Chapter 542: There’s a Small Favor

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Hurrying back to Mount Shen, Jiang You'er rushed straight to the North Mountain hub. After meeting Huang Ye on the second floor, he urgently reported, "Everyone at Dazhicheng, including the library staff, has been arrested. Not a single person was missed, even our person working there as a cleaner."

Huang Ye thought for a moment and didn't seem too concerned. "No matter. She's just a cleaner. Her background information is clearly prepared and can withstand scrutiny. There won't be any issues."

Then, changing the subject, he asked, "Has Yin Tianlu confessed?"

This was clearly his greater concern at the moment.

Jiang You'er immediately replied, "He had no choice but to confess. We have many ways to make him talk. He has already confessed. The Extreme Fire Sect did indeed discover a secret of Situ Gu. He said that Situ Gu's newly accepted female apprentice is neither human nor demon. She's not an outsider who entered the Divine Fire Domain for the conference at all, but a fire spirit transformed from within the Divine Fire Domain."

"A transformed fire spirit?" Huang Ye was quite surprised, finding the information vague and confusing. He quickly urged, "Explain the situation in detail."

Jiang You'er, however, pulled out a stack of confessions and presented them, saying, "All the details are inside."

Huang Ye immediately took them, sat by the couch, and carefully flipped through the pages. It detailed how Hei Hu, a disciple of the Extreme Fire Sect, had sniffed out Zhen'er as a fire spirit, and also about Shi Chun and Zhen'er's seemingly unusual intimate relationship.

After a good while of reading, Huang Ye re-examined the matter from beginning to end before murmuring, "So that's it... Why would Situ Gu accept that fire spirit as a disciple? There must be something significant behind it. It seems Shi Chun knows."

Jiang You'er nodded. "That's why the Extreme Fire Sect wants to capture Shi Chun to uncover the secret, using it against Situ Gu to obtain the secret method for finding divine fire. Initially, they wanted to observe why Shi Chun came here, suspecting something was amiss. But they found him elusive, so they decided to take direct action. However, they still couldn't get a hold of him, and this was the only way they could proceed forcefully. Now, they have no idea where Shi Chun has vanished to."

Huang Ye shook the confessions in his hand. "There's another person who knows that secret: Situ Gu's fire spirit apprentice. Even if Shi Chun can't be found, for the higher-ups, that's still a lead to pursue."

Jiang You'er pointed to the confession. "The Extreme Fire Sect thought the same, but Situ Gu seems to guard that female apprentice very closely, making it difficult to find an opportunity to act."

Huang Ye dismissed the concern, saying, "She can't be kept tied to his side forever. There will always be times when she's not under his watch. Besides, that's not our concern. We just need to mind our own business; the higher-ups will handle the rest. Our contribution is providing this information."

As he finished speaking and put away the confessions, he suddenly paused, pulled out a communication talisman, and upon seeing its message, was visibly startled, rising to his feet.

Jiang You'er asked, "What's wrong?"

Huang Ye replied grimly, "Something big has happened at Dazhicheng!"

Jiang You'er was puzzled. "Isn't it just the Extreme Fire Sect arresting people there? Did someone resist?"

No sooner had he spoken than a loud shout came from downstairs, "Lord, Lou Xiu, the Grand Coordinator of Yaoshan City's Imperial Court, requests an audience."

Huang Ye responded, "Let him come up."

Soon, Lou Xiu's scrambling figure rushed up, hastily reporting, "My Lord, something serious has happened at Dazhicheng! The Extreme Fire Sect expanded their arrests there and captured the entire family of the Chaoyue Pavilion. This alarmed the Demon Empress's people, who arrived personally, carrying the 'Flower Prime Minister Token'. The rumors were true; the owner of the library indeed has ties to the Demon Empress. Now, it's not the Extreme Fire Sect and Mount Shen personnel conducting the interrogation, but the Demon Empress's people interrogating the Extreme Fire Sect and Mount Shen personnel."

As he spoke, he wiped cold sweat from his forehead. His face was pale, and he was clearly flustered, truly terrified.

He had also taken aggressive action against the Chaoyue Pavilion last time, and he wondered if it would be unearthed.

When Huang Ye had transferred him here before, he had reprimanded him on this very matter, saying that a family capable of acquiring such a large estate in a prime location in Dazhicheng couldn't be trifled with carelessly. Now, it seemed the Lord's words had indeed proven true.

"The Demon Empress's 'Flower Prime Minister Token'?" Jiang You'er was shocked. He looked at Huang Ye, understanding what he meant by "something big has happened at Dazhicheng," and found it somewhat unbelievable. "Even if the Demon Empress wanted to protect that library family, couldn't she just send people to handle it discreetly? Isn't using the 'Flower Prime Minister Token' in a small city like Dazhicheng a bit too high-profile?"

Huang Ye shook his head slightly. "Who knows what she's thinking, but it probably has nothing to do with us. Those who should be trembling now are Mount Shen and the Extreme Fire Sect."

Lou Xiu hastily asked, "My Lord, will what I did concerning the library last time be uncovered?"

Huang Ye angrily retorted, "That matter is in the past! What needed to be handled has been handled. Do you enjoy dragging things out endlessly?"

"No, no," Lou Xiu quickly waved his hands, but being reprimanded like that actually put him at ease.

"Go and attend to your duties!" Huang Ye barked.

After Lou Xiu bowed and retreated, Huang Ye lowered his voice to Jiang You'er, "Currently, only one person from the Demon Empress's side has arrived. One person can't accomplish much, so it doesn't seem like they're here to investigate a case. If more personnel arrive later, then we must be careful. If the Demon Empress truly intends to delve deeply into this matter for the library, we should try to avoid any unnecessary complications..." He tilted his head, lifting his chin towards Lou Xiu's retreating figure outside the window.

Jiang You'er followed his gaze, understood, and acknowledged, "Your subordinate will keep a close eye on it. By the way, what about Yin Tianlu?"

Huang Ye: "You didn't expose yourselves to him, did you?"

Jiang You'er: "No, we didn't let them see our true faces."

Huang Ye: "Then keep him for now and see how things develop."

As expected, Mount Shen was indeed shaken by these events.

After receiving the news from Dazhicheng, Qiu Ben also suspended the interrogation of the White Tiger clan and urgently departed Mount Shen with the Saintess, rushing to Dazhicheng.

Qiu Ben had no choice but to go. The person sent by the Demon Empress had only to make a brief inquiry to discover something strange. It was one thing for Dazhicheng's city guards to arrest and interrogate people, but what business did the Extreme Fire Sect have to intervene as interrogators?

This matter could escalate significantly or be contained, but in short, it was a violation.

Officially, both Dazhicheng and Yaoshan City, regardless of whether they were under the Phoenix Clan's influence, were publicly recognized as part of the official administrative hierarchy under the Xiniu Hezhou Royal Court. Their actual allegiances were unofficial matters.

Anyone who dared to dispute this would prompt the Royal Court to dispatch troops to suppress a rebellion!

The person sent by the Demon Empress was already investigating this matter.

Therefore, before the Divine Maiden and Qiu Ben hurried to Dazhicheng, they had already sent urgent messages to the Extreme Fire Sect and the Phoenix Clan, respectively.

Having alarmed the Demon Empress, without someone of significant standing to intervene, the two of them alone would not be able to control the situation and could be easily overthrown.

Only individuals capable of meeting the Demon Empress and explaining the situation properly to her could appease her. Only then could the matter be suppressed and prevented from escalating further.

It was precisely because of this unusual turn of events, which halted the interrogation of the Bai clan on Mount Shen, coupled with the departure of the Divine Maiden and Qiu Ben, that Yin Fei, one of the three great patrols of the Central District, found an opportunity to reassign some of the guards watching Granny Qi. He then appeared before Granny Qi under the guise of supervision.

With no one else around, Yin Fei immediately whispered, "There are many people here who know you on Mount Shen, and security was very tight before the incident. Things happened so suddenly, I didn't find a chance to warn you. Granny, someone could come at any moment."

Granny Qi understood his meaning. Knowing they had little time to talk, she immediately asked, "What's the situation now?"

"Something happened at Dazhicheng, which alarmed the Demon Empress..." Yin Fei quickly summarized the startling events at Dazhicheng.

Granny Qi was also astonished to hear this. She never imagined a small library could alarm the Demon Empress, and she wondered how deep Wang Ping's connection with that library was. However, her immediate concern was elsewhere. She then asked, "How are the other members of the Bai clan?"

Yin Fei shook his head with a grave expression. "The interrogation is going very badly. The Extreme Fire Sect implies they won't stop until they get the information they want, torturing them until they speak. Do they know something they shouldn't?"

Granny Qi pressed her lips together and replied, dodging the question, "What about the girl from the rice shop?"

Yin Fei replied with difficulty, "I heard she was also subjected to severe torture. However, compared to the others here, she's relatively better off. After all, she's your direct granddaughter, and neither Po Yuan nor Li Xianghong allowed the Extreme Fire Sect to go too far. Perhaps the Divine Maiden gave them private instructions."

Granny Qi paced back and forth a few steps. After some thought, she asked him for a jade slip, wrote down the names of several clan members, and handed it to him, saying, "The incident happened suddenly, and I was transferred away, with no time to prepare. To prevent them from implicating their kin, I can only ask them to keep silent forever, even if it's unfair to them. You must find a way."

She had written down the names of clan members who knew that Gao He had been brought to Mount Shen by her, as well as the names of others aware of related events.

This meant she still refused to give up on that demonic book.

Yin Fei took the list. Although his expression showed some hesitation, he still nodded.

Granny Qi then asked, "Can you retrieve my Cosmic Pouch?"

Yin Fei shook his head. "Your belongings are being held by Feng Jue. I can't access them."

Granny Qi: "It's fine. Secretly send a confidential letter to the proprietress of Zhulang Pavilion. In the letter, tell her to relay a message to Gao He. You must remember this message well: 'No wood will be wasted; the cooperation continues.'

Also, find a way to convey the same message to Huang Yingying of the Golden Fur Rat clan."

The Extreme Fire Sect suspected Yin Xu had helped Shi Chun and the other person escape, and her Bai clan had also sent people to monitor outside Zhulang Pavilion, sharing the same suspicion. Therefore, she believed Yin Xu might be able to contact Gao He.

It was just a suspicion, which is why she made an additional arrangement with Huang Yingying. Hadn't Huang Yingying said that Gao He had a way to save him?

Yin Fei was utterly confused by this, but after repeating the message twice, he nodded, "Noted."

"Furthermore, go to the Bai clan members and acquire a magical artifact from the Extreme Fire Sect. Create some disturbance..."

On the mountaintop of Dazhicheng.

The questioning was largely complete, and Dong Wenshu's family, who had been acquitted, were about to descend the mountain when someone suddenly arrived, called out to Dong Wenshu, and asked him to come aside alone.

This action made the family anxious once more.

Dong Wenshu, however, remained calm and followed indifferently.

After entering a pavilion, he saw the black-robed old man again, the one who could make the City Lord and others kneel.

He knew he was undoubtedly a prominent figure. Before, he had asked for his esteemed name, but the old man wouldn't say. So, upon seeing him again, he could only offer a polite bow.

The black-robed old man didn't beat around the bush. "I need a small favor, for which I'll trouble you, sir. I wonder if you can grant it?"

Dong Wenshu bowed again. "I can never repay your life-saving kindness. If it's something I can do, I will certainly do my utmost."

The black-robed old man said, "I have now truly witnessed the renown of Chaoyue Pavilion's collection. To be frank, sir, every family has its own difficulties. I have a distant relative who is accustomed to idleness and happens to lack a cultured upbringing. I heard that the Demon Empress once studied under your ancestor, which shows Chaoyue Pavilion is a fortunate place. So, I decided to send her to work as a cleaner at your library, hoping she can be influenced by its scholarly atmosphere."

Dong Wenshu was speechless for a moment, then couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh. "Elder, to be honest, I'm rather short on funds. I genuinely cannot afford to hire your relative."

The black-robed old man waved his hand. "Money is secondary. Give her whatever you pay others; she isn't short on funds. The main thing is for her to be influenced and perhaps gain some favor from the Demon Empress, which will help her future prospects. Besides, she has considerable cultivation. With her at the library, if such incidents happen again, at least it will be easier to contact me. Of course, this is my personal matter. I will arrange a suitable identity for her, and I hope, sir, you will not disclose this to outsiders."

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