Chapter 351: Interrogation

When Elder Jiang, who once examined Yan Liqiang when he entered the Divine Sword Sect, was done speaking, Luqiu Mingyue gave a slight nod as he sat at the head of the table before he turned to look at the handsome rosy elder on the other seat.

“Elder Tu, I heard that Yan Liqiang used to clean toilets back on Tianqiao Peak before he was promoted by Xiaoai as an external servant of Tianqiao Hall. Is that true?”

The Xiaoai he mentioned was none other than Hall Master Su Xiaoai of Tianqiao Hall. With the exception of the people here, no one else would dare to address the hot-tempered Hall Master Su like that.

“It’s true!” The wealthy-looking Elder Tu replied as he squinched at Yan Liqiang with a chuckle, “Xiaoai said that even though Yan Liqiang is an external disciple, he never failed to clean the toilets at Tianqiao Peak every single day until they were spotless when he was on duty. Because the toilets were too clean, the disciples of Tianqiao Peak were at first ashamed to use them, fearing that they’d cause a filthy mess to the stainless facility. Afterward, they began to grow accustomed to it, but they remained careful in using them. Due to this reason, the male disciples on Tianqiao Peak who used to be somewhat sloppy gradually became more conscientious. It isn’t easy to maintain the cleanliness of the toilets that an average person cleans every three or five days. However, through Xiaoai’s observation, despite the fact that external disciple Yan Liqiang was assigned the dirtiest and most tiring job, he managed to assiduously work from the early hours until late at night with perseverance and consistency. Even in the depths of winter, he chiseled ice for water without showing any signs of slack, which is quite impressive. Also, Yan Liqiang made all the earth vinegar used in the Divine Sword Sect back when he was a servant on Tianqiao Peak, which he created for the sake of cleaning the toilets. This kind of disciple can cultivate both mind and ability. Therefore, Xiaoai decided to promote Yan Liqiang to an external servant and keep him on Tianqiao Peak to run the storehouse!”

“Did Yan Liqiang ever make a mistake when he was in charge of the Tianqiao Peak storehouse?”

“Not a single mistake. In addition, when Yan Liqiang was in charge of the storehouse, he managed to sort out the storehouse’s accounts and drafted some of the regulations to the warehousing and delivery of the stocks. The management of the entire storehouse is more apprehensible now. Even those who have never been exposed to this work will not make an error as long as they follow the regulations!”

Undoubtedly, Elder Tu was trying to praise Yan Liqiang from the way he talked. Hearing that, Yan Liqiang felt a trace of excitement in his heart. He knew that his efforts from before had not gone to waste in the end. At the same time, he could also sense the gazes from the elders in the hall becoming more amiable. Most of the elders nodded in agreement as they listened to Elder Tu’s response; Luqiu Mingyue even had a smile curled on his face.

“Indeed, I have heard about the earth vinegar these few days. Although this stuff is common, it’s actually quite useful!” Liqiu Mingyue then looked at Yan Liqiang and asked with a gentle voice, “How are you able to think of making such things possible?”

“Sect Lord, the earth vinegar isn’t my creation. Since my grandfather was a wandering physician, I used to watch him make this kind of stuff. I would take some vegetable leaves and fruit peels and steep them inside a pot before adding a bit of corn stalk juice into it. After a period of fermentation, I would use it to clean things. My grandfather says that doing so will keep the environment clean and people will not easily become ill!”

Yan Liqiang’s response and character background matched perfectly — there was no issue at all.

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“Then how about this? Your drawing technique has a style of its own, as if it’s vivid and lifelike. I have traveled around the world, yet I have never seen someone with such a drawing technique. Where did you acquire such a technique, and who taught you?” Liqiu Mingyue asked as he took out a piece of paper and unfolded it before Yan Liqiang. This paper was undoubtedly the drawing that he ‘sketched’ of the desolated scene around the Imperial Capital after the Heavenly Tribulation occurred.

“I have been honing this drawing technique ever since I was young. I liked to draw when I was young, but no one could teach me. In the beginning, I used twigs to draw on the ground. Afterward, I drew on the ground with twigs, stones, and mud. My grandfather used to bring back some medicinal herbs all the time. When I saw those herbs, I gradually used lines and made strokes to draw the shape of the leaves, roots, and fruits of the herbs. Over a period of time, I continued drawing. More than a decade later, my drawings became like this. As long as I can see my subjects, I can draw them out!”

Yan Liqiang’s reply was based on real-life experience when he first learned how to draw and sketch. Basically, this was the imitation version of Leonardo Da Vinci’s egg painting story, so there were no faults to pick on. Yan Liqiang didn’t learn about oriental ink painting in the past, and even now he was still incapable of the skill. He knew that ink painting focused more on the elegance of the painting itself. The technique he learned — which was drawing and sketching — emphasized realism. Whatever the eyes could see, he would be able to draw everything with his piece of charcoal as if it was a photograph, which was why this technique and ink painting were two completely different styles. Yan Liqiang always felt that they were all considered art regardless of whether it was oriental ink painting or western oil painting, or which one was considered more significant than the other. The only difference between these mediums was their style. Moreover, his original intention in learning how to draw was just to learn a skill that could earn him money and provide him food to eat.

The elders, including Luqiu Mingyue, were absorbed in their thoughts after listening to Yan Liqiang’s explanation. In the end, they gradually nodded their heads.

“This drawing is indeed what you saw in the Imperial Capital, correct?” Luqiu Mingyue asked as he watched Yan Liqiang’s expression attentively.

Yan Liqiang responded solemnly with a nod, his tone with a shred of undisguised sorrow, “Indeed, this is the current scene of the Imperial Capital. Escort Wang Hui from the Four Seas Escort Agency was with me that day we went to investigate the condition of the city, and this is what we saw with our own eyes. At this moment, Imperial Capital no longer exists. The areas in the Four Regions have been nearly reduced to ruins as well. You won’t be able to see a single strand of grass around the Imperial Capital, let alone a living person!”

“Then, when you were at Jinling City that day, why did you decide to make an expedition to the Imperial Capital after experiencing a Heavenly Tribulation?”

“The Divine Sword Sect is one of the four major sects in the world. Huge incidents that occur within the Great Han Empire and Imperial Capital are, of course, closely related to our sect. Even though my position within the sect is humbly low, I’m aware that the Sect Lord and all the elders present here are people who envision the world. The benefits that our sect are concerned with are certainly not only limited to Lai Province. The Heavenly Tribulation that day shocked all corners of the world, which left an enormous impact in its aftermath. Not only the Imperial Capital, but Jinling City, which is a hundred li away from the city, was also entirely obliterated. As a person who personally experienced the tragedy, the area with the greatest activity came from within the Imperial Capital, making it the central point of the calamity. Anything that happens there is certainly nothing minor. Moreover, no Senior Martial Brothers or elders from the sect were in Jinling City. As a disciple of the Divine Sword Sect, I couldn’t shirk from my responsibility. Even if it’s dangerous, I have to think of a plan to figure out the current situation of the Imperial Capital and report to the sect as soon as possible. That way, Sect Lord and the elders would be the first to be aware of the great calamity that befell the center of the Great Han Empire…”

“What a good way to uphold an unshirkable responsibility…” Luqiu Mingyue’s eyes glistened before he let out a long sigh, “If the disciples of the Divine Sword Sect put the sect as their priority and are courageous enough to bear the responsibility like you, the day my Divine Sword Sect becomes the best sect in this world will come sooner than expected. Yan Liqiang, you are pretty good. Good, very good…”

Luqiu Mingyue said ‘good’ three times to Yan Liqiang, praising him. For a bunch of elders who were aware of Luqiu Mingyue’s temperament and behavior, this sort of commendation hadn’t come from the Sect Lord’s mouth for decades…

“You flatter me, Sect Lord. As a disciple of the Divine Sword Sect, this is my duty! I believe that if the other martial brothers were there, they would’ve done the same thing!”

At this particular moment, the more modest Yan Liqiang was,, the better his pretense would be!