The Speedrun Begins with Choosing Hunter

Chapter 338: Chapter 329: Purple Gold Celestial Master

"Purple qi comes from the east, an auspicious sign from the heavens. This heralds an era of great peace, as the Celestial Emperor cultivates himself within and cares for his people without... In Ling Province, we have slain two thousand three hundred and fifteen enemies, pacified the demon seed, restored stability to the state, and brought peace to the common people..."

Bai Yuan pressed down the large Lingzhou General’s Seal.

"Send it to the post station."

He handed the military report—a thick stack of more than a dozen pages covered in over ten thousand words of densely packed text—to an Official from the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office.

"Yes, sir."

The young Official carefully took the documents and trotted out of the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office.

The Xuan Yang Dynasty had been established for a thousand years. Though its martial virtues were abundant, it couldn’t escape bureaucratic red tape. Writing memorials to the throne was a great art in itself, and among them, Bai Yuan’s ten-thousand-word report could only be considered run-of-the-mill.

The Imperial Censors from the Imperial Inspection Office often wrote reports tens of thousands of words long, citing hundreds of allusions and referencing everything from the Five Emperors of antiquity to the previous dynasty. They were a headache to read.

It was said that His Majesty the Emperor had grown tired of these memorials, which were longer and more odious than foot-binding cloths, and showed signs of wanting to shorten them.

However, until an official edict was formally issued, no one dared to try.

If one wrote too little and was accused of being negligent in their duties, recovery would be nearly impossible.

Naturally, Bai Yuan had not written this memorial himself.

The Prefecture Magistrate’s Office was full of officials skilled in this art. Many were scholars who had failed to obtain the rank of Scholar and became clerks in the Government Office. In order to win the approval of their Chief Official, they had honed their talent for flowery prose—carving flowers on paper, so to speak—to the point of perfection.

He only needed to stamp it with the General’s seal at the end, without wasting any mental energy on the matter. It just goes to show that being a leader was the best job in the world.

In such a long memorial, the order of the content was a delicate art.

Just as with Bai Yuan’s current memorial, on his instruction, Yang Fangyu’s military achievements had been placed at the very beginning. This way, His Majesty the Emperor’s first and best impression would naturally be of Yang Fangyu.

As long as the members of the Yang Family serving in the Court pulled a few strings, his promotion would be a sure thing. With a recommendation from Bai Yuan, his Chief Official, on top of that, the Ministry of Personnel would not stand in the way.

Bai Yuan handled some more documents from officials across Ling Province before finally leaving the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office.

He walked straight to the Peach Fragrance Inn.

The old Daoist had displayed his divine might in the Hundred Thousand Mountains. Now that the demonic chaos in Ling Province was quelled, he should have already departed.

Bai Yuan went up to the second floor.

He glanced at the old Daoist’s room.

It was still a field of swirling chaos, obscuring any view of the room’s interior.

But Bai Yuan’s eyebrows rose. This only confirmed that the old Daoist was still in the room.

’He hasn’t left?’

Doubt rose in Bai Yuan’s mind.

After a moment of hesitation, he decided to knock on the old Daoist’s door.

After the trip to the Hundred Thousand Mountains, he did indeed have some questions he wanted to ask the old Daoist.

In all of Ling Province, perhaps only the old Daoist and the esteemed Grand Protector Yan could answer his questions.

KNOCK... KNOCK... KNOCK.

The sound of knocking echoed leisurely on the second floor of the inn.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the old Daoist finally pushed the door open.

Bai Yuan saw the old Daoist’s familiar face and was about to bow, but a glimpse of the scene inside the room from the corner of his eye made him freeze.

The old Daoist was not alone; there was another person in the room.

A familiar red-and-black official robe...

It was none other than Grand Protector Yan Shao’an!

Yan Shao’an’s voice sounded slowly, "Come in."

Bai Yuan straightened up and bowed properly. "Yes, sir."

Yan Shao’an was a figure in the Xuan Yang Dynasty who stood second only to one man and above ten thousand. In terms of authority, he commanded all Military Officers in the realm, making him Bai Yuan’s ultimate superior.

He obediently found a seat, tactfully picked up the teapot from the old Daoist’s table, and poured tea for the two old men.

’I can’t very well have two god-tier masters pour tea for me!’

The old Daoist sat back down on the round stool.

"Layman Yan, the last time you and I joined forces should have been eighty-seven years ago."

"The Southern Border Demon King was indeed a tough opponent."

Yan Shao’an raised his teacup and took a sip.

"Fellow Daoist Pei, it’s rare for you to come down from your mountain. Ling Province has some rather nice scenery. How about we take a tour together?"

...

The two chatted casually, like old friends who hadn’t seen each other in years.

Bai Yuan blinked, continuing to play the part of the obedient Tea Serving Boy.

From Yan Shao’an’s words, it wasn’t hard to tell that the old Daoist had already met with him before coming to Ling Province.

’That makes sense, I suppose.’

After all, the greatest power in the Xuan Yang Dynasty, at least on the surface, was the Court, and Yan Shao’an could practically represent the Court. The every move of a figure as powerful as the old Daoist was enough to command the Court’s full attention.

Given the old Daoist’s status, it was only natural that he would first pay a visit to Yan Shao’an, the true authority in Ling Province at present.

Listening to their conversation, Bai Yuan finally learned that the old Daoist’s surname was Pei.

The old Daoist shook his head. "The demon seed is not yet eradicated. My heart cannot be at peace."

Yan Shao’an grew solemn. "Fellow Daoist, your righteousness is truly a blessing for the Xuan Yang Dynasty."

The two of them went back and forth, leaving Bai Yuan completely fogged.

’Hasn’t the demon seed already been dealt with?’

The old Daoist seemed to sense Bai Yuan’s confusion. "That Snake Demon was merely a vessel for the demon seed. The true seed is still hidden somewhere in Ling Province."

Bai Yuan was horrified.

’That terrifying giant serpent in the lake was just an avatar of the demon seed?!’

"That Snake Demon looked frightening, but in truth, it was only at the eighth rank."

The old Daoist added as an afterthought.

"..."

’Only eighth rank...’

For a moment, Bai Yuan was speechless.

Yan Shao’an suddenly spoke up. "Fellow Daoist Pei, General Bai is a rare talent for our Court. Your Dragon Tiger Sect can’t just snatch this fine seedling from me."

If it were any other faction, Yan Shao’an certainly wouldn’t have put it that way; at worst, he would have just shown up at their door and demanded the person back.

But the Dragon Tiger Sect was a different matter entirely. Even the Xuan Yang Court had to tread carefully when dealing with them.

Bai Yuan seized on the key information.

’The Dragon Tiger Sect?!’

He stared at the old Daoist in disbelief.

The Dragon Tiger Sect! The Ancestral Court of the Daoist Zhengyi Sect!

Yan Shao’an noticed the shock in Bai Yuan’s eyes and chuckled. "This old Daoist happens to be the one and only Purple Gold Celestial Master of the Dragon Tiger Sect."

Bai Yuan sucked in a sharp breath.

The Dragon Tiger Sect was so famous that he naturally knew a little about it.

The Daoists of the Dragon Tiger Sect often used the color of their Daoist Robes to display their level of cultivation. White robes were for newly initiated Little Daoists, followed in ascending order by black, green, cyan, red, purple, and yellow.

Because the Grand Ancestor Emperor of the Xuan Yang Dynasty had once declared, "In all the world, only I shall wear a yellow robe," there were no longer any Yellow Robe Celestial Masters in the current age.

In other words, the old Daoist was already the most venerated living member of the Dragon Tiger Sect.

Bai Yuan had known the old Daoist’s status was extraordinary, but he never imagined he was a Purple Gold Great Heavenly Master!

This was a being to whom even the Emperor would have to show the utmost respect.

The old Daoist looked somewhat pleased with himself. "The bond between master and disciple is a matter of destiny and fate. Donor Bai and I are fated to be connected."

Yan Shao’an gave a cold laugh. "I have already petitioned His Majesty to place Bai Yuan on the Hidden Dragon List. Does the Dragon Tiger Sect still intend to fight for him?"

Hearing the three words "Hidden Dragon List," the old Daoist’s expression finally changed.

"Layman Yan, why must you go this far?"

In any other situation, he could still put up a fight. But if Bai Yuan was on the Hidden Dragon List, for him to take Bai Yuan as a disciple would be nearly tantamount to declaring war on the Xuan Yang Dynasty.

Yan Shao’an grew even more smug.

The memory of an exceptional Martial Dao seedling being snatched away by the Dragon Tiger Sect a century ago came to mind. Now, he was finally getting his payback, and the thought made him feel incredibly refreshed.

He was determined to have Bai Yuan!

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