Chapter 423: The Art of Doing Bad Things

Capital, Zhengyang Gate Street, a warehouse.

This place was actually only about a mile away from the Four Directions Lodge and the Ironclad Department on Shenwu Gate Street.

By the time Yang Ling arrived at this warehouse with Li Zhong and the others, the Ironclad agents under Yun Buchuan's command had already surrounded the place airtight.

Inside and out, over a hundred elite Ironclad agents stood in solemn silence.

The Devour Heaven Great Rejuvenation Pill in Yang Ling's body had already been fully digested, and his Vajra Bright King Technique experience had reached 90,130!

"Just about ten thousand more experience points, and I'll break through."

Yang Ling felt a hint of anticipation as his gaze swept across the warehouse, spotting over a hundred barrels of fire oil.

These fire oil barrels had been disguised and modified, looking very much like ordinary rapeseed oil barrels.

Even the sealing was exceptionally well done.

With his keen sense of smell, he had to enter the warehouse and face these wooden barrels directly before catching even a wisp of fire oil scent.

Li Zhong opened one barrel and sniffed it. "This barrel of fire oil is over a year old. Its potency has greatly diminished. This is obsolete stock."

Yun Buchuan nodded with a grave expression:

"Lord Li, the fire oil retired here in the Capital is all personally handled by us. I've already checked, and there are no issues whatsoever.

It doesn't come from the Capital."

Yang Ling's expression shifted slightly. Not from the Capital, then it must be from the local regions.

Zhao State had seven Provincial Capitals, three Princely Capitals, and ninety-seven Prefectural Capitals.

From any one of those places, a single barrel could be scrounged up to make a hundred barrels of fire oil.

Just then, a pale-faced middle-aged fat man was brought over by one of Yun Buchuan's chief constables.

That chief constable glanced at Yang Ling first, his expression somewhat odd, then clasped his fists toward Li Zhong and said:

"Lord Li, this is the owner of this warehouse, Li Run."

"Who delivered these fire oil barrels?"

Li Zhong said flatly.

Li Run could already tell that the man before him must be a big shot in the Capital's Ironclad Department.

The fat on his face was trembling as he stammered:

"L-Lord, these fire oil barrels aren't mine. When I originally rented this warehouse, the other party said it was rapeseed oil..."

"Who was the other party? Where are the contracts you wrote?"

Li Zhong said.

Li Run hastily pulled out the warehouse contract and said cautiously:

"I don't know who the other party was either. They seemed like they were in big business, so I didn't dare ask too many questions..."

Li Zhong glanced at the contract, then handed it to Yun Buchuan:

"Look at the date on it. This warehouse was rented a little over ten days ago, which means these fire oil barrels were also transported to the Capital around that time."

"Send someone to the Water Transport Guild and check which boat these fire oil barrels came in on."

"Bring our best golden retriever hound from the Ironclad Department."

Then he paused. "Seal this warehouse and take this man into custody for detention."

Li Run was scared out of his wits and hastily said:

"Wait, wait! My family also has an ancestor serving in the Ironclad Department. We're all one family here!"

Yun Buchuan was just about to order his men to move when he and his subordinates froze at the words.

Yang Ling was also somewhat surprised, but he tossed an Insight Technique at this Li Run.

It showed no illegal or improper activities within the past month or so.

This indicated that he was truly ignorant in this regard, simply unlucky to have rented his warehouse out to Immortal God Sect believers.

"Who in your family serves in the Ironclad Department?"

Li Zhong's eyes narrowed slightly.

Li Run took a deep breath and said solemnly:

"Our Li family ancestor, Li Zhong, serves in the Ironclad Department!"

Li Zhong fell into silence for a moment.

The Ironclad agents inside the warehouse exchanged bewildered glances, then looked at Li Run with increasingly strange expressions.

Yun Buchuan's expression turned awkward as he looked at Li Zhong:

"Lord Li..."

Li Zhong thought for a moment. "Li Run, which branch of the Li family are you from? Who's in charge of your branch right now?"

Li Zhong: "I'm from the fifth branch of the Li family. Li Yi is my grandfather."

Yang Ling had already noticed something was off, and a hint of solemnity crept into his eyes.

"I am Li Zhong."

Li Zhong said flatly. "I'll have someone notify Li Yi about this. For now, go wait for questioning at the Ironclad Department.

As long as you're clean, the Ironclad Department won't make things difficult for you."

"Y-You are..."

Li Run's face turned ashen, cold sweat as big as beans pouring down.

After he was taken away, Yun Buchuan's expression became unprecedentedly grave:

"Lord, this matter..."

"Either it's aimed at the Ironclad Department, or it's aimed at me."

Li Zhong's face darkened. "If those explosives had detonated at the Four Directions Lodge this time, and the investigation was traced back, it would lead straight here."

Yang Ling and Yun Buchuan exchanged glances, each seeing a flicker of unease in the other's eyes.

The others, hampered by the information gap, couldn't grasp most of the intricate twists and turns here.

But Yang Ling had already guessed whose handiwork this method belonged to.

"Luo Kai. He can disguise himself as Li Fengxian and even has two accounts in the Divine Realm.

He managed to become a personal disciple under the Star Observation Academy head in such a short time, and now he's spinning out this long thread to go after the Ironclad Department..."

At this moment, Yang Ling couldn't help but feel a grudging admiration for Luo Kai's skill at doing bad things.

This also made him all the more eager to meet Luo Kai in person, twist his head off, and kick it into the Tianyuan River.

"The hard part is that I can't just directly tell the Ironclad Department that all of this was done by Luo Kai. Without a plausible justification, I can't touch the personal disciple of a Grandmaster..."

Li Zhong suddenly thought of something and looked at Yang Ling:

"You and Xu Wenjun came on a Water Transport Guild fast boat?"

"Exactly."

Yang Ling nodded slightly.

Yun Buchuan had already caught on and immediately hurried away with his men.

Li Zhong remarked with a sigh: "Yang Ling, this Immortal God Sect truly is a malignant tumor as you've said. It must be eradicated."

Yang Ling glanced at Yun Buchuan's swiftly departing figure, then suddenly gasped sharply:

"Lord Li, are you saying those fire oil barrels..."

"Just a guess. Yun Buchuan has figured it out too. Whether it's true or not, we'll see if that boat is still at the Water Transport Guild wharf, and whether any traces remain inside."

Li Zhong smiled. "If this grand performance really was aimed at our Ironclad Department, then it must still be there, and the traces inside must not have been wiped clean.

Only then could it be fully linked to this case.

At that point, the Ironclad Department, from me, the Director of the First Division in the Command Division, all the way down to Xu Wenjun, you, and Lu Yunchen, would all have to pay the price for the Four Directions Lodge incident."

At this, Li Zhong let out a rueful sigh:

"If not for Princess Zhao coming to cause you trouble, perhaps we really would have lost all face in the Capital this time."

"It's strange. An organization as meticulous as the Immortal God Sect, why would they create unnecessary complications? Is it because your crackdown on them has been too intense lately?"

Yang Ling's expression was peculiar. He also found it strange, and what the other party did would indeed bring him some trouble.

But Wu Xiaoshuai didn't actually smell of fire oil at all.

He only caught him through the other party's guilty demeanor, combined with the Insight Technique.

If he hadn't caught Wu Xiaoshuai this time, then with this whole chain of events...

"The Eldest Princess! He's manufacturing the Eldest Princess's hatred toward me. The Four Directions Lodge is hers, and Zhao Yingying is also her most beloved niece..."

Yang Ling seemed to have figured it all out.

"Come on, let's head to the Water Transport Guild wharf and take a look as well."

Li Zhong strolled out unhurriedly.