Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 154 The Chief and the Editor-in-Chief

In reality, Sheng Yuanyao and Lu Xingzhou didn't do anything after entering the inn. It's impossible for Sheng Yuanyao to give herself away so easily like the Hehuan demoness.

Pei Chuyun was judging others entirely by her own standards.

The two simply went into the kitchen, took the prepared ingredients, and started a fire to cook their own meal.

How can a spring outing not include a picnic?
Although cooking indoors isn't wild, it's a rare experience for both of them.

Lu Xingzhou used magic to start a fire, then turned to look at Sheng Yuanyao washing vegetables with a smile, and felt a little soft-hearted.

Gua Mei has a pretty complete plan for today... She really wants to spend a day alone with her boyfriend in this place where fate brought them together.

Lu Xingzhou knew what Gua Mei was thinking, and could even guess that the three words "Qingyao Garden" had expanded their meaning beyond a life-saving connection in Gua Mei's heart.

His green, her jade.

In fact, only today, after all these years, did we go on a spring outing, pick grass to tie ropes, and cook over a fire. These were all things that Huo Qing did as a child, things that he had never done since becoming Lu Xingzhou.

Sheng Yuanyao felt as if she had been pierced by a sword from the heavens, and so did Lu Xingzhou.
"Let me do it." Seeing Sheng Yuanyao about to put the washed vegetables into the pot, Lu Xingzhou got up and nudged her away, saying, "If you do it, I'm afraid I'll be poisoned."

"Oh ho, I can't cook, but Judge Lu can?" Sheng Yuanyao didn't try to take the spatula back after it was taken from her, and she was a little expectant.

Lu Xingzhou smiled. He had never cooked in this life, but he had in his previous life.

It's just that my skills are a bit rusty and I'm not familiar with the utensils... It doesn't matter, nobody expects to eat anything fancy anyway, it's just about having a good time.

Seeing that he was actually cooking quite well, Sheng Yuanyao smiled and went to the stove to watch the fire.

The firelight flickered, and Sheng Yuanyao, resting her chin on her hand, watched him humming a little tune as he cooked, her mind gradually drifting away to the distant horizon.

Actually... it seems pretty good to always be good friends and buddies...

"What are you daydreaming about?" Lu Xingzhou brought the dishes to the table and said with a smile, "Try them first, I'll make one dish and you can try it."

Sheng Yuanyao ran over in a flash, like a playful puppy.

Two children, one big and one small, peered out of the window, their eyes blinking nervously.

"Your master cooks for others, and you didn't even think of taking a bite?" Pei Chuyun asked quietly.

“Because it must taste terrible.” Ah Nuo, who has always been a glutton, was unmoved this time: “Who in the world knows Master better than me? I’ve never seen him cook. I think Sister Yao will get diarrhea.”

Pei Chuyun suppressed her desire and whispered, "I thought your master was so lecherous he'd take advantage of me, but he didn't really. Does holding hands count? That cheap woman even offered him her lips, and he didn't take the opportunity to go any further. Why do I feel like these two are getting more and more like brothers? Could it be that they're really just friends?"

Ah Nuo looked down on him: "You haven't read enough storybooks, have you?"

"how?"

"The most dangerous species in storybooks are male best friends and female brothers. Their destructive power against the original spouse is comparable to that of a top-grade demonic cultivator. I suggest that they be included in the compulsory teaching materials of the Charming Maidens' Union Sect in the future. Stop with the old tricks of swindling food and drink."

"What have you actually learned from your master all these years?!"

Ah Nuo didn't answer, but took out two sweet potatoes and gave one to Pei Chuyun: "Just make do with this to fill your stomach..."

Pei Chuyun remained expressionless.

I thought these two would end up in bed together today, which is why I came to catch them cheating and watch the drama unfold. But this is what I got? So I spent the whole day feeding mosquitoes. What was the point? Did I come for a sweet potato?

Fortunately, they won't have to watch for long.

…………

"Chief Sheng! Congratulations!" The eunuch solemnly placed the imperial edict into Sheng Qingfeng's hand and said with a smile, "I hope Chief Sheng will take good care of me in the future."

While Sheng Yuanyao was becoming sworn brothers with men, cooking and being affectionate with them, her status as a son of a high-ranking official was also rising.

Sheng Qingfeng was officially promoted to the position of Chief of the Demon Suppression Division. Given the importance of the Demon Suppression Division in the Great Qian Dynasty, this position not only meant he was a first-rank official but also a powerful official wielding significant combat strength.

"Not at all, I hope Eunuch Hai will lend a hand." Sheng Qingfeng showed no smugness, and still smoothly slipped a fine jade into the eunuch's hand.

“No problem.” Eunuch Hai was very satisfied with Sheng Qingfeng’s understanding and said with a smile, “His Majesty said that Chief Sheng wants to change the Great Qian Heroes Ranking to be issued once every three months, which is a reasonable reform. He also wants to see the first new ranking after the Chief takes office as soon as possible.”

Sheng Qingfeng secretly felt that His Majesty was now paying unexpected attention to Lu Xingzhou, including Lu Nuonuo.

However, it's easy to decide who gets a spot on the secondary alchemist ranking. We can simply replace Xuan Qing, who's third among the new talents. This was clearly determined through a competition, and everyone has to accept it. As for whether the first and second place can be ranked, they're both in the Alchemy Academy anyway, and there's always a chance to compete. We can rank them next time.

The rookie roster is a real headache.

The master and apprentice killed Ye Wufeng together, so it was impossible for them to directly replace Ye Wufeng as the first. The only option was for Qi Tuizhi, the original second-place winner and the direct descendant genius of Lingtian Pavilion, to take first place. However, figuring out how to rank the Lu family master and apprentice was a real headache.

Currently, Lu Xingzhou's revealed cultivation level is the lower fifth rank, which is only at the lower-middle level in terms of the new talent ranking. He sits at the same table as his daughter, Sheng Xiaogua.

Of course, rigorous training isn't the only criterion; everyone values ​​real-world experience more. However, Lu Xingzhou has never had a one-on-one match against other rookies, or even many public matches, making him impossible to evaluate. No matter where he's placed in the front row, the other rookies who are pushed out will be resentful, and they'll end up offending people on his behalf, thus harming Lu Xingzhou.

That kind of arbitrary ranking system is just a chaotic mess. The Demon Suppression Division's original intention in creating the Rising Stars List was to encourage talent, and they should be careful in their actions. But if they really put Lu Xingzhou in the lower ranks, the Demon Suppression Division would be laughed at for being blind to talent.

The more tragic part is that Lu Nuonuo's cultivation has clearly reached the lower fourth rank, surpassing her master by an entire major level. With her ranking higher than her master on the disciple list, how could Lu Xingzhou possibly save face?

Sheng Qingfeng convened the publication department for most of the day to discuss the matter, but they couldn't come up with any good ideas.

Finally, the subordinate suggested, "Why don't you just ask Lu Xingzhou directly? If he's not afraid of offending people, then move him up to the top, put him in the spot that Chu Qingchen left vacant. As for whether Lu Nuonuo should be on the list, we'll probably have to ask the master and disciple themselves. After all, it's a bit too eye-catching for such a child to be on two lists, and ranked so high in both. It's also easy for people to guess that he's a ghost child, which isn't a good thing... Lu Xingzhou might want to keep it hidden."

Sheng Qingfeng glanced at his subordinate: "When the Demon Suppression Division ranks the cases, how can they ask the individuals involved? Whether or not to conceal something is not something they can decide for themselves."

Although it was an objection, the tone was quite kind... The subordinates looked at each other, and someone said, "Then we can ask Manager Sheng. Manager Sheng has a very close relationship with the person in question, so he should know the person's thoughts better than we do, and can represent the person to a certain extent."

Sheng Qingfeng remained expressionless: "How can Steward Sheng represent the parties involved? How can he represent them? Does that mean I can represent them too?"

Everyone was silent.

Sheng Qingfeng said with a straight face, "But it's fine to ask first. Have someone invite Manager Sheng to come over for a meeting."

Someone cautiously remarked, "Master Sheng has taken leave today."

Sheng Qingfeng felt a little embarrassed. As a father, his daughter's whereabouts were reported by someone else: "How come I didn't know she had any important business? What was her reason for taking leave?"

The subordinate's voice was barely audible: "Going to the park with...with the person involved."

Sheng Qingfeng: ""

It's not that I'm angry about taking leave for such a trivial matter, it's that I'm angry that you actually dared to use this as an excuse for official business! Do you think you're so upright and honest?!

Sheng Qingfeng felt the burning sensation of his subordinates' gazes on his face. The implication that "your daughter has been taken advantage of by that blond guy" made the newly appointed Chief Sheng's face turn a purplish-red.

The first arrest warrant issued by the newly appointed head of the Demon Suppression Division: "Who approved this fake document! Guards! Bring Sheng Yuanyao back to me!"

Sheng Yuanyao was dragged back from the dinner table.

When the officers of the Demon Suppression Division coughed as they entered, Sheng Yuanyao, her cheeks bulging from eating, stared blankly at them, a bowl of rice in her hands.

Fortunately, everyone was trained not to laugh, otherwise they probably would have burst out laughing on the spot: "Um, Steward Sheng, your leave of absence has been rejected by the Chief, and you are to return to your post."

Sheng Yuanyao swallowed the food in her mouth with difficulty and muttered under her breath, "It's been so long since the chief has taken care of anything. Why is he bothering with my little matter? I hope his daughter gets kidnapped while eating and his outing with a man ends halfway through!"

Everyone nodded sincerely: "You're right."

Although Sheng Yuanyao was unhappy, she didn't feel much regret. She had actually done her job for the day, and if she didn't leave after lunch, she might face the awkward situation of whether or not to take a nap together. She hadn't decided yet... Being pulled away by "official business" actually gave her a good reason to end it, and she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

So she stood up and patted Lu Xingzhou on the shoulder: "I had a lot of fun today, I'll reward you next time... uh..."

As she casually mentioned "rewarding you," Sheng Yuanyao's face flushed again, recalling the kiss she had shared earlier. Her gaze darted around as she said, "We'll talk about it next time."

Lu Xingzhou smiled slightly: "Today was a bit rough too... If there is a next time, I will give Miss Sheng a more refined experience."

Everyone assumed that talking about cooking made Miss Sheng's face turn bright red, but who knows why?

The way you ran off in such a hurry, even your ponytail... wait, what did you use to tie your ponytail?
Sheng Qingfeng circled around his daughter in the conference room, his gaze finally settling on the straw circle with her ponytail, staring at it for at least half an incense stick's time.

The entire conference room was completely silent, and everyone kept their eyes fixed straight ahead.

"Are you the head?" Sheng Yuanyao asked.

Sheng Qingfeng did not answer, but said calmly, "Effective immediately, Sheng Yuanyao, the head of the Publicity Section, will be transferred to the position of editor-in-chief of the Publications Section, responsible for compiling the Great Qian Heroes Ranking."

"No, Lao Sheng, don't you know how little education I have? You want me to do clerical work?"

"The intelligence department will provide full assistance and provide references on the deeds of the individuals on the list."

Sheng Yuanyao: "I'll do it."

Sheng Qingfeng, with an air of knowing this was coming, asked, "So, Editor-in-Chief Sheng, how do you think Lu Xingzhou and his apprentice should be ranked in the newest talent list?"

Sheng Yuanyao said directly, "Just take Chu Qingchen's place. What's the point of ranking them?"

"He's only a fifth-rank official, isn't he afraid that such a high position will attract too much attention and resentment? If there's a public outcry, will he be able to handle it?"

"The rookie list is not a place for him at all. I'd be surprised if he even glanced at these so-called rookies."

Seeing his daughter's smug and self-satisfied expression, Sheng Qingfeng gritted his teeth: "You and him are very close, aren't you?"

Sheng Yuanyao sensed a danger and cautiously took a half-step back.

Sheng Qingfeng turned and left: "After your shift ends, go home to the ancestral hall and copy the family rules one hundred times. You're not allowed to eat if you miss a single word!"

(End of this chapter)