Through the telepathic connection with his little brother, Wei Yuefu watched the battle between Shen Qianjun and the three burly Lotus Fragrance Cult men.
With a downward slash of his sword right at the outset, Shen caught them off guard and disabled one.
Only then was he tied down, yet he still managed by sheer personal might to suppress the other two.
These three burly men of the Lotus Fragrance Cult were formidable hands, in martial prowess not inferior to an old martial arts hall master like Meng Wei.
To say nothing else, even the Grandmasters in the jianghu would treat such an encounter with caution.
It was not that these burly men were overwhelmingly strong; it was simply that so-called Grandmasters were not as grand as they sounded.
Taking the head of a top general from within an elite military formation of dozens, or slaying several well-trained, armored elites—such feats surpassed human limits; they were never the average standard.
Throughout history, only two such legendary figures had ever achieved that.
So someone in Shen Qianjun's position was already exceptionally powerful.
When it came to low-tier martial arts, one should never look through rose-tinted glasses.
On the other side, Hong Qiming's mistress took advantage of Shen Qianjun being occupied and immediately dragged Hong Qiming along as a hostage to flee.
Seeing this, Wei Yuefu prepared to intercept them.
It was the perfect chance to claim the credit for saving the man.
Guided by his little brother's sight, he swiftly circled around to the back door.
Under the cover of night, he crouched down, positioning himself squarely in their blind spot.
The woman naturally never imagined that Wei Yuefu would be lurking by the back door; after all, if Shen Qianjun had actually brought colleagues along, he would not have charged in alone.
After she dragged her hostage forward a few paces, Wei Yuefu gauged the timing and distance, drew the two golden melon hammers hanging at his waist, and leapt out, slamming them straight down toward the woman's arms.
This move was called Cleaving Mount Hua.
The technique had plenty of flaws and drawbacks, but it possessed one undeniable advantage: as long as it landed, every single flaw and drawback was rendered irrelevant.
Though it was supposed to be executed with a saber, it hardly mattered; the hammers were just as effective.
Down came the two hammers, and the woman was crippled on the spot.
A shrill scream shattered the night.
Hong Qiming came to his senses and could not help asking, "Ding... Bronze Badge Ding, what are you doing here?"
"Oh, I trailed Shen Qianjun here," Wei Yuefu offered an offhand excuse.
He could hardly tell Hong Qiming directly that he had suspected him of being dirty.
"I saw him sneaking around and scaling the wall, so I circled around the back, thinking I'd climb over and take a look myself," Wei Yuefu continued to explain. "Then I saw you being held hostage, Lord Hong."
Hearing this, Hong Qiming did not know whether to laugh or cry. He could only say, "I have troubled Bronze Badge Ding this time."
"However, looking at it now, Bronze Badge Shen shouldn't be a problem after all."
"This wretched woman is the true Lotus Fragrance Cult spy!" As Hong Qiming spoke, he glared venomously at the woman wailing on the ground. "In a moment of carelessness, I fell under her bewitchment, which brought about today's calamity."
Hong Qiming admitted it quite candidly; after all, Shen Qianjun had come to rescue him, so how could he possibly be a spy?
Mostly, Wei Yuefu figured that Hong Qiming probably felt cuckolded, which was why he severed ties so decisively.
If nothing else, three burly men had popped out of the house he had rented for this mistress.
And he did not visit every day; even when he did, it was at night.
During the rest of the time, who knew what those three men and one woman had been up to inside?
Particularly given that members of the Lotus Fragrance Cult had a terrible reputation to begin with.
To claim nothing had happened—Wei Yuefu did not believe that for a second.
"The Lotus Fragrance Cult is naturally insidious, Lord Hong, so there is no need to blame yourself too harshly," Wei Yuefu offered a few perfunctory words.
Just as he finished speaking, a commotion arose from inside the residence.
Evidently, after Wei Yuefu fired the signal flare, Tian Muchuan had arrived with his men.
"Bronze Badge Ding is truly prudent. It seems those three Lotus Fragrance Cult scoundrels have already been captured," Hong Qiming said, his heart easing at once.
"Lord Hong, shall we go together?" As Wei Yuefu spoke, he struck the woman with a punch, knocking her cold on the spot.
"Of course. After you," Hong Qiming said politely.
Hoisting the woman onto his shoulder, Wei Yuefu said, "I wouldn't presume. After you, my lord."
This was not merely polite courtesy; he had his own calculations.
If anything went wrong, Hong Qiming would serve as his shield.
He gave face and gained advantages—naturally, Wei Yuefu was more than happy to oblige.
Hong Qiming said nothing more and strode back into the residence with vigorous steps.
By the time they circled back, the fighting was already over.
The three burly men had all been subdued, but Tian Muchuan's expression was rather sour.
Because they had arrived a step too late, and Shen Qianjun had subdued all three men on his own, Tian Muchuan had just been pondering how to wrest some of the credit away.
"Lord Tian," Wei Yuefu greeted him and said, "not to disappoint your orders, my lord, I have captured this ringleader of the Lotus Fragrance Cult and rescued Lord Hong."
Upon hearing this, Tian Muchuan's face instantly shifted from cloudy to sunny.
It was always better to have your own man on the job; Wei Yuefu had clearly accomplished this entirely on his own, yet he attributed the credit to his superior's capable direction.
"It was also thanks to our fellow constables' timely assistance; otherwise, I truly would have been helpless," Wei Yuefu sighed, indicating that he had just gotten lucky and that everyone shared in the credit.
When those words were spoken, aside from the constables who had come along from Songyang County, the constables native to Dingyuan City were all somewhat astonished.
They could hardly believe it—was Wei Yuefu actually sharing the credit?
Normally, they certainly would not have had any share, but with Wei Yuefu putting it like that, now they did.
It was their first time meeting a colleague like this; no wonder the constables from Songyang County had done nothing but praise this 'Ding Shoucheng' whenever they interacted.
So that was why!
Who wouldn't like someone willing to share benefits with everyone?
"Ahem. Shoucheng, well done." Tian Muchuan cleared his throat, cast a glance at Shen Qianjun, and then said to Hong Qiming, "Lord Hong, were you hurt in any way?"
"Hahaha, thanks to the help of Bronze Badge Ding and Bronze Badge Shen, I am largely unharmed," Hong Qiming replied.
He was essentially establishing the official narrative; otherwise, given Tian Muchuan's usual maneuvers, Tian would claim all the credit for Wei Yuefu and then distribute it among his own men.
When that happened, Shen Qianjun would not receive a single shred of credit.
"As long as you are unharmed, all is well," Tian Muchuan said. "Then we shall take our leave."
"We must return and thoroughly interrogate this pack of Lotus Fragrance Cult scoundrels."
"So that we may fulfill what the Prefect entrusted to us."
Now that the deed was done, they naturally had to return and maximize the credit.
Maximizing it was simple: dig up the remaining members of the Lotus Fragrance Cult from these captives.
"Easily done, easily done," Hong Qiming agreed readily, then added, "Once this matter is concluded, I will host a few tables at the Immortal Tower. When the time comes, our fellow colleagues of the Six Doors must attend!"
When it came to social etiquette and worldly dealings, Hong Qiming certainly knew how to play his cards.
When the banquet would actually happen was another matter; the key was to make the polite gesture first.
It was just like saying "I'll treat you to a meal one of these days"—never specifying which day, and perfectly fine to flake out on.
After all, even if the Lotus Fragrance Cult was dealt with, there were still the rebels.
If the rebels were not dealt with and Dingyuan City fell, everyone would be scrambling to run for their lives; who would still have the leisure to host banquets and feast?
Chapter 31