146: Qian Santong's Path to Defying Fate

Qian Santong's bizarre actions paradoxically allowed Zhou Yan to apprehend him with little effort.

However, the opponent's abnormal behavior during their confrontation aroused Zhou Yan's suspicion. Given the unusual circumstances, he decided to investigate further.

Initially, Zhou Yan suspected Qian Santong was involved with forces secretly plotting against the national destiny.

But the investigation results were unexpected.

This person actually claimed to be a Disciple of the Qingxu Grotto-Heaven's Fifth Elder, meaning, by seniority, he was Zhou Yan's Senior Brother. This was truly a case of 'the flood dragon temple being washed away by the great waters' (a misunderstanding between allies).

But Zhou Yan quickly noticed a contradiction.

If Qian Santong truly were a Qingxu Grotto-Heaven Disciple, even with hidden circumstances, he shouldn't have completely refused to communicate, let alone flee upon sight and even directly engage in combat.

This defied common sense.

Zhou Yan immediately contacted his nominal master in the Qingxu Grotto-Heaven.

Soon, the Fourth Elder sent back information about the person.

It turned out that Qian Santong was not a Disciple of the Qingxu Grotto-Heaven at all.

Two hundred years ago, he did participate in the Sect selection, and with his three Spiritual Root Aptitude, he met the Outer Sect standard, but he was determined to enter the Inner Sect.

So he participated in the Sect trial but performed poorly in the first stage. According to regulations, he should have been demoted to a Utility Disciple to cultivate for a few years.

However, the unwilling Qian Santong bribed an Outer Sect deacon, allowing him to exceptionally participate in the second trial.

Which was the Secret Realm trial that Zhou Yan and others had experienced.

Unexpectedly, his performance in the Secret Realm was even worse, even drawing the dissatisfaction of an Outer Sect Elder.

Upon investigation, his bribery of the examiner was exposed. The Elder was furious and immediately expelled him from the Sect, blacklisting him for life.

After grasping these facts, Zhou Yan immediately interrogated Qian Santong and Judge Chen.

After watching the video recorded by Qiao Wenbin, Judge Chen's psychological defenses completely collapsed, and he confessed everything truthfully.

The inside information he knew was far less than Qiao Wenbin's, making his value limited.

But he provided important news: the last batch of Soul Crystals from Jiangzhou had arrived in the capital.

He speculated that after the Duke obtained this batch of Soul Crystals, he would, as usual, make a big move, both to ensure his smooth departure from the capital and to prevent Prime Minister Zhang's faction from taking advantage of the situation.

Upon learning this news, Zhou Yan sentenced Judge Chen to decapitation according to the law.

This time, Judge Chen said nothing more, only showing a look of melancholy.

Meanwhile, the interrogation progress handled by Wang Yao and the others was actually faster than Zhou Yan's side. Originally, Zhou Yan had planned to send them to apply some pressure first, then go over himself to make the final decision.

As a result, Qian Santong confessed even faster than Judge Chen.

After Zhou Yan obtained the interrogation records and combined them with the existing information, he couldn't help but feel a certain admiration for Qian Santong.

A complete story of how he climbed the ranks through deception gradually surfaced.

Qian Santong was born into a wealthy merchant Family in the Great Yu Dynasty in his early years.

But his father was not content with just being a rich man. Seeing that the Lianxing Pavilion possessed both wealth and power, he wanted to attach himself to it.

However, the people of the Lianxing Pavilion were not only excellent in business but also in their conduct.

Within a few years, the Qian Family was swindled to the brink of bankruptcy, going from having abundant wealth to having almost nothing.

Although the Qian Family later accumulated some wealth again, Qian Father grew angrier the more he thought about it.

He wanted to appeal, but the other party used legitimate business practices, so an appeal was useless. He wanted revenge, but he couldn't defeat them, nor did he have comparable financial resources.

In desperation, he could only give up.

But from then on, he realized that money was useless; apart from ensuring food and clothing, it couldn't compare to those truly great figures.

He would only ever be a rich man in this life, with no great prospects.

But he had a son, Qian Santong. He placed his hopes on his son, wishing Qian Santong could embark on an official career and have a more promising future than him.

Unfortunately, Qian Santong was neither good at academics nor martial arts, so this path was blocked.

He had originally given up.

But a turning point appeared during a casual drinking conversation between Qian Father and a county magistrate friend, where he learned that the imperial court had special preferential policies for Disciples of major Sects.

Many Disciples with no future within their Sects could participate in official selections through special channels.

Qian Father was overjoyed, as if he had found a treasure, and immediately sent his son to Qingxu Grotto-Heaven, the foremost Sect in the northern border, to become a Disciple.

Qian Santong was somewhat promising; with his three Spiritual Roots and other Aptitudes, he met the Outer Sect standard.

But Qian Father was not satisfied, because even if an Outer Sect Disciple entered officialdom, they could at most become a county magistrate, and because it wasn't through regular channels, promotion was very troublesome.

And for Qian Santong to enter the Inner Sect on his own, who knew how many years it would take? Qian Father believed he wouldn't live to see that day.

So, under his father's pressure, Qian Santong could only participate in the Sect trial, and the result was obvious.

He had no choice but to descend the mountain, but dared not return home, only staying in Longmen Town.

Finally, to escape the pressure, Qian Santong falsely claimed he had passed the trial and entered the Inner Sect, using the excuse that he needed to accumulate contributions and connections before he could descend the mountain to become an official, thus needing to remain in the Sect for a few more years.

Qian Father, obsessed with official positions, actually believed him and continuously supplied him with resources, allowing him to solidify his connections.

With these resources, Qian Santong, residing in Longmen Town, indeed made many connections.

He had money and resources, and he spoke pleasantly, so everyone treated him as a Genius Junior Brother who had just joined the Sect and was immediately dispatched.

He didn't actively clarify, and others didn't ask further, so it was tacitly accepted.

Those years he lived quite comfortably, and under the guidance of his Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters, he even quickly achieved Foundation Establishment Breakthrough.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly until Qian Father noticed something was amiss: Qian Santong constantly asked for money for various reasons but never returned home.

Ultimately, Qian Father cut off his resource supply, reasoning that Sect Disciples could obtain resources by accepting missions, so he should also start supporting himself.

At this, Qian Santong's true colors were revealed.

Without Family support, he couldn't actually accept Sect missions like other Sect Disciples, which meant his money was dwindling with each expenditure.

At his wit's end, he had a flash of inspiration and decided to use his mistaken identity to impersonate a Genius and swindle people.

He managed the situation well, and since he was just a small figure, he didn't attract much attention.

Thus, he operated in Longmen Town and its surrounding areas, profiting from his false identity, which ironically made his 'Inner Sect Disciple' status even more credible.

He was quick-witted and good at socializing, even becoming familiar with some Outer Sect Elders and deacons.

Because he had participated in the trial under someone else's name, few within the Sect knew his true background, except for the Elder who had dealt with him.

But he knew this couldn't last forever.

One who often walks by the river cannot keep his shoes dry.

It was only by luck that he had avoided exposure so far; once he encountered that knowledgeable Elder, he would be doomed.

Eventually, he decided to return home, but chose to do so gloriously as a 'Disciple of the Qingxu Grotto-Heaven's Fifth Elder'.

He publicly claimed to be an Inner Sect Disciple, occasionally hinting that he was a True Disciple of Qingxu. Most Sect Disciples who had descended the mountain to become officials had heard of the Fifth Elder's casual way of taking Disciples, and coupled with Qian Santong's acquaintance with many people from Qingxu Grotto-Heaven, they all believed him.

He publicly claimed to be an Inner Sect Disciple, occasionally hinting that he was a True Disciple of Qingxu. Most Sect Disciples who had descended the mountain to become officials had heard of the Fifth Elder's casual way of taking Disciples, and coupled with Qian Santong's acquaintance with many people from Qingxu Grotto-Heaven, they all believed him.

Thus, he entered officialdom through a special channel, starting from the seventh rank.

Being tacitly recognized as a core member of the Sect Faction, his official career was smooth, and he continuously rose through the ranks in just a few years.

He also cleverly constructed a cycle.

He used his false identity to gain official positions and wealth, and then used wealth and power to consolidate his official position and false identity.

There was even one time when he genuinely encountered the Fifth Elder, who was traveling.

Zhou Yan had heard about his master's notorious deeds.

A Void Refinement stage powerful cultivator who would steal candied hawthorns from children and then be chased and beaten by them when discovered. This indirectly shows that this person was truly something else.

But it also shows that his personality was indeed amiable, not caring about cultivation levels or the other party's identity.

Qian Santong seized the opportunity to chat, host a banquet, and even had tens of thousands of Spirit Stones stolen during the meal.

Qian Santong seized the opportunity to chat, host a banquet, and even had tens of thousands of Spirit Stones stolen during the meal.

But Qian Santong, who had long been prepared, took this opportunity to feign an expression of helplessness after the other party left.

It truly had the feel of the daily interactions between the Fifth Elder and his Disciple.

Finally, as officials who witnessed the event secretly spread the word, the last bit of doubt vanished, and his status as a core member of the Sect Faction was thoroughly solidified.

Thereafter, he rose rapidly through the ranks, quickly transferred to the capital, and even had interactions with Zhou Yan's nominal Senior Brother.

Relying on his exquisite deception and genuine ability, he ultimately became the West Jiangnan Circuit Transport Commissioner with a Nascent Soul Early Stage cultivation, a fourth-rank regional governor.

It wasn't until he met Zhou Yan and others that this years-long deception was completely exposed.

Actually, his identity was quite stable.

Although it couldn't withstand scrutiny, investigating him would come at a considerable cost.

Coupled with his years of networking and his own abilities, he narrowly escaped exposure every time he was close to being revealed.

And each time he escaped, his position became more secure.

But unfortunately, this time he not only encountered a true Qingxu True Disciple but also actively engaged in conflict, making his legendary capture inevitable.