Lianshan Xin could tell that Xiao Qi had been stuck at the peak of Qi Condensation for quite some time, and breaking through on his own seemed nearly impossible.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have demoted himself to "Xiao Qi" so quickly.
It made sense. If he were truly the sort of unyielding, chivalrous hero of the jianghu who would rather break than bend, why would he ever join a secret service organization?
It was only natural that they were all ambitious ladder-climbers, just like Lianshan Xin.
"Steward Qu, my brother Qi is starving for medicine. Wouldn't you like to do a good deed and help him out?"
Lianshan Xin turned his gaze back to Steward Qu.
Steward Qu dearly wished he could, but he simply didn't have the power.
"Young Master Xin, the treasury keys are kept only by the master and the young master. I'm only permitted to patrol outside. The master never lets me step foot inside the treasury."
Lianshan Xin's eyes lit up. "Of course. Since Chairman Qu is with the Demon Cult, he likely shoulders the responsibility of transporting supplies for them. It's very possible that the Qu family treasury conceals treasures needed by the cult, as well as heavenly materials and earthly treasures essential for cultivation."
Hearing this, Qi Wenbin's eyes lit up as well.
"Xiao Jiu."
"All done."
Du Jiu walked over dangling a ring of keys.
Qu Junjie was already sprawled on the ground, twitching.
He clearly wasn't dead, but he had certainly been subjected to a harsh interrogation.
Lianshan Xin had no intention of championing justice for Qu Junjie; Great Yu's laws did not protect criminals.
Besides, official operatives of Nine Heavens were theoretically outlaws above the law, exempt from having to observe many of Great Yu's statutes.
"These are the keys to the Qu family treasury."
All three pairs of eyes locked onto the keys in Du Jiu's hand.
Qi Wenbin's breathing grew ragged.
Du Jiu, on the other hand, showed some hesitation.
He was still young and hadn't reached a cultivation bottleneck yet, so he had no pressing need to break through his current realm.
Most importantly:
"The Qu household is a hidden den of the Demon Cult. If we actually confiscate treasures of immense value... the three of us won't be able to handle it, and it could easily blow up in our faces."
Du Jiu's expression had now traded places with Qi Wenbin's, turning grim. "Young Master Xin, Brother Qi, an ordinary man incurs no guilt, but treasuring a jade ring brings ruin. We mustn't bring about our own downfall."
Qi Wenbin took a deep breath as reason won out over greed. "Xiao Jiu is right. If the Qu family were just an ordinary merchant guild, it wouldn't be a problem. But because it's a cult den, things become tricky."
Lianshan Xin was somewhat surprised by the discipline of these rank-and-file Nine Heavens operatives.
To maintain their rationality in the face of immense wealth was no small feat.
"Of course we mustn't bring about our own downfall," Lianshan Xin said, setting the tone first.
Du Jiu's heart settled.
He had genuinely worried that Lianshan Xin wouldn't be able to control himself, ultimately painting targets on all three of their backs.
"We'll report the matter to Tanhua Qi and let her decide."
When the sky fell, the tallest person stood beneath it to hold it up.
Qi Shiyun was an immortal cultivator and certainly no ordinary figure within Nine Heavens; she should be more than capable of handling this.
"Brother Qi, what are the rules in Nine Heavens regarding asset seizures?" Lianshan Xin asked.
In theory, all confiscated property should be turned over to the state.
But that was only in theory.
In practice, those conducting the raid would inevitably keep a little something for themselves.
As for how much they kept, every organization handled it differently.
Qi Wenbin answered honestly, "This is my first time raiding a house, too."
Lianshan Xin looked at the other man. "...Brother Jiu, do you know?"
Du Jiu gave a wry smile. "Just like Brother Qi, this is my first confiscation mission. New recruits like us are supposed to quietly follow behind senior hands."
It was only by sheer luck that Qi Shiyun had assigned them to Lianshan Xin.
"It seems our only choice is to consult Tanhua Qi."
"No, you can't!" Du Jiu and Qi Wenbin blurted out in unison.
Lianshan Xin looked at them in surprise.
Du Jiu explained, "Tanhua Qi is a heaven-sent genius. The moment she joined Nine Heavens, she was taken under the wing of Heaven's Chosen and rose rapidly through the ranks. She... has always walked in the light. She wouldn't touch this sort of business."
Lianshan Xin was genuinely astonished. "Is Tanhua Qi really that upright?"
Both Du Jiu and Qi Wenbin nodded.
"It can't be helped. For an unparalleled prodigy like Tanhua Qi, whatever she needs, someone prepares it for her. She never has to dirty her hands in the gray areas. When someone is as brilliant as she is, there's no need to scheme for things herself. Special treatment is universally granted to peerless prodigies," Qi Wenbin said with a sigh.
His voice was filled with envy, but free of jealousy.
When the gulf between two people grew wide enough, jealousy ceased to exist.
Lianshan Xin thought about it and found it entirely understandable.
In his previous life, the academicians conducting cutting-edge scientific research enjoyed privileges far beyond ordinary mortals. Just as Qi Wenbin said, everyone took special treatment for peerless prodigies for granted, and rightly so.
Most importantly, Qi Shiyun's talent lay in cultivating immortality.
And she had said that he could cultivate immortality, too.
Lianshan Xin suddenly felt a surge of excitement.
Special treatment was wonderful.
He thoroughly approved of an environment that respected prodigies.
"No matter. I'll go speak with Tanhua Qi myself."
Lianshan Xin didn't believe for a second that Qi Shiyun was the type who could possess everything without ever scheming.
No such person existed in this world.
Even the top scholars and academic titans of his former life had to pull out all the stops to be elected as academicians.
To secure more funding for their projects, even academicians had to maneuver and plan just like anyone else.
Even Emperor Yu, whose might suppressed the entire realm in this world, couldn't achieve everything he wished. If he could, the Demon Cult wouldn't exist at all.
Du Jiu and Qi Wenbin had been in Nine Heavens too long, and they clearly viewed Qi Shiyun through rose-tinted glasses.
Lianshan Xin had no such illusions.
"Don't let the cult demons escape!"
"Surrender and your lives will be spared!"
"Stubborn fools!"
Sudden shouts and sounds of battle erupted outside the room.
Lianshan Xin even caught the sound of Qi Shiyun's voice.
Without a word, he discreetly nudged Qi Wenbin and Du Jiu ahead to shield himself. After a second thought, he hauled Qu Junjie over as well, placing him alongside Steward Qu right in front of him.
Though it wouldn't do much good, it offered some peace of mind.
Seeing Lianshan Xin's maneuvers, Qi Wenbin couldn't help but chuckle. "Brother, don't worry. Those who accompanied Lord Heavenly Sword to Jiangzhou are all top hands. Capturing these cult demons will be effortless."
"Then how did the elder get away?"
The one speaking wasn't Lianshan Xin—he wasn't so tactless.
It was Qu Junjie.
Qi Wenbin merely shot Qu Junjie an amused glance, not bothering to explain.
Du Jiu scoffed as well.
Seeing their reactions, Lianshan Xin sensed that something was slightly off, but he held his tongue.
About fifteen minutes later, quiet returned outside.
Qi Wenbin's ear twitched. Turning to Lianshan Xin, he said, "All clear. Those who were meant to face justice have faced it, and those meant to escape have escaped."
"Escaped?"
Lianshan Xin seized on the word.
"Escaped? How could you let them escape?! Isn't Nine Heavens supposed to be formidable?"
Qu Junjie reacted far more violently than Lianshan Xin.
And understandably so.
If the cult members got away, he, as a traitor to the cult, would face the most brutal retribution imaginable.
"With so many of you trapping them like turtles in a jar, you still managed to let the cult demons escape?!"
Qu Junjie was on the verge of a breakdown.
Lianshan Xin clearly had no intention of soothing him.
He signaled Qi Wenbin to open the door.
Stepping out, he saw Qi Shiyun seated front and center in the Qu compound.
Her robes were spattered with blood as she wiped her still-dripping saber with a piece of silk.
At her feet lay two corpses, their eyes frozen wide in death.
A good portion of the Qu household had been reduced to ruins.
Lianshan Xin didn't know how to describe what he felt in that moment. Aside from Qi Shiyun, he saw several mangled bodies that were barely recognizable as human.
For him, it was quite a shock.
Still, he reminded himself that he had to get used to such sights sooner or later.
"Tanhua Qi, has the cult elder been executed?" Lianshan Xin asked the question he cared about most.
That was the greatest merit of all—enough to earn him a Qi Condensation Pill directly.
Unfortunately, Qi Shiyun's answer disappointed him.
"The Qu family was indeed harboring a Demon Cult elder. However, Chairman Qu didn't even know that the man he was hiding was merely a body double."
"A body double?" Lianshan Xin was startled.
Could what he had seen with his innate ability have been a body double as well?
"Yes, a body double. The one Lord Heavenly Sword was pursuing is the Thousand Faces Demon, ranked first among the Four Great Elders of the Demon Cult. Thousand Faces excels at disguise and concealment, his craft second to none under heaven. Were that not the case, he wouldn't have been able to lurk in Bailudong Academy for twenty years and still slip away unscathed from Lord Heavenly Sword.
"The Qu household was merely a smokescreen Thousand Faces prepared to facilitate his escape. That body double was likely placed here deliberately to draw attention. Or perhaps it was a test for the Qu family.
"Now, I'm afraid the snake has already been startled from the grass."
Seeing Lianshan Xin's face darken, Qi Shiyun offered some comfort. "This has nothing to do with you. Even though Thousand Faces wasn't captured, the Qu household was indeed harboring cult members, so you still bear merit and no blame. Thousand Faces is a grand titan of the demonic path who managed to escape even Lord Heavenly Sword's blade. It's only natural that neither you nor I could catch him."
Lianshan Xin took a deep breath and sighed from the bottom of his heart. "How abundant are the heroes under heaven."
Even with a cheat in hand, he had to remain humble and cautious.
He must never underestimate the heroes of this world.
Chapter 13