The Path of the Martial Arts BOSS -
Chapter 163 - 157: Individual Conversations
Chapter 163: Chapter 157: Individual Conversations
Linchuan Prefecture had just entered the night when it once again became noisy. The fire in the Six Gates Dungeon attracted the attention of the entire city.
Yes, attention. Ninety-nine percent were merely onlookers, for the human fascination with spectacle is inescapable, regardless of the world one inhabits.
When Luo Yan arrived in a fury, Lin Tengyuan had already been directing the firefighting efforts.
"Mr. Lin, is this the capability of Linchuan Prefecture’s Six Gates? A criminal is incarcerated in the afternoon, and by evening this place is on fire. Mr. Lin, could you please explain this?" Luo Yan asked sternly, as if infuriated by the sudden turn of events, even questioning Lin Tengyuan, his senior Silver Seal Constable.
Lin Tengyuan, always kind-hearted, faced the impolite questioning from his junior with a pleasant demeanor, saying, "Lord Luo, no need to panic. The fire only affects the surface structures and cannot spread to the dungeon; the prisoners are completely unharmed. It seems that the escaped bandit leader intentionally set the fire, hoping to create chaos and storm the dungeon. However, I’ve assigned men to specifically guard the prisoners. Even if he burned down all the surface buildings, he would not succeed."
Upon hearing this, the anger on Luo Yan’s face subsided slightly, but he persisted somewhat unrelentingly, "Regarding capability, as a senior, naturally I would not dare to question Mr. Lin. However, I’ve heard that Linchuan Prefecture is a place where dragons and snakes mingle, where all kinds of powers operate independently. It cannot be guaranteed that someone isn’t colluding with Japan, committing treason.
Moreover, there’s a new commerce guild from the East Sea wanting to settle in Linchuan Prefecture recently. Heh, all Japanese come from an island above the East Sea. At such a sensitive time, the presence of both East Sea Commerce and Japanese from that island in Linchuan Prefecture. Mr. Lin, as a senior, you wouldn’t think this a mere coincidence, would you?"
"Lord Luo has truly awakened me from my slumber with his words. The appearance of East Sea Commerce at this time is indeed highly suspicious. I think we should keep a close watch on East Sea Commerce until we capture the bandit leader. Only..." Lin Tengyuan’s voice trailed off with a hint of hesitation, "The staff at my Linchuan Prefecture division is insufficient; it’s difficult to focus on both tasks simultaneously. I would need Lord Luo to dispatch his subordinates to monitor East Sea Commerce."
"No," Luo Yan flatly rejected, "it would be better to swap roles. Since it’s surveillance, let the Linchuan Prefecture division, more familiar with the locality, monitor East Sea Commerce. As for guarding the dungeon, let it be overseen by my constables."
"That will do."
"Then let’s start tonight."
Right at that moment, with everyone’s hard work, the fire was extinguished. Luo Yan promptly led his men to take over the dungeon, letting the Linchuan Prefecture Six Gates personnel leave.
A sudden fire thus concluded without further consequence.
"How about it, what do you make of Lin Tengyuan’s performance?"
In the dwelling above the Six Gates Dungeon, still unburnt, three people reconvened for their secret discussion. Bu Lengchuan, apparently severely injured, had just been transferred from Yunlai Inn and posed the question to Qing Yu and Luo Yan.
"He still showed not the slightest flaw, though his attitude seemed a bit too submissive," Luo Yan, now devoid of the slightly unreasonable and domineering demeanor from earlier, reflected on Lin Tengyuan’s behavior that night.
"A too submissive attitude can itself be a flaw," Qing Yu added. "According to what you’ve said, you’re not qualified for the Silver Seal rank in terms of strength or seniority, and therefore not well regarded by the older generation of Silver Seal constables.
Lin Tengyuan is someone who has truly worked his way up from the grassroots level. In theory, he should be among those Silver Seal constables who look down on you as well. Even if he didn’t express contempt openly, given Luo Yan’s deliberate display of youthful recklessness tonight, he shouldn’t have been without a trace of anger; instead, he actively lowered his stance."
That night, Qing Yu had also disguised himself as an ordinary constable, accompanying Luo Yan to the scene. Lin Tengyuan’s behavior was, honestly speaking, a tad too humble, almost as if he were not the least bit angry.
But was Lin Tengyuan truly without a trace of anger?
To know that even a clay figure has three points of anger, let alone Lin Tengyuan, a man very much alive. As the head of the Six Gates, an institution known for its violence, within Linchuan Prefecture, a spineless attitude certainly wouldn’t command respect.
"So, you think Lin Tengyuan is even more suspicious now?" Bu Lengchuan asked.
"It’s not that the suspicion has increased, just that it’s a one-sided guess, warranting extra caution." Unexpectedly, Qing Yu didn’t conclude definitively that Lin Tengyuan was suspicious, merely stating that it was necessary to be more vigilant.
In fact, these doubts were very weak, based on conjecture alone. Perhaps Lin Tengyuan was just an oddity.
The real reason Qing Yu grew suspicious of Lin Tengyuan was his name, Lin Tengyuan’s name. Fujiwara, an unusual and somewhat rare name in the Central Plains, was a renowned surname in Japan. In Qing Yu’s previous life, the Fujiwara clan bore the bloodline of Japan’s emperors.
Even in this world without the Fujiwara clan, the name still carried distinctive Japanese characteristics.
And given Qing Yu’s nature, harboring any suspicion towards a person was enough to warrant his deep caution.
"Whether Lin Tengyuan is suspicious is still unknown to us; we just need to be careful for now," Luo Yan took over the conversation, "Using tonight’s arson to directly drag down the East Sea Commerce and foil their plans to establish themselves in Linchuan Prefecture. Next, as long as they still wish to continue, they must first clear their own suspicions. The first move is not far away."
Indeed, the first move, tonight’s arson wasn’t the work of East Sea Commerce or their associates like Feng Yixian, nor was it done by Hattori Shoutaro, the already deceased bandit leader. This arson was, in fact, orchestrated by Qing Yu and his companions.
Their objective was to find an excuse to monitor and restrict East Sea Commerce, to force them into a desperate corner. As long as they still wished to settle in Linchuan Prefecture, they would need to act quickly. Otherwise, the subsequent complications would certainly not be few.
"Although the enemy is in the dark, we hold the initiative. With this, they will have to follow the script we dictate," Qing Yu concluded.
··················
At the same time, within the premises of the East Sea Commerce.
Fujita Heijiro knelt solemnly in the center of the main hall, with his subordinates kneeling on either side.
"Tonight’s arson wasn’t the work of us, nor was it committed by our allies," Fujita Heijiro declared to his subordinates.
"Then who exactly was behind it?" Feng Yixian, seated at the front on the left, inquired.
"It is very likely done by those attempting to enter Linchuan Prefecture with Longevity Powder," Fujita Heijiro suggested.
Upon mentioning this, Feng Yixian suddenly recalled something. Recently, someone had been trying to gain entry to Linchuan Prefecture through connections with the person in charge of the Shadow Pavilion. After investigation, Feng Yixian discovered that this person frequently visited the residence of the Pharmacist and seemed to be in cahoots with him.
Thinking of this, Feng Yixian relayed the information to Fujita Heijiro.
Upon hearing this, Fujita Heijiro’s lips curled into a ferocious smile, "It seems very possible that these little rats are trying to trip us up. Mr. Feng, we’re currently under surveillance and it’s not wise for us to act; leave this matter to you."
"Deal with these jumping little rats... Naoto."
"Hi."
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