[Two: I’ve been investigating the Blood Massacre of Three Thousand Li. I thought such a major event couldn’t be hidden. But, Xu Qi An, let me tell you, this case is extremely bizarre.
[I flew for three days and nights along the Chu Prefecture border but haven’t found the location of the Blood Massacre of Three Thousand Li yet. However, I discovered something strange. I encountered a small group of barbarian cavalry at the border, slaughtered them, and summoned their souls for questioning. I found that they knew nothing about the “Blood Massacre of Three Thousand Li” incident.]
Li Miaozhen had flown north directly on her flying sword, much faster than Xu Qi An. If one had to compare, it was like one taking a plane while the other used a cruise ship + horse carriage + walking.
Xu Qi An typed his message: [I already know about this. This case isn’t as simple as it appears on the surface.]
Also, the “Blood Massacre of Three Thousand Li” is an allusion, not massacring three thousand Li. Sister, you should read more books… he grumbled inwardly.
Li Miaozhen replied, extremely shocked: [Ah? Do you already know? As expected of you.]
I’m not as amazing as you think. I’m just like you, killing and summoning souls. It’s just that you killed barbarian cavalry, while I killed barbarian leaders… Xu Qi An continued to ask:
[Are there any other discoveries?]
Li Miaozhen replied: [Yes, I found that goods in Chu Prefecture are very cheap. Whether it’s staying at inns, eating, or buying other things, five taels of silver can last for a long, long time. In the capital of Great Shang, five taels of silver would be gone in an instant.]
What are you talking about… Xu Qi An was bewildered, taking a few seconds to react. Simplified, Li Miaozhen was saying: Here, you can get four buns for one coin.
So what do you mean by saying this? Are you lamenting how cheap things are in Chu Prefecture? Or are you venting your womanly shopping desires?
Xu Qi An frowned and sent a message: [Miaozhen, I don’t quite understand your meaning.]
Li Miaozhen replied: [Usually if a region experiences war, the prices of local food and such would skyrocket. But I’ve checked the grain prices in several counties of Chu Prefecture, and while there are fluctuations, the differences aren’t significant.]
Xu Qi An understood. She meant that the prices in Chu Prefecture were still relatively stable, indicating that although barbarians had invaded the border, burning, killing, and looting, it was a relatively small area compared to Chu Prefecture’s vast territory of eight thousand li.
[Three: Have no cities been occupied?]
[Two: I haven’t seen any, and if border cities were occupied, the barbarians wouldn’t just plunder the border but would dare to penetrate deep into Chu Prefecture.]
“Without capturing cities and territory, only plundering border civilians and not daring to penetrate deep into enemy territory… hmm, this is because they fear being surrounded. I think I understand why in ancient warfare, they always insisted on capturing cities. Without taking down a city, they would never bypass it, as that would be like exposing their back to the enemy.”
When Xu Qi An was young and watched TV dramas, he always thought ancient people were foolish. Why did they have to stubbornly attack one city? Why not just bypass it and attack the next city, or even march straight to the capital?
A child’s world is always so simple… He sighed inwardly, then saw Li Miaozhen’s message:
[Xu Qi An, I’m now doubting if the Blood Massacre of Three Thousand Li happened. I don’t know how to continue investigating.]
Even through the Earth Book, he could sense Li Miaozhen’s helplessness and frustration.
She had privately messaged Xu Qi An this time to ask for his advice on how to continue the investigation.
Li Miaozhen’s doubts weren’t impossible. The Blood Massacre of Three Thousand Li case originated from a remnant soul, a corpse of unknown identity and origin.
Well, thinking about it this way, weren’t the decisions of Minister Wei, the court officials, and Emperor Yuanjing a bit hasty?
Although this case needed investigation, sending an envoy directly seemed a bit exaggerated. The normal procedure should have been to send a small force to scout the situation, or even send spies for covert investigation…
But if the Blood Massacre of Three Thousand Li case didn’t exist, how to explain the remnant soul?
Li Miaozhen had encountered this corpse by the roadside. If she hadn’t been a Taoist disciple who knew how to summon souls, the deceased’s soul would have dissipated in a few days.
So the possibility of it being a deliberate arrangement was low.
The deceased was from the north, and due to the Blood Massacre of Three Thousand Li incident, had traveled thousands of li to the capital to report to the emperor. But he was ambushed and killed eighty li from the capital.
I don’t have any particularly good ideas… Would answering like this make my grand and lofty image lose points in Li Miaozhen’s heart?
After pondering for a long while, Xu Qi An had an idea and sent a message: [Miaozhen, the corpse you found by the roadside was a jianghu person, right?]
[Two: Yes, that’s what you analyzed.]
[Three: Have you considered, if such a major event happened on the northern border, who would be the first to impeach the Garrison North General?]
[Two: Naturally, the officials in the northern border, especially those in the area affected by the Blood Massacre of Three Thousand Li.]
[Three: Well done. Then why was the corpse you found that of a jianghu person?]
[Two: Well done?]
[Three: That’s not the point. The point is, why was it the corpse of a jianghu person?]
Li Miaozhen, experienced in this area, replied: [Justice often comes from the lowly. It’s normal for a jianghu person to see such a tragic situation, become angry, and go to the capital to report to the emperor.]
Xu Qi An chuckled and sent a message: [If that were the case, he wouldn’t have been ambushed at all. No one would pay attention to a common jianghu man. Correspondingly, even if he reached the capital, he couldn’t report to the emperor without evidence.
[I won’t tell you about the dark side of reporting to the emperor. Just considering the facts, could a commoner accuse a prince without evidence? Trust me, the court wouldn’t even bother with it.]
At this point, Xu Qi An once again felt puzzled. So, whether it was Emperor Yuanjing, Minister Wei, or the court officials, they all seemed a bit hasty in sending an envoy north…
Li Miaozhen was indeed clever. With his hint, she immediately understood and replied: [You mean that local officials did submit reports of impeachment but encountered accidents, so they sent that hero to the capital to report. He might have been carrying some kind of token, which is why he was ambushed.]
Analyzing this point, Li Miaozhen suddenly felt enlightened, her thoughts clear.
I had some ideas too, just not clear enough. It was only after his hint that I figured it out… Li Miaozhen thought, then instinctively sent a message:
[So how should I investigate?]
After sending the message, she regretted it, thinking: Li Miaozhen, you’re being too indecisive, making yourself look like an incompetent woman who needs to rely on him!
She angrily reflected on this while staring intently at the mirror surface.
[Three: It’s simple. Hide your identity as the Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Sect and walk the jianghu of Chu Prefecture as the Flying Swallow Heroine. It’s best to do more righteous deeds.]
Li Miaozhen’s heart stirred. [You mean…]
Xu Qi An replied: [We’ve been ignoring the people behind the “roadside deceased.” The person behind must have encountered trouble, which is why they sent a jianghu person to deliver the message. If he’s still alive, he must be hiding somewhere, quietly waiting for news.
[He might not necessarily seek out the envoy. Heh, once the envoy enters the northern border, they’ll likely be under layers of surveillance. Even Prince Huai’s faction might be using the envoy as bait. Compared to the envoy, I think he’s more likely to seek out some well-known jianghu heroes. This can be verified by the deceased hero.
[Of course, all this is based on the premise that the person who wanted to report to the emperor is still alive.]
That’s right, why didn’t I think of this… As expected of you! Li Miaozhen’s eyes shone brightly as she replied: [I understand. I’ll contact you again when I have some leads.]
Xu Qi An immediately sent a message: [Good. I have one more thing to ask. Umm, if someone dies with their mind shattered and loses sanity, and can’t communicate after soul summoning, can they recover? How long would it take?]
The other side was silent for a few seconds before Li Miaozhen replied: [Is the soul intact?]
Xu Qi An said: [The three hun are intact.]
The reason he had taken the corpse with him that day was to allow the white-robed mage’s soul to reunite after seven days. Seven days later, the human soul would overflow from the corpse and merge with the heaven and earth souls floating outside.
At that time, the soul would shake off its confused state and be the same as when alive.
The deceased Li Miaozhen found by the roadside must have suffered severe damage to his primordial spirit before death, which is why it was incomplete. And because the killer was a warrior, not skilled in soul destruction, a remnant soul was left behind.
[Two: It’s easy, a matter of two or three days.]
[Three: This matter isn’t urgent. We’ll talk about it when we meet up.]
Finishing the message exchange, Xu Qi An finished the still-warm porridge, hid the Earth Book fragment, and walked out of the cliff cave.
“I’ve finished eating,” the Princess Consort said loudly, having secretly discarded the roasted chicken.
Xu Qi An grunted in acknowledgment, pretending not to notice her little trick, and walked alongside her on the mountain path.
Surrounded by green trees and the sounds of birds and flowers, except for the occasional rustling from the bushes on either side that startled the Princess Consort, she quite enjoyed this close-to-nature environment.
Who exactly is the Princess Consort, to have spiritual essence in her body… A Great Shang version of Tang Sanzang’s flesh? Heh, if that’s the case, I’d be Sun Wukong.
Master, take a hit from your old Sun!
Hahaha… Xu Qi An couldn’t help but smile.
As they gradually approached Three Yellow County, villages became more frequent. Xu Qi An and the Princess Consort had their lunch at a farmer’s home – a bowl of porridge and some pickled vegetables each.
The farming household had five members: two elderly, a couple, and a child.
They lived in an adobe house, wearing patched-up, worn-out clothes. The elderly were skeletal, and the child’s face was sallow.
As they sat in the courtyard eating lunch, they heard the child’s voice from inside: “Mom, I’m so hungry.”
“Didn’t you already eat?” the woman said in a low voice.
“I usually get a full bowl, why only half a bowl today?” the child complained.
“We have guests today. You won’t die from eating less for one meal,” the man of the house scolded.
The child, afraid of his father, lowered his head and dared not speak.
“The people in the northern border are quite hospitable…” the Princess Consort muttered softly. “Look at their home, it’s bare. I guess they drink porridge for every meal, unable to afford white rice.”
Having stayed in the capital for so long, I almost forgot what the hardships of common people look like… Xu Qi An sighed inwardly, but said aloud:
“Isn’t this normal? Did you expect them to have meat and fish for every meal? Being able to eat their fill is already good enough.”
The Princess Consort pursed her lips and said softly, “Do you have any silver on you?”
Of course I do, all my possessions are in the Earth Book fragment… Xu Qi An understood her meaning and asked, “You want to borrow silver from me?”
She nodded.
“How much?” Xu Qi An asked.
The Princess Consort pondered and said, “A hundred taels, I suppose. We can’t give too much, or it might expose our identities.”
…Xu Qi An looked at her with a stiff expression and said word by word, “How much?”
“Is, is that too much? Then, fifty taels,” she blinked her beautiful big eyes.
Wasteful woman… Xu Qi An mentally slapped her and said sternly, “One qian of silver, not a bit more.”
Shouldn’t one repay kindness with flowing generosity? The Princess Consort looked at him in surprise, frowning, “I’ll pay you back. Don’t be so stingy.”
Xu Qi An sighed, “Given our destitute appearance, even one qian of silver is a lot. Any more would be unreasonable. If the Garrison North General’s people or northern spies trace us here and ask around, we’d be exposed immediately.”
One qian of silver, neither too much nor too little, would be enough for this poor family to eat meat for a few days.
The Princess Consort nodded, accepting Xu Qi An’s explanation. She respected Xu Ning Yan’s meticulous thinking.
Then, with a delighted expression, she said, “When we reach Three Yellow County, I want to bathe. I can hardly stand my sour smell anymore.”
Xu Qi An ignored her, sitting on a small stool in the courtyard, gazing at the azure sky, and said softly, “I’d like some yogurt after the meal.”
…
He slurped down his porridge, then called over the man of the house and said, “Thank you, I’m… going into town to visit relatives, and didn’t bring much with me…”
Xu Qi An took out a small piece of silver and handed it to the man, “A small token of appreciation.”
“This, this…” The man was stunned. He had seen copper coins before but rarely silver.
After some back and forth, the Princess Consort stood by watching Xu Qi An earnestly reason with the man. She felt an inexplicable joy, the corners of her mouth turning up slightly.
A man with a sense of humanity, though a bit lecherous, was still better than those big shots full of schemes and cruel bloodlust.
After they left, the man cupped the silver in both hands, returning to the house excitedly to show his family, like presenting a treasure.
“They, they left us silver,” the man said loudly.
The old man reached out with a trembling hand and stroked the child’s head, “Tomorrow, ask your father to buy you some meat.”
The members of this poor family showed genuine, grateful joy on their faces.
…
“Why didn’t you introduce me earlier?” the Princess Consort said angrily as they walked on the official road.
“What?” Xu Qi An didn’t react.
The Princess Consort caught up with him in quick steps, glaring, “You said you were going into town to visit relatives but left me out, hmph!”
Xu Qi An remembered and indeed, it had happened. He asked in return, “Then how do you think I should have introduced you? As my wife? Your appearance doesn’t match my current handsome face. As my sister? That’s too far-fetched, clearly not blood-related. As a maid? That doesn’t fit our current destitute state.”
“Then say I’m your great-aunt,” the Princess Consort said, hands on her hips.
“Get lost! Why not say you’re my great-grandmother?” Xu Qi An said irritably.
…
Before dusk, they arrived at Three Yellow County but didn’t enter the city immediately. Instead, they had a cup of cool tea at a pavilion outside the city. Reaching Three Yellow County meant they had truly arrived at the northern border.
In Three Yellow County, Xu Qi An would be able to meet the night watchmen’s undercover agents and gather intelligence.
Three Yellow County wasn’t large, with a population of less than 100,000 in the city. Upon entering, they were questioned and asked to show official travel documents.
The Princess Consort suddenly became nervous, cowering slightly. She knew she had no travel documents and couldn’t withstand investigation.
What to do? We can’t enter the city now… Her heart tightened. This meant she would have to continue the long journey, and Xu Qi An wouldn’t be able to investigate the case.
For a moment, the future seemed bleak.
“We have them, we have them,” Xu Qi An said with a smile, taking out official documents and respectfully handing them over.
The guard at the gate glanced at them and returned them to Xu Qi An, saying, “Go ahead.”
The Princess Consort kept her head down, taking small steps beside Xu Qi An. It wasn’t until the city gate was far behind them that she sighed in relief and asked:
“Where did you get the travel documents?”
“I went out and robbed someone while you were sleeping, played the part of a highway robber,” Xu Qi An said calmly.
You’re something else… The Princess Consort’s eyes curved in a smile. Then she heard Xu Qi An sigh and say, “The situation doesn’t look good. Your husband’s people know I’ve come north alone.”
“?”
A question mark flashed in the Princess Consort’s mind. That can’t be true, right? They had traveled north secretly, never exposing themselves. How could Prince Huai’s people know Xu Ning Yan had come north?
Moreover, how did Xu Qi An know this?
Clever as she was, she couldn’t see through it at all.
“But fortunately, they don’t know you’re with me,” Xu Qi An added.
“…How do you mean?” The Princess Consort pursed her lips, tilting her head, her beautiful eyes fixed on him, humbly seeking guidance.
She had always enjoyed listening to Xu Qi An’s case-solving stories, discussing them with relish, and exclaiming in admiration at the exciting parts. Of course, she had never told Xu Qi An about these interests.