Chapter 6: Testing the Spiritual Root!

Page 1/3

Hearing the other party speak so bluntly to an official like himself, with a gaze tinged with disdain and contempt... the petty officer immediately abandoned his previously calm demeanor, sat up straight, and adopted a friendly and courteous attitude.

Sensing Jiang Baiqiu’s aura of unapproachability and the way she regarded him as insignificant, the petty officer, drawing on years of shrewd workplace experience, guessed her identity—she was probably the daughter of a high-ranking official in the imperial city.

In the imperial city, even a single brick could topple an official of fifth rank or above. None of these were people a mere city guard like him could afford to offend; letting one of them down was a terrifying prospect.

To climb higher, one had to learn to be flexible.

He gave a glance to the burly city guard beside him, silently instructing him to observe how he would handle the situation.

This imperial city was full of social nuances—you just have to learn!

Without hesitation, he cupped his hands politely and said, “Miss, the major case that occurred yesterday in the imperial city surely reached your esteemed father’s ears. The matter is still sensitive. We are simply performing our duty. After all, one slip-up could cost lives...”

He skillfully shifted the pressure onto her father; even a young lady of noble birth would likely not overstep under such circumstances.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Baiqiu suddenly exploded, pointing at his face and shouting angrily, “Hmph! Do you know who I am?”

Yes, this was exactly how it should be done—no, it was the only way!

Qin Xi silently nodded.

This was all under his secret instruction.

Being willful—that was the key!

Based on his experience poring over various news reports in a past life, Qin Xi had devised this method.

Don’t reason with them. Pretend to lose control of your emotions. Reasoning? Who dares reason with her?

Be emotionally unstable, unreasonable, and if explanations fail, just scream!

After these steps, finish with a decisive move!

Waiting at a red light for a left turn is the hardest—scream!

Guaranteed to work every time.

Of course, the prerequisite was that the other party must believe Jiang Baiqiu’s status outranked theirs. Otherwise, she really would be unreasonable, and physical force would be just as senseless.

But Qin Xi could tell from the start. The burly guard showed no respect to most commoners, but when facing Jiang Baiqiu, he was notably more deferential.

So playing the spoiled young lady with a haughty temper, pampered from childhood, was absolutely fitting.

Thanks to Jiang Baiqiu’s superb acting—so natural it seemed genuine.

“Do you dare to block me? Someone like you isn’t even worthy to block me!” Jiang Baiqiu pressed forward, performing exactly as Qin Xi had scripted.

The petty officer was stunned by her words, instantly breaking into a sweat.

Originally, he intended to give his subordinates a lesson, but now it had turned into a life-or-death crisis!

Jiang Baiqiu crossed her arms, smiling involuntarily at the petty officer’s flustered expression.

Just moments ago, Qin Xi had instructed her.

Qin Xi: Show an attitude of looking down on them as insignificant.

Jiang Baiqiu: I am the Spirit Root of the Confucian Sage, naturally seeing them as ants beneath me.

Page 2/3

Qin Xi: Then just act naturally.

Natural acting—such talent.

The petty officer swallowed nervously and mustered courage to continue, “But the Demon Suppression Department has strict rules. In the past few days, anyone entering or leaving the city must have a travel permit. Without it, they are considered thieves attempting to escape... and must be reported to the department.”

“Miss, since you do not have a permit... please present proof from your father’s estate. That way, I can have some explanation,” he said, cupping his hands.

This move was called using their strength against them!

In the workplace, wisdom was less about achievements and more about shifting blame cleverly while climbing the ranks carefully to avoid mistakes. That was far better than advancing quickly and falling just as fast.

Since she was a young lady of noble birth, he could not stop her from breaking the rules, but if something went wrong, who would take the blame?

If he simply allowed her to pass without question, he would bear the responsibility.

But if he demanded proof from a high-ranking official’s estate, he could subtly shift responsibility onto that household, implying that their authority compelled him to allow passage...

He could reduce the blame on himself by at least half!

Yet Jiang Baiqiu was stunned upon hearing this.

Proof from the estate?

Wasn’t she just acting? Why was it suddenly becoming real?

So Jiang Baiqiu opted to use their team’s private voice chat!

As Qin Xi’s Spirit Root, she could connect directly to his mental space to communicate.

“What proof from the estate is that?”

“He thinks you’re a noble lady trying to shift the blame onto your father,” Qin Xi immediately saw through the petty officer’s scheme.

“My father? I have only one relative—the Confucian Sage!”

“In that case, you could dig him up from the ground to get a certificate. With the Confucian Sage’s influence, we should be able to pass.”

“...What should I do then? Scream again?”

“No, he’s too polite... and he’s already made enough concessions. If you become unreasonable now, it might cause an even bigger disturbance. Let me think.”

Actually, Qin Xi thought, no matter how many debts, one more use of “spoken law” might still work...

While Qin Xi pondered, Jiang Baiqiu suddenly acted on her own.

I didn’t control her—why did she move by herself?

Was the system taking over?

No, she seemed able to act independently.

It was well known that in some games, system control meant surrender; automatic operations usually incurred costs.

Qin Xi was panicking—he couldn’t allow the Desert Emperor’s sand soldiers to go rogue!

But before Qin Xi could discreetly send Jiang Baiqiu a message, she suddenly spoke:

“Since you doubt me, we don’t need proof from the estate. How about testing my Spirit Root?”

At these words, the petty officer’s body shook violently.

Page 3/3

Test her Spirit Root?

Could it be... this young lady knew exactly what had happened last night?

Last night’s incident had drawn many witnesses, but few knew exactly what was stolen—only the Ministry of Justice, the Demon Suppression Department, and a few of the Emperor’s closest ministers were privy to those details. He himself had been informed due to his position.

Of course, the thief who stole the royal treasure also knew.

But that person would not have dared to flaunt it after stealing the treasure, much less act so outrageously like this young lady.

The petty officer had only guessed before, but now it was certain.

She knew the stolen item was a Spirit Root...

Swallowing nervously, the petty officer realized this girl must be the daughter of a powerful minister—her status likely even higher than he had imagined!

His attitude became even more deferential: “Then, Miss, we shall proceed as you wish.”

Jiang Baiqiu snorted, fully in character.

Qin Xi grew nervous. Though outwardly calm, he had no idea what Jiang Baiqiu was really up to.

At this point, all he could do was trust her.

...

Testing the Spirit Root.

According to the Demon Suppression Department’s on-site investigation, the thief absorbed the Confucian Sage’s Spirit Root shortly after stealing it.

Because the Confucian Sage’s Spirit Root contained overwhelmingly righteous energy, without a human vessel to contain it, this energy would continually release.

If the thief had merely carried it out of the Jade Treasure Hall, traces of the righteous energy would have been found outside the hall.

Yet at the crime scene, traces appeared only inside the hall, indicating only residual righteous energy remained.

There was only one explanation:

The thief absorbed the Confucian Sage’s Spirit Root on the spot, enabling him to leave without leaving any trace.

Thus, when the Demon Suppression Department apprehended suspects, they would directly test their Spirit Roots to check for traces of the Confucian Sage’s Spirit Root within.

Since the young lady agreed to the test, the petty officer had no reason to refuse.

“This is a single-use Spirit Root crystal. Miss, if you lightly touch it with your hand, the crystal will reveal the form of your Spirit Root,” the petty officer said, presenting a translucent stone like glass.

“So troublesome? Don’t high-level cultivators just place a hand on someone’s forehead and immediately know their Spirit Root?” Jiang Baiqiu looked down on the device.

“Ah... sorry, Miss, we haven’t found cultivators of that level yet...” the petty officer apologized profusely, blushing.

His attitude grew more cautious. Even Golden Core cultivators wouldn’t claim they could peer into the Spirit Root by simply touching the mind.

Judging by the young lady’s indifferent demeanor, she must be accustomed to such terrifying figures.

The petty officer had firmly placed her background among those with overwhelming power.

“Forget it. I suppose you can’t find anyone like that,” Jiang Baiqiu said, unimpressed by the low-grade equipment, true not just an act.

Then she placed her hand on the crystal.

At that moment, Qin Xi held his breath.