Fang Qianyuan's guess had been correct. Those people had indeed not gone far. A day later, they were caught in a Market District several hundred li from Tower City.
Much of the credit went to the effective local forces of the Righteous Path's Aristocratic Clan Alliance. Moreover, Fang Qianyuan had recently risen to high office, and powerful figures everywhere were eager to cultivate ties with him, so they paid exceptional attention to his orders.
At another time, or for another person, the results might not have been so good.
When Fang Qianyuan heard the news, he could muster little interest. He simply left his subordinates to interrogate them and considered the matter settled.
As expected, there were no big fish among them. They had, however, already passed on some of the techniques and secret arts newly acquired by the Demon-Refining Workshop. Sending and receiving information was far easier than transporting people by teleportation, and there was no recovering it now.
The truly valuable gains remained Miyuyin, who was in Fang Qianyuan's custody, and the demon-refining modification techniques found in the Demon Cave.
For this, Fang Qianyuan specifically summoned Yan Wenshan from Headquarters.
"Grand Commander, you really have put me through the wringer this time. I was busy studying bloodline source substance. What major event happened here that absolutely required me to handle it?" Yan Wenshan had effectively thrown in his lot with Fang Qianyuan and felt that he was valued highly enough to joke with him. The moment he arrived, he began complaining, half in earnest and half in jest.
Fang Qianyuan knew he was hinting at how busy he had been at Headquarters, claiming credit for both his achievements and his hard work. He did not point it out, merely smiling as he said, "Don't rush to complain. Take