Clue

"Your sect should have no shortage of experts; handling a child abduction case should be well within your capabilities, so why choose me?"

Gu Lianwei replied: "Because our people are too conspicuous. The clues involve official circles, and everyone in Wuqu Province recognizes members of the Qiyun Sect.

Furthermore... there is a mole within the sect.

The guards beside that child were from our sect, and the one driving the carriage for that child was also from our sect."

Seeing Lin Xuan remain silent, she continued:

"But you are different. You are an outsider and a Flag Commander; no one knows you.

No one would ever suspect that we would entrust this matter to you.

More importantly, you are truly suitable because your hearing is sharp and you walk without a sound."

Lin Xuan was surprised. This woman had observed him so closely that she had even noticed his silent footsteps.

He followed her lead and responded: "Then aren't you afraid that I might be one of them too?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Lianwei did not show the slightest hint of nervousness.

She merely lifted her teacup and blew on it gently, causing ripples to form.

"I am afraid, but one must gamble at least once."

Lin Xuan looked at her without speaking.

Gu Lianwei continued:

"In fact, from the very beginning, there has been no one I could trust completely. I dare not fully trust those within the sect, nor do I dare fully trust the officials.

I dare not even fully trust those by my own side."

Her tone remained calm as she said this.

Yet, Lin Xuan could hear a hint of suppression beneath her words.

Clearly, the so-called mole had left the entire Qiyun Sect in a state of extreme anxiety, where every rustle of grass or tree was mistaken for an enemy.

"So you choose to trust someone you've known for less than half an hour?"

Gu Lianwei shook her head slightly: "No, I choose to trust in interests."

Lin Xuan raised an eyebrow.

Gu Lianwei looked at him: "If you were one of them, this matter would hold no benefit for you.

Because the child has already been missing for two days.

If the mastermind truly wanted to silence the child, they would have done so long ago.

If they wanted to use the child to achieve some goal, they would have already begun their actions.

You intervening now would only increase the risk of exposure.

Therefore, unless you were the mastermind from the start, there is no need to approach me."

She paused.

"Flag Commander Lin, you might be innocent, or you might not be, but it doesn't matter.

Because this matter has already dragged on for two days.

My remaining time is growing shorter; if I continue to do nothing, the result will certainly be a loss.

But by asking for your help, there is at least a chance of winning."

"Fifty taels of silver—isn't that a bit too cheap? This is no small matter; if things go wrong, there could be a risk to my life."

Gu Lianwei smiled, as if she had known Lin Xuan would say this, and replied:

"No matter. As long as the child can be brought back, the reward offered by my sect will certainly satisfy Flag Commander Lin."

Lin Xuan nodded: "What are the child's characteristics?"

Gu Lianwei answered quickly:

"Eight years old, a young boy, physically weak but intelligent.

He was last seen near the Hundred Flavors Garden on South Street."

As she spoke, Gu Lianwei took a scroll containing a portrait of the child from a drawer.

"This is his portrait from last year. His appearance hasn't changed much this year, he is just a bit taller and a bit sturdier."

"South Street, Hundred Flavors Garden..." He had truly never heard of it, as he was not from this place at all and needed them to explain the details to him.

Lin Xuan continued to ask: "Was there anything unusual before or after the disappearance?"

Gu Lianwei shook her head: "No obvious abnormalities, it was as if..."

She paused.

"The person vanished into thin air."

"The guards reported that the child was supposed to be resting in the carriage that day, but he said one thing midway through.

He said that woman was so strange, why did she keep repeating the same sentence?"

Lin Xuan's eyes narrowed slightly: "What kind of woman?"

Gu Lianwei whispered: "The guards didn't take it seriously at the time, and they couldn't recall anything afterward. Even under various tortures, they couldn't describe her. We don't know the specifics either."

Lin Xuan slowly set down his teacup: "Looking for a child?"

Gu Lianwei looked at him: "I don't know. Could it be that you have seen her?"

The air grew slightly heavy, and Lin Xuan did not respond immediately.

The figure of that madwoman surfaced in his mind involuntarily. She had spoken several sentences in his presence, with the same tone and the same sentence structure.

This made his scalp tingle, and goosebumps nearly broke out across his skin.

"Could it be that this child's disappearance... is related to her?"

He had originally thought her to be a victim and stepped forward to protect her, but he never expected that she might actually be the perpetrator.

"I did see a madwoman yesterday afternoon. It seemed her child had also been abducted, and she kept muttering the same sentence over and over.

'Kind sir, have you seen my son? His name is Fu Bao. He is this tall, has fair skin, loves to smile, and wears a Peachwood Peace Talisman around his neck.'"

Possessing the talent of Eidetic Memory, it was easy for him to remember what others said. Lin Xuan now recited it without missing a single word, even perfectly replicating every inflection.

Gu Lianwei's eyes widened slightly, and her breathing became a bit more rapid.

"What else do you know? Where did she go?"

Lin Xuan continued: "Every sentence she spoke was exactly the same, not a single word different.

I came from the north of Wuqu Province and entered through the North City Gate."

Gu Lianwei pressed him urgently, though her voice remained low: "Then that madwoman, did she leave the city through the North City Gate?"

Lin Xuan shook his head: "I don't know. At the time, I saw some wicked beggars blocking the street and mocking her, so I stepped in to teach them a lesson before heading to the inn."

After listening, Gu Lianwei fell silent for a moment.

She did not ask about the madwoman's whereabouts again, but slowly raised her eyes, as if reorganizing the sequence of events.

"North City Gate..."

She repeated it in a low voice.

Lin Xuan watched her, suddenly realizing that her earlier urgency was not mere anxiety, but an instinctive reaction to being led by the nose.

Gu Lianwei stood up and walked to the window. Outside, the wind was light, and the red paper lanterns in the courtyard swayed gently.

"If the madwoman you mentioned really kept repeating the same sentence, then she cannot be a random wandering lunatic."

Their viewpoints converged at this moment.

Lin Xuan voiced his speculation: "Is it possible she was just a decoy to induce you to notify the authorities, mobilize manpower, and head to the North City Gate, only for them to spirit the person away through a real, hidden passage?

And by the time you realized you had been deceived at the North City Gate, they would have already flown far away?"

Gu Lianwei did not speak; she was deep in thought.

Because it was currently quite difficult to take a living child out of the city; the child was no longer an infant, could call for help, cry, make a scene, and was old enough to recognize people.

If the other party was indeed using a smokescreen to lure them and the authorities to the North City Gate so they could take the child out through another gate, then the child might still be alive, or at the very least, in a state of unconsciousness.

"Thousand-Household Commander Su, where is Lin Xuan, the Flag Commander of the Liangcheng Thousand-Household Office?" the person beside Commander Sun asked Thousand-Household Commander Su.