Who taught him to practice swordsmanship like this?

Su Baichen put away the last 'Purple Sun Pill'. This pill must be quite precious, and he planned to keep it for a rainy day.

At least in some critical moments, it can be used to restore one's true energy, right?

However, even if it's just two Purple Sun Pills, once Su Baichen has fully digested them, his cultivation at the initial stage of Qi Refining will likely be unimpeded.

Another day passed, and suddenly a powerful source filled with malice appeared in Su Baichen's spiritual sense.

Demonic cultivator!

Su Baichen immediately knew that this was a demonic cultivator, and that the other party had even come to the outside of this government office!

Just from the aura of that demonic cultivator, one could sense that this person was incredibly powerful, at least beyond his level to handle... He must be a demonic cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage.

However, at this moment, the demonic cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage also did not enter the government office.

Su Baichen could even sense the other party's presence, while the demonic cultivator was completely unaware of Su Baichen's presence.

This is the suppression of the overwhelming force of humanity.

Su Baichen cleverly exploited this bug, allowing him to hide under the prevailing trend of humanity and successfully conceal himself.

He now knows that cultivators who are not afraid of such a powerful trend of humanity must be extremely rare.

According to his understanding, in order to remain unaffected, the cultivator's own "power" must at least be able to counteract it.

No matter how strong a cultivator is, he is still just a single individual. How can he compare to the great force formed by the collective?

In any case, it seems that the demonic cultivator outside hasn't reached that level yet.

However, this also made Su Baichen wary. Linxian City had become the focus of the struggle between the Dao and the Demonic Path within the Liang Kingdom. While he was safe hiding in the government office, once he went out and lost the protection of the human forces, he would likely encounter demonic cultivators very easily.

At this moment, what he hesitated about was whether to report the signs of demonic cultivators around the government office to True Person Xuanding.

He hesitated for a moment, then felt that it was better to report this matter and there was no need to hide it.

"Master Uncle..."

He activated the psychic copper finger, transmitting his sensory results.

The reply came immediately: "Very good, it seems you made the right decision to stay at the government office."

"Continue to observe, but be careful not to stray outside the government office area and let them notice."

"Something is likely to happen in the government office today."

Su Baichen replied, "This disciple understands."

He then left his secluded room and headed towards the kitchen.

He's been coming into the kitchen more often these past few days, and I've noticed a pattern.

If it's cooking at normal times, then everything will be fine, and even if he goes to the study, he probably won't gain anything.

If the prefect keeps keeping chicken soup or other highly nutritious soups or stews warm, it means that the prefect is troubled by something. Going over to check on him at this time will surely yield some results.

And now?

A banquet is being prepared here!

It seems the Prefect is truly preparing to entertain such an important person.

Thinking of the demonic cultivators waiting outside the government office, Su Baichen suddenly felt a sense of anticipation.

He wandered around the government office and found that the prefect was not there.

He wasn't in a hurry, so he simply waited at the entrance of the government office, figuring he would come back eventually anyway.

While waiting passively might cause you to miss some information, it's safer that way.

As for outside the government office...

The voice of Master Xuanding came from the copper finger of the spirit communication device: "I'm outside, and I've also discovered the demonic cultivator you mentioned."

"It's a good thing you stayed in the government office and didn't come out. That was the infamous demon 'Evil Ghost' from the Yuanmo Cave. Although his cultivation was weaker than mine, he was still a powerful expert at the early stage of the Nascent Soul realm."

"Your illusion magic is powerful, but you still risk being exposed in front of him."

Su Baichen replied, "Senior Uncle, I will be more cautious."

The good news is that it seems the other side hasn't discovered Xuan Ding Zhenren's presence, so his safety is at least guaranteed.

After waiting for a while at the entrance of the government office, and just when I was getting quite bored, someone rushed back from outside: "The master has returned with guests, so everyone be alert!"

The servants and maids stood quietly on both sides of the gate, waiting.

Su Baichen's eyes lit up when he saw this, and he waited patiently for a while... Then the gate was opened, and the prefect led a serious-looking young man in.

"Senior brother, this way please. I have prepared a welcome-home feast, and we will begin once you are seated."

The prefect of Linxian Prefecture, who was usually the only one with any authority, was now bowing and scraping, not much different from the servants in the prefecture.

Is this the magic of power...?

Su Baichen found it quite peculiar to see a middle-aged man bowing and scraping to a young man, calling himself "brother."

The young man was also the eldest son of the Zhou family, named Zhou Xu. Judging from his name, it was clear that he was the successor that Prime Minister Zhou Sheng was grooming.

However, this person has one flaw: he is clearly too arrogant.

The prefect shamelessly fawned over Zhou Sheng for his power, while Zhou Sheng accepted it with a perfectly reasonable attitude.

Su Baichen silently followed along, witnessing the nauseating performances the entire way.

As the two took their seats and ate their food slowly, they began to talk about some incoherent things.

These words are strange; they seem like nonsense, but upon closer inspection, they seem to have a deeper meaning.

In his previous life, Su Baichen was just an ordinary office worker. He had his share of office politics, but he had never experienced anything this complicated.

After thinking for a moment, he quickly relayed everything he had seen and heard to True Person Xuanding... He still chose the 'external brain' option.

Master Xuanding quickly responded: "This is the prefect expressing his innocence and, incidentally, his willingness to cooperate with Zhou Ji's work."

"Then Zhou Ji only gave the prefect a slight warning before accepting his service."

"There's not much to talk about at the dinner table, but Zhou Ji seems very confident... He's not here with good intentions."

At this point, Zhou Ji continued, "In any case, the preparations for welcoming His Majesty cannot be neglected. The things that need to be done before must continue to be done, and we must ensure that His Majesty is pleased upon his arrival."

"If you do this well, why worry about not getting a promotion in the future?"

The prefect quickly bowed his head and agreed, appearing very pleased.

Zhou Ji then said, "As for my good-for-nothing brother... he's dead, so be it. His affairs are none of your concern, Prefect. You should know what's important."

The prefect quickly declared, "Such an evil deed ultimately occurred within my jurisdiction; how can I remain inactive?"

Zhou Ji said, "This matter involves some secrets, and my father has sent a capable assistant to help with the investigation."

"There are some things that adults should avoid getting involved in."

The prefect's expression tightened, and he quickly bowed his head in agreement.

At this point, Su Baichen had probably obtained the information he wanted.

"It seems that the current prime minister, Zhou Sheng, has indeed colluded with the demonic path."

he analyzed.

Master Xuanding replied in a rather solemn tone, "No wonder we've encountered so many setbacks in the capital; it turns out these little devils are relying on the power of the Prime Minister's residence."

"Thank goodness for you, you're there to gather information for us."

"From now on, you should stay in this government office as much as possible and not leave..."

Su Baichen asked, "Aren't we going to the Zhou residence? Zhou Ji has already arrived; he should have more information there."

Master Xuanding said, "No need. Since the other party is colluding with the demonic path, they will inevitably have some reconnaissance methods, which would put you at risk of being exposed."

"Although I sent you to gather intelligence, your safety is my top priority."

Su Baichen felt comforted. It was better to be in a proper sect like this, where elders would take care of and look after the younger generation, instead of treating them as tools or waste materials.