After securing the man he needed, Hong Qiming exchanged a few pleasantries and told Wei Yuefu to report on time tomorrow.
Seeing this, Wei Yuefu naturally brought his little brother along and shadowed him, while also having Tian Muchuan prepare men to back him up.
If their suspicions were correct, Hong Qiming was undoubtedly a big fish.
Therefore, although Wei Yuefu intended to investigate, he also had to ensure his own safety.
If a fight broke out, he would turn tail and run, and Tian Muchuan would lead his men to swarm the place.
As for the fact that he was a martial artist... low-level martial arts could barely be considered martial arts; take a solid blade strike, and you'd be just as dead.
Hong Qiming did not return to his residence. Instead, after looking left and right, he took a series of twists and turns to reach a certain house in an alley behind his manor.
"Little brother, go in and see what's going on," Wei Yuefu directed his little brother to float inside.
If the person living in this house was a mistress kept by Hong Qiming, she might very well be a member of the Lotus Fragrance Cult.
After all, this was one of their usual tricks.
Alternatively, Lotus Fragrance Cult members could be inside directly, which would mean Hong Qiming himself was a cult member rather than merely someone bewitched by them.
Just as Wei Yuefu was observing, a figure approached under the cover of night.
Catching sight of Wei Yuefu, the figure couldn't help pausing.
"Bronze Badge Shen, you're here tailing Lord Hong as well?" Wei Yuefu's eyes narrowed slightly, and he cupped his hands in a polite greeting.
The arriving Shen Qianjun returned the salute upon seeing Wei Yuefu, then said, "Ding... Bronze Badge Ding, you traced your way to the mistress kept by Lord Hong as well?"
Shen Qianjun had not expected Wei Yuefu to actually be one step ahead of him.
He hadn't investigated; rather, he had obtained a list using the method provided by Hua Shirui.
In this regard, he rather admired Wei Yuefu; it seemed Wei's talents had truly been buried back at the Sifang Martial Arts Hall.
Only after joining Six Doors had he finally displayed his true prowess.
"No, I merely tracked things to Lord Hong himself," Wei Yuefu answered, then added, "Do you have any grudge with this Lord Hong?"
"He came by this afternoon and played a trick of borrowing a knife to kill, intending for us to deal with you."
"Though even without him playing that card, we were already planning to deal with you anyway."
Hearing Wei Yuefu speak so bluntly, Shen Qianjun didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The man was honest as ever.
"So that's why you suspected Lord Hong had problems, Bronze Badge Ding?" Shen Qianjun ignored the remark about dealing with him; he already knew that without needing a reminder.
"Yes," Wei Yuefu said with a nod. "As rivals, we still know what kind of person you are."
"However, according to what you just said, Lord Hong's mistress belongs to the Lotus Fragrance Cult. Do you have any proof?"
Although Wei Yuefu was inclined to trust Shen Qianjun's information channel, moving against the mistress of a commandant and apprehending an infiltrating Lotus Fragrance Cult operative were two completely different matters.
Just as they suspected Hong Qiming, hadn't they held back from making a move as well?
"Naturally I do," Shen Qianjun answered. "It's just that I cannot show you the evidence."
Mainly, it was awkward for him to state the source directly, lest he expose Hua Shirui's existence.
He knew for a fact that Monk Yuanxiang had been tracked down by Wei Yuefu.
Hence, he was also on guard; if the man caught some flaw in his brief words, Hua Shirui would be in danger.
"It seems your evidence is rather sensitive." Wei Yuefu knew that even if he pressed the matter, the other party wouldn't say, so he simply skipped it.
"Then let me ask you this: is the evidence irrefutable? Can it nail them down once and for all?"
"If so, I'll call over my men, and we'll go in and make the arrest."
If it wasn't certain, then forget it. In any case, Wei Yuefu had his little brother; eavesdropping the entire night was an option too.
"It can!" Shen Qianjun replied resoundingly, before asking with an odd look, "You plan to call for backup? With our combined strength, subduing them together won't be a problem."
Wei Yuefu rolled his eyes and said, "You're heaven's favored child; I'm not."
"If you want to play the hero, go yourself. I'm not going."
As he spoke, he drew a signal flare from his waist, preparing to fire it.
Shen Qianjun, however, was quick with his hands and clamped down on it.
From that single move alone, Wei Yuefu determined that the other man's Bright Hall Force was far superior to his own.
"Too many people, and there won't be enough credit to go around," Shen Qianjun said in a low voice. "Don't you want to advance further?"
"Of course I do, but the prerequisite is staying alive," Wei Yuefu said honestly.
His little brother had already floated into the house by now.
Inside the house, besides Hong Qiming, who was currently being intimate with his mistress, three other men were hidden away.
These three were burly and armed with weapons, clearly members of the Lotus Fragrance Cult.
If they really charged in, the best-case scenario would be Hong Qiming helping them to make it three against three... Well, maybe not anymore.
Hong Qiming had just shuddered and entered sage mode; his combat strength had plummeted.
He'd be lucky not to become a dead weight.
Wei Yuefu couldn't help griping internally at this. *Isn't your combat duration a bit too short?*
*You're a martial artist after all... Is reaching middle age really that devastating?*
"How about I take the vanguard?" Shen Qianjun couldn't resist offering.
"Not going," Wei Yuefu refused once more. "What's in it for you, sharing credit with me?"
Wei Yuefu certainly couldn't state outright that other people were hiding inside; saying so would reveal a flaw.
"I was thinking... I could mediate things between you and Master..." Shen Qianjun couldn't help saying.
Yet before he could finish, Wei Yuefu cut him off. "No need. You walk your single-log bridge, and I'll take my open thoroughfare."
"We are colleagues now; let's not speak of personal matters."
"It's like I said: if you want to go, go yourself. I'm calling for backup."
With that, Wei Yuefu pulled out the signal flare once more.
"How about this: I'll scout ahead first, and you wait a few minutes before firing the signal," Shen Qianjun said. "When the time comes, regardless of the outcome, I'll share some of the credit with you."
"No need," Wei Yuefu refused yet again, stating simply, "The moment you climb over the wall, I fire the signal."
Seeing he couldn't convince Wei Yuefu, Shen Qianjun said no more and could only make his move first.
Shen Qianjun scaled the wall and dropped inside; Wei Yuefu pulled the signal flare at once, sending up the alert.
This action was noticed not only by Tian Muchuan and the others waiting in the distance, but also by the Lotus Fragrance Cult members inside the house.
The mistress in Hong Qiming's embrace jumped in fright. Looking at the fireworks of the signal, Hong Qiming couldn't help furrowing his brows. "A distress signal from Six Doors? Why would it be here?"
"Six Doors?" The woman froze for a moment, and then her expression abruptly shifted.
Before Hong Qiming could react, she decisively drew a dagger from a hidden seam in the bed and, without the slightest hesitation, held it straight to his throat.
The very next instant after she did so, Shen Qianjun burst through the door.
"Wicked woman, release Lord Hong!" Shen Qianjun shouted instinctively upon seeing Hong Qiming held hostage.
Chapter 30