Gu Moran frowned, gently stroking the back of her hand with his fingers, his tone unhurried.
"Go on."
Liu Ruyan leaned forward, her voice even lower.
"The old woman who escaped said that the secret room in Yang Tie's mansion was never incensed, but instead had an indescribable medicinal smell. Before the girls who were chosen were taken away, they had to be cleansed and drink a bowl of dark brown soup, which was said to be 'nourishing the body,' but in reality, it was to extract their first blood and mix it with other medicinal herbs to make something called ' Red Lead Pill.'"
Her voice trembled slightly as she said this.
"That old woman also said that it takes the blood of nine young girls to refine one batch of Red Lead Pill, and if it's not enough, more people will be needed."
Gu Moran's fingers stopped on the back of her hand, and he took a deep breath.
This case is far more significant than he had anticipated.
Liu Ruyan then pulled out the last sheet of paper, which contained old stories about Tiedan.
"I checked the old files from six years ago. Back then, Yang Tie's family hired a fortune teller who said that they needed a boy born with an 'extremely yang' birth chart, along with 'virgin blood' as a medicinal ingredient, to suppress the toxicity of the Red Lead Pill and prevent the alchemist from suffering a backlash."
Her gaze fell on Gu Moran's face, and she spoke very slowly, word by word.
" Tiedan Dan's birth date is exactly the most Yang; I checked the old records of the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner's Office, and it's exactly the same."
Gu Moran clenched his fist.
My suspicions were beginning to take shape.
Tiedan was not an ordinary child abducted by human traffickers. He was specially chosen to be used as a medicinal ingredient in alchemy, which is why he was forcibly taken from Lady Wang's arms.
Liu Ruyan added another sentence, her voice carrying a hint of coldness.
"What's even stranger is that over the years, Lady Wang has been secretly supplying things to Yang Tie's residence—cloth, medicine, and even a few maids."
She had no idea that this was the man who stole her son.
Gu Moran sighed.
Lady Wang cried for six years after losing her son, yet she herself was working for the person who stole him—how ironic.
He pulled Liu Ruyan's hands, which were white from the cold, closer to his chest, and softened his tone.
You've had a tough time these past few days.
Liu Ruyan leaned on his shoulder, her voice softening and becoming somewhat coquettish.
"My hands need to be warmed up by Your Highness before it's considered a proper handshake."
Gu Moran lowered his head and placed a kiss on her forehead. Just as he was about to speak, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the door. Uncle Fu's voice was filled with undisguised excitement as he called out through the door.
"Your Highness! Good news has arrived! Commandant Zhen has returned in triumph! He is expected to return to the city first thing tomorrow morning!"
The next day.
The city gates were wide open, and before the morning light had faded, the roadsides were already crowded with people who had rushed over upon hearing the news.
Zhen Daijin led the way, his armor still stained with undried blood and snowmelt from days of travel, the blood dripping down his armor. Seven or eight heads wrapped in burlap hung on either side of his horse's back, swaying gently with each step of the horse's hooves.
The scouts following behind him, their faces weathered and their armor tattered, all wore the triumphant expressions of those who had won a battle. Upon seeing Gu Moran emerge from the city gate, they all knelt on one knee, their voices booming.
"We, your humble servants, have fortunately fulfilled our mission!"
Gu Moran watched as Zhen Daijin dismounted, his face showing signs of fatigue from days of battle, yet he still stood ramrod straight. Gu Mo Ran then stepped forward and personally helped him up.
"Thanks for your hard work."
Zhen Daijin grinned, revealing a set of white teeth.
"Three thousand Tubo spies were trying to probe the North Post along the old road, but I led my men to ambush them."
Murong Xue stood behind Gu Moran, her eyes shining like stars as she stared at the curved swords still on the bodies of the young scouts in the group. Her fingers couldn't help but rub the soft whip at her waist a couple of times.
Gu Moran saw through her thoughts, leaned close to her ear, and spoke in a very low voice, with a hint of teasing warmth.
"What? You want to go to war too? I'll give you ten thousand elite cavalry to raid the heart of Tubo. How about that?"
Murong Xue blushed, raised her hand and elbowed him, but the force wasn't great, and she even scolded him.
"Don't try to fool me, where did you get ten thousand elite cavalry from?"
Gu Moran didn't reply, but just smiled and dodged her elbow, turning her gaze to the group of dejected Tubo soldiers behind Zhen Daijin.
"Your Highness, over five hundred of these Tubo died, and more than two thousand were captured. What should we do with them? And what about these warhorses?"
"The warhorses were conscripted into the army, and these prisoners were made into government slaves."
Just then, the system's chat window lit up.
[ Zhao Wuxu, the Son of Destiny, is blessed with great fortune.]
Hidden script detected: Severely injuring a child, the thief crying "stop thief!", and a three-pronged attack to gain favor through self-inflicted injury. Host, please be prepared to respond.
Gu Moran stared at the line of text once, then frowned.
Has Zhao Wuxu finally gone mad?
Is he planning to use Tiedan as a stepping stone to step into the hearts of the Lady Wang and Yun Zhengze?
But I had anticipated this move.
Zhao Wuxu is practically sticking his neck out to be guillotined.
The back wall of the school.
Tiedan was lying on the wall, his hands gripping the cracks in the wall, trying to squeeze through the familiar dog hole to watch the bustling army entering the city at the street corner.
The alley outside the wall faces the main street. In the distance, military flags flutter in the wind and snow as they head towards the city gate. The cheers of the people grow louder and louder. Tiedan is so focused on seeing the Tubo warhorses that Commandant Zhen brought back that he doesn't even bother to wipe the mud off his shoes.
He had just stuck half a leg out of the hole when a rough burlap sack was pulled down from above. The sack was soaked in a sleeping potion, and the damp, cold fabric clung to his face, making even his nose feel sore.
Zhao Wuxu and Pu Yunshan grabbed the opening of the sack from either side and hurriedly tightened the rope.
"Hurry, the patrolmen are on the front street, don't let them see us."
"What's the rush? Don't hurt the child."
Pu Yunshan's shoulders were tense. Hearing no cries from inside the sack, he loosened his grip slightly. Zhao Wuxu had already bent down, hoisted the person onto his shoulder, and turned to disappear into the depths of the alley.
On the other side of the wall, Xue Huan squatted behind a pile of rubble, his right hand pressing down on the hilt of his knife. Seeing the two men run away with Tiedan, his eyes blazed with anger.
Song Wan leaned against the low wall, a blade of grass between her fingers. Seeing Xue Huan preparing to get up, she reached out and pressed down on his arm.
"Brother Xue, the Prince has already given instructions to let them escape first."
Xue Huan stared at the swaying sack, her brows furrowed. "The child is inside, and Zhao Wuxu is hiding something. If something goes wrong, how will we explain ourselves?"
Song Wan Wanchao raised his chin slightly, a hint of a smile playing on his lips, "Listen to this first."
Xue Huan listened intently. There were hurried footsteps in the alley, but a faint smacking sound came from the sack, as if someone was chewing on something crispy in the dark.
Tiedan Dan's stomach was churning from being carried so much. The sack was stuffy and hot, and at first he wanted to curse, but after smelling the strange medicinal smell at the sack's opening, he wrinkled his nose and took a couple of sniffs. He realized it was nothing like the bitter medicine that Sister Shen had brewed.
He pulled out the crumbly pastry from his sleeve, picked up a piece and stuffed it into his mouth, his cheek puffing out. He was already planning to complain to Auntie Zhao when he got out, and make her give him half a bowl of vegetables less.
Song Wan suppressed a laugh and beckoned a messenger on the wall, "Go to the Prince's mansion and tell them the fish got caught in the net, Tiedan is still eating pancakes in the sack."
[Thanks to: Sirenyou (certified by a master), Tianzi (certified by a master and urging for updates), Xixi (sprinkling flowers and inspiration capsules), Jiumeng (showing off and urging for updates and inspiration capsules), Xingkong (starry sky), Tiechui's milk tea, Zuiqiang (strongest), Shennong (urging for updates), Jiangzuo's flowers x9, Zhixin's flowers, Weiyang's love letter, Wuwu's likes, Helian's milk tea x2, Yechen's inspiration capsules, Yezi's love letter x3. And everyone's love and support!]