Heaven Dou City.
Inside the Cathedral of a branch of Spirit Hall.
'Rustle, rustle...'
The sound of pages turning echoed particularly loudly in the quiet hall.
Jin Mian sat in the bishop's seat.
He was flipping through an account book he had just ordered someone to bring.
Others from the Cathedral stood below him.
A few of them looked extremely nervous.
Their eyes flickered toward the ledger in Jin Mian's hands from time to time.
Because they knew very well that there were many bad debts in this ledger that hadn't been destroyed yet.
They had originally planned to deal with them in a few days.
Who would have thought that Jin Mian would show up here out of the blue?
Now, they could only pray that Bishop Salas would return quickly to handle the situation.
After Jin Mian finished reviewing all the accounts from the past three years, he pinched the bridge of his nose.
He turned to the vice-bishop beside him and asked, "What is Salas busy with? Why hasn't he arrived yet?"
Speak of the devil, and he shall appear!
Just as the vice-bishop was about to offer a perfunctory excuse...
...Salas's voice came from outside the hall.
"Young Master Jin's arrival is a great honor. Please forgive me for not being here to welcome you!"
"I was busy entertaining some Tiandou Empire officials, which delayed me a bit."
"Please do not take offense, Young Master Jin."
Salas trotted in, spouting flatteries as he entered the hall.
But as soon as he stepped inside, he saw some of his subordinates winking and gesturing at him, while others were touching their faces, leaving him very confused.
Jin Mian smiled slightly, his tone flat and unreadable. "It doesn't matter if you're late. I came here unannounced anyway."
Hearing this, Salas instantly breathed a sigh of relief.
It turned out this lord had only come here on a whim.
It wasn't some kind of surprise inspection.
Just as his racing heart began to settle...
...Jin Mian's tone shifted. He pointed to his own face and smiled. "By the way, Bishop, among the officials you were entertaining, there couldn't have been any female ones, right? Why is your face covered in lip prints?"
"Lip prints?" Salas was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized.
When the drinking had been in full swing earlier, a dancing girl had kissed him several times on the face.
At the same time, he understood why his subordinates had been making faces at him the moment he walked in.
It turns out they were trying to warn him.
Salas hurriedly pulled a handkerchief from his robe and wiped his face quickly.
He stammered, "This... that... I..."
"Enough with the 'I's," Jin Mian interrupted, then stated the purpose of his visit. "Tell me, what is the current situation of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School?"
Ever since the Continental Elite Tournament ended...
...Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin had been placed under house arrest by the Hall of Worship.
They had not been released.
After all, Jin Mian would never release a tiger back to the mountain.
Letting go of an enemy already in his grasp was out of the question.
Salas organized his thoughts and quickly replied truthfully, "Reporting to the Young Master, ever since Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin were placed under house arrest by our Spirit Hall, undercurrents have been surging within the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School."
"Many collateral branches of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, along with outer disciples, have been trying to take advantage of the situation to rise to power."
"However, under the forceful suppression of the Bone Douluo, Gu Rong, these people have been kept down."
"Gu Rong has publicly declared his support for Ning Rongrong."
"At the same time, for over a year, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School has been strongly protesting Spirit Hall's detention of their Sect Master and Chen Xin."
"They demand the immediate release of the two."
Release them?
In their dreams.
Jin Mian sneered inwardly.
Salas continued, "By the way, there is one more thing. According to reports from palace spies, Gu Rong went to the imperial palace to seek help from Emperor Xue Qinghe, hoping he would use the imperial family's influence to help rescue Ning Fengzhi and Chen Xin."
"But for some unknown reason..."
...Xue Qinghe flatly refused."
Hearing this...
...Jin Mian cut him off. "Stop, no need to say more."
"I'm only interested in the current situation of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School. There's no need to mention anything else."
Gu Rong asking the Emperor for help?
He really went to the wrong person.
One must know that the current Xue Qinghe was actually his main wife in disguise.
Naturally, she would never agree to Gu Rong's request.
Jin Mian stood up from his seat.
He walked slowly over to Salas.
He patted the other man's shoulder and said with a smile, "Bishop Salas, drinking is bad for the health, and beauty is even worse. At your age, you must learn moderation. Don't forget your identity by indulging in wine and women."
"Lest you end up blurting out some secrets."
"If that happens, you'll only be able to pray for a deity to come and save you."
Hearing this...
Salas hurriedly promised, "Rest assured, Young Master. This subordinate is loyal to Spirit Hall and has no ulterior motives whatsoever."
Jin Mian continued unhurriedly, "I am aware of your loyalty, Bishop Salas, and I have no business with your private life. However, you must ensure that your personal affairs do not affect the reputation of Spirit Hall."
"Furthermore, you must exercise strict control over your subordinates."
"I just looked through the ledgers and the annual personal accounts of everyone in the Cathedral."
"I found that the numbers don't quite add up."
"I discovered that not only are there many public accounts of unknown origin, but a sum of subsidies from Spirit Hall that should have been distributed to commoner Soul Masters has also gone missing."
"Moreover, several Cardinal Bishops have mysteriously acquired several permanent properties in the Tiandou Empire under their names?"
"Hiss—Bishop Salas, where do you think this money went? And what are these Cardinal Bishops trying to do by purchasing permanent properties in the Tiandou Empire?"
Jin Mian's seemingly joking expression and calm voice...
...seemed like a dagger hidden behind a smile to Salas.
Terrified, he began to break out in a cold sweat.
Because those public accounts of unknown origin and that subsidy...
...he had a share in them as well.
Good grief.
On the surface, he came to ask about the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School.
In reality, he was here to investigate corruption.
"Fine, I'll give you three days to clear this up."
"In three days, leave the report on the desk. I will come and check it personally."
How could Salas dare to say no? He quickly replied, "Yes."
But then he asked, "What about the Supreme Pontiff's side... after all, all matters of Spirit Hall are under the Supreme Pontiff's jurisdiction..."
Jin Mian shot him a cold look and said chillingly, "Oh? Does Bishop Salas think the Hall of Worship can no longer manage things?"
"No, no, no! This subordinate will get right on it," Salas quickly corrected himself.
After handling these matters...
...Jin Mian left the Cathedral.
After switching to the identity of Xing Daorong, he entered the imperial palace.
It had to be said.
Ever since Qian Renxue ascended the throne and became the Emperor of the Tiandou Empire...
...she had done a decent job.
The Tiandou Empire's declining national strength was actually starting to show signs of recovery.
Since Qian Renxue was still holding court at this time...
...and Yu Long and Ci Xue were also disguised as guards protecting her in the shadows...
...Jin Mian couldn't see her immediately.
So he went to the Secret Chamber first to wait quietly.
He wanted to give Qian Renxue a big surprise...
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