The four Lotus Fragrance Cult members were taken in for overnight interrogation, overseen in person by Tian Muchuan and Xia Miaozheng.
Wei Yuefu, Shen Qianjun, and several others accompanied them.
The professional interrogators quickly pried a great deal of information from the cult members' mouths.
In particular, the mistress Wei Yuefu had captured turned out to be a deacon in the Lotus Fragrance Cult.
She did not practice martial arts and was considered a technical deacon. As for where her technique lay and how she practiced it, that went without saying. In any case, before meeting this female deacon of the Lotus Fragrance Cult, Hong Qiming's combat endurance had been fairly impressive. The three burly men she had hidden in the residence were guards assigned to her by the cult.
By daybreak, a freshly compiled name list was produced.
She truly lived up to the title of deacon; she knew a great deal.
"My lord, we have the list, but... we still don't know what they came here to do," Wei Yuefu asked in a low voice.
To tell the truth, his heart had skipped a beat when he saw the number of people on the list. From top to bottom, over a hundred individuals were lurking in Dingyuan City. Most of them were outsiders who had infiltrated, while a small portion had already been established locals.
Regrettably, the two branch leaders of the Dingyuan City Lotus Fragrance Cult branch had not been unearthed. Those two were hidden very deeply, beyond even this deacon's knowledge.
For the moment, however, there was no time to ponder who the branch leaders were. Infiltration on such a massive scale indicated the Lotus Fragrance Cult certainly had a specific objective here. Not to mention, the cult was also supporting the rebels outside, which made their overall numbers even larger. To mobilize on such a scale was definitely no minor affair.
"Do you want to know?" A cold sneer curled the woman's lips. "Have that handsome young man spend the night with me, and I'll tell you."
The handsome young man she referred to was naturally not Wei Yuefu. Ding Shoucheng's physical build was burly and had nothing to do with handsome. The handsome lad she meant was Shen Qianjun.
Shen Qianjun's expression darkened at her words, but he said nothing. Xia Miaozheng, on the other hand, reacted instantly.
"Sharp-tongued wench! Beat her!" Xia Miaozheng said coldly. "If you won't speak, I have plenty of ways to deal with you."
The corner of Wei Yuefu's eye twitched. As expected of the protagonist, his female confidantes were truly abundant. He had even won over his superior—and a young, gorgeous superior with a powerful background, at that.
"Leave this place to us. Shoucheng, take some men and round them up according to the list." Tian Muchuan paid no heed to Xia Miaozheng's reaction. He didn't care about puppy love between youngsters; to him, tangible benefits were all that mattered.
"Yes, my lord," Wei Yuefu complied.
Hearing Tian Muchuan speak, Xia Miaozheng also hurried Shen Qianjun off to make arrests, lest this Lotus Fragrance Cult deacon keep ogling him.
Once outside, Wei Yuefu was turning something over in his mind: he felt this whole affair had unfolded a bit too easily. Granted, Shen Qianjun's assistance had played a role, but there were still too many suspicious points. Even so, he could only choose the lesser of two evils for now. Cleaning out the Lotus Fragrance Cult members inside Dingyuan City first would eliminate the worry of them stirring up trouble or coordinating with the rebels from within.
Stepping out the door, Wei Yuefu immediately set about organizing a group of Iron Ruler constables to carry out the arrests. Shen Qianjun continued to act alone. After all, his previous actions had left him isolated, and not a single Iron Ruler constable was willing to band together with him.
Wei Yuefu was different; he genuinely shared the spoils. This round of arrests, in particular, represented a huge share of merit, and Wei Yuefu divided it among them all. Consequently, every one of them was remarkably obedient. At a juncture like this, anyone who dared cross Wei Yuefu would be crossing everyone present. If you didn't offer benefits, why should anyone exert themselves for you?
After making the arrangements, Wei Yuefu went... to the dining hall for breakfast.
Day had broken. Though he had stayed up all night, the talent Dragon Vitality and Tiger Vigor kept him energetic. The price of such high energy, however, was hunger. Without eating something, he really couldn't take it.
The dining hall was deserted, with Wei Yuefu being the only one there.
"Old Wang, have the yamen runners carry some food over to the cells," Wei Yuefu said as he sat down with his breakfast. "Everyone was busy all night. They're starved, but none of them have time to come eat. Go send it over."
"Right away, Officer Ding!" Lao Wangtou said hastily upon hearing this. "I'll arrange it at once."
Normally, the crowd would have arrived for breakfast by this hour, but today only Wei Yuefu had shown up after a long wait. It took no guessing to realize something big was happening, yet Lao Wangtou had no idea where the men were, leaving him unable to deliver anything even if he wanted to. With Wei Yuefu, a Bronze Badge constable, speaking up, the matter became far simpler.
Wei Yuefu found a quiet corner and began wolfing down the food, polishing off a massive spread in no time at all.
Afterward, he sat resting lazily. Yet barely half a quarter of an hour had passed before he snapped his eyes open.
The third talent had awakened.
It hadn't sprung forth all at once, but had been gradually nurtured awake over these past days. It had merely just crossed the minimum threshold. To further enhance its effects, he would need to continue taking in sufficient nutrition.
[Bronze Skin and Iron Bones: Enhances strike resistance and internal injury resistance; reduces bludgeoning and sharp-weapon damage]
Looking at the new talent added to Ding Shoucheng's lingering wish panel, Wei Yuefu's immediate thought was that the daily intensity of his cultivation could be pushed higher. The day when his three martial arts reached major mastery would draw even closer.
As for using it directly in combat... it was nice to look at, but little more. The name sounded intimidating, but in reality, it still couldn't ward off blades. Compared to actual armor, the gap was like night and day.
Its true value, therefore, lay in elevating his overall physical foundation, since the human body was an integrated whole. For instance, resistance to internal injuries strengthened his stomach and intestines, enabling him to eat more and digest more efficiently. Or perhaps its effects made his physique sturdier, purifying his qi and blood and granting Dragon Vitality and Tiger Vigor higher caps and faster recovery rates for energy and stamina. Furthermore, as he continued taking in nutrients, the secondary benefits of Bronze Skin and Iron Bones would grow stronger, further shortening the time needed to bring his three martial arts to major mastery.
Once converted into a divine ability later on, it might become vastly more formidable, turning from a metaphor into reality. For now, however, it served mainly to raise his upper limits.
"I really have to keep eating." Seeing the talent activated, Wei Yuefu felt his spirits lift, and his entire body was rejuvenated.
Noticing the time was about right, Wei Yuefu prepared to head back to the cells. His colleagues and superiors were all working overtime; it wouldn't look good if someone caught him slacking off here. Otherwise, he would have loved to clear today's daily martial arts training routine before going.
It was true that his little brother's skill primordial spirit state could advance his cultivation, but he could practice on his own as well. He was simply busy most of the time, so he relied on his little brother for the bulk of it. At any rate, his little brother's gains drew not only on his own Heaven Grade aptitude, but could also stack with Wei Yuefu's Heaven Grade aptitude and talent effects.
One must never underestimate his little brother's worth. Had he not failed to endure the Spiritual Energy Revival, his little brother would undoubtedly have become the youngest Heaven Grade Qi Refiner.
Chapter 32