Then let them offer their loyalty!

Page 716

Qinglan had no other hobbies. She just liked fishing and listening to music. She was a beautiful young girl, but her hobbies were like those of an old man.

Normally, Qinglan handles the affairs of the "Mist Shadow Society" and the nine states she controls. After finishing her business, she goes night fishing by the river outside "Qinglan City" or goes to a brothel to listen to music. Her main style is carefree and unrestrained.

In fact, according to the jackal, this was the result of Qinglan deliberately delaying the process.

The jackal said: Qinglan is a true genius, both in terms of talent in cultivation and in terms of political affairs.

She's just always been lazy. So she often spends 10% of her time completing 90% of the work, and then spends another 90% of her time grinding away at the remaining 10%.

After that, go and do whatever you want.

As for why they don't just finish their work and then go have fun, well, that's because... the "Hidden Mist Society" has become utterly inhuman.

Whenever a high-ranking member becomes available, the "Mist Shadow Society" immediately assigns them new tasks or jobs, allowing them to continue working on them. They've truly maximized the use of "scrolls."

So, Qinglan, who liked to slack off, studied the art of "time management" in depth after suffering a few losses, and then formulated her own itinerary and plan.

Compared to Qinglan, whose location is much more obvious, Zhaoji's whereabouts are much harder to track.

Although Zhao Ji was exceptionally beautiful and had a cold and aloof demeanor, rarely smiling, she was very conspicuous.

But... she seems to be incredibly familiar with the "Boundless Heart Sea - Core Area". Therefore, she only stops in the city occasionally.

For example, the first city she stayed in was "Sandu City", then she went to "Dahu Pass", "Lingyan Mountain" and "Yanyu Fort" and the last time she appeared was "Mandala City" in "Mandala Sand Sea".

It is said that she ventured deep into the "Sea of ​​Mandala Sands" and then disappeared without a trace.

After listening to Yu Die's introduction, Qiu Tu nodded slightly, feeling very satisfied.

Yu Die has only been in the "core area" for a little over a month, and although she has the support of massive resources and a skilled workforce, it is already quite remarkable that she was able to establish an intelligence network so quickly.

It would be very difficult for Qiu Tu to do it himself.

Just then, as Qiu Tu was thinking this, Yu Die spoke again.

She said, "By the way, Qiu Tu, there's something else I want to tell you."

Qiu Tu snapped out of his daze and looked at Yu Die. "You go ahead."

Yu Die said, "Actually... the reason why our intelligence network was established so quickly is not just because of our own manpower."

"I also recruited a group of third and fourth-tier evil gods as our outer circle members."

"Although they all possess third or fourth-tier strength, that's in the 'peripheral area.' They're completely inadequate in the 'core area.'"

"Even because they are believed to transform into 'Boundless Divine Crystals' after death, they are constantly coveted and live in misery."

"I keenly sensed this problem and recalled our strategy of 'using evil gods to control evil gods,' so I had Mu Ye gather them together, exchanging resources for intelligence. We began training them."

Upon hearing Yu Die's words, Qiu Tu pondered for a moment, then commented, "In an unfamiliar place, the quickest and most convenient way to gain power is to establish a new organization."

“Establishing an organization and having the right to allocate resources is, in effect, the beginnings of power.”

"Next, as long as we continue to deepen this approach, maintain the organizational structure with force, and win people's hearts with the power of distribution, using both carrots and sticks, we can soon use this group of evil gods."

"With this group of evil gods, it will be a great help for us to quickly open up the situation."

Qiu Tu said, "We can continue to develop along this line of thought."

At this point, Qiu Tu paused for a moment, then said, "In addition, besides Zhao Ji and Qing Lan, we need to add another person to our intelligence focus."

"Add one?" Yu Die asked curiously. "Add what?"

Qiu Tu said, "Information on Tier 8 Cataclysmic Creatures. I need as much information as possible about Tier 8 Cataclysmic Creatures, including the three Heavenly Kings of the Second Sanctuary."

"Especially information about Li Feng's mother, the Blazing Flame King."

Upon hearing Qiu Tu's words, Yu Die couldn't help but open her mouth, wanting to ask the reason.

Just then, footsteps suddenly sounded outside.

The next second, the jackal rushed into the house.

Seeing the jackal's appearance, Qiu Tu frowned and asked, "What's wrong? What happened?"

After saying that, Qiu Tu couldn't help but ask again, "Could it be that Zhu Wu has gotten into trouble again?"

Upon hearing Qiu Tu's words, the jackal hurriedly shook his head, "No, no. Master. It's Qing..."

Perhaps remembering that they were currently in Qinglan's controlled territory, the jackal quickly whispered, "Lord Qinglan has arrived in 'Sandu City'."

-----

It seems Qidian has started a new "Masterpiece Nomination" event. Our book didn't even aim for a nomination, but we got too few votes—it's a bit embarrassing. Many new books with lower performance than ours have made it into the top 200 or 300.

Could any helpful book lovers please nominate some books? Each person can nominate 20 books; this won't take up any slots for books you genuinely want to submit. Thank you so much! Love you all!

Chapter 626 Qinglan: Qiu Tu is an interesting person

Upon hearing the jackal's words, Qiu Tu and Yu Die were both taken aback, and then they exchanged a glance.

Qiu Tu didn't speak, but Yu Die, sitting to his left, seemed to know him inside and out. She first looked at the jackal and asked, "Is Princess Qinglan here in the 'Three Capitals'?"

"When did she arrive? And how did you know?"

Upon hearing Yu Die's words, the jackal quickly replied, "Lord Qinglan arrived at 'Sandu City' half an hour ago."

"I knew she was here because when I went to find Lady 'Candle Dance' just now, I heard her voice as soon as I entered the brothel."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Tu narrowed his eyes slightly and then said, "You mean... it was Princess Qinglan who took the initiative to contact you?"

The jackal was half-bent over, his slender body giving off a sleazy vibe. He grinned and nodded, "Yes. It was Lord Qinglan who approached me."

Yu Die looked at Qiu Tu, and the two exchanged a brief glance before Yu Die asked again, "What does she want with you?"

The jackal lowered his head, glanced cautiously at Qiu Tu, and then spoke, "She...she asked me to pass on a few words to the master."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Tu's gaze darkened slightly, his mind racing, and he roughly guessed what was going on...

He sat up straight, looked at the jackal with an air of authority, and then asked, "What message did His Highness Qinglan ask you to deliver?"

The jackal swallowed hard, shrinking back, and then cautiously said, "Lady Qinglan instructed me to tell the Master to leave the 'Divine Realm Kingdom' under her control before sunrise tomorrow."

"If you don't leave, then don't blame her for being ruthless."

After saying that, the jackal glanced up and secretly looked at Qiu Tu's expression.

He thought that Qiu Tu would be furious or turn pale with anger upon hearing these words.

But... nothing happened!

Qiu Tu was not angry at all; on the contrary, his face was full of smiles, as if... he had guessed it all along.

Upon seeing this, a question mark appeared on the jackal's head. He couldn't understand why Qiu Tu was behaving this way.

He was incredibly anxious on his way back after receiving Qinglan's telepathic message. He felt ashamed that Qinglan had discovered his betrayal, worried about Qiu Tu's anger, and afraid that the two of them would fight.

As a result... Qiu Tu not only wasn't angry, but he even smiled?

Thinking this, the jackal lowered its head and leaned forward like a dog, tentatively asking, "Master, you... don't seem angry?"

Upon hearing the jackal's words, Qiu Tu, who was sitting upright in the main seat, looked at him and then asked with a smile, "Why should I be angry?"

The jackal opened its mouth, as if to say something, but for a moment it didn't know how to begin.

So, in the end, he just scratched his head in confusion, then opened his mouth, revealing his sharp teeth, and asked in a simple-minded manner, "But... Lord Qinglan expelled you."

Qiu Tu smiled and shook his head. "So what?"

After speaking, he didn't explain himself, but instead glanced at Yu Die and asked, "Speaker Yu Die, when you chose our base in the 'Core Area,' why did you choose 'Three Capitals City'?"

Hearing Qiu Tu's words, Yu Die straightened up slightly and then said, "Because the 'Mist Hidden Society' is one of the largest forces in the 'Western Kingdom'."

"And in the states near the 'Northwest Region,' at least half are under the control of the 12 high-ranking members of the 'Mist Shadow Society.'"

"Among all the high-ranking officials, Princess Qinglan is the most friendly and neutral towards us; according to her personality, she is also the least likely to take action."

"Choosing her would provide a relatively stable place to stay, allow us to obtain intelligence about the 'Hidden Mist Society' nearby, and also sow discord within the 'Hidden Mist Society'—it's a win-win situation."

Upon hearing Yu Die so bluntly say "stirring up trouble," the jackal was stunned for a moment, then quickly put his hand to his lips in a "shh..." gesture.

He looked around nervously, then whispered to Yu Die, "Lady Yu Die, please be quiet, please be quiet. Lady Qing Lan may have been listening to our conversation."

Seeing the jackal's cautious demeanor, Qiu Tu smiled. Then he said, "Jackal, since 'Three Capitals City' is under Princess Qinglan's control, then she is omniscient and omnipotent here."

"She wants to hear it, so it doesn't matter if your voice is loud or soft."

"She wants to see, and every move you make has already been observed by her."

"But, once the words are out, if she wanted to scold or attack, she would have done so already."

"So the fact that she hasn't taken any action yet proves that she doesn't care about our honesty."

Jackal:.....

To be honest, Qiu Tu's words sounded somewhat sophistical. But upon closer examination, they didn't seem to have any problems.

'So... Princess Qinglan is really watching us? And she doesn't seem to mind Lady Yudie's frankness?'

Perhaps because Qiu Tu had never made a mistake since they met, Jackal nodded in agreement, even though he felt that such a judgment was too arbitrary.

Moreover... a leader's composure is truly contagious. So, seeing Qiu Tu so calm and collected, his heart gradually calmed down as well.

After a moment of quiet contemplation, he chuckled and said, "You're right, my lord. It seems I haven't thought things through enough."

Hearing what the jackal said, Qiu Tu nodded slightly and continued the conversation, "Not only are you thinking too little, but... you clearly haven't fully grasped Princess Qinglan's personality."

Hearing Qiu Tu's words, the jackal was also curious about where he had gone wrong. So he lowered his head and said, "Please enlighten me, my lord."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Tu slowly spoke, "Why did Princess Qinglan not come earlier or later, but only after I had actually arrived in the 'Three Capitals City'?"

On the jackal's gaunt face, his brows furrowed slightly, his mind racing.

However, Qiu Tu was clearly not really asking a question. Before he could even speak, Qiu Tu answered his own question, "Because... she has actually been paying attention to you all these days."

"The ruler of a region has absolute awareness of the region he or she has."

"When I advance to the 7th rank, I can sense any creature that enters my area and locate it within milliseconds."

"I believe that this control will be even stronger after advancing to the 8th rank."

"So... if I'm not mistaken, Princess Qinglan has been secretly observing you all these days, and she probably already discovered that the person following Zhuwu is an imposter."

Upon hearing Qiu Tu's words, both Jackal and Rain Butterfly were startled.

But Qiu Tu didn't care. He continued his analysis, "But... just because Princess Qinglan knows doesn't mean that others know."

"During this time, Zhuwu has been taking me to brothels and indulging in wine and women every day. This has already spread throughout several nearby states, and even some powerful forces in the 'Northwest Region' have heard of it."

"So, if I'm not mistaken, many high-ranking members of the 'Hidden Mist Society' should also know about it."

"Without knowing that it was a clone, those higher-ups most likely put pressure on Princess Qinglan, demanding that she eliminate me, her enemy."

“But… Princess Qinglan has always been…” Qiu Tu paused here. He wanted to use the word “lazy,” but after thinking about it, he changed it to a more positive word, “Princess Qinglan has always preferred to govern by doing nothing and does not want to have conflicts with others. That’s why she has been dragging her feet on taking action.”

"And what she's warning us about now is... just a warning."

"Following this line of thought, you will easily understand the purpose of this warning."

"Whether we leave or not is not important. What's important is... that we let the other high-ranking members of the 'Mist Shadow Society' know that we've left, so that Princess Qinglan will have an excuse not to get involved in this matter."

"Therefore, all I need to do is put on a show and keep 'Candle Dance' under control, preventing her from showing her face in public again and causing trouble for Princess Qinglan."

After saying that, Qiu Tu looked up at the sky, then smiled and said, "Tell me, am I right, Your Highness Qinglan?"

As Qiu Tu spoke, the room fell silent for a moment.

Jackal and Rain Butterfly, who had been listening intently, suddenly woke up and reflexively looked up at the ceiling. They were obviously curious whether Qinglan was really observing everyone and whether she agreed with Qiu Tu's guess.

And so, one second, two seconds, three seconds... time passed second by second.

Just when Jackal and Rain Butterfly thought Qiu Tu's attempt to show off had failed...

Well, nothing has happened yet.

Qinglan didn't say a word, and there was no sound from inside the room.

For a moment, the two gave Qiu Tu a strange look, then lowered their heads, their faces filled with embarrassment and suppressed laughter...

After all, Qiu Tu was usually incredibly resourceful, so this sudden failure was indeed very rare.

However, this awkward situation didn't change Qiu Tu's expression in the slightest. He casually picked up the teacup beside him, took a small sip, and then said nonchalantly...

"Don't think I'm wrong."

"You know, there's a saying in my hometown: a boss's dignity comes from how much he pays wages. A boss who pays low wages has no right to assign work."