What are you saying? (Please follow up)

A carriage swayed and rumbled along the official road in Nanzhou.

Though it was an official road, quite wide, it was merely a muddy path, bumpy and far from comfortable.

Qian Bochou sat inside, grumbling, "Brother Jiang, from our Prefecture City to Beihu County, a fast horse only takes an hour."

"Taking a carriage like this, we'll probably only arrive by mid-afternoon."

Inside the carriage, Jiang Yun thought to himself, If I really rode a horse with you for an hour, I'd probably be too dizzy to do anything else for the whole day.

"And who is this?" Qian Bochou's gaze fell upon Xu Xiaogang. He hadn't seen the man before and didn't know his background.

However, since he was a master invited by Jiang Yun, he must be quite skilled.

Within the carriage, Xu Xiaogang said faintly with his eyes closed, "Xu Wuchang."

Qian Bochou looked at Jiang Yun beside him with a hint of confusion.

"A Jin Yi Wei from the Capital City, Xu Suwen's younger brother," Jiang Yun explained casually.

"Hiss."

Upon hearing this, Qian Bochou nearly jumped out of his seat. He quickly flattered, "I knew it! Lord Xu carries an air of nobility, and his eyes are sharp. So he's a master from the Imperial Guards."

Xu Xiaogang didn't open his eyes, merely saying two words faintly, "Noisy."

"Yes, yes, yes." Qian Bochou nodded repeatedly, chuckling, "I do talk too much."

Then, Xu Xiaogang slowly opened his eyes and looked at Qian Bochou, "Thirsty."

"I want."

"Water."

Qian Bochou hurriedly took out his leather waterskin and handed it over, quietly asking Jiang Yun, "Brother Jiang, what's wrong with Lord Xu? Is his throat not well?"

Jiang Yun, however, understood Xu Xiaogang's game. He explained, "What do you know? Masters speak concisely."

Qian Bochou nodded with a chuckle, "Indeed, indeed."

Finally, by mid-afternoon, the carriage, swaying and bumping, managed to reach Beihu County.

The streets of Beihu County crisscrossed, shaded by green trees, with eaves lining both sides, presenting a rustic and tranquil streetscape.

The county's population was around 100,000, and its prosperity could not compare to that of the Prefecture City.

The streets were sparsely populated, and the occasional pedestrians moved with quick steps, hurrying along, busy with their livelihoods.

This was vastly different from the leisurely, carefree lives of the people in the Prefecture City.

"Brother Jiang, you've lived in the Prefecture City for so long, you must rarely come to the lower counties, right?" Qian Bochou said with a smile. "I heard that Beihu County was quite prosperous many years ago, but now it's in decline, very down on its luck."

"It's only near the official road, with merchant caravans passing through frequently, that they can barely sustain themselves."

"But in recent years, people have gone missing inexplicably quite often."

"Merchant caravans have also disappeared several times, and now they'd rather take a long detour through the southern official road than pass through this county."

Xu Xiaogang, sitting calmly in the carriage, suddenly opened his eyes and asked, "After so long, has your Nanzhou Prefecture not been able to investigate the cause?"

Qian Bochou chuckled awkwardly. "Although Beihu County is under the jurisdiction of Nanzhou Prefecture, they have their own constables and bailiffs. If they don't speak up, we can't force them."

Just then, as the carriage turned a street corner, they saw a large crowd gathered in a relatively open area ahead.

These people, even in winter, wore thin clothing, and many were young children.

Quite a few stood barefoot on the snowy ground, queuing up.

"Are these refugees?" Jiang Yun asked doubtfully.

Qian Bochou glanced cautiously at Xu Xiaogang, considering his identity as a Jin Yi Wei, and laughed, "Brother Jiang, you jest. Our Great Zhou Dynasty prospers, enjoys favorable weather, and has peace and prosperity. Where would we find refugees?"

"These are just poor families from outside the county. They are hungry and have come to the county town waiting for the Tang family to distribute porridge."

"See? The one distributing porridge in front is the eldest daughter of the Tang family in Beihu County, named Tang Wanxin. She's a famously kind girl, known far and wide."

Jiang Yun looked towards the person distributing porridge. A beautiful girl stood at the front of the crowd.

She wore a white mink coat, had a delicate face, and her hair was tied up. In the middle of winter, she had even rolled up her sleeves, completely unfazed by the cold, distributing porridge to the poor.

Jiang Yun couldn't help but nod, sighing, "She really is a beautiful girl, kind and good-hearted."

"Huh?" Qian Bochou's surprised voice rang out. "Where did Lord Xu go? He was just here."

While they were talking, Xu Xiaogang had disappeared from inside the carriage.

Jiang Yun shook his head and said calmly, "It's fine, he's probably gone to hide somewhere again."

Jiang Yun was quite used to this.

It was freezing outside, and Jiang Yun tightened his cotton-padded jacket. Even sitting inside the carriage, he felt exceptionally cold.

Among the crowd, many children were standing barefoot on the snow, which made Jiang Yun frown.

Qian Bochou smiled, "Brother Jiang, you've studied the classics extensively and they speak of many great principles, but they rarely mention food, clothing, and daily necessities."

"Those who can afford to study are also those who don't worry about food and clothing."

"You and your sister, living in the Prefecture City and relying on mending clothes for neighbors, can manage three meals a day, and even have some extra money for you to read and write. Your life is actually quite good."

"The common folk outside the Prefecture City, their lives are quite difficult."

"In Beihu County, seventy percent of the arable land is occupied by the wealthy elite. Those farmers who are luckier can become their long-term laborers and still manage to eat."

"More farmers can only rent land from the wealthy elite to cultivate."

"They also have to borrow grain, borrow seeds, borrow wheat seeds, and borrow farming tools."

"After a year of hard work, they barely have enough food to get by."

"If they encounter even a slight natural disaster and the harvest is poor, they will starve and freeze."

"People starving to death is also a common occurrence."

Listening to Qian Bochou's words, Jiang Yun's brows furrowed, and he sighed, "The wicked feudal landlord class."

Qian Bochou asked, "What class?"

Jiang Yun shook his head, "It's nothing. Let's go to where the most recent person went missing."

Qian Bochou quietly reminded him, "Why don't we go to the county yamen first? The county magistrate has probably prepared a table of good wine and meat to welcome us."

"We can drink a pot of hot wine, sleep comfortably for a night, and then investigate tomorrow."

Jiang Yun said, "Let's investigate first."

"Alright," Qian Bochou muttered, then took out a case file that Beihu County had sent over earlier.

It recorded many missing person cases.

"These missing person cases aren't complicated. To the north of Beihu County lies a Clear Lake, from which the county gets its name."

"The missing people are basically all around Clear Lake. This year, a total of one hundred and thirty-two people have disappeared."

"They all say that Clear Lake is haunted by Yao, and no one dares to approach it easily."

Qian Bochou had wanted to find a local to guide them, but to his surprise, when the locals heard they were going to Beihu, they repeatedly shook their heads.

They absolutely refused to go, even when Qian Bochou offered them money.

However, the locals did say that if they went out of the county town and followed the road heading north, they would quickly find Clear Lake.

The two of them rode in a carriage and headed north out of the city.

After half an hour, a fog appeared during the day, and the further they went, the thicker the mist around them became.

Soon, visibility dropped to less than ten meters, and the temperature slowly decreased.

The horse also became restless, standing still and showing signs of anxiety, unwilling to move forward.

Qian Bochou, in the carriage, glanced outside and felt a pang of fear. "Brother, if you ask me, this place is extremely strange. Let's stop here for today. We'll find Lord Xu, and come back tomorrow."

Jiang Yun knew what was happening but wasn't in a hurry. He smiled faintly, "Don't worry, he's following us."

"He's in hiding, just waiting for us to encounter danger as soon as possible."

"The words I gave him can finally be put to good use."

Qian Bochou was stunned and asked, "What words?"

"Guess?"

Let's all guess what Jiang Yun wrote~