The Happy Farmer Wanderer-Chapter 759 The Tricky Underground Palace_1

Li Qing, though a newcomer to the Ninth Bureau, was now in a situation that could hardly be considered good with the organization.

As for what kind of ending it might lead to, even Li Qing himself felt uneasy.

If the Ninth Bureau didn’t give up on the excavation and development of King Qi’s Underground Palace, Li Qing’s path ahead would inevitably be complicated and fraught with difficulty.

Therefore, there were certain things he simply couldn’t discuss with Lü Zong, and Li Qing didn’t want to elaborate at the moment.

Lü Zong, picking up on the cue, didn’t press further. His roundabout inquiries were not just out of curiosity but also a bit self-serving.

He wanted to understand more, to lay the groundwork for himself to be able to scale walls and control flying arrows like Li Qing.

After a brief chat, the person in charge from the distillery called. They had finished up and were on their way to the Impression Hotel. So Li Qing and Lü Changxi moved their venue, switching to a private room at the Impression Hotel.

After making the acquaintance of the distillery’s management team, the true battle began before they had even had a few bites of their meal.

These were people whose job was making wine, and each of them could drink fiercely, using the liquor dispensers as their cups.

When they raised their ’cups’ to drink, Li Qing’s scalp already felt numb.

He did feel confident about his drinking, but such a method of drinking still seemed a bit daunting.

After a round of toasts with seven or eight people, Li Qing started to feel a bit dizzy. He quickly used his spiritual power to dissipate the effects of the alcohol and began his counterattack, holding his glass. These wily old hands had come at him with liquor dispensers from the get-go. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

He returned the favor, toasting each of the senior leaders in turn. One cup for him, three for them—that’s the slight prerogative of being a leader.

By the time he had made his way around, two of them were already down for the count.

Lü Zong watched the scene, dumbfounded, his expression almost petrified.

"Qingzi, your capacity for alcohol is practically beastly. That must be over five kilograms now, right?" Lü Changxi exclaimed in surprise.

"Lü Zong, you have to include the bottles under my feet. These wily old hands made me drink nearly four bottles right off the bat," said Li Qing with a laugh. As he drank and used spiritual power to dissipate the alcohol, it was like drinking water with a hint of alcohol taste for him.

Lü Zong looked under the table and shook his head in disbelief, "Truly beastly. Any leader who’s as honest as you would end up drinking themselves to death sooner or later."

As the wine party was in full swing, Li Qing suddenly received a message.

Seeing that message, the smile faded quietly from his face. Silently putting away his phone, Li Qing stood up and said to Lü Changxi, "Lü Zong, it seems I can only stay for this much of the gathering today. Something urgent has come up; you guys continue without me."

Lü Zong didn’t say much, only standing up to walk Li Qing to the door before asking, "Do you need help?"

Li Qing shook his head, "You guys keep drinking."

After leaving the private room, he headed directly to the rooftop of the Impression Hotel.

In the pitch-dark night, the neon lights of the city shone a hazy glow onto the sky, with patches of white here and there painted with splashes of red.

The progress of the era was particularly evident in the night, but sadly, the primal starry sky was lost.

Dian Chunqiu, with his towering figure, stood alone at the edge of the rooftop, wearing a well-tailored coat—below him, a bustling street, proving that though mountains reach high, it’s people who peak.

"I hate to disrupt your enjoyment, but I have a compelling reason to come today," Dian Chunqiu said lightly, his back to Li Qing.

"Director Dian, please give me your orders directly," Li Qing said, standing still three steps behind Dian Chunqiu.

Dian Chunqiu turned around, his gaze sharp as a knife’s edge, staring directly at Li Qing and asked, "Is the Master of the Underground Palace by your side right now?"

Li Qing knew that since Dian Chunqiu asked such a question, the other party must already know something, and there was no need for concealment, so he nodded, "Indeed, they are by my side. Is this matter very tricky right now?"

"Very tricky, or you could say extremely so," Dian Chunqiu walked away from the edge of the rooftop, "In some sense, the lifespan of a Cultivator is endless. As long as one continues to gain strength, achieving true immortality is even possible. However, times have changed. In our world, the highest realm for Cultivators is the Nascent Soul Peak. Unable to cross over that rift in the sky and become a Terrestrial Immortal."

"Without entering the Divinity Transformation, lifespan is finite, reaching the limit at three hundred years for Nascent Soul. The emergence of King Qi’s Underground Palace has given a group of old immortals great hope, an artifact that can keep someone in a thousand-year slumber without decay, which is currently their most coveted item."

"The world is undergoing some changes. Perhaps, in the near future, it will give birth to genuine Divine Transformation Realm Experts. Those old immortals believe that by uncovering King Qi’s Underground Palace, they might be able to step into Divinity Transformation."

"What’s your stance on this now, Director?" Li Qing asked.

Dian Chunqiu shot Li Qing an annoyed look, "Stupid thing, I am merely a director, and a deputy at that. How much authority do you think I have? Although the Ninth Bureau has significant power, we lack both people and strength. Our current power is merely comparable to that of a noble family. After those families reached a common understanding, do you think my words count for anything?"

"The Ninth Bureau... short of people?!" Li Qing was somewhat taken aback.

In his mind, the Ninth Bureau represented the national apparatus; how could it possibly be reduced to lacking personnel.

Dian Chunqiu looked at Li Qing irritably, "Forget it, let me tell you about history."

"Our control over Cultivators only appeared in recent years. The only real recruits we can acquire are the lone Cultivators, but can they really compete with those Sects and noble families that have been around for who knows how many years? Later, after much negotiation with several major Sects and the world, we established some rules, asking them to send disciples to join the Ninth Bureau, just like your Nine Truth Palace."

"But if a real crisis arises, would you side with the Ninth Bureau or the Nine Truth Palace?"

"It depends on the situation," Li Qing pondered and then replied.

Dian Chunqiu snorted, "So, you hear for yourself, do you think the Ninth Bureau could not be short of people? Lone Cultivators lack resources and background; they can never catch up with the cultivation speed of noble families and various Sects. Only barely one in a hundred is strong enough to be considered passable."

"If a real crisis were to emerge, the Ninth Bureau could only play the role of mediator and peacemaker, without the absolute force to suppress the issue. These noble families and Sects, I don’t know where they picked up such bad habits—on the surface, each one pretends to be poor and weak, but which one doesn’t have a few antiques tucked away?"

"Just like your Nine Truth Palace, flaunting three Nascent Souls in the open, as if that’s the limit. But when a crisis truly occurs, I can guarantee at least six Nascent Souls could emerge from your ranks, and that’s probably an understatement!"