Mo Qian's goal was not the thousand pounds of gold. It was to find Ruan Jing.A thousand pounds of gold was certainly a tremendous temptation, but it was also an enormous target, and far too easy to get caught over.The reason he wanted to save Ruan Jing was also connected to his own situation in the bureau. Luan Jingfu had bullied him repeatedly. Xiao Zongting protected him, but Xiao Zongting held no real power. The only person in the Yuanshun Dart Bureau who could actually suppress Luan Jingfu was Ruan Fengshan.As long as he could save Ruan Jing, he would have a way to ease the danger pressing on him inside the bureau.But Mo Qian was not in a hurry to act. The situation had reversed. He was now in the dark and the enemy was in the light. He first had to confirm there was no one with greater strength somewhere in this grave.Mo Qian used the Cloud Snake Step and bone-shrinking technique together. His movements were faster and less visible than a wildcat moving through the mountains

Mo Qian dug further, and the fine-steel box came into view under the soil.He tossed the shovel aside, channeled inner breath into his arms, and lifted the thousand-pound iron box straight out of the pit.Even with inner breath supporting his arms against a thousand pounds, he felt the strain.Mo Qian's steps were unsteady, and he sank several inches into the soft ground beside the grave before he was able to set the iron box down on the escort cart.He shook the dirt from his hands and body, looked at Ruan Fengshan, and said, "Bureau head, shall we go?""Wait." Ruan Fengshan set Ruan Jing on the escort cart, then moved quickly and pulled two unconscious figures from behind a nearby grave, dropped them onto the cart, and said, "Take these two back as well."Mo Qian looked at them by the light. They appeared to be merely unconscious, nothing like the gang members who had died violently. They were not injured.They were also wearing the clothes of Yuanshun Dart Bureau servants.These tw

Zhou An's shoulders trembled. He forced a look of concern onto his face and said, "Have you found the young master? The young master is only three years old. The longer he is in the hands of those people, the greater the danger..."Ruan Fengshan looked at Zhou An's face without any expression. He had not expected Zhou An to still be trying to hold the line at this point. He sighed quietly and said, "Was it you who had Jing'er write that message?"The moment the words reached him, Zhou An's body jerked and he slid from the stool to the floor. He was terrified, but his eyes moved with a murmur under his breath. "Yu Wenlong, you idiot, how did you let that child stay alive..."Ruan Fengshan's face went utterly cold. He reached behind his back, drew a leather whip with a hiss of metal fittings, took two steps forward, and brought it down across Zhou An's face with a crack, the words coming with it. "Faithless, poisonous dog."A weal two fingers wide appeared on Zhou An's face, the flesh r

The promotion was nothing to dismiss either. Apprentice escorts and full escorts did the same work, but apprentices earned less. Becoming a full member meant his pay would finally match the work."In addition, I have authorized a special allocation from Chief Accountant Xu Shouxian of one thousand taels of silver to be used toward your cultivation. It will be distributed to you monthly over ten months.""I caution you that this money is not to be spent carelessly. It is to be used for cultivation."Mo Qian cupped his fists and answered firmly, "Understood."He thought to himself, however: I am worth tens of thousands of taels at this point. Why would I spend a cultivation stipend carelessly?What Ruan Fengshan had said so far had clearly been agreed upon before Mo Qian arrived and came as no surprise to the room. Most people responded with little more than a glance in Mo Qian's direction.But the next thing Ruan Fengshan said produced a shift in nearly every expression in the hall."T

Mo Qian listened and shook his head quietly. This short melon really is willful. First thing in the morning and he wants grilled meat.When Shi Kang and Mo Qian arrived at Xueyan Residence together, they found Ximen Kankan already out by the entrance managing the fire. Under the bright morning sky, the heat from the grill had his face gleaming with sweat.The moment Shi Kang saw Ximen Kankan crouching over the fire himself, he exclaimed, "Young master! This kind of work should be left for me! You'll give yourself heatstroke!"Ximen Kankan turned his head, about to say something, when he spotted Mo Qian. His round body practically bounced upright. "Where have you been all this time? Shi Kang went to the bureau to look for you again and again and never found you!"Mo Qian looked at Ximen Kankan's face, which had picked up a few smears of charcoal ash, and laughed. "I'm a dart master. Naturally I go out on dart runs. Not everyone has a father who owns a pharmacy and gets to stay home and