Chapter 75: Poor Old Wang Is Played Like a Puppet (Seeking Monthly Votes)

Pei Shaoqing walked into the main hall with a beaming smile.

"Hahahaha, is Wang Xianling chasing debts all the way to my home? Rest assured, I, Pei, always keep my word; I won't renege on the Soul-Guiding Flower I promised you."

"I am not here for that." Wang Xianling no longer possessed his usual composure; he looked very agitated. He scanned the room and waved his hand, "Have everyone leave first."

"What matter is so mysterious?" Pei Shaoqing shook his head with a smile, but still gestured with his hand.

The group of maidservants bowed and slowly retreated.

"Is this alright now?" He looked at Wang Xianling with a face full of confusion and said, "Old Wang, what on earth is wrong with you? Did I offend you somewhere? Why do you look like you're here to hold me accountable?"

"Do you truly not know?" Wang Xianling rose from his chair, stared at him fixedly, and said word by word, "Pei Shaoqing, release the Saintess immediately."

He did not ask if the Saintess was in his possession.

Instead, he made a direct demand for him to release the person.

Walls have ears; Pei Shaoqing had long been prepared for this and wore a look of astonishment, "Saintess? What Saintess? Old Wang, have you lost your mind?"

"Stop playing dumb!" Wang Xianling shouted angrily and said coldly, "Of course, it is the Yaoguang Saintess of my Saint Sect."

"Old Wang, what do you mean by this?" Pei Shaoqing did not offer further defense, but his expression also turned gloomy.

He wore the look of someone who felt the other party was looking for trouble.

Because he had not done it, there was no need to defend himself.

The more one defends, the more guilty one appears.

County Magistrate Wang said in a deep voice, "Since I have come to you for the person, I am certainly certain that she is here. Young Master Pei, our brief cooperation has been very pleasant. Release the Saintess, and I will persuade her not to hold you accountable for the past, and to let go of the grudge regarding the Kaiyang Saint Child."

Pei Shaoqing believed that Old Wang would truly do so.

However, he felt he was too naive.

Given what he had done to the Yaoguang Saintess, if he truly released her now, she would undoubtedly kill him.

Moreover, the Kaiyang Saint Child was one of the seven Saint Children of the Xuan Sect; how could Old Wang, a mere branch Leader, persuade the Xuanhuang Sect not to settle this score with him?

"Utterly ridiculous!" Pei Shaoqing put on a show of laughing out of extreme anger and said coldly, "Who is whispering nonsense in your ear? Tell them to have the guts to confront me in person! You don't know my strength, but do you not know the Yaoguang Saintess'? How could I possibly defeat her?"

He was not surprised that someone at the Hundred-Household Office leaked information to Wang Xianling, because if Wang Xianling could plant a spy beside Zheng Xuancheng, he naturally had eyes and ears at the Hundred-Household Office as well.

The day he spoke with the Yaoguang Saintess, he had intentionally lowered his voice to avoid exposing her identity, which could only prevent the Xuan Sect spies within the Hundred-Household Office from proactively reporting it.

But once the Xuan Sect began actively searching for the missing Yaoguang Saintess and inquiring with their spies, this matter would inevitably be leaked; it was only a matter of time before it was discovered.

"Is that so? Then do you dare to allow me to search the dungeon in your manor?" Wang Xianling ignored the confrontation Pei Shaoqing proposed and asked coldly.

Pei Shaoqing fell silent immediately.

Wang Xianling thought he was feeling guilty and applied further pressure, "To tell you the truth, a Saint Envoy from the Saint Palace is in Tongzhou. I haven't told him this news; if he knew, he would have already killed his way here to take your life."

In this regard, he was indeed thinking of Pei Shaoqing.

"You have disappointed me." Pei Shaoqing sighed and asked, "What if you don't find the person?"

"I owe you a favor; you can make me do whatever you want," Wang Xianling said firmly.

The spy he had bribed told him that Pei Shaoqing had stated clearly that day that he would lock the Saintess in the manor's dungeon, and since he was launching a surprise attack today, the other party naturally would not have had time to move the Saintess.

Pei Shaoqing nodded, looked at him expressionlessly, and said, "Fine, Old Wang. Aside from our cooperative relationship, I also consider you a friend, so I will allow you to commit this offensive act against me. But this is the only time; if there is a next time, don't blame me for being heartless."

Wang Xianling's face was as dark as water, and he remained silent, because he was now absolutely convinced that the Saintess was in the dungeon.

Therefore, no matter how harsh Pei Shaoqing's words were,

he felt no fluctuation in his heart.

"Follow me." Pei Shaoqing dropped these three words indifferently, turned around with a cold face, and walked out.

Wang Xianling immediately stepped forward to follow.

Arriving at the entrance to the dungeon, Pei Shaoqing stopped and said, "There is indeed a woman locked inside, but she is an assassin who tried to kill me, definitely not any Saintess of your Xuanhuang Sect. Are you sure you want to go in?"

"Naturally, I do." Wang Xianling was ninety, or even one hundred percent, sure that the woman locked inside was the Yaoguang Saintess.

The other party saying this was merely a case of "the thief protesting his innocence."

Pei Shaoqing turned, opened the door, and walked in first.

Wang Xianling followed closely without hesitation.

Upon reaching the cell door, he saw a disheveled woman curled up in the corner, her bare feet covered in grime, with bells tied to her ankles with red string. He immediately exclaimed, "Saintess!"

He did not bother to let Pei Shaoqing open the door, smashed it with a single punch, and rushed in quickly.

"Saintess, I have come to save you!" Wang Xianling said loudly, kneeling on one knee in an emotional state.

But when the woman slowly raised her head, the expression on his face instantly stiffened, "Who are you?"

He had once seen the Saintess's celestial beauty from afar; although the woman before him was quite attractive, she was far inferior to the Saintess, and more importantly, she lacked that aura.

"Are you a member of the Xuanhuang Sect? But why are you with that corrupt official?" The woman did not answer Wang Xianling's question but asked him back. Then, without waiting for his reply, she cursed excitedly, "You traitor who betrayed the Saint Sect, the Yaoguang Saintess will not let you go!"

Saying this, she lunged at Wang Xianling.

"You traitor who colludes with the imperial court!"

Wang Xianling pushed her away, then stood up and walked to Pei Shaoqing to ask, "Who is she?"

"An admirer of the Yaoguang Saintess, brainwashed by your Xuanhuang Sect, a poor wretch who foolishly came to assassinate this official to avenge the Kaiyang Saint Child," Pei Shaoqing said coldly, standing with his hands behind his back, his eyes filled with mockery.

Wang Xianling stood frozen in place, his expression shifting uncertainly.

Pei Shaoqing said sarcastically, "The incredibly certain tone you used just now almost made me doubt myself, thinking I had been deceived by this woman and that she really was the Yaoguang Saintess. Heh, Wang Xianling, what do you have to say?"

"My apologies." Wang Xianling's expression was sincere; he sighed and said, "The disappearance of the Saintess is a matter of great importance; I have to be concerned about even the slightest clue."

Having verified it with his own eyes, and since Pei Shaoqing had no time or opportunity to swap her, he had already dismissed the idea that the Yaoguang Saintess was in the other party's hands.

Moreover, as Pei Shaoqing had said, with his strength and that of Liu Yuheng, it would be impossible to capture the Saintess.

"Remember what you said: you owe me a favor, and you will agree to one thing unconditionally," Pei Shaoqing said with a cold snort, his expression softening slightly.

"Yes, yes." Wang Xianling nodded repeatedly, feeling a bit guilty, while also being grateful that Pei Shaoqing was willing to cooperate with his search of the dungeon, "Young Master Pei, this promise is valid forever. I, Wang, keep my word. I hope you can forgive today's impulsive act."

"Who told me to be a man of sentiment and righteousness, and easy to talk to?" Pei Shaoqing walked out, "Let's go."

Wang Xianling turned his head to glance at the woman who was still glaring at him, then followed Pei Shaoqing.

After exiting the dungeon, Pei Shaoqing asked with a face full of doubt, "Has your Saintess of Yaoguang truly gone missing?"

"Look at how anxious I've become; could it possibly be fake?" Wang Xianling sighed melancholically.

Pei Shaoqing laughed, "Old Wang, please forgive me, but this is good news for me; it would be best if she never appeared again, then I would be safe."

With their positions differing, although Wang Xianling felt very uncomfortable hearing this, he had no way to refute him.

He only said, "Then you are rejoicing too early; if the Saintess of Yaoguang is not found soon, those above will naturally send someone else to settle the matter of Kaiyang."

"At the very least, it can drag things out for a while longer." Pei Shaoqing smiled, looking quite content.

He personally saw Wang Xianling to the door, and after watching his back disappear, the smile on his face gradually faded.

Next, he had to ferret out the traitor who had snitched to Old Wang and make them pay a heavy price!

"Young Master." Liu Yuheng walked over and asked softly, "Should the Saintess of Yaoguang be locked back in the dungeon?"

"No." Pei Shaoqing shook his head, gazing into the distance as he said, "I have some understanding of Old Wang; although he believed me, for the sake of absolute caution, he will certainly sneak back again tonight."

After tonight, he would lock the Saintess of Yaoguang back in the dungeon, as that would be the safest place.

This was the reason why he kept the Saintess of Yaoguang at his residence instead of transferring her elsewhere for confinement, even though he knew this matter might be leaked sooner or later.

Because he had to clear his own suspicions!

Otherwise, with Old Wang constantly watching him, how could he steadily mold the Saintess into the shape he desired?

"Young Master, you are truly meticulous and calculating." Liu Yuheng praised with a face full of admiration.

This Young Master was simply too steady.

Pei Shaoqing smiled slightly, "Madam Gongsun is too kind; this Young Master is also walking on thin ice."

"Then Young Master, should we pretend not to discover Wang Xianling tonight?" Liu Yuheng asked another question.

"No." Pei Shaoqing shook his head again, smiling somewhat cunningly, "We must catch him red-handed; Old Wang is a gentleman, so this will make him feel even more awkward, ashamed, and embarrassed when facing me. From then on, as long as I bring this up, he will always be a step below me."

Liu Yuheng felt that her Young Master was just too wicked.

"My Lord! My Lord!"

While the two were chatting at the entrance.

Chen Zhongyi came galloping over on horseback.

After dismounting, he immediately stepped forward, knelt on one knee, and with a solemn expression, presented several pages filled with writing with both hands.

"My Lord, this matter is of great importance, so this subordinate had to disturb your rest. This is the confession of Wang Wu; it is simply shocking, so I ask that you look it over yourself."

"Oh?" Pei Shaoqing raised an eyebrow, snatched the confession from his hand, and lowered his head to read it. As he read, his expression changed drastically, and before finishing, he looked up and asked, "Has anyone else seen this confession?"

"Replying to my Lord, no." Chen Zhongyi answered.

Pei Shaoqing said in a deep voice, "You must secretly transfer Wang Wu immediately and guard him strictly to prevent him from being silenced."

"Yes!" Chen Zhongyi acknowledged, then added, "This subordinate will personally lead the men to stand guard at night."

Pei Shaoqing nodded, then continued to read the confession in his hand, finding it more and more horrifying the further he read.

"Utterly devoid of conscience, truly utterly devoid of conscience!"

Even he found what was stated in the confession difficult to accept.

(End of this chapter)