Chapter 947: Old Feelings

Qinglong held the bloody head of Tianzhu in his hand and slowly placed it on the table.

He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the bright red blood from his hands.

"Everyone, I accidentally used a bit too much force," Qinglong said. "But this was unavoidable, and I hope it serves as a warning to you all not to be so smart on your own anymore."

No one in the room dared to speak; they just stared at Tianzhu's wide-open, lifeless eyes.

The "Tianji" had started to see deaths, and the dynamics here were truly changing.

"Tiangu," Qinglong turned to the obese man.

"I... I'm here..."

"Over the past while... has anyone below mentioned the words 'Tianlong'?" Qinglong asked.

Tiangu thought for a moment and slowly shook his head. "No."

"No...?" Qinglong narrowed his eyes and said, "I advise you to think carefully before answering. Although I was busy dealing with things just now, who knows if I might have heard something."

A flash of panic crossed Tiangu's face as he meticulously recalled every sound he had heard, but in the end, he said, "I really didn't hear the words 'Tianlong'..."

Monitoring all the sounds in "Zhongyan Zhidi" was no easy task for Tiangu, with tens of thousands of people often speaking at the same time, making his ears ring like thunderclaps.

So, he could only selectively listen to important words or, as per Qinglong's orders, focus on key individuals.

Yet, neither the important words nor the key people had mentioned "Tianlong."

"Why so nervous...?" Qinglong smiled. "I was just asking casually. Actually, I was focused on handling Tianzhu and didn't hear anything."

Tiangu nodded in response, then glanced sideways at Tianzhu's head on the table.

That was the fate of defying Qinglong; to survive, he had to follow Qinglong's orders as closely as possible.

"Everyone, from now on, no one except Tiangu may use 'Xianfa'," Qinglong said. "Losing a colleague I've worked with for decades pains me greatly, so I hope you'll think twice and not bring death upon yourselves."

With that, he dragged over a chair and sat down again, resting his chin in his hand as he quietly watched the group. The atmosphere in the room was oppressively tense.

Although no one spoke, everyone understood the truth deep down.

There was no such thing as "decades of shared camaraderie," no "misunderstanding"—to Qinglong, Tianzhu's death was no different from squashing an insect.

Yet, among the remaining nine "Tianji," two or three stared at Tianzhu with equally cold indifference.

They seemed more like emotionless "gods."

Tian Shu, his face wrinkled, not only remained expressionless but also broke into a sly smile after a few seconds.

"That..." he said, breaking the silence.

"Speak," Qinglong said.

"Now that Tianzhu is gone... can we promote a newcomer to 'Jinsheng'?" Tian Shu asked.

"'Jinsheng'...?" Qinglong slowly smirked. "If you hadn't mentioned it, I almost forgot about that rule."

"Ah..." Tian Shu wondered if he'd said something wrong and forced a laugh. "Many at the 'Diji' level are finding promotion difficult, and their work enthusiasm has dropped. If we tell them the 'Zhu' position is open for promotion, it should motivate quite a few to work harder."

"That would just create a bunch of hardworking 'Zhu'," Qinglong laughed. "What about the other 'Shengxiao'?"

Tian Shu's wrinkles tightened, realizing he might have misspoke.

"Are you suggesting we open up a few other 'Shengxiao' spots... so our 'Taoyuan' can thrive?" Qinglong said. "After all, the 'Tianji Shengxiao' don't have much to do anyway—it's far easier than the 'Diji Shengxiao'."

"This... this..." Tian Shu blinked. "That wouldn't work... I may have little work, but I can still help manage some 'Diji'."

Qinglong glanced down at the various remote controls hanging from Tian Shu's waist. "With those?"

"Yes..." Tian Shu nodded. "We're all 'Shengxiao'... and when my subordinates see me, they tremble in fear. Doesn't that prove my management skills?"

"They tremble when they see me too," Qinglong said. "Does that mean we're about the same now?"

"No, no, no..." Tian Shu quickly shook his head. "How could that be? I'm just following in your footsteps..."

Qinglong smirked, then slowly stood up and addressed the group: "You've all realized that the so-called 'Tianji' serve no real purpose—anyone who reaches 'Diji' could replace you."

His gaze swept over Tian Niu: "A group of mute 'ants'—is 'Taoyuan' so vast that only you can manage it?"

Then he looked at Tiangu: "Is the entire 'Taoyuan' only audible to you?"

"Tianshe, how many years has it been since your so-called 'research' produced anything new?"

"Tianhou, Tianji, people who can become 'Yinyang Yiti' are a dime a dozen, and you're the only two who haven't succeeded in decades."

"Tianma, Tianhu, I often see people dreaming, but few who dream while awake. Are the grandmother and grandchild by your side really your family?"

Finally, he turned to Tian Tu and said flatly: "As for someone who's always unwilling to wake up, I don't need to comment."

His successive remarks left everyone speechless.

"The 'Diji' now face far greater challenges than you do," Qinglong said. "We could pick any one of them, and they'd do a better job than you. Tianlong and I have been lenient in letting you stay here, holding onto these seats out of nostalgia."

Though Qinglong spoke of "nostalgia," everyone could hear that all the "Tianji" were expendable.

"But now, all of you are harboring thoughts of rebellion—what's going on?" Qinglong said. "I just wanted you to sit quietly here for the night, yet someone stood up to fight me to the death. I'm disappointed; I hope you'll think carefully about your actions."

Seeing his words had the desired effect, Qinglong tossed the bloodstained handkerchief on the ground and walked to the other side of the room. He closed his eyes and passed straight through the locked door.

A lush green tree came into view, and Qinglong approached it with a hint of delight, examining the fruits on it, his expression turning complex.

A few steps ahead on a platform stood a massive throne, where Tianlong sat with his chin in his hand, fast asleep.

"What a beautiful dream..." Qinglong smirked. "Tianlong... our entangled lives should come to an end now."

Tianlong's breathing was deep, but his eyebrows twitched slightly.