The immortal is beside me

Chapter 12 Dispute
"Important target?" Lu Zhenhai's eyebrows twitched.

In order to investigate the Peach Blossom Spring, the Liangzhou branch has deployed more than 80% of the city's elite personnel. The entire system is running at full speed, and all leaders are in a state of high tension.

If another high-risk individual appears at this critical moment, they will undoubtedly be attacked from both sides.

"What's going on with that target? Briefly explain the situation."

"Yes, he was discovered in this city a month ago. Recent archaeological findings suggest he may be related to him."

The assistant reported the situation as quickly as possible. As Lu Zhenhai listened, the frown between his brows became tighter and tighter.

"Suspected to be an ancient cultivator from the Five Barbarians period?" He pondered for a moment, "What level of cultivation is he?"

"Still under investigation."

"What sect does he belong to? Is he a ancestor or successor of a certain sect?"

"Nothing has been found so far."

"Criminal record?"

"There is no record of him killing any mortals. He did kill a few monks a month ago, for unknown reasons. However, those monks were all evil cultivators with criminal records and were not protected by the monk management law."

In order to deal with powerful individuals like monks, the Chinese government gathered forces from all sides and organized several conferences for discussions, trying to reconstruct the barbaric society of cultivators with modern laws. The Monk Management Law was the product born from these conferences.

In the minds of ordinary people, monks seem to be free-spirited individuals who love freedom and hate being bound by constraints. However, in reality, even in ancient times, most monks were managed in the form of sects, and naturally had to follow the rules of the sect.

Throughout history, there are very few independent cultivators who can truly be self-sufficient and free, and most of them are powerful people with a certain level of cultivation. Most independent cultivators are struggling on the line between life and death, trying their best to enter the sect's cage in order to obtain the sect's resources and protection.

It is for this reason that after entering the modern era, many cultivators are willing to join the official organization. To them, the official organization is equivalent to a modern version of a large sect, and even far exceeds the previous large sects in terms of personnel and resource allocation levels, not to mention that it can also provide a series of modern facilities such as food delivery, express delivery, and the Internet that greatly improve the daily life experience.

In this environment, they are naturally willing to make a promise to "comply with modern laws and moral standards" in exchange for official resources and protection. This is also the basis for the implementation of the Monastic Management Law.

To put it simply, if you don't do evil things that harm the people and are willing to sign a commitment with the authorities to abide by the law and not harm mortals, then other cultivators attacking you are equivalent to attacking ordinary citizens of the country. The state has the responsibility to protect you, and most of the time it will dispatch other official cultivators. If the matter gets out of hand, Dongfeng Express will deliver the goods to your door.

On the contrary, if you do not belong to the legal system, then even if you are killed by other monks, it will only be judged as an internal fight among monks. The country will not interfere much, and the monk who killed the monk will not be affected. After all, many ancient monks have lived for hundreds of years, and it would be a fantasy to say that they have not taken a few lives on their hands.

This was the case with the monks killed by Zhou Qing a month ago. They had wantonly harmed mortals before, and were no longer protected by the state, so their killing did not constitute a crime.

However, cases like the "Taohuayuan" case are different. Not only has it led to several vicious social incidents, it has also challenged the bottom line of modern society and triggered the restoration of feudal cultivationism. It is the primary focus of the iron fist crackdown.

Lu Zhenhai's brows relaxed slightly, and within a few seconds, he had made a judgment.

"Inform the Intelligence Department that this mission is being handled normally and according to the rules. No matter who that ancient cultivator is, don't do anything unnecessary and waste manpower. Make sure this period passes smoothly."

Lu Zhenhai said, "The current situation is very special and cannot tolerate any accidents. One ancient cultivator is a small matter, but if he affects the investigation of 'Peach Blossom Spring', none of us can bear the responsibility."

"Understood, I'll inform you right away."

"According to the rules? Is this a matter of rules?"

Loud voices echoed in the office. Several subordinates stood there without daring to breathe, just watching Li Yulan pace around the office, with veins bulging on the back of her hand holding the phone.

"You mean, treating a lion by the same rules as a sheep? With that man's strength, he could have razed half of Liangzhou City to the ground in less than a day. If he were given a few more days, he could have directly attacked from Liangzhou to the second ring of Beijing. And you expect him to follow the rules when facing such a being?"

"Listen carefully, this matter must be reported to headquarters immediately. This is not a Liangzhou-level issue at all. We must request support from above and mobilize all our resources to handle this matter."

But after only a few seconds, the voice suddenly lowered again, with a hint of surprise and hesitation in the tone.

".Taohuayuan? Have the higher-ups issued an official notice?"

"Yes, I know. Right now, all actions are prioritized for Peach Blossom Spring. But we can't just let this matter go. We must submit a request to the higher-ups! Have them transfer personnel from the capital."

"That's right, you're right. But this case is really different from the others, that file..."

The voice grew deeper and deeper, finally ending in a sigh.

Seeing Li Yulan put down the phone with a tired look on her face, the people standing next to her exchanged glances with each other several times and finally couldn't help but speak.

"Don't waste extra manpower? Why would the higher-ups give such an order?" a specialist asked in confusion. "That man was from the Five Barbarians period."

"Other branches have previously discovered several individuals with astonishing lifespans, some dating back to the Han Dynasty and even the pre-Qin period. However, they were ultimately confirmed to have either passed down a legacy and resurrected in the bodies of their descendants, or used special methods to enter a state of suspended animation, reviving after lying dormant for thousands of years."

Li Yulan's tone remained steady. "According to Qin Jiajia's previous description, when she first met Zhou Qing, he seemed to have no understanding of the common sense of this era. This suggests that he likely didn't live directly to the present day, but instead used a similar method to skip time."

"If this speculation is correct, then his true lifespan might not be as long as it appears, and his corresponding cultivation level is naturally not that terrifying. We shouldn't distract him at this time—this is Lu Zhenhai's judgment."

When she said this, her face was not very happy. She had just raised an objection to this judgment, but her superiors rejected it on the grounds of insufficient supporting evidence. They also criticized her for her lack of experience, inaccurate judgment, and indecisiveness.

The entire argument sounded logically coherent, and the underlying message was obvious, so the speaker immediately shut up. Everyone, veterans of the bureau, could see that Li Yulan wasn't convinced by her boss's words.

Unlike Lu Zhenhai, who relied on secondhand information, she witnessed the entire incident firsthand and had a deeper understanding of the man's terrifying power. Otherwise, she wouldn't have acted so uncharacteristically and slammed the table at her superiors.

But she also knew the importance of "Peach Blossom Spring".

Let alone a single ancient restoration case, even if one were to compare it to all the tasks the Environmental Sanitation Bureau had undertaken since its inception, the importance of "Taohuayuan" would rank highly. With the entire city busy with this, making a big deal out of it at this time would undoubtedly shake morale, with immeasurable consequences.

"Director, what should we do now?"

Another specialist cautiously asked, "According to Director Lu, we should continue to follow the current level of procedures to ensure he doesn't cause any trouble during his investigation of Peach Blossom Spring. Should we then send someone to monitor and control him?"

Li Yulan glanced at him and asked, "Do you believe Lu Zhenhai's judgment or mine?"

"This..." He really wanted to say that Director Lu's judgment sounded more reliable, but facing Li Yulan, he answered honestly, "Of course I trust your judgment."

"Then your idea is the worst possible strategy." Li Yulan smiled bitterly. "Control? With that person's strength, we have no chance of controlling him. All restrictions are a joke in front of a being of that level. They will only anger him and bring us greater disaster."

"Unless the country is willing to start a local war for him, all we can do is pray that he is a good person who abides by the law and has no hostility towards society. Even if he can't become an ally, at least he won't become our enemy."

Several commissioners stood there looking at each other, thinking that asking a guy who kills people along the family tree to abide by the law is no different from asking capitalists to stand up and boycott 996. Even a three-year-old child would not make such an outrageous request.

However, before the current situation, this group of elite specialists who control the undercurrents of Liangzhou City seemed to have really become three-year-old children.

There was a moment of silence. Li Yulan leaned against the table, lost in thought, a dark undercurrent surging in her eyes.

Like Lü Zhenhai, she is also a veteran commissioner with many years of experience, and she is also aware that there are many reasons to support the opposition's views.

But for some reason, she could always smell an unusual scent in Zhou Fan's case. The reason of "intuition" was not enough to convince her superiors, but it was already affecting her judgment.

"At this point, we only have one viable candidate left."

After thinking for a while, she raised her head again and said, "Call Qin Jiajia over."

With a creak, the office door was pushed open, and everyone in the room couldn't help but look up at the young girl who walked in.

Ever since the accident at the third observation station, she had been required to be isolated for 72 hours. During this period, different people conducted different types of cognitive tests on her, which lasted for more than a dozen rounds. Only after they had thoroughly confirmed that she had no evil aura and was not affected by any residual mental imprints did they agree to restore her personal freedom.

In contrast to her heated conversation just now, Li Yulan adopted a casual, chatty tone, briefly asking about her physical and mental condition. It was only at the end of the conversation that she seemingly casually brought up that topic.

"As scheduled, you will have three days to negotiate with Zhou Qing. Before you carry out the mission, there are some things I need to remind you of."

Li Yulan pondered for a moment. "After departmental evaluation, we've determined that Zhou Qing possesses significant strategic value. We should fully establish a cooperative relationship with him and incorporate him into the national system to enjoy the highest level of allowances and subsidies. Your current action is precisely to achieve this goal."

"When talking to him, forget your role as a commissioner and don't mention anything related to the bureau. You just need to maintain your original relationship with him, build on that by showing him goodwill, ask him if he has any current needs, and tell him that the authorities can help him solve them."

"Of course, while you maintain a normal mindset, you must also remain vigilant." Her voice deepened. "Regardless of the situation, Zhou Qing is also a cultivator. His thinking is fundamentally different from ours."

"Until now, apart from new cultivators like us who are specially trained by the state, cultivators willing to stand on the side of the masses have always been a minority. In terms of proportion, it is probably less than 30%."

"Are the remaining people hostile to us?" Qin Jiajia asked.

"No, they're not hostile." Li Yulan shook her head. "They just don't care."

Qin Jiajia's pupils shrank slightly and she lowered her head.

"If you don't have any other questions, that's all for today. Go back and rest, and remember to keep your phone open."

Li Yulan said, "Don't be too stressed. This is also an opportunity for you. If you can successfully complete this mission, you should be able to get approval and officially begin your cultivation."

The conversation ended there, and Li Yulan escorted her out of the office. As the door closed behind her, Qin Jiajia leaned against the wall, feeling as if her brain was about to explode.

During the previous 72 hours of isolation, she was always thinking about the unfinished negotiation task. As soon as the isolation was over, she hurried to inquire, and the answer she got was that her level was not enough to view Zhou Qing's complete profile.

She had no idea what the investigation into the Hu Jie Sect case had revealed. She had been summoned for a conversation today, and although the content and atmosphere were perfectly normal, she could still detect a subtle shift in tone.

When Zhou Qing was deemed dangerous for killing a monk, the Environmental Sanitation Bureau immediately proposed a violent suppression plan. However, after the Hu Jie Sect's investigation, everyone tacitly agreed not to use armed means.

No, that's putting it mildly. If even a newbie like her, completely clueless about the situation, could sense the shift in attitude, it meant the magnitude of the shift was incredibly significant, a complete 180-degree U-turn in the entire strategic direction.

Deterrence. The word popped into her mind. The results of just one investigation had already intimidated these seasoned commissioners and this vast department. They realized that ordinary means were no longer enough to influence that person's actions.

Thinking about everything I saw at the third observation station before, and adding all the clues together, the results of the investigation seem to be obvious.

Qin Jiajia bit her lips.

(End of this chapter)