Daoist Jinlian's Message

Beneath the black robe, those hands spontaneously stretched out, palms swirling with energy. Whoosh! Monk Hengyuan was uncontrollably thrown into the vortex of death.

He opened his eyes wide in pain, his skin rapidly dried out, his Qi and Blood drained away, and his face visibly aged.

This familiar face, slowly decaying in my eyes, walking towards death. Heng Hui, watching this scene, showed a slight change in his cruel expression, and his dark eyes were no longer cold and hard.

Thump. Hengyuan was thrown out and slammed heavily against the well arm.

Heng Hui pressed her left hand firmly against her right arm, gritting her teeth as she said, "Don't kill him! Don't kill my senior brother!"

His face suddenly turned cold, and he said seductively, "Hengyuan is a martial monk with vigorous Qi and Blood and energy, which is perfect for healing your injuries. Don't you want revenge? Don't you want revenge?"

Then, the cold expression vanished, replaced by a painful struggle. "No, I can't kill him, he's my senior brother."

"Anyone in the world can be killed, so why can't I kill him?"

"I can kill anyone in this world, but not him. He's my senior brother, the person I respect most."

What about Pingyang?

Pingyang.

His expression shifted between coldness and pain, as if two different personalities were arguing within him. As the stalemate continued, the veins in his thick right arm glowed red, rising and falling incessantly, as if he were breathing.

Heng Hui's dominant personality seems to have been suppressed, and coldness is gradually taking over.

"Heng Hui," Heng Yuan said wearily, "Do you remember the first Mnemonic your senior brother taught you back then?"

Heng Hui, struggling against his out-of-control right hand, leaned against the well wall and slowly sat down. He clasped his hands together and chanted softly.

After a long while, his anger gradually subsided, and his right arm stopped twitching.

Heng Hui opened his eyes, his pupils still black with no whites. He stared at Heng Yuan from the dim well bottom, his voice hoarse:

"Senior brother, didn't you want to know what happened to me a year ago? I'll tell you now."

What is the maid's name?

In the interrogation room, Xu Qi'an took a sip of tea, looking at the courtesan sitting opposite him, who was fidgeting.

"He'er," Mingyan replied obediently.

She kept stealing glances at Xu Qi'an, while also glancing at the tightly closed door. As the most popular courtesan in the brothel, she had come into contact with many high-ranking officials and knew what the Nightwatchers's office was.

Any official who gets imprisoned here will be severely injured, if not killed. But for a weak woman like her, it's likely that she faces something even more terrifying than death.

"When did she start following you around?" Xu Qi'an asked seriously.

"Yes, it's been three or four years." She glanced at Xu Qi'an fearfully, "About three and a half years, I can't remember the exact time."

The man sat there, expressionless, exuding an aura of imposing solemnity. She dared not even breathe, feeling immense pressure within her.

How could this person change so much? Last night he was acting like a spoiled brat.

Three and a half years. Have someone investigate which other women entered the brothel during this time. Xu Qi'an nodded.

Who does she usually associate with?

Mingyan pondered for a long time, recalling as he recited a series of names.

After asking a few more questions, Xu Qi'an looked at the clerk in charge of taking notes, who nodded.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Miss Mingyan. You may leave now."

"Huh?" Happiness came so fast, like a tornado, that she couldn't believe it for a moment.

"I'll take you back to the brothel." Xu Qi'an stood up and gestured for you to proceed.

Mingyan, the courtesan, nervously followed him out. Only when they reached the yamen gate and saw the carriage parked outside did she breathe a sigh of relief, believing she would truly be sent back to the brothel, and not be... inside the yamen.

She immediately regained her composure and gracefully curtsied, saying, "Thank you, Lord Xu."

Xu Qi'an reached out and pinched her plump, round buttocks. "Great kindness needs no words of thanks; it should be shown through actions."

This man changes his temper faster than a woman. Mingyan, the courtesan, felt a little shy and scared, and glanced at the carriage.

Xu Qi'an raised an eyebrow, looking at the carriage and falling into deep thought.

The carriage stopped outside Jiaofangsi Alley. The courtesan alighted from the carriage and said softly, "Lord Xu, please come to Qingchi Courtyard for tea when you have time."

She uttered a polite remark, then immediately turned and left, her steps quick, her skirt billowing in the wind.

She was somewhat afraid of Xu Qi'an, not because of his 24K pure gold-like hardness, since nothing had happened in the carriage.

She has always been wary of people who are so unpredictable.

Xu Qi'an returned to the yamen by carriage and convened a meeting with the core members of his team.

Soon, Xu Qi'an summoned six people, including the three silver gongs, Lü Qing, Song Tingfeng, and Zhu Guangxiao, to the side hall.

"You all know what happened at the Jiaofangsi last night, right?" Xu Qi'an asked.

Li Yuchun and the others nodded, having already heard Song Tingfeng's explanation. They also knew that in the end, it was the people from the Bureau of Astronomy who stepped in to resolve the crisis.

As for why Song Tingfeng didn't report it to the yamen, they tacitly refrained from asking, because unfortunately, the person on duty last night was Zhu Jinluo.

Lu Qing stared at Xu Qi'an for a long time, making him feel uneasy. He frowned and asked, "Officer Lu, what is it?"

Lü Qing pursed her bright red lips, "How did you know that the Music Bureau was hiding Demon Race?"

The men exchanged knowing smiles, but Li Yuchun remained expressionless, feeling out of place because he wasn't lecherous enough.

Xu Qi'an said in a serious tone, "During one night patrol, I used the Qi-Watching Technique to observe the Jiaofangsi (a brothel), and I discovered Yao Qi there."

"How come I haven't heard you report this matter?" Li Yuchun was taken aback.

"At the time, I didn't know what the green light represented. Later, I was imprisoned for slashing that bastard surnamed Zhu. And then..." Xu Qi'an shrugged.

Then you became my subordinate. Although we each worked independently, I no longer needed to report to you.

"Alright, I have some tasks for you to do." Xu Qi'an slammed the list from his arms onto the table.

"Boss, take some men to investigate the people on the list. They have close ties with the demoness. Also, investigate any women who joined the brothel four years ago, or those who rose to fame."

"Officer Lü, you will lead your men to search Heng Hui house by house. Remember to be extremely careful."

After giving his explanation, Xu Qi'an sat down, drank a glass of water, and planned to report to Wei Yuan what had happened at the Jiaofangsi (Imperial Music Bureau).

A feeling of palpitation washed over him, and he immediately left the side hall, went into the outhouse, and casually took out the fragment of the Earth Book. The Earth Book chat group, which had been silent for a long time, finally had someone online chatting.

[Five: I'm here to pay off debt number three. Um, we've finished exploring the Abyss, and I've discovered a huge secret.]

Since the other party specifically mentioned him, Xu Qi'an couldn't remain silent and replied: [What secret?]

[5: Have you decided that you owe me some compensation?]

[Two: Tell me about it.]

[Four: Oh, no problem.]

[5: Isn't Number One here?]

[One: Yes.]

After everyone had expressed their opinions, Number Five relayed the message: "[The members of the seven tribes of the Gu Clan, working together and overcoming numerous difficulties, have finally arrived at the Abyss after a perilous journey.]"

[Part Two: Enough with the small talk, get straight to the point.]

[5: We discovered a statue of Confucian School sage in the abyss, gazing into the depths.]

Confucian School sage? The members of the Heaven and Earth Society were initially surprised, but then they all thought of Number Three. As an outstanding student of the Cloud Deer Academy, he might know something.

But they probably won't tell them. Besides, they've inexplicably become heavily indebted without even repaying the debts owed to him.

[Five: Number Three, you're a student at the Cloud Deer Academy, you know something, right?]

The members of the Heaven and Earth Society were very happy. Number Five asked a good question.

"How would I know? I'm surprised too." Xu Qi'an didn't answer directly, but typed. "[Besides the saint statue, what else is in the Abyss? Also, please describe in detail what the saint statue looks like.]"

This is all meaningless nonsense; it's purely an attempt to extract more information.

[Five: In the Abyss, besides the Gu God and various Gu worms, there is only a statue of a saint. Ah, I remember now, the saint's brow is cracked, and the elders of the clan seem very worried.]

The elders of the Gu clan were worried because the brow of the saint statue was cracked. Number Two had a sudden thought: [Do you think the saint statue might be suppressing the Gu God? Otherwise, why would a saint statue appear in the Abyss?]

[Four: This possibility cannot be ruled out. Using statues, bronze sculptures, and bronze artifacts as sealing formations is extremely common. The best example is the ancient emperor casting the Nine Tripods to suppress the mountains and rivers of the nine provinces and condense the destiny of the human race.]

[One: Does the crack between the brows of the saint statue signify an unstable seal, thus indicating the initial revival of the Gu God?]

[Four: This is possible.]

This topic quickly faded away, after all, the level of the Gu God and the Southern Frontier were too far removed from everyone's lives.

Xu Qi'an typed: [Number One, you haven't asked me about the Sangbo case lately. Have you found any clues from consulting ancient books?]

[One: No clues.]

After saying that, Number One silently went underwater.

Number One's behavior is a bit unusual. He/She was clearly very concerned about the Sangbo case before, but so many days have passed and he/she hasn't asked me about the progress. Xu Qi'an typed: [Number Two, have you found any clues about Zhou Chixiong's whereabouts?]

[Two: No, I'll keep an eye out for you.]

In the vast sea of people, it was indeed not so easy to find. Xu Qi'an was both disappointed and felt it was only natural.

After a brief discussion, Number Four and the others expressed their concern about Number Six's whereabouts and called out to Number Nine, the Golden Lotus Daoist, but the Daoist did not respond.

With the sun shining so brightly today, I bet Master Jinlian is lazily sunbathing on the rooftop.

Xu Qi'an was inwardly grumbling when he suddenly saw Daoist Jinlian pop up: [Number 9:30, come out and see me.]

"Hmm?" Xu Qi'an was taken aback for a moment, then understood. He put away the jade mirror, left the outhouse, and strode towards the entrance of the yamen.

He looked around the doorway and saw an orange cat standing across the street, its tail held high, quietly watching the entrance to the Nightwatchers's office.

Xu Qi'an walked over naturally to the orange cat, but instead of looking at it, he gazed around.

The orange cat said in a deep voice, "I've found number six."

PS: The orange cat said in a deep voice: I've stopped writing.

PY, no, I recommend a book called "Red Dust Fence" by author Qian Mo Mei Kai, who's an older sister type. If you're interested in female-oriented fiction, you can check it out. Female-oriented novels have delicate writing and the conflicts are very satisfying.