Chapter 2763: The Capital (Part 119)

Xu Ke did not recognize this person; evidently, the name was absent from the Political Security Bureau's surveillance lists. He pressed further, "Does he have an alias?"

"Perhaps this is his alias."

"You have recruited many religious sects and secret societies throughout Guangzhou Prefecture. What purpose do they serve? As far as I know, most of these disciples and followers are ignorant commoners who know nothing beyond burning incense and worshipping gods—people easily deceived. Apart from the few dozen individuals surrounding the sect leaders, most have no combat capability whatsoever. If it came to an actual fight, they would scatter in chaos. Are they merely there to bolster your numbers?"

Liu Sha smiled. "Even a blade of grass or a splinter of wood has its use, let alone living men. If you say they harbor ulterior motives and possess no fighting strength, this Poor Daoist will not dispute it. But to call them useless would be a grave error. Allow me to pose a question, Chief: how many sect members reside in the religious sects of Guangzhou Prefecture?"

"That, I confess, I do not know precisely."

"No fewer than thirty or forty thousand." Liu Sha permitted himself a trace of smugness. "If those thirty or forty thousand were to surge forward en masse, even if they were unarmed and stretched out their necks for slaughter, how long would it take you to kill them all?"

"So these living souls are merely sacrifices—offerings to delay the Senate's counterattack."

"Precisely." Liu Sha nodded. "Forgive my bluntness, but when it comes to the breadth of vision required for planning great affairs, the Senate remains somewhat narrow-minded, falling far short of Master Liang's cloud-reaching heroic spirit."

"Cloud-reaching heroic spirit indeed," Xu Ke laughed. "He certainly possesses the grandeur of one who thinks, 'I scheme for all under heaven—how can I spare mere commoners?' However, the Daoist Priest is himself but a common man. In Master Liang's eyes, you are probably no different from those sect disciples sent to blunt our blades. Is it not absurd to applaud him so enthusiastically?"

Liu Sha was taken aback. He wanted to refute the point but found no foothold from which to begin. When he thought about it, wasn't he merely a chess piece to Master Wang? Why else would he have had his change of heart?

Seeing the embarrassment on the man's face, Xu Ke refrained from pressing the wound further. Instead, he said, "Since Master Liang has a martial staff, he must also have a civilian staff. What do you know of them?"

Liu Sha gave a peculiar smile. "Had I possessed a few more children, this would have been worthwhile. As things stand now..."

"Now you feel you've gotten the worse end of the bargain, don't you?" Xu Ke rose and added hot water to his teacup, smiling.

Liu Sha chuckled a few times in tacit acknowledgment, then said:

"Truthfully, I know little about this civilian staff. Liang Cunhou's mind is meticulous, no less so than Master Wang's." He paused. "It is said that a considerable number of local noble families and gentry in Guangdong are involved."

"This we have more or less surmised." Xu Ke nodded. "They are loath to relinquish their paradise. However, such people cannot be counted as a proper civilian staff."

"You are correct. In fact, his civilian staff—though I do not know their specific identities—I have reason to believe they were originally members of the Yuyuan Society."

The name of the Yuyuan Society had appeared repeatedly in Liang's case file. Some of its members had already been arrested or turned, allowing them to piece together seventy or eighty percent of the membership roster. However, these individuals held low positions within the society and possessed limited knowledge. The organization itself had been founded by a group of Guangdong scholars with keen interest in "Australian Studies," though their motivations varied widely. Some were driven by pure curiosity; others sought to master Australian knowledge; still others viewed membership merely as a ladder for social advancement, since Liang Cunhou was known to favor those versed in Australian Studies. Because their goals diverged so completely, their understanding of the society's inner workings differed accordingly.

Members who had joined purely out of intellectual interest or careerism were naturally relegated to the organization's periphery. Even those who had studied Australian knowledge in considerable depth found that Liang Cunhou would only "sit and discuss the Dao" with them; he entrusted none of them with confidential matters.

"...This Poor Daoist knows little of the details myself. I know only that he collected many of your books, newspapers, and periodicals, concealing them within his residence. He permitted scholars within the society to study and draw upon these materials. Meanwhile, he and his most trusted members secretly compiled a book based on these collected works, entitled Record of Broad Hearing of Heavenly Matters (Tianqing Guangwenlu)."

They had heard various rumors about Liang Cunhou secretly compiling such a book.

"Where is this book hidden?"

"Most likely in his mansion." Liu Sha said, "He invested enormous effort in this work; naturally he treasures it, intending to present it to the Imperial Court in due time."

"Set the book aside for now. Who were his most trusted people within the Yuyuan Society?"

"One was Lin Zunxiu. However, he is now nothing but a spent force, lingering on his last breath in Guangzhou City. Even Master Liang has probably severed all connections with him by now. But if we speak of the deepest roots, it would be none other than him."

"Who else?"

"Three or four others, but I have only glimpsed their faces and do not know their names. Judging by their appearance, they are not from wealthy families—probably all of poor scholar stock. However, there is one person you likely already know. I heard Young Master Liang mention that he came from Lingao."

"Surnamed Huang?!"

"Precisely!" Liu Sha laughed. "So you do know!"

"Where is this person now?"

"I cannot say." Liu Sha shook his head. "Before the Witchcraft Case, he stopped showing his face. Either he departed for elsewhere, or Young Master Liang hid him away."

The Political Security Bureau was aware that Huang Binkun had sought refuge with Liang Cunhou in Guangzhou, yet his presence was conspicuously absent from the various cases they had investigated. Eventually, they had lost track of his whereabouts entirely.

"Young Master Liang values him highly, does he not?"

"Indeed. After all, the man came directly from Lingao; his firsthand observations carry considerable weight. He is bold and decisive, with a stubborn nature. Young Master Liang prizes him greatly."

This confirmed that Huang was a key figure in Liang's inner circle. As for his current location, Xu Ke estimated there was a nine-in-ten chance he had already left Guangzhou.

Regrettably, even Liu Sha did not know the man's whereabouts. He would likely prove a thorn in their side in the future.

His next question addressed what the people from the Senate's Finance and Economics sector most urgently wanted to know: "Where did the counterfeit currency you used for your operations in Guangdong originate? Was it Young Master Liang's idea, or Master Wang's?"

"That requires some explaining." Liu Sha said, "Originally, it was Mr. Le who suggested the scheme to Master Wang. He argued that since you Australians do not mint coins and rely exclusively on printed paper notes, such currency could be forged. This would allow them to fraudulently obtain materials while turning a profit."

"And then?"

"Counterfeit banknotes proved far from easy to produce." Liu Sha continued, "Mr. Le personally oversaw the effort, but it failed repeatedly. Master Wang drew upon his connections and hired many skilled craftsmen, spending considerable silver, yet the results were... difficult to describe. The forgeries could only deceive country folk; they were unusable in the cities. And even the country people were not foolish—regardless of whether the notes were genuine or fake, they simply refused to accept paper currency."

Xu Ke knew that before they had used the abolished grain circulation coupons as a template for counterfeiting, all paper counterfeit currency on the market had been identifiable as fake at a glance.

"Mr. Le lost face and came to consult this Poor Daoist for a solution." Liu Sha grew rather pleased with himself as he recounted this part. "It was then that this Poor Daoist conceived the idea of counterfeiting silver coins instead."

"You, sir, are truly a man of remarkable talents!" Xu Ke said, his tone hovering between mockery and genuine admiration.

"You flatter me, you flatter me." Liu Sha could not conceal his smugness. "This Mr. Le—his learning is naturally impressive, but when it comes to the ways of the jianghu, he is really quite green."

"And in your estimation?"

"Paper currency appears cheap and simple, but in reality, Australian paper notes contain secret techniques that make them extraordinarily difficult to imitate. Silver dollars, by contrast, offer an easier target."

"So the counterfeit silver dollars were your conception." Xu Ke said. "The Zhuti Silver must be your handiwork as well, correct?"

"The Zhuti Silver was refined by Daoist Wu. Alchemy is his particular specialty."

"You have certainly accumulated acquaintances among the strange and outlandish figures of the jianghu. What exactly is this man's background?"

"He was originally a shaman from the mountains of Guizhou—not a practitioner of the Dao at all. He learned many forms of witchcraft and forbidden arts deep in the southwestern mountains. Later, through some twist of fate, he took a Daoist as his master and studied the arts of talismans and elixirs, eventually blending these traditions into a set of methods uniquely his own. Not only is he versed in various magical arts, but he is also proficient in the cursing techniques practiced by Western Fan monks..."

"Wait, wait," Xu Ke frowned. "He was originally a shaman, then joined a Daoist sect—so how did he end up practicing Esoteric Buddhism?"

"Hehe, there is something you do not know, Sir. What Wu Zhiqi practices is a hybrid of Esoteric Buddhism and the Bon religion of the Western Fan—most mysterious of all. According to his claims, its power is immense: at its lowest level, it can curse and claim lives; at its highest, it can construct arrays capable of ruining a nation's destiny. Very effective, he says..."

"And you believe this?"

"This Poor Daoist remains half-skeptical. However, I have witnessed him curse a man to death with my own eyes. Most formidable!"

Xu Ke subconsciously touched his chin, finding it difficult to believe. Yet Liu Sha spoke with such solemn conviction that he did not seem to be lying. Thinking back on the things Fu Wen had done, it appeared that Daoist Cui's speculation from before had been remarkably accurate. That portly Cui really did have a way with feudal superstition!

"How could such a powerful figure be made to serve your purposes?" Xu Ke found himself genuinely curious. "He himself is a master of casting spells; could he really be fooled by your soul-extraction trick?"

"How can you call it fooling? If I lacked genuine skill, could a master of his caliber be manipulated and directed by this Poor Daoist?" Liu Sha said with evident pride.

"Whose idea was this scheme?"

"Daoist Wu's, of course; I lack such capability." Liu Sha hastened to distance himself from the matter. "It was simply that he required too many human lives, so I recommended Fu Wen to him. I never expected those two to act so recklessly!"

Xu Ke thought, So you know well enough to clear yourself of this matter! He continued his questioning:

"What was Mr. Le's view of all this?"

"He was naturally opposed, saying that since ancient times, he had never heard of heresy and deviant paths achieving great things. Master Wang said much the same, in fact."

"Then why did they proceed regardless?"

"Even a cornered rabbit will bite." Liu Sha sighed. "Wu Zhiqi swore so solemnly that we felt we had no choice but to believe him, so we thought we might as well make the attempt."

A dog will jump over a wall when desperate! Xu Ke criticized inwardly. For the sake of this "attempt," how many innocent commoners had lost their lives! Setting aside Master Wang and the others, if this Zhou Lezhi truly was a transmigrator, this crime alone would warrant death by a thousand cuts.

He said calmly, "This 'attempt' exacted quite a cost. Fu Wen later confessed that the silver given to Gao Tianshi alone amounted to ten thousand taels. That is no small sum."

Liu Sha smiled without speaking. Xu Ke understood immediately: "This was all Zhuti Silver?"

"Correct—all refined by Old Daoist Wu." Liu Sha said. "It is a secret art he learned in the Miao frontier. Furthermore..."

"Furthermore, you also possessed the stamp of Sanjiang Mao."

"That item was originally an old piece from years past, but with it in hand, the Zhuti Silver became all the more effective."

(End of this chapter)