They Must Not Find Out

Tang Shijiang manipulated the screws, throwing a whole carload of grain off the tracks, and unloading the remaining grain, coal, clothing, medicine, and groceries from the train.

After the goods were unloaded, Brother Tang waved his hand, and two rivets flew over from the Train Head and landed in Brother Tang's arms.

These two rivets were the root cause of the train's loss of control. After the rivets were pulled out, the train began to slow down, and Tang Shijiang and Li Banfeng got off the train together.

As he walked along the road, Li Banfeng took a closer look at this senior. From his words and actions, it was clear that he was the Local Earth God of Black Stone Slope.

But unlike other Local Earth God, even when Li Banfeng activated his Golden Eyes Autumn Down Technique to its maximum, no trace of ghost fire could be seen on him.

This proves that he is not a ghost, but still has a physical body.

Arriving at an abandoned factory, Tang Shijiang picked up a package from next to the machine tools.

Upon opening the package, I found two lunchboxes inside, one containing rice and the other containing vegetables.

Tang Shijiang mixed the rice and vegetables evenly and handed Li Banfeng a lunchbox. "Don't mind it, let's eat together."

Li Banfeng had worked on construction sites and had a strange sense of familiarity with lunch boxes.

There was only one pair of chopsticks, so Tang Shijiang gave it to Li Banfeng and found two tree branches to use as chopsticks himself.

"Young man, these bastards from Outer State are probably going to fight us for a while, so we can't back down."

Li Banfeng nodded and said, "As long as Brother Tang doesn't back down, I'll fight them to the bitter end!"

Tang Shijiang laughed and said, "You don't need to worry about that. I've never known the word 'coward' since I was born!"

According to Yao Lao's account, Black Stone Slope was originally the territory of Train Grandpa, but was later handed over to his disciple by Train Grandpa.

This Brother Tang must be the disciple of the Train Grandpa, right?

After the two finished their meal happily, Tang Shijiang gave Li Banfeng a box of screws. "Brother, take this. Although you're not from my lineage, these screws are useful. You can use them as hidden weapons."

Li Banfeng actually had no shortage of hidden weapons, but since Brother Tang had given them to him, he naturally couldn't refuse.

Brother Tang added, "Those bastards from Outer State are green with envy. They'll definitely try to rob us, and they'll probably resort to underhanded tactics too."

Don't be afraid of robbery; Black Stone Slope is a place full of tough guys. If you encounter something like this, don't get involved, and absolutely don't get involved.

What I'm worried about is those bastards trying to pull a dirty trick. It's easy to dodge a direct attack, but hard to guard against a hidden one. You have to be extra careful.

Tang Shijiang was right; everyone in the Guanfang Hall was practically starving.

The canned food was all gone, the biscuits were all gone, and they were just waiting for this trainload of grain. But then the train had an accident, and not a single grain was brought back.

The next day, Cheng Mingke had just held an important meeting at the Guanfang Hall, where he gave a speech in which he mentioned the word "reverence" nine times.

He wanted the Pro State to have reverence for the Guanfang Hall, for the Guanfang Envoy, and especially for him, the Guanfang Envoy.

During the speech, several people fainted due to low blood sugar, which greatly displeased Cheng Mingke.

"We only had a five-hour meeting, and these people couldn't sit still anymore. This is a typical problem with willpower."

Secretary Tong Lingzhu said, "Envoy Cheng, many of them haven't eaten much all day, and they can't hold on due to physical reasons..."

"Don't give me any objective reasons! Look for the reasons from a subjective perspective! Look at the deputy Guanfang Envoy, has any of them fainted?"

Tong Lingzhu was silent for a moment, then looked up at Cheng Mingke and said, "That's because the limited food in the Guanfang Hall was all given to the Guanfang Envoy. Of course they wouldn't faint if they were full."

Cheng Mingke looked at Tong Lingzhu in surprise. This beautiful and capable secretary was originally highly regarded by Cheng Mingke, but he did not expect that she would dare to talk back to him today.

Tong Lingzhu had been holding back for a long time. This new Guanfang Envoy was completely unaware of the situation at Black Stone Slope.

She had just found out about Cheng Mingke's background today. Not only did he not know much about Black Stone Slope, he didn't even know much about Pro State.

This was his first time serving in Pro State, and he applied Outer State practices to Black Stone Slope.

Cheng Mingke really wanted to explode. If this were Outer State, he would have scolded this incompetent secretary until she questioned her existence.

But he didn't scold him today because Tong Lingzhu kept watching him.

When being stared at directly by subordinates, it's best to control your emotions; this is based on his many years of experience.

He turned around, picked up his teacup, and looked out the window calmly as usual.

He told Tong Lingzhu to leave, that she couldn't be used anymore, and that he would find an opportunity to transfer her away.

Worried about not having enough to eat? Worried that Black Stone Slope will get out of control?

Judging from her limited vision and methods, she is not qualified for this job.

She also disobeys orders. No matter how capable or beautiful a person is, she cannot be given important responsibilities.

Cheng Mingke immediately ordered Du Zhaohui, the logistics officer in Guanfang Envoy a group to buy grain.

The requirement this time was very clear: the grain must be bought back by any means necessary, and he also sent two fifth-level cultivators with Du Zhaohui.

The attitude was already very clear, and Du Zhaohui had no choice but to force the purchase, otherwise he would not be able to complete the task.

But in Black Stone Slope, forced purchases are not so easy.

The rice shop owner summoned all his employees, who, armed with their weapons, confronted Du Zhaohui at the shop's entrance.

In terms of both cultivation level and equipment, the two sides were vastly different, and the people from the rice shop were no match for the Guanfang Envoy.

But the rice shop owner showed no fear, and none of his employees backed down.

The crowd gathered, and all eyes turned to the rice shop owner.

The rice shop owner shouted to the crowd, "My shop has been here for decades, and I am grateful for your patronage!"

We were out of rice today, but someone insisted on buying it, forcing me to risk my life.

Having lived to this age, I've had enough to live on. I only ask that you all, young and old, bear witness so that if anyone asks about it in the future, you can at least give me a fair account!

As more and more people gathered to watch, Du Zhaohui became increasingly nervous.

Their men tried to drive them away, but it was no use; nobody listened to their shouts.

Seeing that things were about to escalate, Du Zhaohui had a cultivator named Chen Yusheng, a fifth-level martial arts practitioner.

This person is intelligent and can see the situation clearly.

It's unrealistic to expel everyone right now; the most effective approach is to immediately take down the key figure in the incident, namely the owner of the rice shop.

The attack must be carried out discreetly, without letting the opponent detect it in the slightest.

Actions must be taken decisively to avoid a stalemate, otherwise it could escalate into a melee and escalate into a major conflict.

Be ruthless. After taking him down, beat the rice shop owner half to death on the spot, so that he can't even scream, and directly intimidate the others.

Chen Yusheng silently approached the rice shop owner from behind, his gaze turning serious.

Li Banfeng reached out from beside him, grabbed Chen Yusheng by the hair, and shoved him to the ground.

The attack had to be carried out discreetly, and Chen Yusheng indeed did not notice.

He acted decisively; after pinning Li Banfeng down, he immediately began kicking him.

Li Banfeng's idea of "being ruthless" differed from Chen Yusheng's; he used his feet.

As soon as Li Banfeng made a move, the rice shop owner followed suit, and even the onlookers joined in.

They've been holding back for a long time.

He kicked Chen Yusheng first, and when Chen Yusheng tried to get up, Tang Shijiang kicked him to the ground again.

"Brother," Tang Shijiang said in a low voice, "Wasn't this something I told you not to get involved in?"

Li Banfeng kicked again. "I didn't really care, I was just watching the show."

Tang Shijiang kicked him again. "Don't worry, they can handle this themselves."

The two men kicked so hard that Chen Yusheng was almost breathless after being kicked several times.

Meanwhile, Du Zhaohui's side was besieged, and the situation was extremely critical.

Du Zhaohui was accompanied by a body cultivator who easily shielded Du Zhaohui behind him. "Let's see which of you dares to come!"

Brother Tang stepped forward and pinned the body cultivator to the ground, then said to Li Banfeng, "Come here."

The two of them kicked and chatted at the body cultivator.

"Brother, you go first, leave this to me."

"I'll listen to my older brother."

Li Banfeng kicked the rice twice more before leaving the rice shop.

At dusk, Du Zhaohui, bruised and battered, went to Cheng Mingke to report that the grain still hadn't been purchased.

Cheng Mingke placed his teacup on the table and asked Du Zhaohui, "Where are the guards I assigned to you?"

"They were both seriously injured and are being treated in the infirmary."

"Both fifth-level cultivators are injured. Something's going on here. There's someone special involved!"

Fu Botai's disappearance is related to these people; we must find them no matter how hard we try!

Gather all the Dark Energy User from the Guanfang Hall, along with the deputy Guanfang Envoy who are not out on field duty. First, go to the rice shop, bring back the rice, and bring back all the people from the rice shop as well.

This group is so arrogant; they must be acting under orders. We must interrogate them thoroughly tonight and get to the bottom of this.

Anyone unrelated to the incident who participated will be treated as an accomplice and sent to the Guanfang Hall.

Cheng Mingke gave the order, while Du Zhaohui watched in astonishment.

Cheng Mingke frowned and said, "What are we waiting for? Let's get going!"

Du Zhaohui asked, "Envoy Cheng, aren't you going?"

Cheng Mingke glared at Du Zhaohui quickly left the office.

As the sun was about to set, Cheng Mingke stood by the window, looking at the scenery outside, maintaining his usual calm and composure.

He picked up his teacup and took a sip, and Tong Lingzhu pushed open the door and walked in.

Cheng Mingke frowned slightly. He didn't turn around, but through the reflection in the glass, he saw Tong Lingzhu.

She doesn't even knock on the door. Who spoiled her like this?

Cheng Mingke turned around and put down his teacup, preparing to take this opportunity to teach Tong Lingzhu a lesson.

Tong Lingzhu said, "The General Envoy has arrived."

The teacup wasn't placed properly and fell to the ground. Cheng Mingke didn't bother to pick it up and hurried out to greet the General Envoy.

That's strange, when did the General Envoy arrive? Why didn't I receive any news before?

As soon as they arrived at the door, Liao Zihui, the General Envoy, walked in with a friendly smile.

Cheng Mingke quickly asked Tong Lingzhu to make tea, but Liao Zihui waved his hand and said, "No need to trouble yourself, I'll be leaving in a bit. Xiao Tong, you go ahead and do your thing. I have a few words to say to Mingke alone."

Tong Lingzhu left the office, Liao Zihui sat on the sofa, saying to Cheng Mingke, "Mingke, you've just started working in Pro State, are you finding it difficult to adjust to many things?"

There was a hidden meaning in those words, and Cheng Mingke, having climbed his way up through so many years, could easily understand it. He quickly explained, "General Envoy Liao, there has been a slight problem at Black Stone Slope, but I have dealt with it promptly..."

Liao Zihui nodded. He already knew about Cheng Mingke's handling of the situation, but he did not make any comments.

"Mingke, when doing things in Pro State, we can't be too hasty. I don't know if you've seen the newspapers recently, but there's been a lot of talk about it, linking us to Jiang Xiang Gang. Some people have even linked us to human traffickers, which is very bad."

"These are all false rumors. We have always maintained a clear line with Jiang Xiang Gang," Cheng Mingke said, having anticipated this. "The newspaper that spread these kinds of false rumors has already been shut down by me."

Liao Zihui was silent for a moment, then asked, "Mingke, you can shut down the newspaper office in Black Stone Slope, but do you think you can shut down all the newspaper offices in Pro State?"

Cheng Mingke considered his tone for a moment and said to Liao Zihui, "General Envoy Liao, I think we should take some strict measures against these unscrupulous newspapers."

Liao Zihui sighed, "You're still too hasty in your actions. How about this, pack your things and come with me to Green Water City. I need your help with some work there."

Cheng Mingke paused for a moment and said, "I'm afraid it's not appropriate for me to leave Black Stone Slope at this time?"

"Mingke, in Black Stone City, someone else has been arranged to take over your work."

Cheng Mingke shook his head and said, "General Envoy, I don't understand this matter. What exactly did I fail in my duties?"

Liao Zihui laughed and said, "This decision is also for your personal safety. Your resume says you are a level two Dark Energy User, but as far as I know, you're only at level one, right?"

Cheng Mingke remained unfazed. Among the Guanfang Envoy, it was not uncommon for people to exaggerate their levels. He neither admitted nor denied it, and said calmly, "I think there is no necessary connection between a person's combat strength and ability. I think..."

"What do you think?" Liao Zihui's smile faded, and his tone became less gentle.

Cheng Mingke realized he had said the wrong thing; there were certain words to be careful about in front of the General Envoy.

Liao Zihui asked, "Do you know how powerful Pro State is?"

After a moment's consideration, Cheng Mingke changed his words: "I believe that their so-called strength is only superficial; in reality..."

"Stop talking!" Liao Zihui interrupted Cheng Mingke. "You don't know how powerful they are, that doesn't matter. The key is not to let them know."

If you keep acting like this, they'll find out soon.

PS: Liao Zihui made an appearance in the battle between Lu Chunying and Lu Maoxian, and he ended the fierce fight.