Chapter 70

"Got it!"

Zhang Yuanqing responded verbally, but in his heart, he recalled the phrase "unfit to be a father" and the Master Wuhen, who had taken him under his wing to practice cultivation, attempting to redeem himself.

Evil-doers try to redeem themselves, while law-abiding individuals can engage in violent confrontations for personal vendettas, affecting innocent civilians.

Sigh, there is no pure good or evil in the world; human nature is inherently complex. Zhang Yuanqing had a deeper understanding of Li Dongze's words, "Law-abiding does not mean good."

As for the attitude of the branch's higher-ups, although the head of Zhi Sha Palace acted in self-defense and did not initiate the conflict, the fact that it resulted in losses and casualties made it the right decision to arrest her.

How to punish her is a matter for later, and Zhang Yuanqing did not comment on it. However, the decision to punish the Xiahou family was as expected.

On one hand, the Xiahou family is a well-established spirit realm family with deep roots. The authorities cannot afford to alienate a major clan over the lives of a few ordinary people.

Sometimes, those in power only see the big picture and overlook the common people.

On the other hand, the Xiahou family has intricate ties with official organizations. The government is a complex entity with various factions, including both good and bad people.

It's not accurate to simply define them as good or bad; rather, they all have their own interests. If one must use a single concept to represent the government, it would be "order," not justice or goodness.

Zhang Yuanqing had already understood these principles clearly when he was young, listening to his grandfather curse the corrupt former head of the security bureau.

In short, the Xiahou family, which has close ties with certain factions of the government, would naturally receive "preferential treatment."

Guan Ya saw him nod and smiled contentedly. Yuan Sheng is not a naive fool; he is more worldly and sophisticated than most people his age, which is a good thing. Such a person can navigate the system.

At this moment, Li Dongze walked out. "Guan Ya has already told you, right?"

"Team Leader, I'll leave it to you to handle it," Zhang Yuanqing said immediately.

Li Dongze laughed. "Guan Ya and I will handle it. Betraying informants is not a gentleman's virtue. Moreover, the feud between the Xiahou family and Zhi Sha Palace is not our concern; we should not get involved."

He leaned on his cane and pointed out the stakes: "Zhi Sha Palace's motto is 'to stop war with war, to stop killing with killing,' which is very extreme. If you betray them today, you will face retaliation tomorrow, and the Xiahou family will not protect you."

"Understood."

Zhang Yuanqing nodded.

Li Dongze glanced at Wang Tai, who was buried in his work, and said, "Yuan Sheng, come to my office. I'll update you on the Black Wuchang case."

Wang Tai is not part of the investigation team, so he cannot be present for the discussion.

This is the real business. Zhang Yuanqing quickly stood up and followed Li Dongze.

The two entered the office one after the other. Zhang Yuanqing closed the door behind him, and Li Dongze walked straight to his desk, pulling out a stack of documents from the drawer.

"Cola?"

Li Dongze opened the liquor cabinet.

With my current net worth of 6.5 million, I should be drinking 1982 Lafite. Zhang Yuanqing nodded: "Less ice!"

Li Dongze shrugged, dropped a few ice cubes into a glass, and poured cola and whiskey, then returned to the sofa.

"Do you remember the list you provided last time?"

"Of course!"

"We used the list to identify the real identities of those people. During this period, we successfully arrested one person and killed two, one of whom was under the command of the Gu King."

The Gu King is another vice president and a rival to the Wicked Eye Judge.

The Five Elements Alliance moved quickly. It's impressive that they managed to identify three spirit realm practitioners in such a short time. Zhang Yuanqing, no longer a rookie, knew how difficult it was to track down spirit realm practitioners in a vast sea of people.

If the target had a disguise ring or similar item, it would be almost impossible to catch them.

The fact that the authorities managed to kill three Gu practitioners in a short time indicates that they are serious.

Li Dongze took a sip of the strong liquor and said:

"After questioning the spirits, we obtained some useful clues. Black Wuchang is hiding in Songhai and seems to have another purpose."

Another purpose? Zhang Yuanqing nodded in realization:

"I found it strange before. If I were Black Wuchang, with both the authorities and the Gu King looking for me, why wouldn't I change my hiding place? Do you know why Black Wuchang is hiding in Songhai?"

Li Dongze shook his head:

"Perhaps only Black Wuchang knows, but we can infer the answer from the clues. For Black Wuchang to be willing to take such a huge risk to stay in Songhai, it must be something very important, something that can be compared to his life."

Zhang Yuanqing frowned: "At this stage, shouldn't he be focusing on inheriting the Wicked Eye Judge's legacy? By the way, what level is Black Wuchang?"

"Level 6, peak Saint realm."

Gu practitioners are a top-tier profession. A level 6 Gu practitioner, while not as strong as a level 7 law-abiding profession, is significantly stronger than others of the same level. In other words, unless an elder-level existence intervenes, it would be difficult to deal with this Black Wuchang.

Zhang Yuanqing sighed inwardly. This is too much to ask. He is just a level 2 Night Walker, and Black Wuchang could crush him with a finger.

Li Dongze then handed him the document and said:

"Take a look."

Zhang Yuanqing flipped through the document. It was a personal file. The man in the one-inch photo was about thirty years old, with a thin face, slanted eyes, and a sharp nose, giving off a sharp and intense impression.

"Spirit Realm ID: Heng Xing Wu Ji, real name Zhu Jingyao, level 3 Gu practitioner, financial criminal, former securities company employee, who used his position to gain improper benefits."

Zhang Yuanqing read the information and said, "I remember this person; he's on the list I provided."

Li Dongze nodded: "Two days ago, Captain Qingteng of the Hundred Flowers Association received a tip that this person was seen in Kangyang District but quickly disappeared. This person is currently the responsibility of our Kangyang District Spirit Realm team and is one of our recent targets."

Unfortunately, we don't have the target's DNA; otherwise, the Red Slippers could handle everything. Zhang Yuanqing thought regretfully.

However, having a target is better than being clueless.

"Knock knock!"

The glass door of the office was knocked on twice, and Guan Ya's voice came through:

"Team Leader, the Xiahou family is here."

Li Dongze and Zhang Yuanqing exchanged glances. The latter put away the document, and the former said in a serious tone:

"Please bring them in."

A few seconds later, Guan Ya led two men into the office. One was a middle-aged man in a suit, with a short haircut, a straight posture, and a sharp and energetic appearance. His features were decent, but his eyes were small.

The other was a young man in his mid-twenties, wearing a white shirt with the collar open and the hem not tucked in, giving off a carefree and unrestrained vibe.

He resembled the middle-aged man but was more handsome, with a head of Korean-style long hair that was messy yet stylish. He also wore a silver earring, making him the type of guy who would attract girls in nightclubs.

"I am Xiahou Xin, and this is my son, Xiahou Tianyuan," the middle-aged man smiled.

"Welcome, welcome," Li Dongze's mustache rose with his smile: "Mr. Xiahou, please have a seat!"

He shook hands warmly with the middle-aged man, led them to their seats, and asked Guan Ya to serve hot tea.

Xiahou Xin waited calmly for Guan Ya to serve the tea and said:

"Team Leader Li, you must know why I am here. The head of Zhi Sha Palace was too aggressive and almost killed my eldest son. This grudge must be avenged. We found out that Dr. Wang Tai at Pingtai Hospital is a member of Zhi Sha Palace. When we went to arrest him, he had already fled.

"According to the information, this person is an informant for Team Leader Li. We hope that Team Leader Li can facilitate his capture. In return, the Xiahou family will offer a substantial reward."

The head of Zhi Sha Palace beat up this Xiahou Xin's son? I heard from Xie Lingxi that he is the direct descendant of the Xiahou family, which means Xiahou Xin holds a high position. Zhang Yuanqing couldn't help but take a closer look at the middle-aged man.

At this moment, he noticed that Xiahou Tianyuan, the young man, gave him a haughty glance.

"This..." Li Dongze's face was full of smiles, but he said helplessly:

"The head of Zhi Sha Palace was indeed too aggressive towards Xiahou Tianyuan, and he deserves to die. However, after last night's battle, Zhi Sha Palace is on high alert. They won't fall for it. I am willing but powerless."

Xiahou Tianyuan glanced at Zhang Yuanqing again and said unhappily:

"This is not difficult. Send a message to Wang Qian, saying that someone in the Five Elements Alliance is unhappy with the Xiahou family and asking if Zhi Sha Palace needs help. First, show goodwill and lure him in, then act. If you don't know how, give me your phone."

As long as we can connect with Wang Qian, we have ways to lure him out. What we lack is someone who can make Wang Qian willing to 'communicate.'

Li Dongze sighed: "Well, let me be honest. When the immortals fight, the mortals suffer. We do not want to get involved in the feud between the Xiahou family and Zhi Sha Palace. I am sorry, but we cannot help."

"What did you say?" Xiahou Tianyuan was incredulous.

The Xiahou family had already identified several members of Zhi Sha Palace, and the Kangyang District Team was one of them. In Xiahou Tianyuan's view, such a small team should be eager to please the Xiahou family and meet their demands.

It's not that Xiahou Tianyuan was arrogant, but such small teams are numerous in the Five Elements Alliance, while spirit realm families like the Xiahou family are rare.

It's like a city management team refusing a request from a wealthy corporation with red background.

Guan Ya rolled her eyes: "Don't understand? Need me to translate it for you in a foreign language?"

"Yi..." Xiahou Tianyuan's face was red with anger. When had a female employee ever dared to speak to him like this?

Being good-looking doesn't give him any special privileges in front of her.

Xiahou Xin glanced at Guan Ya and used his eyes to stop his angry son, then said sincerely:

"This matter is very important to the