"You're using the wrong word. The right term is 'by popular acclaim'!"
"What's the difference?"
"A huge difference! 'Winning the hearts of the people' can only be used for officials. For anyone else, it's easy to be accused of having ulterior motives—of plotting a rebellion!" Tao Liu said with a straight face.
"Is that true?" An Xiaoxue asked skeptically, turning to Wu Kun.
"Don't listen to his nonsense." Wu Kun shot Tao Liu a disdainful look. "Do you know what this guy was before he joined the Demon Slayer Bureau? A mountain bandit!"
"Hey! Stop your slander!" Tao Liu retorted, annoyed. "What mountain bandit? I hadn't even made it up the mountain yet, alright? If I'd actually joined them, do you think I would've passed the background check?"
"You just got lucky. The bandits' den was wiped out right as you were heading up the mountain," Wu Kun replied calmly. "If you'd been a single step earlier, you would've been beheaded along with them."
