Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Qin Juan arrived at the cave dwelling specially prepared for her by Granny Longxin.

She immediately began regulating her breath and meditating.

The system was dumbfounded, shocked that Qin Juan would actively cooperate with the mission and start cultivating. So this was what it meant to be a powerhouse who, even in the final moments of life, was still thinking about paying off the mortgage and meeting performance targets.

Qin Juan focused intently on breath regulation, relying solely on instinct to circulate spiritual energy. Only the spiritual energy within her meridians existed to nourish the depleted Purple Palace. The small pearl hidden inside her body—one she could not see—was desperately draining all her spiritual energy, causing pain throughout her body.

Was it a treasure or a monster? It sucked her spiritual energy inside her body, but when in the protagonist’s hands, it helped him ascend?

There was a distinction between cannon fodder and the protagonist, but what was she? The ultimate human pillar, destined to be sacrificed to an ultimate boss who could destroy the world at a whim? Was she not afraid of filing a discrimination complaint with the guild?

Fortunately, the system favored using electric shocks, which just happened to replenish the deficit in her meridians, allowing them to recover faster. Only at a critical moment, with a burst of chūnibyō, could she have a fighting chance.

Previously, she had only tested a little in the hall—it actually worked, which gave her the courage to unleash her full power outside. Now, her hard-earned spiritual energy was exhausted, and she had to start preparing all over again.

If the electric shocks weren’t somewhat painful, she might consider using the system as her battery to recharge more times. Qin Juan wondered if her next ultimate move, if she really shouted “One hundred thousand volts” or “Thousand Birds,” might have an even better effect.

The system, immersed in the joy of success, was unaware and assumed the goosebumps crawling down Qin Juan’s back were just illusions.

Qin Juan lowered her eyes, her left hand trembling uncontrollably. The scar on the back of her hand kept splitting open, revealing fresh flesh that healed continuously with the help of true qi. The spiritual tattoo, already disfigured beyond recognition, no longer showed any trace of its former shape.

The glowing mark on the back of her hand was called a spiritual tattoo—every righteous cultivator bore one. It was the clearest symbol distinguishing righteous cultivators from those of the demon realm.

Normally, anyone living in the cultivation world, upon reaching a certain age, would undergo a talent test at the Heavenly Imperial Institute to see if they possessed innate spiritual roots. Those with spiritual roots would receive a spiritual tattoo from the Institute, signifying their identity as righteous cultivators from then on. The tattoo constantly monitored and assisted the cultivator’s practice.

When a cultivator’s innate spiritual roots were destroyed, the spiritual tattoo would vanish, and they would lose recognition as a righteous cultivator.

As for those without innate spiritual roots who still wanted to cultivate, they could not obtain a spiritual tattoo. They had to rely on swallowing pills to gather spiritual energy from heaven and earth, forming an inner elixir. These were called heretics and deviant cultivators by outsiders—thieves of destiny’s secrets and the lowest of the low, despised even more than ordinary people without cultivation.

At this moment, Qin Juan’s cultivation was lost, her golden core shattered, and naturally her spiritual tattoo destroyed.

In this world, without cultivation, ordinary people with nothing are almost unable to survive. Aside from some righteous cultivators who cannot survive outside, the vast majority in the demon realm are ordinary people scraping by without spiritual tattoos—the lowest class.

Her family lived outside, while she had entered the demon realm, risking her life mining demon crystals for money to survive.

Now, Qin Juan, once the illustrious He Shan Zhenren of the Lingxiao Sect, had become one of the “lowly people” without a spiritual tattoo.

...

Qin Juan had not been meditating long when Long Langbai arrived with others.

“Hurry up, the patient is waiting!” he urged.

“Okay, okay, I’m coming,” Qin Juan replied.

Two people entered her cold little room—one named Xie Zhan, an apothecary of the Demon Palace, and the other Long Langbai, the grandson of the old palace master.

Qin Juan mentally labeled them as the second-generation heir of the board of directors and his doctor friend.

Long Langbai straightened his collar and cleared his throat. “How are you feeling now, Palace Master Qin?”

Qin Juan opened her eyes and saw Long Langbai’s eyes moist, and behind him a young man resembling a peacock in full plumage.

“Not bad,” she said.

System: “Host, be careful not to let him discover the spiritual jade pearl.”

Qin Juan ignored the system and showed her wrist for Xie Zhan to take her pulse. “What’s the condition?”

Under Long Langbai’s urging gaze, the apothecary, pretending to be profound, finally spoke: “Your spiritual root was severed. The disadvantage is no cultivation now; the advantage is that the demonic energy will no longer erode the destroyed root or interfere with you.”

Qin Juan lowered her eyes; the burned spiritual tattoo on the back of her left hand burned, reminding her she was now a cripple.

“That also means your life will be short.”

In the demon realm, demonic energy raged, constantly eroding people’s minds. Without cultivation to protect one’s body, survival ranged from one to three years at best—either succumbing to demonic mutation or surviving but becoming a mindless monster. It was unheard of for someone badly injured like Qin Juan to regain clarity from demonic mutation.

Qin Juan looked up. Xie Zhan smiled, “But don’t worry. For Long Xiaobai’s sake, I can cure you. Being a cultivator without a spiritual root isn’t bad at all. The question is, will the proud and gifted He Shan Zhenren be willing to become a ‘lowly person’ in the eyes of outsiders?”

Those with innate spiritual roots were upper-class, promising cultivators. Those without roots but striving to cultivate were ungrateful inferiors, thieves of destiny, cursed by heaven, despised even more than ordinary people, and discriminated against wherever they went.

Qin Juan had fallen from the upper class into the mire, becoming a despised inferior.

Qin Juan was unhurried, but the system was anxious, urging her to accept Xie Zhan’s treatment while warning her not to expose her secret. In the demon realm, exposing a spiritual jade pearl was tantamount to seeking death.

---

After applying medicine to Qin Juan, Xie Zhan scrutinized her for a moment. “Long Xiaobai, I know you’re unhappy with the new palace master, but when you hit someone, don’t hit them right in the face. After all, it’s our palace master—going out with black eyes really hurts her image.”

Long Langbai turned sharply. “What nonsense are you talking about! Am I someone who hits below the belt?”

Xie Zhan didn’t reply, but his words carried an implication.

Qin Juan: “...That’s just my dark circles.”

Long Langbai sighed in relief, his clear, delicate face blooming like a spring flower, making the system click its tongue.

System: “Host, have you considered a harem route? It seems a waste for Long Langbai’s face to go unused. Also, you could consider developing a dual cultivation path—any spiritual energy is better than none.”

Qin Juan: “Emotions only slow down my rate of exploitation. Pillow talk only obstructs my wise and heroic decisions.”

The system lamented; it truly thought Long Langbai was somewhat handsome.

“True,” Xie Zhan said, “I’ve never seen dark circles so evenly distributed.”

Qin Juan asked the system, “Then why did my dark circles carry over even after transmigration?”

System: “…”

Qin Juan looked up. “Do you two have something to say?”

Long Langbai surely wasn’t here just out of goodwill to treat her injuries.

By heaven and earth, Long Langbai really meant it. She was his goddess, his role model, his guiding star. Now that she was in trouble, the pearl tarnished, how could he not perform well? To help his goddess reclaim her career peak in the Demon Palace!

As for Xie Zhan—

“I was dragged here by him. Now that the checkup is done, we should leave. The decoction will be delivered soon. Take it twice daily. In three months, your body will recover.”

“Remember to add sugar,” Qin Juan emphasized.

Xie Zhan: “...We’ll see.”

Long Langbai didn’t want to leave but couldn’t find a reason to stay, pacing like a rattle.

“If you can’t find a topic, you can talk about work,” Qin Juan said indifferently.

Long Langbai blushed instantly. “I have something important to say.”

Qin Juan looked at him.

Long Langbai lowered his head. “Since when did I become an assistant?”

“Just now,” Qin Juan said.

Long Langbai: “...”

The two words, calm and light, stopped him speechless. His joy at seeing his goddess was doused by cold water. He put on a cool facade, pretending to be strong: “I have too many tasks to handle. Granny Longxin told you to take care of me! How can I, a proud young master, be an assistant?”

Long Langbai invoked Granny Longxin’s authority. No matter how much he admired his goddess, he still craved a freer life.

“How much is left in the private vault Granny Longxin left you?”

Long Langbai was stunned, wondering why she asked that—how could he know about a private vault?

Qin Juan said, “The top-grade spiritual ore left to you is only twenty thousand jin, silver coins just over fifteen thousand taels. There are silks and brocades, but too old to be in good shape. Many treasured magical artifacts, but all in disrepair. If you want to use them again, the repair fees would consume all your silver.”

Long Langbai was dumbfounded. Why would a young master have to worry about such things?

“What does that have to do with me? The Demon Palace must have money, right? If nothing else, use the palace’s funds. You’re the palace master; you’ll figure it out, won’t you?”

A typical second-generation heir ignorant of worldly hardships. The system feared Qin Juan might suddenly lose her temper and hurt someone, but she remained surprisingly calm.

“That’s not part of Granny Longxin’s requirements. If you think your private vault should be under my control, then give me the key. From now on, I’ll manage all withdrawals. I can guarantee the vault won’t run dry—you’ll always have money.”

Even a child could guess not to hand over the vault key, not even to one’s own parents.

Long Langbai stiffened his neck. “Do you think I’m stupid? Who knows what you mean by assistant? I’ve never even heard of it.”

“Assistant, short for helping me manage the Demon Palace. If you do well, you become an exceptional assistant—a special assistant.”

“If you’re not foolish, just behave as a special assistant. You’ll get your monthly salary, plus commission and bonuses based on performance. That’ll keep your vault from running dry.”

Long Langbai hesitated, “Really? You’re not lying?”

Page 2 Ends

---

“Of course I am. I’m a bad person,” Qin Juan said casually, closing her eyes to meditate.

Long Langbai’s large eyes rolled around. His little cunning fully stirred, he half-believed her: “I’ll reluctantly trust you this once.” Then he eagerly approached.

“First, I haven’t been an assistant before. No scolding, no bullying!” he warned.

“Of course not,” Qin Juan said. “One must be reasonable. Helping you grow is part of taking care of you.”

A faint smile slowly appeared on Qin Juan’s clear, delicate face. Long Langbai was completely overwhelmed, confused and dizzy, nodding along, feeling like he had the upper hand.

Long Langbai thought for a moment, realizing since he was to be an important figure in Qin Juan’s career, he would have to worry more. He asked Qiao Wenda, “What does a special assistant do?”

Qin Juan replied, “Responsible for aligning granularity with each hall master, cross-department collaboration, empowering vertical and horizontal communication, and permeating strategic intent through the organization’s capillaries.”

Long Langbai was utterly lost. “Simplify that?” Was it his comprehension problem? He felt like he understood nothing.

“Figure it out over time,” Qin Juan brushed it off. “Remember to bring new resumes and old employees’ work reports on time. I see the ledger records some top-grade Kunlun jade in your vault. I’ll borrow it in the Demon Palace’s name, doubling repayment in a year.”

Long Langbai was completely baffled but nodded obediently. When he came to, he was standing in the courtyard, pondering life.

So, was Qin Juan chanting spells or speaking human language?

...

The room grew silent, but Qin Juan’s heart was still restless.

The system was babbling in her mind.

System: “Congratulations, host, on completing the Demon Palace conquest mission ahead of schedule. Indeed, you are a true scab, perfectly adapting from wage earner to boss, like a fish in water, masterful and flawless.”

Qin Juan closed her eyes. “Thanks for the praise. I suggest you improve your language skills to boost emotional intelligence and foster friendship.”

System: “...” Was it being scolded?

The system reorganized its words and said, “Host not only possesses boss qualities but has successfully become a boss, achieving the goal early. The future looks bright!”

“Just that the title sounds a bit nicer for a high-level wage earner,” Qin Juan said lightly. “A professional manager appointed by Granny Longxin, a senior wage earner of the Long family, that’s all.”

The system didn’t understand but pretended it did.

System: “Host, how do you plan to revitalize the Demon Palace?”

Ha! Granny Longxin’s only request was for her to maintain the status quo; the system was daring her to rejuvenate it.

It continued, “What are your next plans? Three years will pass quickly. You need a legitimate reason to leave the demon realm, to show up at the Immortal Alliance competition and frustrate the male lead, becoming his most hated rival. Before that, you must repair the spiritual jade pearl; otherwise, once the spiritual energy runs out, the mission will fail.”

Qin Juan grew impatient. “I’ve made the arrangements; watch the outcomes yourself.”

“Since you’ve assigned the tasks, what will you do?” the system persisted.

“Have you ever seen a boss do manual labor?” Qin Juan opened her eyes. “And you, go write a program to modify the Palace Master’s order, integrating clock-in and workflow reporting functions.”

“Research market consensus; don’t be blind.”

System: “...What does that mean?”

“It means imitate phones and DingTalk. Patents don’t matter in this world, so copying is easiest.”

System: “Then why didn’t you say so from the start?”

Because if people understood easily, it wouldn’t sound professional or create barriers.

“Go! Do you want to complete the mission or not?”

System: “...Yes.”

Qin Juan: “Remember to reply ‘received’ to sound professional.”

System: “...Okay, received.”