320: New employees plus two

"Is this the so-called Kingdom of God?"

Qian Santong looked at the Kaifeng before him, where technology and ancient style intertwined. Feeling a surge of vigorous vitality, a sense of dislocation washed over him, as if a lifetime had passed.

He instinctively reached out and clenched his fist; a distinct sense of reality came to him.

"A body composed of special energy... truly inconceivable."

Originally, he had been rotting in prison. Although he was a high-ranking official and wouldn't be tortured even after falling from grace, that cage devoid of Spiritual Qi was the greatest torment for a Cultivator.

He was still young and had thought that after his release, he could at least find some corner to nurse his sorrows in private.

But just as he had completely given up struggling, the person who had personally sent him there actually came to visit him.

He would never forget that scene.

When the other party sent him in, he was clearly only at the Foundation Establishment stage, yet now he had already achieved Nascent Soul Formation.

His first reaction wasn't surprise at the other's situation, but suspicion that he had been deceived. Had he been locked in a Small World where time flowed slower? Was someone calculating to isolate him from the world after his release, eventually forcing him to leave Great Yu?

What worried him even more was whether his Family would be liquidated after his fall from power.

However, what he found most unacceptable was that it wasn't someone else's scheme, but that someone could truly achieve Nascent Soul Formation within a year.

Qian Santong had always been a strategist with decent talent and a wealth of resources. He had even resorted to shortcuts and overdrawing his potential just to barely maintain the dignity of a "Prodigy."

Yet the other party seemed to have achieved it easily with just casual effort.

This completely crushed what little spirit he had left.

But things changed again. Zhou Yan had not only reached the Nascent Soul Stage but had also become the Imperial Preceptor of Great Yu, holding a transcendent status.

He promised Qian Santong a way out. During his sentence, he could "work from prison," using a body condensed from faith to participate in the construction of the main Kaifeng.

Qian Santong, of course, wouldn't agree easily.

Though he had nothing left, his pride remained.

Therefore... he had to be paid more!

"You must be Your Excellency Qian Santong?"

The voice came from an old man who looked like a withered locust tree.

"Old gentleman, you must be Chen Huai, the one responsible for receiving me?"

The old man gave a faint smile.

That's right, the new hires this time were all acquaintances.

After a person dies, if their Soul is not guided or dispersed, it rarely enters the underworld directly.

Back then, Chen Huai suffered a backlash and his Nascent Soul shattered, but his Soul did not completely dissipate. His residual Soul attached itself to his corpse and was taken away by Mo Ran.

Later, Zhou Yan made off with Chen Huai's corpse, and his Soul followed along into this world.

The anti-addiction mechanism was ineffective against the dead, which was somewhat ironic. Chen Huai had been recovering well here, but he simply hadn't woken up.

It wasn't until Mo Ran noticed something unusual during a memorial service and informed Zhou Yan that Zhou Yan discovered this "wild SSR." He used his authority to wake him up, and after a series of procedures, dragged him in to be an NPC.

At the same time, he made the words he used to fool Mo Ran come true, which was an unexpected joy.

With the addition of Qian Santong, Zhou Yan's team could be considered preliminarily formed.

After the two confirmed each other's identities, Qian Santong followed behind Chen Huai. He observed the unprecedented scenery while casually asking questions.

"Old man, why do you follow the Taiyi God?"

Qian Santong had excellent judgment. Although he couldn't see through the other's cultivation due to his current state, he could still distinguish the aura belonging to the Nascent Soul Stage.

He still had reservations about Zhou Yan's claim of being the "Reincarnation of the Heavenly Venerable"; it was simply too Xuanhuan.

He came here more for practical benefits.

In his eyes, Zhou Yan was just a mysterious boss who was much easier to get along with than the Emperor. He could also let him out of prison early so he wouldn't have to worry about his livelihood in the future.

But why was this old man staying here to be some kind of "En-Pee-See"?

Flying cars streaking through the sky, street vendors hawking Spirit Pills and talismans... the more Qian Santong looked, the more novel it felt, as if there were endless new things to see here.

Chen Huai chuckled softly.

"There's no need to rush to enjoy the scenery; all of this will become part of your daily life in the future."

"Everything before you was created by the divine power of the God. Our construction is only just beginning. It won't be too late to look then."

"The position the Taiyi God has arranged for you is the Lord of the Main Kaifeng. You will be mainly responsible for maintaining the Kaifeng's operations and supplying pre-prepared meals to Taiyi City to earn revenue."

"What are pre-prepared meals?"

"You will know in the future. It is a humble yet great career." At this point, Chen Huai's lips curled slightly. "As for why I am here... consider it atonement. Besides atonement, I can also taste some sweetness."

"Although it's different from the secluded retirement I imagined in my early years, at least it allows me to see a beautiful ending rather than closing my eyes in fear."

"Now, I deeply believe in the existence of the Taiyi God. Perhaps that person truly is a former immortal deity."

"When I first woke up, I was much more shocked than you are now."

The two talked as they walked, the conversation revolving around the Taiyi God and this Kaifeng.

In Chen Huai's view, Zhou Yan was no different from a god. Curses were ineffective against him, his talent was astounding, and he could even "resurrect" someone like him whose Nascent Soul had collapsed. All sorts of signs made him increasingly certain that Zhou Yan was an immortal deity.

Qian Santong's conviction also wavered slightly, even though he still found it absurd.

He preferred to believe that Zhou Yan was a peerless Prodigy. After all, he had seen the world and knew certain secrets; he didn't deeply believe in the existence of "Immortals," viewing them only as fictional concepts created by top-tier forces.

All these changes were clearly presented before Zhou Yan's eyes.

He looked at the two walking side by side in the main Kaifeng and the thought bubbles emerging from them, unable to help but sigh with emotion.

"This must be the difference between 'seeing a mountain as a mountain, seeing a mountain not as a mountain, and seeing a mountain as a mountain again.'"

"After all, it was because of this matter that Great Yu led to the disaster in the Kaifeng."

"Those with shallow knowledge believe in the perceptions instilled by great forces."

"Those with a little more knowledge actively seek out knowledge and treat what they gain as a treasure."

"But after going in circles, one realizes that those instilled perceptions were not wrong; they simply required the correct interpretation."

Zhou Yan withdrew his observation and continued to pilot the flying boat toward the Grotto-Heaven.

He originally wanted to stay in Jiangzhou for a few more days, but the turmoil of officialdom was exhausting. Most of the old officials who had plotted Jiangzhou with him in the past were now just going through the motions, waiting for their second retirement.

And the few who still had drive had basically been transferred back to the central government.

This resulted in very few people being truly available to him in Jiangzhou.

In the end, Zhou Yan only went to the place where special prisoners were held to see Qian Santong and recruit him. He also resurrected Mo Ran's Master along the way before setting off on his return journey.

He didn't gain much from this trip. Aside from reserving a position for Huo Zhongshan in the main Kaifeng and recruiting Qian Santong to work from prison, he hadn't added many hands.

Fortunately, after Mo Ran submitted his report, he took a quick look and managed to gather two people, allowing him to replace Yuan Chenling and Qing Xuan, barely achieving his goal.

Zhou Yan toyed with a Spirit Stone he had picked up from the black market and glanced at a wanted poster. It offered a reward of ten High-Grade Spirit Stones and depicted a black-robed woman with only her chin showing.

"They sure move fast."

"But to put a warrant out for me just because I lost a few thousand customers?"

"It's a matter of face."

"That's how Lianxing Pavilion has always been; the thing they care about least is money."

"To them, there is no difference between being a hundred million in debt and having a hundred million in savings," a slightly aged voice suddenly sounded.

Zhou Yan's pupils trembled slightly, but he wasn't too surprised.

"You don't seem curious about who I am?"

Zhou Yan stuffed a spirit fruit into his mouth to suppress the slight upward curve of his lips.

"Aren't you just that kind-hearted maggot who gave me a Divine Ability?"

The air fell into silence for a moment.

But Zhou Yan knew the other party was still there, just that their emotions were unstable. The information in the grid before his eyes was displaying:

[Demon Venerable's Will (Angry)]

[Quality: Legendary ★]

Sensing that the Demon Venerable was silent but hadn't left, Zhou Yan spread his hands and added another sentence.

"You're already crying from frustration."

[Demon Venerable's Will (Furious)]