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

The site where the millennium-old Dragon Banquet was built.

One hundred thousand cultivators of the Food Source Sect toiled day and night, pouring out their blood and sweat, casting spells, activating supernatural powers, setting up formations, refining bricks, and building walls and tiles.

The burly man with a bushy beard spewed black flames, burning the clay into a crimson fluid, and faint rune patterns appeared between the bulging muscles on his back; the old woman in hemp clothing pressed her palms to the ground, and turbid air seeped into the brick blanks through her cracked fingertips, and spiderweb-like dark purple veins immediately appeared on the brick surface.

Xiao Hongyun, along with five of his men, quickly followed the chief engineer to the building materials storage area.

Material transport vehicles were parked here, each carrying storage bags filled with materials. There were dozens to hundreds of storage bags. Most of these storage bags were very worn and had been handled many times. They would be too shabby for cultivators to wear and use, but they still had some value as space bags for transporting materials.

Hundreds of porters are moving storage bags to designated stacking locations, emptying materials from the bags, and then returning the bags to the carts. Building material suppliers are delivering their orders in batches.

The chief foreman brought Xiao Hongyun over and pointed to a figure not far away: "Lord Xiao, that is Li Xiangsi."

"That's all for you." Xiao Hongyun nodded slightly, patted the chief engineer's shoulder, and then winked at his subordinates behind him, signaling them to hold their ground. He walked towards Li Xiangsi as if nothing was wrong, his folding fan waving lightly, his steps leisurely.

Upon seeing this, a hint of panic flashed in Li Xiangsi's eyes. He quickly clasped his hands in a salute, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead: "This humble one greets all the officials. May I ask what instructions you may give me?"

Xiao Hongyun's eyes were sharp as he said calmly, "It's just routine business. Enough with the nonsense. Show me your travel documents."

"Alright, alright, sir, this is my travel document. Please take a look." Li Xiangsi hurriedly took out the document, presented it with both hands, her fingertips trembling slightly.

Xiao Hongyun took the document, examined it carefully, and his gaze lingered on Li Xiangsi's face for a moment, a half-smile on his face: "What is it for?"

Li Xiangsi swallowed hard and clasped his hands in response: "Medicine merchant, I have come to Jianta to do business in medicinal herbs."

Xiao Hongyun raised an eyebrow: "Oh? You said you were in the medicinal herb business, how come you've switched to the building materials business now?"

Li Xiangsi wiped the sweat from her forehead and forced a smile, saying, "I used to do business with Physician Gu of the Gu Family Medical Hall in the Sword Tower, supplying him with medicinal herbs. The cooperation was always very pleasant. Later, Physician Gu, I don't know whose slander he listened to, wanted to invest in the building materials business."

He paused, a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes: "Doctor Gu was just burning through his money. Instead of running a perfectly good clinic, he went into the building materials business. Now look what happened, he's lost all twenty or thirty million yuan. The clinic went bankrupt, the ancestral home was sold, his savings are gone, and he's left with a mountain of debt. He still hasn't paid me for the medicine he owes me."

Li Xiangsi sighed and continued, "After I found the other person, he also had no money. He could only use building materials worth 20 million coins to pay off his debts. I had no choice but to accept it and take the building materials. I thought they would be stuck with me, but unexpectedly, the government suddenly started a large-scale construction project. So, my building materials now have a market."

Xiao Hongyun chuckled lightly, his gaze sharp as a knife: "Hmm, you're quite lucky. Are you from Swallowtail City? Your accent doesn't sound like it."

Li Xiangsi's eyes flickered, and he clasped his hands in response: "I am indeed from Yanwei City, a native of Yanwei. However, I have been doing business around Sihai City for many years and have not returned to my hometown for nearly a hundred years, so my accent is inevitably a bit mixed."

"I see." Xiao Hongyun remained calm, patted the carriage, and asked casually, "What's loaded in the carriage?"

Li Xiangsi quickly replied, "Cedar resin, saltpeter, and clay are all building materials required by the government. Your Excellency may inspect them at will."

Xiao Hongyun held the official document in one hand and a folding fan in the other, and with a gentle wave, gestured for his men to come forward and inspect it. Five men immediately boarded the carriage, carefully checked the materials in each storage bag, and after a moment reported, "Sir, there is no problem."

Xiao Hongyun smiled slightly, handed the document back to Li Xiangsi, patted him on the back, and said in a gentle tone, "Welcome to do business in Jianta. We in Jianta welcome every law-abiding merchant. I will not disturb Manager Li's business any longer. Farewell."

Li Xiangsi bowed and scraped, respectfully accepting the official document, her smile stiff: "Respectfully seeing off the official."

"Let's go, continue the investigation." Xiao Hongyun flicked his folding fan, turned around and left with his men, his steps calm and composed, as if everything was under control.

Two men who looked like shop assistants approached Li Xiangsi from behind, and one of them whispered, "That was close, thank goodness we weren't discovered."

Li Xiangsi turned around and glared at her companion, coldly saying, "Shut up! Get to work!"

Xiao Hongyun and his men pretended to check on a few more people before leaving the construction site and sitting down at a teahouse on the street. He called the teahouse owner over, ordered tea and snacks, and kept his eyes glued to the entrance of the construction site.

One of his subordinates couldn't help but ask, "Since Lord Xiao suspects this man is a foreign traitor, why didn't you capture him on the spot?"

The other four also looked at Xiao Hongyun with puzzled expressions.

Xiao Hongyun gently waved his folding fan, leaned against the window, his eyes sharp and a smile playing on his lips: "If we rashly arrest him, it will surely alert his companions. If he stalls for time, his companions will probably realize that something is wrong and move their hiding place. But if I let him go for now, he will lead us to his hiding place, and I can wipe them out in one fell swoop and eliminate the threat."

He paused, then said firmly, "We definitely have to capture Li Xiangsi, the leader. We can't let him escape. The problem is, he has fifteen subordinates. We need to find out if he has any more accomplices and what kind of conspiracy he's plotting. This will help us expand our gains in the future."

Another subordinate frowned and said, "Lord Xiao, aren't you being a little too confident? It's not that I doubt your decision, but I'm worried that Li Xiangsi might sense something is wrong and try to escape. How will we find him in this vast sea of ​​people?"

Xiao Hongyun's lips curled up slightly, a cold glint flashing in his eyes: "Run? Can he escape? When I patted his back just now, I left a little bit of sand. This little bit of sand is part of my body. With it on Li Xiangsi's body, he is under my constant surveillance."

The five subordinates exchanged glances, clasped their hands in unison, and said with heartfelt admiration, "Lord Xiao, your abilities are truly remarkable. We admire you greatly."

Xiao Hongyun gently waved his folding fan, closed his eyes slightly, and listened to the opera singers in the teahouse, leisurely and composed as a mountain.

He said calmly, "A petty thief dares to cause trouble in the Sword Tower? How laughable, how laughable."

P.S.: Just one chapter today. It's Chinese New Year, so I don't have time to write. On New Year's Eve, I wish everyone a happy new year, with everything going smoothly, peace and joy, wealth and prosperity, and all your wishes coming true!