Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The heavy doors to Qin Jun’s office were shoved open without ceremony. Qi Tianyu stumbled in, his expression one of frantic urgency.

"Palace Master! Something has happened!"

Qin Jun was busy upgrading the Demon Nail system. As she looked up, Qi Tianyu had already rushed from the doorway to her desk.

Qin Jun finalized the last setting for the patch, formed a seal with one hand, and channeled a flash of lightning. She transmitted the update back to the Primordial Qi and then to the Palace Master’s Command Token. Instantly, the Command Tokens throughout the entire Demon Palace were enveloped in a crackle of electricity.

Only when everything was arranged did she ask languidly, "What is it?"

Qi Tianyu: "..."

The airy, almost casual tone—tinged with a lingering hint of murderous intent—made Qi Tianyu wonder if he had chosen the wrong time to barge in.

Qin Jun had been woken up by the system at the crack of dawn. The system, having pulled an all-nighter to write the patch, was desperate to show off its labor and would never miss a chance to torment Qin Jun. As someone who already suffered from mild insomnia, Qin Jun was in no mood to be pleasant. She had headed to the office early to force a system-wide upgrade on all Demon Palace Command Tokens using her administrative privileges.

Seeing the electric glow, Qi Tianyu pulled out his Command Token, eyes closed, "looking" at the device in his hand. On the frozen Demon Nail interface, a string of red text appeared within a frame:

[The Demon Nail version 1.0.1 update is scheduled between the hours of Mao and Chen today. During this period, all Demon Nail functions will be unavailable. Please refer to the actual situation for the completion time.]

"An update?" Qi Tianyu asked in a low voice. "Palace Master, has something gone wrong with the Demon Nail?"

Qin Jun glanced at her own token, confirming the progress bar was moving steadily, before standing up from behind her desk.

"Nothing is wrong. Why are you in such a rush, Hall Master Qi?"

Qi Tianyu held up his token, his gaze fixed on Qin Jun. "Since this morning, the Demon Nail has been unable to properly register attendance or submit daily reports. The disciples in the sect are panicking and asking questions, so I came to ask the Palace Master what the problem is."

Qin Jun had anticipated that someone would come to ask, but she hadn't expected it to be Qi Tianyu. She had thought the first person to rush over would be Shentu Suxin, who submitted her reports at the very last second, not Qi Tianyu, who always submitted his a full quarter-hour early.

The seven Hall Masters of the Demon Palace each had their own temperament. There was Pei Yan, who was desperate to climb the ranks; Shentu Suxin, who never took anything to heart and was always chasing deadlines; and Yanyue, who was dissatisfied with her but always kept his temper in check.

Qi Tianyu, however, was a strange man. He had little presence in the Demon Palace, and his relationships with others were mediocre. His existence was like the remaining funds in the Demon Palace treasury: not exactly non-existent, but negligible.

"It is a functional update for the Demon Nail," Qin Jun said. "I’ve upgraded the location tracking feature to prevent people from being elsewhere while their location still registers as the Lanqing Hall."

"How long until the daily reports can be submitted again?" Qi Tianyu’s speech was faster than usual.

He had rushed over in such a panic just to ask about submitting a daily report?

Qin Jun recalled Qi Tianyu’s obsessive-compulsive behavior of checking in at the exact same moment every day and submitting his reports at fixed intervals, and she suddenly felt she had discovered something interesting.

Her eyes brightened, and she looked at Qi Tianyu with a smile.

Qi Tianyu: "...?" Why did he suddenly feel a chill down his spine?

Qin Jun suppressed her smile. "It will return to normal in about two hours."

Two hours... that would be well past the normal time for report submissions. Qi Tianyu felt distressed. Was he to accept that from now on, his record would be marred by a discordant, imperfect stain in his submission times?

He struggled, "Is... is it really impossible to finish the update early?"

Qin Jun thought for a moment and had the system open a special channel for him. "Hall Master Qi, this is a one-time exception."

Qi Tianyu finally exhaled, quickly taking out his token to submit his report. "Palace Master, will there be more updates in the future?"

Qin Jun nodded, and Qi Tianyu froze.

Would he have to come to Qin Jun for a backdoor every time? But if he changed his submission time later, the inconsistency with previous records would be truly unbearable.

Qin Jun smiled slightly. "Rest assured, Hall Master Qi. A scheduled submission feature will be launched later, so even if the Demon Nail updates, it won't affect your ability to submit your reports."

Only then did Qi Tianyu let out a breath of relief.

***

As Qi Tianyu prepared to return to submit his report, he felt that making such a fuss over a minor issue was beneath his dignity. He needed to find another reason for his visit.

Recalling the two individuals who had tried to defect from the Demon Palace yesterday, he asked casually, "How were those two dealt with?"

Qin Jun glanced at the progress bar on her token. "Two written apologies, an additional two months of internship after the staff training session, a ten percent pay cut, and an automatic one-rank demotion for this year's performance review. How does that sound to you, Hall Master Qi?"

Qi Tianyu had only asked out of idle curiosity; he didn't care about the fate of those in the Demon Palace.

"I have no objections," Qi Tianyu replied.

Besides, compared to the brutal killings often seen in other demonic territories, Qin Jun’s methods were hardly worth mentioning. He had asked only because he didn't want the "failure to submit a report on time" to be the only imperfection in his life's record.

Qin Jun countered, "Hall Master Qi, are you aware that another newcomer was meant to join the Demon Palace yesterday?"

News in the Demon Palace traveled fast; it would be strange if Qi Tianyu didn't know. He nodded. "Is there a problem with this person?"

"No problems for now. Would you be willing to put in a little extra effort?" Qin Jun asked, following his lead, her fingertip hovering over the Command Token as if she could revoke his special access at any moment.

Qi Tianyu: "...Very well." He hadn't expected a casual exchange to land him with more work.

Qin Jun took a step forward, and Qi Tianyu followed. By the time he realized it, he had already followed her to the office door.

"If there is nothing else, Hall Master Qi, you may return. Once the update is complete, I will notify all Hall Masters for a meeting."

Qi Tianyu returned to his duties as instructed.

Even the most stubborn Qi Tianyu had been easily handled. The new Palace Master certainly had some tricks up her sleeve, thought Duan Wujiu, who was standing outside the door.

***

Half a month passed, and many changes had occurred within the Lanqing Hall.

For instance, a pantry had been set up outside the school hall. Qin Jun affectionately called it the "recharging station" for every member of the Demon Palace, a cozy harbor to help them work even harder.

System: ...It’s clearly just a drinking trough for the beasts of burden.

After sending Qi Tianyu away, Qin Jun left her office, intending to inspect the grassroots level of the Demon Palace to understand the current state of affairs and the mindset of her employees, ensuring she had a firm grasp of everything.

Thus, she arrived at the pantry.

...In truth, it was because too many people were knocking on the door of the "Palace Master's Office."

The members were distraught that they couldn't clock in or submit their reports; it felt as if the sky had collapsed. The school hall was filled with wailing, and she was being questioned everywhere she went. She could explain once or twice, but Qin Jun had no desire to explain herself three thousand times to every member of the Demon Palace.

The pantry was filled with all sorts of tea cups—a new trend that had recently swept through the palace. Since the pantry appeared, sales of various cups had skyrocketed, each one more elaborate than the last. The selection of tea provided was also rich: flower tea, fruit tea, black tea, green tea... most of it was the private stash of the Hall Masters. In order to gain an advantage in future evaluations and selections, competition had already begun in the trivial details no one cared about.

There was also a full jar of sugar, prepared by Long Langbai for her to add to her tea whenever needed.

The black tea with the strongest caffeine kick was provided by Pei Yan; the flower and fruit teas were from Yanyue; even the stingy Shentu Suxin had begrudgingly placed a jar of aged tea there.

With the Demon Nail down, the school hall was empty. The employees were taking the opportunity to slack off, and the area outside the Lanqing Hall was as noisy as a frog pond; only the pantry remained somewhat quiet.

Then, Qin Jun noticed someone.

Zhu Changliu, who had a strong presence lately, was dozing on a table, his long limbs cramped and curled up on the small surface. His smooth, long hair was draped behind him, covering his face like a veil.

*He must be asleep,* Qin Jun thought.

She approached Zhu Changliu and knocked on the table without a hint of guilt.

The sleepy youth raised his head, eyes half-lidded as he tried to discern who had disturbed his slumber.

"Qin Jun?"

Qin Jun lowered her lashes, her voice cold. "During work hours, use my title. Call me Palace Master."

"Palace Master," Zhu Changliu obediently followed, a sharp contrast to his usual rebellious and flamboyant temperament.

Qin Jun’s gaze fell upon the youth, watching him quietly like a feather landing on a lake, without a ripple of emotion.

Although this Zhu Changliu was good-looking and seemed capable, was there anything worthy of the host's extra attention?

The system was puzzled: "Host, is there something special about Zhu Changliu? Do you have a preference for this rebellious 'little wolf dog' type? His strength is also decent; if you're considering a shortcut to absorb spiritual energy, he's a potential candidate."

"How did you do it?" That was the only thing Qin Jun truly cared about. How had Zhu Changliu managed to modify the Demon Nail’s location tracking? It wasn't a complex task; once the logic of spiritual energy composition was clear, breaking the system's encryption was easy, and one could even do much more. But how had Zhu Changliu figured it out so quickly?

Zhu Changliu looked lethargic, blinking slowly. "I have a Heavenly Spiritual Root."

Heavenly Spiritual Roots were extremely sensitive to spiritual energy, but could such sensitivity lead to self-taught proficiency in this? Or even the complete deconstruction of an entirely new field?

Qin Jun leaned over, staring intently at the confused youth. She wondered—why would the male lead, who should have been cultivating in the Sword Pavilion, change his name and appear in the Demon Realm? Was this truly the male lead? A heaven-favored genius whose talent for cultivation was arrogant, and whose ability to learn and draw inferences was equally peerless? Did a Heavenly Spiritual Root provide such capabilities?

"Palace Master?" Zhu Changliu asked.

Zhu Changliu felt his fingertips tremble under Qin Jun’s gaze. "Palace Master?"

Qin Jun was clearly looking at him, but her eyes seemed to be peering through him at something else. Zhu Changliu suddenly felt dissatisfied with being ignored like this. He had never been treated with such casual disregard.

Her warm breath washed over him. Zhu Changliu felt he couldn't breathe; he subconsciously held his breath, yet secretly indulged in being enveloped by her presence.

*Ding—*

Zhu Changliu’s lashes flickered.

Qin Jun looked down at her Command Token.

The gaze that had been fixed on him shifted. Zhu Changliu could finally breathe. He leaned back abruptly, but feeling that this made him look weak, he forced himself to look back.

However, Qin Jun had already turned her attention to the token.

Subtly... it was annoying.

On the Command Token, the Demon Nail popped up with an "Update Complete" notification.

Qin Jun straightened up, moving further away. "The Demon Palace will soon construct a Heavenly Pavilion for all members to work in, which will include designated employee rest areas. You may rest there in the future. You will also have your own workstation, equipped with resting facilities."

The Demon Nail update was faster than she had expected. Compared to tangling with this little male lead, she needed to call the other Hall Masters for a meeting.

Qin Jun sent a message to the seven Hall Masters, telling them to meet at the Palace Master’s office in a quarter of an hour, then tucked away her token, preparing to leave.

It didn't matter if Zhu Changliu was the male lead. She was the Palace Master, his current direct superior. Regardless of when, she would always have the upper hand.

"Qin Jun!" Zhu Changliu spoke subconsciously, then felt a flash of frustration in his eyes.

Qin Jun stopped and turned slowly to look at the black-clad youth who had stood up. "What is it? During work hours, you must use my title."

"Where are you going?" Zhu Changliu wanted to slap himself as soon as the words left his mouth.

Qin Jun: "A meeting. The school hall will resume classes later; you can sleep a bit longer."

With that, her gaze shifted away from him without a hint of reluctance. Zhu Changliu couldn't help but take a step forward. "Palace Master, I have a matter to discuss!"

"Official or personal?" Qin Jun asked.

"Official," Zhu Changliu said.

Qin Jun did not turn back this time. "For official matters, follow the procedure: file a report on the Demon Nail, submit the application through the proper channels, and once it is approved, you may come to see me."

"And if it were a personal matter?"

Qin Jun: "Your personal matters have nothing to do with me."

The woman was tall and moved with an air of purpose. In the blink of an eye, she exited the pantry, walked down the corridor, and appeared before her office door.

The seven Hall Masters were already waiting, just for her.

Zhu Changliu watched as Qin Jun entered the office with the others, leaving Long Langbai, who was always by her side, to close the door last.

And he—

Was left outside.