Patrol Envoy

Shen Qianjun was now riding a tiger with no way down. He had returned to Songyang County with two goals: one was to investigate corruption within the Songyang County Six Doors, and the other was to intercept the Eight Treasures Golden Body. As for Yuanxiang, he understood the situation well enough. He had never intended to steal their credit, yet somehow things had devolved to such an ugly state. What he failed to understand was why their reaction was so vehement. "It seems Patrol Envoy Shen cannot produce one," Tian Muchuan remarked. "In that case, I will have to ask Patrol Envoy Shen to fetch a warrant before speaking further." "I am acting under a secret order." Gritting his teeth, Shen Qianjun had no choice but to borrow authority he didn't currently possess. Once he returned, he would simply ask his superior to issue one retroactively. "I carry the orders of Silver Robe Xia. Does Lord Tian wish to see them?" Above Bronze Badge was Silver Robe. Seeing Shen Qianjun's confident demeanor, Tian Muchuan momentarily lost his footing. Weighing Shen Qianjun's words, Wei Yuefu whispered, "Sir, for Shen Qianjun to become a Patrol Envoy, he must have found favor with this Silver Robe Xia. We cannot afford to offend him. Why not hand the prisoner over, but keep the Buddha statue? You can travel to the prefectural capital to verify the order. If it truly was an undercover instruction from Silver Robe Xia, we will have no choice but to let him have his way." Wei Yuefu spoke tactfully, but Tian Muchuan understood his underlying meaning. Shen Qianjun's real target was unquestionably the Eight Treasures Golden Body; otherwise, he wouldn't demand to take the evidence away as well. Even if it truly were Silver Robe Xia's secret order, a superior would care far more about capturing Yuanxiang than securing the statue. If rank truly pressed down to crush them, Tian Muchuan had no intention of letting Shen Qianjun have an easy time—he would seize the statue directly. If Shen Qianjun wanted to hoard all the credit for himself, Tian Muchuan would rather return it straight to Dayun Guangming Temple than let him touch it. His distaste for Shen Qianjun ran deep. As a fellow townsman, not sticking together was bad enough, but Shen Qianjun had actually come back to stab them in the back. "Since Patrol Envoy Shen carries a secret order from Silver Robe Xia, it must be genuine," Tian Muchuan said. "However, Patrol Envoy Shen is alone, and escorting Yuanxiang unassisted might invite trouble. Why don't we accompany Patrol Envoy Shen to the prefectural capital to report the completion of our duties?" Turning toward Wei Yuefu, Tian Muchuan added, "Shoucheng, take this Buddha statue back to be cataloged and locked in the evidence vault. Once the dust settles, we will return it to Dayun Guangming Temple." "Understood, Sir," Wei Yuefu replied immediately. Shen Qianjun's heart sank. He naturally saw through Tian Muchuan's scheme. "Bronze Badge Tian, this is evidence. It must be presented in court as part of the testimony." Shen Qianjun feared unexpected complications. Tian Muchuan had relented after Wei Yuefu murmured something to him, and now he was sending Wei Yuefu back with the statue. Shen Qianjun could smell trouble. The moment he uttered those words, the Iron Ruler constables, already ill-disposed toward him, were consumed by outright hostility. With a formidable backer behind him, taking Yuanxiang was one thing—they could stomach that. But wanting to haul the Buddha statue away as well meant leaving them nothing at all. They could have turned the statue over to the court, or transcribed the Eight Treasures Golden Body for themselves. At the very least, returning it to Dayun Guangming Temple would net them a favor or a reward. Yet here this man was, declaring it evidence with a sweep of his hand—not only refusing them a sip of soup, but not even leaving them a scrap of bone to chew on. Snatching credit and looking for trouble—Sifang Martial Arts Hall produced nothing but shameless scoundrels. At that moment, everyone finally understood why an honest fellow like 'Ding Shoucheng' had been driven to betray the hall and leave. "Evidence?" Tian Muchuan let out a cold, mocking laugh, though he knew his prior words had indeed struck Shen Qianjun's sore spot. "Patrol Envoy Shen must be joking. This is stolen property we seized while apprehending a thief on our way here. It has nothing to do with Yuanxiang." Turning to Wei Yuefu, Tian Muchuan said, "Shoucheng, head back. You've worked hard tonight. Leave the rest to us, and get some good rest." With that, Tian Muchuan cast a sideways glance at Shen Qianjun. "Patrol Envoy Shen, let us depart. We wouldn't want to miss our deadline." He bit down hard on the final words, speaking as though he wanted to skin Shen Qianjun alive. "Bronze Badge Tian, do not try to fool me." Shen Qianjun had not expected Tian Muchuan to be so brazen as to deny it outright. "That Buddha statue is the heirloom that Yuanxiang stole from Dayun Guangming Temple!" At this point, Shen Qianjun threw caution to the wind and laid everything bare. Yet Tian Muchuan merely gave a stiff, mirthless smile. "What heirloom? Patrol Envoy Shen, your eyes must be playing tricks on you." Since the envoy refused to show any decency, Tian Muchuan saw no reason to give him face. Seeing his opening, Wei Yuefu held the Buddha statue tightly and dashed off toward Songyang County like a wisp of smoke. Shen Qianjun opened his mouth to shout, but several Iron Ruler constables stepped into the middle of the road, blocking his view. "Let us go, Patrol Envoy Shen," Tian Muchuan said grimly. "If you refuse to move, we will simply escort Yuanxiang back ourselves." Faced with this dilemma, Shen Qianjun could only grit his teeth. "Let's go!" He wanted the Eight Treasures Golden Body, but unless he tore off all pretense of civility, he had to take the exit given to him. If they did come to blows, the constables had the numbers, and he was no match for them all. Fortunately, he had prepared a contingency. On his way here, he had instructed Meng Zhijie to find Meng Wei and bring reinforcements. They should already be on the road. Nine times out of ten, they would be able to intercept 'Ding Shoucheng' and take the Buddha statue from his hands. *** Having slipped away, Wei Yuefu did not head straight back. Instead, he found a secluded spot, preparing to destroy the Buddha statue. He hadn't anticipated such a favorable turn of events; it only proved that self-interest moved the human heart above all else. Then again, Shen Qianjun's intentions had been far too obvious, and Wei Yuefu had already bound the interests of everyone in the Songyang County Six Doors together beforehand. Had he missed a single step, the outcome might have been entirely different. Drawing the two golden melon hammers from his waist, he brought them crashing down toward the statue. "Stop!" a furious roar rang out, accompanied by two piercing whistles through the air. Two flying daggers plunged into Wei Yuefu's shoulder, yet his golden melon hammers were already descending. With two resounding thuds, the Buddha statue shattered into pieces across the ground. "Well now, the whole family came," Wei Yuefu remarked, turning his gaze toward the newcomers. Leading the group was Meng Wei, flanked by Meng Zhijie and Meng Mingzhu. As for the outer disciples, it naturally wasn't suitable to bring them along, given what Shen Qianjun had revealed. "How... how dare you..." Meng Wei stammered, his eyes practically tearing at the corners from rage. By all normal logic, no one in their right mind would ever destroy such a peerless manual of divine martial arts. They had actually arrived in the nick of time, but because of the asymmetry in information, they had misjudged Wei Yuefu's intentions. Though they had arrived on the scene, the object was already ruined. "Why wouldn't I dare?" Wei Yuefu replied, raising his golden melon hammers to bring another strike down on each scattered fragment of the statue. "I cannot fathom what benefit this brings you," Meng Wei said, forcing himself to calm down as he covertly signaled his son and daughter with his fingers while speaking. He had no intention of idly chatting with Wei Yuefu; the question was merely meant to divert his attention.