CHAPTER 584: CHAPTER 594 MASTER WEI

"Good, very good! You keep your word and discern right from wrong; I admire such character!" Chu Feng revealed a smile of appreciation.

As for Wu Ming kneeling and declaring servitude, he did not indulge in sentimentality but accepted Wu Ming with dignity and rectitude.

To the outside world, becoming a Sword Slave might seem humiliating, a loss of face. But it also depends on whom one is serving as a Sword Slave.

Ordinary people, even if they wish to become Chu Feng’s Sword Slave, lack the qualifications to do so.

Thus far, the only Sword Slaves Chu Feng has taken are Li Shishi and Han Dong.

Now, there’s one more — Wu Ming.

Perhaps in the future, if Chu Feng encounters someone with exceptional abilities and noble character, he might take in a few more Sword Slaves.

In his previous life, it was precisely the scarcity of trusted aides that led to his betrayal by those traitors, resulting in his tragic end. In this life, Chu Feng will surely learn from his past and devote a portion of his energy and time to building a reliable Personal Guard Army.

"Rise!" Chu Feng personally helped Wu Ming up from the ground. "For now, you needn’t follow me; continue to serve as the Big Chief. Future arrangements will be made in due course."

"I shall heed the master’s orders with utmost care!"

Wu Ming rose and performed a respectful bow. Now, his attitude towards Chu Feng had undergone a complete and utter transformation.

Chu Feng’s supremacy in the art of medicinal herb cultivation, which he most prided himself on, utterly subdued Wu Ming.

This form of subjugation was by far more than ten times superior to that of using Puppet Elixirs.

...

Once the Medicinal Herbs from each Medicine Field were collected, they were all handed over to the Pharmaceutical Department.

The Pharmaceutical Department is one of the most crucial divisions of the Ten Thousand Sword Sect as it controls all the Medicinal Herbs contributed by the Medicine Mountain, certainly constituting the economic backbone of the Sect.

Given the immense importance of the Pharmaceutical Department, the volume of medicinal materials handled daily is beyond count.

These are actual silver and gold, and if someone were to embezzle, the loss to the Sect would be immeasurable. Moreover, due to the Pharmaceutical Department’s unique nature, it couldn’t be accounted for as clearly as silver in terms of exact amounts.

Instead, it is measured by the plant.

There is much room for manipulation here.

A ten-year-old Medicinal Herb and a thousand-year-old Medicinal Herb are both considered one plant, yet their value is worlds apart.

If the Department Director of the Pharmaceutical Department wanted to embezzle and switch a Crown Prince for an impostor, they would certainly have the capability to effortlessly alter the records, and it would be extremely hard for outsiders to detect.

The Sect must not only guard against the Pharmaceutical Department Director’s embezzlement but also prevent other members of the department from secretly pilfering the Sect’s medicinal materials.

Therefore, the Sect’s Supreme Elder and Sect Master are particularly meticulous when it comes to selecting the Department Director of the Pharmaceutical Department.

In the end, Wei Wuxie, who served as the Deputy Director of the Inner Sect Punishment Department, was appointed to this crucial position.

On one hand, with the status of Deputy Director within the Inner Sect, Wei Wuxie is unafraid of even the influential figures of the Inner Sect. This ensures to the greatest extent that the influence and power of Inner Sect individuals cannot affect the Pharmaceutical Department.

For instance, if a descendant of an influential figure of the Inner Sect wished to acquire a precious Elixir from the Pharmaceutical Department.

But they are unwilling to follow official procedures, instead exercising their influence to coerce the Pharmaceutical Department’s personnel into offering the herbs, or securing rare Medicinal Herbs at a very low cost.

With Wei Wuxie in charge of the Pharmaceutical Department, even a personal visit from an Inner Sect Elder would be futile.

He would not accept any part of such schemes.

Furthermore, Wei Wuxie has ascended to the Inner Sect step by step from an Outer Disciple of the Outer Sect’s Enforcement Hall, one can say he climbed up from the very bottom.

He was extremely familiar with all the routines of the Sect, both inner and outer.

Any trickery would be immediately seen through under his Eyes of Golden Flame.

Moreover, because Wei Wuxie was formerly from the Outer Sect, the Outer Disciples felt even closer to him.

Speaking of Wei Wuxie, he was indeed quite a character.

He started from the lowest rank of Medicine Farmer in the Outer Sect, and because of his integrity and impartiality, an Elder of the Outer Sect’s Enforcement Hall noticed him during a twist of fate and promoted him to be an Intern Judge in the Outer Sect’s Enforcement Hall.

Hey, it turned out that Wei Wuxie really had a talent for this.

The cases reviewed by him were not only clear of any wrongful convictions but also handled with great discernment. Moreover, he dealt with complicated cases with compassion, resolving them to the satisfaction of all parties involved, receiving numerous praises.

It was precisely because of his extraordinary abilities and impeccable integrity that he rose steadily through the ranks.

Eventually, even the Sect Master and the Supreme Elder took notice of him and promoted him to the Inner Sect Punishment Department.

After Wei Wuxie reached the Punishment Department, in less than a hundred years, he dazzled everyone once more. Climbing from a minor official in the Punishment Department, step by step, he ascended to the high position of Deputy Director.

You should know, in the whole Punishment Department, there’s only one Chief and two Deputy Directors.

Looking at the life of Wei Wuxie, it was as if he was on a cheat mode, becoming an object of worship among the Inner and Outer Disciples.

Each year, when the Medicinal Herbs from each Medicine Mountain are collected, Wei Wuxie would personally inspect them. And he would carefully check the accounts to prevent people from committing fraud.

"This year’s harvest is clearly weaker than last year’s!"

After glancing at the main accounts, Wei Wuxie frowned and said.

Several Deputy Directors and Managers of the Pharmaceutical Department were all attending to Wei Wuxie by his side.

In the Pharmaceutical Department, Wei Wuxie had absolute authority, with an unassailable status. No Deputy Director could compete with him.

"Lord Wei might not be aware, but this spring we experienced continuous floods, and then during the peak of summer, we had over a month without rainfall, resulting in a drought. The irregular weather, coupled with a plague of pests, led to a reduction in the harvest of each Medicine Mountain this year."

"The Mountain Masters, Managers, small leaders, and even the Medicine Farmers on each Medicine Mountain have been actively responding, coming up with numerous solutions. Otherwise, I’m afraid the yield would have been even lower."

The few Vice Mountain Masters beside him took turns explaining the primary reasons for the diminished harvest.

After hearing this, Wei Wuxie also nodded slightly, "The weather indeed has a significant impact on cultivating Medicinal Herbs! The work of the Medicine Farmers below is truly not easy. When the time comes, I will speak for them in front of the Sect Master and others."

He began checking the Medicinal Herbs of each Medicine Mountain.

Since the entire Ten Thousand Sword Sect had over a hundred Medicine Mountains, checking them was a massive undertaking.

Fortunately, the Managers of the Pharmaceutical Department who knew the rules set by Wei Wuxie had made ample preparations early on.

The Medicinal Herbs submitted by each Medicine Mountain had not entered the inventory yet but were piled outside the warehouse. They were sorted by type, grade, age, etc., clearly categorized.

For Wei Wuxie, checking one Medicine Mountain after another was not difficult.

After inspecting nearly a hundred Medicine Mountains, he was somewhat exhausted and stopped to rest for a while.

"Why are the rare Medicinal Herbs and ten-thousand-year-old Medicinal Herbs submitted by each Medicine Mountain so scarce this year?"

"The Sect Master and the Supreme Elders had all listed the rare Medicinal Herbs they needed early on. At the time, I thought for sure we could meet their requirements. Now it seems, we might disappoint them."

Wei Wuxie had a bitter expression, as even a skilled cook can’t prepare a meal without rice, and it was not easy to be the Department Director.

Several Deputy Directors and a group of Managers all looked at Wei Wuxie with envy, as he was the only one in the Pharmaceutical Department who could casually converse and have close contact with the Sect Master and Supreme Elders.