Shen Hao’s face was ashen, bowing before Tang Qingyuan as he reported the preliminary results of the investigation, word by word.

Standing nearby was a Central Lang General surnamed Lin, who had initially come to watch the commotion with a cheerful smile. But as he listened to Shen Hao’s account, his expression quickly soured, barely able to restrain the killing intent surging through him.

"Tumor!"

It wasn’t just the Lin Central Lang General who cursed through gritted teeth; even Tang Qingyuan, long accustomed to darkness, clenched his jaw and found himself in complete agreement, labeling the Wen Family with that word: "tumor."

And this was just the initial stage of the investigation—the Wen Family’s warehouse yielded three huge crates of ledgers, all double-sided, using "stone bars" to denote military equipment. The outgoing and incoming volumes were staggering. In just the first eight months of this year, the Wen Family had moved three thousand five hundred cartloads of various military equipment.

And the Wen Family’s supply sources didn’t stop at the Jingbei Army. They even operated their own military equipment workshops! Of the main weapons used by the four major armies, the Wen Family could manufacture half themselves, with quite substantial output.

There’s much to be said about this.

First, the Jingbei Army is in dead trouble now, because the ledgers document both quantities and personnel handover procedures, crystal clear and unmistakable. No one can deny it.

Second, how did the Wen Family produce their own military equipment? Weapons used by the main military forces aren’t kitchen knives or hoes; not just anyone can make them. Everything from material ratios to internal schematics to array engravings is classified. How did the Wen Family acquire such secrets?

Finally, the Wen Family’s self-made and Jingbei Army-supplied military equipment wasn’t disposed of within the Dynasty. The Dynasty has halted warfare for years, with nowhere to consume such supplies. According to the ledgers, the equipment was shipped to the Barbarian Race in the northwest. Such vast amounts couldn’t possibly traverse mountain paths—so how did they clear customs?

So the Wen Family isn’t the only tumor. The grasshoppers on this string are probably terrifyingly numerous.

With the ledgers in hand, the Wen Family members were no longer just "suspects." There was no issue at all with considering them criminals; interrogation methods were applied accordingly.

And sure enough, the Wen Family housed plenty of soft ones—some even weaker than Wen Renhai. Cut off two fingers and they’d wail and beg for mercy, so much so that Zhou Guangcai, stomach full of resentment, couldn’t help but snort, "pathetic."

The most valuable were naturally the two surviving Primordial Pill Realm cultivators. As usual, don’t expect to pry their mouths open. Feed them a tough regimen, let them stew. Once their minds start to clear, then the questioning begins. It’s impossible to wrap everything up here on Bai Dang Mountain.

So the first step of this investigation really boiled down to one word: search!

The focus was on the Patriarch Wen Hong’s study and three secret chambers in the mountain.

Wen Hong, along with the Wen Family’s two Elders and several prominent disciples, were not on Bai Dang Mountain at this time. They had gone to the Imperial City on the third day of October, and their current situation there was unknown. Presumably, those up above had ordered the raid on the Wen Family’s nest. Wen Hong and his lot were surely suffering.

First found were letters, mostly correspondence with officials from local government offices.

There was also a case of Yellow Jade Swords—these were Thousand-Mile Sound tokens used for communication among cultivators. The cost to craft these is astronomical; each can be used six or seven times repeatedly. Entry threshold is high: only Gathering Spirit Realm or above can operate them, or you use spirit stones; general spirit stones won’t work, because these are just barely in the top-grade magical artifact category, and general spirit stones aren’t sufficient. So these are extremely wasteful; even Xuanqing Guard has them, though seldom used.

But with these letters and sound tokens, tracing whoever had dealings with the Wen Family suddenly became much easier.

Next, the Wen Family’s warehouses and secret chambers—what lay within made Shen Hao exclaim in awe.

He’d seen wealthy households melt their silver into massive spheres weighing hundreds of pounds to prevent theft; most ordinary folk have never heard of such things. Yet in the Wen Family’s warehouse, not only was there giant money balls of silver, but equally heavy golden balls! A dozen rolled out right there!

All sorts of rare treasures dazzled the eye, plus the bottles and jars inside the secret chambers—a dozen types of elixirs. For most in Xuanqing Guard, the coveted Small Nourishing Pills were packed in jade boxes a foot square! From lower grade to upper grade, enough to fill a large room!

And the magical artifacts. Rare defense magical artifacts hung like wallpaper in the Wen Family’s secret chambers. The crates housed over a hundred middle-upper grade artifacts; lower grade pieces weren’t even qualified to enter.

Such lavish wealth—even the Xuanqing Guard veterans, used to confiscation scenes, couldn’t help but gape, and their private ambitions couldn’t be repressed. Shen Hao himself was no exception.

Upon learning of so many elixirs in the secret chambers, Shen Hao didn’t dare enter himself. He worried his black beast tattoo on his chest might suddenly act up. Best to stay out; just reading the compiled lists had him swallowing hard.

"Fifteen types of low-grade pills, seventy-five boxes, about thirty-seven thousand units."

"Eight types of middle-grade pills, sixteen boxes, about eight thousand units."

"Two types of top-grade treasure pills, three bottles, about thirty units."

"Magical artifacts..."

Shen Hao scanned the list, then looked at Wang Jian’s pair of bloodshot eyes before him, sternly saying: "I know what you’re thinking—but at times like this, you must not reach for anything. Whether elixir or artifact, anyone caught pocketing so much as one will be chopped at once."

"General Flag, to be honest, I’ve had my eye on it, but rest assured—even if we all crave it, unless you give the word, no brother will dare touch a thing. But, are we really going to surrender everything in the end? That..."

Shen Hao cut him off: "Shut up. That’s not for you to worry about. Bundle everything together and watch over it tightly! No one’s allowed to peek without my order!"

"Yes!"

Having warned Wang Jian, Shen Hao immediately took the list and sought out Tang Qingyuan. Tang Qingyuan, however, was more composed than Shen Hao, likely expecting it already. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"Divide everything into ten parts. Five get submitted—no room for negotiation. One goes to the Jingnan Army, one we keep for ourselves, and the other three go to the Thousand Households Station."

"What about the Governor’s Office?"

"Don’t bother; that’s Thousand Households Station business. We’re so far removed, it’s not even reachable. That’s settled."

"Understood, sir."

"What about the other matters? How are things?"

"We’ve searched every inch of Bai Dang Mountain, ready to issue a sealing order. I suggest we seize those three Wen Family workshops today. If we wait, some may flee and that’d be trouble."

"Agreed. Pull together a team. I’ll give you half of my personal guard, and Lin Lang will reinforce with five hundred soldiers—should be enough?"

"Enough."

Thus Shen Hao pulled together the Zhang Liao Group, Tang Qingyuan’s personal guard, and five hundred Jingnan Army troops, then descended Bai Dang Mountain to raid the Wen Family’s three clandestine military workshops outside.

On the night of October twelfth, Bai Dang Mountain was sealed by Tang Qingyuan, placed under the watch of the local government office.

In the early hours of October thirteenth, the Jingnan Army withdrew after completing their mission, returning at speed. Tang Qingyuan led his men, escorting five hundred and twenty-one Wen Family elders, children, and servants back to Li City.