Chapter 575: When It Comes To Embezzlement, Im First In Line
"Secretary-Envoy!"
"Secretary-Envoy!"
Zhou Qing'ang's voice was not loud, but to He Zhenghao and Gao Yuan, it struck like a thunderclap.
He Zhenghao went still for a moment, then his face drained of color. "The Secretary-Envoy has emerged from seclusion? How did I not know?"
Gao Yuan's expression was one of pure, unguarded shock.
Zhou Qing'ang's next words gave them both a measure of relief.
"The Secretary-Envoy has not yet emerged from seclusion," Zhou Qing'ang said coolly. "But if certain people believe their petty schemes can escape his notice while he sits in seclusion, that is simply laughable."
His gaze swept over the two men, the meaning unmistakable.
The guilty He Zhenghao forced an awkward smile. "We all know the Secretary-Envoy's reach extends to the heavens. We would never dare deceive him!"
Gao Yuan, too, had lost his earlier composure. His mind was already working through the implications; Zhou Qing'ang's behavior since emerging from his seclusion was unusual, and the possibilities that conjured were deeply unsettling.
Cold sweat prickled across his skin. His heart hammered.
He cast about frantically for some countermeasure, even as his mouth mechanically echoed He Zhenghao's words.
Li Fan, watching these two men cling stubbornly to their denials, sneered inwardly.
He raised his voice sharply. "The two of you, embezzling from the fundraising capital behind the Secretary-Envoy's back; acting recklessly in his absence; treating the laws of the Myriad Immortals Alliance as though they do not exist; selling official posts and titles for obscene profit...
"With the Secretary-Envoy's divine abilities, did you truly believe you could hide all this from him?
"How could you be so foolish?"
He Zhenghao looked as if he had been struck by lightning. His entire body trembled, shaking like a sieve.
Gao Yuan went equally pale. He opened his mouth, but no words came.
"Hmph. The Secretary-Envoy may appear to be only at the Golden Core realm, but you both should know his true terrifying nature.
"One cannot say he knows all the affairs of the world without leaving his door, but how could the sordid dealings within this small Congyun Sea escape his discerning eye?" Li Fan boasted on his own behalf.
"Fellow Daoist He, ever since you quietly pocketed that unclaimed fundraising capital, the Secretary-Envoy has had his eye on you."
He Zhenghao's legs buckled. He collapsed to the floor.
"I..." He opened his mouth to speak, but found only bitterness there, and no words.
"Zhou Qing'ang" let out a soft sigh. "However, he does not begrudge you this trivial amount of contribution points. You were the first cultivator to follow him after his awakening, and so the Secretary-Envoy chose to turn a blind eye. He considered it your reward for your hard work.
"But what you have done over these past two years has deeply disappointed him."
"Zhou Qing'ang's" tone turned stern. "Is selling official posts wrong? Many within the Myriad Immortals Alliance do it. The Secretary-Envoy understands how the world works; he would not have stopped you.
"Had you been open and honest, had you asked his permission to use such methods to accumulate wealth, he might even have helped you.
"Your greatest mistake was acting entirely on your own authority, in every single matter. The profit you have made from selling those positions must amount to no less than a million contribution points.
"Did you report it to the Secretary-Envoy even once? These are violations of the Immortal Alliance's laws. If any of it were ever exposed, the higher-ups would hold the highest-ranking official in Congyun City responsible. In other words, they would hold the Secretary-Envoy responsible.
"Embezzlement is one thing. But you actually intended to make the Secretary-Envoy your scapegoat? You truly deserve to be executed!" Zhou Qing'ang said.
Slumped on the floor, He Zhenghao felt utterly wronged.
He wanted to retort: Before leaving, hadn't the Secretary-Envoy himself repeatedly instructed him not to disturb him unless it was absolutely critical?
And besides, what sense was there in reporting corruption and lawbreaking to a superior? Wouldn't that just be asking for a quicker death?
But even with all his grievances, voicing them now would accomplish nothing.
Looking back on the past two years, He Zhenghao felt as though he had lived through a dream.
The contribution points he had once labored for and guarded so carefully had gradually become nothing more than figures. They had lost any connection to real value. He could have spent over a hundred thousand contribution points in a single moment without the faintest pang of regret.
In the possession of such vast wealth, his thinking had shifted without him ever noticing.
He had originally sworn to follow the Secretary-Envoy, who might very well be an Eternal Heavenly Venerable fallen in realm, and carve out a grand career. Then, one day, he would return to Tianyu Province in glory and reconcile with Heng Ruoshui.
But as time passed, amid the flattery of others and the seemingly endless stream of contribution points, he had lost himself.
He forgot his ambitions. He thought only of squeezing out more contribution points through increasingly underhanded means, spending them on his own pleasures.
There were so many female cultivators in the world. Why did it have to be Heng Ruoshui?
With enough contribution points, what kind of woman can't I obtain?
Such thoughts had even flashed through his mind back then.
Looking back now, it was laughable. But at the time he had been mired in it, wholly unable to pull himself free.
Scene after scene surfaced in his mind. He Zhenghao felt as though he had just been fished out from the water, soaked through to the bone.
How did I become like this?
His heart was full of confusion and regret.
The Secretary-Envoy will not spare me now. He can't.
A shiver ran through him. He seemed to see a vision of Li Fan passing judgment on him, his body destroyed, his Dao extinguished.
And yet he still clung to a sliver of hope.
The reasoning was simple. If the matter had already been exposed and the Secretary-Envoy had decided to punish him, knowing his usual methods, he would not have sent Zhou Qing'ang to speak with him first. And Fellow Daoist Zhou's earnest words just now, even mentioning the specific figure of a hundred and sixty thousand contribution points...
He Zhenghao looked up at Zhou Qing'ang.
The whole time, He Zhenghao had been silent and seemingly hollowed out by desolation. Now, seeing him raise his head, Li Fan smiled inwardly and spoke again. "Although your crimes are severe, you are still among the first to have followed the Secretary-Envoy.
"Therefore, he has decided to give you one more chance to atone through meritorious service."
Both He Zhenghao and Gao Yuan's eyes lit up with sudden, startling intensity.
"Please enlighten us, Fellow Daoist!" Gao Yuan bowed quickly.
"As I said, the war in Tianling Province is drawing to a close.
"And so the Secretary-Envoy's meaning is..." Li Fan paused. "To seize this final opportunity.
"One last haul. Make it count."
His words echoed through the Administration Hall.
The two men glanced at each other. Then both turned to look at Zhou Qing'ang, a flicker of suspicion crossing their faces.