After the fairy disappeared

Chapter 2547 Doubt and Response
"Controlling the progress of the experiment is Master Xiao's prerogative; but managing the personnel of Lingyun Palace is the duty of Supervisor Deng." "Hu Xin" smiled and bowed, but her words were neither humble nor arrogant. "With Supervisor Deng absent, I am temporarily handling his affairs and will certainly deal with Liu Qun according to the palace rules and regulations. Master Xiao is so busy with important matters, how could he possibly have the time to concern himself with such trivial matters?"

This is a tough statement delivered in a softer way, directly pointing to personnel changes outside the experimental field that are outside Xiao Ping's authority.

She crossed the line.

He also emphasized that the matter must be handled according to established rules and regulations, and that simply saying "kill" is not enough. The palace has its own rules; this is how a well-organized institution operates.

Xiao Ping toyed with the tiger-head paperweight, a forced smile on her face: "I'm not used to Commander Hu suddenly being so assertive. Holding the command token makes you all the more confident, doesn't it?"

The word "suddenly" was emphasized.

Inside the Bean Garden, everyone held their breath, their hearts pounding with tension. How much suspicion had Xiao Ping harbored? Was she planning to make a move against Jiu You?

Where exactly did Jiuyou slip up? This woman is too perceptive.

Aunt Zhu quickly added, "She doesn't have the level of an immortal, so I can capture her immediately. Using her as a hostage, we might be able to break out of the Spiritual Palace."

However, their plan to infiltrate Yanxia Bay had to be declared a failure.

He Lingchuan glanced at Xiao Yun out of the corner of his eye and noticed that her gaze kept lingering on the paperweight in Xiao Ping's hand and the "Hu Xin" sign below it, and she looked nervous.

"Oh dear, Lord Xiao, please don't put me in such a difficult position. I don't want to upset you if there's even the slightest chance." He rubbed his hands and gave a wry smile. "The tasks that Supervisor Deng assigned me are all ones that offend people, and I have to grit my teeth and do them. Take the job I just assigned to Steward Wu, for example; he rolled his eyes at me several times."

Hu Xin was originally just a supervisor, but he already wielded considerable power in Lotus Valley. However, Xiao Ping, as the actual person in charge of the Divine Descent Project, would never normally pay him any attention. But the current situation is special, and with Deng Yanlong absent, Hu Xin is temporarily handling the affairs.

As one of the two chief supervisors, Deng Yanlong was in charge of all matters, big and small, related to the research of Lingyun Palace. While he wasn't exactly on equal footing with Xiao Ping, Xiao Ping still had to treat him with respect, since the Heavenly God was the real boss at the very top of Lingyun Palace.

These are two groups of people under the control of the gods, who cooperate with each other but also frequently clash.

Therefore, Hu Xin's current status and power are actually somewhat delicate.

Because of this sudden increase in power and responsibility, he briefly gained the confidence to not be subservient to Xiao Ping.

But Xiao Ping had long been used to bossing these middle managers around, and she couldn't and didn't want to change in the short term.

Hu Xin, on the other hand, needs to consider the future.

Once Deng Yanlong returns to Lingyun Palace and relinquishes his authority, how will he, a mere supervisor, face Xiao Ping?
Therefore, it's best to be polite and avoid offending anyone.

He Lingchuan deduced Hu Xin's mindset: she was caught in a dilemma—she had to do the work Deng Yanlong had assigned her, but at the same time, she didn't want to provoke Xiao Ping.

He had to show Xiao Ping this conflicted feeling.

"Alright, let's not talk about that anymore." Xiao Ping picked up her pen again to write, saying, "Just now in the garden, I left first, and you and him stayed. What happened after that?"

The "he" in this context refers to Duan Heyun.

So that was the real reason she called Hu Xin over.

He Lingchuan told her everything in detail, including not only his interactions with Duan Heyun and Alian in Lotus Valley, but also the entire process of him following Duan Heyun into the Glazed Sea.

The cardamom garden was completely silent. Even Aunt Zhu was on tenterhooks, wondering if it was a good idea to reveal everything.

Isn't Jiuyou being a bit too honest? Although there seems to be nothing that can't be said to others.

However, in accordance with his agreement with Duan Heyun, He Lingchuan omitted a small portion of the content.

Xiao Ping's eyes flickered slightly: "You're looking for him to patch up the hole in Dahai Panche?"

Hu Xin gave an awkward laugh: "We can't delay the experiment after dawn."

What is the actual person in charge? It's someone who has to find a way to fix things when their subordinates make a mistake.

If you don't have any ability to get things done, how can you swagger around in that position?

Xiao Ping chuckled and suddenly changed the subject: "Has your stomach pain eased?"

Hu Xin subconsciously clutched his stomach: "Thank you for your concern, Master Xiao, it's nothing."

Xiao Ping then said to Xiao Yun, "Give Hu Guandai a Gu Shen Dan."

"Yes."

Xiao Yun took a small, dark green pill, about the size of a fingertip, from the box behind Xiao Ping and presented it to He Lingchuan. He picked it up and looked at Xiao Ping: "Master Xiao?"

"This is a good medicine for smoothing the meridians and dispelling stagnation and blood stasis. Take it." Xiao Ping smiled slightly as she watched him examine the pills and rub them in his palms. "What, are you afraid I'll poison you?"

She wanted to see if he would eat it or not.

Xiao Yun chimed in, "This is a fine medicine; it wasn't easy to make."

"Master Xiao is too kind. I would be more than happy to have such a good medicine." He Lingchuan put the pill in his mouth, cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Master Xiao."

"If there's nothing else, I still have..."

Hu Xin is also someone who is busy with important matters and will not stay here indefinitely.

Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Ping interrupted him:

"There's one more thing—"

"I asked you ten days ago if you wanted to be transferred to my team." She spoke quickly. "You said you'd think about it. Ten days have passed, what's your decision?"

Ten days ago?
Of course, only Hu Xin herself knows what happened ten days ago.

In the Bean Garden, everyone's eyes turned to Hu Xin, and Aunt Zhu asked him sternly, "Ten days ago, did Xiao Ping want to transfer you to work under her? Speak!"

"Ten..." Hu Xin was stunned, then shuddered, "Ah..."

Aunt Zhu shouted again, "If you dare to lie, I'll scoop out your brains!"

Hu Xin nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, that's right, I remember now."

Aunt Zhu immediately said to He Lingchuan, "Hu Xin said that this is indeed true!"

At this moment, everyone was grateful that they had the treasure, the Cardamom Garden, which allowed them to put the prisoners inside and resolve the crisis immediately.

After asking her question, Xiao Ping stared intently at He Lingchuan, and stopped playing with the paperweight.

How would he answer?

"Ten..." The "Hu Xin" in front of him scratched the back of his head, looking a little confused. "Ten days ago?"

Everyone inside and outside the Bean Garden heard it clearly: "Master Xiao, how come I don't remember this happening?"

"Hey..." Aunt Zhu was anxious, thinking that He Lingchuan hadn't heard her message clearly.

Immortal Mingke raised his hand to interrupt her: "Calm down!"

Upon hearing Jiuyou's answer, he also sensed something was amiss. Could it be...?
"Are you forgetful?" Xiao Ping said impatiently. "You came to Quanyin Pavilion to get the token ten days ago. It's right here. I asked you."

(End of this chapter)