department," Chen Zhong replied.