"So, isn’t your Heavenly Patrol Department working for the Da Li Royal Family? Since the royal family wants to use Esoteric Buddhism to eliminate me, why did your Heavenly Patrol Department leak the information and collude with me, a member of the Demon Path?" Su Jie tapped the table and suddenly questioned the Heavenly Patrol Department’s motives. Their intentions might not solely be to exchange for Qin Yushang, and besides, how do they know that I will keep my word and agree to release Qin Yushang? Ji Wen paused for a moment, then replied, "Su Sect Master, the royal family is the royal family, and the Heavenly Patrol Department is the Heavenly Patrol Department. More accurately, the Heavenly Patrol Department nominally works for the Imperial Authority, but that does not mean our Director, Zhang Qingcang, has to fully obey all of His Majesty’s orders." Su Jie smiled at these words and said to Qin Yushang beside him, "Miss Qin, it seems I was right, your Heavenly Patrol Department has its own ideas." Qin Yushang’s emotions fluctuated, unsure of how to respond to Su Jie’s question. In the past, Su Jie had questioned the relationship between the Heavenly Patrol Department and the Da Li Royal Family. At that time, Qin Yushang’s stance was firm, stating that the Heavenly Patrol Department was on the side of the Imperial Authority. But now it seems that she was too young, not understanding the true direction of the Heavenly Patrol Department. Ji Wen cupped his hands towards Su Jie and said, "Although you are of the Demon Path, our Heavenly Patrol Department has studied your deeds, and you are not quite the same as the usual Demon Path. More often, the things you do are things the government couldn’t accomplish. Honestly speaking, compared to Su Sect Master, our Heavenly Patrol Department has more animosity towards Esoteric Buddhism, so we hope Su Sect Master can survive and we don’t want Esoteric Buddhism to run rampant on our land." Ji Wen’s words carried some genuine sincerity. The Heavenly Patrol Department did conduct a detailed investigation of Ghost Ridge Palace’s actions in Qingzhou. The unexpected result was that under the rule of Ghost Ridge Palace, the local people lived in peace and prosperity, far better than those in other regions under the Da Li Dynasty. At the very least, they were spared the suffering of famine, which was already more than what most large regions achieved. This was something the Da Li Dynasty’s government should have done themselves but failed to accomplish. Now a member of the Demon Path is doing better than the government, comparatively, the one who should feel ashamed should be the Da Li Dynasty government. Letting Su Jie, a member of the Demon Path, occupy the southern Three States, considering the people of the world, is the best choice. Of course, for the Imperial Authority, this is an extremely lousy choice. For this, the Da Li Royal Family would rather borrow foreign troops than let Ghost Ridge Palace remain. "Haha, your Heavenly Patrol Department understands the reasoning better than I thought." Su Jie somewhat admired the director of the Heavenly Patrol Department, Zhang Qingcang. By not blindly following orders from the Imperial Authority, this act seems to severely damage the interests of the Imperial Authority, but it provides a better explanation to the world. "Su Sect Master, this is the sincerity of our Heavenly Patrol Department. Can you return Hall Master Qin to us?" Seeing that Su Jie was in a good mood, Ji Wen seized the opportunity to propose the exchange for Qin Yushang. Su Jie gestured to Qin Yushang and said, "From now on, Miss Qin, you are free. Go back to your Heavenly Patrol Department." The important information provided by the Heavenly Patrol Department was quite valuable for Su Jie, allowing him to prepare in advance. Qin Yushang evidently couldn’t exchange for the Hollow Realm inheritance he desired, so keeping her served no purpose. It was better to exchange for a favor from the Heavenly Patrol Department. There might be a need for the Heavenly Patrol Department in the future, so there’s no need to make them a dead enemy. "Thank you, Su Sect Master. We at the Heavenly Patrol Department accept this goodwill. The next time you visit Da Li City, you must come to our Heavenly Patrol Department as a guest." Ji Wen’s face turned joyful, quickly standing up and bowing to Su Jie. With the exchange for Qin Yushang completed, his main mission here was accomplished. Although Su Jie captured Qin Yushang, after all, Su Jie is a Purple Mansion Realm devil. In the Tianyuan World, power is fundamental. If it were a Taoist Platform Realm doing such a thing, the Heavenly Patrol Department would have executed them and their entire family at once. Since Su Jie’s strength was recognized, for the Heavenly Patrol Department, having one more friend is better than having one more enemy. "If I visit your Heavenly Patrol Department as a guest, I’m afraid I won’t be able to come back out." Su Jie shrugged, but indeed he had thoughts of visiting Da Li City. "What are you talking about, Su Sect Master? Although there’s still a wanted order, our Heavenly Patrol Department considers Su Sect Master as a friend." For origınal chapters go to 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭⟡𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦⟡𝘯𝘦𝘵 Ji Wen smiled awkwardly and waved to Qin Yushang, "Yushang, quickly thank Su Sect Master, pack up and come back with me to the Heavenly Patrol Department, and don’t forget the guidance Su Sect Master gave you all these days." However, Qin Yushang suddenly said something surprising. Ji Wen’s expression was stunned, looking incredulously at Qin Yushang. The Heavenly Patrol Department worked hard for her freedom, yet Qin Yushang was ungrateful. Could there possibly be someone who enjoys being a captive? Su Jie looked at Qin Yushang curiously, wondering if this person might have Stockholm syndrome? "Yushang, don’t speak nonsense, hurry back with me, the director is still waiting to see you." Ji Wen got anxious, giving Qin Yushang a knowing look. Now is not the time to be capricious. Does she really think that Su Jie is a benevolent person? His fierce reputation is well-known. If one day he suddenly acts chaotically, Qin Yushang would have no chance to resist. "Uncle Ji, I know what I’m saying, and I’m serious." Qin Yushang took a deep breath and solemnly said, "Uncle Ji, I am the White Tiger Hall Master, stationed in the western territories. Monitoring, investigating, and resisting the infiltration of Esoteric Buddhism is my primary duty. Now that Esoteric Buddhism is advancing towards Qingzhou, if I, the White Tiger Hall Master, foolishly flee back to Da Li City, I would be ashamed of my title as the White Tiger Hall Master.