Chapter 398 Escaping the Deadly Place

Chen Qingdi’s hand lightly touched a vital acupoint on the back of his head, and Dai Xueli passed out.

Then, he used Gathering Qi into a Needle, prodding several of the man’s acupoints before waking him. Dai Xueli was instantly plunged into a hypnotic, dream-like state.

Chen Qingdi asked in a low voice, “Who ordered you to do this?”

In his stupor, Dai Xueli answered subconsciously, “It was the Grand Elder of the Elder Council. He wants to take the next step and replace Long Shou, so he needs a pretext to force him out. The death of the previous Seventh Elder under his care is an undeniable responsibility. If everyone turns on him, Long Shou will be isolated and helpless. It will be a miserable end for him!”

Chen Qingdi asked in a low voice, “Besides the Grand Elder, who else supports this plan?”

Dai Xueli, his consciousness lost in the haze, said, “Except for the current Fifth Elder, the entire Elder Council has been bought by the Grand Elder. The medical field is a big pie, and almost every member of the Elder Council has a slice. Long Shou wants to dig into the shady dealings here, which would cut off everyone’s source of wealth.”

Chen Qingdi was suddenly reminded of the term ‘lone warrior’.

The current situation was just as the Late Ming Emperor Chongzhen had said: “I am not a king who dooms a country, but my subjects are all subjects of a doomed country.” Nowadays, there wasn’t an official who wasn’t corrupt; it was a commonplace sight from top to bottom.

An incorruptible official like Hai Rui or Bao Longtu would be seen as a freak in the eyes of these people.

The ancients said: “The upright, straight as a string, die by the roadside. The crooked, bent as a hook, are granted titles and land.”

It seemed there was still some truth to that today.

‘Damn it,’ Chen Qingdi thought. ‘This fucking society is nothing but a graveyard for the common folk!’

He despised this feeling of being powerless over anything. He felt that once Long Shou was schemed out of power, society would fall into irreparable chaos.

‘No matter what, I can’t let these heartless bastards succeed!’

Chen Qingdi asked again in a low voice, “How do I get out of this room?”

Dai Xueli answered one question at a time, like squeezing toothpaste. After a good while, Chen Qingdi had a crystal-clear understanding of the way out.

He also learned the password to open the door.

He went to the adjacent monitoring room, logged into the surveillance computer, and used his professional knowledge to break through the firewall. After gaining the highest level of administrative access, he entered all his own information—iris scans, fingerprints, and facial recognition data.

With that, he could now easily break out of this dark prison cell.

But this guy here was a problem. If he started spouting nonsense, it would be a huge disadvantage for Chen Qingdi.

Chen Qingdi thought to himself, ‘I should take a page out of the Gusu Murong Clan’s book and give him a taste of his own medicine.’

In an instant, he stripped Dai Xueli down to his undergarments and bound him to the torture rack. Then, he picked up a whip and lashed him indiscriminately, even disfiguring his face.

He struck Dai Xueli’s Mute Acupoint with a needle. Now, even if this guy woke up, he wouldn’t be able to speak or move. Under these circumstances, no one would know he was the former cruel official, Dai Xueli.

After flogging him until he was covered in wounds, Chen Qingdi found the prepared strips of cloth, dipped them in saltwater, and plastered them all over his body.

Even in his unconscious state, Dai Xueli let out a subconscious scream as the saltwater-soaked strips were pressed against his skin.

But Chen Qingdi felt no pity. He knew that if their roles were reversed, this man would have done something even more ruthless.

‘He’s just reaping what he sowed,’ he thought. ‘What does it have to do with me!’

He changed into a standard uniform from inside, then used the facial scanner to open the door and walk out.

Since Dai Xueli always wore a mask when he came in, none of the guards recognized that this was Chen Qingdi.

They let Chen Qingdi leave the dungeon. He then got into a private car and once again headed to the confidential headquarters.

He was surrounded on all sides by these secret Samurai.

Seeing him approach, they all bowed respectfully. “Guardian Dai!”

Chen Qingdi mimicked Dai Xueli’s voice. “I want to see Wan Qisong!”

Wan Qisong was the Grand Elder’s name, and Dai Xueli was the captain of his special inspection team.

For a subordinate to call the Grand Elder by his full name was a serious breach of protocol. But strangely, after hearing it, these men didn’t object. Instead, as if entranced, they led Chen Qingdi into the Grand Elder’s office.

This place was a world away from where he had just been. It was a scene of decadent pleasure, with women singing and dancing. It gave one the feeling of being “a traveler intoxicated by a warm, fragrant breeze.”

Chen Qingdi suddenly recalled that Wan Qisong’s marriage had supposedly been arranged by his parents as a family alliance. He had been miserable for years, but because of his high and perilous position, he couldn’t get a divorce.

Therefore, he had found many beautiful young women to comfort his lonely heart.

He even created a special unit for these “little flowers,” calling it the “Joy Group.”

The function of this Joy Group was to bring Wan Qisong happiness and make him forget the risks of the world he moved in.

Wan Qisong was now seventy-two years old and had been the Grand Elder for several years.

At his age, if nothing unexpected happened, he could probably hold his position for another ten years. Thus, his mind was very active, and he wanted to climb one step higher.

His biggest obstacle was the current Long Shou.

If Long Shou didn’t move aside, that chair would forever be visible but out of reach.

“Grand Elder, won’t you try my Clove Tea?”

A GULP GULP sound came from inside, as if someone was tasting it.

Then, the voice of a vigorous old man was heard. “Jin Feng’s cloves… I never tire of them. What other entertainment do you have for me today?”

Another girl, named Yin Feng, spoke.

“I learned a health preservation technique from my master called Fire Dragon Coiling. If you use this Health Valve for maintenance, it will keep a fire dragon constantly coiling in the Grand Elder’s Dantian.”

The Grand Elder began to laugh heartily, but after a moment, his laughter was cut short as if by scissors. He rasped, “Med… Medicine…”

A girl named Caifeng nearby quickly poured a pill from a beautifully packaged bottle and helped him wash it down with water.

Only then was Wan Qisong able to catch his breath.

“Caifeng, thank you. Otherwise, I would have gone to see Ma Weng!”

Chen Qingdi had thought he was about to say he was going to see Ox Head and Horse Face, and so he walked in with a grim expression.

Wan Qisong looked at him and waved his hand, dismissing the flock of chattering women gathered around him.

“Dai Xueli, any news from your end?”

“To answer, Master, the man is very tight-lipped. I haven’t gotten any of the information we want yet.”

SMASH! Wan Qisong shattered a delicate crystal glass.

“Useless fool! If you can’t even handle a small matter like this, what good are you for anything else?”