Hunyuan Immortal Sect

Chapter 279: Warning
In the early morning, warm sunlight poured into the house. Song Xian had just finished breakfast and was about to go to the practice room when he heard a report that Huang He and Huang Ye wanted to see him for important matters.

In the waiting room, the two men saw him coming in and stood up and bowed respectfully.

"Master, according to our investigation, Cao Qiyuan, the head of the Xingsha Mine, and Yan Kuan, the head of the shops in Feihuang Town, have embezzled a large amount of the sect's property since taking office, causing a large loss of the sect's property. Junior Brother Huang and I have ordered people to bring these two people to the sect for investigation, and have also interrogated their subordinates." Huang He flipped out a stack of files.

"This is the progress of the investigation. Please review it, Master."

Song Xian took the file calmly and flipped through it.

Being bothered by such things so early in the morning, his mood was naturally not very good, but he was not too shocked.

Ever since the incident with Xu Ning and Cheng Qian, he had become accustomed to this kind of corruption within the sect.

Because he understood that it was impossible to expect everyone in the sect to be honest and abide by the law.

All he has to do is draw a red line and deal with any problem he finds.

Try to detect and eliminate it early.

He knew Cao Qiyuan and Yan Kuan. One was a disciple who came to Qingyun Sect and the other was a direct descendant trained by the sect.

"Why aren't there confessions from Cao Qiyuan and Yan Kuan?"

"Cao Qiyuan refused to answer any questions, and didn't respond to any questions. Yan Kuan is still being brought here and has not yet arrived at the sect."

"You continue to interrogate, no matter who is involved, investigate thoroughly. Once all the evidence is collected, hand it over to the Punishment Hall for conviction." Song Xian put the files away. The reason why he set up the Supervisory Hall was to supervise the disciples of the sect, so he naturally would not stop Huang He's investigation, no matter whether he had other purposes or not, as long as there were no false cases or wrongful convictions.

"Yes. I understand."

"You go first!"

Huang He left immediately.

"What's going on?" After he left, Song Xian looked at Huang Ye.

He also serves as the deputy director of the Inspection Hall, so logically, the matter should be reported to him in advance.

"Huang He was the one secretly investigated by Feng Jie, the head of Zicha Peak, under my orders. I was not aware of this beforehand. He only told me the truth yesterday, just before the arrest."

"Secret investigation? Is there a grudge between them?" Song Xian originally thought that the Inspectorate discovered the problem during routine inspections, but he didn't expect it to be a specifically targeted secret investigation.

If there is no conflict between the two parties, they will definitely not specifically investigate someone.

Huang Ye said calmly, "From what I know, these two have a close relationship with Alan Lam. Some time ago, the sect made several personnel adjustments, which marginalized several former Tianshan Sect cultivators who had close relationships with Huang He. That's why Huang He launched a secret investigation into these two."

Song Xian frowned slightly. It was another internal fight within the sect. This was something that could never be solved. When an organization grew stronger, all kinds of factions would inevitably appear. In order to fight for interests, there would be open and covert struggles of factions against those who were different. This was human nature.

As the head of the sect, he certainly hopes that the sect members will unite and work together. He does not want to see internal friction in the sect, but he also knows that this is inevitable.

Another thing that bothered him was how he was related to George Lam again. The last person who was dealt with, Tian Qi, was behind George Lam.

He had already dealt with this matter last time, but he didn't expect to be involved again this time.

"Does this matter have anything to do with Senior Brother Zixiang? Did they act on their own, or was Senior Brother Zixiang behind the scenes directing them?" After a moment's silence, Song Xian spoke.

He had already made up his mind that if he really found out that George Lam had instructed the two to embezzle money, he would not tolerate it and must punish them severely, otherwise the atmosphere in the sect would be out of control.

"There is currently no evidence to suggest that George Lam ordered this, and Cao Qiyuan has remained silent, but Huang He believes there must be someone behind this."

"Go ahead!"

Huang Ye got up and left.

.........

In the spacious and bright hall, Zhong Wenyuan listened to his disciples' report. When he learned that the Supervisory Hall had arrested Cao Qiyuan and Yan Kuan, his brows immediately frowned.

He naturally knew the relationship between these two people and George Lam, but what worried him even more was that Song Xian had not summoned him for discussion so far, which was undoubtedly a bad signal.

"Go and invite Junior Brother Lin."

"Yes." The disciple responded and left.

After a while, George Lam came in. Although he looked calm as usual, Zhong Wenyuan could see his inner anxiety at a glance due to their many years of friendship and understanding.

"Senior Brother Zhong, what do you want me for?" George Lam sat down opposite him with his usual expression.

"The Inspection Hall has arrested Cao Qiyuan and Yan Kuan. Junior Brother Lin, are you aware of this?" Zhong Wenyuan looked at him deeply.

Lin Zixiang suddenly felt like a thorn in his side, and his throat rolled unconsciously. He knew what Zhong Wenyuan's gaze meant, and tried to remain calm. "I heard that it was obviously Huang He who was behind this. We had previously moved a few people from the Tianshan Sect, and he wanted to take revenge this way."

"A fly doesn't bite an egg without a crack. If Cao Qiyuan and Yan Kuan are clean, he can't do anything about it." Zhong Wenyuan stared at him with an extremely solemn expression.

George Lam just felt uneasy. They had known each other for many years and he understood what Zhong Wenyuan meant.

The room suddenly fell silent, so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

The brief silence made the atmosphere very subtle, as if the room would explode with a spark.

George Lam swallowed again, his body stiffened, and he clenched and unclenched his left hand.

After a while, he said in a low voice, "Practicing requires financial support, especially building a foundation, which requires a large amount of spirit stones. No one can guarantee that they will succeed in building a foundation in one try. It may take two, three, or even more attempts, and each time requires a large amount of spirit stones."

"Without spirit stones, how can we build our foundation? They all have good aptitude, so it's reasonable for them to secretly get some spirit stones for future foundation building. Isn't the purpose of our cultivation to improve our cultivation?"

The room fell silent again. Zhong Wenyuan knew that what he said was a statement of his own feelings, and that he was only using Cao Qiyuan and Yan Kuan to save face. Zhong Wenyuan was not surprised or shocked by this confession. Although he had not participated in it, he had long observed these things. Even if Lin Zixiang did not say anything, he guessed why he did it, and therefore had turned a blind eye to it.

After Lin Zixiang finished speaking, his stiff body relaxed as if a heavy burden had been lifted off his shoulders. He flipped his hand and took out a pot of spirit wine from his storage bag, and began to drink it cup by cup.

"The important thing now is to resolve this matter and not let Huang He get hold of anything." Zhong Wenyuan looked at him drinking alone with a complicated expression and sighed slightly.

"Don't worry, it won't be that easy for Huang He to use this to mess with me. I never instructed Cao Qiyuan and Yan Kuan. The most they could do is implicate Junior Brother Zhang Jian."

Zhong Wenyuan knew that Zhang Jian was his confidant who was promoted by him, and understood the meaning of his words. There was a middleman like Zhang Jian between Cao Qiyuan, Yan Kuan and him, who was responsible for passing orders up and down.

"What if they betray Junior Brother Zhang Jian and he's also arrested by the Supervisory Hall?"

"He knows what's important."

Zhong Wenyuan looked outside the room with a vacant look in his eyes: "The headmaster hasn't discussed this matter with me yet."

Lin Zixiang paused for a moment before gulping down his glass. "A new generation is better than the old. He set up a cabinet and created a Supervisory Hall, appointing Huang He and Huang Ye as the chief and deputy chief respectively. Isn't that targeting us?"

"I'll handle this matter. Tell the people below to hold back and not do anything like this again. You know the master's temper. If the matter is really exposed, he will show no mercy."

Lin Zixiang sneered, "No one wants to do this. Who doesn't want a good reputation? If Cao Qiyuan and Yan Kuan were as wealthy as the Sect Master and could get so many spirit stones from the sect's finances every year, why would they do that? Besides, the Sect Master has already successfully established his foundation, so he naturally doesn't have to worry about spirit stones. Even if he really wants to use the spirit stones in the treasury, no one can say anything. If others want to borrow them, they have to rely on his mood."

Zhong Wenyuan glanced at him, frowned, and said nothing more.

.........

In the dark stone chamber of the Inspection Hall, Cao Qiyuan paced back and forth restlessly. This stone chamber was specially made and sealed on all sides. No light could get in, and it was difficult to distinguish between day and night. The passage of time seemed to have stopped here.

This feeling of being completely isolated from the outside world made him even more anxious.

"Is anyone there? I'm hungry and need to eat. Please bring me some food." Cao Qiyuan walked around for a long time and came to the stone wall in front. He knocked on the stone wall hard, but no matter how he shouted, there was no response.

This stone chamber can only be opened from the outside. Of course, it is possible to break it in by force, but doing so is pointless and will only increase the punishment.

Now he could only pray that the Inspection Hall had not found conclusive evidence. Perhaps Zhang Jian would get to know the news and use his connections to get him out.

Although George Lam never gave him explicit orders, he knew that everything Zhang Jian said was instructed by George Lam, and it was an unspoken secret.

Cao Qiyuan roared as if to vent his anger, then returned to sit down. At this moment, there was a loud bang, the stone door was opened, and a young man from the Muhe grassland with regular features walked in.

"I want to eat and drink, bring it to me quickly." Cao Qiyuan thought that the guards were attracted by his shouting just now.

"Shh!" The man put his finger to his lips, signaling him to speak softly: "Brother Cao, I was asked to bring you a message."

Cao Qiyuan stood up suddenly, his eyes brightening: "Did Senior Brother Zhang Jian ask you to come?"

"Don't worry about who asked me to come. This is a letter written to you by your father, take a look." The man took out a piece of letter from his arms.

Cao Qiyuan quickly opened it and read the contents carefully.

"Brother Cao, you must keep your mouth shut here. Your family doesn't need to worry, they'll be taken care of. They'll find a way to get you out, and even if you're ultimately sentenced to prison, there will be someone to take care of you. You're a disciple of the sect, they won't torture you. As long as you don't implicate anyone else, everything will be under control."

"I understand. Please tell Senior Brother Zhang that I won't say anything."

"I have to go. Take care of yourself and remember not to say anything. Don't worry about anything else." The man took back the letter, turned around and walked out, and the heavy stone door closed again.

.........

"Master, I wonder why you called me here?" Lin Zixiang walked into the majestic and spacious meeting hall. His eyes swept over Zhong Wenyuan who was sitting next to him and he bowed to Song Xian.

"Brother Zixiang, please take a seat. You must have heard about the corruption and embezzlement of money by Cao Qiyuan, the manager of Xingsha Mine, and Yan Kuan, the manager of the shops in Feihuang Town. The Supervisory Hall has already arrested these two and has obtained evidence." Song Xian paused and looked at him.

Lin Zixiang felt guilty and didn't dare to look him in the eye, so he quickly lowered his eyes.

"The two of them have confessed and admitted what they did. This is the case file. Take a look! The two will be handed over to the Punishment Hall for disposal. How do you think they should be punished?" Song Xian waved his hand, and a stack of files floated to the table in front of Lin Zixiang.

"Master, according to the sect's rules, these two people should be sentenced to forty years in prison for the money and property they embezzled. But considering that these two are first-time offenders and have made contributions to the sect, I suggest that they be given a lighter sentence." Lin Zixiang read the file and felt a little relieved.

"Let's follow the rules! Merits are merits, and mistakes are mistakes. Merits should be rewarded, and mistakes should be punished. No matter how great a person's merits are, as long as they violate the sect's rules, they should be punished according to the rules. No one has special privileges, not even me."

"Okay, I see."

"The sect's current focus is on developing the Shitouling Casino. I heard that the casino has been a bit restless recently. There are always ruffians who have lost all their spirit stones causing trouble, causing unrest. It needs to be dealt with. Senior Brother Zixiang, I'll leave this matter to you! You will go to the casino tomorrow and be responsible for maintaining the defense order there." Although Song Xian's tone was flat, it contained an unquestionable firmness.

George Lam is an elder of the sect and the second in command. Given the current size of the sect, transferring him to the Shitouling Casino to be solely responsible for security and defense there is a complete overuse of his talent. To put it bluntly, this is a disguised demotion, but it does not deprive him of his elder status and second in command position.

George Lam also knew this, and his expression became somewhat grim. The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became unusually heavy.

Zhong Wenyuan frowned, looked at Lin Zixiang, then looked at Song Xian, opened his mouth, but finally remained silent.

"Okay." After a few moments of silence, George Lam finally uttered the word "Okay" stiffly.

"Yes." Song Xian's expression remained calm, as if he was talking about a trivial matter. "The affairs of the Criminal Law Hall will be temporarily handed over to Deputy Director Yaduohan."

"Oh! Oh, right, there's one more thing. Solitary Peak is our base camp, so we can't abandon it. Since we moved to Tianshan, there are only a few people left there. I heard they've become a bit slack, so we need to reorganize. Transfer Zhang Jian to Solitary Peak and let him take charge of the affairs there. Senior Brother Wenyuan, have the Personnel Department write a transfer order immediately and have him leave today."

"Master, if you have nothing else to say, I'll take my leave first." George Lam stood up suddenly with a very ugly look on his face.

"Okay, go ahead!"

George Lam turned around and strode away.

(End of this chapter)