Hearing Wang Tianbiao's slavish response, Duan Lengyan flared up to the brim. Being a tall guy with strong physique, Wang Tianbiao turned out a hopeless good-for-nothing. Duan Lengyan felt rather remorseful that they shouldn't have wasted so much money bribing him. And it would have been a better and effective approach to coerce him into submission via violence instead. Duan Lengyan feared that she would lose to Wandong again. Just a thought of that terribly agonized her.
"Director Wang, please stand up! Believe me, as long as the Tianbao Mansion has its place in here, there will be nobody daring to hurt you in the Qingyun Empire," Duan Lengyan said to Wang Tianbiao in a low voice, trying her best to hold back her anger. Apparently, she wouldn't have continued to encourage such a despicable worm if she hadn't wished so bad to defeat Wandong.
In the meantime, Master Pi figured out Duan Lengyan's ulterior motive as well. He came to realize that she was meanly focused on the duel of intelligence with Wandong rather than the life of Wang Tianbiao. Hence, he echoed with Duan Lengyan, "Director Wang, please don't worry. We know some people boast daunting power. But they're not sufficiently powerful to do as they like! You don't have to dread them at all. We have never failed to keep anyone safe as long as we care to."
Master Pi's promise perturbed Wang Tianbiao's mind. As far as he was concerned, there had been plenty of Yunzhong people bribed by the Tiezhan Empire, most of whom already topped the hierarchy of the officialdom. Compared to them, Wang Tianbiao was a mere nobody. However, if the Tiezhan Empire had been willing to protect him, the Duke of Dingshan might not have been able to put him to death.
While Wang Tianbiao was fantasizing about the Tiezhan Empire's protection, Wandong grinned grimly and cast a sidelong glimpse at him, saying, "Wang Tianbiao, you have your life worked out pretty well! What a wonder that the Tiezhan Empire cares to be so concerned about you. By extension, you must have offered quite a bit of help to them? Please tell me, how much intelligence information have you offered them?!"
"Ah? No…I have not!" Wang Tianbiao went scared to death on hearing that and hastened to defend himself in a shuddering voice.
"Heh, only after an investigation will we know whether your words count or not. Wu Yang, is it part of your father's responsibility to investigate spies?" Wandong turned to Wu Yang and asked.
Wu Yang hastened to nod and exclaim, "Yes! Exactly!"
"Then what's the wait? Go and inform your father about the spy's dark deeds and conduct a thorough investigation!" Wandong yelled.
"Childe Xu, Childe Wu, please don't! Could you show some mercy and spare me?" Wang Tianbiao rushed to cut in desperately. He was fully aware that it would be no different than limbo to be captured by Wu Jinhun. There would be loads of cruel tortures for him to go through. What was worse, he didn't have a clean slate at all, a bit of cross-examination would make him a prisoner to be sentenced to death.
Wandong cast a sidelong-glance at Duan Lengyan and Pi Xiong, both of whom had already gone struck-dumb. Wandong smiled grimly and said, "Don't worry. Given you are getting on so well with the Tiezhan Empire, they will definitely came to your rescue with well-equipped troops regardless of the cost."
On hearing Wandong's sarcastic words, Wang Tianbiao almost burst into tears. The Tiezhan people would only spare no efforts to save their emperor. Only when they were all brain-dead would they rescue him. It went without saying that Pi Xiong's promise was simply nonsense. Only idiots would fall for that when they were captured by Wu Jinhun, a powerful Qingyun general in charge of 300,000 soldiers.
Although Duan Lengyan was ablaze with rage, she was lost for words. Wandong made a definitive move by claiming Wang Tianbiao's life, which rendered it utterly impossible for them to protect him. As everyone knew, Wu Jinhun was known for his incorruptibility and impartiality — it was literally like asking for the moon to reverse his course.
"Childe Xu, I have an eighty-year-old mother and a baby to support. Could you please raise your hand high in mercy this time and spare me as a fart!" Wang Tianbiao pled desperately while kowtowing nonstop. He forwent the thought of seeking asylum from the Tiezhan Empire without a single glance cast at the Duan Lengyan and Pi Xiong.
"Miss Three, this…" Pi Xiong tumbled on his words. At the outset, Pi Xiong did have his heart set on helping Duan Lengyan pressure Wandong by protecting Wang Tianbiao whatever it might cost. However, by no stretch of the imagination could he think of such a categorical move that Wandong made. He felt terribly hopeless.
Duan Lengyan's face had twisted so seriously that anyone could tell she was filled with fury. Apparently, she lost to Wandong again this time.