141: Your ability is very evil.

"County Magistrate, didn't someone save Senior Bai Shan and me earlier? He was the one who revealed this news to me!" Long Yuan said.

"Oh? Who exactly is this person? Where is he now?"

"He has already left. Moreover, he was wearing a mask the entire time, so I couldn't see who he was. Judging by his voice, he should be a middle-aged man."

"A middle-aged man? Then what is the deal with Tong Jingshan detoxifying our people right now?" Geng Yun asked.

"County Magistrate, he has already been taught a lesson by that person. He has now decided to turn over a new leaf and assist our Fengyang in eradicating the Evil Cultists to atone for his crimes!"

"Atone for his crimes? Can he truly atone? Just moments ago, he wanted to kill us all. Even if he has neutralized our poison now, we cannot trust him too much! Who knows what malicious intent he's hiding? He might even be one of the Evil Cultists himself!" Geng Yun said through gritted teeth.

Upon hearing this, Long Yuan smiled and said, "The County Magistrate can rest assured. I heard him swear a Heaven and Earth Oath, and he is not an Evil Cultist! Because that middle-aged man said that if Tong Jingshan were an Evil Cultist, he would have likely been slapped to death by him!"

"Is that so... Did that person leave any contact information? He should have a better understanding of the inner workings of those Evil Cultists. Only by finding him can we better deal with that group of Evil Cultists..."

"No, but he said that if there is any new information, he will pass it on to us!"

"This is a bit difficult. Our understanding of the Evil Cultists is still too limited! To think that Evil Cultists are actually lurking within our Fengyang borders. If we don't capture them ahead of time, this Magistrate will be unable to eat or sleep in peace..." Geng Yun said, his brow furrowing into a deep ' river' shape.

Long Yuan laughed inwardly but said, "County Magistrate, actually we might as well think about it the other way around..."

"Oh? What do you mean?"

"Those Evil Cultists usually hide very deep, and it would be quite difficult for us to catch them. But now they are attempting to stir up trouble; isn't this just sending a great achievement right to you, County Magistrate?" Long Yuan said.

"This..." Geng Yun's eyes lit up, but he soon shook his head and sighed, "What you say makes sense, but this Magistrate is currently unclear about their actual strength, their numbers, or their specific plans. As such, catching them will be fraught with difficulties, and if we fail, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

"Isn't the County Magistrate a member of the Geng Family? Destroying an evil cult operation is a major achievement. If the County Magistrate reports this to the Family, they should come to support your actions, right? Also, there's that Qi Team Leader from last time; he seems to have a good relationship with you, County Magistrate..." Long Yuan reminded him.

"That's right!" Geng Yun slapped his forehead. He had really become muddled from the poisoning; why hadn't he thought of seeking outside help? For such a major case, regardless of the final outcome, just reporting it to the Jianxuan Envoy Department would be a significant merit!

His spirits were instantly lifted, and he said excitedly, "Tell me those details that person told you again, in full. Don't miss a single thing!"

"Alright!" Long Yuan feigned a thoughtful expression and recounted everything to Geng Yun, mentioning several key points. With these points, it was basically certain that the matter was true... Geng Yun was overjoyed after listening. These details alone were enough to earn him considerable merit. Furthermore, after reporting it, even if something went wrong during the operation, it would be the responsibility of the Jianxuan Envoy Department and the Family experts, having little to do with him. He had already profited immensely from this!

"County Magistrate, I actually think Tong Jingshan can play an even greater role!" Long Yuan said.

"Oh? Quickly, let's hear it!"

"It's like this: that person said those Evil Cultists once intended to recruit him into the cult, and then use the mutated beasts he raised to cooperate with them and draw the government's attention. Therefore, through him, we have a chance to directly contact the Evil Cultists, or even potentially infiltrate their ranks. This way, our grasp on destroying the evil cult operation will be even greater! Additionally, even if the Evil Cultists don't come looking for him, his knowledge of using poison will be of great help to us in capturing them later!" Long Yuan analyzed.

"That makes sense! In that case, this Magistrate will give him a chance! By the way, where are those mutated beasts?" Geng Yun suddenly noticed that the Iron Hoof Cattle originally in the underground space were gone, so he asked.

"Those Iron Hoof Cattle were about to riot from the shock, and as a result, that middle-aged man used some unknown method to take them away!" Long Yuan said.

"Taken away?! Where were they taken to?!" Geng Yun was shocked; he simply couldn't imagine what the scene was like at the time.

"I didn't see it clearly either; it seemed quite miraculous! Moreover, he said he would also take away the mutated beasts from Tong Jingshan's other four bases, helping Fengyang remove these ticking time bombs first!"

"This... this person is truly this Magistrate's lucky star! If not for him, I'm afraid this Magistrate would have suffered a great misfortune this time!" Geng Yun lamented.

"The County Magistrate is a man of great fortune, naturally protected by the heavens..."

"Hahahahaha..."

Geng Yun laughed triumphantly. He soon returned to the county office with Lei Hao, Cai Xiang, and the others, then immediately reported the news to the Geng Family and Qi Huaiyi... Long Yuan, meanwhile, followed Tong Jingshan and Lin Han to the other four breeding bases to take away those mutated beasts. However, during the process of taking them, he only let Tong Jingshan watch from the side. Seeing that process which was akin to a miracle, Tong Jingshan was shocked and his determination to cling tightly to the thick leg of the Imperial Family that was Long Yuan became even firmer... "Young Lord, next, should I wait for the Evil Cultists to find me, or should I take the initiative to contact them?" Tong Jingshan asked.

"There's no need to contact them! In fact, they were able to discover these five bases of yours because someone among them discovered Cai Xiang's secret and then followed him to discover yours. Of course, it cannot be ruled out that there are still cultists hidden among your subordinates. So, you can secretly check for traitors, but there's no need to alert them..."

"Traitors? Why not let this subordinate eliminate them?" Tong Jingshan was startled.

"Because you no longer have any mutated beasts on hand. This news might reach their superiors through the traitors. Whether they will still look for you will no longer focus on the mutated beasts, but rather..." Long Yuan paused.

Tong Jingshan suddenly realized and said, "Could it be this subordinate's poison application techniques?"

"Exactly! This ability of yours is very cultist-like. If I hadn't vouched for you, I'm afraid Geng Yun wouldn't have given you a chance!" Long Yuan laughed.

"This... thank you for your great kindness, Young Lord! This subordinate is ashamed; I didn't improve in Alchemy but instead researched these unorthodox paths. This is also one of the reasons why this subordinate's father often scolded me!" Tong Jingshan sighed.

"It's fine. All medicine is thirty percent poison. To study herbs, one must study both their medicinal properties and their toxicity; the two are inherently inseparable!" Long Yuan said.

Tong Jingshan's expression lifted as he said excitedly, "Does the Young Lord see it that way too? This subordinate's original intention in studying poisonous substances was to think of how to extract the toxicity from herbs, but later I gradually became addicted to the research. Coupled with obtaining a Hundred Poison Palm Martial Skill, it became unstoppable from then on..."

...