Dragon Vein Geomancy Map?
How could Lin’an’s study have such a book? No, why would Lin’an be reading such a book?
Xu Qi’an’s pupils seemed to freeze. The words “Dragon Vein Geomancy Map,” especially the term “Dragon Vein,” made him extremely sensitive.
As a police academy graduate with years of criminal investigation experience, just this book made him instantly think of many things.
The first thought that surfaced was: That number One in the Earth Book chat group holds a high position in the court. He (or she) recently announced taking over Hengyuan’s case, which is related to the dragon veins…
This high position doesn’t necessarily mean an official post; a princess is also in a high position.
A few seconds later, a second thought emerged: No, Lin’an doesn’t have the brains for this.
In the Earth Book chat group, although Number One likes to lurk and rarely speaks when occasionally participating in topics, they show extreme wisdom, no less than Chu Yuanzheng.
As one of the three fools of the fish pond, how could Lin’an possibly have such wisdom?
Moreover, if she were Number One, given my affection for her and my unguarded attitude, she would likely have deduced that I was Number Three. If so, how could she openly place the “Dragon Vein Geomancy Map” on her desk?
A few seconds later, a third thought surfaced: Is she hinting at her identity through this method?!
Various thoughts exploded in his mind. Xu Qi’an was thunderstruck, his emotions complex. On one hand, he kept reasoning and guessing; on the other, he couldn’t accept that Lin’an might be Number One.
While Xu Qi’an was having this mental storm, Lin’an stepped happily, bouncing to the desk. Her small hands tapped “pata pata” on the desktop, showing her impatience. She urged with a grin:
“Where’s the cursive script? Quickly bring it out for this princess to see. This princess will teach you to read cursive script.”
Xu Qi’an stared at her directly for a few seconds, then smiled normally and said: “Please wait, this humble official needs to use the toilet first.”
Without waiting for Lin’an’s response, he left the study on his own, walked out a bit, found a palace maid, and asked: “Where is the toilet in this residence?”
He knew, having visited every part of Lin’an’s residence except her private chambers and the servants’ quarters.
But Xu Qi’an knowing doesn’t mean Li Yuchun would know.
The palace maid led him to the toilet, pointing towards a small courtyard: “Sir Li, the toilet is over there.”
“The princess’s toilet is larger than an ordinary family’s courtyard,” Xu Qi’an remarked with feigned amazement.
This Silver Badge Li is so uncouth… The young palace maid maintained a forced smile while grumbling inwardly.
Entering the toilet, Xu Qi’an took out the “Confucian Magic Book,” tore off a page of the Aura Observation technique, lit it with a flick of his hand, and two beams of clear light shot out from his eyes before dissipating.
After the clear light had fully receded, he left the toilet and returned to Lin’an’s study.
Xu Qi’an calmly scanned the room and noticed that the “Dragon Vein Geomancy Map” book had been put away. He casually asked, “Oh, Your Highness, where’s that book from earlier?”
Lin’an replied casually, “I put it away.”
Xu Qi’an took the opportunity to continue the topic, looking at her with newfound interest: “How did Your Highness become interested in such feng shui books?”
Lin’an straightened her slender, soft waist, put on a serious face, and said: “I only read novels in my leisure time. I most enjoy delving into some obscure knowledge. For example, um, feng shui.”
She’s lying… Xu Qi’an keenly discerned Lin’an’s lie.
But he was still troubled, unable to distinguish whether her lie was about “I love studying” or “I’m reading about feng shui for other purposes.”
Should he just let it go?
Suppress this matter for now and wait for further observation to confirm her identity.
With a suspect in mind, subsequent investigation would be much easier…
This thought shattered in the next second.
In his life, Lin’an’s importance ranked at the forefront. Most importantly, this girl was one of the few people he could trust without reservation.
She might be a bit foolish, a bit naive, and lacking sufficient power to help him do too much.
But it was precisely because such a person existed that Xu Qi’an found a sense of belonging in this strange world, a haven for his soul.
Like his family, Lin’an provided a kind of spiritual redemption for him.
So, he decided not to investigate Lin’an secretly, but to be straightforward with her.
Xu Qi’an stared at her bright peach blossom eyes and casually said: “I recently heard of a treasure called the ‘Earth Book,’ a magical item of the Earth Sect. Has Your Highness heard of it?”
Lin’an tilted her head and shook it in confusion.
“You haven’t heard of it?” Xu Qi’an repeated his question as if it were very important.
“No, I haven’t,” Lin’an replied.
As she spoke, the Aura Observation technique simultaneously gave a response: she wasn’t lying.
She’s not lying. She, she’s not Number One. She’s still that silly Lin’an. How wonderful… Xu Qi’an felt greatly relieved, inexplicably experiencing a sense of mental and physical relaxation and joy.
Then, new doubts arose.
Lin’an wasn’t Number One, and based on his understanding of her, she wasn’t someone who loved reading. So why would she choose a book like “Dragon Vein Geomancy Map” that made him extremely sensitive at this crucial moment?
“Why are you reading such a boring book?” Xu Qi’an asked.
“Didn’t I say? I always study and read books in my spare time,” Biaobiao’s small hand patted the desk, her brow slightly furrowed, seemingly dissatisfied with Xu Qi’an’s doubt.
She… lied… Xu Qi’an couldn’t help but want to cover his face.
A girl with budding feelings always wants to show her perfect side to the man she likes, even if it means lying!
Considering Lin’an’s face, Xu Qi’an suppressed his curiosity. He had other ways to verify and wasn’t in a hurry. So he placed a stack of papers on the desk and said:
“Your Highness, please read this to me.”
“Weren’t you going to teach me to read cursive script?” Lin’an blinked her eyes.
“We’ll take it slow, step by step,” he casually deflected.
“Oh!”
Lin’an picked up the not-too-thick but not-too-thin stack of papers, took a close look, and immediately exclaimed: “This is the former emperor’s daily record? Why did you copy the former emperor’s daily record?”
I not only copied your grandfather’s daily record, but I’m also investigating your father… Xu Qi’an said mysteriously:
“I’m investigating some secrets of the Huai Prince. Although he’s dead, there are still secrets. Um, I’m not quite sure what specifically, so I can’t explain in detail to you. Your Highness, this is a secret between us, please don’t reveal it to anyone.”
His explanation had a deeper meaning. For a girl of Lin’an’s temperament, if you don’t tell her anything, she’ll be unhappy. Revealing a part appropriately and emphasizing that it’s a secret between the two of you will make her very happy.
But he couldn’t reveal too much. Although she had some cunning as a royal princess, she was still too naive compared to the old foxes in the palace. So he couldn’t say he was investigating Emperor Yuanjing.
Lin’an’s foolishness wasn’t low intelligence, but rather being too naive and innocent, well-protected in all aspects, resulting in only a little cunning developed, within the normal human range.
Sure enough, Lin’an’s face blossomed into a smile. She pretended to be reserved and said: “Alright, this princess will reluctantly keep your secret.”
For the next hour, Lin’an recited the contents of the former emperor’s daily record while Xu Qi’an sat nearby listening attentively. He poured water for her twice during this time, each time earning a sweet smile from Biaobiao.
Xu Qi’an successfully heard about the “discussion of the Dao” process between the Human Sect leader, the Earth Sect leader, and the former emperor.
The former emperor again asked the Earth Sect leader about the possibility of emperors cultivating the Dao.
The Earth Sect leader gave the same answer as the Human Sect leader: “Longevity is possible, but eternal existence is not.”
Here, longevity refers to extending life. The latter, eternal existence, is true immortality.
After a long discussion on health cultivation methods, the former emperor asked the Earth Sect leader: “I’ve heard that the Dao Venerable transformed one qi into three pure ones. Is this one person in three, or three separate persons?”
The Earth Sect leader’s answer was: “It can be one person in three, or three separate persons, or even three in one person.”
“Isn’t this too convoluted?”
Xu Qi’an frowned and raised his hand to interrupt Lin’an: “Let me ponder this for a moment.”
Does “three in one” mean that the three differentiated are the same person?
Does “three separate persons” mean they can also be three independent individuals?
What does “one person in three” mean? Is this different from “three in one”? The opposite meaning?
“You can continue now,” he said.
Lin’an nodded and continued reading. To Xu Qi’an’s disappointment, there were no further records about “one person in three.”
He wasn’t sure if the Earth Sect leader hadn’t explained or if the court recorder was too lazy to record it. After all, the daily records couldn’t possibly record every word the emperor said. If that were the case, every court recorder would have tendonitis…
He inwardly grumbled.
“Oh, so this is why the former emperor said the Huai Prince was a pillar of the state…” Biaobiao suddenly said with delight.
She had just read a passage about a past event. In their youth, Emperor Yuanjing and the young Huai Prince went hunting and encountered a fierce bear. When the guards were all seriously injured, the Huai Prince tore apart the bear with his bare hands at the crucial moment.
Upon hearing this, the former emperor praised the Huai Prince as a future pillar of the state.
As a martial artist, tearing apart a bear is nothing… Xu Qi’an thought disdainfully.
Biaobiao continued: “But Father and the others were bold. The depths of the Southern Park are usually off-limits. Only during the autumn hunt can one enter the deep parts of Southern Park. That’s because palace experts are protecting then, so there’s no fear of fierce beasts.”
…
In the last third of the former emperor’s life, nothing major happened. As a laid-back emperor, he was neither diligent nor particularly lazy in state affairs. In his personal life, he often held beauty contests to expand his harem.
Of course, this wasn’t a problem. After all, in this era, every man had the same inner thoughts as Old Ji.
However, even in his later years, this habit didn’t change. So in the latter half of the former emperor’s daily records, a medicine called “Dragon Yang Pill” frequently appeared.
Here, “Dragon Yang” doesn’t have its usual meaning. “Dragon” represents the true dragon son of heaven. “Yang” represents masculinity and virility.
Combined, it means the same as the “Six-Flavor Rehmannia Pill.”
When Biaobiao read these parts, she inevitably looked embarrassed. After all, through the former emperor’s daily records, she saw her grandfather’s private life. Of course, emperors have no privacy, and the emperor himself wouldn’t care about such privacy.
These father and son are something… Xu Qi’an mumbled inwardly.
One constantly thinks about beautiful women.
The other ignores the high-quality mature women in his harem.
The reading of the former emperor’s daily records was finished. This line of investigation was finally complete. Xu Qi’an felt a bit regretful, as he hadn’t obtained any crucial information.
Xu Qi’an put away the former emperor’s daily records and suddenly showed a confident smile, saying:
“Your Highness, the Dragon Vein Geomancy Map involves feng shui. This kind of knowledge is truly difficult and must be discussed with others. One person can’t research much on their own. Who does Your Highness usually discuss this with?”
He was certain Biaobiao was a poor student, so he deliberately spoke confidently, intending to bluff her.
To save face, Biaobiao pretended to be knowledgeable, so she would surely follow his lead. It was similar to when, during school days, girls liked to chat about male celebrities. Xu Qi’an, not following entertainment news but wanting to join the female classmates’ conversation, would pretend to know and just agree, saying things like, “Yes, yes, my opinion is the same as yours.”
“Yes, yes, it needs to be discussed with others,” Biaobiao looked up thoughtfully and said:
“I usually discuss it with Huai Qing.”
Huai Qing… Xu Qi’an’s body swayed, almost losing balance.
He took a deep breath, suppressing all emotions, and looked at Lin’an, saying: “Where did this book come from?”
“Borrowed from the Wenyuan Library.”
… Xu Qi’an said in a low voice: “Huai Qing asked you to borrow it, right?”
A flash of panic crossed Biaobiao’s expressive eyes. She hesitated for a moment, then chose to be honest, weakly saying: “You guessed right.”
Xu Qi’an sat down heavily in a chair, his expression blank.
…
Leaving Lin’an’s residence, Xu Qi’an’s mind was full of question marks and exclamation points.
Number One is Huai Qing?!
Number One is Huai Qing!!!
Based on this judgment, he reviewed past details in his mind.
Number One was very mysterious, holding a high position and great power in the court. Not many people matched this mysterious person, but it wasn’t too few either.
If even Lin’an could fit in, Huai Qing certainly had no problem. Moreover, Huai Qing’s intelligence and shrewdness indeed matched Number One.
“In all the past major cases, the information Number One showed was high position and great authority. I remember the drowning of the crown prince in Sang Lake 500 years ago was revealed by Number One, but the ministers could also find corresponding clues, so it couldn’t confirm that Number One was Huai Qing…”
“Number One’s usual attitude was very protective of the court, disliking Number Two Li Miaozheng because she tended to break laws with martial arts. This also fits the ministers, so no judgment can be made…”
“But, if we assume Number One is Huai Qing, then her proposal to investigate Hengyuan’s whereabouts makes sense. Although the ministers can enter the palace to see the emperor, they can usually only be in fixed locations and can’t move freely in the palace or even the inner palace. But if it’s Huai Qing, she has almost unrestricted access to the palace.”
“She asked Biaobiao to borrow the Dragon Vein Geomancy Map from the Wenyuan Library out of caution, and also because a poor student like Biaobiao borrowing any book wouldn’t raise suspicion. But even so, using my beloved little mare… no, my beloved Lin’an as a tool, I’m still angry about that.”
Xu Qi’an recalled more details, like once before when he and Lina were boasting in the group chat about kidnapping Great Liang’s beautiful princess to be Lina’s brother’s wife.
At that time, Number One’s attitude was extremely displeased.
“Also, if Number One is Huai Qing, she knew my identity long ago. She’s so smart, I couldn’t have fooled her…”
Sitting on horseback, Xu Qi’an’s expression went blank again, faintly showing an attitude of life not being worth living anymore.
…
Returning to the Xu residence, Aunt, along with her two daughters, Lina, and Li Miaozheng, had gone out to listen to music.
“Aunt is a carefree woman. She was only worried about Erlang for the first few days after he left for the expedition. Now she’s happy again, thinking she’s a little fairy…”
Xu Qi’an criticized her, almost wanting to turn around and go listen to music at a brothel himself.
But he wasn’t in the mood today. He was about to take a bath and then disguise himself to leave the residence, intending to “visit” the widow he kept outside.
At this moment, a familiar heart palpitation came over him. He instinctively took out the Earth Book fragment and checked the message:
[One: There’s a clue about Hengyuan’s whereabouts, but I can’t continue the investigation alone. I need your help.]