Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Since Qin Jun arrived at the Demon Palace, everyone there had grown accustomed to the frequent calls for meetings.

Early this morning, first the demonic nails malfunctioned, the daily reports couldn’t be submitted on time, and then suddenly, a summons came for a brief meeting.

On the way over, several hall masters inevitably crossed paths, their expressions varied—some joyful, others troubled. No matter what they had been doing recently, hearing that Qin Jun wanted to convene a meeting immediately set their hearts pounding. No one knew what new ideas the Palace Master was about to unveil.

Dark circles under their eyes deepened one after another. Cultivators didn’t rely on sleep to restore energy; some among them had never needed to sleep in all these years. Yet now, even a sound, restful sleep had become a luxury.

“How is Hall Master Yanyue’s daily report coming along?”

Yanyue had grown increasingly displeased with Pei Yan these days and quickened his pace, preferring not to engage—out of sight, out of mind.

“How about Hall Master Qi’s report?” Pei Yan swiftly changed his target, knowing that Qi Tianyu had just returned from Qin Jun’s office.

Qi Tianyu moved forward silently, eyes closed, like a ghost drifting by. It was unclear whether he was asleep or awake.

Pei Yan was speechless.

Shentu Suxin still held a baked sesame bun, her face covered in crumbs, paying him no attention.

Seeing this, Duan Wujiao smiled and leaned in, “Naturally, it can’t compare with Hall Master Pei. Pei has long experience in officialdom and has earned the old Palace Master’s trust. Now, as Qin Jun’s favorite, he receives much guidance. His daily and weekly reports are naturally flawless. We can’t match him.”

Yanyue suddenly looked back sharply, his eyes flashing with murderous intent as they landed on Pei Yan.

Pei Yan was speechless.

Everyone knew Yanyue was fiercely loyal to the Dragon Heart Matron. Mentioning the old Palace Master now was just asking for trouble.

Disagreements among the hall masters were commonplace; not only among them but also among their subordinates. These old conflicts had been temporarily shelved during recent staff training sessions orchestrated by Qin Jun, but given the chance, all buried resentments would resurface.

Especially with the transition between the old and new Palace Masters. Naturally, factions had formed: the old Palace Master’s faction, the new Palace Master’s faction, and even the Young Lord Long’s faction.

But regardless of faction, Pei Yan aspired to be second only to the Palace Master, to hold the throne as the Demon Palace’s second-in-command.

Therefore, Yanyue’s cold glare at Pei Yan was nothing but disdain for an ungrateful traitor.

Before arriving at the Qinglan Hall, Duan Wujiao walked up beside Yanyue and said, perhaps to no one in particular, “Hall Master Pei is working so hard, but for whom? The new Palace Master is obstinate, and the Dragon Heart Matron has already retired into seclusion...”

Duan Wujiao did not continue, shaking his head meaningfully before being the first to enter Qinglan Hall.

“Good morning, Palace Master!”

Yanyue stood outside the door, watching Pei Yan follow closely inside to offer greetings. The others trickled in with their own salutations. Once everyone had entered, Long Langbai, who had been absent for some time, quietly appeared and closed the door.

Yanyue raised a hand, resting it on the doorframe. Qinglan Hall had been completely transformed. On one side, the voices of Demon Palace disciples chattered incessantly; on the other, the furnishings were chaotic and lacked any discernible order. Moreover—

Outside Qinglan Hall, carts laden with rocks and timber were being hauled in. Qin Jun was undertaking massive construction projects—building the Tongtian Pavilion for the disciples’ rest, and establishing some kind of employee… whatever it was.

This was the Demon Palace, not a benevolent hall of charity for the immortals!

Yanyue strode inside with heavy steps and silently stood at the back among the seven hall masters.

Qin Jun glanced around, saw everyone present, and prepared to begin.

“This is an emergency meeting,” Qin Jun stated bluntly.

“The Demon Palace’s transformation is underway, and its operations must expand. This brief meeting is to synchronize the hall masters’ granular progress updates. Please report on your recent work.”

The system asked, “Is this the ‘new official’s three fires’?”

What else could it be? Was a new leader supposed to engage only in charity and comforting projects? Just consider the swarm of ordinary employees who flooded her office this morning asking for updates...

The first fire must burn fiercely.

Qin Jun looked up with a smile. “Keep it brief—two minutes each.”

The seven hall masters, summoned so suddenly, were still dazed. Shentu Suxin hadn’t even fully woken, yet upon hearing the Palace Master’s order, she hurriedly made her way to Qinglan Hall.

Qin Jun’s gaze swept over them, finally settling on the drowsy, swaying Shentu Suxin. “Hall Master Shentu, you may begin.”

Shentu Suxin wanted to cry out for help. Was there anyone who could save her?

“I... I have recently been responsible for teaching classes, assisting Yanyue in revising the Demon Palace’s management regulations, maintaining security around the palace, and rooting out many spies from other heretical organizations,” Shentu Suxin began confidently, “I’ve also managed the transport and security of the magic crystal mines, supervised housing arrangements for the palace personnel, and overseen the construction of the Tongtian Pavilion.”

Feeling she had answered well and in detail, Shentu Suxin smiled.

Pei Yan raised a hand to his temple, suppressing a smile. No doubt, Shentu’s report would be criticized.

Qin Jun tapped her fingers lightly on the table, the rhythmic drumming causing everyone’s hearts to race.

“Not bad,” Qin Jun said.

At those two words, some smiled, some froze.

Pei Yan sat up straighter. That was considered “not bad”?

Shentu Suxin grinned, “Thank you, Big Sister Head’s praise. I also think it’s not bad.”

Watching Shentu smile, Qin Jun too smiled, then her expression darkened. “So, in over half a month, this is all you’ve done?”

“All?”

Shentu Suxin recalled her days of coming and going early and late, no daylight or darkness, counting the many tasks Qin Jun had assigned her. How could she be described with such a trivial word?

Suddenly, she slammed the table, standing up with murderous intent, about to summon her sword.

“Whether it’s one class or ten, if you don’t specify how many, how can you prove how much you’ve done?” Qin Jun looked up calmly. Shentu Suxin froze in place, anger halted by her calmness.

Qin Jun flipped through the daily reports Long Langbai had previously compiled. “Hall Master Shentu trains the disciples diligently every day, never late or early, working conscientiously...”

Shentu’s lips curled up. She had said she was working hard—how could there be any problem?

“...But you never write down the specific training content, what was gained, or how the students performed. How do I know you really did the work?”

Shentu’s eyes flared again; she was about to summon her sword once more.

“Of course, I believe you. Your dedication is evident to all. But you must not only show it, you must record it. Otherwise, if someone later claims you’re not diligent based on your daily reports, what will you do?”

Shentu thought deeply, growing angrier. Her hand raised, the crimson greatsword materializing.

“Kill them,” she hissed through clenched teeth, a dark murderous aura spilling from her.

Qin Jun said, “Now is a civilized society. Violence doesn’t solve problems. If one person insults you and you kill him, and then ten thousand people insult you, will you kill ten thousand?”

Shentu silently sheathed her sword, bowing her head to ponder.

Qin Jun was about to move on to the next person when Shentu suddenly looked up and said, “I will train hard. Even if a hundred thousand people say so, I can kill a hundred thousand.”

Qin Jun: “...Thank you. With hall masters like you training so hard, the Demon Palace will surely be safe.”

“You’re welcome,” Shentu smiled broadly. “Big Sister Head, rest assured I will protect the Demon Palace.”

Qin Jun: “...”

For a moment, there was a sense of miscommunication, like a chicken talking to a duck.

Shentu was indeed strong—powerful in combat and capable in her duties. But that kind of strength was not enough.

Among the seven hall masters, Shentu’s presence was only slightly above Qi Tianyu’s, but as the youngest and youngest-looking, the others didn’t fully regard her. To them, she was merely muscle the palace kept on hand, to be sent out when problems arose.

The scheming Duan Wujiao and Pei Yan exchanged glances. They hadn’t expected Shentu to endure so long under Qin Jun’s rule without resistance, even coming to accept her.

Qin Jun gestured for Shentu to sit down and said slowly, “So, you think your duty is only to protect the Demon Palace?”

What else?

Shentu’s eyes were full of question marks.

Everyone else had the same look. What else could it be? Their roles in the Demon Palace were exactly that. They weren’t going to exist just to dig mines, were they?

Qin Jun raised her eyes and slowly scanned the room. “How many times have I said ‘empowerment’? You must empower your work! You are not merely guards or miners; you are hall masters. Your decisions and thoughts represent the direction the Demon Palace moves forward. If you are complacent and stagnant, how can the Demon Palace establish itself in the Demon Realm? How can it break the current deadlock?”

Shentu was dumbfounded. “Big Sister Head…”

“Use titles when speaking about work,” Qin Jun shot a sharp glance, prompting Shentu to immediately shut up and correct herself.

Shentu lowered her head and tried to cozy up to Yanyue. What deadlock was the Demon Palace facing now?

In the silence, Qin Jun suddenly sighed heavily.

Everyone’s nerves instantly tightened.

Qin Jun said earnestly, “The Demon Palace is in good shape now. Plenty of resources, many disciples. But have you thought? Resources will be exhausted, and disciples need to eat. If mining is the only source of income, the palace can hold out for ten years, maybe. But what about twenty, thirty, or three hundred years?”

“The magic crystal mines in Canglang Mountain can probably last about three hundred years,” Xie Wangfei, responsible for prospecting and mineral exploration, knew well the entire mountain’s reserves.

“I have data to support that. Very good. Since you say the mines can last three hundred years, then tell me at what extraction rate? Can you guarantee that the demand for magic crystals outside won’t increase during those three hundred years? Can you guarantee there won’t be incidents like last month, when six thousand jin of top-grade ore was lost for no reason and someone even stole from your family?”

“I—”

“Let’s assume your data and estimates are accurate. With the Demon Palace expanding, internal demand for magic crystals is rising. What will you do with the additional people? Let them starve?”

Xie Wangfei was speechless. He had only made a casual remark, yet the fire had shifted from Shentu to him.

Qin Jun picked up her teacup, sipped, then set it down gently—a small motion that still made Xie Wangfei shudder.

“Moreover—how can you be sure your mineral surveys are absolutely correct?”

Xie Wangfei opened his mouth to argue. With his Hundred Refinement Machinery and sealing techniques from the Thousand Machines Tower, how could he be mistaken?

“When did you complete your surveys? Can the mining technology then compare to now? How much was the estimated extraction volume? The designed reserves? The long-term reserves? Do you know the distribution of various mines and the types of ores they contain? Have you fully investigated these?”

Xie Wangfei’s mouth opened and closed. In the end, he stammered answers only to a few insignificant questions. As a chosen scion, this was the first time he felt utterly ashamed. His noble head bowed; for the first time, he wondered if he had been too arrogant.

Looking up, Qin Jun nodded at him. “Answering these few questions shows you have indeed done surveys and know how to do them. As for their accuracy, we will discuss that later. You truly have foresight.”

A smile returned to Xie Wangfei’s face.

System: …Is this a slap and a sweet carrot at the same time?

Having Shentu Suxin and Xie Wangfei done, who’s next?

Qin Jun looked at the others and asked calmly, “Do you know why I want you to write daily reports and make these presentations?”

Silence filled the room. No one understood the necessity of Qin Jun’s sweeping reforms within the Demon Palace.

“Pei Yan, your work is good, right? Early to rise, late to rest, diligent, with in-depth explanations of mining techniques and magic crystal identification. Xie Wangfei, master of refining; most of the spirit tools for mining come from you, greatly easing the labor and increasing output. Yanyue, meticulous and thorough, clearing up five hundred years of the palace’s debts…” Qin Jun paused, “and Hall Masters Shentu, Qi, Duan, and Master Huidikong… You are the Demon Palace’s pillars, keeping it far ahead in the Demon Realm.”

“But how long can these advantages last? Two months ago, the Slaughter Saint Sect easily infiltrated the Demon Palace’s territory, stealing magic crystals and even the hoes personally crafted by Hall Master Xie. Do you think the staff training sessions were just for show? Do you know that outside, there are now mining-assisting puppets? That there are more efficient magic crystal transport vehicles? That sales channels and the industry chain have expanded, and alliances have formed with the Dan Academy and Tianyin Palace?”

The hall masters were stirred. The outside situation had already changed drastically.

“The training sessions aren’t just to improve the disciples’ quality and cohesion but also to help you discover problems and make progress through mutual teaching,” Qin Jun sighed deeply.

“I once thought the Palace Master’s actions were merely to assert authority, but I never imagined the depth of thought behind them,” Pei Yan said, eyes brimming with tears. “Palace Master, I vow my loyalty unto death!”

System: “Does the host really think this way?”

Only one percent of hosts with such low morality would have such high ideological awareness and sense of responsibility?

Qin Jun: “Of course. As a leader, I naturally look far ahead and plan thoroughly.”

System: …Why is it so hard to believe? Couldn’t this energy be better spent on the righteous path to solve the task?

“The current state of the Demon Palace is as such. I’m glad you can appreciate my painstaking efforts at this moment. Now—”

The familiar four words appeared again, causing everyone’s bodies to tense. Their eyes filled with a terror that touched their very souls as they looked at Qin Jun.

“The Demon Palace plans to build two dams and dig water channels to enrich the palace’s soil and facilitate water transport.”

At this moment, Duan Wujiao suddenly looked toward Long Langbai, the young lord of the Demon Palace, who had been silently following Qin Jun.

“Young Lord, what do you think?”

Sitting beside Qin Jun, Long Langbai slowly lifted his head and offered a shy smile.

“This is my ‘Feasibility Analysis Report on the Demon Palace Water Source Potential Excavation Plan’...”