Intervening Once More

Yang Qing looked at Dai Sheng and shook his head slightly.

"Lord Dai, collusion between insiders and outsiders actually occurred under your rule. Even if I wished to protect you, there would be nothing I could do."

At Yang Qing's words, Dai Sheng was frightened half out of his wits. "Please save me, my lord! From now on, I will follow your lead in all things. I would walk through boiling water and fire for you without hesitation!"

This time, Yang Qing did not step forward to help him up. Instead, he watched him quietly. "Lord Dai, you must think this through."

Dai Sheng pressed his forehead to the floor, kowtowing repeatedly. "My lord, I beg you to save me just this once!"

"Are you not afraid those ruthless bandits will come to your door for revenge?"

"I face death either way. What is there to fear?"

Dai Sheng had finally understood. After everything he had done, it was impossible to return to the way things had been before, when he and those ruthless bandits kept to their own waters without troubling one another.

Since a clash was inevitable, he might as well begin now.

Besides, he would not necessarily be the one to lose.

"Since you have come to this realization, Lord Dai, I shall help you once more."

As he spoke, Yang Qing slowly rose from his chair.

"Hong Fu died just after being thrown into prison, and the poison was administered afterward. First, thoroughly investigate everyone who had contact with him during that time."

"Second, Hong Fu is dead, and the dead cannot return to life. Regretting it now serves little purpose. We might as well use this incident to stage a fine performance."

Dai Sheng straightened in a daze and looked up at Yang Qing. "What do you mean, Lord Yang?"

"Since the person behind this was so eager to silence Hong Fu, he must have feared we would extract some crucial information from him."

"Now that Hong Fu is dead, he will think he can sleep soundly again. Lord Dai, Hong Fu's death also gives us a chance to strike back."

Having said this, Yang Qing told Dai Sheng, "Send word that before Hong Fu met his lawful punishment, he confessed to having hidden a secret contact register somewhere, and that our County Office is sending men to find it."

A secret contact register?

A sudden flash of understanding pierced the fog in Dai Sheng's mind.

The people behind this had been so eager to silence Hong Fu simply because they wanted to keep him from naming them.

If those people learned he had left behind this supposed contact register, they would send someone to seize it, even if they had to take it by force.

"A brilliant plan, my lord! This way, whoever goes looking for the contact register must have ties to the bandits!"

"Very perceptive, Lord Dai! Get up."

Dai Sheng slowly rose from the floor, only to see that Yang Qing's face had grown even paler than before.

He could not help saying worriedly, "My lord, you must take care of your health!"

Yang Qing waved a hand. "Thank you for your concern, Lord Dai. I am fine."

"But Hong Fu's matter must be dealt with as soon as possible. Delay may bring unforeseen trouble!"

"Rest assured, Lord Yang. I will see to it immediately. I will not let the villain behind this escape again!"

"Then I can rest easy."

As Yang Qing spoke, he headed out of the County Office.

Partway there, he summoned Bu Er. "Help Dai Sheng in secret. If that person appears, he will not fall into the trap as readily as Hong Fu did."

"But if I go, who will you have at your disposal, young master?"

Bu Er shook his head.

Their men were still on the road, while the situation in Yan Prefecture City changed from moment to moment. If he left, there was no guarantee those villains would not seize the opportunity to strike.

Yang Qing smiled and shook his head. "Just go and do it without worrying. I have my own arrangements here."

The First Pavilion, Yan Prefecture City.

In a secluded private room, two men were speaking in low voices.

"Head steward, do you think we should mention this to the master?"

The speaker had a brutish face, and a vicious light shone from his eyes.

Li Hai slowly shook his head. "No. After that affair with Tiger, the master already blamed me for handling things poorly. If he learns this time that we have left such a damning piece of evidence out there, I fear he will..."

At the thought of Li Yi's methods, Li Hai could not help shuddering, even after serving him for so many years.

"Then what do you think we should do next, head steward?"

"If we leave that register out there, it will remain a threat!"

Li Hai's hands clenched into fists, then relaxed again.

After a long deliberation, he finally raised his head again and looked at the man before him.

"Dai Sheng is nothing to fear, but we must guard against the man behind him."

As Li Hai spoke, he recalled Yang Qing's inscrutable face. "Our lives depend on this matter. We must proceed with the utmost caution."

"Since word has spread, the County Office in Yan Prefecture will surely send men to investigate."

"If the information is true, we must recover that register, no matter what it takes!"

"Rest assured, head steward. Leave this to me. I will make a clean job of it!"

Li Hai nodded at his words. "Go. Be careful not to fall into a trap."

The man rose and swiftly shot out through the window, vanishing into the distance like a streak of light.

Li Hai stood before the window with his hands behind his back, his eyes flickering as he gazed toward the alley.

For some reason, an ominous feeling suddenly welled up in his heart.

It was as though the decision he had just made had been wrong.

But the man carrying out his orders was already far away. Even if he wanted to change his mind, it was too late.

He hoped he was merely worrying too much.

After taking another long look outside, Li Hai slowly left the window and headed downstairs.

Meanwhile, several riders on swift horses left Yan Prefecture City, heading north toward a spot in the mountains.

The Land God Temple, outside Yan Prefecture City.

The Land God Temple had been built many years ago, and few worshippers remained. Crumbling walls and ruins lay everywhere, while animals darted back and forth through them, plainly treating the place as their playground.

A rapid clatter of hooves approached from the distance, heading toward the Land God Temple.

The small animals that had been playing pricked up their ears at the noise. After listening for a moment, they scattered all at once.

"This should be the place Hong Fu told us about. Search carefully, lads. That thing is extremely important!"

When the leading horse reached the Land God Temple, its rider immediately pulled the reins tight. Before the horse had even come to a stop, he jumped down and strode straight into the temple.

The Prefectural Soldiers behind him also dismounted nimbly and headed into the Land God Temple.

They kept talking as they walked.

"At least Hong Fu knew what mattered. He thought he could trade this register for the lives of his whole family, young and old. Once we get our hands on it, Yan Prefecture City might be in an uproar for quite a while."

"Exactly. Everyone fears those ruthless bandits, but who would have thought there were people in our own Yan Prefecture City breathing through the same nostril as them!"

"Stop standing around. Split up and search! Once we find it, we can go back to the office and claim our reward!"

The men all swarmed inside.

None of them noticed the figure hiding behind a tree trunk a short distance behind them, with only a pair of sinister eyes showing as he closely watched their movements.