[Two: Is there anything else?]
It seemed that the Tiandiclan members automatically ignored the crucial information about the “cousin being a student at Yunlu Academy,” possibly due to its connection to Three’s identity.
“Your unanimous silence makes me feel uneasy…” Xu Qi An waited for a moment, hoping Five would “expose” him, thus confirming the Tiandiclan members’ attitude.
But Five, surprisingly, also maintained silence.
…Well, Five is still a child, so we shouldn’t expect too much from her.
As Xu Qi An pondered, One answered Two’s question: [This person has earned Wei Yuan’s trust and high regard.]
Deeply trusted and valued by Wei Yuan… This brief statement stirred up a storm in the hearts of the Tiandiclan members. Wei Yuan’s name was not only well-known throughout Dafeng, but also carried significant weight across the Nine Provinces.
Except for his inability to cultivate, Wei Yuan could be considered an all-rounder. Of course, skills like music, chess, calligraphy, and painting were merely ornamental. What truly caught the attention of the major powers in the Nine Provinces was Wei Yuan’s talent for military command and strategy.
Wei Yuan was originally a palace eunuch who gained Emperor Yuanjing’s favor due to his exceptional chess skills, leading to his promotion.
In the 13th year of Emperor Yuanjing’s reign, when the old General Dugu guarding the northern border passed away, three major barbarian tribes assembled an army of 60,000 to invade the border. Within half a month, they swept through 3,000 li of borderland, pillaging and killing, leaving scorched earth and countless corpses in their wake. The court hurriedly dispatched troops to contain the barbarians’ fierce onslaught, but the situation remained grim.
The future King of Beishang was merely a rising prince at the time.
As Emperor Yuanjing, still dedicated to governing well, was troubled by the situation, Wei Yuan volunteered for battle. He made a military pledge: if he couldn’t drive out the barbarians within three months, he would atone with his life.
The young Emperor Yuanjing, showing great resolve, immediately appointed Wei Yuan as Vice Minister of War and Left Commander-in-Chief, commanding five armies.
Wei Yuan lived up to the emperor’s trust. In just a month and a half, he had the barbarians fleeing in disarray, with only about 5,000 remnants escaping back to the north.
This bond between emperor and subject is still often discussed with admiration to this day.
Wei Yuan’s military achievements didn’t stop there. His most famous feat was the Shanhai Campaign nineteen years ago. By then, the King of Beishang was already a renowned expert, yet he could only serve as a sharp blade in Wei Yuan’s hand, directed to kill enemies.
The supreme commander of the three armies was still this great eunuch who struck fear across the land.
Shanhai Pass was on the border with the Western Regions. The northern barbarians came south, while various southern tribes moved north, engaging in a deadly battle at Shanhai Pass against the allied forces of Dafeng and the Buddhist Kingdom.
Within half a year, a million lives were reduced to ashes, making it one of the bloodiest battles recorded in history.
And Wei Yuan, as the Left Commander-in-Chief of Dafeng, once again demonstrated his unparalleled ability to command the world.
“I was truly foolish. I still underestimated this Xu Qi An…” At this moment, Li Miaozhen (Two), who had removed her light armor and was now sitting cross-legged on the embroidered bed in white undergarments, muttered to herself.
…If I’m not mistaken, the reason for Yunlu Academy’s surge of pure qi is related to Three, and Three is very likely to be Xu Qi An’s cousin… And Xu Qi An himself is so highly regarded by Wei Yuan… This, this… In a few years, a prominent family will emerge in the capital… Four felt a myriad of emotions.
Having been away from the capital for many years, there was a sense of how things had changed.
After everyone had digested this information, One continued: [His weakness is obvious—he’s lecherous! When in the capital, he often frequented the courtesans’ quarters and had affairs with several top courtesans. Two, if you want to deal with him, you might consider using the beauty trap.]
I’m not, I’m not lecherous, don’t wrongly accuse me… Xu Qi An first denied it three times, refusing to admit he was a lecher.
Then, feeling slightly guilty, he justified in his mind: I frequent the courtesans’ quarters not because I’m lecherous, but because I want dopamine to rush into my brain and fill my empty soul.
One is hateful, not only selling my information without permission but also slandering my character… Hmm, he (she) is acting somewhat abnormally, not in line with usual behavior… Xu Qi An was about to defend “Xu Qi An” using his finger as a pen, but suddenly thought, what does Xu Qi An being lecherous have to do with me, Three?
I should continue my online romance if I want to, it doesn’t affect my flirting with Two and Five. Of course, Two’s beauty has already been vouched for by this experienced player, very worth flirting with. Five still need to be verified.
[Two: Hah, you don’t need to probe, I haven’t hidden my gender either. But seduction is a direction, and I happen to have a devastatingly beautiful charm at my disposal.]
As she sent the message, Two recalled Xu Qi An’s deep dark circles, and combined with One’s words, she was almost certain he was a seasoned lecher.
…There’s a major flaw in his personality. Although he’s smart, men sometimes let their lower half make decisions more than their brains! Two’s lips curled into a smirk.
…Hah, One clearly doesn’t understand me. Xu Qi An felt he wasn’t a lecher, he was just like most men, enjoying sleeping with beautiful women, but not indulging excessively.
At this moment, Four suddenly sent a message with some emotion: [This Xu Qi An is deep and scheming, good at enduring. The beauty trap might not work on him.]
This immediately caught the attention of the Tiandiclan members.
[Two: What makes you say that?]
[Four: If what One says is true, Xu Qi An is talented, yet he was content to be a lowly constable for many years, keeping a low profile. It wasn’t until the tax silver case threatened his safety that he acted decisively and calmly.
[Subsequently, he joined the Night Watchmen, solving numerous strange cases and accumulating achievements. This is vastly different from his performance as a constable… Hah, he was probably waiting for this opportunity all along. Joining the Night Watchmen was the stage for him to display his talents and soar to great heights.]
…So that’s what I was thinking, I’m a deep and scheming person, how come I didn’t know this myself? Four truly has an international level of understanding… Xu Qi An nearly covered his face.
[Two: That makes sense.]
Everyone agreed deeply, accepting Four’s analysis. The image of Xu Qi An became increasingly vivid and clear in their minds.
[Six: Xu Qi An is a good person. This poor monk hopes he won’t encounter any mishaps in Yunzhou. Two, I hope you won’t harm him, and more importantly, don’t let the Yunzhou Governor harm him.]
Six, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly sent a message.
Two, who had a decent relationship with Six, sent a puzzled message: [How come you also have a connection with him?]
[Six: I met him during the Sangbo case. After he learned about the Health Hall, he borrowed more than forty taels of silver from me on various occasions and promised to donate three taels of silver to this poor monk every day without compensation. When he left the capital, he sent twenty taels of silver through someone.]
At this moment, everyone couldn’t help but sigh at how complex human hearts are. Such a person turned out to be a lecher.
[Two: I understand. I will do my best to ensure his safety.]
[Six: Thank you.]
For a long while, no one spoke. Just as Xu Qi An thought the ill-mannered group members had gone offline again, Five sent a message:
[Um, Three, does your offer to package and send the Dafeng princess and the National Preceptor still stand?]
“???” Xu Qi An stared at this message for a long time, thinking to himself that this obviously doesn’t count, can’t you even distinguish between joking and serious talk?
[Three: Hah, let’s talk about it when I become a First-Rank expert.]
[Five: Hmph, I knew you were lying. My big brother has been bothering me these days, asking me about the Dafeng princess, and even asking which is more beautiful, the princess or the National Preceptor?]
Since this was the topic, Xu Qi An was willing to chat with her a bit more, and sent a message:
[There are four princesses in Dafeng in total. Crown Princess Huaiqing and Second Princess Lin’an are outstanding beauties. As for the National Preceptor… I’m not sure, I’ve heard of her but never seen her.]
After some thought, he felt that students from Yunlu Academy probably wouldn’t have seen National Preceptor Luo Yuheng.
[Four: The National Preceptor is naturally very beautiful, I think she surpasses the two princesses by a notch. Any man who has seen the National Preceptor would be captivated by her beauty.]
[Five: Oh, so your Dafeng’s National Preceptor is a vixen.]
[Four: Nonsense!]
[Five: She is a vixen.]
[Four: …There’s some truth to that, but it’s not because of the National Preceptor, it’s a secret of the Human Path. I can’t say much.]
[Two: Hah, what’s there to hide? Human Path, Human Path, as the name suggests, this sect’s cultivation is closely tied to human fate. When cultivated to a certain level, one becomes entangled in the seven emotions and six desires. Therefore, Luo Yuheng unconsciously arouses men’s desires.
[The previous Human Path Sect Leader originally had a chance to enter the First Rank. He moved Linggao Temple to the capital, intending to use human fate to achieve the First Rank, but the Supervisor disagreed. This led to his unfortunate demise, failing to successfully transcend.
[When it came to his daughter Luo Yuheng, it happened that Emperor Yuanjing was obsessed with immortality cultivation and was also a woman. She only needed to dual cultivate with Emperor Yuanjing, and given time, breaking through to the First Rank wouldn’t be difficult.]
[Three: But I remember Golden Lotus Daoist saying that Luo Yuheng never dual cultivated with Emperor Yuanjing.]
Xu Qi An wished he could @ Golden Lotus Daoist to come out and confirm that Luo Yuheng was still intact.
Golden Lotus Daoist might have gone out to catch rats in the middle of the night, as he didn’t reply. It was Four who jumped out to explain: [Indeed, the National Preceptor never dual cultivated with Emperor Yuanjing, the reason is unknown.]
Four used to be an official, so it’s not surprising that he knows these things about the National Preceptor, but how does Two know so clearly?
Xu Qi An hesitated for a long time but didn’t ask this question in the Earthly Book chat group.
This matter involved Two’s identity, which was a sensitive issue in the hearts of the Tiandiclan members, and Two might not answer.
Even if she did answer, she might require an equal exchange from him.
He was currently in Yunzhou and would inevitably have interactions with Two due to Yang Chuannan’s case. At that time, he could probe indirectly.
There was no need to “pay” more now.
Xu Qi An thought for a moment and felt he should say something, so he sent a message: [With Xu Qi An’s shrewdness and talent, although he’s new to Yunzhou, he’s likely to have gained quite a bit already. Two, if you want to use the beauty trap, you’d better hurry.]
This was a reminder out of concern for his group members, not because Xu Qi An himself was particularly fond of beauty.
Two didn’t reply to him.
Then, the Earthly Book chat group fell into silence, with no one continuing to send messages.
Xu Qi An put away the small jade mirror and prepared to practice breathing and visualization to nourish his spirit. The matter of studying Zhou Min’s leftover code would be put aside for now.
The next morning, Governor Zhang left the courier station with Jiang Lvzhong and other Night Watchmen to investigate the people’s conditions in Yunzhou. They might also visit neighboring prefectures and counties, with Chief Secretary Song leading the escort.
Considering Xu Qi An’s undisguisable dark circles and the fatigue showing in his eyes, Governor Zhang thoughtfully let him stay at the courier station to rest well but reminded him to remember to decipher the clues left by Zhou Min.
“Although it’s annoying to be treated as a tool, staying at the courier station suits me just fine… When a person is in a state of extreme fatigue, they hate going out… Why hasn’t my spiritual power reached its limit yet, I just want to sleep…” Xu Qi An rubbed his brow in frustration as he ate his breakfast.
Apart from him, there were less than five Night Watchmen left on guard, but thirty Huben Guards remained.
Song Tingfeng came downstairs yawning, without his bronze gong or standard long sword. He looked around and asked, “Why is it so quiet today? Where is everyone?”
Xu Qi An, eating the sour and spicy noodles in his bowl, didn’t even look up as he replied, “The Governor has gone to inspect the people’s conditions, and the others have accompanied him.”
Song Tingfeng’s eyes lit up: “I have a bold idea…”
Xu Qi An immediately interrupted: “Put away your bold idea, because the Governor has a set of strict criminal laws here.”
“How boring!” Song Tingfeng sat at the table and ordered the courier station attendant to bring breakfast. He sighed, “Come to think of it, we haven’t touched a woman for half a month.”
“That’s you. It’s been eighteen days since I’ve touched a woman… I’m indeed a bit hungry.” Xu Qi An sighed along.
“If you’re hungry, just eat more.” Song Tingfeng glanced at the oily noodles.
Old Song is still not perceptive enough… Xu Qi An ignored him and continued to fill his stomach. After a few minutes, Zhu Guangxiao also came downstairs.
“Guangxiao, let’s go to the courtesans’ quarters later,” Song Tingfeng urged his colleague.
“Alright, alright… Stop acting like a little wife and making a fuss. We can stroll around the city, but we can’t go to the courtesans’ quarters. Discipline is discipline,” Xu Qi An said irritably.
“Is there any way to circumvent the discipline?” Song Tingfeng asked jokingly.
“Yes, there is.” Xu Qi An looked at him: “I suggest you resign.”
Resigning was what he did in his previous life, but when he was working at the bureau, he was very disciplined. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have chosen to resign for a single sentence in Ji Xianlin’s diary, instead of…
After finishing breakfast, the three changed into casual clothes and left the courier station.
…
“Do you see him? That guy who looks like he’s been drained by wine and women, your task is to seduce him.”
On the street, in a teahouse, Li Miaozhen, who had also changed into casual clothes to avoid attention, stood by the window of a second-floor private room, looking at the three men leisurely strolling not far away.
Beside her was a charming woman wearing an exquisite gauze dress, with hair like a waterfall, adorned with beautiful jewelry.
This woman had a soft and beautiful face, delicate skin, eyes like black pearls, brimming with moisture, and small lips painted with bright red lipstick.
Her figure was graceful and alluring.
“And after I seduce him?” The beautiful woman covered her mouth and giggled softly, staring at that “time assassin” as if appraising her prey.
“Get close to him, monitor his every move, and probe indirectly about what he’s gained,” Li Miaozhen said, then warned, “But don’t drain his energy. This man’s body is probably severely depleted and can’t withstand your extraction.”
As for whether the Charm’s true form would be exposed, neither of them worried. Crude warriors can’t control ghosts and are not sensitive to Yin energy. When Charm had seduced Zhou Chixiong, a practitioner of the Refinement Realm, back in the mountain stronghold, she hadn’t been detected then either.
As long as they didn’t reveal any hostility or provoke the spiritual senses of Refinement Realm practitioners, there was no risk of being discovered.
“Master, I’ll be going now!” Charm said with a charming smile, swaying her hips as she left.