Commandant

"So fast?" After a full day spent conducting inquiries outside, Wei Yuefu returned to learn that Shen Qianjun had already arrested three members of the Lotus Fragrance Cult in a single day. Shen Qianjun was currently interrogating them under torture and had already extracted a good deal of intelligence. This left Wei Yuefu thoroughly astonished. *Did this guy turn on cheat codes or something?!* "I find it strange as well," Tian Muchuan said, his brow knit even tighter. The whole thing was far too bizarre. "As far as I know, he didn't do any investigating at all. He just made a beeline straight for them and seized them." "And he hit the mark every single time." "Tell me, could he be colluding with the Lotus Fragrance Cult, or is he actually one of them himself?" Tian Muchuan was not deliberately framing Shen Qianjun; the situation simply defied all common sense. He had skipped the entire process and jumped straight to the result. To tell the truth, Wei Yuefu even suspected Shen Qianjun might genuinely possess such an ability. Otherwise, how could his cultivation progress so quickly? What if he truly had the power to skip steps directly? "Unlikely," Wei Yuefu replied, shaking his head. "If he really were one of them, he wouldn't act so brazenly." "My lord, if you're hoping to use this angle to squeeze Shen Qianjun out, it won't work." "As long as he can actually capture members of the Lotus Fragrance Cult, Lord Shangguan will shield him." At most, Shangguan Shutong would keep an eye on him, step up surveillance, and look into it once the dust settled. Right now, there was no way he would move against Shen Qianjun. Tian Muchuan understood this logic just as well. He had only brought it up with Wei Yuefu to see if there might be a better workaround. Judging by Wei Yuefu's reaction, however, there clearly was none. In the end, he could only let out a heavy sigh. "I'm afraid the limelight and the credit this time around will fall squarely onto Shen Qianjun's head," Tian Muchuan said resignedly. "Then, my lord, what is the situation in Liulin County?" Wei Yuefu asked. "No idea. Lord Shangguan withheld all the intelligence," Tian Muchuan replied, sounding rather disgruntled. Yet Wei Yuefu could read between the lines: things were almost certainly grim. It was entirely possible that their forces had suffered a crushing defeat; otherwise, if it were truly a victory, why would anyone keep it under wraps? Given the current predicament, superiors only ever reported good news, never the bad. While the two were talking, a servant hurried in to report. "Master, Officer Ding, Commandant Hong has come to call." Hearing who had arrived, both Wei Yuefu and Tian Muchuan were puzzled, wondering what business had brought him here. Commandant Hong Qiming was in charge of military affairs—commanding troops, training, apprehending bandits, suppressing rebellions, and the like. The one dispatched to Liulin County to quell the uprising was the Military Affairs Clerk under his command. By rights, their two departments had little intersection, so why would he make a sudden visit? "Shoucheng, come welcome him with me," Tian Muchuan said, rising to his feet. Wei Yuefu naturally had no objection and accompanied him to receive the guest. After exchanging polite pleasantries along the way, Tian Muchuan had tea and refreshments prepared to entertain him. Wei Yuefu was one of his own, so treating him was simple. But Hong Qiming was an outside guest and could not be treated with neglect. Once the customary pleasantries were out of the way, Tian Muchuan got to the point: "May I ask what brings Lord Hong to my humble quarters?" "Naturally, to borrow a man," Hong Qiming said bluntly. "I have heard that Bronze Badge Ding under your command, Silver Robe Tian, is extraordinarily skilled at tracking and apprehension." "I specially came to ask for his help with a matter." As he spoke, Hong Qiming looked toward Wei Yuefu. This left Tian Muchuan even more baffled, and he asked, "Might I know what kind of matter?" "Shoucheng is currently under orders to pursue the Lotus Fragrance Cult and truly cannot pull himself away." Hands were in short supply right now; Tian Muchuan would have to be out of his mind to let him go. "Then that works out perfectly, for this also concerns the Lotus Fragrance Cult," Hong Qiming replied. "Do you two know how the battle in Liulin County went?" "Given the competence of the Military Affairs Clerk under your command, my lord, I imagine they returned in glorious triumph." Tian Muchuan suspected things had gone poorly, but he could not say so openly. He then asked, "What does that have to do with Lord Hong borrowing a man?" "No, quite the contrary." Hong Qiming's expression darkened to an extreme degree. "It would be fair to say our men were routed so badly they discarded their armor and threw down their weapons." "H-How is that possible?!" Tian Muchuan gasped, his shock three parts genuine and seven parts feigned. "There is nothing impossible about it," Hong Qiming explained. "This catastrophic defeat occurred because that band of rebels joined forces with the Lotus Fragrance Cult." "Moreover, there was a Lotus Fragrance Cult spy within our own ranks, so our military secrets were thoroughly leaked." "That is what led to this disastrous rout." "Barring any unexpected delays, that rebel force will arrive at our city gates in three days at most." Wei Yuefu knew little about military affairs, but he had a feeling that the Lotus Fragrance Cult probably couldn't shoulder such massive blame. In particular, regarding the reason for the defeat: how could trained soldiers facing a ragtag bunch of barehanded rabble lose entirely because of leaked intelligence? Based on his stereotypical impression of the Great Jing Dynasty, the troops themselves were probably inept, and the commanding officer was likely a good-for-nothing fool on top of that. Only after all that did the Lotus Fragrance Cult come into play. He couldn't speak for other places, but in the Great Jing Dynasty, these people genuinely needed to examine their own failings first. You couldn't just blame the enemy for your own utter incompetence. The enemy wasn't going to scale their abilities to match your level—this wasn't a video game. "What?!" This time, Tian Muchuan was genuinely shocked. He had imagined it was bad, but never that it was *this* bad. "And that's assuming the rebels fight their way through town by town along the route. If they were to make a direct push for Dingyuan City, they might arrive as early as tomorrow morning," Hong Qiming said in a heavy voice. Tian Muchuan quickly regained his composure and said at once, "Pardon my loss of composure." "In that case, Lord Hong, what do you need Shoucheng for?" "If it's to track down the Lotus Fragrance Cult, wouldn't Bronze Badge Shen be enough?" At that, Tian Muchuan added with a trace of mockery, "In just a single day today, he managed to capture three members of the Lotus Fragrance Cult in succession." "I know," Hong Qiming said coldly. "And that is precisely why I do not trust him." "What kind of person could achieve such a feat in a single day?" "If you tell me there's nothing wrong there, I simply won't believe it." "I am borrowing Bronze Badge Ding specifically to investigate him." "That man holds a high post, and with such abnormal behavior, if he truly is an operative of the Lotus Fragrance Cult..." "Then all of us are in grave peril." "That is why I wish to enlist Bronze Badge Ding's assistance." Wei Yuefu and Tian Muchuan fell silent, exchanging a subtle glance. This was far too coincidental. More importantly, it reeked of borrowing a knife to kill someone. Now they even suspected that Hong Qiming, or someone close to him, might be the real member of the Lotus Fragrance Cult. They certainly didn't get along with Shen Qianjun, but it was precisely because of that friction that they were convinced Shen Qianjun could not be part of the cult. There was no motive or benefit in it for him whatsoever. In contrast, Hong Qiming seemed suspiciously desperate to eliminate Shen Qianjun. After all, in just one day, the Lotus Fragrance Cult had lost three sleeper agents inside Dingyuan City. "Shoucheng, what do you think?" Tian Muchuan looked over at Wei Yuefu. "Since Lord Hong has made the request, I will gladly accompany him," Wei Yuefu replied, seeing that Tian Muchuan wanted him to accept. Coincidentally, he held the exact same thought. Considering the present situation, aside from Xia Miaozheng, the Dragon Marrow Blood-Tempering Pill was most likely in the hands of the Lotus Fragrance Cult. This was like someone handing him a pillow just as he grew drowsy; he could use this opportunity to investigate.