sinovels Chapter 845 Waiting to see the laugh chapter
Chapter 845 Waiting to see the laugh chapter
Chapter 845 Waiting to see the joke
Gong Mengbi calmed himself in the rear hall, concentrating on his spiritual practice and testing his abilities, while everyone in the front hall had their own thoughts.
Su Zhenzhen and Chun Jingshu were scolded by Gong Mengbi and were full of complaints and grievances. They were talking amongst themselves in the north room.
Chunminwen was used to being bullied, and when she suddenly received justice from Gong Mengbi, she felt a strong sense of righteous indignation, like someone who would die for a friend. She was writing a document to borrow the files from the Secret Archives to investigate the identity of the examinee.
The Celestial Fox Institute has its own intelligence network, located under the document archive, known as the Secret Scroll Pavilion. This contains various intelligence reports compiled by dispatched fox spirits and is not open to the public. Only the various departments and units within the Celestial Fox Institute can apply to borrow it if needed.
The Secret Scroll Pavilion and the Rumor Bureau overlap to some extent, the difference being that the Rumor Bureau is hidden much deeper than the Secret Scroll Pavilion, while the Secret Scroll Pavilion is unaware that this behemoth is slumbering alongside it. To some extent, the shadows of the two have long been intertwined.
The head of the Secret Scroll Pavilion has always been the Hu family, a surname that has remained unchanged since the founding of the Heavenly Fox Academy. The Bureau of Rumors is only responsible to the Goddess; they ignore everyone else.
Hu Yingxing's ability to maintain his current position, overseeing the Second Examination Bureau and the Third Prosecution Bureau, is largely due to this.
The Heavenly Palace has ordered that those who study the Dao be put to demonic testing. It is necessary to understand clearly what lineage they belong to, what school they are from, and what supernatural powers they possess, so as to better determine whether to exert more or less effort during the demonic test.
The Demon Trial Bureau certainly cannot change the Heavenly Decree, but within its authority, it can be more lenient and cultivate good relationships with virtuous cultivators. The previous Demon Trial Envoy was able to rise to a high position precisely because of such maneuvering.
In the past, when the Demon Examination Institute wanted to borrow the examination papers, the Secret Examination Pavilion never stopped them, but today Chun Minwen was given a cold shoulder.
The fox spirit of the Secret Scroll Pavilion took his documents and placed them aside, then smiled and said, "Times have changed. We, the scribes, have been reprimanded by the higher-ups for lax discipline, and there is a risk of the secret scrolls being lost. Now, to access any files, you must report to the scribes. Only with their approval will we dare to lend them to you."
Chunminwen asked, "Then I'll trouble you, Immortal Hu, to report this."
"Unfortunately, the books are not currently in the archives, and we don't know when they will be returned. I will keep your documents for now, and if the books return, I will submit them on your behalf and notify you to come and review them."
Chun Minwen forced a smile and said, "Thank you for your trouble." He then turned and returned to the Demon Examination Hall. As he left, he could still hear suppressed laughter behind him. Chun Minwen knew perfectly well that this was a deliberate attempt to make things difficult for him, and the one being made difficult was not him, but the newly appointed Gong Mingfu.
"It is said that Gong Mingfu is incredibly skilled, possesses great supernatural powers, and has connections to the heavens. Despite being born a fox spirit, he was recommended by the Three Immortals to become the Demon Examiner, and his future is limitless. But judging from the current situation, there are probably many strange things about him."
Chun Minwen's face was not good. He felt as if dark clouds were gathering overhead, and he had a sense of gloom over the future. He comforted himself, "I'm just a clerk in the Demon Examination Bureau. I'll do the same job no matter who the envoy is. It won't affect me, will it?"
Unable to find the case file, Chun Minwen wasn't entirely without options. There were many fox spirits working at the Heavenly Fox Academy, and he had several friends with similar backgrounds, including one who worked as a clerk in the Secret Scroll Pavilion. After his shift ended, he would squat outside the Secret Scroll Pavilion and invite them for drinks.
Chun Minwen was filled with worry and sorrow, and had to pay for her own drinks, while Su Zhenzhen and Chun Jingshu remained completely silent.
Su Zhenzhen said, "Wait for me to go back and ask the head of the household before we make any plans. He wants the results tomorrow anyway, so there's no rush."
Having been wronged, Chun Jing Shu naturally wouldn't obediently back down, nor did she have any motivation.
On the second day, when it was his turn to be on duty, Gong Mengbi summoned the three men to the front hall.
The one knocking on the door was not Gong Mengbi, but the five ghosts who served Gong Mengbi. They were no longer dressed as strong servants, but instead wore blue robes with five-colored half-sleeved shirts, gauze hats, and abacuses hanging from their waists. They looked more like civil officials than Chun Minwen and Su Zhenzhen, the two civil officials.
Five ghosts and spirits served Gong Mengbi. These five ghosts and spirits, dressed as civil officials, possessed extraordinary bearing, exhibiting both the ferocity of ghosts and the compassion of gods, yet they were at Gong Mengbi's beck and call. In this small outer office, the original three had become a minority.
Gong Mengbi called on people one by one, starting with Chun Minwen.
Chunmin said, "I am ashamed to say that I only investigated Master Cheng and only know that he works in the Prince of Lu's mansion and is supported by the mansion. I have not found anything else."
Gong Mengbi asked Su Zhenzhen again, and the official's wife said softly, "The time was too short, so there was really no name of Zhang Daoren, but I have never heard of any Taoist master in the area."
Looking at Chun Jing Shu, she smiled and said, "I have found out that the Qin family is a relative of the Celestial Master. I heard that they have Celestial Master talismans, which are quite powerful and extremely effective."
"Oh?" Gong Mengbi was slightly surprised and said, "So they are relatives of the Celestial Master. Can you find out which Celestial Master they are?"
Chun Jingshu shook her head and said, "I don't know."
After reading the accounts of the three men recorded in the Five Ghosts and Gods Records, Gong Mengbi pondered for a moment and said, "The demonic trials of these three men are approaching. If they cannot complete the trials and report to the Heavenly Palace within ten days, they will likely be punished. I will depart this afternoon. Is there anything else you wish to report?"
Chunminwen gritted her teeth and said, "There is another matter to report to the envoy. In the past, if we obtained the Heavenly Palace Golden Book, we would invite the envoy to the Secret Scroll Pavilion to borrow the scrolls and investigate the places of demonic trials for the cultivators listed in the Golden Book. Then we would send people to investigate there and we would be able to learn about the person's general past experiences. This time, when I went to the Secret Scroll Pavilion to borrow it, the Secret Scroll Pavilion refused, saying that it needed to be reported to the classics."
Gong Mengbi laughed heartily and said, "They're waiting to see us make a fool of ourselves, so of course they won't agree. It's just really petty of them."
“But without the intelligence from the Secret Archives, even if we few investigate, we won’t find anything, no matter how hard we try.” Chun Minwen said with a bitter face, “If we use the wrong methods, it might be detrimental to the envoy.”
"What harm could it do to me?" Gong Mengbi said meaningfully, "The Demonic Test will still be conducted without them. You should know that the Demonic Test is directed by the Heavenly Palace. Whether you pass or not is the will of Heaven. Even if someone wants to blame someone, they can't blame me."
"The deadline set by the Golden Book is tight. I'll go and take care of these three people first. You two guard the outer office. As for other matters, we'll deal with them when I return." As he spoke, his gaze swept over the two clerks and the official, and he asked, "Which of you will come with me?"
Su Zhenzhen immediately said, "Please forgive me, Your Excellency, but I have matters to attend to at home and cannot stay away for long. It is fine for me to remain on duty, but it is not appropriate for me to go out with Your Excellency."
Gong Mengbi looked at Chun Minwen, who replied, "This humble official is able to."
Gong Mengbi refused, saying, "You stay and guard the outer post, while Envoy Chun comes with me."
"I?"
Chun Jing Shu was filled with resistance, but Gong Meng Bi did not allow her to refuse, saying only, "Go and make preparations first. We will set off in the afternoon. Don't be late."
Chun Jing Shu couldn't refuse, and although she was furious, she still had to go and make the arrangements first.