After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, this group of guests had practically reported even the color of Sasaki's underwear.
Ding Yi also led several Imperial Guards in carrying out the ten crates of soybeans. Looking at the ten crates, his heart brimmed with delight.
These were no mere ten crates of beans. They were Ding Yi's merits, the stepping stone for the three brothers to eat from the government's bowl.
"Reporting to you, sir, all ten crates of beans are still here."
"Well done. Go rest to the side first."
Suddenly, a commotion erupted outside.
An elderly voice came through. "Is this the place? Hurry, hurry, hurry! Walk faster!"
Fang Ming's voice followed. "Agricultural Official Zhang, this is the place. Our lord has already secured it, so please do not worry."
An old man hurried into the courtyard, his gaze constantly sweeping across it.
"The beans? The beans? Where are the beans?"
Then the old man saw Sasaki and Yamamoto being tortured, and his face turned pale. Although he possessed Xiantian Realm cultivation, he clearly had never killed anyone, nor had he seen much blood.
Scholar hurried over to report to Shen Qing. "My lord, this is Zhang Shoutian of the Shennong Institute, Agricultural Official Zhang."
Shen Qing rose and gestured. "Agricultural Official Zhang, this way, please. Let us talk inside. The beans are in there as well."
Shen Qing held a favorable impression of these agricultural officials.
There was no other reason. Among officials great and small in the Capital City, there was not one who did not wish to curry favor with the Shen Family. Every holiday, quite a few officials came calling, racking their brains to bring gifts.
Yet Shen Qing had never seen officials from one particular department: the Shennong Institute.
As far as he knew, this group of old men spent their days holed up in the Shennong Institute, researching and cultivating all manner of crops and medicinal treasures.
The fourth-generation Tianhe Rice currently planted throughout the Wu Dynasty had been cultivated by them, its yield fully doubled compared to the original.
The Imperial Guards' ability to exchange for various medicinal treasures also had much to do with Shennong Hall. The agricultural officials of Shennong Hall surveyed the lands of the Wu Dynasty, locating the soils best suited for growing different medicinal treasures and realizing their mass production.
Who could possibly harbor ill will toward a group of farmers who worked diligently and did not fight for power or profit?
At the mention of the beans, Zhang Shoutian's expression improved somewhat. He strode toward Shen Qing, just as Fang Ming and a dark-skinned young man carrying a wooden box hurried over.
This young man was Zhang Shoutian's disciple, Jiao Yu. Without even taking a breath, he hurried after Zhang Shoutian.
Shen Qing led Zhang Shoutian into a room to the side.
Zhang Shoutian's tone was somewhat anxious. "Sir Hundred-Household Officer, where are those beans?"
"Ding Yi, carry a crate inside."
"Right away!"
Once Zhang Shoutian saw the beans, he seemed to come alive. After taking a light breath, he calmed down.
"Jiao Yu, prepare the Five Elements Calibrator."
"Yes, Master."
Jiao Yu swiftly cleared an open space in the room to place the wooden box on his back. After opening it, he took out a black stone the size of a human head and five dark-silver magnets.
Jiao Yu expertly assembled the items, using the black stone as a base and several supports made from unknown materials to secure the five magnets above it.
Zhang Shoutian picked up a soybean and placed it in the center of the black stone. Then he pressed two fingers against the stone. As true qi flowed in, the five magnets on the supports began spinning rapidly.
From Shen Qing's perspective, Zhang Shoutian's true qi split into five streams, each flowing into one of the magnets before converging upon the soybean.
The soybean, meanwhile, fed back a special kind of tiny particle to the five magnets.
These particles came in five colors, seemingly corresponding to the Five Elements. Some shone with exceptional brilliance, some were ordinary, and some were dim.
Scholar and Ding Yi both froze. The sight before them was too fantastical for them to accept at once.
Seeing their reactions, Jiao Yu hurriedly explained.
"My lords."
"According to the Five Elements Agricultural Book written by the Grand Agricultural Official Wang Zhen a thousand years ago, plants possess incomplete Five Elements. Later generations improved crops and medicinal treasures according to the Five Elements."
"This Five Elements Calibrator can capture the Five Elements particles in plants, allowing us to determine where the Five Elements are incomplete."
"Unfortunately, this Five Elements Calibrator is only a simplified version. Its limit is capturing several thousand Five Elements particles. If we used the most complete instrument in the Capital City, it could capture a million Five Elements particles."
Ding Yi and Scholar were dumbstruck. A million particles—what a staggering sight that would be.
Shen Qing's eyes flickered as well. Had this world's technology tree gone crooked?
No, it could not exactly be called crooked.
It had merely abandoned the development of electricity and turned to true qi as a substitute.
It would be more accurate to say that the technology tree had taken the shape of this world.
Gradually, the black stone analyzed some Five Elements particles mixed with faint gray, carrying a vaguely sickly air.
The anger on Zhang Shoutian's face grew increasingly severe, and he could not help but curse.
"Vicious! Utterly vicious! How could there be such a vicious people in this world!"
Jiao Yu was speechless. He had never seen his master this angry before, and he hurriedly stepped forward to ask softly.
"Master, what is going on?"
Zhang Shoutian's voice suddenly rose.
"These soybeans look exactly like the third-generation Zhonglin Yellow Beans we cultivate, but in truth, they are an entirely different breed."
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"These soybeans are deficient in all Five Elements, and they have even mixed harmful Five Elements substances into the Five Elements."
"If ordinary people consume them over a long period, it will disrupt their body's Five Elements, affect their minds, and damage their bodies."
Shen Qing suddenly asked, "What about the children they bear?"
Zhang Shoutian clenched his fists tightly.
"If they eat these beans over a long period, the chance of their children being born physically disabled or intellectually deficient will increase greatly."
Ding Yi and Scholar's expressions changed drastically as they angrily cursed.
"Beasts! How could they make something so vicious?"
Zhang Shoutian raised his foot and prepared to head outside.
"We must find the original seeds. We cannot allow this thing to harm the common people."
"Jiao Yu, go, go, go! Hurry, hurry!"
Jiao Yu hurriedly grabbed Zhang Shoutian. "Master! Wait, wait! We have the honored lords of the Imperial Guards here."
Zhang Shoutian regained some of his senses and looked toward Shen Qing and Scholar. He stepped forward and tightly seized Shen Qing's arm.
"My lord! I beg you, you must recover the original seeds."
Shen Qing nodded, his voice calm.
"Fine. I understand."
Shen Qing slowly walked out of the room. Outside, Sasaki and Yamamoto had already been interrogated until they were like dogs.
When Old Li saw Shen Qing approach, he immediately handed him the Book of Impermanence containing the interrogation records.
After scanning it a few times, Shen Qing learned that there were still seven hidden Japanese pirates in Luoshui City, as well as several people entangled with them.
Yet they had not managed to extract where the soybeans had come from.
Shen Qing lowered his head and looked down at Yamamoto, who lay there like a dead dog.
"Tell me. Where did this batch of soybeans come from?"
Yamamoto gasped heavily. "I don't know..."
"You don't know? Good, good, good. It seems Japanese pirates have poor memories. I'll help you improve yours. Black Dog, bring me a hammer!"
Black Dog moved with exceptional speed and found a bronze hammer in the courtyard.
"Someone, hold down his hand."
Two Lieutenant Officials hurried forward and firmly pinned down Yamamoto's left forearm.
Yamamoto panicked. "What are you doing?"
"What am I doing? Of course, I'm helping you restore your memory."
As soon as the words fell, the bronze hammer traced a cold arc through the air and smashed viciously into the back of Yamamoto's hand.
First came the sound of iron striking flesh, followed by the sound of bones shattering.
This single blow smashed Yamamoto's palm inward.
Yamamoto's mouth opened wide, but not a shred of a scream came out. Only his bulging, bloodshot eyes proclaimed his agony.
"I... really don't know..."
Naturally, the only response he received was another blow from the bronze hammer.
Bang!!!
The bronze hammer smashed Yamamoto's palm directly into a pulp of flesh.
Yamamoto completely broke down and screamed like a madman.
"I'll talk! I'll talk! They came from the Qinglin Sword Sect..."
The two Lieutenant Officials sneered and spat in Yamamoto's face.
"Wretched bastard, you had to be beaten before you would talk!"
The two turned to look at Shen Qing, but Shen Qing's face remained icy as he said calmly.
"Hold down the other hand."
The two Lieutenant Officials immediately obeyed. Yamamoto struggled like mad, but it was entirely useless. His Qi Sea had been shattered, and after the frenzied torture, less than one percent of his strength remained. He could not possibly break free from the arms of two Houtian Realm Lieutenant Officials.
"What are you doing?! I already told you..."
Shen Qing raised the bronze hammer high.
"Has your memory not recovered yet? Is it useful to casually throw out a name?"
This was one of the uses of Innate Six Senses: it could sense whether the other person was lying. Especially when facing someone on the verge of collapse, its accuracy could even reach one hundred percent.
A sharp whistle of wind rang out.
Yamamoto's right palm was smashed deeply inward as well, the entire hand twisted into an irregular shape.
"I'll talk... it was White Cherry Villa..."
"Please don't hit me again..."
Shen Qing snorted, and the bronze hammer smashed down again, turning Yamamoto's palm into bloody foam.
"You think I'll stop just because you said so?"
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