He changed Tiwat

Their actions were, of course, observed by Han Fu. These five members of the treasure-hunting team each had their own roles: melee fighters, ranged attackers, and support characters. They were clearly well-trained and capable of leading a team battle.

With the limited self-defense techniques that Han Fulai had figured out from the ancient Hua School's "minor arts," he could deal with those servants who were just pretending to be powerful, but he was completely inadequate against seasoned veterans like the treasure-stealing gang.

Han Fulai was well aware of his own limitations; to seriously fight the treasure-hunting gang would basically be suicide.

However, he never intended to take action himself. The reason he jumped down empty-handed was to put himself in danger.

Han Fulai cupped his hands into a megaphone shape, looked up to the sky and shouted, "Immortal Xiao, save me!"

A gentle breeze suddenly arose in the windless mountain valley.

"If you encounter the danger of being lost in the wilderness, or the danger of being attacked by thieves on the road..."

A deep, cold voice suddenly reached everyone's ears. This was followed by a scream of pain as the member of the treasure-hunting group, who had been aiming his throwing knife, was suddenly sent flying, crashing heavily into the mountainside.

"The difficulties of water, fire, and weapons; the difficulties of ghosts, gods, medicine, and poison..."

The member of the treasure-hunting group who was nocking an arrow into his crossbow was surprised to find his body suddenly floating in mid-air before crashing to the ground headfirst.

"The troubles of ferocious beasts and poisonous insects, the troubles of enemies and wicked people..."

The members of the treasure-hunting gang, wielding large hammers, were shocked to find that the hammerhead, weighing over ten kilograms, had landed on their feet, shattering their toe bones. They immediately clutched their injured legs and cried out in pain.

"...then he called my name!"

Xingzheng raised his shovel again to strike Han Fulai, but suddenly felt a sharp pain in his arm. He only had time to see a green gun flash by before his right arm, as if it had been hit by a hammer, bent in a strange direction, and he could no longer hold the shovel.

"The Five-Eyed Immortal—Xiao, answer the call to come and protect."

He Puyuan stood still in front of the skinny Xiu Yong's nose. The young immortal's face was cold, and his pale golden eyes were devoid of any emotion.

Cold sweat poured down Xiu Yong's back. Without thinking, he dropped his weapon and knelt on the ground with a thud, repeatedly begging for mercy. Xiao, annoyed by his noise, reversed his spear and struck Xiu Yong on the head with the butt, instantly silencing him.

Han Fulai smiled; this development was all within his prior calculations.

The reason he deliberately jumped out to attract the attack of the treasure-hunting gang was to put himself in danger—after all, two hours earlier, an immortal who loved almond tofu had accepted the offering he gave him and left him with the words, "If there is any danger, call my name."

According to the ancient Hua sect's mental cultivation method that Han Fulai himself comprehended, in addition to being well-versed in the "Liyue Codex" to grant himself unlimited self-defense rights permitted by law, there is another principle: all's fair in war.

If you can't beat an enemy with fists and feet, you can drug them beforehand; if you've arranged to fight an enemy tomorrow, you can ambush them today with a dump truck on their likely route; as for encountering an opponent you can't defeat alone—

The ancient Chinese martial arts manual of the Han family says, "If you can't beat them, call for reinforcements!"

As for martial ethics, Han Fulai's profession isn't martial arts; he's a civil servant. Besides, he's only twenty-four, still very young, and young people don't care about martial ethics.

He did say, "You're all surrounded by me," but that's all he was responsible for. Now he's teamed up with Xiao to wreak havoc, he's in charge of the havoc, and Xiao is in charge of the havoc—that makes perfect sense.

"Thank you for your help, Immortal Xiao." Han Fulai stepped forward and thanked Xiao.

Xiao maintained his indifferent expression, merely nodding in response. But Han Fulai knew perfectly well that Xiao had long been aware of these treasure-hunting groups.

Before leaving Wangshu Inn, Xiao specifically told Han Fu to call him if there was any danger, which was actually a subtle way of saying that he could help.

This group of thieves was stealing fireworks from Qingce Village, which was within Xiao's sphere of influence. Since they were operating at night, Xiao might have been watching them from afar. However, as a celestial yaksha, Xiao's main enemies are demons and resentful spirits; he wouldn't actively interfere in mortal affairs.

But this doesn't mean Xiao didn't want to make a move; Han Fulai just happened to give Xiao a reason to do so.

Han Fulai's identity is that of Gan Yu's personal secretary, certified by the Emperor's divine power contract, and he is also "the Emperor's person," so to Xiao, he is one of his own. Although Xiao wouldn't rush to help, lending a hand when Han Fulai asks for help is only to be expected.

The saying goes, "Know yourself before you know your enemy." Han Fulai dared to jump out and show off his power because he had already calculated the forces he could use.

However, Han Fulai cannot use Xiao's assistance against Ke Qing.

Keqing's philosophy has always been that human affairs should be handled by humans themselves, so she would not be happy to use the power of immortals in the fireworks festival. Therefore, Han Fulai only took action against the members of the treasure-stealing group after Keqing had been sent away.

To rely on the power of the immortals, Keqing must not be seen, and the same applies to what he is about to do.

Han Fulai found several hemp ropes in the cave where the treasure-hunting gang had stockpiled the goods, and used them to tie up the gang members who were still groaning in pain.

He stood before Xingxiu, who had lost an arm, looking down at the dejected leader of the local treasure-hunting gang.

"Confess and you'll be treated leniently; resist and you'll be punished severely. Tell me, who ordered you to bomb the river embankment in Qingce Village?"

Chapter Thirty-One: Dike Destruction and Flooding of Fields

Upon hearing Han Fulai's words, not only did the members of the treasure-hunting group show surprise, but even Xiao turned his head to look at him.

Xiao only knew that this group of treasure hunters took advantage of the fact that Qingce Village was full of elderly, weak, women and children, and stole fireworks at night. The members of the treasure hunters only knew that their leader told them to steal as many fireworks as possible, but never said that they were going to use the fireworks to set off anything.

"...Bomb...what riverbank? We...we just stole some fireworks..." Xingxiu answered with great difficulty, seemingly unable to bear the pain of his severed arm.

Seeing that he was stubborn, Han Fulai didn't say anything more and kicked Xingxiu's right arm.

Although he wasn't an expert in torture and forced confessions, he understood the principle of rubbing salt into the wound.

Xingxiu was in excruciating pain in his arm and howled like a pig being slaughtered, his entire face contorted in agony.

"I'll say it again: confess and you'll be treated leniently, resist and you'll be punished severely. Who ordered you to bomb the river embankment in Qingce Village?" Han Fulai asked again.

One of the reasons Han Fulai sent Ke Qing away was to pry open Xing Xiu's mouth as soon as possible.

Given Keqing's status as one of the Seven Stars of Liyue, she would never resort to torture to extract confessions. At most, she would bring these people back to the General Affairs Department for interrogation. Liyue Harbor is a mixed bag, and it's possible that the mastermind behind this incident also has informants within the General Affairs Department. In that case, whether it's collusion or silencing witnesses, the truth could easily be buried forever.

Therefore, Han Fulai planned to obtain information about Xingxiu outside of Liyue Harbor—even if it meant using torture to extract a confession.

Anyway, Han Fulai didn't have the same idol baggage as Ke Qing, who had to act reasonably and legally. Coincidentally, he also knew a fairy who didn't mind celebrating the "Red Lantern Festival," and with Pu Yuan on his neck, he wasn't afraid that Pu Yuan wouldn't confess.

“No! We wanted to collect fireworks... to transport them into Liyue Harbor when the Lantern Festival opens, to attract the attention of the Thousand Rock Army…” Xing was about to repeat what he had told his underlings, but Han Fulai had no interest in wasting time listening to his lies, so he kicked him in the right arm to shut him up.

Xiao frowned slightly. He didn't mind making this despicable group of treasure hunters suffer a bit more; Han Fulai's two kicks were too lenient in his eyes. But the accusation of blowing up the riverbank was extremely serious. If Xing Xiuzhen really did such a thing, Xiao and Pu Yuan wouldn't just break his arms, they should impale him on the head.

"You mean, they're collecting fireworks to blow up the riverbank in Qingce Village?" Xiao's voice was cold.

"Yes. If what this person says is true, and their goal is to bring fireworks into Liyue Harbor, then why hoard them all in Qingce Village? Hoarding the fireworks in various parts of Liyue, breaking them down into smaller batches, would not only save on transportation but also reduce their visibility, lower the risk, and make them less likely to be discovered. Wouldn't it be better to have the members bring their own fireworks to Liyue Harbor and gather there when the Lantern Festival opens?"

"Therefore, he must have had a reason to stockpile fireworks in Qingce Village—or rather, a reason to stockpile explosives in Qingce Village. Qingce Village is adjacent to the Bishui River and is frequently flooded, so many flood control dikes have been built. If he collects so many fireworks and detonates them on the dikes, the Bishui River will flood the farmland of Qingce Village."

"Destroying the dikes and flooding the fields—that was his goal!"

As Han Fulai spoke, he recounted to Xiao the several flaws in Xingxiu's lies that he had previously told Keqing. Xiao's gaze toward Xingxiu grew increasingly cold.

Not only Xiao, but even the other members of the treasure-hunting gang couldn't help but look at their leader with astonishment or resentment after hearing Han Fulai's words. Being caught stealing meant only a period of imprisonment. But if they did something as heinous as blowing up a river embankment, they would at least spend their lives in jail, or at worst, lose their heads.

"Qingce Village is a rural area and also the largest grain-producing area in Liyue. What is most important in Qingce Village? It's the farmland. If the dikes are breached and the fields are flooded, not to mention the safety of the lives and property of the farmers in Qingce Village, the entire grain production of Liyue will be severely affected!"

Qingcezhuang is a village surrounded by the Bishui River. It can be said that the agricultural history of Qingcezhuang is a history of struggle against the Bishui River.

For thousands of years, in addition to growing rice and other grain crops on the fertile land along the river, the farmers of Qingcezhuang have also built terraced fields on the hills to grow rapeseed and beans, which can be said to have brought the farmland of Qingcezhuang to its fullest potential.

Historically, the Biyue River has repeatedly flooded, even altering the topography of Dihua Island and Guili Plain, causing great harm to Qingce Village. The river embankment is the lifeline of Qingce Village. At this moment, the Qianyan Army at the foot of Qingce Mountain is guarding the newly built river embankment.

However, this type of riverbank is not unique along the Qingce Village section of the Biyue River. Liyue's current architecture remains traditional brick and wood structures, and the riverbanks are made of earth and stone, lacking the technology of reinforced concrete. This means that explosives made from fireworks could easily destroy the fragile dikes of Qingce Village.

"Destroying the dikes and flooding the fields, their intentions are despicable!" Han Fulai stared at Xingxiu, who lowered his head and avoided his gaze.

"I heard the treasure-hunting gang is only after money, but you're killing people! Just how much profit could make you risk your life and the lives of your brothers?" Han Fulai asked, deliberately trying to sow discord among the members of the treasure-hunting gang.

"Boss, I've been wondering before why we need so many fireworks... What are you thinking?!" Xiu Yong couldn't help but question Xing Xiu.

Seeing that even his own subordinates were beginning to doubt him, Xingxiu knew that if things continued like this, the situation would only get worse for him, so he simply stuck his neck out and refused to admit anything.

"I'm innocent, Your Honor! I only stole fireworks, I never intended to destroy the dikes or flood the fields! You can't wrong an innocent person!"

"Hmph! What kind of good person are you?" Xiao sneered, his hand and Pu Yuan already pressed against Xingxiu's neck. "Don't force me to let the tassel of the Demon-Slaying Spear be stained with the blood of the mortal world."

Xingxiu's lips trembled, but he ultimately did not speak.

"There's no point in you being stubborn anymore. I have witnesses." Han Fulai smiled. "Weren't you wondering why I found this place? Why the goods that were supposed to be delivered today didn't arrive? Why the person you arranged to pick up the goods was arrested by the Feiyun Chamber of Commerce?"

"Because I've already caught that fireworks master Peng Yi, and he's the one who betrayed you! That's how I found out you had people waiting for him to deliver the second batch of goods at Qingce Manor, which allowed me to track down the people you sent to pick up the goods and get to this place!"

"Ah..." Xingxiu opened his mouth unconsciously.

“So there’s no need for you to keep denying it. Since Pengyi has confessed, there’s no point in you denying it. He has a good attitude in admitting his guilt and helped me provide clues to arrest you, so he can get a reduced sentence. If you also implicate the people behind you, I can also treat you leniently... But if you continue to deny it, then you are of no use to me.”

"Your conspiracy has been exposed. Now you haven't gained anything, and instead you're going to die for the people behind you. Is it worth it?"

Chapter Thirty-Two: Your flaws are so numerous I need to take notes. [5k]

Han Fulai's gaze lingered repeatedly on He Puyuan and Xingxiu's necks, making Xingxiu's hair stand on end.

His patient and persuasive approach, reasoning with Xingxiu and appealing to Pu Yuan's emotions, yielded excellent results. Xingxiu's face turned pale, and his lips trembled; it was clear that his psychological defenses had collapsed.

In fact, Keqing hasn't even arrived at Liyue Harbor yet, so there's no question of Pengyi confessing. What he said is all baseless inference, just a ploy to trick Xingxiu. But Xingxiu doesn't have the ability to see through the "prisoner's dilemma" that Han Fulai deliberately created for him.

In the fireworks theft case conspired by Xingxiu and Pengyi, Han Fulai currently has no evidence to prove that they stole the fireworks to destroy the dikes and flood the fields. Therefore, Han Fulai cannot afford to give them any opportunity to collude. If he were to follow Keqing's approach and arrest everyone and bring them back to the General Affairs Department, even giving them a chance to exchange glances might never reveal the truth.

There are now three key figures in this case of breaching the dike and flooding the fields: Xingxiu, the leader of the treasure-stealing gang; Pengyi, the fireworks mastermind; and the mysterious mastermind behind the scenes.

For Xingxiu and Pengyi, their best strategy was to both deny the breach of the dike and flooding of the fields, and only admit to stealing fireworks. Since the breach of the dike and flooding of the fields had not yet occurred, and there was no conclusive evidence, they would only be punished for theft.

However, Xingxiu and Pengyi are now separated and know nothing about each other's situation, so they cannot fully trust each other. Han Fulai deliberately claimed that Pengyi had confessed in exchange for a reduced sentence, and blamed Pengyi for Kang Sheng's arrest and the discovery of this hoarding camp. In Xingxiu's view, the Feiyun Chamber of Commerce's delivery to Qingce Village was a bait arranged by the General Affairs Department, and his own arrest was due to Pengyi's denunciation.

How could he have imagined that the second young master of the Feiyun Chamber of Commerce would abandon his perfectly good business to spend his days thinking about chivalry, coming to Qingce Manor to catch a group of thieves during a major holiday? Therefore, Xingxiu now completely believed Pengyi's confession. So he also had to consider his own way out.

Although Han Fulai was deceiving Xingxiu, the fact that Pengyi was cooperating with the treasure-hunting group was no secret to Han Fulai. Han Fulai sent Keqing back to Liyue Harbor to arrest Pengyi because he had completely seen through Pengyi's embezzlement and his conspiracy with Xingxiu to steal the General Affairs Department's fireworks.

If Han Fulai were to meet Peng Yi, he would definitely complain about him like this: "Your supposedly flawless fireworks theft plan has so many flaws that I need to write them down on two pages of my notebook."

Han Fulai began to suspect Peng Yi this afternoon when he met Peng Yi at Wangshu Inn—because Peng Yi had no reason to know Ke Qing's itinerary.

Even if Ke Qing had informed Peng Yi in advance that she would be visiting the Great Sage Subduing Demons at Dihua Island, or even if Peng Yi had somehow found out about Ke Qing's itinerary, he shouldn't have gone to Wangshu Inn to look for Ke Qing at noon today.

Because Ke Qing's itinerary was temporarily changed by Han Fulai.

If Pengyi learned of Keqing's itinerary through legitimate means, according to Keqing's original schedule, if he wanted to see her, he should have rushed to Wangshu Inn last night and been waiting at the inn's entrance early this morning. However, the fireworks at Qingce Manor were only stolen last night, so there's no reason for him to have set off to find Keqing last night.

According to Pengyi, he learned about the stolen fireworks from the person in charge at Qingce Village this morning. If he knew Keqing's original itinerary, the best course of action would have been to wait for Keqing to return to Liyue Harbor at noon today before reporting back.

In fact, Han Fulai remembered that Ke Qing was also very surprised when she met Peng Yi at Wangshu Inn, which shows that Ke Qing did not expect to meet Peng Yi here, and Peng Yi should be completely unaware of Ke Qing's itinerary.

However, this initial flaw was merely the most insignificant flaw that Pengyi had exposed.

Peng Yi's second flaw is that he has absolutely no talent as an actor.

According to Peng Yi, he heard about the theft of fireworks at Qingce Manor this morning and immediately rushed there to deal with the matter. On the way, he happened to meet Ke Qing and Han Fulai at Wangshu Inn.

Wangshu Inn is located on the only way from Liyue Harbor to Qingce Village. It is not a problem that Pengyi will pass by Wangshu Inn. The problem is why he will stop at Wangshu Inn.

If Pengyi had genuinely encountered Keqing by chance while traveling, it would have been fine. But instead, he deliberately circled around the entrance of Wangshu Inn, as if afraid of missing Keqing. And after seeing Keqing, he pretended to have met her by accident and approached her to strike up a conversation—his acting was so bad that even Han Fulai couldn't stand it and almost criticized him on the spot.

However, when Han Fulai first met Peng Yi, he only suspected that Peng Yi had made a mistake and was waiting at the entrance of Wangshu Inn to seek forgiveness for fear of angering Ke Qing. He did not suspect that Peng Yi had stolen from his own premises.

What truly convinced Han Fulai of Peng Yi's embezzlement was what Peng Yi said to Ke Qing. Peng Yi's third flaw lay in his inconsistent words and actions, which contradicted each other.

Pengyi's original words at the time were as follows:

“I immediately reported to the Qianyan Army and made an extra batch of fireworks to be transported to Qingce Village and entrusted to the soldiers to guard them… But during the Lantern Festival, manpower is needed everywhere, and the Qianyan Army is busy running around. They are even short of manpower for daily patrols, so they have no spare capacity to help us take care of the fireworks in Qingce Village… There are not many materials left. If the second batch of fireworks is stolen, everything will be ruined… So, I thought I would go to Qingce Village first to check the situation.”

In those few short sentences, Han Fulai discerned at least three contradictions.

Peng Yi only heard this morning that the fireworks in Qingce Village had been stolen, so why was a batch of fireworks already prepared and ready to be transported to Qingce Village by noon? If he could make fireworks this quickly, Ke Qing wouldn't have to worry about the efficiency of the fireworks festival's preparations. This is one of the points of contention.

Peng Yi clearly knew the fireworks had been stolen, and the Qianyan Army had no manpower to guard them. Without catching the culprit or having the Qianyan Army guarding them, he was in a hurry to transport another batch of fireworks to Qingce Village. Was he trying to send another batch because he felt the stolen fireworks weren't enough? This is the second point of contention.

The biggest contradiction is that Peng Yi's boldness is completely different from his previous cautiousness.

He hadn't even gone to Qingce Village to find out about the stolen fireworks, and he knew that the fireworks materials he had were the last batch of spare materials. If they were stolen again, he wouldn't be able to complete the mission. He even said he was worried about a second batch of fireworks being stolen...

However, he had the courage to make a decision: without consulting Ke Qing, he took it upon himself to use the last batch of materials to rush-produce fireworks and then deliver them to Qing Ce Village, a place most vulnerable to theft, frequented only by the elderly, women, and children.

However, Pengyi's previous performance was like an abacus bead, moving only when prompted, completely lacking initiative. Han Fulai still remembered when he first met Pengyi at Qingce Manor two days ago. Pengyi didn't even dare to take the initiative to arrange fireworks in various parts of Liyue, let alone submit a report for a budget. He needed Keqing to give him orders.

Of course, working under Keqing is the normal thing to do.

So why did Pengyi suddenly become so proactive? Why was he so bold as to take such initiative?

—It should be noted that although Ke Qing's mindset has changed somewhat, it was only after her conversation with Han Fulai last night. Peng Yi, on the other hand, had absolutely no idea that his aloof and unyielding boss had undergone such a change.

Therefore, when Ke Qing not only didn't blame Peng Yi, but also took the initiative to investigate the fireworks theft case, and even comforted him, Peng Yi was both surprised and moved. That was a rare moment when Ke Qing showed such humanity to her subordinates!

Where did Peng Yi get the courage to decide to continue transporting a second batch of fireworks to Qingce Village after already making such a huge mess? Wasn't he afraid that the second batch of fireworks would also be stolen? Wasn't he afraid that Ke Qing would hold him accountable?

Unless, Peng Yi had already prepared these fireworks and decided to send them to Qingce Village long ago, which is why he was able to prepare the fireworks so quickly and then insist on sending them to Qingce Village, where the threat of bandits still lingered.

Something unusual must be amiss. So Han Fulai had been keeping an eye on Peng Yi ever since he met him at Wangshu Inn, and while accompanying Ke Qing to Qingce Manor to investigate the fireworks theft, he discovered several other suspicious points.

One point of contention is the location where the fireworks were stored in Qingcezhuang.

As a fireworks maker, Peng Yi should have been most aware that the transportation and storage of fireworks and firecrackers require special attention, as they need to be dry, well-ventilated, and protected from fire and moisture. Yet, the storage location Peng Yi chose was an open-air storage spot in front of "Fanmutang".

Putting aside the safety issues of storing fireworks in an unattended place, just one rain shower in Qingcezhuang would have ruined all the fireworks stored in that open area. Why would Pengyi, a fireworks designer, choose such a place to store fireworks?

If there's any advantage to the open space in front of "Fanmutang," it's only one: it's secluded enough that few people pass by, making it extremely convenient for the treasure-hunting gang. Clearly, Peng Yi's choice of this location to store the fireworks wasn't careless; it was very deliberate.

The second point of suspicion is Kang Sheng's "misunderstanding" robbery.

According to Chongyun, Kang Sheng and his group of treasure hunters were lying in ambush, carrying very few weapons, yet they dared to rush out and rob the place, which was already unbelievable. Furthermore, Kang Sheng confessed that they had no intention of robbing the Feiyun Merchant Guild; it was all a misunderstanding. This is even stranger—what misunderstanding led them to rush out and rob the place?