frightfiction Chapter 268 The Golden-Mouthed Divine Calculator
Chapter 268 The Golden-Mouthed Divine Calculator
The Duke's Mansion, back garden.
Han Xiu sat in his wheelchair, his face grim as he looked at the messenger.
"Are you sure that kid's back?"
"Yes, I can't be mistaken!"
"Okay, let's go down."
Han Xiu gritted his teeth and cupped his hands in front of Zuo Mingyue in the pavilion.
"Lord Zuo, the Three Heroes of the East Sea have failed. Ye Kang has returned, and I fear the three heroes are in grave danger."
Upon hearing this, Zuo Mingyue slowly placed the fishing rod on the ground.
He looked up at the sky outside the pavilion, his face showing displeasure.
"That's really strange. How could a lowly official from the Imperial City Guard rise through the ranks and have such rapidly increasing strength? Could it be true, as the intelligence reports, that he has a royal retainer as his master?"
Zuo Mingyue was completely baffled.
After all, it was the Duke's mansion; they had already obtained information about Ye Kang and knew his identity.
Now that he has heard that the Three Heroes of the East Sea have also died at his hands, Zuo Mingyue is extremely depressed.
Although he had many retainers, only a few were truly capable, and now they are all dead.
Of the remaining retainers, the strongest are only two at the initial ninth rank.
It would be a lie to say he wasn't angry about such a huge loss.
But the thought of Ye Kang's identity gave him a toothache.
"Forget it. At this point, unless you ask your master to help, it's impossible to kill him. Let's leave it at that. Go find him and apologize."
"But Lord Zuo, you previously ordered the burning of the West Lake pavilions, what if he..."
"Unless something goes wrong, a mere restaurant run by a scholar can burn down, who would care?"
"That's true, but Lord Zuo, what if someone uses this matter to impeach you..."
"Hmph, a hereditary duke, as long as he doesn't commit treason, no one can impeach him."
Zuo Mingyue waved her hand, signaling Han Xiu to leave.
The latter said no more and immediately went to prepare an apology.
However, when he sent people to the Qinglin branch, he received only one answer.
Lord Ye is in seclusion recuperating from his injuries and is not seeing anyone.
There was nothing Han Xiu could do but wait.
And this wait lasted for three days.
Ye Kang finally recovered from his injuries and walked out of the cultivation room.
Dai Huanhuan had been waiting outside, so she ran up excitedly.
You're alright!
"Nothing was wrong to begin with, I'm just getting back to my peak condition now. Where is Senior Thief King?"
"He didn't like living here, so he moved out."
“Alright, I’ll go find the town garrison commander. You can come with me.”
Dai Huanhuan nodded and followed along.
The two arrived at the garrison headquarters, where the White Stork Garrison Commander, who had already been informed, greeted them with a smile.
"Lord Ye, you are still recovering from your serious injury and need to rest."
"Thank you for your concern, Garrison Commander Bai. I'm fine now, but there's something I'd like to ask you, Garrison Commander."
"Please come in."
The white stork led the two to the study, pouring tea as it said, "Ye Kang, we are of the same rank, there's no need to keep calling me 'sir,' it makes us seem distant."
"Governor, you are too kind. I am new to Qiantang City and never expected to encounter such a disaster upon my arrival. May I ask, where is Lu Wentao of the West Lake Pavilion now?"
The white stork curled its lips and said, "Lu Wentao has been imprisoned by the city's defense forces and will be executed in the winter."
"What! By what right! What crime did he commit to deserve execution!"
Dai Huanhuan slammed her hand on the table in anger and asked incredulously.
The white stork shook its head: "Whether someone is guilty or not is not really important. There are plenty of excuses anyway. It's very easy for the Duke's mansion to kill someone if they want to."
The meaning of this statement is quite clear: if you want to find fault, you can always find a pretext.
The Duke wanted him dead; he could commit any crime.
Ye Kang remained calm and asked, "Does the Azure Scale Guard know about this?"
"I know." The white stork took a sip of tea.
"in spite of?"
"The Azure Scale Guard is not a government office; it is only responsible for dealing with martial artists and demons. This matter is not within its jurisdiction."
"Then within whose jurisdiction?"
"You."
The white stork stared at Ye Kang with a smile.
“You are the deputy commander of the Imperial City Guard. Although the Imperial City Guard has a bad reputation, it is directly under the Emperor and has the authority to supervise all officials. The Imperial City Guard has the same authority outside the Imperial City.”
Upon hearing this, Ye Kang sneered.
"The garrison commander has a good plan. Tell me, what are your thoughts on the Duke's mansion, and why do you want me to take the blame?"
"That's a rather harsh way to put it. I never had such thoughts, and this was not something I planned. It just so happened that you happened to be there. And the choice you make is entirely up to you."
The white stork got up, took out a file, and placed it in front of Ye Kang.
"When the White Lotus rebels besieged the city, such a large-scale mobilization occurred, yet our Azure Scale Guards did not notice it. Besides the possibility of a leak, there is another possibility."
"What's possible?"
“There is a master of divination who assists from the side.”
"Who?"
"The Golden-Mouthed Fortune Teller".
The white stork solemnly uttered the name, and Dai Huanhuan trembled upon hearing it.
"Grandmaster!"
The white stork chuckled: "The Lotus Realm, merely a minor grandmaster."
"Even a minor grandmaster is still a grandmaster! How are we supposed to investigate someone like that?! Isn't that just courting death?!"
Dai Huanhuan was even angrier, feeling as if she had been played for a fool.
Ye Kang couldn't help but ask, "Who is the Golden Mouth God?"
The white stork laughed and said, "That Han Xiu you beat up last time, a retainer of the Duke's mansion, his master is the Golden-Mouthed Diviner. This man is elusive and travels all over the world. He entered the Lotus Realm twenty years ago and is skilled in divination and fortune telling. He is known as a living immortal."
"Those from the Lotus Realm can roam the world unnoticed by hidden sects?"
"We can't control him. Jin Zui Shen is a rogue cultivator and doesn't need to abide by the rules of hidden sects. Moreover, he knows his limits and won't get into trouble as long as he doesn't do anything out of line. There are actually quite a few Lotus Realm Grandmasters like him."
The white stork sighed, its words filled with helplessness.
Ye Kang nodded: "I understand. You think that the Golden Mouth Divine Calculator is helping the White Lotus Sect, and Han Xiu is in the Duke's Mansion, so you suspect that Zuo Mingyue is also involved?"
"Smart. Zuo Mingyue has been relegated to a position of power for a long time and has long harbored resentment. It's not impossible that she might use this opportunity to take revenge on the court."
"Then the question arises: if it really was the Golden-Mouthed Divine Calculator who did it, what can the Azure Scale Guards do?"
Ye Kang asked an extremely pointed question.
How can the Azure Scale Guards deal with a Grandmaster who has taken action?
The white stork shrugged: "I have no other choice but to report to headquarters and ask the three commanders for help."
"A commander-in-chief is also a grandmaster?"
"They've barely reached the Lotus Realm. Aside from the Imperial Guards, only those three in the entire court are truly capable fighters. But what if the Imperial Guards are willing to intervene..."
The white stork looked at Ye Kang expectantly.
It was obvious that he had also heard that Ye Kang's master was a certain imperial retainer.
If Ye Kang could persuade his master, the mere Golden Mouth Diviner would be easily dealt with.
Ye Kang was speechless for a moment.
What's going on lately?
How come this master I made up is being spread everywhere?
Didn't I only say that to Leng Ruyi?
It's so weird.
Ye Kang looked helpless. Others thought he had powerful backers, but only he knew that he had nothing and that he had made it this far entirely thanks to the system.
He shook his head and said, "Forget about offerings. I'm not interested in the Golden Mouth Diviner either. I only have one question: Can Zuo Mingyue be killed?"