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Chapter 477: Maddddd

Burp. Chu Liang let out a small hiccup and said, "I really can't drink anymore. I really can't handle how strong the liquor is."

They were in one of the guest halls within the Imperial Supervisory Bureau's courtyard, and those present were trusted aides of the Imperial Supervisory Commissioner. The most prominent among them sat directly across from Chu Liang.

This man appeared youthful, tall and broad-shouldered, with sharp and chiseled features. His eyes sparkled like stars, exuding a fierce energy that seemed to burn with intensity.

The most striking feature was his pupils, which were a deep shade of dark purple.

This was Ji Zidian, one of the Four Great Celestial Officials under the Imperial Supervisory Commissioner.

The others sitting around were all officials, the lowest rank being that of a seal-holding official, each wielding significant power outside. But within the Imperial Supervisory Bureau in Yu Capital, such figures were commonplace.

"Hey," Ji Zidian said, "It's tradition for newcomers to go through a process. If you can't even handle a bit of liquor, how are we supposed to accept you?"

Who asked for your acceptance?! I'm a criminal suspect, for heaven's sake, Chu Liang screamed inwardly.

Chu Liang's mind was racing—he had never imagined the absurdity of what was happening since entering the Imperial Supervisory Bureau.

First, the Imperial Supervisory Commissioner had pulled him in to do some work. Chu Liang had thought of it as labor reform, which made some sense. Then, after another full day of work, the Commissioner suggested he get closer to his subordinates.

After the day's work, Ji Zidian and a bunch of the Bureau staff dragged him along to join a banquet and insisted on round after round of toasts.

What is this? Do you guys even throw welcome banquets for criminals now?

"Brother Chu, do you find the plain wine lacking flavor?" one of the seal-holding officials chuckled. "How's this? I will host tomorrow, and we'll go to the east of the city to enjoy some flower wine. Since you haven't been to the Capital of Yu before, you should experience its charms."

"No, no, no..." Chu Liang waved his hands in alarm.

Goodness. How can I do that when Senior Sister Jiang is still out there, working hard on my case. The Imperial Supervisory Bureau sure is... accommodating.

He quickly added, "I'm still a suspect. It's not appropriate to act too recklessly."

"Don't restrain yourself," Ji Zidian laughed as he said. "To be honest, the Imperial Supervisory Commissioner has taken a liking to you over the past few days and doesn't think you are someone who would commit such crimes. Once the case is resolved, you'll be free again. After you participate in the Assembly of Immortal Sects next year, I'm sure he'll send a request to the Mount Shu Sect to have you work for the Imperial Supervisory Bureau temporarily."

After he said that, another round of drinks and toasts followed.

With Chu Liang's current physical strength, his alcohol tolerance wasn't low. However, everyone around him had cultivation levels far surpassing his, and the spirit wine they drank was no ordinary brew. If he let loose, he'd likely be overwhelmed, and getting too drunk might lead to him accidentally saying something he shouldn't.

When it came to the murder case, he had done nothing wrong. However, there were plenty of other matters he couldn't discuss.

So, his strategy was simple: when sober, he would pretend to be tipsy; when tipsy, he would act as though he were very drunk; and when moderately drunk, he would act as if he had drunk so much that he blacked out.

After a few rounds, everyone was feeling a bit tipsy, and Chu Liang started changing the topic of conversation to be about someone else.

"Brother Ji, you must be from the Ji Family, right?" Chu Liang asked. "Do the children of noble families also serve at the Imperial Supervisory Bureau?"

The Jiang family had already fallen, and the Xia family was the imperial family, so the Ji family was one of the last remaining noble cultivation clans in the martial world. But the Ji family had always been reclusive, rarely allowing its members to leave, which was why Chu Liang asked.

To his surprise, Ji Zidian scoffed with disdain. "The Ji Family?"

Hearing his tone, Chu Liang instantly recognized the sentiment. "So, you're a runaway too?"

"Heh," Ji Zidian sneered again. "The Ji family? Even dogs won't go back there."

Yep, that's exactly it. Chu Liang nodded to himself, thinking, That's the vibe. This is basically a legacy of the Ji Family.

Afterward, with more explanations from others, Chu Liang finally understood.

It turned out that Ji Zidian was a collateral branch member in the Ji family and held a very low status.

In the Ji family, children born with the Xuan Yuan Eyes would either have them from birth or, at the latest, awaken them by the age of three to five.

Typically, the stronger the mystical ability, the earlier the awakening.

But Ji Zidian was different. His Xuan Yuan Eyes was not awakened until he was eight. Before that, because of his low status and unawakened mystical ability, he and his parents endured much humiliation and relocated to the Capital of Yu.

Although the Ji family was strict and rigid, they didn't really care about such struggling collateral members of the family.

Who could have expected that at the age of eight, hints of purple started flickering in Ji Zidian's eyes, and he awakened the power to command lightning after a night of sleep?

Among the many colors of Xuan Yuan Eyes, there were also varying degrees of power.

For instance, the golden and blue eyes Chu Liang had seen before were fairly common, but purple eyes were the rarest—and by far the most powerful. Those who possessed them, even at the same cultivation level, were significantly stronger.

With his purple eyes, Ji Zidian had the potential to rise to the top within the family.

At the time, his father wanted to bring him back to the Main Residence of the Ji Family, but both Ji Zidian and his mother refused. Later, as he grew older, Ji Zidian was discovered by the Imperial Supervisory Commissioner, who brought him into the Imperial Supervisory Bureau, where he grew into the person he was today.

One could say that he had long since severed all ties with the Ji family.

Chu Liang shook his head as he listened, thinking that after thousands of years of development, the Ji family still clung to its old ways—a system that now felt somewhat outdated.

...

The banquet ended, and by the time he returned to his residence, it was already late at night.

As Chu Liang thought about how he never had to drink to socialize during business deals, but had to in the Imperial Supervisory Bureau, he realized that dealing with bureaucracy was harder than doing business.

Chu Liang seemed drunk, but once he returned to his residence and did a sauna with the Divine Dragon Fire, the alcohol vapors quickly dissipated.

This unique skill was one he had learned from his esteemed teacher.

Afterward, he eagerly unleashed a streak of golden light from the White Pagoda.

Whoosh—

The golden light landed on the table and quickly transformed into a tiny figure, no bigger than a palm. She rubbed her eyes, pouted, and after babbling for a moment, finally said, "Mad..."

The good news was that the child had learned to speak in just one day; the bad news was that her first word was, "Maddddddddd."

Chu Liang naturally knew what she was upset about.

During the day, when he was busy and couldn't bring her along, he had to lock her back inside the White Pagoda to sleep. If he left her to play in the room alone, who knew what kind of chaos she might cause before dinner. There was a chance that not a single tile would remain intact in the Imperial Supervisory Bureau.

Having been locked up in the pagoda all day, the little one woke up suddenly and remembered that she was mad.

But Chu Liang had a solution.

He chuckled, pulling out a food package wrapped in oiled paper. As he carefully unwrapped it, he teased, "Look here! Do you know what this is?"

Tuntun's nose twitched, her eyes blinking with curiosity. She caught the scent of something rich and savory, though it was entirely new to her.

"Come on, give it a try," Chu Liang said, spreading the paper wide across the table. "Delicious braised pork knuckle..."

This was one of the solutions he had come up with.

When Tuntun was still in her various spirit beast forms, fasting wasn't a problem—she could go without food for as long as needed. But now that she could cry, fuss, and talk, denying her food was a whole different challenge.

But if he continued giving her food that contained spiritual energy, she might end up becoming an existence that he could not control. And so, Chu Liang came up with a clever workaround.

He would just give her plenty of tasty food that contained zero spiritual energy. With no nourishment in the food, she could eat to her heart's content without gaining any cultivation power.

In other words, it was like feeding a child junk food during their years of growth.

The only concern was whether she'd actually enjoy it. After all, she used to crave food rich in spiritual energy. Now that she had taken on a human form, would her taste buds follow suit?

With Chu Liang feeling a bit anxious, Tuntun picked up a piece of braised pork knuckle and took a cautious bite.

Her first reaction was to frown, as if the food tasted bad. But as she chewed, her expression gradually softened, as though it tasted better than expected. Then, a look of confusion crossed her face, as if she couldn't quite decide whether it was good or not...

So she took another bite.

And another...

Before long, the little one had devoured an entire piece of braised pork knuckle, and her eyes began to sparkle.

She decided that it was delicious.

"Yay..." She happily spread her arms and dove into the package, landing in a sea of braised pork knuckle.

"Hehe." Chu Liang chuckled, finally feeling satisfied. "Go ahead, eat up. Tomorrow, I'll get you some stinky tofu."