CHAPTER 191: CHAPTER 190: GRAND ELDER’S SELF-MOCKERY (SECOND RELEASE, PLEASE SUBSCRIBE)

After just a greeting and arranging everything, Lu Xuanji returned to the cave mansion again.

He began refining the spiritual liquid, enhancing his cultivation;

Consuming spirit stones and spiritual ores, digesting them through the Void Stomach, his cultivation steadily increased.

In his leisure time, he went to the medicine garden to care for the third-grade spirit medicines, fourth-grade spirit medicines, and so on. They were growing robustly, getting closer to maturity.

Time flowed like water. At the moment of the fifth thought, Lu Xuanji’s aura increased, breaking through the shackles, stepping into the second layer of the Purple Mansion.

In just twenty years, he improved by one layer.

Sensing the speed of cultivation, Lu Xuanji was quite satisfied.

Upon exiting seclusion, he examined the account books, tallying the family’s wealth. The Lu family’s income from spirit stones last year was three hundred thousand, with expenses of two hundred and eighty thousand, and there were also other significant revenues from spirit medicines and spiritual ores.

The Lu family was developing healthily, and the situation was very favorable.

Of course, various issues were plentiful.

With a call, a shadow appeared silently, handing over an account book without a word.

This was the Hidden Guard’s "dark account."

Where there is light, there is shadow; where there are white gloves, there are black gloves.

Many things, the Lu family couldn’t and didn’t handle directly, so they had some black gloves responsible for the dirty and tiring work, and they also conducted behind-the-scenes supervision.

Hence, there were the Hidden Guards.

The Hidden Guards were there to keep an eye on family members, monitoring to see if they engaged in illegal activities, colluded with outsiders, or sold out family interests, and so on.

These matters couldn’t be exposed to the public, only investigated by the Hidden Guards in secret.

After submitting the account book, the Hidden Guard disappeared.

Lu Xuanji flipped through the "dark account," page after page.

He looked through it three times continuously, and the more he looked, the more his expression grew serious.

The Hidden Guard’s account book, naturally, couldn’t be entirely trusted, with some exaggeration and about seventy percent accuracy.

Even so, the Lu family had many problems. Some were selling low and buying high in the shops, embezzling some spirit stones; some cultivators colluded with bandits to betray customers; some cultivators stole family finances and sold them outside; and some cultivators sold family intelligence to outsiders.

A wide variety of issues, quite numerous indeed.

"It’s time to kill, to remove some family scum and filth!"

Lu Xuanji pondered, his expression cold, with no extra emotions.

Having developed to this point, the Lu family had 1,800 cultivators, including 50 Foundation Establishment cultivators and 2 Purple Mansion cultivators, essentially no different from the Dan Yang Sect. If one must differentiate, one is a sect, and the other a clan, but essentially they are similar.

Thinking carefully, he realized he had been Clan Leader for over a hundred years, with plenty of grace during his term but insufficient authority.

He provided benefits at various stages, lifted restrictions on Foundation Establishment Pills; improved treatment for some geniuses, and enhanced Foundation Establishment cultivator benefits, making many Lu family cultivators feel grateful to him.

Yet, correspondingly, since taking office, he hadn’t punished or even killed a single Lu family cultivator, which left him with insufficient authority.

Giving them the feeling of indulging and appeasing conflicts.

...

Soon after, the Grand Elder exited seclusion.

Lu Xuanji met with the Grand Elder, handed over the "dark account," expressing his thoughts that some people needed to be dealt with.

The Grand Elder flipped through the account book, nodding, "In fact, the dark account only records some situations. In reality, the issues are even more serious than what is recorded. Killing is necessary, but how do you plan to execute it?"

"Those cultivators ambushing clients deserve to die!"

"Those colluding with bandits to sell client information deserve to die!"

"Those colluding with the Demon Race, selling prohibited items to them, deserve to die!"

"Those selling family intelligence, even if not killed, must be severely punished!"

"Those who have taken the Demonic Path, cultivating demonic techniques, deserve to die!"

Lu Xuanji spoke, killing intent pervading, repeatedly saying the word ’kill’ without any mercy.

The Grand Elder nodded, "Some advocate for cultivation to be upright and sincere in friendships, forming good relationships with others; yet some believe in being ruthless and that without a hardened heart, one cannot stand in society or cultivate immortality. What do you think?"

Lu Xuanji said, "Grand Elder, what do you mean?"

The Grand Elder said, "Some say the world is dark, with bad people as the majority; some say the world is white, with good people as the majority. But in my view, the world is gray, with good and bad people mixed together. Am I right?"

Lu Xuanji nodded, "What the Grand Elder says is right."

It’s like in the past life; some during the primitive accumulation of capital, committed all sorts of heinous acts, trampling on the bottom line of morals and humanity. But once they succeeded and became successful, they immediately whitewashed themselves, quickly transforming into a Holy Mother.

Did they change?

No, they didn’t.

If sufficient benefits can be gained, many people are willing to be good people or Holy Mother all their lives, even if their hearts are rotten, but they are willing to disguise for a lifetime; however, if enough benefits are to be gained, many wouldn’t mind discarding the Holy Mother’s mask, turning into a great demon overnight, destroying millions!

The Grand Elder said, "But why do you insist on clinging to these issues? Many things are best unseen."

"Should they be killed?"

"But some people can be killed, and some cannot be killed!" The Grand Elder said, beginning to mark on the roster, finally writing, "These people can be killed, and these cannot."

"No, these people must be killed!"

"These people cannot be killed; they are still useful!"

Thus, for the first time, the Clan Leader and the Grand Elder quarreled.

After the quarrel, the Clan Leader stepped back.

The Grand Elder also took a step back.

"When the water is too clear, there are no fish; establishing family rules has never been for fairness or justice, but merely to establish order!" The Grand Elder said.

"What you say makes sense!"

Lu Xuanji smiled, "If the Lu family were just a Purple Mansion family, the old family rules would be enough; but to go further and become a Golden Core clan, stricter measures are necessary. These people must be killed!"

"You have outstanding talent and exceptional aptitude, but it will take at least two hundred years to reach the Golden Core. Isn’t it a bit early to talk about this now?"

"Is it too early?"

Lu Xuanji smiled, "Grand Elder, look at this!"

He tossed over a box.

"What is this?" The Grand Elder casually opened the box, and upon seeing the lotus inside, his expression changed from calm to astonishment and then delight, "Haha, this is a fourth-grade Spirit Cleansing Lotus that can cleanse elixir poison. It is greatly beneficial to you; if you consume it, it can increase the likelihood of achieving a Golden Core by one layer!"

"No, no, this is for you to consume!"

Lu Xuanji said.

"Me!"

The Grand Elder listened, laughed, "For me to consume? Are you joking? For an old waste like me, consuming a fourth-grade Spirit Cleansing Lotus is a waste; you should use it!"

...

PS: Seeking full subscription, asking for monthly tickets, asking for recommendation tickets.