Tangyuan Takes Flight

Li Banfeng looked at the Tangyuan, wondering how to build a slope.

The other party was a trained agent; a regular ramp might not be suitable for her.

Tangyuan sat opposite Li Banfeng, trying her best to remain calm.

From the day she joined the Dark Star Bureau, she was mentally prepared that one day she might die in a mission.

Before she died in battle, how would she face the end of her life?

When she was alone, Tangyuan had similar thoughts.

Especially in the bathroom, she would take the showerhead and spray herself with water, pretending to have been fatally wounded, before trying to use her last bit of strength to take the enemy down with her.

Of course, she had received professional training and had ways to save herself after being injured. If she could save herself, that would be good; if she couldn't, she would at least try her best to finish saying her last words.

A few words in your last words are enough. "I did it!"

Every time Tangyuan thinks of this scene, she is moved to tears.

She was about to cry, but not from emotion, but from fear.

Reality was completely different from her imagination. She was not as brave as she had imagined, and dying in battle was far more terrifying than she had imagined.

Li Banfeng handed Tangyuan a glass of water. "You don't need to be so nervous."

Tangyuan, holding her water glass, asked sincerely, "Is it poisonous?"

Li Banfeng shook his head. "I didn't poison him."

Tangyuan put the water cup to her lips, her teeth tapping against the cup, making a continuous gurgling sound.

Seeing that Tangyuan had drunk the water, Li Banfeng said, "I added a laxative."

Tangyuan's body tensed up, and some color gradually returned to her pale face.

How could he do such a thing?

Tangyuan felt a warm current flowing in her abdomen and subconsciously squeezed the peach tighter.

Li Banfeng continued, "This medicine works exceptionally fast, so we don't have much time. Tell me first, you once came to Carefree Dock for a banquet with Dick Chen, so why do you dare to sneak into Carefree Dock as a singer now? Why do you think I won't discover you?"

Tangyuan answered truthfully, "I used a disguise technique, so you shouldn't recognize me."

Why don't you change your voice?

Sound?

Did he recognize me by my voice?

I thought you wouldn't notice my voice.

Li Banfeng possesses the Discern Spiritual Sounds Technique, and with the aid of the Thread-Pulling Earring, he is exceptionally sensitive to sound.

Tangyuan had spoken at the dinner table, and the Light Bulb later revealed Tangyuan's identity. Li Banfeng would naturally notice Tangyuan's voice, and coupled with Tangyuan's awkward performance on stage, Li Banfeng quickly noticed something was wrong.

"Did you come to Carefree Dock to spy on me?"

Tangyuan nodded.

"Have you found out any useful information?"

"Not yet."

"Who exactly is Dick Chen, the person who came with you earlier?"

Tangyuan didn't want to answer.

The questions she answered before were all about herself, revealing her personal information, Tangyuan could still accept psychologically.

The questions we're about to answer involve secrets of the Dark Star Bureau and the Guanfang Hall, and Tangyuan doesn't want to become a traitor.

This slope is indeed not easy to sit on. Seeing that Tangyuan remained silent, Li Banfeng said, "I'm reminding you, the laxative is very powerful, and your body may be able to leave the chair."

Why does the body leave the chair?

Because of the spray?

Tangyuan gritted her teeth, and her stomach rumbled.

So what?

She's someone who's not even afraid of death, so why would she be afraid of something like this?

Li Banfeng looked at Tangyuan and asked, "Is Dick Chen from Pro State, Huan Kingdom, or a foreigner?"

Tangyuan said, "He's a foreigner. He mentioned it himself during your negotiations."

"Does he know you're an agent of the Dark Star Bureau?"

"Know."

Would the Dark Star Bureau reveal an agent's identity to a foreigner?

That's because his identity is very special.

What makes it special?

Glug glug, Tangyuan's stomach rumbled again.

She tried her best to stay focused and avoid making mistakes in her response, but she found it very difficult.

She quickly discovered the problem.

Li Qi wasn't threatening me with laxatives; he was trying to disrupt my concentration.

This is a special interrogation method that Tangyuan had learned before. It uses methods that are not very harmful, but create a strong sense of urgency and are very persistent to disrupt the other person's thinking rhythm and concentration, thereby causing the other person to make mistakes in the process of responding.

With great difficulty and patience, Tangyuan gave the prepared answer, "Dick Chen is a businessman, a businessman assigned by the Guanfang Hall. My task at the time was to protect his safety."

Li Banfeng asked, "What kind of business activities does he mainly engage in?"

"You should know very well that he had previously liaised with Ma Junyang." Tangyuan remained relatively sober, and avoiding answering detailed questions was one of the important strategies for dealing with interrogation.

Li Banfeng paused for a long time, silently watching Tangyuan's reaction.

Glug glug glug~

Tangyuan's face was covered in sweat; he didn't seem quite lucid.

Li Banfeng continued, "Why would Outer State entrust matters of classified importance to a businessman, and a foreign businessman at that? What's so special about this foreign businessman?"

"He," Tangyuan took a breath, the cramps in her stomach making her somewhat delirious, "I... I don't know much about his background. It's not within my job scope. If you want me to answer your questions, at least ask about things I do know—"

The Tangyuan can't hold on much longer.

"Then let me ask you a question you already know the answer to," Li Banfeng asked earnestly, "The Yellow Dragon Gate tide is approaching. May I ask, young lady, how do you intend to stop it?"

"Tighten the gate first—" Tangyuan took a deep breath and shook her head. She was ashamed. She didn't know why she had talked to Li Banfeng about the gate.

Li Banfeng smiled. The slope gradually became smoother, and she was about to tell the truth.

"Ms. You Xuehan, you have been lying the whole time, and every single lie you told was full of holes."

Dick Chen's identity will be revealed sooner or later. In fact, I have already found a lot of information about him. I just need to confirm and supplement some information with you.

If you simply tell me his true identity, this matter will end here. Why make things difficult for yourself?

Tangyuan shook her head and said, "You can kill me. I'm not even afraid of death. What do you think this little bit of humiliation and torture means to me?"

"It's not as simple as it seems right now." Li Banfeng moved the flower stand next to the coffee table, revealing a camera hidden in the shadows.

Li Banfeng adjusted the camera angle. "You've investigated me, so you should know that I own a film and television company. As I just mentioned, you will fly off the chair, which is a rare special effect. I will use it in the movie, and I can tell you responsibly that I will use it more than once."

Tangyuan gritted her teeth, beads of sweat sliding down her hair. "I don't care, I have done my duty."

Li Banfeng nodded and said, "I know you have lived up to your mission, and you can even believe that you are a hero. But there are some things that cannot be shaken off. The fact that you rode the golden dragon into the sky will be passed down for many years, perhaps even longer than your life."

The Tangyuan ball shook more and more violently.

Li Banfeng finished paving the last section of the slope. "As I just told you, I know most of Dick Chen's background. He's balancing relations between different places, and his identity will be revealed sooner or later."

Telling me what you know won't have any impact on him. It's such a simple thing to get you out of your current predicament.

But if you stubbornly refuse to speak out, the consequences will be severe; you'll lose your reputation, and you might lose everything.

The restroom is over there. Don't pay an irreparable price for unimportant people and things.

Another wave of excruciating pain struck; the pressure at the gate had reached its limit.

Tangyuan, her face covered in sweat, looked up and quickly said, "Dick Chen's real name is Chen Weixin, and he is the new deputy director of the Dark Star Bureau."

Li Banfeng asked, "Xiao Zhengong was only a deputy Team Leader before, so why was Chen Weixin able to get such a high position?"

Tangyuan shook her head and said, "This is not something I can know, but I have heard some rumors that Balance Person can choose their own positions. Xiao Zhengong could have had a higher position, but he insisted on staying in the team."

"Go on."

Tangyuan glanced at the bathroom, her eyes filled with longing, and said, "Chen Weixin is the new Balance Person after Xiao Zhengong. He was born in Soda Kiln and studied in countries such as Amican, Austria, Xi Pani, Ingrid, Frenxi. He then lived in Lafusha Country for a long time and was a classmate of Director Shen Jingye."

Since taking office, he has established some connections with the Inner State, and negotiations between the Inner State and Outer State, which had been suspended for many years, have resumed.

"What type of negotiation?"

"Outer State helped Inner State open up part of the road to Pro State, and Inner State gave Outer State some high-purity Dark Energy Carrier."

"The Dark Energy Carrier you mentioned, are you referring to a magical artifact?"

"It's not a magic weapon," Tangyuan said, clutching her stomach, her eyes red, looking at Li Banfeng. "It's ore."

"Extremely rare ore. This ore can be used to make special equipment and weapons. Its specific uses are known only to top-level personnel. It's extremely rare in Pro State and virtually nonexistent in Outer State."

Upon hearing this, Li Banfeng's cheeks twitched slightly. "This is just restarting negotiations; the matter shouldn't be settled yet, right?"

"It's almost done. Dick Chen is very efficient, and communication between the two sides is very smooth." Tangyuan's speech became faster and faster.

Li Banfeng's eyes flashed coldly. "Do you know what people from the Inner State do when they come to Pro State? Don't you know that in the eyes of the Inner State, the lives of Pro State people are no different from the dirt on the ground? Outer State trade with the Inner State for minerals, and in the end, it is Pro State that suffers? What do you take Pro State for?"

With tears in her eyes and trembling all over, Tangyuan said, "This isn't something I can decide—."

"So what can you decide?"

"The gate, the gate can still be decided now, but it will soon be unable to be decided—" Tangyuan cried out.

Li Banfeng raised his hand, gesturing for Tangyuan to go to the restroom.

Tangyuan ran all the way, and judging from the sounds coming from the bathroom, she must have taken off briefly.

Li Banfeng felt that this matter should be told to Sun Tiecheng.

The technique of Riding the Donkey Downhill can be transformed into a new technique if the slope is positioned appropriately.

It's called "flowing like a torrent," and this technique is clearly more efficient.

A dozen minutes later, Tangyuan returned to Li Banfeng with a calm expression, sat down in a chair, and the sweat on her hair was still wet.

Li Banfeng said, "Go back and rest for a while. Tonight, I'll arrange for you to sing a solo. You need to discuss the song with the band and remember to choose the song you're best at. Forgetting the lyrics while singing a solo is very embarrassing."

Tangyuan looked at Li Banfeng in surprise.

He wants me to go back and sing?

Is he crazy?

Does he know what he's saying?

"Aren't you going to continue interrogating me?"

Li Banfeng shook his head and said, "Not for the time being."

"Aren't you going to kill me to silence me?"

"Not at the moment."

"Then, can you let me go?" Tangyuan saw a glimmer of hope for her life again.

Li Banfeng nodded. "I can let you go, but not unconditionally, and you'll need to wait a while longer."

If we send you back now, and you suddenly abandon the investigation without making any progress,

This would arouse suspicion from the Dark Star Bureau and the Guanfang Hall.

Tangyuan agreed with Li Qi's point of view. If she went back now, Liao Zihui would definitely not let her off easily. She would have to undergo a series of investigations and might even be permanently expelled from the detective team.

But isn't it a bit too early to think about these things now?

Is it really possible for Li Qi to let her go?

She looked at Li Qi nervously, but Li Qi suggested, "You should adjust your diet in the future."

Tangyuan was taken aback. "Is there something wrong with the food?"

Li Banfeng pointed to the water glass and said, "There is no laxative in the glass."

"Then, then why did you just now—"

Li Banfeng remained silent.

Because he built her a very steep ramp.

Tangyuan went backstage, looking dejected. A female singer came up to him and asked, "How was the taste, Seventh Master?"

A woman nearby said, "Oh dear, why are her eyes red? Did Seventh Master go too far?"

Tangyuan remained silent, walked to the dressing table, and prepared to put on her makeup. Manager Zhang stepped forward and said, "Miss Taohong,

"Seventh Master instructed that you will have a solo performance tonight. Which song would you like to request? I'll have the band prepare it."

Tangyuan stared blankly, remaining silent for a long time.

Several female singers whispered among themselves:

"What can she sing? Yesterday, when the six of us sang together, she was off-key as soon as she opened her mouth. She even forgot the lyrics halfway through the song, and then she simply stopped singing altogether."

"She's already in Seventh Master's room, she'll have a solo performance tonight, what can you do about it if you're not happy?"

"Let her sing. Singing solo would be even more embarrassing. I don't know what Seventh Master sees in her!"

"Can't you see that? Look how fleshy her peaches are, she's even sat on two dents in the wooden chair."

"Fine, let her sing with a peach if she dares."

Tangyuan didn't want to choose a song; she wanted to decline tonight's solo performance.

She came to investigate Li Qi, not to become a singer.

She just leaked important secrets.

She had just crawled back from the brink of death and was in no mood to compete for favor with these vulgar singers.

But for some reason, Tangyuan's anger flared up when he heard these singers talking.

She said to Manager Zhang, "Could you please tell the band that I'll be singing 'Full Moon and Blooming Flowers' tonight?"

"The Full Moon and Blooming Flowers are Blooming" is one of the few Pro State songs that Tangyuan is somewhat familiar with.

When they heard that she was going to sing "The Full Moon and Blooming Flowers," all the other female singers around her laughed.

"How ungrateful! Is 'The Full Moon and Blooming Flowers' a song for him?"

"Having been in Seventh Master's bed, she's become incredibly arrogant."

Manager Zhang was also a little embarrassed. "Miss Tao Hong, you'd better change the tune."

Tangyuan frowned and said, "I want to sing 'The Full Moon and Blooming Flowers,' is that not allowed?"

Manager Zhang said, "You're new here and may not know some of the rules. In Carefree Dock, 'Full Moon and Blooming Flowers' is Miss Jiang Mengting's exclusive piece."

Tangyuan sighed, intending to change the song, when she suddenly saw Jiang Mengting push open the door to the dressing room.

She has her own dressing room, and she heard everything that was happening outside.

Jiang Mengting looked at Tangyuan and said with a smile, "Let Taohong sing. We don't have so many rules in Carefree Dock. We can all sing good songs together."

Tangyuan glanced back at Jiang Mengting. Jiang Mengting's smile was friendly, but her eyes held a hint of coldness.

Having served as a secretary for so many years, Tangyuan naturally had a keen eye for detail; she knew that Jiang Mengting was very dissatisfied with her.

After Jiang Mengting returned to the dressing room, Manager Zhang advised, "Miss Tao Hong, let's change the song."

Should we change the song?

Tangyuan gritted her teeth.

Are we not allowed to go to the toilet, and we can't even sing songs?

Is this some kind of bullying?

It's one thing to be bullied by Li Qi, but why should I be bullied by a bunch of bastards like you?

Forgetting reason, forgetting her identity, forgetting all the missions she bore, all she wanted to do now was tear these bastards' faces apart!

Tangyuan raised her head and said, "No change! I'll sing 'Blooming Flowers and Full Moon'!"

Li Banfeng called Luo ZhengNan and asked him to go to the Soda Kiln to investigate Chen Weixin's background.

After giving the instructions, Li Banfeng left Carefree Dock, intending to find out about the progress of the Guanfang Hall's work through other channels.

The deal to help the Outer State Inner State build a highway must be ruined. The more routes the Inner State takes, the more disaster the Pro State will face.

As soon as he stepped out of the gate, Li Banfeng vaguely heard a bell ringing.

Ding-a-ling~

The sound was so soft that Li Banfeng doubted he had misheard.

But the Thread-Pulling Earring reminded him, "Sir, the sound is coming from the base of the wall."

Li Banfeng walked along the base of the wall for a while and found a bell on a wild grass.

The bell was about the size of a palm. Li Banfeng felt like he had seen it somewhere before, but he couldn't remember where.

He examined the bell from top to bottom and saw three words written on the inside: Iron Gate Fort.

What happened at Iron Gate Fort?

Who sent this bell?

Li Banfeng held the bell and fell into deep thought.

Jingle!

A guest walked out of Carefree Dock and got into a rickshaw.

The Carriage Driver rang the bell and set off.

Tangyuan really put in a lot of effort. She borrowed a private room from the manager and practiced every word for a whole afternoon.

When Tangyuan went on stage that evening, she was covered in sweat and her stomach was rumbling.

Did I really eat something wrong?

Not necessarily. Tangyuan's stomach also gets a little uncomfortable when she's nervous.

"Don't worry about your stomach right now, think about singing first." Tangyuan stood in the center of the stage, all the lights and eyes focused on her.

She is a secretary, and under normal circumstances, she must walk behind the leader. Only when opening the elevator or car door can she rush ahead, so that the leader knows she is there, and others should preferably not know she is there.

Now she stood at the very front, feeling a little scared but also excited.

The intro has started, but where is Li Qi?

Didn't he come to listen to the music tonight? Where did he go?

"Where did the lord go? When will he be back?" Wu Yongchao sat at home, rubbing his chin, looking worried.

The female House Cultivator, Li Zhijuan, said, "If that fake foreigner really defeats the fortress lord, will we listen to him from now on?"

Hu Fangyuan, the House Cultivator, said, "What else can we do? They've come to challenge us right at our doorstep."

Dick Chen brought Dabo Ensi's to Iron Gate Fort and asked the fortress lord to come out and spar with him.

A group of House Cultivator actually thought it was a martial arts competition. Since the fortress lord was not present, they even wanted to go and spar in his place.

Only after clarifying the matter did I understand the other party's intentions.

They came all this way not to compete, but to seize territory.

Dick Chen's condition was that if he won, Iron Gate Fort would belong to him, and he would be the lord of Iron Gate Fort.

If he loses, his entire fortune of 600,000 silver dollars will be handed over to him.

The incident happened so suddenly that it caught the group of House Cultivator off guard.

It's not fair to blame House Cultivator for being naive; anyone else would have been caught off guard in this situation, because this shouldn't have happened in Iron Gate Fort.

Iron Gate Fort is geographically isolated, and the House Cultivator is not good at business. He only has a small amount of savings to make a living. Over the years, he has managed to squeeze some money out of the residents. But it makes no sense to use 600,000 silver dollars to keep the place here.

Is the Iron Gate Fort worth 600,000 silver dollars?

Whether it's worth it or not, they've come looking for us, but the lord isn't in the fortress. How are we going to handle this?

House Cultivator Jin Yuankang said, "If someone comes to challenge us and the fortress lord doesn't go out to fight, then he has naturally lost."

According to the rules, from now on, the one surnamed Chen will be our fortress lord.

The group looked at each other and agreed that Jin Yuankang's words made sense.

But Wu Yongchao disagreed. "You just said 'according to the rules,' which rules are you referring to?"

Jin Yuankang said, "Isn't this the rule in the martial arts world?"

Hu Fangyuan, "The old senior has been through a lot in the world and is very knowledgeable. He certainly knows more about these rules than we do."

"Nonsense!" Speaking of rules, Wu Yongchao suddenly came to his senses. "This isn't the martial arts world, this is Iron Gate Fort. The rules of the martial arts world don't apply here. We have our own rules!"

Li Zhijuan nodded. "That's right, our fortress lord has set rules for us."

Outside the house, Li Banfeng lowered the brim of his hat and disappeared silently into the night.

In the village outside the fortress, Dick Chen rented a house, organized his magical artifacts, and prepared for tomorrow's battle.

Dabo Ensi found it hard to understand Dick Chen's thinking; why did he insist on taking action against Iron Gate Fort Fortress?

With the operation against Iron Gate Fort scheduled for tomorrow, Dick Chen finally revealed the whole story to Dabo Ensi's. "I'm here for the top-tier weapon you obtained."

"Are you referring to Zhao Xiaowan, the spearwoman?"

Dick Chen nodded and said, "So far, besides demonstrating astonishing power, this weapon..."

I didn't see any more combat power.

Dabo Ensi explained, "That's because the weapon itself is at a very high level, and there are some powers that we cannot yet control."

Dick Chen smiled and said, "Dabo, as I've said before, we're inseparable comrades. When problems arise, you don't need to rush to defend yourself to me. I've never doubted your abilities."

The long spear Zhao Xiaowan holds extraordinary significance for us; many of our upcoming operations will revolve around this weapon.

I came here to investigate the origin of this weapon, thereby verifying its authenticity, and also to learn how to use it.

Zhao Xiaowan bought the spear from Iron Gate Fort at a high price from Xiao Zhengong. As for how Iron Gate Fort obtained the spear, that matter must be investigated starting with Iron Gate Fort.

I don't know the newly appointed lord of Iron Gate Fort, but I know he killed the former lord, Zhou Anju, and a gang of bandits from Flying Iron Gate Fort Flying Eagle Mountain. Such a person won't easily cooperate with our investigation, so we must use some extreme measures against him.

Now that he's not at Iron Gate Fort, this is a perfect opportunity for us. I must capture Iron Gate Fort first.

When he returns, we will ask him about the origin of this spear.

"If this lord is willing to tell the truth, will we return Iron Gate Fort to him?"

"That's not necessarily true," Dick Chen shook his head and laughed. "These House Cultivator in Iron Gate Fort also have some value."

Dabo Ensi was somewhat worried. "Iron Gate Fort is easy to defend but difficult to attack, and the process of capturing Iron Gate Fort will probably not be too smooth."

Dick Chen sighed and said, "Dabo, I've told you many times that we need to rebuild a completely new Pro State, but the prerequisite is that you must have a sufficient understanding of the current Pro State."

Why is Iron Gate Fort so easy to defend and difficult to attack? Is it simply due to its geographical location?

Dabo Ensi said, "The main reason is that the Daoist House Cultivator in the fortress is good at defense."

1

Dick Chen nodded and said, "That's right, the key is this group of people, but do you know the origin of the Iron Gate Fort group of House Cultivator?"

They were House Cultivator who couldn't survive elsewhere, but with the castle lord present, they could form a formidable fighting force.

Now that the lord isn't here, they're nobody. A few threats will have a huge impact on them. We'll see the results tomorrow.

This battle won't be too difficult; we can take Iron Gate Fort completely in a few hours. If anything unexpected happens, I have a backup plan. I've called in a helper; he'll be here soon.

Around 5 a. m., the sound of rickshaw bells could be heard outside the house.

Dick Chen pushed open the door and smiled at the Carriage Driver outside, "Want to come in and rest for a bit?"

The Carriage Driver shook his head and said, "No need, I'll sleep in the cart. Just wake me up when it's time to work."

P. S.: Don't look down on the Carriage Driver; he is still a powerful figure in the clouds.