“Read it to me, I can’t understand the cursive script,” Xu Qi An pushed it back.

Xu Xingnian’s face stiffened, staring blankly at him: “If that’s the case, why did you make me write it out?”

Because I’m in a bad mood today… Xu Qi An urged, “Don’t waste words. When I tell you to read, just read. An elder brother is like a father, are my words useless now?”

Xu Xingnian grumbled a few times, indistinctly wishing ill on his elder brother’s entire family, then picked up the paper and began to read.

“Wait!”

When he read to a certain paragraph, Xu Qi An suddenly called for a stop.

He snatched the paper, scrutinizing it closely, asking as he read: “What’s this conversation about? What follows? Is there no continuation?”

The second young master Xu nodded: “There’s no continuation in the daily records. It must have been modified at the time. Hmm, is there something wrong with this conversation?”

He looked at his elder brother with undisguised curiosity. In Xu Xingnian’s view, this conversation was unremarkable, merely a dialogue between the late emperor and the previous generation’s Renzong Daoist leader about cultivating longevity.

Chatting about longevity with a high-ranking Daoist was just like discussing classics with a great Confucian scholar, utterly commonplace.

Xu Qi An didn’t answer him, lost in his thoughts, expanding his thinking from this conversation and making associations.

Since ancient times, those who received the Mandate of Heaven couldn’t live forever. Could the Daoist method of longevity solve this great limitation…

From this sentence, it could be seen that the late emperor knew that those blessed with the nation’s fortune couldn’t achieve immortality.

Changshou is possible, but eternal existence is not…

The “longevity” mentioned by the previous Renzong Daoist leader should mean extending life, while the latter half of the sentence about eternal existence was what Emperor Yuanjing desperately sought.

One qi transforming into three pure ones, are the three one person, or three separate people… Huh, what does this sentence mean? Was the late emperor asking casually, or was there a deeper meaning?

With doubts in mind, Xu Qi An continued to let his little brother read on.

But there were no other suspicious clues.

“Second brother, you need to speed up. Within three days, record all the contents of the late emperor’s daily records for elder brother. Remember to be discreet, don’t let the people at the Hanlin Academy discover what you’re doing. We’re investigating secretly, and must not leak anything, otherwise it will bring great trouble.”

Based on his instincts as an old detective, Xu Qi An believed that Emperor Yuanjing’s obsession with Daoist cultivation might be related to the late emperor.

The core doubt of this case was simple: since emperors couldn’t achieve immortality, why did Emperor Yuanjing cultivate the Dao?

Solving this doubt would reveal everything.

Emperor Yuanjing wasn’t a fool. Even super-grade sages, the first-grade martial artist founding emperor, and the Martial Ancestor couldn’t achieve immortality. Without some certainty or a glimpse of hope, Emperor Yuanjing wouldn’t have become obsessed with Daoist cultivation.

“Mm.” The second young master Xu nodded, then said:

“Recently, I heard something at court. There’s a war in the north. Did you know, elder brother?”

“A war in the north?” Xu Qi An was surprised.

The day he tore apart the Northern Frontier King, taking advantage of Jili Zhigu’s severe injuries and Monk Shenshu’s invincibility, he had specifically chased out of Chu Prefecture and slain this third-grade barbarian by the official road.

The purpose was to severely weaken the northern barbarians, leaving them leaderless. This way, just the struggle among barbarian factions for a new leader would be enough to cause chaos for a while.

They shouldn’t be able to disturb the northern border again.

The northern barbarians and demon race were of the same lineage, so the northern demon race wouldn’t take the opportunity to encroach on barbarian territory, as this would only increase internal strife.

“The Shaman God Cult?!” Xu Qi An blurted out.

“The Shaman God Cult is taking the opportunity to attack the northern demon-barbarian territory, trying to occupy their land. This is unfavorable news for us in Great Feng,” the second young master Xu said.

“How’s the battle situation?” Xu Qi An asked.

“I don’t know the details, but I heard the demon-barbarians are retreating steadily,” the second young master Xu revealed a serious expression and said: “I heard that the general leading the Shaman God Cult’s army is the king of Jing State — Xiahou Yushu.”

Who’s that… Xu Qi An was stunned for a few seconds, then suddenly recalled the dossier from the Shanhai Pass battle.

Xiahou Yushu, the king of Jing State. In the Shanhai Pass battle twenty years ago, he led the Jing State army on a three-day-and-night forced march, cutting off Great Feng’s supply lines on the eve of the decisive battle.

He caught Wei Yuan off guard, and that was the closest the Allied forces came to victory, just a bit short of rewriting history.

Great Feng had a very high opinion of this king of Jing State, considering him a military talent second only to Wei Yuan, especially in terms of overall planning and strategic vision.

In terms of pure military leadership ability, Xiahou Yushu was even stronger than the Northern Frontier King.

The Northeast was vast, and sparsely populated, with three states in a tripartite balance: Jing State, Kang State, and Yan State.

All three countries worshipped the Shaman God, with the Shaman God Cult being the state religion of the three northeastern countries. There, divine authority was supreme, imperial power secondary, mirroring the class structure of the Western Regions.

The three northeastern countries only cultivated two systems: the shaman system and the martial system.

“Hey, Lord Wei once said he’d attack the Shaman God Cult after the autumn harvest, and now the Shaman God Cult is invading the northern demon-barbarian territory. Great Feng is likely to send troops… This, how can it be such a coincidence? I don’t believe Lord Wei can foresee this to this extent. He must have other purposes for attacking the Shaman God Cult.”

Xu Qi An frowned silently.

For some reason, he had a feeling that a storm was brewing.

…

Deep in the night, the full moon hung high.

The cold moonlight spilled over the lush mountain forests. Night birds flapped their wings in the dense foliage, emitting shrill cries.

A wisp of green smoke swayed gracefully under the moonlight, sweeping through the forest, over peaks, across lakes and rivers, finally reaching a cave and slipping inside.

After passing through winding cave passages for a long time, the green smoke arrived at a cavern valley. The cold moonlight shone down from above, and the cavern was filled with pure white moonflowers.

Stones were piled into a high platform, entwined with vines and covered in blooming flowers, jointly creating a “flower terrace”.

The stone chair on the platform was lined with fluffy, snow-white fox fur. A stunningly beautiful young woman lounged lazily on it, one hand propping up her head, smiling as she watched the green smoke that had returned after traversing thousands of mountains and rivers.

The green smoke transformed into a not-quite-real woman, graceful in posture, charming in temperament, but with a blurry face.

“Master, I’ve returned.”

The woman curtsied gracefully.

“Six years have passed in the blink of an eye. You’ve done well. When I initially sent you to the capital, it was for the sealed object beneath Sang Lake.”

The beauty on the stone chair spoke in a coquettish voice. She bent her legs slightly, her skirt sliding down to reveal a pair of long legs like white pythons. She smiled and said:

“When I saw your letter saying you had fallen in love with a man, I didn’t urge you to return, allowing you half a year more to fulfill your worldly love. Now, do you still have any attachments in the capital?”

The woman kept her head lowered, not answering.

The woman on the stone chair had a pair of bewitching fox-like eyes that could steal one’s soul. She narrowed them slightly and smiled:

“Tsk tsk tsk, Courtesan Fuxiang, famous throughout the world, how glorious. Have you forgotten your real name… Yeji?”

“Yeji wouldn’t dare. Fuxiang was the daughter of a disgraced official who died of illness six years ago. Yeji merely usurped her body to carry out tasks. Yeji will forever be loyal to Master.”

“What if one day I ask you to kill Xu Qi An?” The woman on the stone chair had a mischievous expression, but her tone carried a chill.

The woman’s body trembled, and she fell to her knees, pleading: “Then Yeji would be unable to serve Master anymore. Please grant Yeji death.”

The woman on the stone chair sat up straight and giggled: “Naughty girl, you know I could never kill you. Haven’t you always wanted to know how I would deal with Xu Qi An?”

“When I scattered you nine sisters across the nine provinces, I said that if you could all fall in love with the same man, he would be my future husband, the ruler of the Ten Thousand Demons Kingdom.”

“Besides you, another girl has also fallen in love with him.”

Yeji suddenly raised her head, both delighted and jealous: “Who… who is it?”

The princess of the Ten Thousand Demons Kingdom smiled charmingly, enchantingly beautiful, but didn’t answer Yeji’s question. Instead, she said: “Rest here for a while, I’ll reshape a body for you.”

“Next, I have a new task for you to do.”

…

Early morning.

Tianji and Tianshu led their subordinate spies, riding horses to White Phoenix Mountain in the western suburbs.

A huge archway bore the characters “Qinglong Temple”. Winding stone steps extended into the depths of the forest, stretching towards the magnificent temple at the mountaintop.

Leaving a few people to watch the horses, Tianji and Tianshu climbed the steps and entered the temple.

After being announced by a disciple, the two top-ranked spies met the abbot of Qinglong Temple — Monk Panshu.

The old monk’s white beard reached his chest. With kind eyes and a benevolent expression, he sat cross-legged in the meditation room and said amiably: “What brings the two gentlemen to our humble temple?”

Tianji took out a folded portrait from his bosom, opened it, and said: “Does Abbot Panshu recognize this person?”

The monk in the portrait had a square face, thick eyebrows, and big eyes, with rugged features. It was none other than Monk Hengyuan.

“Amitabha,” Monk Panshu put his palms together and said: “He is Hengyuan, my disciple.”

Tianji and Tianshu exchanged a glance, a flash of light in their eyes. Tianji leaned forward slightly, staring at Monk Panshu: “Is this person in the temple?”

Monk Panshu shook his head: “This person left the temple more than two years ago. That year, my other disciple Henghui disappeared without a trace. Hengyuan went down the mountain to search for him since then and never returned to the temple.”

“This matter can be testified by any disciple in the temple. If the gentlemen don’t believe me, you can ask and find out.”

Tianji nodded: “Then I trouble the abbot to gather the disciples.”

After questioning the disciples in the temple and getting a consistent answer, Tianji and Tianshu left the temple, walking side by side down the mountain steps.

Tianji said slowly: “More than two years ago, Henghui from Qinglong Temple eloped with Princess Pingyang and was secretly killed by the Liang faction. Later, Xu Qi An investigated the Sang Lake case and uncovered this old incident.”

Tianshu made a sound of acknowledgment: “The monks in the temple said that Hengyuan had very poor relationships in the temple and never returned after going down the mountain. He’s very likely to have left the capital already.”

Tianji pondered for a moment and said: “The monks in the temple said this person liked to meddle in others’ affairs. So, during his two years in the capital, he must have left some traces. There shouldn’t be few people who know him. Send people to investigate in the outer city, remember not to alarm anyone.”

…

Xu Mansion, breakfast time.

Lina drinking porridge: Gulp gulp gulp.

Little Bean drinking porridge: Gulp gulp gulp, burp…

Others drank porridge and ate dishes at a leisurely pace.

Second Uncle Xu stroked the Taiping saber while grinning.

Aunt angrily said: “All day long you just stroke that saber, why don’t you sleep with it?”

“Alright then,” Second Uncle Xu said, looking towards his nephew.

“Alright,” Xu Qi An nodded, “Taiping, keep Second Uncle company more often.”

Aunt yelled in anger: “Neither uncle nor nephew is any good!”

She turned to look at her son and said, “Second son, how are things going with that young lady from the Wang family?”

“Why bring this up…” the second young master Xu said somewhat bashfully.

“Didn’t you visit the Wang family? Shouldn’t we invite the young lady to our home as well? Though our Xu family may not be a scholarly household, we still know our manners. Go and invite her to visit our mansion.”

Aunt put on the air of a family matriarch.

Aunt, if you’re going to say that, I’d better buy some melon seeds in advance… Xu Qi An perked up.

“That wouldn’t be proper. If I invite her to our mansion, it wouldn’t be appropriate,” the second young master Xu exposed his mother’s half-baked knowledge of etiquette.

“If it’s in my name, inviting Miss Wang to our mansion would be proper,” Xu Lingyue said softly.

The second young master Xu thought for a moment and said, “Alright then.”

Xu Qi An chimed in: “Let’s set a date then, don’t drag it out too long. Preferably in the next few days.”

Hearing this, Aunt couldn’t help but look at her nephew: “Why is Big Brother so enthusiastic about this?”

I’m not enthusiastic, I’m just eager to see you get outmatched by your future daughter-in-law… Xu Qi’an thought to himself. He felt that his monotonous life of investigating cases finally had some entertainment.

Then, he looked at Xu Lingyue.

Would it be Wang Simu outmatching her future mother-in-law, or would the little sister-in-law charge in on horseback, fiercely battling the sister-in-law to rescue her mother from peril?

Isn’t this more interesting than the plays in the theater?

“As the elder brother, I naturally need to care about the Second Brother’s marriage. Once Second Brother’s marriage is settled, we can put Lingyue’s marriage on the agenda,” Xu Qi An said with an air of seriousness.

Xu Lingyue lowered her head, a glint flashing in her beautiful eyes.

“That’s right!” Aunt agreed wholeheartedly.

After finishing breakfast, Xu Qi An returned to his room and glanced at Zhong Li sitting at the table eating.

Her messy black hair was slightly parted, revealing her cherry-like small mouth, moving slightly like a rabbit nibbling on a carrot.

Although he had never seen Zhong Li’s full face, the occasional glimpse of her eyes or lips showed that she was quite a delicate beauty.

“Shoo, shoo, I need to write my memo now.”

Xu Qi An shooed her away from the desk.

Zhong Li hugged her bowl and squatted by the bed to continue eating.

“This morning, cultivate ‘Intent’, integrate various supreme skills into one slash as soon as possible. Heaven and Earth Slash + Heart Sword + Lion’s Roar + Taiping Saber. I have a premonition that when I master ‘Intent’, I will dominate the fourth-grade realm.”

“In the afternoon, go on a date with Lin’an. The day before yesterday, I ‘accidentally’ touched Lin’an’s waist. It was so soft.”

“Tomorrow, I can’t stay at home. I need to sleep at the widow’s place. I’ll have to take her out shopping and have some fun.”

“The day after tomorrow morning, go to Huaiqing Palace to see my aloof goddess. I shouldn’t neglect her either. It’s been a while since I chatted with her. Conversing with a knowledgeable beauty is something to look forward to.”

“In the afternoon, I promised Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao to listen to music at the theater. The Jiaofang Bureau… sigh, I won’t go to the Jiaofang Bureau anymore.”

“The day after that, I promised Li Miaozheng to buy grain and distribute porridge. This foolish female knight, I told her that teaching a man to fish is better than giving him a fish. But the foolish female knight asked, what fishing can you teach? I was speechless.”

“In the afternoon, take Lina, Caiwei, and Little Bean to a restaurant to eat…”

“Then, I have to go sleep at the widow’s place again…”

Writing to this point, Xu Qi An felt something was wrong.

Hey, where are my important matters? Where’s the case I need to investigate?

He wrote at the end of the memo: “Xu Qi An, oh Xu Qi An, you can’t spend all day lingering around women and neglect important matters.”

A few seconds later, he crossed out this sentence and changed it to: “I need a copy of ‘Master Luo’s Time Management’.”

After finishing the memo with great melancholy, he glanced at Zhong Li who had finished breakfast and was sitting cross-legged on the bed cultivating. He thought to himself that Fifth Junior Sister was still the best, staying quietly in the fish pond.

She neither causes trouble nor hinders you from doing important things.

At this moment, Old Zhang from the gatehouse came running over and said at the door: “Young Master, someone is looking for you.”

Xu Qi An responded: “Who is it?”

“It’s a young lady, she calls herself Mei’er.”

Mei’er, Fuxiang’s maid… Xu Qi An was silent for a moment, then said: “Lead her to the outer hall, I’ll be right there.”

He tucked the memo into a book and instructed Zhong Li: “Don’t peek, okay?”

Zhong Li nodded obediently.

Leaving the room, passing through the inner courtyard, and arriving at the outer hall, he saw the pretty-looking Mei’er sitting by a chair, her back straight, looking somewhat nervous.

A small cloth bundle was placed on the tea table beside her.

“Mei’er.”

Xu Qi An entered the inner hall and gestured to the young girl who had hurriedly stood up to sit down, saying gently: “Have you encountered any trouble?”

Unlike before, Mei’er was dressed quite plainly, with no makeup, far from her flourishing appearance when she was at Yingmei Pavilion.

He guessed that Mei’er might have been bullied at the Jiaofang Bureau.

“Constable Xu… no, Young Master Xu.”

Mei’er shook her head and said: “I’m no longer at the Jiaofang Bureau. Before Madam Fuxiang passed away, she left part of her savings to me, asking me to use it to redeem myself. I plan to return to my hometown to serve my parents. Then, I’ll find an honest man to marry.”

Damn, what sin have honest men committed to be treated like this even in another world… Xu Qi An smiled kindly, “So, you’ve come to bid farewell?”

Being able to leave that life is good too. Fuxiang was thoughtful. I hope she’s at peace now.

Mei’er shook her head again: “Before Madam Fuxiang passed away, she left a few items for me to pass on to you.”

Xu Qi An’s pupils contracted slightly.