From Celestial Official to Great Celestial Venerable

Chapter 58 Dismissal
Qin Chuan shook his head slightly: "I had no choice but to do this. I had no intention of hurting my senior sister, but she was the one who plotted against me first. I had no choice but to resort to this tactic, to 'spar' with her and die together."

"You!" Su Liao was so angry that she spat out another mouthful of blood.

At this moment, the celestial official who had gone away returned: "How did the discussion go? Should we settle this privately and forgive each other, or should we go inside together and wait for a while?"

"I agree to settle this privately," Qin Chuan said with a smile.

Su Liao remained silent.

"And you?" the immortal official of Jing'an pressed.

Seeing that Su Liao remained silent, the celestial official of Jing'an said calmly, "In that case, let's go back together."

"Wait!" Su Liao finally spoke, her teeth grinding together. "I...I also agree to settle this privately."

“A very wise choice.” Jing’an Immortal Official nodded. “Since you have already embarked on the path of immortality, you should cherish your future. You are still young, and it is not worth ruining your future for such a trivial matter.”

He took out a document: "Then let's sign this 'letter of understanding'."

The two immediately signed a letter of understanding on the airship.

"Fortunately, no innocent people were harmed and no property was lost during your magical duel, otherwise this matter would not have ended so easily." The experienced Jing'an Immortal Official concluded with a warning, "This is not to be repeated. Alright, you may leave now."

The airship slowly descended, and the two regained their freedom.

"Qin Chuan! I will not do this today!" Su Liao was about to utter a harsh word when Qin Chuan calmly interrupted her:
“Senior sister, today was just a warning to others, and we stopped short of it. If there is a next time,” his eyes suddenly turned cold, “I will kill him directly. At worst, we will die together. Whether I have the guts or not, senior sister can try again.”

"You!" Su Liao saw the resolute killing intent in Qin Chuan's eyes and couldn't help but feel a sense of fear.

Today's encounter has proven that Qin Chuan is not only unyielding to both soft and hard tactics, but also unpredictable.
madman!

Qin Chuan ignored her and walked away.

As night fell, instead of going straight home, he turned into an unfamiliar alley and stopped to knock on a door.

When the door opened, the very same Jing'an Immortal Officer Captain who had appeared earlier was revealed.

"Third Uncle, thank you so much for today."

Qin Chuan bowed respectfully.

Qin Li welcomed his nephew inside and sighed softly:
"You were just promoted to a permanent position not long ago, and I hadn't even had a chance to congratulate you when I received your message this afternoon. I didn't dare delay and immediately took people to the scene. Fortunately, you're quick-witted and informed me beforehand. If it had been another colleague handling this, there would probably have been many more complications."

He carefully examined Qin Chuan's face and asked with concern, "How are your injuries? Should we find a physician to take a look?"

Qin Chuan waved his hand and laughed, "A few minor injuries, nothing to worry about. But I will remember your help today, Uncle."

Qin Li could see that Qin Chuan's injuries were not serious; he had only used them to intimidate Su Liao at the crime scene.

He shook his head and sighed: "You child, now that you have embarked on the path of cultivation, you should be more careful in your actions. In the future, you must not be so impulsive. If I hadn't been on duty today, I'm afraid things would have been difficult to handle."

"Nephew understands."

Qin Chuan solemnly agreed, then changed the subject, "But since I've embarked on this path, I've already made preparations. Today, this is just a woman trying to slander me with the most clumsy means. If I don't frighten her, she will definitely continue to dig traps for me in the dark. In the future, if I want to continue to move up, the framing and sabotage from my opponents, as well as the tests and dangers like today, will only increase, not decrease."

"The only way is to respond to each move as it comes; there is no retreating. If you retreat, you will have no way out."

Qin Li nodded, neither denying it nor saying anything more, but simply said helplessly:

"Some things are indeed most effective when they are simplest. There is no way to solve them. Your move today has broadened the horizons of many people. It is hoped that when today's events are spread, others who encounter the same situation in the future will have a glimmer of hope."

Qin Chuan didn't say much.

Could he say that he once lived in a faster version of a past life?

The uncle and nephew chatted for a while longer until the moon was high in the sky before Qin Chuan finally took his leave.

As the night fell, his figure gradually disappeared into the distance, leaving only a faint sigh deep in the alley.

Qin Li watched his nephew's retreating figure and thought to himself:

"He was promoted ahead of schedule after just over two months. Given Chuan'er's performance, if he can go to the outer heavens with the group, he will have hope for becoming a deputy director upon his return. His future is limitless. However, the scenery along the way is infinitely beautiful, but so are the dangers."

Even in the small Jing'an garrison of a county, he was overwhelmed by the daily scheming and crises from his accomplices and fellow prisoners. How much more so for the temples, pavilions, heavenly palaces, and shrines that Qin Chuan so desperately sought…

........................

When Qin Chuan returned to Nongling Temple, the first rays of dawn were just beginning to appear.

His colleagues at the temple looked at him with complex and indescribable expressions—the thrilling "sparring" in front of the Cloud Mist Pavilion yesterday had already spread throughout Jiuchuan. Everyone knew that if they had been in that dangerous situation, they would probably have been ruined long ago.

Huo Yuanjue's first words to his disciple were as cold and hard as iron:

"At tomorrow's class meeting, I will definitely propose that Su Liao be expelled from the special task force!"

"Teacher, this might not be easy." Qin Chuan was slightly taken aback. "Her master, Senior Feng He, is also a deputy group leader."

"Whether I succeed or fail, I will fight for this honor!"

Huo Yuanjue flicked his sleeve.

"The Agricultural Academy has gone too far! They have resorted to such despicable means. If we do not speak up for our disciples now, who will respect us in the future? People will also call me, Huo Yuanjue, a good-for-nothing who cannot even protect his own students."

Qin Chuan felt a warmth in his heart: "Disciple understands Master's good intentions."

"However, you handled the situation well yesterday."

Huo Yuanjue's tone softened slightly.

"Such underhanded tactics can only be avoided once, not twice. Only by confronting them head-on can we eliminate future troubles. When I was young, I personally witnessed a cultivator being drugged and given aphrodisiacs on a flying boat, which was then used to fabricate evidence against him. The path to immortality is treacherous; you should take this as a warning."

"Disciple, please remember this."

As expected, Huo Yuan launched an attack in front of everyone at the regular meeting the following day.

He spoke frankly about Su Liao's plot to frame him, his words sharp and cutting:

"How can such wicked individuals be worthy of remaining in the special task force? Please vote on their retention or dismissal!"

Feng He's face turned ashen on the spot, and he was about to defend his disciple.

Ji Yuqi lightly tapped the jade table and calmly spoke: "I have also learned the whole story, and it basically matches the facts alleged by Fellow Daoist Huo. In the past few days, several people have seen Su Liao actively approaching Qin Chuan and leaving letters on his behalf to arrange a meeting. However, such inside information is not suitable for our colleagues outside to know, nor is it convenient to publicize it, so as not to damage the reputation of our special task force. Let's handle it internally. In short, Su Liao has indeed affected the harmony within the task force. The special task force has heavy responsibilities and cannot afford internal strife. I agree to remove Su Liao from her post as commissioner."

The two longevity cult members stated that unless the county magistrate personally vetoed the decision, the matter was already settled.

what?
Su Liao's face was ashen, her lips trembled as she tried to speak, but Feng He stopped her with a look. The decision had been made, and all Taoists had to obey the internal decision of the Taoist sect, otherwise they would be disregarding the laws of heaven.

This result surprised even Huo Yuanjue.

He only intended to teach Su Liao a lesson, but Ji Yuqi unexpectedly offered her full support.

While feeling greatly gratified, he couldn't help but secretly admire the host's ability to distinguish right from wrong.

As for the reason why Ji Yuqi agreed.

Perhaps only Qin Chuan among those present knew the truth.

Naturally, it's because they are fellow Daoists in a true 'small circle'. Since they've coincidentally formed a team, why not help outsiders instead of their fellow Daoists in the association?

In this place of practice, it has always been so: those who attain the Way receive much help, while those who stray from the Way receive little help.

Su Liao had no idea what connections Qin Chuan had, both overt and covert. After his scheme was exposed on the spot, he would naturally face retribution afterward.

Watching Su Liao's dejected figure, Qin Chuan breathed a sigh of relief.

This unexpected complication has finally been completely resolved.

Before they knew it, it was the last day of Master Xuanji's January assessment.

Including Qin Chuan, there were a total of eight people who submitted their 'articles' and reported on the germination status of their Five-Colored Spirit Valleys, preparing to face the questions from True Person Xuanji and decide which precious spot would go to the outer heavens.

(End of this chapter)