Zhu Xuan was astonished. “Did Xi Qingyue destroy his foundation of cultivation?”
Qi Duolai nodded. “He was subjected to the ‘covering with a quilt’ punishment right from the start. You know how it is, this move injures the inside without damaging the outside, easily causing internal injuries. His meridians are completely destroyed and shattered. When he arrives at the Ming Temple later, he must be treated promptly, otherwise I am afraid he will not even be able to save his life. His internal organs are severely damaged, and he is bleeding internally. Even if his life is saved, he probably will not be able to get out of bed for a month or so.”
Zhu Xuan could not help but pinch his beard, feeling a bit of a toothache, and muttered, “That fellow Xi Qingyue…”
He turned back and instructed Qi Duolai, “Clean up the matter thoroughly. The Tanhua and Qingya have nothing to do with the death of Wang Xuetang. Tell Xi Qingyue to pass a message to those involved in the interrogation and torture below, as well as to the Langhuan Residence. Warn those who need warning and silence those who need silencing. In short, not a single word must be leaked to the outside. Wang Xuetang was killed by Tu Xiukui, and it has nothing to do with anyone else!”
“Yes.” Qi Duolai replied respectfully.
He naturally knew what this meant. First Mister Liang had bailed out Qingya, and the Ming Temple had bailed out the Tanhua. Talking about re-interrogating once there was evidence was all nonsense. The Great Sage had driven the personal disciple of the Earth Mother to her death, so it would be strange if the Earth Mother did not hold a grudge. There was no choice but to close the case as soon as possible.
To put it bluntly, whether it was First Mister Liang or the Ming Temple, bailing people out was simply about protecting them.
In short, once Tu Xiukui became the scapegoat, this case would have nothing to do with anyone else. If any hidden details were dragged out, even the Zhenhai Division would face severe consequences, and they would also offend the Ming Temple and the Liang family. They definitely needed to clean up this mess completely. Absolutely no one was allowed to link the death of Wang Xuetang to Qingya and the Tanhua again.
However, this made him think of another matter. “Commander, quite a few people were detained at the Langhuan Residence. Now that we are making Tu Xiukui take the fall, can the others be released?”
Zhu Xuan glanced sideways. “What, did someone come to put in a good word for you?”
Qi Duolai gave a dry laugh. “Yes, you also know that those who can live in the Langhuan Residence are either rich or noble, and most of them have connections and ways to get things done. Once people are detained, the result is conceivable. Just like people coming to you, some who could not get in touch with you came to me to smooth things over. There are some favours I simply cannot turn down.”
Zhu Xuan clasped his hands behind his back and said calmly, “Do not release them all. If you release them for nothing, they might not even appreciate your favour. Hold them and release them slowly. For those who have someone putting in a word, it is not too late to sell them a favour and release them. As for those who have no connections, background, or people to smooth things over, just detain them first as people of unknown origin. It does not matter if the reputation of the Langhuan Residence is blackened a bit more. After all, Xi Qingyue was the one who arrested them, and everyone knows who is behind Xi Qingyue.”
Qi Duolai was immediately delighted and cupped his hands. “Yes, I understand.”
Zhu Xuan suddenly turned back and said, “Also, hurry down and oversee it. Make sure the people are smoothly handed over to the Ming Temple. I do not trust that fellow Xi Qingyue. Make sure he does not cause any more trouble.”
“Alright.” After Qi Duolai agreed, he hurriedly left.
Liu Piaopiao, who was hiding behind the window peeping, suddenly perked up.
She saw three carriages from the Zhenhai Division headquarters parked outside the prison. Crucially, she also saw two black-robed monks beside the carriages. She knew at a glance that they were monks from the Ming Temple, and she had already guessed a certain possibility, estimating they were here to bail out Yu Qing and the others.
Before she could even breathe a sigh of relief in her heart, a scene that made her heart ache appeared. Three wooden boards carried three people out. They were all covered with white cloth, and their faces could not be seen. However, the body of Nan Zhu was still relatively easy to recognise, and there were exactly three people.
The white cloths were all stained with blood, and the people under the white cloths showed no movement.
After the three boards along with the people were pushed into the carriage, the people from the Zhenhai Division handed over three swords and some confiscated items from the suspects to the two black-robed monks. Qi Duolai did not know what was being said over there, and Xi Qingyue was also standing by with his arms crossed.
Later, the two monks got on the carriage, along with the escort personnel sent by the Zhenhai Division.
Then the carriages just left like that.
Hiding behind the window and watching them leave, Liu Piaopiao’s mind was restless. She did not know if the people under those three white cloths were dead or alive. Unfortunately, she was not in a position to inquire about anything related to Yu Qing right now, and she certainly did not dare to follow up and check.
After Qi Duolai and the others had all left, Xi Qingyue waved his hand to summon a few subordinates who were watching at the prison gate, and asked, “Did that fat man and that big guy confess anything useful?”
One person said, “No. That big guy was extremely stubborn. He did not even let out a single scream. No matter what we did, putting salt on his wounds, soaking him in medicine, we tried everything. He fainted several times, but still gritted his teeth and endured it. No matter what we asked, he said he did not know. To be honest, he endured it purely by force. He is truly a man!”
Another person said, “The fat man, on the other hand, cried out in pain, calling for his parents. I do not know how many tears and snot he shed. He kept begging us to spare him, but he simply refused to confess no matter what. He was tied to the bronze cannon three times already. After being taken down, he was tortured in various ways. He fainted seven or eight times, and still did not confess when he woke up. If it were an ordinary person, they really would not be able to withstand it. Even if they had no problems, they would have falsely confessed under torture. Chief Inspector, I am truly convinced.”
Xi Qingyue turned his head to look in the direction the carriages had left, his face showing quite a bit of surprise. Yu Qing was one thing, after all, he was the number one talent in the world. He did not expect that the two people who looked quite foolish beside Yu Qing would actually have such hard bones, and could actually withstand the severe prison torture of the Zhenhai Division…
The three carriages went all the way to the side of the strait. The people on the carriages were carried down again, carried by the people from the Zhenhai Division, following behind the two black-robed monks across the suspension bridge.
On the roof of one of the carriages, Big Head, who did not know when it had lain on top, suddenly flapped its wings and rose, flying in circles in the air to follow.
The three people covered in white cloth were carried directly to the gate of the Sweeping Dust Temple. The two black-robed monks pushed the door open and went in, but they did not let the Zhenhai Division personnel carry the people in.
The group did not wait outside the door for long. Suddenly, they were all somewhat flustered, simply because the three wooden boards with the people lying on them flew up into thin air, flying in one after another. Only the Zhenhai Division personnel were left outside the door, looking at each other in blank astonishment.
Later, a young monk in black robes came out, stood at the door, cupped his hands and bowed to everyone, and then closed the temple gate.
The group of Zhenhai Division personnel outside the door looked at each other in silence. They thought they could go in and broaden their horizons, but they did not expect they could not even enter the main gate. There was nothing they could do, so they could only turn around and leave.
After these people got on the suspension bridge, Big Head, which was circling in the air, suddenly swooped down towards the temple. However, an invisible resistance seemed to suddenly bounce out over the seemingly simple temple, actually bouncing Big Head back into the air.
Big Head seemed to be frightened and quickly flapped its wings to fly far away.
However, after a short while, it turned into a black dot and flew back. Only this time it was flying at a low altitude, flying back close to the ground. It seemed to know how to use the cover of the terrain, giving people a sneaky feeling.
It landed outside the wall of the temple and drilled into the eye socket of a skull to hide, occasionally poking its head out to peek around.
Later, it seemed unable to resist the temptation of the bones, and actually started gnawing and biting with a crunching sound…
The sun jumped out of the sea of clouds on the distant horizon, emitting ten thousand rays of golden light to render everything between heaven and earth, creating a magnificent scenery.
On the top floor of the Haixiao Pavilion, a young man in grey clothes and a scholar’s robe, looking handsome and spirited, walked out of the room. He paced on the terrace, looking out at the myriad sights of the sea city.
Many flowers and plants were planted on the terrace. An old man was tending, trimming, and watering them. Upon seeing the young man, he put down his things and politely bowed, saying, “Young Master Xu.”
The young man was named Xu Wenbin. He was the youngest newly risen adviser beside Duke Xuan, a high-ranking official of the Jin State, and was highly valued by Duke Xuan.
The people of Duke Xuan were naturally respected at this military outpost.
“Good morning.” Xu Wenbin smiled and nodded in response.
The old man asked, “Has this old man disturbed your rest, Young Master?”
Xu Wenbin did not speak, but just smiled and waved his hand to indicate that he had not. Then he walked to the railing at the edge of the terrace and silently looked into the distance. From time to time, the wind blew, helping his clothes flutter. His tall and elegant scholarly demeanour was thus even more charming.
His hair was not a single strand out of place, but his headscarf fluttered in the wind. With his slender figure and hands behind his back, his fair skin, the wisdom between his brows shone brightly under the sunlight. His bright eyes reflected the sun brilliantly, yet he looked deep in thought, no one knew where his mind was directed.
The flowers and plants on the terrace also swayed gracefully in the wind and around him.
The old man sensed that he was preoccupied with heavy thoughts and did not know what he was thinking about. Not daring to disturb him, the old man quietly retreated from the staircase.
After a good while, a clear female voice calling out came from inside the room. “Young Master?”
Hearing the voice, Xu Wenbin came to his senses, turned his head, and walked towards the room, just bumping into the white-clad woman who was looking out from the doorway.
The white-clad woman was his personal maid chosen from the Duke Xuan’s residence, named Emei.
After Emei let him in, she quickly closed the door, then went to close the windows, and only then squatted down to pick up the sheets of paper that had been blown off the desk.
Xu Wenbin sat behind the desk and asked, “Tell me, how are the people?”
Emei put the collected papers back on the desk. “News came from the Ming Temple. They said that among the three, the Tanhua looks like he is not as severely injured as the other two on the surface, but in reality, he is the most severely injured one. His internal organs are all damaged.
This is not a big deal, the Ming Temple can still treat it. The problem is that his meridians for circulating qi are completely shattered, making him unable to circulate qi and cast spells. His foundation of cultivation is probably destroyed. He might not be able to cultivate in the future and can only be an ordinary person. The Ming Temple said they will do their best, but they cannot guarantee whether he can be cured.
As for the other two, Nan Zhu suffered the bronze cannon burning punishment. The flesh on his back has been scorched black, which is too miserable to bear and not easy to recover from. Mu Aotie only has three toes left, and it can be seen that he also suffered a lot of torture. All three were sent to the Ming Temple in a fainting state.”
After listening attentively, Xu Wenbin remained silent for a long time, and only said one sentence, “An ordinary person who cannot cultivate? Would he not get beaten up when he goes back…”
Emei comforted him, “With his talent, even if he becomes an ordinary person who cannot cultivate, he can still live very well.”
“His talent?” Xu Wenbin showed a bitter smile and sighed slowly. “I really did not expect that with the dispositions of the fat man and that big guy, they would actually dare to follow this audacious fellow and run out to mess around everywhere.”
Emei then took out a secret letter from her sleeve and handed it to him. “This is news transmitted from inside the Zhenhai Division. They said they originally planned to make the Tanhua take the fall.”