Chapter 709

Chapter 709: New Chief Steward

In the library, on the sixth level, Wang Chen carefully placed a thick volume of Dao classic back on the shelf in the corner.

It had taken him nearly three days to read through this book completely, and he gained immense benefits from it.

Although the text contained no techniques or heart methods, the discussions on the natural world, the universe, and the mysteries of existence provided Wang Chen with a wealth of inspiration and insights for his cultivation.

The creator of this Dao classic, known as "Xuanxuanzi," must have been a highly skilled expert. Unfortunately, the many shining pieces of wisdom were carelessly left to collect dust on the shelves, just like this book.

It was only when Wang Chen discovered, read, and learned from them that they were able to shine anew.

Wang Chen stood up and looked around, letting out a long sigh.

Three years had passed.

Calculating the time, it had been exactly three years since he was transferred from the Patrol Office to serve as a steward in the library!

For Wang Chen, these three years had been the most stable period of his life, over a thousand days.

Besides his daily persistent cultivation, he had spent most of his time reading.

With the convenience of his position, Wang Chen had browsed through countless books over the years.

Yet, that was merely a tiny portion of the library’s collection.

Now, Wang Chen had turned thirty!

Although he had reached the age of self-sufficiency, he still appeared to be a youthful eighteen or nineteen years old, healthy and full of vitality, though his dark eyes held traces of maturity brought by time.

“Manager Wang…”

A book attendant hurriedly appeared at the stairway, bowing to Wang Chen and saying, “Chief Steward Cao requests your presence in the small hall.”

Wang Chen nodded, “Alright.”

When he arrived in the small hall on the second floor, he saw Chief Steward Cao Ke and four other managers were already there.

Three years had passed, and Wang Chen was still the fourth manager, with no changes in his position.

However, the library was a cold unit within the Yongle Immortal City system, and regardless of whether it was the chief steward or the other managers, they all sat on the same cold bench, indistinct in rank.

In addition to the chief steward and the managers, there was also a proud young cultivator present.

At a glance, Wang Chen could tell that this young man definitely came from an immortal clan family!

“Today, I have gathered everyone here to announce an important matter,” Cao Ke said expressionlessly. “This is Fellow Traveler He Haoming, who will take over as the chief steward of the library starting today!”

Wang Chen and the other managers exchanged confused glances.

Wang Chen could recognize the young cultivator’s status, and surely the other managers could as well.

What everyone did not understand was why a scion of a prestigious family would come to the library to serve as chief steward?

Even if he was looking for experience, there were many better places than the library!

However, despite their confusion, the other managers quickly reacted and began to congratulate the new chief steward.

He Haoming modestly returned the greetings, saying, “My colleagues, as I will be in charge here from now on, I will certainly need your assistance. Tomorrow evening, there will be a banquet at the Moonlit Pavilion, and I hope you all can attend.”

“Chief Steward, you are too polite!”

Everyone replied in unison, creating a harmonious and joyful atmosphere.

However, Cao Ke stood up and said, “Chief Steward He, I have other matters to attend to tonight, so I won’t be joining you. Farewell.”

With that, he directly left the small hall.

He Haoming was clearly caught off guard, his expression darkening instinctively.

The atmosphere in the room immediately turned awkward.

Wang Chen observed with a calm demeanor, feeling an uneasy sense in his heart.

Due to the sudden departure of the former chief steward Cao Ke, this meeting regarding personnel changes ended in an awkward silence.

In the evening, after the library closed, Wang Chen was heading home when he unexpectedly received a letter of crane paper.

He changed direction and went to a nearby inn.

There, he saw Cao Ke again.

“Sit,” Cao Ke gestured for Wang Chen to take a seat and personally poured him a glass of spiritual wine.

Over the past three years, Wang Chen had maintained a polite distance with the other managers, but his relationship with Cao Ke had been quite good.

“What happened?”

Wang Chen took a sip of the wine and asked, “Why did they suddenly transfer you?”

“If it were just a transfer, that would be fine,” Cao Ke said with a bitter smile. “I’ve been sidelined.”

Wang Chen gasped, “Huh?”

Being sidelined simply meant losing one’s job, kicked out by those above.

If Cao Ke had not been diligent in his work, there would be little to say.

But to be fair, although Cao Ke had a somewhat proud personality, under his management, the library’s affairs had always been organized and without errors.

For him to lose his position was surprising.

The problem was that being the chief steward of the library wasn’t exactly a good position!

Wang Chen couldn’t help but ask, “How could this happen?”

“I didn’t pay my respects this year,” Cao Ke said with a bitter expression. “There were some issues at home, and I used up all the spirit stones I had saved.”

Wang Chen was speechless.

On the surface, being chief steward of the library sounded impressive, but there were no substantial rewards, and one had to please those above to keep the position!

“Enough about that,” Cao Ke shook his head and said seriously. “I brought you here to warn you. He Haoming is not a good person; don’t let him find any handle on you.”

He Haoming was a scion of the He family.

The He family ranked among the prominent immortal clans in Yongle Immortal City, with deep roots and great influence.

He Haoming used to work in the Internal Affairs Office, but due to his involvement in a corruption case, he had been transferred to the library to avoid scrutiny, which ultimately caused Cao Ke to face an unforeseen disaster!

This young man had considerable talent and was seen as a Golden Core seed, but he was also greedy for profit.

“He’s hosting a banquet to get your congratulatory gifts!”

Cao Ke continued, “If it’s insufficient, he will be prepared to find ways to make you pay for it later!”

“But you also can’t give too much. Otherwise, he will think you have plenty of resources and will try to exploit you.”

Wang Chen found it hard to believe, “Really?”

“Of course!”

Cao Ke sneered, “To condense a Golden Core, he can’t gather the eight treasures for condensing elixirs solely with his family. If he doesn’t find ways to acquire them from elsewhere, he can forget about reaching the top-grade Golden Core!”

Now it made sense!

Wang Chen, who had been collecting condensing elixir treasures, understood how difficult it was to obtain high-grade condensing elixir treasures.

As of now, he still lacked two heavenly materials and treasures.

“Just be careful,” Cao Ke said finally. “If you want to continue your time at the library, you must get past He Haoming.”

Wang Chen felt quite conflicted.

After staying here for a few years, he was very satisfied with his current job. Although others saw him as a slacker, the long hours spent reading had yielded significant returns.

But if he had to bow down to a petty manager like He Haoming…

Wang Chen pondered, if he couldn’t solve the problems, could he maybe deal with the person creating the problems?

That idea wasn’t too bad, right?