Chapter 471: Soiling a Table of Good Tea for Me

Zhu Cheng also reined in his horse and stopped to the side.

As soon as Zhu Peng saw Zhu Cheng arrive, he immediately walked over, swept his gaze across Wang Maochun and the others, looked at Zhu Cheng, and asked, "Why have they all come?"

Zhu Cheng glanced at Zhu Peng and said, "The Lord said he wants to invite them for tea."

"Tea?" Zhu Peng frowned, but still ordered the Heavy Armored Cavalry to clear a path.

Zhu Cheng walked into Taihe Tower together with Wang Maochun and the others.

Zhu Peng stood there, watching the backs of the few men.

To be honest, up until now, he still hadn't figured out what exactly Duan Rong was trying to do.

However, he had never been a person who worried.

Since he couldn't figure it out, he simply wouldn't think about it. He wiped the pastry crumbs from the corner of his mouth; he had choked a bit while eating snacks just now, and he decided to find some juicy fresh fruit to soothe his throat.

As soon as Zhu Cheng and Wang Maochun's group stepped into the main entrance of Taihe Tower, they saw Duan Rong sitting at a tea table not far from the door, in the middle of pouring tea with a teapot.

The group immediately prostrated themselves on the ground and knelt before Duan Rong.

"Your subordinates pay respects to the Lord!"

Duan Rong sat there, his expression unmoved, and said indifferently, "Lords, please rise! I have brewed two pots of tea and specifically called you all over to taste and appreciate them."

Wang Maochun and the others rose with trepidation. Just by seeing the heavy armored cavalry surrounding the building outside, they knew something must be wrong. In such an atmosphere, Duan Rong still had the leisure to brew tea here?

Seeing the group rise, Duan Rong reached out to gesture toward the empty seats before him and said, "Lords, please take your seats."

Wang Maochun and the others smiled somewhat awkwardly and sat down around Duan Rong.

Duan Rong glanced at Zhu Cheng, who was still standing at the entrance, and said, "Zhu Cheng, you go. Finish your business."

Zhu Cheng's expression tightened, and he cupped his hands, saying, "Yes, Lord!" Zhu Cheng understood Duan Rong's meaning: he was to return to the dark room and continue interrogating the secret agents captured last night...

Zhu Cheng turned around and strode out of Taihe Tower.

Duan Rong's gaze swept over Wang Maochun and the others at the tea table. In front of each of them sat a cup of pale green tea.

At this moment, their bodies were somewhat stiff, and their expressions were unnatural.

This was no wonder; with heavy armored cavalry both inside and outside the building, in such an atmosphere, a personal disciple of the Sect was inviting them to drink tea. Who didn't know that this tea wouldn't be easy to drink? They wouldn't even be surprised if someone died here later.

Duan Rong smiled faintly: "Lords, the tea is at the perfect temperature now; if you let it sit any longer, it will get a bit cold."

Upon hearing this, Wang Maochun and the others finally picked up their tea cups and said politely, "Lord, please!"

Duan Rong also raised his cup. "Everyone, please!"

Wang Maochun and the others drank slowly, but their hearts were filled with trepidation, like a bone stuck in their throats; they had no idea what they were even tasting.

Seeing their nervous appearance, Duan Rong stopped playing coy, slowly stood up, picked up four stacks of thread-bound booklets and documents from another table behind him, and placed them one by one in front of Wang Maochun and the others.

Duan Rong said, "I originally wanted to invite you all to properly savor my two types of Qingling Tea and Pu'er Tea. However, I see that none of you have the heart to drink tea, which is a waste of my good intentions."

"It is fine not to drink this tea! However, you lords should take a good look at these documents."

As Duan Rong spoke, he poured himself another cup of Pu'er and began to sip it slowly.

Wang Maochun and the others looked at the stack of documents in front of them, their eyes flickering; for a moment, they didn't know what medicine Duan Rong was selling in his gourd, but they still picked up the booklets and began to flip through them.

"This..."

It was fine before they looked, but upon reading, all of them had expressions of shock, and cold sweat broke out.

All four had held high positions for many years, having sat in the seats of First-Rank Officials for at least ten years; who among them didn't have some dirty business?

The top booklet in this stack contained records of their respective deeds, which Duan Rong had specifically kept when he was digging through things last night.

"This is nothing but slanderous accusations!?"

Ge Hengtai was furious. He raised a palm, True Qi surging in his palm, intending to turn the booklet in his hand into dust.

Duan Rong's gaze sharpened. He flicked the tea cup in his hand, and a stream of tea soup shot out like a line, blocking the space between the booklet and the palm wind. As Ge Hengtai's palm struck down, it touched the tea soup in the air, and his True Qi and internal strength were completely dissolved into nothingness.

Duan Rong said indignantly, "Lord Ge truly has a fine demeanor! You dare to destroy evidence right in front of me?!"

Ge Hengtai sneered, "What kind of bullshit evidence is this?! I don't know which son of a bitch compiled this nonsense about me? It's all slander and rumors, dumping filth on my head..."

Wang Maochun said, "Lord Ge, calm down!"

Ge Hengtai said, "I can't calm down! I am definitely going to destroy this kind of bastard thing!"

True Qi surged in Ge Hengtai's palm again, and his eyes seemed to be burning with fire.

The records in this booklet hit his vital points one by one; if they were leaked, he would surely be ruined. Ge Hengtai had always been overbearing; how could he allow such a thing to exist!?

A cold light flashed in Duan Rong's eyes as he looked at Ge Hengtai and said, "Ge Hengtai, if you move again, I will kill you!"

Duan Rong's tone was very calm.

Ge Hengtai sneered and said, "Is that so? Lord Duan has such great official authority!"

After Ge Hengtai finished speaking, he struck down with his palm again.

He did not believe that Duan Rong dared to kill him in public; after all, he was the bloodline of an Elder of the Elder Council, and Ge Rusong was the Chief of the Office of Transmission, arguably one of the most powerful Elders in the Sect.

Killing him in public was equivalent to openly challenging Ge Rusong!

Duan Rong had only become a personal disciple for half a year!

Did he dare? Did he have the guts?

At this moment, Ge Hengtai still did not know that Duan Rong had already taken down the two most important strongholds of Ge Rusong in the secular world: Taihe Tower and Dali Temple.

And for the sake of intelligence secrecy, Ge Rusong had never let Ge Hengtai touch the intelligence network line; after all, Ge Hengtai was involved in too many messy affairs. Until this moment, Ge Hengtai didn't even know that Taihe Tower was an intelligence stronghold.

And these two strongholds were where Ge Rusong had poured his heart and soul, their value far exceeding that of this secular bloodline descendant who knew how many generations removed.

He had already offended Ge Rusong. As the saying goes, one doesn't itch from too many lice, and one doesn't worry about too many debts! Duan Rong didn't care at all, and that was even more true for Ge Hengtai's life.

The moment Ge Hengtai's palm struck down, Duan Rong's hand, which was lightly holding the celadon tea cup, suddenly flicked, like a master calligrapher wielding a brush, filled with a free-spirited Artistic Conception.

The celadon tea cup instantly flew out of his hand!

Whoosh!

Only a flash of green-white porcelain was seen!

Ge Hengtai's palm suddenly disintegrated into flesh and blood. Before his scream could even leave his throat, that pale green porcelain shadow flew out from the spray of blood again, fast as a lightning bolt. The moment Ge Hengtai saw it, that celadon teacup had already smashed his brain.

The celadon teacup struck him square in the center of his brow, blasting open half his skull; brains and blood splattered everywhere!

Wang Maochun and the others all had their faces splashed with blood and white matter, and quite a bit even splashed into the empty teacups before them. The three of them sat there, not one daring to move.

Duan Rong picked up the cotton-white cloth used for holding the teapot, wiped the blood spots off the teapot, and said slowly, "I let you take a good look, I didn't tell you to destroy the evidence. A creature that doesn't know when to advance or retreat! You've dirtied a table of my good tea!"

Duan Rong glanced at Ge Hengtai's mangled corpse, a flicker of disgust rising in his heart.

When he called these few people over, he originally hadn't intended to kill anyone.

There were several booklets recording their deeds for each person, stored in a wooden box; Duan Rong had merely picked one out for each of them. Even if Ge Hengtai had destroyed the one in his hand, it would have been of no use.

A fellow without a shred of brains! Truly troublesome...

Duan Rong suppressed the disgust in his heart, handed the cotton-white towel in his hand to Wang Maochun beside him, and said, "Gentlemen, there is no need to panic. I am not here to hold you accountable. If I truly wanted to make things difficult for you, I could have just submitted the booklets to the Sect; there was no need to bring them out for you to see."

Wang Maochun leaned forward to take the cotton-white towel and said respectfully, "Thank you, my lord!"

Wang Maochun used the cotton-white towel to wipe the blood off his face, then passed the towel in his hand to Chen Shanmeng beside him.

Duan Rong looked at them and said, "The booklet on top is just an appetizer! Gentlemen, feel free to continue reading."

Wang Maochun and the others felt anxious in their hearts; they picked up the second booklet and began to flip through it, feeling more alarmed the more they read.

Duan Rong said, "The booklets below are all about the subordinates of you gentlemen. I fear you gentlemen don't understand your subordinates as well as these booklets do, right?"

When Chen Shanmeng saw the fifth booklet and heard these words from Duan Rong, he finally couldn't sit still. He asked, "May I ask, Lord Duan, where did these records come from?"

Duan Rong gave a muffled laugh, suddenly stood up, and said, "Gentlemen, please follow me!"

Duan Rong walked toward a certain spot on the first floor.

Wang Maochun and the three of them were startled, but they immediately stood up and followed Duan Rong.

Duan Rong led Wang Maochun and the three of them through the Main Hall, turned through the Corridor, and stopped beside a cabinet in a secluded corner.

There, several soldiers were standing guard, all wearing the official uniforms of the Privy Council.

Beside the cabinet, one could see a thick, heavy Iron Door that was standing open, though its surface was painted with wood-grain patterns, quite capable of deceiving the eye.

Duan Rong walked slowly into the Iron Door and descended the stairs; Wang Maochun and the others followed closely behind.

Very quickly, they arrived at the underground space of Taihe Tower. It was completely sealed; even in the daytime, sunlight could not shine in, and red candles were still burning high on the stone walls.

A full night had passed, and the Medicine Powder that had permeated the space had long since dissipated. Moreover, Wang Maochun and the others were all experts of the True Qi Realm; this bit of anesthetic could not penetrate their protective True Qi at all.

Wang Maochun, Chen Shanmeng, and Zhu Zhengfu clearly had not expected that Taihe Tower would actually hide such a bizarre underground space.

Duan Rong glanced at Chen Shanmeng, who was standing there slightly dazed, and said, "Lord Chen asked just now where these records came from? They originate precisely from this place!"

"From this place?!" Chen Shanmeng looked up and gazed around, his eyes filled with even greater astonishment.

Duan Rong suddenly pointed to the scattered papers on the desk beside him and said, "Gentlemen, take a look at the information on this desk, and you will understand the meaning of my words."

Seeing Duan Rong say this, Wang Maochun, Chen Shanmeng, and Zhu Zhengfu walked over and began to flip through the slips of paper on the desk.

"This is..."

After they casually flipped through a few sheets, their hearts were already filled with great shock, and their whole bodies turned cold.

Duan Rong said, "What you gentlemen are seeing is only the summary of a single day. Over the years, how astonishing must the information and leverage held by this Taihe Tower be?"

"Gentlemen, follow me again!"

Duan Rong then led Wang Maochun, Chen Shanmeng, and Zhu Zhengfu to a set of shelves. The shelves were stuffed with wooden boxes, each with a name on it—they were the civil and military officials of Shenyun Prefecture at all levels.

"Gentlemen, feel free to pull down any wooden box and take a look."

The eyes of Wang Maochun, Chen Shanmeng, and Zhu Zhengfu flickered. Each pulled down a familiar name from the wooden boxes; upon flipping through them, all were shocked.

The human heart is like the sea; who could withstand being investigated?

Duan Rong said, "What is on these shelves are the civil and military officials of Shenyun Prefecture, and the boxes over there contain some of the wealthy gentry and prominent families. This Taihe Tower truly has a grand design!"

Chen Shanmeng's eyes flashed with depth as he asked, "My lord, such a massive collection of information is likely not something a single teahouse could accomplish. There must be a larger power behind this, right?"

Duan Rong said, "Lord Chen, you are correct. After capturing this place last night, we interrogated them through the night and did indeed catch a few people."

Chen Shanmeng's heart stirred; the "few people" Duan Rong spoke of clearly did not mean ordinary people.

Duan Rong said, "These few people are all Liaisons for the Office of Transmission's contact points, carrying the Official Seal of the Office of Transmission and the Sect Cloud Token. These people are all core personnel on the periphery of Taihe Tower."

Hearing that it involved the Office of Transmission, Chen Shanmeng immediately shut his mouth, not daring to speak further. If this were the handiwork of Ge Rusong, he wouldn't be surprised.

A moment of silence fell over the scene. Seeing no one speaking, Zhu Zhengfu jumped out and said, "Monitoring all officials, restraining the court and the public! What is this Office of Transmission trying to do?"

Hearing this, Duan Rong only gave a muffled laugh and did not pick up his thread of conversation, instead saying blandly, "Gentlemen, let us go back up."

Duan Rong led Wang Maochun, Chen Shanmeng, and Zhu Zhengfu to sit down once again at that tea table in the first-floor Main Hall.

Duan Rong took a few new teacups, picked up the pot of Pu'er Tea, poured a cup for each of the three, and said, "Three lords, have another cup of tea to calm your nerves!"

Wang Maochun, Chen Shanmeng, and Zhu Zhengfu picked up their teacups and drank them in one gulp.

Duan Rong said, "This matter is of great consequence, and I think none of us can make the decision. We must detail this matter and submit it to the Sect, to be decided by the Elder Council and Sect Master Chu."

"What do you gentlemen think of this proposal?" Duan Rong's gaze was cold and stern.

Wang Maochun, Chen Shanmeng, and the others all nodded repeatedly in agreement.

Duan Rong said, "Very good. Since you gentlemen have no objections, the events of last night are well known to Temple Rectifier Zhu Cheng of the Dali Temple, and he was also the one in charge of the interrogation. I will have him write a detailed document, submit it to Lord Chen for review, and then to Lord Wang for secondary review. I hope both lords will finish the review as soon as possible and submit it to the Sect!"

"Rest assured, my lord. For such a major matter, Lord Chen and I would never dare to delay!" said Wang Maochun.

Duan Rong nodded slightly, looked at Chen Shanmeng, and said, "Lord Chen, there is one more thing that requires your Dali Temple to issue a document to the Sect."

Chen Shanmeng said, "Please instruct me, my lord!"

Duan Rong raised his finger to point at the mangled, bloody corpse beside the tea table and said, "It is the matter of this Ge Hengtai; the three of you are all witnesses. However, since you are the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, this matter should be stated by you, with Lord Wang and Lord Zhu as signatories, and submitted to the Sect together with the previous document!"

Chen Shanmeng's eyes flickered, and he cupped his hands, saying, "Yes!"

Seeing that the matters were mostly settled, Duan Rong suddenly sighed, handed the booklets that were on top of the stack of documents in front of the three of them one by one, and said, "These three booklets, you three lords may take them away and handle them yourselves. I said long ago that I did not call you gentlemen here to hold you accountable. However, some people are simply too arrogant; they wanted to destroy the evidence right in front of me, forcing me to act with murderous intent!"

Duan Rong emphasized the four words "murderous intent" heavily, and everyone felt a chill in their hearts upon hearing it. Ge Hengtai had truly been too impatient.

In fact, what Duan Rong gave them was only one of the booklets from their respective wooden boxes; each of them had several more booklets of incriminating material.

Duan Rong looked at Wang Maochun and said, "Prefecture Master Wang, you are the Prefecture Master; from this moment on, the books and materials within this underground world of Taihe Tower shall be guarded by you. If my estimation is correct, after the documents are submitted to the Sect, these books and materials should all be escorted back to the Sect. When that time comes, Prefecture Master Wang, just act according to the orders."

"Rest assured, my lord, I will certainly dispatch capable men to strictly guard this place," Wang Maochun said, cupping his hands.

(End of chapter)