Jia Huan slept until the afternoon.
Qingwen and Xiangling attended to him as he washed.
Concubine Zhao personally brought him red-date rice porridge and a bowl of chicken soup, saying softly:
"Huan'er, that father and son from the Eastern Mansion were beaten crippled. Even the physicians can't help them; they'll limp for the rest of their lives. Jia She of the senior branch has only six fingers left, and the two from the collateral branches were crippled too."
Jia Huan lowered his head and ate his porridge, unconcerned.
Toward evening, someone came looking for him.
Jia Huan changed into his Purple Python Flying Fish Uniform and swiftly left the mansion.
The Misty Rain Tower in the Capital.
The Hunchbacked Old Man served fragrant tea and said with a smile:
"Lord Jia, the Madam Jiuli you seek lives in seclusion on Mount Laojun in Luoyang, not far from the Hall of the Three Pure Ones."
Jia Huan handed over a martial arts manual and cupped his fists respectfully.
"My thanks to your organization!"
Though he had supplied detailed descriptions of her appearance, the Misty Rain Tower's intelligence network was truly formidable. It had taken them less than two days!
His own Kirin Office would have needed ten days at the very least.
He had to admit that their foundations fell far short. An intelligence network had to be built one outpost at a time, at an enormous cost in manpower, effort, and time.
Leaving the Misty Rain Tower, he went to the Kirin Office headquarters.
Jia Huan summoned his trusted men and said solemnly:
"Besides Musician Gu, the other person involved in purchasing the demonic cultivation art, Madam Jiuli, has been located. She's on Mount Laojun in Luoyang. Leave the Capital with me at once!"
"Yes, sir!" they answered in unison,