Once I enter the pass, great Confucian scholars will surely debate the classics for me.

Zhou Qingfeng stared at Yan Wenjiu with a cold expression. Previously, Yang Tianqing had been secretly ordered by him to investigate Yan Wenjiu's background. He spent a lot of time and effort tracing back Yan Wenjiu's past until he found out the year Yan Wenjiu first came to the Sword Tower. After that, there was a blank, as if there was no trace of this person ever existing.

Furthermore, this person appears to have a very clean record. Apart from his love of prostitution, he has almost no bad habits, lives frugally, and has no blemishes. No illegal or disorderly conduct can be found in his private life.

The neighbors, including the prostitutes who had been patronized by him, all praised Yan Wenjiu as a good person and a good official, because Yan Wenjiu often used his own salary to buy food to help some elderly people and children in the slums who were struggling to make ends meet.

Such a kind-hearted person is like a white lotus flower growing in barren soil.

Yang Tianqing simply didn't believe it. He thought Yan Wenjiu was just too good at pretending, and it was unlikely that anyone could dig up any dirt on him, because he was a lone wolf who didn't have any friends.

Regardless of whether Yan Wenjiu is a good person or a bad person, Zhou Qingfeng will not let him go, because Yan Wenjiu's existence is blocking his way. Therefore, right and wrong, good and bad, become unimportant. What is important is to remove Yan Wenjiu as a stumbling block.

Zhou Qingfeng said coldly, "Of course we need to investigate. What you just said was only your side of the story. Whether it really needs to be investigated in depth is as you said. After all, it is a fact that you have been a prostitute every night for ten years. The financial expenses must be clarified."

"Before I send someone to investigate, you should hand over your current affairs to Jin Wei."

"Just focus on cooperating with the investigation during this period and be available whenever needed. You don't need to worry about anything else. Manager Yan has plenty of time and energy to do what he likes, such as... visiting prostitutes."

Yan Wenjiu was publicly executed: "..."

The entire audience tried to suppress their laughter, especially Zhou Qingfeng's men, whose group, led by Zhiqi and Jin Wei, almost burst out laughing. Xiao Hongyun, standing to the side, pretended to be very serious, but a mocking smile appeared on his lips.

The Luo family gang members naturally felt ashamed. Prostitution wasn't illegal, but it was something they did behind closed doors. No one would openly talk about it, since they were all respectable people. Prostitution was something easy to do but hard to talk about. For a high-ranking official in charge of the Fifth Division to have a hobby of prostitution was a laughing stock.

This intense and sudden meeting ended amidst uproarious laughter.

Through this meeting, Yan Wenjiu was sidelined due to his prostitution scandal. He still held his official position, but it was useless to him because he had to cooperate with the investigation and wait for Zhou Qingfeng to send people to investigate.

When to send someone to investigate is up to Zhou Qingfeng. If the matter isn't resolved by then, Yan Wenjiu can just collect his salary and loaf around all day. The specific tasks that the person in charge is responsible for will be taken over by Jin Wei. Jin Wei doesn't have the official title of person in charge, but he already has the power of a person in charge, which is equivalent to acting as the person in charge.

The serial murders of geishas were no longer of any value to Zhou Qingfeng. Keeping them in his hands would only cause trouble, so he might as well let Che Yuxuan deal with them. If Che Yuxuan could handle it within the time limit, he could sit back and reap the rewards. If he couldn't handle it, he could just throw him into an abyss of no return.

Today, by eliminating twenty-four members of the Luo family gang with this knife, a number of positions have been instantly freed up without affecting the daily operation of the Fifth Division. The next step is to send our own people to replace these positions.

Anyway, every single one of the people in the Luo family gang will try to destroy them at any opportunity. Taking down one of them now will help stabilize the overall situation and accelerate the Luo family gang's demise.

But the Luo family gang will definitely not sit idly by and wait to be killed. They will definitely try every means to retaliate. After all, even a rabbit will bite when cornered, let alone taking down so many members of the Luo family gang today.

However, it is not clear at present that the Luo family gang has any winning trump card that could turn the tide.

Time flies like an arrow; three days have passed in the blink of an eye.

For three days, the surface was calm, but undercurrents were surging. The Luo family gang was eerily quiet, showing no signs of retaliation, until Bi Muge secretly delivered three crucial pieces of intelligence, shattering the tranquility.

"A storm is coming, everyone be prepared." Zhou Qingfeng, holding a cup of lychee black tea, stood at the window of the tea room in the main office building, his expression grave as he watched the clear sky suddenly turn into a thick cloud cover.

Jin Wei, Zhi Qi, and Xiao Hongyun each sat at a tea table, turning their heads to look at Zhou Qingfeng's back.

Jin Wei said confidently, "Commander, if the Luo family gang makes any big moves, Bi Muge will secretly inform us, giving us ample time to prepare."

Zhiqi said simply and clearly, "Commander, the advantage is on our side now. Whatever they do is in vain. I can't think of any way they can turn the tide."

Xiao Hongyun glanced at the two of them and flicked his folding fan lightly: "Then you underestimate them. Luo Bingyi and his students are not pushovers. If they were so easy to deal with, they would have been replaced countless times already. Whether Lao Zhou can withstand Luo Bingyi's full-scale retaliation is still unknown."

Zhou Qingfeng took a sip of his lychee milk tea, stretched his hand out the window, letting the raindrops fall into his palm, and smiled calmly: "Better safe than sorry, Lao Xiao. Don't go out alone or leave the city recently."

Xiao Hongyun frowned slightly: "Are you worried that someone wants to get rid of me?"

Zhou Qingfeng nodded: "They plan to lure you out of the city and find an opportunity to kill you in the wild."

"Sigh, helping someone requires risking your life." Xiao Hongyun shook his head with a wry smile. He was mainly responsible for investigating the traitors. If something happened to him, and he was seriously injured or died, the knife that was held to the neck of the Luo family gang would be temporarily removed.

When that time comes, who will wield this knife will be the subject of much debate.

Therefore, Xiao Hongyun was in a very dangerous situation. He was Zhou Qingfeng's shield, attracting most of the firepower and hatred. If anyone was going to die, he would definitely be the first to die. He was practically risking his life to help.

Zhou Qingfeng walked back to the tea table, casually placed the lychee black tea on it, then walked behind Xiao Hongyun and put his hands on Xiao Hongyun's shoulders, saying, "Old Xiao, I will privately ask Mr. Liao to protect you and make sure you won't be taken care of silently. Rest assured and continue doing your work."

Xiao Hongyun held a folding fan and gently waved it, nodding nonchalantly.

Seeing this, Zhou Qingfeng withdrew his hand and said, "According to intelligence, Zhai Xingyuan will organize all the officials to jointly accuse me before the city lord. He has already listed the charges against me, but it's not a big problem. I have my own way of dealing with it."

"But you should be more careful in the future. You must be truthful, compliant and legal, and never engage in fraud. Otherwise, you will not only harm yourselves, but I will also suffer greatly as a result."

Reclaiming power and eliminating the Luo family gang is an unavoidable hurdle. After all, the Luo family gang has a complex web of internal relationships and mutual support. If they were all mobilized to file a complaint with higher authorities, even Zhou Qingfeng would find it difficult to cope.

The Luo family's move undoubtedly pushed the power struggle to a more intense level, breaking Zhou Qingfeng's control over the current situation and bringing the matter to the highest power circle of the Sword Tower.

Those who want to take advantage of Zhou Qingfeng's misfortune and suppress him will definitely seize this opportunity to add fuel to the fire. As long as the situation becomes chaotic and the waters turn muddy, the Luo family gang can take advantage of the situation and still have a chance to turn the tide.

If Zhou Qingfeng doesn't handle the situation well, his efforts may be in vain.

In response, Zhou Qingfeng could only find some time to talk to his master in advance and sound him out.

Zhou Qingfeng said, "Alright, you all go about your business. Jin Wei, you stay here."

Xiao Hongyun stood up and said, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

He rose, took his weapon, clasped his hands in a salute, and said, "Commander, I understand."

The two left the tea room one after the other.

Jin Wei stood up, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Commander, is there another mission you have assigned?"

Zhou Qingfeng said calmly, "I never concern myself with money matters, but according to the information Bi Muge sent, they are investigating my financial situation over the past ten years or so, and they have already set their sights on you. I'm asking you now, can you withstand the investigation?"

Jin Wei was stunned. Although he knew this day would come sooner or later, he didn't expect it to come so soon. However, he was content. Over the years, he had followed the young master on his mission, enjoying wealth and honor, and being prominent in front of others. He could have almost anything he wanted, and he had never lacked money. His family also enjoyed the good life.

Moreover, even if he dies, his family will continue to enjoy a life of comfort, because he knows that the young master is a kind and righteous person who has never been mean to his own people, and the Jin family will always have a place in the Zhou family.

He licked his lips, clasped his hands firmly in response, and said, "We will definitely find some clues if we investigate, but the problem will ultimately stop with me and will have nothing to do with you."

Zhou Qingfeng frowned slightly. Even if he had received prior intelligence, he did not want to sacrifice Jin Wei to save the king. After all, Jin Wei had been with him for more than ten years, serving as both his henchman and his moneybag. He trusted Jin Wei with many tasks and now he was considered his right-hand man, capable of handling things independently. Losing him would undoubtedly deal a heavy blow to his core team.

For a long time, no one could be found to replace Jin Wei.

It must be said that Luo Bingyi and his group are truly cunning and treacherous. The conspiracy they secretly plotted was extremely insidious and vicious. With three schemes working together, if they were to successfully implement them, they could definitely turn the tide of the battle.

"It's not that time yet." Zhou Qingfeng waved his hand, interrupting Jin Wei's wild thoughts in time, and reassuring Jin Wei to prevent him from panicking and making trouble.

Moreover, now that he knows about the Luo family gang's conspiracy, he won't let them touch his money. But how to protect his money? Zhou Qingfeng didn't have any foolproof ideas for the time being.

Because they had too much dirty money, ninety percent of the hundreds of billions of wealth they acquired from the Xiyi Treasure was illicit, and the vast majority of it was not legal money, but various kinds of cultivation resources.

For many years, Jin Wei has been in charge of money laundering, converting resources into cash, investing in industries, and building cities. He also launders money through building and investing in industries. Although he pays taxes, the money he pays can be spent.

Now, the Luo family gang has quietly set their sights on Jin Wei.

This undoubtedly struck Zhou Qingfeng's sore spot with precision and ruthlessness.

Zhou Qingfeng sighed inwardly; the old fox was not easy to deal with.

However cunning the old fox may be, Zhou Qingfeng, the little fox, had taken precautions many years ago, ensuring that he was absolutely clean and had not taken or spent a single penny of the money that was not clean, so no matter how he was investigated, there would be no problem.

After all, one must be strong to succeed; if one is not strong enough, others will have leverage over one's weaknesses.

Zhou Qingfeng pondered for a moment and said, "Jin Wei, you've been targeted by the Luo family gang. Why don't you go abroad to lay low for a while? I've already thought of a place for you. Go hide in Winter City. I'll have Young Master Jiang Li look after you."

Jin Wei asked, "Under what pretext will you go, and for how long?"

Zhou Qingfeng narrowed his eyes: "I recently heard that the Word Demon Spirit has appeared in Winter City. It just so happens that I need this key material for my cultivation. You can secretly visit Young Master Jiang Li under the pretext of finding the Word Demon Spirit for me. Set off immediately."

Jin Wei was taken aback, then clasped his hands in a fist and replied, "This subordinate understands what to do."

Zhou Qingfeng nodded. This was the best solution he could think of at the moment. The Luo family gang had already set their sights on Jin Wei, so Jin Wei could not stay in the Sword Tower. Otherwise, he would be in a very passive position if he were captured.

The only option now is to send Jin Wei to our ally's territory. Even if the Luo family gang wants to target Jin Wei, they have no one to target. They want Jin Wei to assist in the investigation, but Jin Wei is already overseas, searching for the non-existent Yan Sha Demon Spirit, because the Yan Sha Demon Spirit is not in Winter City.

As a result, this task is one that will never be completed.

If you want Jin Wei to cooperate with the investigation, you can go abroad and bring him back yourself. If you want to summon him back yourself, that's fine too, but it's a long way. If you're not in a hurry, wait a year or two.

After a year and a half, the daylilies had completely cooled down.

Once this crisis is overcome and the Luo family gang is wiped out, Zhou Qingfeng can legitimately summon Jin Wei back at any time after things settle down. Of course, the outcome could also be that Jin Wei abuses his position to deceive his superiors and subordinates, absconds with funds overseas, and mysteriously disappears without a trace.

No matter how the situation evolves, Zhou Qingfeng will remain invincible.

That day, Jin Wei packed nothing, changed his appearance, and disguised himself, leaving Sword Tower City unimpeded and disappearing alone into the wilderness.

At the same time, Zhou Qingfeng also went to the city lord's mansion, bringing fine tea and wine to visit his master.

The entrance to the inner courtyard of the city lord's mansion, a small, independent courtyard at the base of the wall.

In his study, Qiu Chengde was enjoying his leisure time, playing the erhu by himself.

It was a rare moment for Zhou Qingfeng to see his master not busy. After entering the study, he clasped his hands in a salute, placed the fine tea and wine beside him, and did not make a sound to disturb him. He simply stood quietly and waited for his master to finish playing a piece of music.

Qiu Chengde looked up at Zhou Qingfeng and said with a smile, "Have you run into big trouble?"

Zhou Qingfeng clasped his hands in response: "Yes, Master, someone is conspiring with all the officials to file a complaint against me before Mother..."

"I know, Madam has already made arrangements for this." Qiu Chengde held a soft, dry cloth and wiped the body of the erhu to remove dust and sweat stains. He was very careful and gentle in the maintenance process, showing that he cherished the instrument very much.

Zhou Qingfeng was stunned, his brows furrowing instantly. He wondered how his master knew about this information. This was top-secret information within the Luo family gang. If it weren't for Bi Muge acting as an inside man, even he wouldn't know about it. How did his master find out before him?

Qiu Chengde didn't even look up, continuing to wipe the zither, as if answering his disciple's doubts: "The Seven Offices are not just for show. If the secret agents couldn't get a heads-up about such a big event as the joint memorial from all the officials, then there would be no need for the Plum Blossom Secret Agents to exist."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingfeng remained silent, his heart pounding with fear.

Qiu Chengde looked up and smiled, "Let's go back and wait patiently to watch their performance."