Chapter 156: Coercion
Tang Jie sat in the small courtyard, staring unblinkingly at Chang Xinkuan. “If Branch Master Chang wants an official letter, I do not have it.”
“Then what are you still here for?”
“But everyone knows that the Basking Moon students have received the mission to pursue Lin Lang.”
“And what does that have to do with me?”
“It truly seems to have nothing to do with you,” Tang Jie chuckled. “But Lin Lang’s escape might not be entirely unrelated.”
“What are you saying?” Chang Xinkuan was shaken, killing intent appearing in his eyes.
Tang Jie casually took a sip of tea. “Former Minister of Personnel Lin Yuanming colluded with Godhead Palace, selling out subordinates of my Basking Moon Sect. I am sure Branch Master Chang knows about this. After this incident, Headmaster Xie personally issued the order to eradicate Minister Lin’s clan. This is not the first time such a thing has happened, so there is already a set process. Surprisingly, the news somehow got out, allowing Lin Lang to get wind of it and run. After the escape, quite a few people began to wonder how Lin Lang managed to escape.”
Chang Xinkuan felt his heart seize up.
Tang Jie continued, “Lin Yuanming was a spy, so there’s not much chance his sons could escape. What do spies normally do? They normally make connections, gather information, and secretly bribe people. Now, it wouldn’t be strange if Lin Lang made a few good friends in Shangquan City, yes?”
The mention of “secret bribes” was like a needle jabbed through Chang Xinkuan’s heart.
When he had received the order to capture Lin Lang, he hadn’t expected that Lin Lang had already run off. At that moment, he knew that someone in his organization must have leaked the information. Tang Jie was right. Someone like Lin Lang had to have made some plans beforehand. Lin Yuanming was the center of the case, so no one dared to save him, but it seemed like someone had risked themselves to let Lin Lang escape.
As the supervisor of Shangquan City, Chang Xinkuan had been incapable of explaining how this had happened, and even if he was unconnected to the incident, he had still gained a reputation as an incompetent.
He had never imagined that Tang Jie would have the guts to bring it up.
His eyes flashed with killing intent, but not because he wanted to silence witnesses or anything of the sort. He was simply angry and wanted nothing more than to give this little bastard a good slap.
Of course, he didn’t have the guts to do this. He simply sighed and said, “The public will decide what’s right or wrong. My Basking Moon Sect has countless people with great abilities and sharp eyes. They will not be fooled by a few simple rumors.”
Tang Jie casually said, “Branch Master Chang is naturally a loyal soul, a supporting pillar of the sect. But now that we’ve come to request Branch Master’s help, if someone hears that you’ve refused us, perhaps they might think that Branch Master doesn’t want Lin Lang to actually be captured…”
“Absolute nonsense!” Chang Xinkuan loudly said in anger.
But at this time, he understood what Tang Jie was trying at.
It was obvious that if Chang Xinkuan didn’t help out, Tang Jie might say something once he got back.
A student’s words naturally couldn’t do much to him. But if one considered that he had let a fugitive escape and was now refusing to help the students pursuing him, the nature of the incident would become much more serious.
It had to be said that even if Chang Xinkuan hadn’t been bribed by Lin Lang, Lin Lang had still escaped under his watch, and if he didn’t try and cooperate with the pursuit, he would appear to be extremely lazy and negligent…
The rumor would become reality!
Chang Xinkuan took in a deep breath and said in a trembling voice, “Although my Basking Moon Sect is a prestigious sect, standing above all other sects, this does not mean we can do as we please. Lin Xudu is still a Celestial Heart Realm True Person. He normally only calls me Brother out of respect for the Basking Moon Sect, not because I’m at the Mortal Shedding Realm! If we really end up angering him, I might not be able to protect myself.”
His stance had clearly softened.
Tang Jie smiled. “I understand Branch Master Chang’s difficulties, but we never intended to coerce anyone. We simply want Cloudflow Academy’s help in investigating this traitor to the country. This has nothing to do with Cloudflow Academy itself. So long as we speak kindly, Sect Master Lin is certain to be reasonable and not reject us. Moreover, if we are able to capture Lin Lang because of Branch Master’s help, the sect will undoubtedly be satisfied.”
That was true.
The best way of dispelling the rumors was to help Tang Jie capture Lin Lang.
But Chang Xinkuan still felt uncomfortable about this, vaguely feeling like he was being threatened.
It was an extremely disconcerting feeling.
But Tang Jie had him dead to rights.
This was because he keenly understood the sort of person Chang Xinkuan was.
This person had been Branch Master of the Shangquan Branch for twenty years, and his ambitions had long ago been worn away. He now only sought a peaceful life.
Some other cultivator might have been so angered by Tang Jie’s threats that he would have killed him on the spot, not caring that Tang Jie was a student of his sect.
But Chang Xinkuan would not.
He had a family and children, so he needed to act cautiously.
A person like this wouldn’t be affected by bribes. Threats were far more effective.
Ever since that incident with Wei Lanxin and the warning from the lady, Tang Jie had begun to understand more and more the importance of the differences between people.
So long as one could understand the pulse of the target, many things became much simpler.
Of course, if one got the wrong pulse, many seemingly good plans would be rendered ineffective.
But Tang Jie had gotten a good grasp of Chang Xinkuan’s pulse.
Chang Xinkuan’s plump face shifted around, but in the end, he said, “The problem is that you don’t have an official letter, so you don’t represent the will of the sect!”
The Basking Moon Sect had only ordered them to catch the criminal, not cause trouble in Cloudflow Academy. The two were entirely different things.
“If you don’t say anything, how would they know?” Tang Jie asked.
Chang Xinkuan was stunned.
It was true. If he didn’t say anything, how could Lin Xudu possibly know?
Chang Xinkuan could demand that Tang Jie’s group present an official letter, but Lin Xudu couldn’t demand the same.
So long as Chang Xinkuan said that this was the will of the Basking Moon Sect and said a few more polite words and then gave Lin Xudu face, perhaps making a few local concessions, Lin Xudu would probably give the nod.
But all of these required him to go personally and act as the guarantor.
This kid… had he really calculated things out this carefully?
Chang Xinkuan couldn’t help but glance at him again.
He suddenly asked, “You said your name is Tang Jie?”
“Yes, Student Tang Jie,” Tang Jie nodded.
“What a familiar name…” Chang Xinkuan softly muttered. Suddenly, his eyes widened in realization, and he stared at Tang Jie. “Godhead Palace? Shit, so you’re that one!”
Chang Xinkuan’s fat body jumped to its feet.
Once they were out of the branch hall, Wei Tianchong and Shi Meng could hold themselves back no longer. Throwing their heads back, they loudly laughed.
“The mighty master of the Shangquan Branch, an esteemed Mortal Shedding Realm master, was jumping around in fear because of you and was ultimately forced to lower his head and work for us! Tang Jie, you’re incredible!” Wei Tianchong said, patting Tang Jie on the shoulder.
Before this, he had always felt that Tang Jie was just someone with a good head on his shoulders, always able to come up with various ideas.
But today, when facing a Mortal Shedding Realm expert, when Wei Tianchong didn’t even dare to fart, he finally understood that it was easier said than done to be neither meek nor arrogant, and he admired Tang Jie’s abilities even more.
He had appreciated and liked Tang Jie in the past, somewhat relying on him, but now, the buds of admiration were finally beginning to sprout.
But Shi Meng was rather worried. “I still feel that this matter is rather improper. Branch Master Chang is still an esteemed Mortal Shedding Realm master. If we force him like this, won’t he resent us and try to get revenge in the future?”
Tang Jie indifferently said, “That makes it even more necessary for us to make Young Master a True Inheritor. So long as Young Master becomes a True Inheritor, he’ll instantly become an influential character with limitless potential. What do you think Chang Xinkuan will dare to do then? You could even beat him to death and he still wouldn’t hit back.”
“That’s true.” Wei Tianchong stroked his chin and began to imagine his glorious future as a True Inheritor.
“But becoming a True Inheritor is still something we’re working at, so we have to account for what might happen if we fail,” Tang Jie said, changing the topic. “Thus, when we get back, we must report this to those above and praise Branch Master Chang for all the help he gave us. It would be best if we could even get him a few praiseworthy remarks or even a pill as a reward. No matter what happens afterward, Chang Xinkuan will be tied to our boat. If he wants to get anything good, he’ll have to let go of any resentment he has. If Young Master really does become a True Inheritor in the future, not only will he not have done anything wrong, he will have achieved a meritorious deed in assisting in the ascent of a dragon. He’ll be overflowing with gratitude to us!”
Tang Jie’s words dumbfounded the other two.
Shi Meng couldn’t help but raise a finger. “High. It’s way too high.”
But Wei Tianchong was confused. “Hold on; ‘report’? What does that mean?”
In this era, there wasn’t a custom of writing a summarized report. Usually, when students finished their missions, those above rarely asked about the process, and any such questions were answered orally. Thus, Wei Tianchong didn’t know what Tang Jie meant.
“Mm, I mean a written report,” Tang Jie said, giving a basic run-down of what he meant.
“But I don’t think the sect has such a rule.” Wei Tianchong said.
“There’s no rule in the sect, but that only makes it even more necessary for us to do it. If you were an esteemed master, who would you prefer: a disciple who sorted everything out and did their best to make sure you understood the situation, or a disciple who just dropped off the head, gave a few words of explanation, and then just left?”
Wei Tianchong scratched his head. “This… The former, of course.”
Tang Jie declared, “That’s why, when it comes to a good thing, the more other people don’t want to do it, the more we should do it. You lack talent, and as for your figure and demeanor… ahem, so we can only focus our efforts on the details.”
No matter how dumb Wei Tianchong was, he could tell that Tang Jie was badmouthing him.
He looked around and then looked at himself. After repeatedly inspecting himself, he glared at Tang Jie. “Tang Jie, what do you mean? Is there something wrong with my figure? Is my demeanor lacking? Do I really look that bad?”
Tang Jie walked away, refusing to answer.
Wei Tianchong didn’t let up, chasing after him and shouting, “Tang Jie, stop right now and tell it to me straight! What’s wrong with my figure? How is my demeanor lacking? Aren’t I just a little fat? I’m your young master! Stop right now and talk to me clearly… Shi Meng, tell me: is my figure bad or not… Hey, hey, Shi Meng! Get back here! Don’t run! You two bastards, I’m your young master!”
Wei Tianchong’s shouts resounded through the streets.
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