At Xiaoyaowu, inside a private box for singing stars, Ma the Fifth wore a dark expression as he looked across the banquet table at Shen Jinzhong, the Great Golden Seal of the Sanying Gate.
Ma the Fifth was a businessman, and in business, harmony generated wealth. At a dining table, he rarely showed anyone a sour face, but today, he was genuinely furious.
"Golden Seal Shen, you're truly hard to invite. I sent several invitations before you finally deigned to show up today."
Shen Jinzhong gave a dry laugh. "Fifth Master, something really did come up before. Let me apologize to you first today."
The Great Golden Seal's humble attitude eased the tension somewhat. Ma the Fifth asked, "You knew the reason behind what happened to Qin Tianjiu long ago. Why didn't you tell us?"
Shen Jinzhong quickly explained, "Fifth Master, I indeed heard a few rumors back then, but when I wasn't certain of things, I didn't dare speak recklessly."
"What weren't you certain of? Isn't that man named An Zongding a friend of yours?"
At the mention of An Zongding, Shen Jinzhong fell quiet, his gaze darting left and right.
Ma the Fifth understood what he meant and instructed his men to step outside.
Once only the two of them remained in the room, Shen Jinzhong finally spoke. "Fifth Master, An Zongding can't really be called my friend. He should be considered my grandmaster."
Shen Jinzhong was a Martial Cultivator; Ma the Fifth knew this. The two pathways of Literary and Martial Cultivation had countless practitioners, and their cultivation methods and techniques followed fixed, standardized routines that were essentially public knowledge, so Literary and Martial Cultivators didn't care much about master-disciple lineages.
"Golden Seal Shen, don't just invent some excuse to brush me off. You say he's your grandmaster—I'd like to hear who your master was."
Shen Jinzhong waved his hand. "I'm not talking about a sect lineage, but the syndicate. An Zongding is one of the founders of the Sanying Gate."
Ma the Fifth was taken aback. How many years had the Sanying Gate been around?
Puluo Province had no written history, but for as long as Ma the Fifth's father, Ma Chunting, could remember, the Sanying Gate was already the foremost syndicate in Puluo Province.
"How old is An Zongding?"
Shen Jinzhong shook his head. "That, I don't know. No one throughout the Sanying Gate knows, not even the late Bao Jingzhong. Elder An's cultivation is not on the earth, and his age isn't something I could possibly guess."
An Zongding was a cultivator above the clouds.
Cultivators above the clouds were indeed not to be trifled with, but that alone wasn't enough to intimidate Ma the Fifth.
Feng Daiku, Qiu Luoye, Shui Yongquan—if it really came down to backing above the clouds, Ma the Fifth had plenty of his own.
"So the Sanying Gate is still under An Zongding's control?"
Shen Jinzhong shook his head again. "He rarely gets involved in syndicate affairs these days. Right now, he primarily manages the business of Xuehuapu."
"Xuehuapu?" Ma the Fifth stared, dumbfounded.
Shen Jinzhong nodded. "Fifth Master, now you see the bind I'm in. I couldn't speak of this to you. All I could do was try everything I could to bring Little Nine back."
Ma the Fifth stroked his chin, falling silent for a long time.
***
Inside the companion dwelling, Li Banfeng was passing the time listening to songs with his lady. The gramophone would play a tune, and Li Banfeng would guess the title.
If he guessed wrong, Li Banfeng applied rouge to his lady.
If he guessed right, Li Banfeng tickled her belly.
The lady knew Li Banfeng had a competitive streak, so the songs she picked weren't too difficult, letting him win several rounds.
Yet when Li Banfeng went to tickle her, his hands showed no mercy. With the plucking and strumming of his ten fingers, the gramophone gasped for breath with laughter several times.
"No more, my lord, your humble slave can't bear it... You can't tickle me anymore, I can hardly catch my breath!"
Only after the gramophone pleaded again and again did Li Banfeng stop. A puff of steam vented from her horn.
Catching her breath for a moment, the gramophone suddenly sensed something amiss. "My lord, go check on the Fifth Room. That wench in there is stirring."
This was the dwelling spirit's ability; she could perceive every change in every part of the house.
Li Banfeng went to the Fifth Room and indeed saw the wall glowing. An image appeared before him.
Through this image, Li Banfeng saw what was happening outside the companion dwelling.
In Li Banfeng's quarters, the projector's lamp was flashing incessantly, seemingly in a hurry to find him.
Li Banfeng asked, "How did you know the projector was looking for me?"
The image shifted. A rolling meadow appeared on the wall, where the beautiful Fifth Room Maiden, clad in a gossamer dress, was picking flowers.
"I didn't know he was looking for you. I just missed him, took a peek out the window, and saw he was in a great hurry."
The Fifth Room Maiden was hard to fathom. With so many magical treasures in the house, why had she taken such a fancy to the projector?
Li Banfeng stepped out of the companion dwelling. The projector said urgently, "Director Seven, a call came in—it's from Luo Zhengnan. He's called several times. He must have an urgent matter for you."
Li Banfeng took the telephone, plugged in the rotary dial, and called Luo Zhengnan. Luo Zhengnan answered, said nothing superfluous, and immediately transferred the call to Ma the Fifth.
Once connected, Ma the Fifth said to Li Banfeng, "Old Seven, you'd better drop the investigation into An Zongding."
Li Banfeng frowned. "Why drop it?"
Ma the Fifth hesitated, then said, "His background is too massive."
Hearing Ma the Fifth beating around the bush, Li Banfeng frowned. "What kind of background could scare you like this?"
Ma the Fifth pondered for a long time before asking, "Have you heard of Xuehuapu?"
"Never heard of it."
"How should I put this to you..." Ma the Fifth thought for a moment and asked, "Do you have any silver dollars on you?"
Li Banfeng was in the habit of carrying silver dollars. "I do."
"Take one out and look at it."
Li Banfeng took out a silver dollar. On the obverse was inscribed the two characters "Puluo," while on the reverse was a snowflake. Every silver dollar in Puluo Province bore this exact design. Li Banfeng had never asked whether the snowflake held any special meaning.
Ma Junyang said, "Old Seven, every single silver dollar in Puluo Province is minted in Xuehuapu. That should tell you just how special this place is."
Li Banfeng toyed with the coin in his hand for a moment and asked, "Is this An Zongding the boss of Xuehuapu? Where is Xuehuapu? I'll go have a chat with him."
Ma the Fifth was at a loss for words.
"Old Seven, this really isn't a place we can afford to mess with. Little Fatty's life was tough this time—we managed to save him, his wife is back too, and he won't need to return to the Sanying Gate from now on. We'll look after him ourselves. Let this matter end here."
Li Banfeng still didn't grasp the situation. "Just tell me where Xuehuapu is first. When I have some free time, I'll go check it out."
"Xuehuapu is an unnameable place. No one can say for sure where it is.
"People from Xuehuapu rarely show their faces, and we seldom talk about Xuehuapu in daily life. Speak too much, and they might hear.
"Old Seven, take my advice. You cannot pursue this investigation any further."
What was wrong with Ma the Fifth? Why was he so overly cautious with every word?
Li Banfeng returned to the companion dwelling and asked the gramophone, "My lady, what kind of place is Xuehuapu?"
"A place where coins are minted. All the silver dollars of Puluo Province come from there."
"The people working in such a place must be quite extraordinary, right?"
"Those who control the currency of Puluo Province are naturally no ordinary folk. People in Puluo Province hardly dare talk about them, and your humble slave knows very little about them as well."
Li Banfeng turned to the companion dwelling: "Old Master, have you ever been to Xuehuapu?"
The Old Master's answer was entirely within expectations: "I suppose I have, but I've forgotten where it is."
Hong Ying had no concept of Xuehuapu. The other magical treasures had heard of it, but none knew more than his lady.
At present, Li Banfeng had a key question: "If Xuehuapu is so powerful and its people rarely show their faces, why did someone suddenly appear this time—and why did they suddenly set their sights on me?"
Compared to the others, Red Lotus knew a bit more: "When they say the people of Xuehuapu rarely show their faces, it doesn't mean they stay locked away in Xuehuapu and never come out.
"People from Xuehuapu often travel across Puluo Province. Only by understanding the province's conditions can they know how much currency to mint and how to distribute it."
*Distribute the money?*
Li Banfeng caught onto that phrase.
Red Lotus continued, "The so-called 'not showing their faces' means they will not casually reveal their true identities. If someone has revealed their identity, there must be a specific reason for it."
An Zongding is from Xuehuapu. He's investigating me, and he even sent the departed souls of people who had dealings with me to the Outer States.
Chu Zikai took custody of those souls and resold them on the black market. Could he also be a person from Xuehuapu?
Would the Dark Star Bureau have files on Xuehuapu?
There were too many files to check, and much of the bureau's documentation was forbidden from being entered into electronic systems. Going through them sheet by sheet would take who knew how long.
***
"What time is it already, and he's still in the mood to read files?"
"He hasn't done anything wrong, so of course he has nothing to fear."
The next morning, Zhong'er returned to his workstation, picked up a dark ability manual for Brawlers, and read through it word by word.
He was reading with great concentration—from eight-thirty to ten o'clock, he stayed on the exact same page, never turning it.
He was terrified, and for now, burying himself in study was the only way to mask his anxiety.
Shen Jingye had requested authorization from above, and higher authorities had approved the use of the dark ability tester.
At three o'clock that afternoon, the testing machine would be activated to run a comprehensive evaluation of the growth of his dark abilities over the past year.
He had secretly taken harmonizing agents several times. Just imagining what his ability growth curve would look like gave Zhong'er an uncontrollable shiver.
Rumble-clatter!
That single shudder rattled the surrounding desks.
Mingxing asked in surprise, "What's wrong? Need to pee?"
Zhong'er nodded. "A bit. I'm going to the restroom."
Just as he stood up, the landline rang. Li Qi wanted him in his office.
Arriving at Director Li's office, Zhong'er sat on the sofa, still unable to control his shaking. Li Banfeng produced a lab test report and said to Zhong'er, "The powder you previously confiscated from the black market merchant has been analyzed. It's not a harmonizing agent."
Zhong'er froze. "It had to be a harmonizing agent. After I took it, I clearly felt my cultivation advance."
Li Banfeng shook his head. "The powder that black market merchant sells contains a lot of hallucinogenic compounds. That's just his gimmick for making money. If you don't believe me, look at the report."
Zhong'er took the lab report and examined it. It listed the sample number and primary characteristics, explicitly stating that hallucinogenic substances were present.
Zhong'er stared in astonishment for a long while before saying, "But after taking that powder, I experienced obvious dizziness and fatigue. Those are typical side effects of harmonizing agents."
Li Banfeng replied, "Those weren't side effects of a harmonizing agent; they were caused by toxicity in the powder. Look at the report again—it states the powder is toxic."
Indeed, the report read: *Sample exhibits a degree of toxicity; toxic components unconfirmed, requiring further testing.*
Clutching the report, Zhong'er was speechless for a long time, not knowing whether he should laugh or cry.
*I was scammed by a black market dealer—and that scumbag dealer actually saved my life!*
Wait, it wasn't over yet.
Zhong'er said, "Director Li, as I told you before, I didn't just take harmonizing agents once. The doses I took prior to that didn't come from him. Those had to be real."
Li Banfeng asked, "Where did those harmonizing agents come from?"
"All from the Cultural Palace black market. Some I saved up to buy, and others I confiscated while on duty."
Li Banfeng said, "You can rest easy on that score. I looked into the Cultural Palace black market. Over the past few years, the harmonizing agents they sold were all this same bogus stuff."
"All fake?" Zhong'er could hardly believe it. "You mean to say I was being duped all along?"
"Yes, you were scammed. You never got your hands on a genuine harmonizing agent in the first place. You can't get back the money you lost, and as for your bruised feelings, you'll just have to find a corner and wipe your own tears."
Li Qi's voice echoed continuously in Zhong'er's mind.
*You were scammed. You never got your hands on a genuine harmonizing agent...*
Zhong'er rubbed his forehead, suddenly feeling an immense wave of relief.
*If I never took any harmonizing agents, what do I have to worry about?*
He bowed repeatedly to Li Banfeng in gratitude, then puffed out his chest and walked out of the office.
Li Banfeng filed the lab report away into an archive box.
That report had nothing to do with the harmonizing agents Zhong'er had taken; it wasn't a test report for harmonizing agents at all.
During his battle with the centipede workshop, Li Banfeng had collected fragments from the main steam pipe and sent them to the lab for analysis.
Those fragments indeed possessed toxic and hallucinogenic properties. But the report only displayed a sample number. Under the influence of Li Banfeng's Ignorance Cultivation technique, Zhong'er had overlooked numerous details and taken the report as ironclad proof.
With this ironclad proof, Zhong'er was utterly convinced he had never taken harmonizing agents.
At two in the afternoon, after a thorough search confirmed he carried no dark-energy carriers, Zhong'er was escorted into the testing chamber.
The chamber was divided into inner and outer sections. Zhong'er sat in the inner compartment, which was less than two square meters, stiflingly hot, and completely dark. He sat there for a full hour.
This was clearly designed to erode the subject's psychological defenses.
Had it been yesterday, Zhong'er would have broken down, because at this time yesterday, he still believed he had taken harmonizing agents.
Now, however, Zhong'er was completely calm. Whatever he had subjectively done or thought in the past didn't matter. What mattered was that he had never illicitly consumed harmonizing agents, because he had never obtained real ones—that was an objective fact.
A beam of harsh light penetrated the room and shone directly into Zhong'er's eyes. Squinting, Zhong'er suddenly felt the chair beneath him vibrating violently.
The test had begun!
Shen Jingye and a group of directors stood outside the chamber, gazing expressionlessly at Zhong'er within.
After a bout of violent shaking, broad beams of light swept through Zhong'er's body.
The light seemed to possess physical substance, giving Zhong'er the illusion that ten thousand arrows were piercing his heart, and for a moment he even felt as though he were being torn limb from limb.
Shen Jingye glanced at Li Qi and sighed softly. "I have always maintained that truly important matters should never be left to machines, because machines do not know how to be flexible.
"I truly wanted to leave a way out for Qin Minghui. Even if he left the Dark Star Bureau, he would have been given a stable job to spend the rest of his days in peace. But you personally destroyed that chance."
Li Qi looked at Zhong'er, then at the various complex instruments and equipment surrounding the testing chamber, and asked Shen Jingye, "How long until this thing produces results?"
Shen Jingye replied, "The moment the test concludes, results appear immediately. There won't be the slightest room for leeway."
Li Banfeng nodded. "Good. Let's put our cards on the table. If the test shows today that Zhong'er illicitly consumed harmonizing agents, I'll step down as director. Reassign me wherever you like, and I will never interfere in bureau affairs again."
Shen Jingye smiled. "Director Li, I've heard of your reputation in Puluo Province. Since you've spoken the words, you must stand by them!"
Li Banfeng nodded. "Rest assured, I never go back on my word. But let's make things equally clear: if the test does not show that Zhong'er illicitly consumed harmonizing agents today, you will personally authorize an allocation of harmonizing agents for Zhong'er—enough for him to advance to a Tier Two Brawler—as compensation."
Shen Jingye frowned. "That goes against regulations."
Li Banfeng sneered. "And falsely accusing an innocent colleague complies with regulations? Director Shen, do you have the guts to make this bet or not? If you do, we sign a covenant deed right now. If you're chickening out, just say so!"
With the surrounding directors watching, Shen Jingye shook his head. "I despise this underworld habit of yours, but today, I am willing to take this bet with you—if only to disabuse you of your arrogance and ignorance!"
To be frank, Shen Jingye had held his temper for a long time.
Constrained by Li Qi's special identity as a balancer, he couldn't kick Li Qi out of the Dark Star Bureau. But if he could alter Li Qi's role and stop him from meddling in bureau affairs, Shen Jingye would never pass up such an opportunity.
Li Qi had indeed prepared a covenant deed. He pressed his thumbprint first.
Shen Jingye didn't hesitate either; pricking his fingertip, he pressed his print as well.
Li Banfeng gave a reminder: "The Outer States have their methods, and Puluo Province has its ways. If you play dirty and fabricate test results to frame Zhong'er, don't blame me when I turn hostile."
Shen Jingye chuckled. "Underworld figures have their vulgar habits, but respectable men follow proper rules. Since I've agreed to this wager today, I'll make sure you lose fair and square!"
After waiting half an hour, the light in the testing chamber gradually faded.
Drenched in sweat, Zhong'er heard a demanding voice: "Have you ever taken harmonizing agents?"
"Yes!" Zhong'er answered uncontrollably.
Shen Jingye turned to Li Qi. "Director Li, he admitted it to our faces. What more do you have to say?"
Li Qi remained completely calm. "Let him finish speaking first."
Shen Jingye emphasized, "As long as Qin Minghui took harmonizing agents against regulations, you lose. How many times he took them does not change the conclusion."
The interrogation echoed through the chamber once more: "When did you take the harmonizing agent?"
"On the eighth of this month."
"Where did you obtain the harmonizing agent?"
"Distributed by the bureau!"
Nothing wrong with that answer. Li Qi had secured a reward for the peacekeeping team, which consisted precisely of harmonizing agents.
Li Banfeng looked at Shen Jingye. "You ordered those harmonizing agents distributed yourself. Taking agents you gave out doesn't count as a violation, does it?"
Shen Jingye looked at Zhong'er and smiled slightly. "The truth will surface soon enough. You can't hide it even if you try, so why bother playing petty games and dragging this out?"
Another question sounded: "Aside from the harmonizing agents distributed by the bureau, when else did you consume harmonizing agents?"
Zhong'er answered, "I have never consumed any."
"Repeat."
"I have never consumed any!"
The tester reframed the question from multiple angles several times, but Zhong'er's answer remained unchanged.
The vibration of the chair ceased.
The test was over.
Outside the chamber, the directors were already looking at the results.
Shen Jingye stared in astonishment at Zhong'er inside the chamber.
Before entering, staff had specifically verified that Zhong'er carried no dark-energy carriers.
Given Zhong'er's cultivation level, without relying on a dark-energy carrier, how could he possibly withstand a test of this intensity?
The corner of Li Qi's mouth curled into a slight smile.
Through this test, he had learned two things.
First, the so-called dark ability tester was pure bluster.
The apparatus possessed lie-detection capabilities, and its core had to be a Virtue Cultivation magical treasure, akin to the means utilized by the customs commissioners along the border.
Qin Minghui had been struck by Li Banfeng's Ignorance Cultivation technique and firmly believed he had never illicitly consumed harmonizing agents. Naturally, a Virtue Cultivation magical treasure was useless against him.
Second, the Dark Star Bureau knew very little—if anything at all—about Ignorance Cultivation techniques. To date, they had developed no effective defenses or countermeasures against them.
Li Banfeng smiled. "Director Shen, since Zhong'er did not illicitly consume harmonizing agents, the proper compensation must be issued."
Shen Jingye pondered for a moment. "This matter requires further study. Dark ability testing is a highly complex process; today, we merely conducted the first phase..."
Li Banfeng held up the covenant deed. "Little Shen, you might not fully grasp the concept of a covenant deed, nor the consequences of breaching one."
Shen Jingye possessed a certain understanding of Puluo Province. He knew that people in Puluo Province took covenant deeds with utmost gravity, and breaching a covenant would invite ruthless retaliation.
He also knew there was a special material in Puluo Province called covenant paper, which itself could punish those who broke their word.
Shen Jingye felt deep regret. He truly couldn't fathom why he had acted on impulse earlier and signed a deed with Li Qi. Doing such a thing was fundamentally beneath his station.
Yet the deed was already signed, the results were out, so how was he to handle it?
Shen Jingye recalled his guiding principle for dealing with Li Qi: in matters of no consequence, do not provoke Li Qi.
Did this count as an inconsequential matter?
It could actually be handled flexibly. Qin Minghui was an inconsequential person to begin with; if not for having given someone leverage against himself, Shen Jingye wouldn't have needed to discipline him in the first place.
As for the harmonizing agents, providing them wasn't difficult for Shen Jingye. The only requirement was finding a justifiable pretext for the distribution.
Saying he lost a bet was obviously out of the question. Coming up with an appropriate justification would just take a bit of thought.
"A man keeps his word; I accept the loss." Shen Jingye agreed to fulfill the promise and left the testing chamber.
***
Zhong'er rushed into Li Qi's office, exclaiming emotionally, "Director Li, I... I don't know how to express my gratitude to you, I..."
"I suggest you express it through practical action," Li Qi said, bringing over a document pouch. "There are still many suspicious points regarding the Ruirong Textile Factory case. Review these past operations. If you have questions about specific details, you can ask Lightbulb and Tangyuan."
Qin Minghui took the document pouch. Li Qi brought over two more archive boxes. "These are files on the artist Chu Zikai. I currently suspect he is a high-tier dark-energy user involved in black market transactions. See if you can find any leads in these records.
"In addition, I need to investigate some matters concerning Puluo Province. The Dark Star Bureau holds a great deal of material on Puluo Province, but it's too vast and disorganized for me to go through alone. I'm entrusting this to you as well. Pay particular attention to an organization called Xuehuapu."
Taking the files, Zhong'er began working enthusiastically, losing track of time until late into the night.
Big Head was on duty tonight. Seeing that Zhong'er hadn't left, he asked with concern, "It's so late, not going back to rest?"
Zhong'er had followed Big Head ever since entering the bureau. He quickly stood up and chatted with Big Head for a bit.
Big Head glanced at the files on the desk and smiled. "Work can't all be finished in a single day. Don't push yourself so hard. It's about time to head home."
Zhong'er was indeed exhausted. He locked away the files and left the office.
Big Head returned to the duty room, took out a facial sheet mask, applied it to his face, placed two cucumber slices over his eyes, and began his skin-care routine.
Fifteen minutes later, Big Head took off the cucumber slices.
The facial mask rapidly expanded across his face, first covering his hair, then enveloping his entire head, and subsequently wrapping around his whole body.
Big Head continuously adjusted his breathing, keeping his body relaxed.
The mask tightened steadily. The originally burly Big Head grew noticeably thinner, his head noticeably smaller, his hair thinning and hairline receding, his facial features slowly being reshaped.
Five minutes later, Big Head stood up from his chair and walked out of the duty room.
Arriving at the elevator, he ran into Mijian, who was getting ready to head home.
Seeing Big Head, Mijian hurried to greet him: "Director, you haven't left yet?"
Big Head had transformed into the exact likeness of Shen Jingye.
He nodded at Mijian, smiling without a word.
Inside the elevator, Mijian felt both nervous and awkward. "Director, are you going home? I can drive you."
Shen Jingye shook his head and pressed the button for the first floor. "Head home first. I'm going out for some fresh air."
Stepping out of the elevator, Big Head walked a lap around the lobby, then returned to the elevator. Riding it up to the eleventh floor, he exited, slipped into the stairwell, and climbed to the twelfth floor.
The twelfth floor was the archive. Taking the elevator to the twelfth floor led into the standard archive, where normal, publicly accessible files could be found.
Taking the stairs to the twelfth floor, however, led into a different archive—one containing very special records.
Outside the stairwell stood an iron door without a keyhole, fingerprint scanner, or keypad, illuminated only by two small indicator lamps.
These two small lamps were not for illumination, but for scanning retinas.
Big Head walked up to the iron door and looked into the lights with both eyes.
The host system inside the door automatically registered a line of information: *Shen Jingye, access granted.*
This was Big Head's first time entering this archive. Not knowing the proper method for searching the records, he could only scan each shelf one by one.
The archive had been sprayed with a special chemical solution, giving off a pungent odor that made Big Head want to cough.
He absolutely could not cough. Even the slightest exertion risked tearing the facial mask covering his body.
This mask could last for two hours. Big Head had to find the files he wanted within those two hours, and pray that the duty phone wouldn't ring.
His luck held. An hour later, he located an archive box.
*Healing Cultivator, Kang Zhenchang's dossier.*
If any Healing Cultivator could save He Jiaqing, this person might be the only hope right now.
***
The next day, Big Head, with dark circles under his eyes, left the duty room. By regulation, he had two days of rotation leave.
Walking toward the main entrance of the building, Big Head happened to run into Li Qi, and the two greeted each other.
As they brushed past, Li Banfeng caught a scent—very faint, yet very pungent.
Confirming it with his Hundred Savors Exquisite technique, he knew the scent definitely came from Big Head.
Li Banfeng wasn't the only one who smelled it; the glove in his pocket smelled it too.
"Master, that smell on him... I think I've smelled it somewhere before."
Chapter 511