Immortal Dao is dead, I am the mastermind behind it all.

The cave was completely silent, with only the faint hum of flowing magical energy.

Only when a mouse squeaked did Shen Moyan show joy.

"After multiple adjustments to the array patterns, the treasure-hunting rat finally survived the 42nd experiment."

"It's not easy."

After recording the data, Shen Moyan held the terrified treasure-hunting rat in his hand, a slight smile playing on his lips:

"Alright, let's test the teleportation array to go back."

After saying that, he put the treasure-hunting rat back into the portal.

……

In Kongsang County, at the elegant Juxian Pavilion.

The moonlight outside the window was hazy, while the lights inside the building were bright.

"Congratulations on your promotion, Fellow Daoist Jiang!" Shen Yi, the paper doll of Shen Moyan, raised his glass in congratulations.

This was a banquet that, while not grand, was respectable enough to celebrate Jiang Zhiqi's official appointment as the Inspector of Langya Prefecture.

The guests were mostly classmates from the academy, along with a few familiar young officials. The atmosphere was warm yet refined.

Shen Moyan's paper doll clone, now known as "Ren Wuchang," was naturally also among the guests, as Jiang Zhi Qiu's drinking buddy.

He was well-mannered, witty and insightful in his speech, and interacted with people with ease.

After several rounds of drinks, the atmosphere became increasingly lively.

Some people spurred Jiang Zhiqi to speak about the ways of being an official. Although Jiang Zhiqi was slightly tipsy, his eyes remained clear. He raised his wine cup, faced the crowd, and said, half seriously and half jokingly:

"Fellow Daoists, you are too kind to us. Now that we have entered this gate, it is our duty to guard our hearts and uphold righteousness."

"The position of inspector is to patrol and quell injustices in all directions, and to ensure the integrity of the administration. From now on, let's handle official business officially, and keep our personal relationships separate, especially with Brother Ren!"

He smiled and raised his glass to "Ren Wuchang": "Since we are working together in Kongsang County, we must remember to avoid forming cliques and maintaining some distance in order to last."

"Don't let me find out about you one day, or this wine won't taste so good."

Everyone laughed upon hearing this. Some praised Inspector Jiang for his integrity, while others jokingly advised him to be careful in the future.

Shen Moyan raised his glass in response, a faint smile playing on his lips: "Brother Jiang, rest assured, I will act only with a clear conscience and will never cause you any trouble."

His tone was frank, but his gaze seemed to casually sweep over a simple jade pendant with mysterious patterns that Jiang Zhi Qiu carried with him, a symbol of the Jiang family's status.

Just then, someone at the gathering mentioned several major smuggling cases in Langya Prefecture in recent years, which involved a wide range of people. They lamented that even though the Holy Court's laws were strict, there were still times when people were wronged.

Somehow, the conversation drifted to legendary imperial favors such as "iron-clad certificates" and "golden tokens of immunity from death."

Seeing that the time was ripe, Shen Moyan casually replied, turning his gaze to Jiang Zhiqi with just the right amount of inquiry and respect:

"Speaking of this get-out-of-jail-free card, I recall a rumor."

"I've heard that Brother Jiang's ancestors were once personally granted a meeting by the Yellow Emperor? I wonder if this is true? The Jiang family has a noble family tradition; to receive such an honor, one must have performed extraordinary deeds, right?"

His question was cleverly worded, displaying extreme humility and reverence for the Jiang family ancestors.

Jiang Zhi Qiu's smiling expression turned slightly serious, and a complex light flashed in her eyes, containing both pride and deep pain.

He put down his wine glass, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the jade pendant. After a moment of silence, he slowly spoke, his voice lower and carrying a hint of pride as a member of the Jiang family:

"Since Brother Ren has asked, it's not something that can't be told. It's not some honor to boast about, but something my Jiang family ancestors earned with their blood and lives."

He looked up, his gaze seemingly piercing through the pavilion, gazing into the distant past.

"That was during the Wanbao era, or even earlier... Ancient records are vague. Before the Nine Songs Immortal Lord attained enlightenment, a terrifying being that had been sleeping in the mountains and seas since ancient times awakened from the endless abyss beneath this earth."

"It is not an ordinary demon, but... a fallen giant of the Kuafu tribe."

"The Kuafu tribe?" someone at the table murmured, clearly having heard of the legends of this ancient divine tribe.

"That's right." Jiang Zhi Qiu nodded, his expression solemn.

"But he was not a primordial deity who drank from the river every day; rather, he was corrupted by some unknown force, his soul and spirit destroyed, and he transformed into a demon who only knew destruction!"

"Its body was comparable to a mountain, its eyes were as red as a blood moon, and it could cross rivers in a single step. Wherever it passed, the land was scorched and the people were devastated... It came from the east and went straight for the most densely populated area of ​​Langya Prefecture at that time."

"At that time, the Holy Court's power had not yet covered the four corners of the world, and the inter-state teleportation array in Langya Prefecture had not yet been established. It would take a full year or even several years to request aid from other states."

"That demon is far stronger than an ordinary True Monarch, and even comparable to a Tribulation-level cultivator! The entire Langya Prefecture is in grave danger." Jiang Zhi Qiu's voice trembled slightly. "The then-head of my Jiang family led all the cultivators of the clan, even lowering our heads, and joined forces with several fellow Daoists from reclusive lineages to confront that demon head-on."

"That battle..." He took a deep breath. "According to our ancestors, that demon's roar could shatter mountains, and with a wave of its hand, the earth would shake."

"With each breath, the boundless ocean is swallowed up by whales and drunk by oxen."

Upon hearing this, Shen Moyan seemed to be deep in thought.

"Our Jiang family cultivators formed an array and self-destructed flying swords just to stop them one step, and used their flesh and blood to withstand their trampling just to buy time for the foreign aid of the other state... Of the elders in the clan, eight or nine out of ten are gone, and the direct descendants are almost all killed or wounded."

"In the end, it was the then patriarch, one of my great-uncles, who burned his entire soul and lifespan, activating the clan's forbidden technique, which transformed into an endless green blade, that barely managed to sever the demon's head."

"It was only by its head falling into the void of the Nine Abyss on the battlefield that it was barely ended."

The private room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Shen Moyan's clone, standing to the side, looked deep in thought.

"In that battle, hundreds of millions of people in Langya Prefecture survived, but my Jiang family... had its foundation almost destroyed."

Jiang Zhiqi said with a heavy heart, "Later, the Xuanhuang Emperor, grateful for the Jiang family's selfless protection of all living beings, bestowed upon us a golden plaque, saying that any descendant of the Jiang family who does not betray the human race or defy the will of Heaven can be spared the death penalty once."

"He even had the Immortal Lord of the Three Lives Forgetful River open a separate passage for the sacrificed person on the Bridge of Helplessness."

"With such high regard, how could my Jiang family possibly fail to repay the Emperor's kindness?"

He looked at Ren Wuchang, then at everyone at the table, his eyes regaining some of the sharpness of an inspector: "So, Brother Ren, everyone, that gold medal doesn't represent privilege, but responsibility."

"It serves as a reminder to the descendants of the Jiang family that we must not forget the aspirations of our ancestors and that we should take it upon ourselves to protect the common people."

"I, Jiang Zhiqi, would never, and dare not, engage in factionalism, favoritism, or pervert the course of justice."

He stared at Shen Moyan, as if trying to see through him.

His words were spoken with great conviction.

The lively atmosphere at the gathering turned solemn, and when everyone looked at Jiang Zhi Qiu again, their eyes couldn't help but show more respect.

Shen Moyan listened quietly, then raised his wine glass, offering a toast to Jiang Zhi Qiu and also to the void, his tone sincere:

"I see. Brother Jiang's ancestor made great contributions to the country and the people, and his deeds will be remembered for generations to come. He is truly admirable."

"I was being presumptuous, so I'll punish myself with a drink."

Having said that, he drank the wine in his cup in one gulp.

Shen Moyan, however, understood the situation perfectly.

During the Wanbao era, the corrupted Kuafu tribe...

The significance of the Jiang family's gold medal is far greater than imagined.

The causes and effects involved are perhaps far more complex than just a tragic sacrifice.

You should know that in its previous life, this gold medal was capable of summoning the Dharma image of the Nine Songs Immortal Lord.

Furthermore, where is the severed head of that Kuafu demon now?

The banquet continued, but the conversation shifted to other topics.