Chapter 294: Strong Reinforcements (Requesting Moon Tickets)

Ma Tianshou has been promoted to Commandant of the Southern Office of Southern Jiaozhi, and his level has risen to Fifth Stream.

He can mobilize all personnel and resources of the Purification Office in southern Jiaozhi.

These two my lords, Wu Chenxin and Li Yichuan, hold the official title of "Lecturer of the Advance Martial Hall."

The Advance Martial Hall is also a permanent institution of the Purification Office.

It is a "school" specifically designed to elevate the levels of captains across the regions.

"Lecturer" is a very high rank, equivalent to "Master of Discipline."

The largest Advance Martial Hall in the entire Purification Office is located in the Northern Capital Headquarters.

Wu Chenxin and Li Yichuan were personally recruited by Ma Tianshou after he rose to full Commandant and took sole charge of the Southern Office.

The Wu and Li families are both ancient prominent clans with branches in Jiaozhi.

Wu Chenxin is a clan elder; Li Yichuan is the clan head.

Normally they each attend to family affairs; only when the Purification Office needs them does Ma Tianshou personally intervene to ask for their cooperation.

Xu Yuan saw three Fifth Stream cultivators altogether and grinned with a sheepish expression.

When writing the request for aid, Lord Xu repeatedly hinted: Invite great cultivators!

It was almost an outright statement: This time, Old Lord, you alone may not be enough to hold the line!

Xu Yuan dared to be so "disrespectful" precisely because he realized that Old Lord Ma, like himself, values preserving his own life.

"Preserving one's life" is not a derogatory term.

One must not recklessly rush into every situation without regard for consequences.

Life is only given once; of course there are things in this world worth risking it for… but not many.

Last time Old Lord Ma went to Shanhe County, though he ultimately came away humiliated, remember—he was then Deputy Commandant of the Southern Office, a Sixth Stream powerhouse.

He brought along Elder Yan and Fu Jingyu and others.

He had secretly prepared the Dog Head Guillotine as well.

For a county town at the foot of a mountain, this deployment of personnel and resources was not an exaggeration—it was a full-scale effort to crush a rabbit.

Under Xu Yuan's repeated emphasis, Old Lord Ma did not disappoint him.

Moreover, Wu Chenxin and Li Yichuan are both under fifty, the backbone of their two great clans in Jiaozhi!

For cultivators of the Seven Sects, they are precisely in their prime.

Not the type who merely endure lifespans, slowly climb to Fifth Stream, lose all potential, and retreat into the Purification Office to retire.

"Tell me what exactly happened this time?"

Xu Yuan replied: "This theft case is very complicated. First, several wealthy merchant households in the city were robbed, then the River Administration…"

What Xu Yuan said were only the publicly known parts.

With Wu Chenxin and Li Yichuan present, Xu Yuan would not mention the River Administration's illicit transport of cocoon food.

If these two families were connected to the "buyer," revealing it would expose himself.

If they had no connection, revealing it would make these two believe Xu Yuan was forcing them into this vortex.

After a brief summary of the case, Ma Tianshou and the two Lecturers went to rest.

By nightfall, Zhang Laoya still had not returned.

Ma Tianshou found it strange: "My old friend is said to have always lived here—why isn't he seen?"

Xu Yuan seized the opportunity: "This is Old Zhang's personal matter… Old Lord, let us discuss it inside."

In Xu Yuan's room, door closed, the two alone, Xu Yuan revealed the case's true details.

He also mentioned Zhang Laoya's "emotional entanglement" with the three Dream Eaters.

Ma Tianshou's expression turned solemn; he remained silent for a long while.

"One hundred and twenty thousand taels of cocoon food—what a massive business," Ma Tianshou idly traced numbers on the table with his index finger: "Chen Liangxuan and his group… compared to this, they're just petty traders."

Chen Liangxuan's group earned four million taels in profit annually.

Yet this single warehouse lost one hundred and twenty thousand taels of cocoon food.

Don't forget, when these cocoon foods reach the Red-Haired Barbarians, their price multiplies several times over.

"What exactly does the Ghost Wang Fei intend to do?"

Xu Yuan shook his head: "I have no idea, but I dosed the monsters she's raising!"

Xu Yuan didn't know what use these monsters served, but he followed one principle: Whatever you plan to do, I will stop you from succeeding.

It's like playing chess—when your opponent attacks and you defend, you block everything, no matter what, to prevent their goal from being achieved.

Xu Yuan added: "This time we hold the advantage in strength; we don't need to painstakingly unravel their purpose. We simply meet force with force, water with earth."

Ma Tianshou nodded.

This is the normal state of a government office handling cases.

There are no dramatic scenes of brilliant detectives or legendary constables turning the tide—most cases are crushed by the sheer might of the imperial authority.

For example, capturing a criminal often involves dozens of captains pursuing and surrounding them.

Ma Tianshou added: "Zhang Laoya is cunning and suspicious. You owe him nothing in this matter. If he suffers misfortune because of it, it's his own doing."

Xu Yuan nodded, then asked: "Can those two Lecturers be trusted? Could they be involved with this batch of cocoon food?"

Ma Tianshou shook his head: "No."

The old lord offered no further explanation.

These two families accepted the "Lecturer" position only because connections from Old Lord Ma's "friends" in the Northern Capital arranged it.

That means their family "businesses" do not conflict with the Purification Office.

Xu Yuan trusted the old lord.

"According to the Wang Fei's words, tomorrow is the day her plan will succeed."

Ma Tianshou smiled, a hint of anticipation showing in his expression: "Very well, my lord is truly curious. She has plotted such a grand scheme; what exactly does she intend to do!"

Zhang Laoya had several safe houses within Zhan City.

Tonight, he was staying at one of them.

The three Dream Eaters did not return to the guesthouse.

Their excuse to Wen Bin was that they had "rekindled an old romance" with Zhang Laoya and intended to spend the night at his place.

Wen Bin showed no sign of abnormality before them, smiling to indicate his understanding.

With the curfew in effect today, they had closed the doors early and were hiding inside, not venturing out.

Each of the three Dream Eaters carried a "tally" given to them by Wen Bin.

Such tallies were issued by the imperial court to serve as identity documents for officials.

It was precisely this item that masked the yin energy on their persons, allowing them to enter and leave the guesthouse freely.

This particular safe house of Zhang Laoya's was located in Xicheng; it was a very ordinary small courtyard.

Door gods were pasted on the courtyard gate.

Zhang Laoya and the three Dream Eaters did not sleep during the first half of the night. Zhang Laoya, being of advanced age, had already risked his life, yet the three Dream Eaters were still far from satisfied.

In the second half of the night, Zhang Laoya fell into a weak slumber, while the three Dream Eaters, their eyes glistening and watery in the darkness, quietly took out the "Gentleman of the Horn"...

Suddenly, a sound of knocking on the door rang out.

The three Dream Eaters were startled; who could possibly be knocking at this hour?

It must be a human—evil spirits would not dare to knock on a courtyard gate pasted with Door gods at this time.

They listened silently without responding, yet the knocking persisted relentlessly.

Zhang Laoya was finally roused from his sleep and asked groggily, "What time is it?"

"The sky has not yet brightened."

Zhang Laoya suddenly jolted awake: "Something is wrong!"

A sound of something falling in the courtyard suddenly arose, followed immediately by the courtyard gate being opened from the inside, and a sound of footsteps entering the yard.

Zhang Laoya's face twisted with ferocity: "Do they truly think we are easy to bully!"

He himself was a sixth-rank Dao cultivator, and the three Dream Eaters were also sixth-rank, with strength even surpassing his own.

Whatever entered, they would have the power to fight!

The door was pushed open, and Wang Fei walked in with a strange smile on her face.

Wen Bin accompanied her.

Regret instantly surged in Zhang Laoya: He should have listened to Xu Yuan...

(End of this chapter)