Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 345 Personnel Changes
In the spacious and bright hall of Bianxi City, Luojia Mountain, Zhong Wenyuan entered from outside and bowed: "Sect Leader".

Looking at his white-haired and somewhat hunched body, Song Xian felt a mix of emotions.

Judging from his appearance, he probably doesn't have much time left. Especially in recent years, he has aged noticeably, with wrinkles all over his face.

Although Zhong Wenyuan also had his own problems, he was mature and prudent, cautious, and most importantly, he was extremely loyal to the sect, devoting himself to it wholeheartedly.

In many things, Song Xian actually relied on him quite a bit.

There is no one in the sect more suitable to be the chief cabinet member than him. Who should succeed him is a real question.

Although George Lam is qualified and prestigious enough, he is too self-serving.

Su Zhirou is completely unsuitable for handling these matters; even if she were to assume the position, it would be merely a figurehead.

Besides, her qualifications are not as good as George Lam's.

Zhang Ningyuan and Lu Yuan are suitable, but their cultivation levels are too low, so they wouldn't be considered for seniority.

There is no reason for them to take this position, bypassing George Lam.

Let alone others.

"What brings you here, Master?"

"I heard that Senior Brother Wen Yuan hasn't been feeling well lately. Is it alright?"

Zhong Wenyuan coughed twice: "It's the same old problem that came from the failed Foundation Establishment last time, which damaged the Linghai acupoint. It's just gotten worse in recent years, but it's not a big deal."

"I have a second-tier pill here that can treat internal injuries. Take it; it should be good for your health." Song Xian flipped his hand and took out a box, handing it to him.

"Thank you, Master." Zhong Wenyuan didn't stand on ceremony and took the box.

"Senior Brother Wenyuan, there's something I've been thinking about for a long time, and I'd like to hear your opinion."

"Master, please give your instructions."

"Given your current condition, I truly cannot bear to see you continue to toil. However, within the sect, besides you, I cannot find a suitable candidate to fill the position of Chief Cabinet Secretary. Therefore, you will still have to work hard for now. But, in the future, after you pass away, who will succeed you in this position? Senior Brother Wen Yuan, have you considered this matter?"

Zhong Wenyuan lowered his head and coughed twice: "The sect leader is the pillar of the sect. The chief of the inner cabinet is just an assistant. As long as the sect leader is there, the sect will not have any problems, so it doesn't matter who holds the position."

“Senior Brother Wenyuan, there’s no need to belittle yourself. Without your decades of tireless hard work, the sect wouldn’t be where it is today. The position of Chief Cabinet Secretary is of paramount importance to the sect. If it is entrusted to the wrong person, it will be extremely harmful to the sect. I would like to hear your opinion on who can succeed you after you pass away.”

Zhong Wenyuan raised his head, his expression very solemn: "Since the sect leader has asked, I will speak frankly. The position of chief of the inner cabinet will naturally belong to Junior Brother Lin in the future. Junior Brother Lin was originally the second seat of the inner cabinet, and he has suddenly reached the Foundation Establishment Realm. No one in the sect can match him in terms of cultivation, seniority, and prestige. Logically speaking, I should now give up my position as chief of the inner cabinet."

Song Xian nodded calmly: "Senior Brother Zixiang is indeed the best choice in terms of seniority and prestige, however..."

"Does the sect leader have any other concerns?" Zhong Wenyuan asked, seeing his expression, knowing that he had something he couldn't say openly.

"Since there are no outsiders here, I'll be frank. Senior Brother Zixiang has always focused on cultivation and doesn't concern himself with worldly affairs. He's also not very knowledgeable about sect matters. Furthermore, the people around him are not virtuous, which is what worries me. For example, Tian Qi, Cao Qiyuan, Yan Kuan, and others. If Senior Brother Zixiang promotes such people, how can the sect possibly prosper?"

Having said that, Chung Man-yuen naturally understood that Soong Hsien did not want George Lam to succeed him as the Chief Cabinet Secretary.

This worried him. On the one hand, he and George Lam were as close as brothers, and he naturally wanted George Lam to take over the position.

On the other hand, he knew that an inexplicable yet real rift had developed between George Lam and Soong Yin over the years.

He had been trying to mediate between the two. Now that they were both Foundation Establishment cultivators, if Song Xian insisted on not letting Lin Zixiang take over the position, Lin Zixiang would be even more dissatisfied. Without him as a mediator between them, the conflict would inevitably deepen in the future, which was the last thing he wanted to see.

"Besides Junior Brother Lin, who else does the Sect Leader think is suitable?"

"To be honest, I really didn't know, which is why I came to discuss this with you. In my opinion, the position of Chief of the Inner Cabinet should be filled by someone who is well-versed in sect affairs and has the ability to judge character, rather than necessarily someone with high cultivation or seniority. Wouldn't it be better if, like the Beast Taming Sect, Golden Core cultivators served as sect protectors or elders, while Foundation Establishment cultivators served as Inner Cabinet disciples?"

Zhong Wenyuan opened his mouth, but then stopped himself from speaking.

"Today we are going to be open and honest, so please feel free to speak your mind, Brother Wenyuan."

"Please forgive my bluntness." Zhong Wenyuan seemed to have made up his mind, changing his low tone: "With Junior Brother Lin's merits and qualifications, if we do not appoint him and instead appoint someone else as the chief of this cabinet, it will not only disappoint many sect disciples, but it will also make Junior Brother Lin feel disheartened."

"The sect only has the sect leader and Junior Brother Lin, oh! and Junior Sister Su, a total of three Foundation Establishment cultivators. If you are at odds with each other, the harm to the sect will be far greater than that of an incompetent chief of the cabinet."

"Doesn't the sect leader always say that unity is more important than anything else? Didn't the Qingyun Sect fall into decline because of internal divisions? We must learn from this mistake and not repeat it."

"Even if Junior Brother Lin has made a mistake in judging people, it's not a big problem. We just need to keep a close eye on him. If the Sect Leader is really worried, he can hold the position in name only."

Song Xian remained silent, and the hall fell into silence. After a while, he slowly said, "This matter is not urgent. Let me think about it some more."

After saying that, he suddenly changed the subject: "By the way, didn't I ask you to find a partner for Senior Brother Zixiang before?"

“I introduced a few to Junior Brother Lin, but none of them suited his taste.”

"We need to get this done quickly! Here's what we'll do: put aside all other sect matters for now and focus on two things. First, find a cultivation partner that Senior Brother Zixiang is satisfied with. Second, have Senior Brother Zixiang take on a disciple in the sect to inherit his mantle."

"Okay, I see."

.........

Time flies, and several years have passed in the blink of an eye. In the cultivation room, Song Xian sat upright with his eyes closed, absorbing and refining spiritual energy.

A knocking sound came from outside. He opened his eyes, exhaled a breath of stale air, and with a wave of his hand, the stone door opened by itself without any wind.

A disciple outside bowed and said, "Reporting to the Sect Leader, Hong Tao, a disciple of the Beast Taming Sect, has arrived. He says he has important business to discuss with Jiang Feng."

Song Xian nodded, then left the cultivation room and went to the main hall.

Inside, a pale-faced man dressed in the robes of the Beast Taming Sect was already seated. Upon seeing him arrive, he stood up and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Senior Song."

Song Xian went straight to the head seat and sat down: "What business does Chief Jiang have with you?"

"Uncle Jiang has important business to discuss with you, senior." The man took out a jade slip and handed it to him.

Song Xian took the jade slip, probed it with his divine sense, and nodded calmly: "Alright, I understand. Someone, take Fellow Daoist Hong to rest." "Yes, Fellow Daoist Hong, please." The disciple beside him immediately led him out.

After he left, Song Xian frowned slightly. Jiang Feng had not said what the matter was in the jade slip, but only asked him to go to Qiyuan Mountain today.

In recent years, Xijiang County has been quite peaceful. Although the Beast Taming Sect and the Yunxuan Sect have not stopped fighting, both sides have maintained a stalemate with a tacit understanding. What important thing could happen at this time?

Although he couldn't guess what Jiang Feng wanted to do, he still had to go since he had invited him.

……

As night fell, he arrived at Qiyuan Mountain and was led to a hall. Shortly afterward, Jiang Feng entered from outside.

"Greetings, Steward Jiang." Song Xian rose and bowed.

"Sit down!" Jiang Feng seemed to be in a good mood, with a rare peaceful expression on his face.

"What are your orders for summoning me here?"

"It's nothing serious. I just received news from the sect yesterday that I'll be returning to my post. That's why I called you here; there are some things I need to discuss with you." Jiang Feng went straight to the main seat and sat down.

"Return to the mountain gate?" Song Xian was slightly surprised. He hadn't received any news about this beforehand, so how could it happen so suddenly?

But that's not the main issue. The key question is, who will take over the position now that Jiang Feng is gone?

The Hunyuan Sect was established by Jiang Feng. With each new emperor comes a new set of officials. What if the one who comes is Jiang Feng's enemy? Will he deal with the Hunyuan Sect in the same way he dealt with the Tianshan Sect when he took office?

Although the Hunyuan Sect is much stronger than the Tianshan Sect was back then, it is still under the jurisdiction of the Beast Taming Sect's resident official in the western border city.

If we lose their support, things will certainly not be easy in the future.

"Master Jiang, why do you suddenly want to return to your post at the mountain gate? What happened?"

"Actually, it's not that sudden, it's just that you don't know. According to the rules of our sect, the term of office for inner cabinet disciples is only one hundred years. After one hundred years, they must step down from this position. It just so happens that one of our senior brothers has reached the end of his term, and I am taking over his position and being promoted to a member of the sect's inner cabinet."

So that's why he seemed to be in such a good mood, even though that wasn't what Song Xian was concerned about.

"After Chief Jiang was promoted to the cabinet, I wonder who will take over the position of Chief of Bianxi City?"

"As decided by the sect, the next person to take over the position of Bianxi City's chief administrator is Junior Brother Pang Tong."

"Fellow Daoist Pang Tong? May I ask about this man's background? Could you please tell me, Steward Jiang?"

"Junior Brother Pang originally served in the sect's administrative affairs hall. Later, he joined the sect's allied forces. Over the years, he has made great contributions in the allied forces by killing enemy generals, attacking cities and plundering strongholds. Therefore, he was promoted to the position of chief of Bianxi City."

"May I ask what your relationship is with this soon-to-be-appointed Fellow Daoist Pang?"

“Junior Brother Pang and I have a decent relationship.” Jiang Feng glanced at him, understanding his concerns: “You don’t need to worry. The sect is in a situation where it needs people right now. Whoever takes on the role of the head of Bianxi City won’t make things too difficult for you. Besides, you are no longer what you used to be. The sect has three Foundation Establishment cultivators. As long as you sincerely serve the sect, no one will dare to touch you easily.”

“Our clan has been deeply indebted to your clan and has always followed your lead. I assure you that this will never change.”

"You don't need to worry about Junior Brother Pang. I will introduce you to him when he arrives. However, I have called you here today to discuss some other matters."

"Please give your orders, Master Jiang. Our clan's success today is all thanks to your promotion and appreciation. Whether you are in this position or not, as long as you give the order, our clan will do anything for you, even at the cost of our lives."

"It's not that serious. After Junior Brother Pang takes office, the portion of taxes you are supposed to hand over to the sect will still be handed over to Junior Brother Pang for him to manage. But the extra 10% in the inspection area, as well as the portion from Stone Ridge Casino and Stone Ridge Market, were never intended to be handed over to the sect. Do you understand what I mean?"

Upon hearing this, Song Xian's heart immediately felt heavy. His mind raced. Jiang Feng's meaning was all too clear: even if he stepped down from his position as the head of Bianxi City, the profits from the Stone Ridge Casino and the market, including the extra 10% of spirit stone revenue from the inspection area, would still be given to him personally.

Since the Hunyuan Sect occupied Tianshan, it has handed over 50% of the revenue from each resource-rich area to Jiang Feng every year. Similarly, it has set up inspection areas to collect spirit stones from traveling cultivators and handed over 50% of those as well.

After Hu Xiaobao was arrested by the Kong family, he asked Jiang Feng to release Hu Xiaobao on the condition that the inspection area's revenue be increased by 10%.

Of the spirit stones collected in the inspection area, Jiang Feng took 60%.

The Stone Ridge Casino and Market were originally assets of the Hunyuan Sect. However, because the Beast Taming Sect did not agree to build a market in Tianshan, in order to avoid trouble, he took 30% of the revenue from the casino and 40% from the market and handed it over to Jiang Feng.

Originally, the Beast Taming Sect was supposed to take 30% of the profits from the establishment of the market in Bianxi City. However, the Beast Taming Sect did not allow the Tianshan Market to be established at first. Song Xian took advantage of the fact that the Beast Taming Sect was at war with the Yunxuan Sect and had no time to deal with it. Therefore, he forcibly bypassed the Beast Taming Sect and built the market privately without its permission.

Therefore, the Beast Taming Sect did not profit from this; all the share they gave went into Jiang Feng's personal pocket.

The gambling city, gambling dens, and inspection areas are the main sources of income for the sect, but Song Xian is not reluctant to part with these spirit stones; rather, he is worried about the trouble they might cause.

Back then, Jiang Feng decided to eliminate the Tianshan Sect because they deceived him and created a false set of accounts.

The reason why the Tianshan Sect did this was because it was instructed by Yang Jinzhang, the previous head of Bianxi City.

This is almost exactly the same situation as the current predicament of the Hunyuan Sect. The Stone Ridge Market was not established with the consent and authorization of the Beast Taming Sect. It was because he had connections with Jiang Feng that the Beast Taming Sect turned a blind eye and did not pursue the matter.

Now that Jiang Feng has been transferred and Pang Tong is about to take office, he will definitely be unhappy if we don't give him a share of the gambling city and market.

If this is reported to the Beast Taming Sect, Stone Ridge Market may be destroyed.

But Jiang Feng also demanded to take 30% of the gambling city's revenue and 40% of the market's revenue with him. In that case, how could he possibly give Pang Tong a share?

The room fell silent. Jiang Feng looked at him coldly but didn't urge him.

"I understand." After some thought, Song Xian nodded. No matter what, Jiang Feng could not be offended. He had already reached the tenth level of Foundation Establishment and had been promoted to a member of the Beast Taming Sect's inner cabinet. He had the opportunity to become a Golden Core cultivator in the future.

"You're a smart person, there are some things I don't need to tell you, you should know them. But I still want to remind you, don't be like the Confucius family, fickle and opportunistic, it won't end well. Don't worry about the rest, I've been promoted to a cabinet member, no matter what, Junior Brother Pang will always give me some face."

"Yes."

"Alright, go ahead! I'll invite you over and introduce you to him after Junior Brother Pang takes office."

"I'll take my leave."

(End of this chapter)