"What about taking the cultivator as your wife?"
Bang!
Hao Yu slammed the table while shouting in disgust. "Taking a cultivator as my wife? I can use them or kill them, but I'm not going to make a cultivator my companion. Do you know how much I want to puke just talking to them?"
Hao Yu gritted his teeth, trying his best to stop his mouth from talking… or so what Hao Yu wanted to do.
Fortunately, he had trained himself to remain as calm as possible. Although Han Shao had caught him off guard earlier, Hao Yu had learned from his mistake and refrained from reacting.
He asked, "What do you mean by that, Sir?"
"I don't mean it literally. You can think of it as a friend, a partner, or even a companion. Humans tend to place strong trust in those kinds of relationships. By taking her as your partner, you can build a level of trust that allows you to take even more advantage of her."
"…" Hao Yu fell silent. If this was what he was talking about, then Hao Yu had been doing it since the start.
Li Xue had trusted him, and from her reactions earlier, it seemed she had misunderstood his actions and words. In fact, that was precisely what he aimed for by speaking kindly to her.
Of course, Hao Yu was still disgusted with the fact that he had to do it in order to achieve his goal. However, as long as the relationship remained at a certain level, he paid no attention to it. After all, he was merely using them.
Hao Yu had initially planned to kill Li Xue once his goals were achieved, but his plans had changed due to the current circumstances. However, he wondered if claiming that everything was within his plan would be the right answer. After all, even though Han Shao was his teacher's friend, Hao Yu didn't want to reveal too much.
Hao Yu pondered for a moment, as if he was seriously considering Han Shao's words. Then, he said, "I understand, but let me think it over."
"Certainly," Han Shao nodded. "After observing you for the past few months, I have three pieces of advice to offer. Firstly, you'll need a vast network of informants, especially for establishing your own independent information network."
"Information network…" Hao Yu understood its importance, but creating an information network was easier said than done. After all, he had to find a very competent person that could be in charge of training and managing. It would require a long time to create them too.
He had been using the Secret Guardian and the government's information network, but that wouldn't be a reliable source of information sooner or later. After all, it would be easy to track the government.
Hence, he indeed needed an independent information network.
After seeing Hao Yu's expression, Han Shao continued, "Secondly, I want you to have these two people: a physician and a smart madman."
"I understand about the physician, but what do you mean by a smart madman?"
"The one that will do anything in order to achieve something impossible. It can be a merchant, a eunuch, or whoever it is, as long as they are smart and bold."
Hao Yu tilted his head in confusion, but he still nodded his head, thinking he would know if he had met the right person or not after meeting them.
"Last but not least, you need a lot of funds. So, you need to find another source of income."
"I understand. I have been asking around, so I have made some connections with merchants."
"Alright. I have told you what you lack… I have no plan in controlling what you do. While I do intend on taking care of you, if you mess up to a certain degree, I'm not planning to put my life on the line. Do you understand?"
Han Shao indirectly implied that if he messed up a big time, Han Shao would definitely send him to the cultivators.
Hao Yu knew that he had to be careful if he didn't want to die.
This was probably the most important message that Han Shao wanted to convey today. Hao Yu politely lowered his head and said, "I understand, Sir. I have no plan in dying."
"Alright then." Han Shao nodded, satisfied. He continued, "I don't know how you're going to find them, but I'm thinking about sending you to other cities to gain experience."
"Sending me to other cities?" Hao Yu fell silent for a moment. On the one hand, he didn't want to go that far, considering he would end up wasting too much time on the way. On the other hand, visiting another city could allow him to find some people and bring them back with him.
They could become the foundation of the organization that would allow him to achieve his goal.
That was why Hao Yu didn't immediately reject the idea. He considered the pros and cons before saying, "I understand. However, I might need one more month before I can do anything."
"That's fine. I have to establish some cooperation with other cities as well, so you don't have to worry about the time. I'm not sure about the exact time, but I will send you in another three months or so."
"If that's the case, I can prepare myself." Hao Yu nodded in agreement.
"Alright. That's all you need to know. If you need anything, don't ask me. I am not going to support you like your teacher. Besides, you should be able to do everything by yourself."
Hao Yu then cupped his hands and bowed to him before leaving the office.
Meanwhile, Han Shao couldn't help but shudder after seeing Hao Yu.
He leaned on his chair while muttering, "It seems that he has got a terrifying disciple this time. I have tried a few ways to extract information from him, but only the first one was effective. He is smart and learns through his mistakes."
"He is bold in his action. The only things he lacks right now are those three… If he manages to get all three, he would be a terrifying figure in the future."
Although many officials were mortals, there were a few cultivators residing within the court.
In addition, the three sects didn't really hold the dynasty in low regard. After all, the dynasty had been established for more than a thousand years and they had many connections and systems that allowed them to achieve what the sects couldn't.
So, it wasn't that strange to have a cultivation family within the dynasty or a cultivator among the officials. It was a mutually beneficial relationship.
However, Han Shao couldn't help but think of his friend. "While there are some cultivators among the officials, and they are favored because they can connect the people with cultivation sects… I'm afraid that this guy will become an even bigger figure like his teacher… a mortal who is feared even by a strong cultivator… I hope that his path is not cut short."
Even though he didn't want to risk his life, he would still support Hao Yu per his teacher's request.
Whether Hao Yu would realize the tremendous impact of his help or not would be a different case. For now, Hao Yu was too focused on Li Xue and the incoming cultivators.