Dongfang Xuan is just an elder of the Divine Feather Commercial Tower. Although its backing is not small, it dares not defy the Dao Palace and must treat the Dao envoy order with respect.
"Please have a seat, Dao Envoy," Dongfang Xuan said.
Ge Hengzi walked to the tea seat, sat down, poured himself a cup of tea, and took a gentle sip.
"Great tea!" Ge Hengzi praised.
Dongfang Xuan also sat down and asked, "Honorable Dao Envoy, could your visit to the Divine Feather Commercial Tower today be about more than just enjoying tea?"
"Dongfang Xuan, you’ve always been a wise man. Why not guess my purpose for seeking you?" Ge Hengzi laughed.
"I have no idea. Could the Honorable Dao Envoy please enlighten me?" Dongfang Xuan replied steadily.
He wouldn’t guess; an old friend had become an emissary for the Dao Palace. His identity and status were different now, and after years of absence, who knows how much he had changed.
Even if he vaguely understood Ge Hengzi’s intention, he would not display more knowledge than his counterpart, because revealing the envoy’s purpose would not yield any advantage and might offend the Lofty emissary. The source of thɪs content is No(ᴠ)ᴇlFire.nᴇt
"Let’s dispense with the riddles. Just tell me, how much do you know about the Broken Dao Race?" Ge Hengzi asked.
"The Dao Palace set rules in the Edge Corner Airspace, allowing the Broken Dao Race to ascend the Heaven and Earth Ranking. Are they unfamiliar with this race?" Dongfang Xuan retorted.
Ge Hengzi squinted his eyes.
"Just answer my question," he said.
"I’ve never heard of this race before," Dongfang Xuan frowned slightly.
"But I believe you’ve encountered them," Ge Hengzi stated.
"What makes you say that?"
"Stop pretending to be ignorant. Tell me, who did you sell the first Dao Stone and the second Dao Stone to?" Ge Hengzi asked.
"The Honorable Dao Envoy must understand that our Divine Feather Commercial Tower operates on principles. We must keep our customers’ confidentiality and protect their secrets, which is key in commerce," Dongfang Xuan replied.
Ge Hengzi put down his teacup and smiled faintly. "So you’re unwilling to cooperate with the Dao Palace?"
Dongfang Xuan’s face turned solemn.
The Dao Palace establishes rules in the Edge Corner Airspace, and no race dares openly defy its orders. Even the Divine Feather Commercial Tower doesn’t have that capability.
"Our Divine Feather Commercial Tower always sticks to the rules, never doing anything against the Dao Palace. I believe the Dao Palace tends to be open-minded and won’t force things," Dongfang Xuan said.
"To conduct business within the Dao Palace territories, you must abide by their regulations. Frankly, the Broken Dao Race isn’t in the Dao Palace’s myriad race records, so I must get to the bottom of this. If your Divine Feather Commercial Tower wants to earn money in the Edge Corner Airspace, you best cooperate with me to avoid unpleasantness. Remember, your operations extend beyond Divine Feather City, but not beyond the Dao Palace," Ge Hengzi explained.
Dongfang Xuan remained silent. The Dao Palace can control everything; without compliance, one command would uproot the Divine Feather Commercial Tower across the entire Edge Corner Airspace.
"What do you want to know?" Dongfang Xuan asked.
"That’s more like it."
Ge Hengzi laughed, looking quite satisfied, knowing Dongfang Xuan had compromised.
"Cai Kun Sect’s Spirit-controlling Tiger entrusted your Divine Feather Commercial Tower with transactions. You sold the first Dao Stone to Tang Yingxin and the second Dao Stone to He Yunfang; I’ve investigated this thoroughly.
Tang Yingxin and Cai Kun have disappeared, and I currently can’t find them. They’re likely killed in the void, but they are linked to your Divine Feather Commercial Tower! After the auction, the Broken Dao Race suddenly revealed talents Ragged and Broken Hat, replacing their rankings. Do you think this is merely a coincidence?"
"Do you believe their disappearance is my doing?"
"Of course not! Rest assured, I won’t suspect you of such a thing."
Ge Hengzi chuckled softly, understanding how Dongfang Xuan operated.
But his voice suddenly became somber: "Yet my intuition tells me the clue is here with you."
Dongfang Xuan said: "In investigating a case, intuition isn’t enough."
"That’s true, which is why I’ve conducted detailed investigations from start to finish on Cai Kun and Tang Yingxin. Their last known location was your Divine Feather Commercial Tower, and then I began researching the backgrounds of everyone involved in their case."
Ge Hengzi’s gaze became sharp: "I thoroughly checked the background of every person linked to Cai Kun and Tang Yingxin’s case, except for one person."
Ge Hengzi fixed his eyes on Dongfang Xuan and said slowly, "I cannot trace the seller of the second Dao Stone, but you have met this person."
"When a matter’s relationships are plain, yet there’s one person whose identity can’t be determined, then this person is worth suspecting!"
Ge Hengzi calmly pinpointed the issue!
Upon hearing Ge Hengzi, Dongfang Xuan fell into contemplation.
Ge Hengzi is a very perceptive man; the Dao Palace wouldn’t send anyone incompetent for investigations. Those who become Dao Envoys naturally have certain skillsets.
If the seller of the second Dao Stone’s identity remains unclear, the investigation must start with that person.
"We know each other well enough, so there’s no need to hide anything. You’ve seen that person, and I suspect you might have considered whether that person belongs to the Broken Dao Race. Am I right?" Ge Hengzi asked.
"I don’t casually suspect others," Dongfang Xuan replied simply.