Chapter 205 : Chapter 205
Chapter 205: A Banquet at the Liang Residence
Bai Shouheng was utterly speechless.
Good heavens. So as long as there were meetings or boring missions involved, this brat would not even want to join the Swordbearers Hall?
But since Li Mu had already nodded, Bai Shouheng reached out and took out a small sword-shaped token. A Vermilion Bird bathed in flames was carved upon it.
The entire token was crimson red, and it emitted powerful fluctuations.
“This is your Vermilion Bird Token.”
“The formation within the token can conceal your cultivation realm.”
“It will make it easier for you to disguise your identity in places where people are not familiar with you.”
“In the future, if you encounter people from other cities or any member of the Swordbearers Hall, you can use the Four Sacred Tokens to confirm one another’s identity.”
Li Mu received it in his hand and marveled at the Vermilion Bird Token’s exquisite and mysterious design.
The waves of energy it emitted could indeed conceal the aura of his cultivation according to his will.
In a place like Linyuan City, where many people were already familiar with Li Mu, it would definitely be useless.
But the Huaxia Federation had nearly a hundred cities.
At present, enemies surrounded them on all sides. There was a racial crisis, along with internal troubles and external threats.
There would always be a time when it came in handy.
In any case, up to now, the number of people who knew that Li Mu had joined the Swordbearers Hall could be counted on one hand.
Li Mu put away the Vermilion Bird Token.
Bai Shouheng took out a brand-new phone.
“This is your specially made phone. My number is on it, and I can contact you as well.”
“When you make any call through this phone, you do not need to worry about information being leaked.”
“In the future, if you encounter another matter like Zong Hongsheng’s, you may decide freely on anything below the Earth Rank. Once you are done, just report it to me.”
At this point, Bai Shouheng’s expression turned serious again.
“But you must remember that evidence is still extremely crucial.”
“Acting first and reporting later does not mean doing whatever you want.”
“Our means of obtaining evidence are very broad. Or rather, there are no restrictions.”
“But you must have evidence before you act.”
“In short, there is one principle.”
“I am not afraid of you causing trouble, as long as reason is on your side.”
“As for Zong Hongyuan’s matter, you do not need to worry.”
“Old Shui has detained his man now.”
“If Zong Hongyuan has to come to Linyuan City personally to ask Old Shui for the man back, he will probably be in a very sorry state.”
“Besides, the Military Merit Bureau has sent people over too. Zong Hongyuan will not have an easy time over at Shenqi Military District either.”
“After all, they are right next door.”
Li Mu nodded, then asked, “Old Bai, there is one more thing. Zong Hongsheng did not merely imprison young girls.”
“He also sold many martial artists abroad.”
“This matter...”
Old Bai said, “The Swordbearers Hall is currently only responsible for domestic affairs. When it involves foreign countries, the Abyss-Suppressing Army has more say.”
“If you insist on handling it, that is fine too.”
“I will help you investigate it clearly. As for how to act externally...”
“You should have more experience than I do.”
“Mm. I understand.”
Li Mu nodded. He had already understood Old Bai’s meaning.
After giving him a few more details about the Swordbearers Hall, Bai Shouheng let Li Mu return to the military district.
It was already past six in the evening.
When Li Mu returned to Wanren Military District, Zhang Baihe had already been waiting in the Cultivation Arts Faculty for quite some time.
In truth, Zhang Baihe did not have anything especially important to do.
His visit to Li Mu this time counted as a pleasant assignment. He had mainly come to build a relationship with Li Mu and, along the way, take credit a little.
“Tiger Marquis Li, you have no idea.”
“When we learned that Zong Hongyuan had sent people over...”
“Our Commissioner Luo flew into a thunderous rage. Such a refined and elegant man actually slammed the table at Zong Hongyuan during the Military Oversight Meeting!”
“That shows just how highly he values you!”
What Zhang Baihe said was indeed true.
Originally, after the Military Oversight Commander-in-Chief Zu Yuanji and the Military Merit Bureau Commissioner Luo Dongyun learned that Li Mu had killed Zong Hongsheng, neither of them said anything.
That was because everything was still unclear.
They also did not know whether Li Mu had reason on his side.
As long as Zong Hongyuan did not go too far, they would not say anything either. After all, Zong Hongyuan’s own younger brother had died. It was human nature.
Unexpectedly, Zong Hongyuan actually dared to fabricate some excuse about a “military-related case” and directly send people to Linyuan City to arrest Li Mu.
This had touched Luo Dongyun’s red line.
Luo Dongyun cursed Zong Hongyuan out on the spot.
During the Military Oversight Meeting, Zong Hongyuan had never suffered such a great loss before. Luo Dongyun directly turned hostile and pointed at his nose, asking him what he planned to do after arresting Li Mu.
He asked what decent contributions Zong Hongyuan had made over the past few years.
He asked whether selling Zong Hongyuan’s old bones would make him worth as much as Li Mu.
The scolding could be called extremely unpleasant.
The Falling Leaf Saber Art and Flowing Cloud Spear Art that Li Mu had revised had already been fully distributed.
This could be said to be the greatest pioneering achievement the Northern Frontier Military Merit Bureau had made in recent years.
It could be said that it had broken through the process of converting paper-format cultivation arts from zero to two.
It had played an extremely positive role.
And when Luo Dongyun had personally sent people to support Li Mu at the frontier, those people spent some time with Li Mu before returning with feedback.
Li Mu was not merely possibly capable of revising more and better paper-format cultivation arts.
He was absolutely capable of doing so.
To Luo Dongyun, and even to all of humanity, this was a mountain of gold.
Li Mu’s true value to the Military Merit Bureau was simply beyond outsiders’ imagination.
Naturally, the Military Merit Bureau could not go around telling people how formidable Li Mu was.
They did not even have time to hide him properly.
If Luo Dongyun had not feared that pushing Li Mu too hard would make him resentful, he would have personally dragged Li Mu into the Military Merit Bureau and enshrined him there long ago.
Now, what was Zong Hongyuan trying to do?
For the sake of a lecherous younger brother who had committed monstrous crimes, he had fabricated a military-related case to do what to Luo Dongyun’s precious Li Mu?
“Thank you for the great kindness shown by all the leaders of the Military Merit Bureau.”
“Li Mu will remember it in his heart.”
Li Mu spoke with heartfelt sincerity.
One good turn deserved another.
The Military Merit Bureau itself was a group of people who selflessly dedicated themselves to the rise of humanity’s martial artists.
They had never treated him poorly either. Li Mu was indeed grateful from the bottom of his heart.
Seeing how sincere Li Mu was, Zhang Baihe also nodded in relief.
Although he was a Junior Dragon General, he very much wanted to build a good relationship with Li Mu. After all, only they knew that Li Mu’s future prospects were limitless.
Zhang Baihe was just about to say something else.
Someone knocked on the door.
Li Mu said, “Come in.”
Deputy Instructor Tang Meiying walked in. First, she saluted Zhang Baihe.
“Dragon General Zhang!”
Her voice was slightly excited.
Leaders of the Military Merit Bureau were not commonly seen, much less speaking and laughing so freely with her own superior here.
Zhang Baihe nodded with a smile.
Only then did Tang Meiying say to Li Mu, “Head Instructor, the Liang Family has prepared a banquet. They have sent someone to invite you to visit the Liang residence.”
“Should I decline them?”
Li Mu instead looked toward Zhang Baihe.
“Dragon General Zhang, you have not eaten dinner yet, have you?”
“I would like to use their generosity as my own offering and drink a cup with Dragon General Zhang. I wonder if Dragon General Zhang finds that convenient.”
Li Mu could not continue refusing the Liang Family’s face.
From taking down the Lu Family, to the Blade-Ringing Grand Formation, to standing up and lending support to Li Mu...
The Liang Family had shown goodwill to Li Mu time and again.
It could be said that they had held nothing back.
Even if the Liang Family had not invited him, Li Mu had been planning to visit the Liang Family once this matter was done.
Now, this happened to be the perfect opportunity.
Zhang Baihe immediately clapped his hands and laughed loudly.
“Hahaha! Refusing wine when there is wine to drink would not be my style, Zhang Baihe!”
“Even if you had not mentioned it, I was just about to ask for a meal!”
He was eager to grow closer to Li Mu. Nothing could strengthen ties better than drinking together.
He would not let such an opportunity pass.
“Then shall we go?”
Li Mu made an inviting gesture toward the door.
“Let us go!” Zhang Baihe said with a smile as he walked outside.
Tang Meiying watched from the side, shocked in her heart.
The Instructor Department and the Cultivation Arts Faculty were departments that could be considered to share the same origin.
Therefore, Tang Meiying knew what kind of status Zhang Baihe held.
Who would have thought that Zhang Baihe would actually be so eager to please Li Mu?
One had to know that this banquet had not invited Zhang Baihe. It had invited Li Mu. For a figure like Zhang Baihe, how could he shamelessly go along just to freeload food and wine?
Yet for the sake of drinking with Li Mu, he had done precisely that.
Tang Meiying simply could not understand it. Was her boss actually this well-connected in the Military Merit Bureau too?
At her level, she naturally still could not know that Li Mu was the person who had revised the two major paper-format cultivation arts.
While she was still stunned, Li Mu gently tugged her.
“What are you standing there in a daze for? If you have not eaten, come with us.”