Chapter 192 The tavern uses clever words to lure in the old fox, who then enters the trap again.

Twilight, Drunken Immortal Pavilion.

It was the same private room, and the same group of Eastern Depot Secret Agents.

General Zhou Tong, a Centurion of the Eastern Depot, had no mood for drinking today.

The wine cup before him was full, and the girl in his arms had been replaced by a prettier one, yet he remained sullen, silent.

For the past few days, the atmosphere throughout the Eastern Depot had been suffocatingly oppressive.

Ever since they had come up empty-handed at the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion last time, the temper of Superintendent Cao Zhengchun had become increasingly volatile.

Several incompetent Secret Agents had been dragged away and beaten with boards, and one had even had his leg broken outright.

As for General Zhou Tong, being the one who had originally provided the lead on the "Wei Family," although he hadn't been explicitly punished, the way Superintendent Cao Zhengchun looked at him had kept him from sleeping well for days.

He knew that if this case ultimately failed, he would definitely be the first one pushed out to take the fall.

"Master Zhou, drink up, why aren't you drinking?" a colleague beside him urged.

"Drink my foot!" General Zhou Tong cursed irritably. "At a critical moment like this, who has the heart to drink!"

Just then, the door to the private room was pushed open a crack.

A thin, small figure peered inside.

It was none other than Zhang San, the Western Depot Agent who had come to deliver the message a few days ago.

When General Zhou Tong saw him, his eyes lit up, but they immediately darkened again.

He had no affection for anyone from the Western Depot right now.

"Get in here!" General Zhou Tong snapped.

Zhang San shrank his neck, ran in with a fawning expression, and was holding a pot of fine Nu'erhong wine in his hand.

"Master Zhou, please calm your anger." He placed the wine pot on the table, bowing and scraping as he said, "I heard you haven't been in a good mood lately, so I specifically procured a pot of good wine to honor you."

"A weasel paying respects to a chicken—you're up to no good!" General Zhou Tong snorted coldly. "Speak, what kind of nonsense is it this time?"

Zhang San rubbed his hands together, his face showing an expression of both excitement and fear, and he leaned into General Zhou Tong's ear, lowering his voice.

"Master Zhou, about the last time... I am truly sorry. We didn't expect that the Wei Family was a hollow bone, and that it would pit you."

"What's the use of saying that now!" General Zhou Tong waved his hand impatiently.

"It's useful, it's useful!" Zhang San said eagerly. "Master Zhou, our Superintendent... our Superintendent, the old man, has found a new lead!"

"What?" General Zhou Tong's ears perked up instantly.

"It's true!" A greedy light flickered in Zhang San's eyes. "This time, it is absolutely true! We lost several brothers just to dig this up!"

He deliberately lowered his voice, but the volume was just right for the few Eastern Depot Secret Agents at the adjacent table to vaguely hear.

"That bunch of remnants of the Wei Family are not in the Marquis Mansion at all! They... they are hiding in Lanruo Temple in the west of the city!"

"Lanruo Temple?" General Zhou Tong frowned. That was a temple abandoned for decades; even ghosts were too lazy to go there.

"It is absolutely certain!" Zhang San vowed. "Our people saw with their own eyes that suspicious people were skulking around Lanruo Temple in the middle of the night! Our Superintendent analyzed that those people are extremely cunning, knowing that the most dangerous place is the safest place, which is why they are hiding in that dilapidated temple!"

"Our Superintendent originally wanted to lead the encirclement himself, but he was too severely injured last time and still cannot get out of bed. Lord Wen and Commander Su are afraid of accidents and dare not act rashly, and are currently discussing whether to report it to the Emperor."

Zhang San spoke with such vivid detail, and the expression of eager desire for credit mixed with fear of trouble on his face was truly lifelike.

General Zhou Tong's heart became active again.

Lanruo Temple?

This target sounded much more reliable than that dilapidated Marquis Mansion.

But he had suffered a loss once, so this time he became much more cautious.

He stared into Zhang San's eyes: "Everything you said is true? If you dare to deceive me again this time, I will skin you alive!"

"Master Zhou, even if you gave me a hundred times the courage, I wouldn't dare deceive you again!" Zhang San was on the verge of swearing to the heavens. "This is a top secret of our Western Depot! I am risking my head just to come and tell you! If you take this credit, please... please do not forget the little guy's benefits."

As he spoke, he secretly made a gesture for money.

Seeing his greedy appearance, General Zhou Tong's suspicions were mostly dispelled.

In his view, Emperor Liu Sheng was just a greenhorn who didn't know the immensity of heaven and earth, raising such a group of cowardly trash under him.

They wanted to claim credit as soon as they found a lead, only to be crippled, and now could only watch helplessly as the credit slipped away before their eyes.

And as for himself, as long as he seized this opportunity...

Thinking of this, General Zhou Tong's heart began to pound wildly again.

This was a perfect opportunity to redeem himself!

If he could lead men to capture the "Wei Family remnants" at Lanruo Temple, he would not only wash away his previous shame but also greatly save face before the Superintendent!

He calmly patted Zhang San on the shoulder, took out a larger ingot of silver from his bosom, and stuffed it over.

"Well done. If this succeeds, your benefits will not be lacking."

"Thank you, Master Zhou! Thank you, Master Zhou!" Zhang San, upon receiving the silver, was overjoyed and retreated with profuse thanks.

General Zhou Tong looked at the wine on the table; he no longer had any desire to drink.

He immediately stood up, forgetting even to settle the bill, and hurried out of the restaurant, rushing all the way to the Eastern Depot yamen.

Eastern Depot, Council Hall.

Superintendent Cao Zhengchun listened to General Zhou Tong's report, his turbid old eyes flickering in the dim light.

"Lanruo Temple?"

He chewed over the name, not immediately expressing his stance.

Having learned his lesson last time, he had become much more cautious.

"Godfather, this matter may be a trap!" Thousand-man Commander Cao Lin reminded him from the side. "That bunch from the Western Depot pitted us badly last time, and now they are proactively delivering this to our door; we must be on guard."

"I know," Superintendent Cao Zhengchun said coldly.

Of course, he suspected this was a trap set by Emperor Liu Sheng.

However, he now had no other choice.

The ten-day deadline was like a sharp sword hanging over his head; with every passing day, the sword descended by a fraction.

He had already sent out all his manpower, running around the capital like headless flies for several days, yet he hadn't found a single useful lead.

Now, this lead about Lanruo Temple was like the last straw grasped by a drowning person.

Even if he knew this straw might be poisonous, he had to grab it.

"Pass down the order." Superintendent Cao Zhengchun spoke slowly, his voice hoarse. "Assemble one hundred elites, and you will lead the team yourself to investigate Lanruo Temple tonight."

"Godfather, only one hundred men?" Thousand-man Commander Cao Lin was somewhat surprised.

"I need to personally sit in command at the Eastern Depot to prevent that brat Emperor Liu Sheng from making a feint to the east while attacking in the west, or playing any other tricks." A hint of cunning flashed in Superintendent Cao Zhengchun's eyes. "You take men there, but do not alert the enemy. First, investigate the perimeter, and only take action once you have confirmed that there is truly something inside."

"Yes!" Thousand-man Commander Cao Lin accepted the order.

"In addition," Superintendent Cao Zhengchun added, "Lanruo Temple must be investigated, but we cannot relax in the city."

"Tell the people below to keep their eyes peeled! Especially those grain shops, cloth shops, and money shops; these days, if there is any unusual movement of personnel or capital, keep a tight watch on it for me!"

"I don't believe that those rebels can conjure weapons and provisions out of thin air!"

A look of ruthlessness appeared on Superintendent Cao Zhengchun's face.

Although he had been pushed into a corner, he was, after all, an old fox who had been in charge of the Eastern Depot for many years.

He would not bet all his chips on this single lead provided by Emperor Liu Sheng.

He wanted to cast more nets in the dark.

He had a premonition.

The Lanruo Temple lead that Emperor Liu Sheng gave him was very likely a smokescreen.

The real clue was hidden within the bustling marketplace of the capital.

It was hidden in those very places he had just ordered to be closely monitored.

He smelled blood.

A scent of blood, mixed with conspiracy and credit, that made him incomparably excited.

The old fox had entered the trap again.

And he did not know that every step he took was within the calculations of that young opponent.

A larger net had already been quietly spread.

And he, carrying his most ferocious minions, was walking step by step toward the center of the net.