Chapter 3047 Chief Yuan Mistakenly Steps onto the Guillotine

An incorruptible and upright man, yet tragically blackmailed with his own daughter?

Professor Fu's tone made it awfully hard not to imagine some grim worldly tragedy.

Though the truth was far from it.

He might not possess power in the true Transcendent Tier, but Old Man Gan Zuoxun's insight and willpower clearly required no counseling.

He kept expressing his gratitude because someone else in his family had received such guidance.

The moment Gan Zuoxun thanked him, Fu Qian thought of Gan Baobao, who had made a special trip to his little shop just to ask a rather naive question.

The girl couldn't keep a secret. Even if she had broken an explicit rule, it wasn't strange for her to go home and confess everything to her father.

Moved by Professor Fu's earnest guidance, the old man voicing his feelings the moment they met was perfectly normal too.

But since it was such an insignificant daily matter, very few people actually knew the story.

So much so that, aided by Fu Qian's cooperative tone, a highly misleading picture practically painted itself.

Not only was Professor Fu far from some enthusiastic life mentor, but it seemed the entire political ecosystem of Shangjing had the shadow of his manipulation behind it—

Shangjing's Chief was greedy for advancement and eager for glory, while his venomous advisor catered to those desires. Ultimately, the two had the sheer audacity to employ absolute taboo methods to manufacture a facade of enlightenment and order, deceiving even the Evaluation Council.

Had His Excellency Corvos not stumbled upon the truth during this "testing of the Chan heart," who knew how long those two scoundrels would have remained at large.

In short, the diligent Chief Yuan, carefully watching over his mentor, had no idea that in the blink of an eye, his advisor had shoved him halfway onto the guillotine.

As for whether that advisor knew he would be misunderstood—that was exactly the point.

That conversation with Gan Baobao had merely been an effortless favor, done without any thought of reward.

But with such an unexpected boon dropping right into his lap, how could Fu Qian refuse?

His Excellency Corvos possessed astonishing methods, leaving them in an undeniably passive position.

But a true professional would never give up the fight for control, no matter the circumstances.

And compared to sitting back and being unilaterally scrutinized, reaching out to muddy the waters was undoubtedly the most practical tactic.

After all, the truth behind this "guidance" was basically a secret shared only between the Gan father and daughter and himself—a unique information advantage.

Tossing that ladle of muddy water into the mix opened up plenty of things to observe.

Things like how fate specifically reacted and rippled, how capable His Excellency Corvos was at discerning those ripples, and even the group's attitude toward unlawful acts...

As it turned out, His Excellency Corvos didn't seem in any rush to bring this evil to justice.

Faced with Fu Qian's highly misleading rhetoric, Old Man Stoss reacted with bewilderment, looking completely at a loss as to what was going on.

His Excellency Logan radiated a faint killing intent; it looked entirely possible that he would attack the moment he received the order.

Corvos, however, only wore an even more profoundly meaningful expression.

After a few seconds of silence, Corvos's gaze fell upon Old Man Gan Zuoxun's "fate." He didn't even show any intention of questioning it out loud.

Everyone present was clearly following his lead. The atmosphere instantly grew oppressive, carrying the eerie calm before a storm.

"Of course. One of my greatest wishes is to always be there as she grows up."

Unfortunately, Old Man Gan was completely oblivious to the tension, nor did he seem to grasp the implications in Fu Qian's words.

He was somewhat lost in his memories in that moment, and ended up voicing a highly ominous phrase.

And it wasn't just superstition either. Fu Qian noted that right as he said it, the old man's face truly took on the withered, hollow cast of someone plagued by illness and injury.

"What does this mean?"

Seeming to appreciate the profound depths of physiognomy, Fu Qian didn't hold back. He turned to consult the true master of numerology.

"It means he may not be able to fulfill what he just said. As for how that will specifically come to pass, there are still too many possibilities."

Corvos answered almost without pausing, showing no sign of taking offense.

But his interpretation was truly chilling.

Was an ordinary person's fate really this fragile?

The dignified municipal officer of Shangjing had somehow, in the span of a single sentence, already lost the chance to watch his daughter grow up—and they couldn't even determine why.

"Mister Fang..."

Amidst his sighs, someone who was definitely not ordinary soon spoke up to prove the point.

Following Old Man Gan Zuoxun, the one speaking next was actually South Taylor.

Though the moment he opened his mouth, he exposed his own "ordinariness" by addressing him as "Mister Fang" as well.

"Please grant me your guidance."

His next words threw away the face of the Blood Clan entirely. Facing the Bookstore Owner, who showed absolutely no signs of a noble bloodline, he actually lowered his status and begged for a few pointers.

If the elders of his family found out, their blood pressure would skyrocket as they rushed to clean house.

Clicking his tongue in pity, Fu Qian couldn't help but worry for the man's predicament—wait, hadn't his family's elder just advanced to Tier 2 under his guidance?

Thinking of Serana, who had been ordered to watch over Shangjing, Fu Qian realized that he had long since trampled the Blood Clan's pride underfoot time and time again.

Still, it seemed that after enduring consecutive setbacks, Brother Taylor's mental fortitude had finally been sharpened.

It was just that his complexion couldn't exactly be called healthy. He was deathly pale, entirely drained of color, and almost half of his body looked faint and uncomfortably ethereal.

"And what does this mean?"

To add insult to injury, he was even met with the cold shoulder.

Unlike how he had treated Gan Zuoxun, Fu Qian didn't rush to answer Taylor, but immediately consulted Corvos once again.

"It looks like a blessing in disguise. He shows promise of advancement."

True to form, His Excellency Corvos didn't hesitate at all, immediately offering a new reading.

...A blessing in disguise?

He really was a master. His reading seemed to be fairly spot-on.

Judging purely by his physical state, it was hard to see any sign of Taylor catching a breakthrough.

But Fu Qian knew exactly what recent disasters this man had endured.

He had fought and lost time and again, losing one secret artifact after another.

Even with all his emphasis on being a pure-blood, he was fast on his way to becoming the laughingstock of his family.

And his latest burst of desperate courage—faking his own death to set a trap—had happened just recently.

From what Corvos was implying, was that very setback actually going to usher him into the tier of Gold?

He could only say... not bad at all.

At least he had finally managed to toss this business partner a bit of a rebate.

Recalling their last exchange under the guise of Dayun Mingwang, as well as the very first day Brother Taylor had stepped into the shop, Fu Qian couldn't help but sigh.

"No problem," Fu Qian finally said.

He hadn't intended to keep giving him the cold shoulder. Faced with Taylor's request, he signaled that he had it covered.

"Taylor is about to advance. When are you going to take the next step?"

He immediately turned to another of Shangjing's outstanding talents, Jiang En, applying the pressure before the man could even get a word in.

Competition breeds motivation. This was a highly scientific method of guidance.

He had known for a long time that while Brother Taylor claimed not to care about who was better between the North and South, he was actually keeping a very close eye on his rival's every move.