Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 647 Shirk
The camp fell silent. After a long while, Xue Long looked at the envoy with trepidation. Even though it was broad daylight, the envoy's face was so gloomy that no expression could be read.

Xue Long felt as if a shadow was looming over his head, a shadow he would probably never be able to shake off in his lifetime.

"Where did Commander Zhao lead his troops in pursuit?" Xue Long asked. "Did they leave Longde?"

The soldiers were stunned for a moment, then realized that the commander might be afraid that they were overstepping their authority, and immediately shook their heads: "No, no, the captain said that we should arrest people within Longde. If they leave Longde, we will send an official document to the local garrison camp first. We will definitely not act rashly."

"Commander, rest assured, the chief has thought of everything carefully."

Xue Long's heart raced even more.

Perhaps by now, the local militia in other areas have already received the news.

This isn't thoughtful planning at all; it's clearly a deliberate attempt to deny him time to clean up the mess.

"Does he have enough men?" Xue Long asked, clinging to a sliver of hope. "He's been chasing us relentlessly; how could he possibly have time to inform the local militia?"

Xue Long now desperately hopes that his troops are all useless.

"It's enough," the soldier wiped the sweat from his forehead and tried his best to speak well of his captain. "The captain is brave and resourceful. He has won over the people who came to deliver the message, and they have volunteered to go to the checkpoints and government offices to deliver the message."

"The captain still feels it's not quite right and tells us to come back and report to the commander. We'll leave the decision to the commander."

Xue Long wanted to curse. Why didn't they ask him before sending out the troops? Now that the matter was done, they knew they had to come back and report. What would happen if he forcibly recalled the troops and allowed the demon cultists to escape?
Zhao, the head constable, has earned military merit. When the news spread to other prefectures and counties, will the other garrison troops also want military merit? He is just a minor commander in Longde Prefecture. There are several people like him in Longde Prefecture. He can restrain Zhao, but how dare he order the garrison troops of other prefectures and counties around?

Thinking of this, Xue Long looked at the messenger and asked, "You come from Bianjing. I wonder if the court has issued any decrees on how to deal with these members of the heretical sect?"

If the Privy Council can take on everything, Xue Long can also think of a solution.

The envoy could never have imagined that things would be so complicated. This task could not be carried out openly, because if someone had a handle against him, the position of the Privy Councilor would inevitably be shaken.

The envoy said, "O Commander, once you understand the current situation, I will report to the Privy Council and see how the court intends to handle this matter."

Xue Long cursed again. His words sounded reasonable, but they were just excuses. By the time the Privy Council made its decision, it would be too late.

At that point, the decision will likely not be about how to deal with the demonic sect, but rather how to deal with him.

"Then I..." Xue Long said, "shall I first take a look at the heretical cultists that Chief Zhao captured?"

If he couldn't be sure that the people he captured were members of the demonic sect, he could still find a way to deal with them.

The soldier finally showed a relaxed expression. Although he didn't know what he had said wrong, he was sure that the commander would be pleased after seeing the demon cultists.

Those were all vicious people.

The soldier thought of this and said, "The commander can tell at a glance that those people have calluses on their hands from years of holding knives. They kill without blinking an eye and have injured many of our people. A quick check will tell that these people definitely don't have proper household registration. We can't arrest the wrong people."

Xue Long felt dizzy and ordered the soldier, "Go and rest. I'll call you if I need anything." He didn't want to hear this man's words at all.

The soldiers bowed and withdrew. Xue Long ordered his men to guard the door and prevent anyone from approaching. Only then did he rise and bow to the messenger: "The incident happened so suddenly. Please, messenger, save me. What should we do next?"

The envoy couldn't be too explicit, so he simply said, "Try to bring that captain back, and I'll think of another way." Xue Long hesitated, but finally asked, "What exactly does the higher-up mean? Are they just going to let these heretical cultists go?"

"Is that something you can speculate on?" The envoy said sternly. "The lord has his reasons for doing this. Who said we won't make any arrests? It's just that we can't take action right now."

Xue Long still didn't understand. Just as the messenger said, there were many things that were not for them to know.

After speaking, Xue Long saw the messenger out of the military tent and saw more than a dozen people being brought over bound.

Among these people, there was one who was exceptionally tall. He was bound with ropes like a rice dumpling, and had several knife wounds on his body, from which blood was still seeping out. His eyes were sinister, and his face showed a ferocious expression. After seeing Xue Long, he seemed to have some strength from somewhere, and he pushed aside the soldiers around him and actually rushed towards Xue Long.

The soldiers were startled and immediately stepped forward to stop them.

During the fight, the man found an opportunity to pin a soldier down. No matter how the people around him tried to pull him away, he held on tightly. Finally, he found a chance, jumped up, and used the momentum to slam the soldier down again. The huge impact shattered the soldier's chest bones, and he immediately vomited a mouthful of blood.

The soldiers used considerable force to pull the man away, but the soldier pinned to the ground was clearly dying.

"Giggle."

The man laughed out loud: "Taking advantage of the internal strife within the Holy Church to make a move... and even trying to interrogate Grandpa... Bah... By the grace of Mani Buddha, the Holy Church will avenge us."

As soon as he finished speaking, the man spat out a large amount of blood, along with half of his tongue.

Xue Long ordered, "Quickly... don't let him die."

The scene before them was exceptionally bloody, and now even if Xue Long wanted to clear their names, it would be impossible.

Seeing this, the envoy had an even bigger headache. However, if all the people they captured died like this, it would be a good outcome. Thinking of this, he gave Xue Long a wink.

Xue Long understood and looked to his left and right: "Take the rest of the men to the camp and keep them under guard. When Chief Zhao returns, send them to the yamen for interrogation."

The soldiers responded.

If the guards are not properly supervised, these people might seize the opportunity to commit suicide.

Xue Long's plan was correct, but then he heard the sound of horses' hooves, and a man dressed as a yamen runner, holding a token, went straight into the army camp.

"The Prefect has documents to deliver to the Commander," the yamen runner said, handing the document bag to his deputy.

The lieutenant immediately brought him to Xue Long.

Xue Long didn't rush to look at the documents, but instead asked the yamen runner, "What happened?"

The constable did not hide anything: "We have captured a wanted criminal in Longde Prefecture. The prefect may still have some remaining associates. Please send troops to help."

Xue Long was stunned, as if a stick was stirring in his brain. How come he had just captured the demon cultists and now another wanted criminal from the imperial court had arrived?

What exactly happened in all of these cases?
He's been stationed here peacefully for years without any major incidents. Could it be that all the troubles that have been accumulating for years have finally come to a head today?
(End of this chapter)