NOVPUBWhen Wang Ba arrived at Diwu Hall, he found the already busy hall even busier than usual.
"Greetings, Right Enforcer!"
"The Right Enforcer is here?"
Upon seeing Wang Ba, the cultivators dressed in Diwu Hall attire, although preoccupied, mostly paused to offer their greetings.
The position of the Right Enforcer, within Diwu Hall, was nominally second only to the Hall Master and the Vice Hall Master.
Although Wang Ba was only at the Golden Core realm, openly, no one in Diwu Hall, whether they were engaged in tasks or were Deacons or other Enforcers, dared ignore his status.
Especially since it seemed that this Enforcer Wang was also well-regarded by Vice Master Song, naturally, everyone was careful not to treat him lightly. 𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙥𝒖𝒃.𝙘𝙤𝒎
Seeing these cultivators, Wang Ba didn’t put on airs, but responded with a smile:
"Ah, Enforcer Dai, is Master Song in the hall right now?"
"He is, Master Song is currently inside giving instructions; I’ve just come out from there. You should hurry over, Right Enforcer."
Enforcer Dai, who had recently entered the Nascent Soul realm, chatted with a smile on his face for a moment before hurrying off.
Watching his hurried departure, Wang Ba couldn’t help but recall the news he had heard over on Xinjian Peak.
After a brief contemplation, Wang Ba decided not to dwell on it any longer and headed into the hall.
Soon, he saw Master Song Dongyang standing among a group of Enforcers in the center of the hall.
At that moment, he was giving instructions with a serious demeanor to the Enforcers in front of him.
Noticing Wang Ba’s arrival, a rare smile appeared on Song Dongyang’s face, and he hastily called out:
"Right Enforcer, come here."
Wang Ba quickly approached, glanced over the nearby Enforcers, and said with a bow and a hint of confusion:
"Master, what is...?"
Song Dongyang didn’t have time for mysteries and quickly said, "I will soon be departing for Chen State. There are many matters I’m not entirely comfortable with, so I’m giving them instructions one by one to prevent any issues while I’m away."
Wang Ba was taken aback:
"To Chen State..."
His thoughts raced, and in a low voice he said, "Is it because of Qi?"
Song Dongyang showed a bit of surprise at the question before he couldn’t help but exclaim:
"I can’t hide anything from you."
Upon hearing this, Wang Ba didn’t feel like joking with Song Dongyang as usual. His mind turned, and he immediately raised his hand earnestly and said:
"Rest assured, Master. In your absence from the sect, I will do my best to maintain the normal operations of Diwu Hall together with my colleagues."
Song Dongyang looked at Wang Ba and said:
"You wish it were so simple. This time going to Chen State, you will be coming with me."
Wang Ba was taken aback:
"I am going, too?"
"With your meticulous mind and skill in handling these miscellaneous affairs, we can’t do without you. I’ve already discussed it with Master Xi, and he nodded in agreement,"
Song Dongyang stated matter-of-factly.
Then, while continuing to arrange various matters with the surrounding Enforcers, he said to Wang Ba:
"I called you here to let you know you should also bring some capable people with you."
"We’ll depart at the latest by tomorrow. Make your preparations hurriedly, we may leave at any moment if pressed for time."
Upon hearing this, though Wang Ba would have preferred to stay in the sect, he knew there was no room for refusal.
He bowed to Song Dongyang:
"Wang Ba will obey the command and prepare now."
After leaving Diwu Hall, he stood outside for a moment in thought. After sending out a Sound Transmission Talisman, he immediately flew towards the Spirit Food Department.
"You’re going with Song Dongyang to Chen State?"
Surprise showed on Cui Daqi’s face, but not much.
After some contemplation, he said, "I heard from the Sect Master that when Qi State’s Great Capital fell, some survivors escaped from the city with the accumulations of the Qi Dynasty. It seems that Song Dongyang is taking you there to take over these... Given that, your trip to Chen State should not be too dangerous."
Wang Ba wasn’t too aware of these details, and out of curiosity, he inquired further.
But Cui Daqi didn’t know much more.
It did, however, provide Wang Ba with some reassurance.
"With me away from the department, I’ll likely take Tao Ruyi and the others with me. It’ll trouble you to take care of the records then,"
Wang Ba said, somewhat apologetically.
Cui Daqi waved his hand, "No trouble at all. I used to be unfamiliar with these matters, but now it’s not so difficult to handle. Don’t worry about it and hurry on back to prepare. While Chen State is mostly safe, it still borders the Kingdom of Immortals on the other side of Song State. You still need to be cautious."
Wang Ba nodded in agreement and quickly bid farewell.
But before he left, Cui Daqi called out to him, hesitated for a moment, then took a Storage Treasure off his waist and handed it to Wang Ba:
"These are some spirit foods I’ve refined. They are nothing special, but they are abundant with Spiritual Energy. The smaller nations like Chen State, after all, have scarce Spiritual Energy. You’re now at the Golden Core Realm, and staying there, if you’re not careful, you could easily fall in realm."
Wang Ba felt warmed by the gesture and quickly declined, "Uncle Master, I have prepared plenty myself already, it should be enough."
"Just take it if I tell you to."
Cui Daqi insisted, pushing the Storage Treasure into Wang Ba’s hand, then pushed him out the door.
Standing outside, Wang Ba scanned the Storage Treasure with his Spiritual Sense and was somewhat moved.
There were nearly a hundred portions of Class IV spirit food inside.
The aura of each was different and even the containers varied, clearly accumulated over multiple occasions.
Realizing this, Wang Ba gave another respectful bow toward Cui Daqi inside the house.
Not daring to delay further, he immediately turned and flew towards the Beast Control Department.
It wasn’t that he intended to request anything from Qi Yan, but as the Vice Minister of the Beast Control Department, though he was on a task with the Vice Hall Master, he still needed to notify the department.
