Song Tingfeng’s voice sounded peculiar, a mix of surprise and urgency. If one had to describe it, it was like saying: “Honey, come quick! God is here!”
Xu Qi An tucked the ledger into his chest and was the first to exit the room. Zhu Guangxiao swiftly put on his boots and followed.
In the courier station’s hall, a young woman in light blue fitted attire sat at a table, sipping tea. Her close-fitting clothes accentuated her lithe, panther-like figure. Her sleeves were tied at the wrists, and her hair was still in a high ponytail.
Her no-nonsense attire emphasized her grace and charm.
She looks more like a dashing female warrior than the Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Sect… Her sect teaches detachment from emotions, yet she’s become a righteous heroine eager to serve the public good… Xu Qi An mused internally, while outwardly smiling, “General Li, we meet again.”
This guy’s dark circles have deepened… He seems in poor spirits… He must have had his vitality drained by Mei. Li Miaozheng’s bright eyes scrutinized him as she nodded, “Lord Xu.”
Xu Qi An sat opposite her, with Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao on either side. A courier poured tea and retreated.
Neither side rushed to speak, each lost in their thoughts.
She must be here for Mei. Not receiving Mei’s report, she knows something’s wrong… Xu Qi An sipped his tea, pondering how to respond.
Should he return Mei to her?
He was reluctant. Such a beautiful paper wife was pleasing to the eye, and he had thoughts of bringing her to the capital to broaden Ling Yin’s horizons.
Moreover, the possession ability was quite useful and applicable in various situations and environments.
“My lords…” Li Miaozheng caressed her teacup, choosing her words carefully, “Did you perhaps encounter a young lady named Su Su yesterday?”
Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao snapped their heads towards her.
Here it comes, the public execution of my two little brothers… Xu Qi An’s lips quirked, “We did. She formed an inextricable bond with my two colleagues.”
Hearing this, the three had distinctly different expressions. Song Tingfeng glanced at Zhu Guangxiao, thinking, It was I who formed an inextricable bond with her, what does it have to do with this taciturn Zhu Guangxiao?
Li Miaozheng swept her gaze over the two constables’ faces, feeling somewhat pitiful. From Xu Qi An’s words, Su Su must have drained the vitality of these two men.
However, she became increasingly certain that “Mei” was in Xu Qi An’s possession, otherwise he wouldn’t have spoken like this.
“I apologize for my oversight. Would it be possible for you to return her to me, my lord?” Li Miaozheng asked sincerely.
“Plotting against and harming imperial officials, extracting confidential information – these are capital offenses, General Li,” Xu Qi An said with narrowed eyes and an ambiguous smile.
Li Miaozheng calmly met his gaze, neither defending nor angering, as if the laws of Great Feng held no significance in her eyes.
Xu Qi An suddenly realized that Number Two was a passionate idealist. Despite her chivalrous heart, it couldn’t mask the fact that she was a knight who defied the law, and she harbored an intense hatred for the irresponsible Emperor Yuan Jing.
Most importantly, Number Two was a fifth-rank expert. To her, everyone present was trash…
I need to change my approach… Xu Qi An abandoned the idea of using his authority to keep Su Su for himself. He burst into laughter:
“However, I’m not one to push my advantage. Everything is negotiable. I mainly admire General Li’s dedication to the cause. For over a year, you’ve been traveling everywhere to suppress bandits. Your patriotism and concern for the people put me to shame.”
“Still, I’ve taken quite a liking to Miss Su Su. Would General Li be willing to part with her?”
Xu Qi An intended to bargain. Even otaku know that 2D wives can be seen but not touched, but that doesn’t stop them from loving them.
Hearing this, Li Miaozheng frowned, “Although Mei is a high-level vengeful spirit, she cannot exist for long on her own unless she constantly absorbs vitality. Over time, she would lose her mind and become an uncontrollable monster.”
“Only by staying with me can she maintain her original form. You’re not a Daoist disciple and aren’t versed in these secret arts. Keeping her with you would only harm both of you.”
Her real-life image differs greatly from her online persona… Online she’s more lively and passionate, while in reality, she leans towards seriousness… Hmm, the serious image suits leading an army, perhaps it’s a kind of disguise. Xu Qi An sighed reluctantly, “Very well!”
Xu Qi An asked them to wait a moment and returned to his room.
Zhu Guangxiao and Song Tingfeng stared at each other with blank expressions and rigid faces… What is a Mei? What does absorbing vitality mean? What were they talking about?
Did they just mention… Miss Su Su?
Shortly after, Xu Qi An returned with a wine flask, placing it on the table with a thud. The three’s gazes fell upon it.
Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao looked bewildered, but Li Miaozheng narrowed her eyes, recognizing the Daoist spirit-sealing talisman engraved on the flask.
Xu Qi An removed the lid, and in the next moment, wisps of green smoke rose from the mouth of the flask, materializing into a stunningly beautiful woman. She first glared fiercely at Xu Qi An, chiding him coquettishly:
“You wretched man, I’m starving to death…”
Then she saw Li Miaozheng. Her small face instantly brightened, but quickly turned to a pitiful expression as she whimpered:
“Master, you must seek justice for me. This nasty boy bullied and insulted me. If you had come any later, I would have been carrying his bastard child, wuwuwu…”
Miss Su Su… Zhu Guangxiao and Song Tingfeng froze inch by inch in the January chill.
Bang!
Li Miaozheng replaced the lid, nodding, “Thank you for your magnanimity, Lord Xu. I owe you a favor for this matter. If you have any requests in the future, feel free to ask.”
Only then did Xu Qi An smile, “You’re too kind, General Li.”
Number Two’s promise was indeed valuable. Exchanging a Mei that couldn’t be kept long-term for a promise was a good deal.
He escorted Li Miaozheng out of the courier station. At the door, he asked, “Given General Li’s status and cultivation, surely you don’t lack for a Mei?”
Li Miaozheng considered her words carefully, “Mei is no ordinary spirit. She must be a woman born in a yin year and yin month, who died while still a virgin, to be refined into a Mei.”
What year and month are yin year and yin month? Xu Qi An smiled and nodded, pretending he understood.
“However,” Li Miaozheng changed her tone, raising the corner of her mouth, “Even if you raise a dog, you develop feelings for it, right?”
Xu Qi An laughed, and the atmosphere between them became less formal and distant.
Li Miaozheng seized the opportunity to ask, “Would Lord Xu be willing to accompany me a bit further?”
Xu Qi An responded with a warm smile, “I’d be delighted.”
Having said that, he looked back and saw Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao sitting motionless, their silhouettes lonely and desolate.
“Let’s go!” Xu Qi An’s smile grew even brighter.
Walking along the wide street, Li Miaozheng carried a silver spear on her back and a long sword at her waist, her striding figure extremely captivating.
Xu Qi An frequently turned his head, examining the features of this Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Sect. Her aura always reminded him of the police beauty he had secretly admired during his time at the police academy.
Short hair to her ears, beautiful features, a clean face, long straight legs in camouflage pants, two full mounds hidden beneath a deep green vest, and her chest fair and smooth.
Compared to that police academy beauty, Xu Qi An imagined, he still felt that Li Miaozheng, with her white horse and silver spear, wearing a crimson cape and soft armor, was several notches above.
Li Miaozheng said coolly, “Lord Xu, we jianghu folk needn’t be bound by trivial etiquette, but I am still a young lady. Your staring is quite impolite.”
Bah, this man is indeed a lecher.
If “lecher” was her initial impression at their first meeting at the banquet, now Li Miaozheng’s label for Xu Qi An had changed to a not-so-simple lecher.
It seems my reputation as a lecher is hard to shake… My reputation is ruined… Xu Qi An maintained his smile, “General Li reminds me of an old acquaintance.”
Bah! Li Miaozheng cursed inwardly, while outwardly maintaining her smile, “This Baidi City is as beautiful as a flower garden, but Lord Xu, having traveled with the Governor, must have seen plenty of desolate landscapes, I suppose?”
“Indeed, it’s quite lamentable.”
“Typically, a provincial Chief Commander’s Office oversees between 20 to 30 guard stations, but the Yunzhou Chief Commander’s Office only manages 15. Do you know why?” Li Miaozheng asked and answered herself:
“Because Yunzhou has a sparse population and severe bandit problems, making it impossible to station troops on a large scale. Without troops, how can bandits be suppressed?”
According to Great Feng’s military system, below the Chief Commander’s Office at the provincial level, “guards” were established, each with 5,600 men. Below the provincial level, at the county level, “stations” were set up, each with 1,100 men.
Provinces with only 15 guard stations weren’t unheard of, but Yunzhou was an area plagued by bandits. Logically, it should have over 25 guard stations for its military strength to be considered adequate.
“Couldn’t they just cultivate good fields? The army could farm for themselves when not fighting, achieving self-sufficiency,” Xu Qi An suggested.
Various Chief Commander’s Offices across the country owned military fields. When not at war, the troops did the same work as farmers.
Li Miaozheng glanced at him, “What about the soldiers’ pay?”
… Xu Qi An said, “I’m ashamed, truly ashamed!”
He remembered now that soldiers were supposed to be paid. It wasn’t enough just to have food to eat. The more troops recruited, the more pay was needed. If they couldn’t afford to pay the troops, the army could rebel at any time. Such examples were plentiful in historical records.
“I’ve been in Yunzhou for over a year, collaborating with Chief Commander Yang Chuannan to suppress bandits more than twenty times. Each time, he gave his all. I don’t believe such a person would collude with mountain bandits,” Li Miaozheng revealed her true intentions, looking at Xu Qi An seriously:
“Lord Xu, you are a key figure in this investigation. Your attitude will determine the Governor’s stance. I hope you can handle this matter with caution.”
“General Li overpraises me. I’m just a lowly constable,” Xu Qi An appropriately displayed a “surprised” expression.
Li Miaozheng frankly said, “I’ve investigated Lord Xu and consider myself quite familiar with you.”
For instance, your expertise in investigations, and your liaisons with several courtesans from the Imperial Academy…
“Lord Xu seems to have a cousin studying at the Yunlu Academy?”
Number Two indeed suspects Three’s identity… Suspecting that the Second Young Master is the enthusiastic scholar, Number Three… I might as well use this opportunity to expand the misunderstanding. After all, Second Young Master is at the academy, and Number Two is in Yunzhou, separated by tens of thousands of miles… This way, I can use Second Young Master’s “familial affection” to gain Number Two’s trust… After all, I can’t reveal my own identity, the consequences of social death would be too terrible… Xu Qi An smiled and said:
“Yes, Cixiu is a scholar full of ambition, highly regarded by the great scholars of Yunlu Academy. It’s said he’s being groomed as the academy’s successor.”
Groomed as the successor… No wonder Number Three knows so much about Yunlu Academy’s layout and confidential intelligence… Li Miaozheng nodded in sudden realization, smiling, “Lord Xu is equally passionate and chivalrous.”
Her attitude had changed, seeming to have developed some goodwill towards Xu Qi An by association.
… If I were to say something like “Damn that Emperor Yuan Jing!” right now, Number Two’s affection for me would probably skyrocket.
After chatting for a while, the two bid farewell, one continuing forward, the other turning back.
Li Miaozheng found a secluded alley, took out the wine flask, removed the spirit-sealing talisman, and released Su Su. Then she produced a paper figurine for her to possess.
The paper figurine transformed into the exquisitely made-up Su Su, her face full of resentment, “Master…”
Li Miaozheng stared at her and asked, “What did you tell him?”
For Xu Qi An to have discerned her identity as a Daoist disciple, he must have extracted information from Su Su.
Su Su raised her hand, pinching her little finger with her thumb, indicating, “Just a tiny bit.”
“How much is a tiny bit?”
“A tiny bit is just a tiny bit.”
“Speak!”
“Well, I didn’t say much, just about your identity, age, cultivation level, your journey down the mountain for experience…”
“?”
A big question mark appeared in Li Miaozheng’s mind:
“Didn’t you tell him everything then?”
“At least I didn’t tell him about your menstrual cycle.”
“…”
…
Xu Qi An returned to the courier station to find Zhu Guangxiao and Song Tingfeng still sitting there, staring at each other, their eyes full of distrust for their companion.
“Why didn’t you tell me about you and Su Su?”
“You didn’t say anything either.”
Seeing Xu Qi An return, Song Tingfeng looked at him with lifeless eyes, “Ning Yan, did you know about Su Su’s identity all along?”
“Of course I did.”
“Then why didn’t you tell us?” Zhu Guangxiao asked in a deep voice.
“You told me to keep it a secret,” Xu Qi An shrugged.
Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao’s gazes at him instantly filled with distrust.
“Then what happened between us and Su Su at the teahouse…” Song Tingfeng asked in a low voice.
“It was all your illusion!” Xu Qi An answered truthfully.
“Phew…” Both of them sighed in relief. So it was just an illusion.
Song Tingfeng laughed, feeling relieved, “So it was an illusion. Then it’s nothing. I was just confused and passed out.”
Xu Qi An looked at them pityingly, shaking his head, “You were under an illusion, but you didn’t pass out.”
“Didn’t pass out?” Zhu Guangxiao and Song Tingfeng’s hearts sank.
Xu Qi An went to a pillar and said solemnly, “Tingfeng, you were like this…”
He hugged the pillar and thrust frantically.
Song Tingfeng: “…”
“Guangxiao, you were like this…” He went to the table, pressed his hands on the edge, and demonstrated his waist strength.
Zhu Guangxiao: “…”
“Hey, why are you two crawling under the table?” Xu Qi An finished his demonstration to find Zhu Guangxiao and Song Tingfeng had crawled under the table and refused to come out.
“Xu Ning Yan, get lost… Just go, please, go away quickly. I don’t want to see you today,” Song Tingfeng crouched under the table, holding his head.
“Hahahahaha…”