The autumn wind blew bleak and chill, and wild geese flew south from the north.
Two high officials in qilin-patterned robes entered Mount Zhongnan.
At the Quanzhen Sect's Daoist temple.
Sect Leader Yuan Zhonglou welcomed them respectfully and brewed two pots of excellent fragrant tea.
He knew the Embroidered Uniform Guard's power structure in great detail.
These two must have come from the Experiences Office, one of the Embroidered Uniform Guard's Three Judicial Offices.
After cupping their fists in greeting, an Experiences Office official spoke bluntly:
"Sect Leader Yuan, we have come on Lord Jiang's orders!"
Yuan Zhonglou immediately returned the greeting, his expression solemn.
Lord Jiang!
That honorific alone carried tremendous intimidation!
The official scrutinized him for a moment, then asked coldly:
"For Jia Huan to trace Elder Fire Lotus, your Quanzhen Sect must have lent considerable assistance!"
Fear flickered in Yuan Zhonglou's eyes. Rather than deny it, he said helplessly:
"Under threat of force, the Quanzhen Sect had no choice but to comply. Lord Jiang should understand."
"Who threatened you?" the official pressed aggressively.
Without hesitation, Yuan Zhonglou answered frankly:
"A mysterious man wearing a disguise mask, someone closely connected to Jia Huan."
"Where is he from, and what is his cultivation?"
Yuan Zhonglou shook his head:
"This humble Daoist knows nothing of his origins, but his cultivation is unfathomable."
The statement was half truth, half falsehood.
"Only one man?" the Experiences Office official asked.
Yuan Zhonglou nodded.
The official said coldly:
"One man cowed the Quanzhen Sect? Mount Zhongnan has truly fallen on hard times!"
He questioned Yuan Zhonglou for another half hour, then said gravely:
"Lord Jiang has issued an order. If you dare curry favor with Jia Huan again, the Quanzhen Sect will bear the consequences!"
With that, he strode away with the bearing of