Chapter 480 - 410: The Arrest Agency

Chapter 480: Chapter 410: The Arrest Agency

While the Celestial Sword Sect cracked down on the Netherworld Ship’s Black Market deep within Thunder Shock Marsh, Chen Li had already returned to Jiangkou with Bai San and Gossip.

Chen Li had sent Gossip to the Netherworld Ship’s Black Market to relay a message through the middleman, Zhou Xuanzi, to the seller of the True Intent Map. They were to arrange a transaction in Jiangkou in five days.

This move was, in itself, a test.

He wanted to see if the other party was in Jiangzhou or a neighboring commandery.

After all, their ability to reply within ten days didn’t necessarily mean they had traveled personally. They could have used carrier pigeons, or even some unknown means of communication.

A transaction, however, was different. It required them to carry the goods and travel in person.

To a certain extent, the agreed-upon time would reveal their distance from Jiangkou.

Even for Chen Li himself, whose cultivation was at the peak of the Spirit Realm, traveling at full speed using his Body Technique was far faster than riding a horse.

But sprinting over long distances consumed an immense amount of Primordial Qi. The energy spent in a single day of rapid travel would take two full days of meditation to recover, making it not worth the cost.

Therefore, horses remained the preferred method for long-distance travel.

Chen Li had only tentatively suggested the five-day deadline; the other party was free to negotiate for a more generous timeframe.

But to his surprise, when he returned to Thunder Shock Marsh after retrieving those eighty thousand boxes of Opium from Nanjiang Heitan County, Gossip found him.

"Sir, the other party has replied..."

Gossip said in a low voice, "They agreed. The transaction will be in Jiangkou. The time is 5:00 PM, at a place called Hongyan Pavilion."

"Hongyan Pavilion?"

Hearing this, a surprised Bai San, who was standing nearby, chimed in, "Why would they choose that place?"

Chen Li frowned slightly. "Is there something special about it?"

Gossip glanced at Bai San, but Bai San just waved his hand. "You’re the expert here, Old Bao. You explain it to the master."

Gossip explained, "Sir, on the surface, Hongyan Pavilion is a pleasure house. But in reality, it’s a stronghold for the Arrest Bureau in Jiangkou."

"The Arrest Bureau?"

Chen Li was taken aback. It was the first time he had ever heard that name.

Gossip explained, "Sir, have you ever heard of the Ghostwriters?"

Chen Li nodded. "I’ve heard of them."

He was, of course, aware of the Ghostwriters. Although he’d never dealt with them directly, he knew they were people from the Jianghu who collected government bounties for capturing or assassinating wanted targets on behalf of the Government Office.

’So, the Arrest Bureau is connected to the Imperial Court?’

’But why would a Court agency be set up inside a brothel?’

Although the Court had always maintained an ambiguous stance on brothels—officially discouraging but secretly permitting them—setting up an office in such a venue was, at the end of the day, rather illogical.

Gossip began to explain in detail.

As it turned out, the Arrest Bureau wasn’t a purely official Court agency, but a special, semi-governmental organization.

Its core function was to serve as a platform between the Court’s Government Offices and the Ghostwriters.

It was responsible for collecting, verifying, and distributing the wanted notices issued by various Government Offices and Jingwu Bureaus, as well as handling the subsequent handovers and bounty payments.

The Great Qi’s territory was vast, the powers of the Jianghu were deeply entrenched and complex, and criminals were numerous, most of whom were fugitives who committed crimes across different regions.

They might rob a convoy in Jiangnan one day and slip away to the Northern Border the next.

The Court’s Jingwu Bureau, responsible for handling Jianghu affairs, had limited manpower and resources.

In reality, its primary function was to garrison local areas, maintain basic order, and prevent large-scale Jianghu feuds from affecting the common people.

It was unrealistic to expect a Banner Officer from the Jingwu Bureau to spend years crossing provinces and commanderies just to hunt down a fugitive bandit, and the Court couldn’t afford to maintain such a large, dedicated pursuit force.

Wanted notices were often only posted where the crime occurred and at the entrances of higher-level Government Offices, so their reach was limited.

When a Ghostwriter accepted a task, hunted a target for a thousand miles, and then captured or killed them, they still had to transport the proof or the head back to the original issuing Government Office for verification before they could collect the bounty.

The poor flow of information, the cumbersome process, and the difficulty of cashing in the bounty all severely hampered the effectiveness of using bounties to catch criminals.

And so, the Arrest Bureau came into being.

It specialized in collecting wanted notices from all across the land and distributing them through its own network.

Once a Ghostwriter accepted and completed a task, they didn’t need to transport the culprit back to the place where the warrant was issued. They simply had to hand them over to the nearest Arrest Bureau stronghold.

The bounty would be paid upfront by the Arrest Bureau.

Of course, they took a hefty commission for this service—typically forty percent of the bounty.

Although the cut was high, it saved them enormous cost and risk, so the arrangement was quite popular among the Ghostwriters.

Over time, the Court came to realize that the Arrest Bureau’s existence did indeed fill the gaps in its own law enforcement efforts.

Their stance shifted from tacit approval to semi-public cooperation, leading to the special, semi-governmental status it holds today.

For example, if the Liyang Jingwu Bureau wanted to put out a warrant for a major criminal, in addition to going through standard official channels, they would also send the arrest warrant to the Arrest Bureau.

After that, all they had to do was wait for the results.

The Jiangzhou Arrest Bureau had three main strongholds, and Hongyan Pavilion in Jiangkou was one of them.

After listening, Chen Li gave a slight nod.

It wasn’t hard to guess why the other party had chosen to conduct the transaction on the Arrest Bureau’s turf.

Safety.

In a stronghold backed by the Court, both parties would be more cautious and wouldn’t dare to act recklessly, reducing the risk of a double-cross.

In that sense, their choice of location showed a certain degree of good faith.

At least on the surface, it seemed they genuinely wanted to make the trade, not set a trap.

"You two will accompany me. We’ll play it by ear when we get there."

The two men agreed.

Chen Li then gave orders to Peng Anmin and Li Sanli, telling them to remain near Thunder Shock Marsh and keep a close eye on the Celestial Sword Sect’s movements.

He instructed them to only observe from the periphery, gathering intelligence from a distance. They were absolutely forbidden from getting close or taking any risks, and they were to report any anomalies immediately.

"Understood."

Peng Anmin and Li Sanli accepted their orders.

With the arrangements settled, Chen Li wasted no more time and returned to Jiangkou with Bai San and Gossip.

...

Back in Jiangkou, Chen Li rested for a day in a side room in the back courtyard of his silk shop.

To his surprise, the shop in Jiangkou was in a state of chaos.

In a single day, several different groups of aggressive-looking Jianghu travelers had shown up, demanding to buy large quantities of silk by force. Some had even tried to barge into the storeroom to search it.

Feng Guolin, who was in charge of the shop, had put on an apologetic smile and fended them off with the excuse that "new stock hasn’t arrived, we really have nothing to sell."

Even so, those groups had searched the shop from top to bottom.

Seeing that there were indeed only a few sample bolts on the shelves, they had left, cursing and disgruntled, leaving the place in a mess.

Chen Li’s brow furrowed as he looked at the ransacked shelves. He summoned Feng Guolin to an inner room to question him.

Feng Guolin explained with a bitter smile, "Patriarch, you may not be aware, but while Jiangkou isn’t large, it’s a major port for both land and water travel, a gathering place for all walks of life. There are an especially large number of pleasure houses here. In this small county, there are twenty-nine such establishments and two high-end brothels, with no fewer than several thousand brothel madams who depend on the trade.

"These women adore silk clothing, and many have lovers or patrons from the Jianghu. The recent trouble is mainly because you, Patriarch, ordered us to restrict shipments a couple of days ago. When they couldn’t buy enough silk, they begged their paramours to come and cause a scene.

"If it were just some martial artists at Qi Realm Perfection, I could still handle them. But many of them are Spirit Realm experts... I could only feign compliance, let them search the place, and send them on their way once their suspicions were allayed."

Seeing that Chen Li didn’t intend to blame him, Feng Guolin grew a bit bolder. "As for the silk inventory, please rest assured, Patriarch. I’ve already rented a warehouse at the docks and now only bring back a small amount to the shop to sell every other day, maintaining a slow but steady supply. This way, when they see the shop is truly low on stock, they won’t come to cause trouble every day. It is my own incompetence that has brought this embarrassment upon you."

After listening, the displeasure in Chen Li’s eyes faded, replaced by a newfound appreciation for the man.

The situation in Jiangkou was unique; it was a place where saints and sinners mingled.

For Feng Guolin to be able to navigate such an environment so skillfully—avoiding conflict, not provoking powerful enemies, protecting the goods and the shop, and minimizing potential losses—showed a rare level of adaptability and competence.

When running a business, the principle of ’harmony breeds wealth’ is paramount, especially in a Jianghu town like this. Blindly resorting to aggression is never the best strategy.

"You’ve handled this well."

Chen Li praised him, "Continue handling it your way. There’s no need for a direct confrontation."

"Thank you for your understanding, Patriarch!"

A great weight was lifted from Feng Guolin’s heart.

...

That night, as the lanterns began to glow.

Chen Li arrived at Hongyan Pavilion with Bai San and Gossip.

Unlike the scene of flirtatious women he had imagined, Hongyan Pavilion had an open and clearly sectioned layout.

In the main hall, the left side was an elegant tea lounge where people were playing board games and sipping tea.

To the right was a stage where a singer performed a melodious southern tune.

In the center, among scattered tables, a storyteller was holding court with an endless stream of words.

Only further in, behind beaded curtains and embroidered screens, could one faintly make out graceful silhouettes and hear flirtatious laughter.

Whose money is the easiest to earn?

Naturally, it belongs to the Jianghu Travelers who live by the sword, fresh off a job with pockets full of newly-earned silver coins.

After a life-or-death battle, their taut nerves needed to be soothed and their pent-up desires needed an outlet.

Food and sex are human nature.

The silver they worked so hard to earn could always find its fastest exit here.

’Whoever thought of this business model is an absolute genius,’ Chen Li thought to himself.

As soon as they stepped inside, a sharp-looking attendant greeted them with a wide smile. "Welcome, sirs. Are you here for tea and music, or do you have other... refined interests in mind?"

Bai San said in a low voice, "We’re meeting a friend. We have a reservation for Tingyu Pavilion."

The attendant’s smile didn’t falter. He bowed and said, "I see. This way, sirs."

He led the three men through the bustling main hall and down a corridor to a relatively secluded private room. After a soft knock, he pushed the door open.

Inside the private room, a man was already waiting.

It was Zhou Xuanzi.

He was wearing his signature iron half-mask, which covered his face from the bridge of his nose upward.

Upon seeing Chen Li and his companions, he stood and clasped his hands in greeting, his eyes smiling from behind the iron mask. "Sirs, you’re right on time."

Gossip said familiarly, "Old Zhou, you’re taking this seriously. I thought you’d be off enjoying yourself somewhere else by now."

Zhou Xuanzi chuckled. "I don’t handle deals of this magnitude very often, so of course I have to be diligent. Besides, once this is all over, I still need to rely on this gentleman here to pay my commission."

As he spoke, his gaze shifted to Chen Li.

Chen Li nodded in acknowledgment.

They took their seats, and a serving girl soon brought them fresh tea.

Another attendant peeked in to ask if they required female companionship, but Zhou Xuanzi waved him away.

Chen Li wore a simple wooden mask that covered most of his face. It didn’t fit as snugly as Zhou Xuanzi’s iron mask, but it didn’t hinder him from drinking tea or speaking.

He sat quietly on a side couch, closed his eyes, and waited patiently.

About half an hour later, another knock came at the door.

Zhou Xuanzi rose and opened the door. Two figures dressed in white, wearing wide-brimmed hats with veils, entered silently.

Their loose-fitting dresses couldn’t completely hide their graceful figures, but the hanging white veils concealed their faces entirely, making them impossible to identify.