Anti-fraud manual for the cultivation world

Honglin looked at him with approval. Li Gu was indeed very smart. With just a little guidance, he could figure out a lot of things, saving her a lot of breath.

Li Gu said, "Since the Demonic Sect is on the court's wanted list, and the prefect knows the location of Flower Valley, what are we waiting for? Let's lead our troops to attack their doorstep. I am willing to be their vanguard."

Honglin shook her head: "No! The imperial court is after the Lotus Sect, not the Demonic Sect, nor the Hidden Flower Clan."

Li Gu: "Huh? Didn't you just say that these two sects are the Lotus Sect?"

"Just because we know doesn't mean they'll admit it," Honglin shook her head. "If Ru Hongchen were still a martial arts sect, we could attack them regardless of whether they admit it or not. But we are now the imperial court, and the imperial court must act according to the law to gain the respect of the people. And acting according to the law requires evidence, not something I can do just because I know it."

She stared at Li Gu's face and asked seriously, "I now solemnly ask you, did you personally witness Hua Mingyuan slaughtering disciples? During the trial, can you produce evidence that Hua Mingyuan cannot refute? Or, can you prove that he is a member of the Lotus Sect?"

Li Gu: "..."

I'm totally stuck!

Zhang Yi said, "There is a mass grave outside Flower Valley."

Honglin shook her head: "If he says the disciples in the pit all died of illness, how can you prove that Hua Mingyuan killed them?"

Zhang Yi added, "He imprisoned many disciples."

Honglin shook her head: "Apart from the few of you who escaped, who knows that they are being imprisoned? If I go to rescue them, they might end up fighting me to the death to protect Hidden Flower Pavilion."

Zhang Yi: "..."

Honglin sighed and said, "Junior Sister Bai has been undercover in Flower Valley for many years, but still hasn't obtained any conclusive evidence. The four of you are the best witnesses we can get. You can at least explain how Hua Mingyuan lured the orphans and brought them into Hidden Flower Pavilion, which can indirectly confirm Hua Mingyuan's actions."

Li Gu understood. Hong Lin was still gathering evidence. Only when all the evidence was complete and formed a chain of proof could they announce it to the world, define Hidden Flower Sect as a cult, and justifiably send troops to eradicate it. At that time, Li Gu and his three companions would be the witnesses who would stand up and accuse Hidden Flower Sect.

Getting things done by the imperial court is indeed quite troublesome!

Li Gu couldn't help but reach into his robes and touch the small porcelain bottle containing Liuwei Dihuang Pills. He thought to himself: Who knows when the imperial court will gather evidence? In the meantime, we'll be living under constant pressure from Hua Qianfang's pursuit. It's better for me to digest all the fake medicine, storm into Flower Valley, and chop Hua Qianfang up. Who cares about any evidence?

Hong Lin turned to leave, but just before she reached the door, she suddenly turned back and said, "Let me remind you, Hua Mingyuan is only the Jiangzhou Hall Master of the Demonic Sect. There are more than one person like him in the Demonic Sect, and of course, there are more than one in Flower Valley."

Li Gu: "!"

----

At noon, the government office was very quiet.

The clerks, constables, bailiffs, and yamen runners had almost all gone out. Even Hong Lin had gone to the vegetable market to oversee the execution. Only Li Gu and a few gatekeepers, cooks, cleaners, and storeroom staff remained...

Li Gu was bored sitting there. Without a cell phone, it was hard to even slack off at work.

Just as he was dozing off, he heard the sound of wheels. A carriage pulled up to the side gate, loaded with vegetables, fruits, pork and other goods. Since the Six Doors' "office" was located on the side of the yamen's main hall, not far from the side gate, Li Gu could see the carriage unloading its cargo through the crack in the window.

Since he was bored anyway, he decided to secretly watch the show.

A seemingly honest-looking man jumped down from the carriage and banged loudly on the door: "Chef Cai, open the door, it's me, delivering ingredients."

The cook ran out of the kitchen and casually called out to Meng Ting, who was doing odd jobs there, "Hey newbie, come over here and help move the goods."

The cook, like all chefs in the world, was round and chubby, with a protruding belly, suggesting he had been a frequent slacker. His features resembled those of Chief Constable Cai Xinzi, who also shared the surname Cai, suggesting they might be related. His attitude towards Meng Ting was similar to Cai Xinzi's attitude towards Li Gu, displaying an ugly "I'm your boss, so you should be my slave" attitude.

Meng Ting hoisted a sack of grain from the carriage and staggered toward the kitchen. Her cultivation was still in the Body Refinement stage, and her physical strength was not much stronger than that of an ordinary person. Carrying a full sack of grain was quite strenuous, and she was unsteady on her feet, swaying from side to side.

The cook snorted at her retreating figure, "Useless piece of trash! Carrying a sack of rice would crush you to death."

Li Gu was somewhat annoyed and wanted to go over and teach that bastard a lesson.

But just as Meng Ting stepped into the kitchen and could no longer see outside, the honest delivery man suddenly changed his expression. His eyes darted around, clearly checking if anyone else was nearby.

Li Gu looked through the crack in the window and was not noticed by the person.

After confirming that no one was around, the man reached into his robe and pulled out a heavy money pouch containing at least several dozen taels of silver, which he then stuffed into the cook's hand.

Li Gu knew there was something to watch, so he quickly focused his energy on his ears, instantly making his hearing several times more sensitive.

The cook's face immediately lit up with a smile: "So polite? What do you want to know this time?"

The deliveryman lowered his voice and said, "Three days ago, four people came to the yamen, two men and two women. They went into the main hall and never came out again. Do you know where they are now?"

"Damn it!" Li Gu put his hand on the iron ruler, ready to smash open the window and jump out at any moment.

At this moment, Meng Ting finished arranging the grain bags and came out to carry the second bag.

The cook's eyes swept quickly over Meng Ting. It was obvious that he knew Meng Ting had arrived three days ago. With a little thought, he could guess that Meng Ting was one of the two men and two women. Now, all he needed to do was give the delivery man a slight hint, and Meng Ting would be in danger.

Li Gu's [Hidden Flower Heart Method] has reached its limit; his meridians are faintly throbbing with pain, just waiting for him to unleash his full power.

Just then, the cook's expression suddenly changed, revealing a mysterious smile: "Of course I know. That night, when the moon was dark and the wind was high, four people, two men and two women, secretly opened the back door of the yamen and slipped out. Prefect Hong personally escorted them out of the city."

Li Gu's system did not trigger an alarm. The cook was telling the truth. That night, Governor Hong released four prisoners, two men and two women.

The delivery man lowered his voice and asked, "Which direction?"

The cook quickly replied, "East! Towards the Ghost City."

At this point, Meng Ting had already walked up to the two men, and their expressions instantly returned to normal. The cook reverted to his mean-spirited self, and the delivery man transformed into an honest and unassuming figure.

With a "Heave-ho!", Meng Ting picked up another bag of grain and headed towards the kitchen.

She had barely walked a distance when the delivery man lowered his voice and asked, "Is that young lady new here?"

The cook chuckled, "Yes, he's been here for five days and he's a complete waste. He can't even carry anything. I wonder where he got in through connections."

[The Cultivation World Anti-Fraud Handbook Lv.1 reminds you: Cai Xinlan's statement that she "has been here for five days" is a lie, because a lie is a thing of the past and cannot be forced to become the truth.]

The delivery man nodded and stopped talking, his gaze towards Meng Ting no longer so sharp.