Qingjiang Tea House.
In the private room on the second floor, the one Zhang Jinglong used to favor, Wang Ping ordered a pot of fine tea and so dried fruits. He watched with great interest as a storyteller on the stage below recounted the recent tale of General Niu Man quelling a rebellion.
"Who do you think will show up?"
Yu Lian peeked out from behind the window, her little head hidden as she curiously sized up seat number one at the very front of the first floor.
Last night, Wang Ping had sent out Puppet Zi Hong again. He had it make the initial contact using the secret codes from the mory of the Golden Cultivator Chen Jushu. Now, Wang Ping was waiting for the person who would answer the summons.
Just as the appointed eting ti approached, Wang Ping saw a familiar face enter the tea house’s main door. It was Leng Feng, a Thousand Households of the Commander of the Imperial Guard, and he had two standard-bearers with him. After entering, he habitually scanned his surroundings and soon his gaze t Wang Ping’s at the window of the private room upstairs. He froze for a mont, then gave a polite nod.
Then, Wang Ping watched him walk straight toward seat number one at the very front of the hall.
"Why is it him?" Yu Lian was incredulous.
"Are you asking why he would have a connection to the Cultist from the first day?"
"Yes!"
Wang Ping smiled faintly and said, "The person coming to the rendezvous isn’t necessarily the Cultist from the first day."
"What do you an?"
"You’ll understand soon enough."
Ti slowly ticked by, and soon the appointed eting ti had passed.
Leng Feng, who hadn’t t his contact, remained seated calmly in seat number one. At that mont, the storyteller was recounting the final, decisive battle, and the tea house was quiet.
Wang Ping stood up, tossed a tael or so of broken silver onto the table, and led Yu Lian out of the private room. They went downstairs, and he sat down next to Leng Feng in the seat beside number one, a spot he had reserved in advance using Puppet Zi Hong.
"You seem quite engrossed. You must have experienced that great battle firsthand, so why are you still interested in a storyteller’s tale?" This was Wang Ping’s first question after sitting down.
"His telling is more exciting. At least, far more exciting than what I experienced," Leng Feng replied with a chuckle. "Back then, we won in a state of confusion. It was only after thinking back on it carefully that we realized we were much like the storyteller on the stage—nothing more than actors. The real people pulling the strings were invisible."
Hearing this, Wang Ping nodded slightly. He sat securely in his chair, his eyes fixed on the vivid storyteller at the front, and asked, "Your deputy... how is the interrogation going?"
"No results at all. The mories we found using the Soul Searching Technique did indeed show a scene of him with Zhang Jinglong at the lamb soup shop, but they were just having the most ordinary chat, and the topic revolved entirely around the soup."
Leng Feng answered quickly, then added in an uncertain tone, "I suspect he deliberately made contact with Yu Er just to divert our attention."
Wang Ping fell into a brief silence after hearing this. Then he asked, "Have you ever considered the deeper aspects of this case?"
"Such as?"
Wang Ping didn’t give an example. Instead, he changed the subject. "Tell , what was the purpose of the fire spirit being raised in Xia Bian Village on the first day?"
"To plot so kind of bloody incident. That’s their favorite pasti. From the simplest Blast Technique to the complex summoning of a fire spirit, they always use ’eliminating evil’ as an excuse to launch their attacks..."
Wang Ping interrupted, "And where do you think they would unleash this fire spirit from Xia Bian Village?"
"Changwen Prefecture City!"
Leng Feng had clearly considered this. He said with certainty, "They would use that young girl’s body to bring the fire spirit into the city. Then, they’d use a diversion to lure the Prefecture City’s experts away before releasing a fake spirit..."
Wang Ping interrupted again. "Who do you think currently wants to see chaos in Mozhou Road the most?"
"The Rebel Army!"
"And who is behind the Rebel Army?"
"It’s..."
Leng Feng didn’t finish the sentence, but he understood what Wang Ping was implying. He asked, "What are you doing here today?"
Wang Ping pulled his gaze away from the storyteller and t Leng Feng’s eyes. "My purpose for being here is the sa as yours. Rember that Gold Cultivator who tried to assassinate ? His mory contained the contact code for your Commander of the Imperial Guard!"
Leng Feng’s expression turned grim. He lowered his voice and asked, "What do you plan to...?"
"Soone wrote a letter specifically warning to report every detail I uncover in this investigation, but without any conclusive statents. Forgive ... I can only do as instructed."
After saying this, Wang Ping stood, clasped his fist in a salute, and left the tea house without a backward glance.
Outside the tea house, Yu Lian finally understood. She communicated with Wang Ping in their Spirit Sea: ’Is he going to be the scapegoat?’
’Yes, and for a major cri at that. But I estimate that at most, he’ll be transferred back to Shangjing, given a new identity, and continue to serve in the Commander of the Imperial Guard. As for Mozhou Road... it will no longer have any eyes from the Commander of the Imperial Guard.’
After answering Yu Lian, Wang Ping headed straight for the Daoist Scripture Hall, visible in the distance at the city’s center.
...
"Excellent!"
After reading the case file Wang Ping submitted, Xuanhe Daoist offered this single word of praise with a smile. He put the file away, glanced at Wenyang Taoist working in the side room, and said, "Your contribution this ti is enough to exchange for five thousand redemption points, and your sect contribution score will also increase significantly..."
Here, Xuanhe Daoist paused before continuing, "I heard that Wudao Prefecture, which neighbors your Qianmu Temple, has beco unclaid territory. You also just happen to have obtained the status of the Fifth Seat. When you return, imdiately apply to the Daoist Scripture Hall to claim Wudao Prefecture as your missionary territory. I will help you arrange it."
This was his reward. Wang Ping did not refuse. He imdiately stood, clasped his fist, and said, "Many thanks, Daoist."
"One more thing. The spoils of war from Xia Bian Village, do you want to exchange them for redemption points or take them as they are? According to the preliminary survey, the most valuable item underground is a hallucinogenic Demon Soldier. It’s a fine item. As long as you can contain its malicious aura, it can even be effective against a Third Realm Great Cultivator."
"According to the rules of the Daoist Scripture Hall, you have the right to compete for this Demon Soldier, but it would require other compensation. Of course, if you are willing to give up the Demon Soldier you acquired previously..."
"I heard from Fellow Daoist Xuanhe that the Demon Soldier you previously obtained happens to match my attributes. If you, Fellow Daoist, are willing to part with it, I will naturally offer a generous gift in return. I will also see to it that the Demon Soldier from Xia Bian Village is given to you." It was Wenyang Taoist from the side room who interrupted Xuanhe. He spoke very directly, unlike Xuanhe’s coyness.
Wang Ping shifted his gaze to Wenyang Taoist. He feigned contemplation for a few breaths before nodding. "Alright, I’ll make the trade."
A favor from Wenyang Taoist was more important than a single Demon Soldier, and it wasn’t a bad deal for him anyway. With that, he took a pearl-like Demon Soldier from his storage pouch. The mont it appeared, the temperature in the room rose noticeably.
Seeing this Demon Soldier, a smile finally appeared on Wenyang’s face. Xuanhe seed even happier than Wenyang, stroking his beard involuntarily.
"After the Demon Soldier from Xia Bian Village is excavated, I will personally deliver it to Qianmu Temple!" Wenyang Taoist promised.
...
Outside the Daoist Scripture Hall.
Wang Ping let out a breath. He hadn’t expected a final transaction at the end of all this.
With that, the case was closed.
But he didn’t leave in a hurry. Instead, he first returned to the courtyard assigned to him by the Daoist Scripture Hall and wrote two letters, one to Cheng Ji and one to Feng Miao. He thanked them for their help and also invited them to be guests at Qianmu Mountain.
Wang Ping gave the two finished letters to Ah Jiu to have them delivered. Afterward, he leaped onto the roof of his small courtyard, took one last look at the rebuilding Changwen Prefecture City, then collected his thoughts and set off on the road back to Qianmu Temple.
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