Chapter 124 Colluding with Evil Cultivators

Chapter 124 Colluding with Evil Cultivators

Gushan City, the Tan Family's Secret Chamber.

Two dim oil lamps burned on either side of the room, and the two figures at the main seat and the guest seat were indistinct, mostly hidden in the darkness.

"Envoy, the city lord's mansion has been cracking down hard lately, so the goods will have to wait a while before they can be delivered." The middle-aged man in the main seat had a hoarse voice; he was the head of the Tan family.

The black-robed guest said coldly, "We agreed on ten Foundation Establishment cultivators, and not a single one can be missing. If you delay the master's affairs, how many lives do you have to compensate?"

Perhaps out of fear of the "master" mentioned by the other party, the head of the Tan family remained silent for a while, then gritted his teeth and said, "I can take the risk to do it, but you must give me a definite answer."

The man in black chuckled, "Once the master's business is finished, he will naturally have time to use his secret technique on you. Our cooperation has been so pleasant, why would I be afraid of breaking the contract?"

"Then I'm relieved." The Tan family patriarch was indeed afraid that the man in black robes would break the agreement. He had been planning for so long to improve his cultivation, and he couldn't let it all go to waste.

That master's strength is unfathomable. Last time he made a move, he helped him break through from the early stage of the Golden Core realm to the middle stage. This time, after completing the task assigned by the master, he will be able to break through to the late stage.

Thinking about everything that would come with his sudden increase in strength, the Tan family patriarch began to feel elated, fantasizing that he might become a Nascent Soul cultivator in the future, which would be the mark of a true powerhouse.

"Buzz!" The sound transmission stone lit up.

The Tan family patriarch casually infused his spiritual power, and the steward's panicked voice came from within: "Patriarch, Tan Wentian, a collateral disciple, has returned to the family today. He is an enforcement disciple of the Wendao Sect!"

The head of the Tan family almost crushed the communication stone.

The man in black robes, his nonchalant attitude vanished, and he demanded, "Do you all want to die! If you alarm the Wendao Sect, none of you will live!"

“Please calm down, messenger.”

The Tan family patriarch's expression was also not good. He nervously asked the butler, "Did Tan Wentian come alone, or with companions?"

The butler cautiously said, "I probed him, and it turns out he was on a mission and passing through the family, so he took the opportunity to visit his parents."

Upon hearing this, the head of the Tan family immediately ordered, "Keep Tan Wentian calm and don't let him discover anything amiss. It would be best to use some means to get rid of him as soon as possible."

"Yes!" The butler went to think of a solution.

The man in black robes, relieved, said in a sarcastic tone, "I didn't expect that someone from your family would be a law enforcement disciple in the Wendao Sect. Would it be convenient for you to turn against your own family after you find out the truth?"

The Tan family patriarch's face stiffened: "No need for the envoy to trouble himself."

Tan Wentian had good cultivation aptitude. After joining the Wendao Sect and becoming a law enforcement disciple, he became the pride of the Tan family, and the younger generation took him as a role model.

In the past, the head of the Tan family also believed that it was a blessing to have such a descendant, and that the family would surely prosper. But now, he suddenly felt that Tan Wentian was a bit of an eyesore.

If someone is destined to lead the family to prosperity, why can't that person be him?

If he successfully breaks through the bottleneck, his lifespan can be increased to five or six hundred years!

Isn't he more reliable than his younger generation?

Unable to contain his malice, the head of the Tan family said coldly, "Steward, add Tan Wentian to the list of sacrifices. Consider it his final contribution to the family."

"...Yes, ma'am."

The steward was understandably alarmed upon hearing such an order. The head of the family had been acting increasingly irrationally lately, and now he wasn't even sparing the family's own members.

If his life and fortune weren't tied to the Tan family, he would have packed his bags and run away.

The butler composed himself and pretended nothing was wrong. When Tan Wentian came out after catching up with his parents, he called him away.

Tan Wentian had no doubts and turned around to say, "Father, Mother, I have a mission to attend to and cannot stay at home for long. I will come to visit you again when I have time."

Mr. and Mrs. Tan nodded reluctantly.

They had no idea that the housekeeper was leading their son down a path to death.

When Tan Wentian's spiritual power was sealed and he was locked in the dungeon, his mind was still blank.

He looked at the butler in disbelief, pounding on the iron bars and shouting angrily, "You actually betrayed the Tan family! Who gave you permission to do this?!"

The butler sighed softly: "Young Master Wentian, this is the head of the family's intention."

Even in death, I'll die knowing the truth.

He ignored Tan Wentian and walked away into the distance.

Tan Wentian was struck dumb and instinctively retorted, "No, you're lying to me. The patriarch praised me when he saw me last time, saying I was the future of the family. He couldn't possibly do that!"

But is it really impossible?

Tan Wentian was filled with fear and unease. Would the steward dare to lay a hand on him without the patriarch's permission?

The storage bag was taken away, so we can't send messages.

In her parents' eyes, once she left the Tan family, they wouldn't notice anything unusual even if they didn't contact her for a long time.

"No, I still have companions!" Tan Wentian cried out as if grasping at a straw, hoping that Captain Lou and the others would soon discover his disappearance.

At that moment, he was filled with deep regret.

There's an unspoken rule in the Enforcement Hall: as long as it doesn't affect the mission, you can go home to visit your family along the way, but you can't reveal the mission details.

He missed his parents dearly, so he returned to his family home, only to find that it led to his death.

Just then, a girl's voice came from the dungeon: "Senior, are you from the Tan family?"

Is anyone else there?

Tan Wentian was startled. He looked into the pitch-black corner and vaguely saw a human-shaped silhouette: "Have you offended the Tan family?"

A rustling sound arose.

The girl walked a few steps away from Tan Wentian and timidly shook her head: "Before I was brought here, I had no connection with the Tan family whatsoever."

Tan Wentian's face turned ashen: "The patriarch has gone mad! The entire clan has gone mad!"

The girl continued, "They didn't just arrest the two of us. The previous group was just taken away, and their fate is unknown. We'll probably follow in their footsteps soon."

As if foreseeing her own end, her body trembled uncontrollably: "My brother knows I'm missing, he must be looking for me, senior, is there any chance we can survive?"

The Tan family's power in Gushan City was enormous, and it was absolutely impossible for my brother, a rogue cultivator, to contend with them.

Although Tan Wentian was also unsure, he still comforted them, "Don't be afraid, I am a disciple of the Wendao Sect, the captain and the others will come to rescue us sooner or later."

The girl nodded expectantly.

At the same time, Lou Yuqing and Ling Yunxiao met up and learned about the missing disciple. Lou Yuqing asked, "Tan Wentian's surname is Tan. Is he a native of Gushan City?"

Ling Yunxiao nodded: "That's right. Tan Wentian and his disciples said they were going home to chat with their parents for a while, but they haven't come out yet, and there's been no response from the communication talisman."

Lou Yuqing said in a strange tone, "No wonder the meat bun was thrown to the dog and never came back. He has fallen into a den of thieves. The supervising disciple said that there have been many cultivators going missing in the city recently. After investigation, it was found that they are related to the Tan family."

The supervising disciple was obviously unaware of this, but that didn't stop her from attributing the information to the other party.

Ling Yunxiao glanced at her, fully aware of the situation.

"Greetings, fellow Daoists." The city lord of Gushan City finally arrived, followed by his guards.

He was extremely busy with this matter, but the trail went cold when it reached the black market.

"Was this really done by the Tan family?" The Tan family had a reputation for being charitable and generous in the city, and the city lord was still somewhat skeptical when he said it.

If the message hadn't been delivered by the enforcement captain of the Wendao Sect, he probably wouldn't have believed it.

Lou Yuqing calmly said, "You'll find out when you get there. The evidence is all in their mansion. Have someone surround the Tan family's residence and make sure no one escapes."

The city lord gritted his teeth: "Fine."

If something goes wrong, I can just apologize.

The city lord's guards were all mobilized, and the commotion did not escape the notice of passersby, who flocked to the Tan family to watch the spectacle.

After seeing the man in black off, the head of the Tan family pondered in a secret room how to capture more Foundation Establishment cultivators.

"I've got it. Invite the rogue cultivators to mine in the mines outside the city in the name of the Tan family. It's only natural that an accident would happen and a lot of people would die."

He grinned, licked his lips with his scarlet tongue, and his face flashed with a mixture of fanaticism, excitement, and cruelty that sent chills down one's spine.

"Master of the family."

The butler's voice trembled as he spoke through the communication stone.

The head of the Tan family, oblivious to anything amiss, declared arrogantly, "You've come at the perfect time. Go outside and post notices inviting rogue cultivators to the Tan family..."

"Master!"

The butler shouted nervously, "The enforcers from the Wendao Sect have arrived! The City Lord's guards have surrounded the entire Tan family residence. They are waiting for you in the reception room!"

The head of the Tan family suddenly stood up, his limbs weak, and he almost fell back into his seat. His excitement receded like a tide, replaced by terror: "What did you say!"

Has the truth already come out?

"Master, they..." The steward's voice trailed off, followed by an unfamiliar female voice, "How dare you! Where is Tan Wentian?"

The head of the Tan family gripped the communication stone tightly, his pupils almost shrinking to a single point. The next moment, he smashed the communication stone to the ground and hurriedly left the secret room.

He's been exposed! He has to run!

Lou Yuqing, not having received a reply from the Tan family head, frowned and said, "He ran away."

Ling Yunxiao's body transformed into a shadow, completely merging into the air: "I'll go catch him."

The city lord believed it now. If he didn't have something to hide, why would he need to flee to avoid punishment?

The Tan family members in the reception room, who had been protesting, immediately shut their mouths upon hearing this. It seemed that the head of the family had indeed done something serious behind their backs.

At this moment, Si Nidie and the others who had searched the dungeon based on the clues provided by Lou Yuqing returned, followed by Tan Wentian and the young girl: "Junior sister, we found it."

"Wentian!" Mr. and Mrs. Tan's expressions changed drastically. "How did you end up being brought back from the dungeon?!"

Having narrowly escaped death, Tan Wentian said with a bitter smile, "It was the steward who did it. I don't know what the patriarch wanted to do, but he definitely wanted to kill me!"

The Tan family members looked horrified, and the crowd erupted in uproar.

Lou Yuqing keenly noticed that some of them seemed a little guilty. It was clear that the Tan family patriarch had the support of his accomplices to accomplish this.

But it's okay, they're all here, we'll find them eventually.

"The butler has been caught!"

Si Nanren, his voice trembling with excitement, led the man over. The steward, timid and pale, stood there.

"Bang!"

The sound of a heavy object crashing down rang out, and the head of the Tan family lay on the ground, groaning in pain.

Ling Yunxiao's figure appeared out of thin air, and he clapped his hands: "Done."

Both key figures have been apprehended.

Seeing the patriarch's ashen expression, the Tan family's last hope was shattered.

"I want to report this! There are evil cultivators in the mine!" Knowing he was doomed, the head of the Tan family, with the thought of taking everyone down with him, revealed the location of the man in black robes.

Lou Yuqing's idea of ​​opening the gossip-eating system stopped abruptly.

"Go to the mine immediately!"

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Author's note: Happy New Year! [doge emoji]