Death… and me

"Tianding Grand Meeting took the meaning of 'taking control over the Nine Heavens'. Who could do so? Only law-enforcement officers!"

Han Xiaoran laughed and explained, "Actually, all the law-enforcement officers in the world are selected from the Tianding Grand Meeting. All experts who depend on the capability of the clan are suspended, and we only allow those experts who have no influence and dependents to participate. The qualified members will be taken in by the nine great regions which the law-enforcement officers are in charge of. They will be nurtured to form a new generation of law-enforcement officers."

"After we confirmed the candidates and made them go through a series of examination, we would advance their cultivation. Afterward, they have to work hard to improve their official position," Han Xiaoran said, "Back then, I emerged as an outstanding candidate at the Tianding Grand Meeting. I worked hard step by step to arrive at my current position today."

Chu Yang took a tumble, "I see!"

"You need to aim to enter the finals! Because that is the place where elites are truly produced. There are a lot of people, and they are all talents who are supposed to enter the headquarter and accept the teachings of Supreme Martial Artists. And those talents… are what we need!"

Han Xiaoran said.

Chu Yang frowned, pondered for a while and finally sighed, "It turns out that you lack manpower in your headquarter?"

Han Xiaoran sighed, "In the past, the nine great regions design various plots to compete for manpower; But I thought that I only need to manage my duty well in taking charge of the South-East region and bring a clear sky to the region. I didn't think of serving in the headquarter and didn't encourage more people to join us. Now, the situation had made a sharp turn. I'm a bit unprepared for this."

"If the Shi clan has really conspired against the law-enforcement officers, then there must definitely be a planted agent within the headquarter. If we don't find out this person, sooner or later, big trouble will be stirred up!"

Han Xiaoran frowned, "Of course, this is my worse consideration. If we can successfully solve the Shi clan's matter, the purge of the South-East region can go on smoothly, and it'll not be as serious as we imagined. Then, we only need fame of having a number one doctor from the Medicine Banquet."

Chu Yang laughed, "If that's the case, I'll try my best to eliminate this worry of yours!"

"We are only discussing this for the meantime. It's good for you to just have an understanding of how things stand. As long as we don't delay our time when the time comes, we can meet and carry out further discussions."

"When is the Tianding Grand Meeting?" Chu Yang asked.

"One year later and at the same timing after the Medicine Banquet!" Han Xiaoran said.

"Then, do we need to put on fake names when we participate in the Tianding Grand Banquet?" Chu Yang's question made Han Xiaoran sank into deep thoughts. He couldn't decide even after a long time.

"How many people put on fake names in the Tianding Grand Meeting in the past?" Chu Yang asked, "Since even the doctor that masters the life and death of law-enforcement officers is a spy, is it possible that those participating in the meeting also put on fake names? Can they hide their backgrounds or fake them?"

Han Xiaoran didn't know how to answer. Cold sweats crept up to him.

"So, in these 10,000 years, that is after selections for law-enforcement officers for hundreds of times in the Tianding Grand Meeting, how many independent martial practitioners are there among the current law-enforcement officers? How many law-enforcement officers belong to the nine great clans?"

Chu Yang said a bit sarcastically.

"This shouldn't be? Even if there's one or two, there'll not be many of such situations," Han Xiaoran said.

Chu Yang smiled coldly and said, "There's one country where after the war, countless soldiers retired to their homes. But these people need to make a living. So, the authorities issued an order: Conduct a special imperial examination among these thousand or so soldiers. The top 30 will be admitted into state government to become government officers."

Chu Yang said quietly. Han Xiaoran and the rest didn't know why he was saying this, but they listened patiently.

"All the retired soldiers cheered over this. Everyone worked hard, as all of them wished to earn a good living. The imperial examination was over, and the government posted the Honor List, announcing that 30 retired soldiers were recruited to become ground officers; and the list was reported to the government units, state capital and coordinators… This became a much-told tale and a great political achievement!"

"But none of the retired soldiers were recruited. After a long investigation, it was known that none of the retired soldiers were within the 30 people. Then who were the 30 people?" Chu Yang asked as he tilted his head and looked at Han Xiaoran with profound significance.

Han Xiaoran frowned, "Why is this so? Who were the 30 people?"

Chu Yang laughed, "In the end, it was known that these 30 people were assistants in the government or the relatives of the former government officers… They hadn't use a dagger or gone to the battlefield before, but they assumed such quotas and the blood-stained and broken armors to become government officers. They even enjoyed good pays and fattened themselves by drinking the life-blood of the common men…"

With a slam, Han Xiaoran smashed the table in front of him into pieces. His eyes glared, "How would there be such a thing?!"

Chu Yang said, "The assistants who became government officers had their governmental positions raised rapidly due to their political achievements… while the retired soldiers wailed as they had nowhere else to go. Their parents were old and sick, while their wives and children were waiting for them to be raised. Being helpless, they were forced to become thieves. But they were arrested by the so-called government officers who had taken their places. These officers enforced laws strictly and impartially…"

Han Xiaoran was already gasping heavily for breath.

"These people were also law-enforcement officers," Chu Yang said.

Han Xiaoran was so frustrated that even his hair stood up. He roared in a low voice, "Bastard! Wicked! No conscience! If I spotted them, I would kill their whole family!"

"Everyone saw that these people not only used their power for personal gains but also gained much more benefits. So, officials from other regions also followed suit…"

Chu Yang laughed, "The Upper Three Heavens was managed by law-enforcement officers. If one were to talk about management, the law-enforcement officers do far worse than state governments. So, when you mentioned the Tianding Grand Meeting, I remembered this…"

He squinted his eyes and smiled, saying, "Everyone shares the same mentality. Since ancient times, there are just a few unlawful practices… If I change my appearance, and you recommend me to go to the Tianding Grand Meeting, who will check on me? If other people recommend another one to go, who will you check on?"

In 10,000 or so years, how many people infiltrated the meeting? How many people, who were lucky enough to enter the nine big clans then, are now holding high positions among the law-enforcement officers? In this Upper Three Heavens, is it the realm of the law-enforcement officers, or that of the nine great clans? Or, are the nine great clans law-enforcement officers, or are law-enforcement officers the nine great clans?"

"How can you guarantee? Can even the Dharma Supreme guarantee?"

Chu Yang asked sharply.

Han Xiaoran's face was black. His body was heavy. After a long time, he let out a deep sigh. He didn't know how to respond to Chu Yang.

Everyone quietened down.

"So, we need to think of this from the worst side, and work towards the best side!" Chu Yang said, "Old Brother Han, there's a very deep yet unseen issue among the law-enforcement officers."

Han Xiaoran drank his wine silently. His face was dark. He only wiped his mouth after drinking for seven or eight cups of wine. With a low voice, he said, "Law-enforcement officers… Law-enforcement officers… Hahaha…"

And he immediately said, "I'll send you the Purple Cloud Pills within a month."

Chu Yang said, "Good!"

He rolled his eyes and asked, "Are there any disadvantages of taking Purple Cloud Pills?"

"Disadvantages?" Han Xiaoran asked stunningly, "What disadvantages?"

Chu Yang said, "It's best for a martial practitioner to advance their cultivations through hard practices. This would help them to break through their bottlenecks. But generally, those who use drugs to improve their cultivations would suffer from negative consequences… For instance, at some point, the problem of the bottleneck will become more serious… Are there any issues in using Purple Cloud Pills?"

Han Xiaoran said, "Back then, the Dharma Supreme imitated the Purple Cloud Pill after the Nine Tribulations Pill. I haven't heard that there are any issues with bottleneck…" He pondered for a while and said, "I took it once back then… Now, I've already successfully advanced to the peak of a ninth stage Martial Monarch… If not for the fault of Tong Wuxin, this despicable villain, I'm afraid I would already become a first stage Supreme Martial Artist!"

Chu Yang said happily, "If that's the case, Purple Cloud Pill is really a good thing… If you can get me more Purple Cloud Pills, that would be great."

"I've accumulated a number of them so that I can use them over the years. I can only get eight after I use to finish all of them…" Han Xiaoran smiled bitterly, "You want to enhance the strength of the Chu clan?"

Chu Yang extended five fingers, then bent down one, "I only need four."

Han Xiaoran flipped his eyes, "That's too many. I can give you two at most."

"Okay then."

Chu Yang agreed readily. Two was enough for the sword spirit to analyze the medicine ingredients each pill contained as well as their properties. With sufficient medicine ingredients, he could then mass-produce them.

But the effects of Purple Cloud Pill were too powerful. Chu Yang knew that even though Han Xiaoran didn't know what long-term harms it would have, there definitely were!

There's absolutely nothing under the sun that could allow one to reach the sky in a single leap without suffering from any costs!

So, even if Chu Yang produced the Purple Cloud Pills, he would only use them for nurturing his Dead Warriors, and not allow his relatives to take them.

With Nine Tribulations Sword in his hand, why would he need to worry about such things?

"We should plan these few things step by step…" Han Xiaoran reminded solemnly, "Don't allow our secret to ooze out before the big matter begins!"

Sha Xinliang and Qin Baoshan agreed solemnly at the same time.

"Drink!" Han Xiaoran smiled, saying, "Tonight, we shall satisfy our little brother's wish to get everyone drunk!"

The three people laughed and toasted. It seemed that the heavy atmosphere just now had completely vanished. But the four people knew that they couldn't treat some things as if they hadn't happened before. And there were some words that they shouldn't forget!

The four people had toast after toast. Not for long, four or five jugs of wine had gone down their belly; Relying on their tipsiness from the wine, the four people started to talk more casually, boldly and intimately. The deeper they delved into the topic of discussion, the more… dangerous… it became.

The four knew that everyone wasn't drunk; But sometimes, when men needed to discuss some important matters or to deepen their feelings, they had to rely on this kind of drunkenness.

People spoke unscrupulously while in a drunk state. Conscientious people naturally understood what others were talking about. While if someone said wrongly or excessively, others would just laugh…

This was exactly the wisdom of men.