A Pawn's Passage

Zhang Yuelu said calmly, “Superintendent Liu, I will believe you as long as you can explain the whereabouts of the 150,000 Taiping coins.”

Liu Futong was silent again.

Zhang Yuelu was not in a hurry. She instructed, “Serve Superintendent Liu some tea so that he has time to think about it slowly.”

A Daoist priest brought over hot tea on a tray.

The gaiwan was from the Ecstasy Palace, made of thin porcelain that was as thin as an eggshell and faintly translucent. It also had the words, “Purify the Heart” written on the walls of the bowl.

At this time, Liu Futong’s heart and state of mind were anything but pure.

Liu Futong took the gaiwan with trembling hands.

The lid of the gaiwan symbolized heaven, while the bowl symbolized man, and the saucer symbolized earth. Generally, when drinking tea, one would hold the saucer in one hand and use another hand to hold the lid, so as to skim the tea in the bowl to slowly sip and savor the flavors.

However, Liu Futong held all three parts of the gaiwan with one hand. He used his pinky and ring finger to support the saucer, his middle finger to support the bowl, and his thumb and index finger to hold the lid. He was very skilled in holding the gaiwan, which indicated that he often drank tea in this way.

Not long ago, Liu Futong also drank tea here. However, the scene was completely different—with dim candles lit, flickering shadows over the gauze curtains, and a sultry beauty beside him. He lived like a king, reveling in the luxuries of life.

But in the blink of an eye, he had fallen off his high horse and become a prisoner.

He brought the tea to his mouth and gulped it down—tea leaves included—without savoring it.

Zhang Yuelu closed the file in her hand and said, “Superintendent Su mentioned that worldly pleasures and sins of desire are the enemies of morality. The corruption of the inner soul always starts from the corruption of the outer body. The downfall of moral precepts always begins with unbridled desire.”

At this point, Zhang Yuelu paused slightly, and her tone suddenly turned harsh. “You have completely forgotten your identity as a Daoist disciple because of money, your lovers, and your illegitimate children. You don’t have to answer me, or you can continue to wait for your backer to exonerate you. I have already sent a letter to the Jiangnan Daoist Mansion to investigate the Yanqing Merchant’s Association. But finding this out on my own and you taking the initiative to speak have two entirely different outcomes.”

Liu Futong’s face was as pale as paper. Large beads of sweat continued to roll down his forehead.

The entire Ecstasy Palace was deadly silent.

After a long time, Liu Futong finally said, “I am just a fourth-rank superintendent. There is a third-rank Youyi Daoist master and a second-rank Taiyi Daoist master above me. If you are so capable, you can ask them.”

This was what Zhang Yuelu was waiting for. She immediately turned to Mu Jin. “Good. Put it on record.”

After Mu Jin finished writing, she handed the transcription of more than ten pages to Zhang Yuelu.

Zhang Yuelu browsed through it to confirm the contents and concluded, “Maintaining inappropriate relationships with multiple women, abuse of power, corruption, and malfeasance.”

Liu Futong had collapsed on the chair.

Zhang Yuelu said softly, “Let’s stop the interrogation here today. Get him to sign this.”

Liu Futong’s palms trembled violently, so he could not hold the brush.

The Daoist priest next to him took his hand and put a bright red fingerprint on the confession document.

Zhang Yuelu ordered, “Take him away and get our Spirit Guards from Tiangang Hall to watch over him. Don’t bully him, and don’t let others see him.”

“Yes, Deputy Hall Master.” The two Daoist priests lifted Liu Futong and left the palace.

From the beginning to the end, Eighth Tianyang never said a word.

He suddenly felt a little afraid of this Junior Tiangang Hall Master.

Zhang Yuelu stood up and motioned for Mu Jin to leave. “Senior Major Eighth, I have something to ask you.”

Eighth Tianyang, who had already seen Zhang Yuelu’s way of doing things, was startled. He felt a little guilty, but there was nothing he could do but stay back. “Please go on, Deputy Hall Master Zhang.”

Zhang Yuelu had a gentle attitude, but she got straight to the point. “People in the Daoist Order like to use swords. Not many use sabers. However, the Imperial Court is different. Because of Emperor Gaozu, there are many masters of knifesmanship among the Black Robes and the Green Phoenix Guard. I checked Su Ran’s corpse and found traces of the Dayan Spirit Blade Technique. May I ask where is this master now?”

Although Zhang Yuelu’s attitude was gentle, Eighth Tianyang felt a chill down his spine. He laughed dryly and said, “This person is an old friend of mine, not from the Green Phoenix Guard. He just happened to be passing by the area and helped me solve the case. After solving the case, he left and continued on his way.”

Zhang Yuelu’s eyes flashed. “This man is quite righteous for not seeking fame and fortune. May I know his name?”

Eighth Tianyang knew where this was going. When Zhang Yuelu first arrived at Ecstasy Paradise, Eighth Tianyang deliberately avoided mentioning Wei Wugui and managed to delay this for five days, but that was the best he could do for his friend.

He wanted to act tough by saying that his friend was a member of the Imperial Court, so Zhang Yuelu had no right to interrogate him. However, under Zhang Yuelu’s intimidating gaze, Eighth Tianyang found his tongue was tied.

The two were silent for a moment. Suddenly, Zhang Yuelu asked, “Senior Major Eighth, where did you meet Wei Wugui?”

“In Yongzhou...” Eighth Tianyang subconsciously replied.

Halfway through speaking, Eighth Tianyang suddenly noticed his slipup. He looked at Zhang Yuelu guiltily.

Zhang Yuelu said with a smirk, “So, it is him.”

Eighth Tianyang felt his scalp tingle. “Deputy Hall Master Zhang, do you know Brother Wei?”

Zhang Yuelu did not answer his question directly. “Perhaps.”

Eighth Tianyang dared not say anything more for fear of betraying his friend, so he quickly excused himself. “Deputy Hall Master Zhang, if you have nothing else—”

Zhang Yuelu nodded. “Senior Major Eighth, feel free to do whatever you want.”

Eighth Tianyang quickly left, knowing that he was no match for Deputy Hall Master Zhang.

Zhang Yuelu stood there with her hands behind her back, looking at Eighth Tianyang’s departing back, deep in thought.

A suspected secret society member came to Ecstasy Paradise and helped the Green Phoenix Guard solve a serial murder case related to a Daoist superintendent, incidentally catching a parasite of the Daoist Order.

What was his motive?

Zhang Yuelu still could not figure it out.

But Eighth Tianyang had blurted out having met Wei Wugui in Yongzhou.

For Zhang Yuelu, Yongzhou was a special place, so she could picture the topography of Yongzhou in her mind without even using a map—the Starry Sea at the center, Zhaling Lake in the east, Kunlun Pass to the west, the Tongtian River and Yishan City to the south, and the vast Gobi desert, also known as the Salt Lake, in the north.

After Zhang Yuelu arrived at Ecstasy Paradise, she barely took a break. She had been busy investigating the case and checking Eighth Tianyang’s details. Just as others could easily find out Zhang Yuelu’s career trajectory, Eighth Tianyang’s trajectory of promotion was also clear at a glance.

Eighth Tianyang once served in the Lieutenant Colonel’s Office in Yongzhou and participated in the annihilation of the Eagle and Dog Slaughtering Assembly, which was organized by Feng Bo, who had hunted down Wei Wugui in Xijing Prefecture.

In addition, the reason Eighth Tianyang was successfully promoted to the Seventh Lieutenant Colonel’s Office was that he had killed two Heavenly Court demons at the Feilong Inn.

Feilong Inn was located in the Salt Lake, across from Xiping Prefecture.

Wei Wugui received the Black Robes badge from Qin Wubing, who had stationed his troops in the West Gobi in Yongzhou, which was not too far from Xiping Prefecture.

With this information, Zhang Yuelu could vaguely picture the puzzle pieces—Salt Lake, Xiping Prefecture, West Gobi, Xijing Prefecture, Beimang Mountain, Longmen Prefecture, and Purple Immortal Mountain.

Salt Lake was close to the Starry Sea, where she and Qi Xuansu were attacked.

The West Gobi was close to Cuowenbu, where Shangguanjing was attacked.

Zhang Yuelu felt that she was only one step away from the truth.

Unfortunately, she was not a god overlooking the world from up above. She was misled once again because these two places were related to the Lingshan Witch Cult.

At this moment, Tian Baobao came to Zhang Yuelu with a letter in hand.

Zhang Yuelu came to her senses and asked, “Who is it from?”

Tian Baobao replied, “It’s from the Hall Master, but it’s from her private rapid post talisman.”

Zhang Yuelu had taken the initiative to write a personal letter to her master, Sage Cihang, so she was not surprised to receive a response. She opened the letter and read it.

Sage Cihang rejected Zhang Yuelu’s proposal to investigate Pei Xiaolou and the Three Yin Beings, but she made a note about this at the end of the letter.

She also mentioned having seen a man by Cuowenbu Lake who claimed to be a traveler but possessed Daoist techniques. But she was not sure if he was Wei Wugui.

Seeing this, Zhang Yuelu was shaken. It turned out that Wei Wugui had witnessed the fall of the Yinglong Warship!

Everything seemed connected.

Wei Wugui met Eighth Tianyang at the Feilong Inn in Salt Lake. They both worked together to kill Heavenly Court demons. Then Wei Wugui continued on to Xiping Prefecture and participated in the Eagle and Dog Slaughtering Assembly before heading to West Gobi, where he met Qin Wubing. That was when he appeared at the lakeside of Cuowenbu, where he had a chance encounter with Sage Cihang.

After Wei Wugui left Cuowenbu, he was chased by Feng Bo from Heavenly Court for having killed Heavenly Court members. Feng Bo decided to attack Wei Wugui in Xijing Prefecture, where Wei Wugui met Pei Xiaolou.

Wei Wugui left Xijing Prefecture and headed to Zhongzhou, where he met and killed Wan Xiuwu. Then he entered the Ghost Pass with Pei Xiaolou’s badge and met the Three Yin Beings.

After that, Wei Wugui came to Longmen Prefecture and left after a short stay. Finally, he appeared in the Purple Immortal Mountain, where he met Eighth Tianyang and helped him solve the murder case.

Zhang Yuelu only had two questions left. Where did this Wei Wugui come from? Where was he heading to?

In fact, these two questions were one and the same. As long as she knew where Wei Wugui was going, she would be able to catch him and find out where he was from.

Zhang Yuelu’s mind was spinning rapidly.

Wei Wugui had left Ecstasy Paradise five days ago. Where would he head to?