The twenty-sixth year of Zhende (extra-long chapter)

After a three-hour march, they finally arrived at the encampment of the Chu army before dusk.

After the 10,000-strong army arrived, they skillfully set up camp. Jiang Luzhong, along with his generals, Xu Xinnian, and Chu Yuanzhen, entered the military tent of Yang Yan, the commander of Chuzhou.

Yang Yan and the senior generals of Chuzhou had been waiting for a long time.

Everyone took their seats. Yang Yan glanced around at Jiang Luzhong and the others, pausing briefly on Xu Xinnian and Chu Yuanzhen, before speaking in a cold, hard tone:

"The situation in the north is not optimistic. We lack artillery and ballistae, as well as supplies, so we have been mainly engaged in containment and harassment, unable to inflict heavy losses on the Yasukuni army."

Jiang Luzhong nodded slightly. The military supplies in Chuzhou were limited, and most of the cannons and crossbows had to be left in the territory to defend the city. It was impossible to transfer them all out, otherwise the Jingguo cavalry could launch a surprise attack on Chuzhou, and the Great Feng army's base would be completely destroyed.

Jiang Luzhong glanced at his deputy, who understood immediately and reported the total amount of grain and supplies they had brought, as well as the ratio of cavalry, infantry, and artillery.

After listening, Yang Yan nodded in satisfaction and looked at his deputy beside him.

The deputy general stood up and said in a deep voice, "Let me explain the current situation of the war in the north. The main battlefield is currently deep in the north, where the demon-barbarian alliance and the Jingguo cavalry are fighting fiercely."

"The individual combat strength of the demons is stronger than that of the Jing Kingdom, and their troop types are also more diverse, but they are still being repeatedly defeated by the Jing Kingdom. In the past few days, we have analyzed the reasons and classified them into three points: First, the military training of the demons is not as good as that of the Jing Kingdom. The demons have Gods and Devils blood, and once they get carried away, they lose their rationality. In small-scale battles, this is an advantage. But in large-scale battles involving tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people, this is a fatal flaw."

"Second, the Witch God Cult. The battlefield is the home ground of witches, and you are all experienced generals, so I don't need to elaborate. Most importantly, there is a third-rank witch in the Jing Kingdom army. It is because of his presence that Zhu Jiu, whose injuries have not yet healed, is restrained."

"Third, Xiahou Yushu is a top-tier military strategist, and his battle command skills have reached a level of consummate mastery. Facing such a figure, unless one crushes him with absolute force, it is difficult to defeat him with any so-called brilliant strategy."

He paused, then continued, "The army currently fighting us on the border of Chuzhou is the Left Army of Jing Kingdom, led by Tuoba Ji, a fourth-rank military officer. He commands three thousand fire-armored soldiers, five thousand light cavalry, and ten thousand infantry and artillery. Tuoba Ji intends to crush us on the border of Chuzhou."

Xu Erlang judged that the two sides were not far apart at the border of Chuzhou.

Sure enough, Jiang Luzhong pondered and said, "Therefore, if we want to head north to aid the demon barbarians, we must first defeat Tuoba Ji."

Yang Yan nodded slowly. "Only by defeating Tuoba Ji's army can we be free from worries about our rear. The problem is, in terms of cavalry, we are far from being a match for the Jingguo cavalry. In terms of artillery, they are also equipped with a considerable number of cannons and crossbows. Apart from having an overwhelming advantage in numbers, we don't have any other advantages."

One of the generals laughed and said, "So you've come at the perfect time. Now we have ample troops and equipment. Speed is of the essence in war, so we can start the battle immediately and catch Tuoba Ji off guard."

The military commanders in Chu Prefecture also smiled; they had been waiting for reinforcements for a long time.

Jiang Luzhong nodded slowly. "Do you know their location?"

Yang Yan hummed in agreement. "We only know the exact location. Scouts are keeping watch and return to report every hour. So far, nothing unusual has happened."

Jiang Luzhong looked around at everyone and said, "This battle must be won quickly. Otherwise, given the wizards' abilities, if we fight a protracted war, the number of undead soldiers will only increase. We may not be able to burn the corpses in time on the battlefield."

Wizards have the ability to manipulate corpses, so the best way is to burn the bodies of those who died in battle on the spot, which is the only way to effectively curb the number of undead soldiers.

The group then began to discuss this topic.

"The Warlock from the Bureau of Astronomy will give us the location, and then we'll launch a few rounds of bombardment. After that, the archers and musketeers will advance."

"But if the enemy retreats, apart from the cavalry, no other force can catch up. If the cavalry pursues, it will be like lambs to the slaughter."

"Why don't we take advantage of our superior numbers and form an encirclement?"

"No, encirclement would only disperse our forces and negate our advantage. The enemy could break out in any direction, or even launch a counterattack."

"We also need to be wary of the sorcerer's divination skills. If only a high-ranking Warlock could conceal the secrets of heaven for us."

"Diviners can only predict their own fortune; if their lives aren't in danger during this battle, they can't calculate it. Heh, unless the opponent has a third-grade Spiritual Wisdom Master, then disregard what I said."

In the midst of the fierce battle, Xu Erlang glanced at Chu Yuanzhen, the former top scholar who had closed his eyes to rest and showed no intention of intervening in the discussion.

Xu Erlang could only remain silent. A quarter of an hour later, the generals were still discussing, but they had moved past the point of disagreement and began to formulate details and strategies.

Xu Erlang glanced at Chu Yuanzhen again, but he still didn't speak. However, Xu Erlang couldn't hold back any longer; he coughed, raised his arm, and said loudly:

"Gentlemen, would you mind listening to me?"

The discussion ceased, and the generals frowned, their sharp gazes fixed on the only scholar in the tent.

Xu Xinnian wasn't originally qualified to sit here, neither because of his position as the Assistant Surveillance Commissioner of Dingzhou nor because of his seniority. However, Jiang Luzhong and Xu Qi'an had a friendship based on their past experiences together, having been to the Imperial Academy of Music together and investigated cases together in Yunzhou. Naturally, Jiang Luzhong paid special attention to his friend and comrade-in-arms's younger brother.

Yang Yan, needless to say, glanced at the displeased military officers and nodded calmly, "Vice Commissioner Xu, please speak freely."

With the tacit approval of the Chu Prefecture Commander, Xu Xinnian breathed a sigh of relief and asked the generals present, "What is our objective?"

A military general frowned and replied in a deep voice, "Naturally, we must defeat Tuoba Ji's army and rush to the north to aid the demon barbarians."

Xu Erlang nodded. "Therefore, our real purpose is to rush to the aid of the demon barbarians, not to fight a death battle with Tuoba Ji."

"What's the difference?" a military officer asked with a sneer.

Xu Erlang glanced at Yang Yan, and seeing that he was listening intently and showed no sign of interrupting, he said:

"Of course there is. In warfare, conquering cities is secondary; winning hearts and minds is paramount. Achieving victory at the lowest possible cost is what we must do. If we only know how to act recklessly, sacrificing soldiers' lives for a victory, that is crude."

"Cough cough cough!" Chu Yuanzhen suddenly coughed, interrupting Xu Xinnian's speech.

"To conquer cities is inferior, to conquer hearts is superior—this is a concept from the military book written by Xu Qi'an. You may not have read it; the book is called Sun Tzu's Art of War, recently written by Xu Ningyan. By the way, let me introduce you all. This is Xu Qi'an's cousin, a second-class Jinshi in this imperial examination. Hmm, Vice Minister Xu, please continue," Chu Yuanzhen said with a smile.

Xu Yinluo actually knows military strategy? "To attack a city is the inferior strategy; to attack a mind is the superior strategy." Brilliant!

It turns out that this pale-faced scholar is Xu Yinluo's cousin.

The generals were filled with mixed feelings, but after learning that Xu Xinnian was Xu Yinluo's cousin, they all suppressed their displeasure and adjusted their attitudes.

The martial artist who had just scoffed at the question now wore a friendly smile and said, "Minister Xu, please continue. We're listening."

Their attitudes were completely different.

The story of Xu Qi'an redressing the grievances of 380,000 people in Chuzhou City and exonerating Zheng Xinghuai, the governor of Chuzhou, had already spread throughout Chuzhou.

Among the officers present were some locals from Chuzhou, who revered Xu Qi'an as a god and were deeply grateful to him.

Of course, even the soldiers and officers who weren't locals held Xu Yinluo in high esteem. When talking about him, who wouldn't boast about him and give him a thumbs up?

This unruly, pale-faced scholar, being Xu Yinluo's cousin, is not unruly, but rather, like his cousin, a man of great talent and outspokenness.

Well, whether his talent is truly exceptional remains to be confirmed, but that doesn't stop the generals from looking at him with special regard.

Xu Cijiu is still too thin-skinned. He has a cousin with terrifying prestige, but he doesn't know how to take advantage of him. He should have brought him out earlier. Who wouldn't give him face? Why does he insist that I help him? Chu Yuanzhen shook his head.

"I don't need my older brother's protection Xu Xinnian muttered arrogantly, took a deep breath, and continued:

"Get rid of Tuoba Ji is our goal. Jingguo left this army on the border of Chuzhou to contain us, wear down our forces, and give them time to kill the demon barbarians, thus relieving their pressure."

"If we really fight to the death, even if we win, it will only be a local victory and will not benefit the overall situation."

Jiang Luzhong frowned. "We understand this principle, what's your thought?"

The military officers all looked at him. They understood these principles, but how could they march north to reinforce the enemy without fighting?

Xu Xinnian looked around at everyone and said, "Our advantage is our numbers. I believe that seizing this advantage is not about outnumbering the enemy, but about making good use of our numbers and deploying our troops effectively."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Why not send a large army to take a detour?"

Upon hearing this, the generals were extremely disappointed.

Only Yang Yan and Jiang Luzhong frowned in deep thought.

"How do we take the detour? If we don't deal with Tuoba Ji, and rashly take a detour, then we'll just be waiting to be surrounded and surrounded?"

"Commander Xu, your method, well, it works, but it's not suitable for this situation."

The military officers spoke tactfully.

This Assistant Magistrate Xu is far inferior to his elder brother.

Xu Xinnian placed his hands on the table and said calmly, "Let me finish. I just heard you say that Tuoba Ji's army, in total, numbers about 18,000, is that right?"

Yang Yan's deputy nodded. "That's true if we exclude logistics and militia."

Xu Xinnian asked, "How about 18,000 men to attack the city?"

A military officer laughed, "Wishful thinking. Let alone Chuzhou City, even a small city couldn't be breached by only 18,000 men. Besides, there are hundreds of strongholds along the border that can be reinforced at any time."

Yang Yan's deputy added, "We have already implemented a scorched-earth policy."

Xu Xinnian smiled, "In that case, it shouldn't be difficult for us to transfer another 10,000 troops from Chuzhou, right?"

Yang Yan's deputy pondered for a moment and said, "Of the 20,000 troops you brought, 10,000 are left in Chuzhou City. Transferring those troops here shouldn't be a problem, and it won't affect the defense of the city."

Xu Xinnian's smile deepened, "Then let me ask another question: facing Tuoba Ji, if we don't seek to kill the enemy, but only to engage in a protracted battle and protect ourselves, how many troops would be sufficient?"

This time, Yang Yan replied, "Twenty thousand troops are more than enough. This place is not far from Chuzhou, and if deployed properly, the Chuzhou garrison can come to our aid. So fifteen thousand will be sufficient."

Xu Xinnian nodded. "Conservatively speaking, we should leave 20,000. At this time, there are more than 40,000 soldiers in the military camp. We will withdraw 20,000 to join the 10,000 troops in Chuzhou City. These 30,000 troops will detour deep into the northern border and join forces with the demon barbarians."

"As for Tuoba Ji's side, leave 20,000 troops to engage in close combat and confuse the enemy, so we don't have to worry about them ambushing us."

The military tent fell silent for a moment, and the generals stopped speaking, each weighing the feasibility of the plan.

"We also have Warlock Qi-Watching Technique can help us locate the enemy. Even if they realize what's happening and rush north to reinforce us, we can still hold them off."

"If the enemy moves, we move. If the enemy doesn't move, we'll stall them. In this way, we can both rush to the aid of the demon barbarians and hold back Tuoba Ji's 18,000 troops."

"Well, although it's not very satisfying, this plan is indeed feasible."

The military officers present were experienced, and after a little deliberation, they could roughly determine whether Xu Xinnian's plan would work.

Inside the military tent, the senior generals looked at Xu Xinnian with more approval, at least in terms of his intelligence.

They considered him a person who could participate in discussions.

Yang Yan sighed and smiled, "Not bad, this plan is feasible, but we need to discuss the details further."

Inside the military tent, the senior generals looked at Xu Xinnian with more approval, at least in terms of his intelligence.

They considered him a person who could participate in discussions.

Xu Xinnian let out a breath. He wasn't arrogant because of this. Coming up with a good idea during a military meeting didn't mean he was a genius. The generals present must have had their moments of inspiration and offered suggestions.

Military campaigns are not something that can be accomplished with just one strategy. There is a great deal of knowledge involved, so much so that even the location of the latrines in the military camp has unique considerations.

Cijiu does indeed have a talent for military strategy, but he lacks the ability to command and fight. He would be a good strategist for now. Chu Yuanzhen nodded secretly.

"The Imperial Advisor is extremely perceptive!"

Xu Qi'an first offered a flattering remark, then analyzed, "The leader of the Earth Sect did indeed collude with Emperor Yuanjing, but what does that prove? I already knew about this back in Chuzhou."

Besides, the leader of the Earth Sect is now completely ruthless, his mind is filled with nothing but evil deeds and womanizing. There's no need to investigate his line of work at all, is there?

The stunningly beautiful imperial advisor glanced at him dismissively. "Isn't investigating cases your forte? If I knew, would I need you to investigate?"

That makes so much sense; I'm speechless.

Next, Luo Yuheng inquired about his cultivation level and gave him guidance on the Heart Sword technique. Upon learning that Xu Qi'an was stuck at the "Intent" stage, Luo Yuheng pondered for a long time before saying:

"A technique is a technique, and intent is intent; without intent, there is no true intent. What you need to do now is to comprehend intent, not to integrate techniques. You've put the cart before the horse."

But I didn't have any "intention." If getting something for free counts as intention, I would already be at the peak of the fourth rank, Auntie. Xu Qi'an slumped his head.

"Haste makes waste. It takes others years, even decades, to comprehend this. You've only been practicing for a little over a month," Luo Yuheng advised. "Don't rush."

She paused, then added, "But I hope you can master it within two years."

"Hmm? Why within two years? Is there some special reason?" Xu Qi'an nodded. "I will calm down."

Luo Yuheng nodded, said nothing more, and vanished in a golden light.

But instead of returning to Lingbao Temple, she made a sudden turn in mid-air and landed in a small courtyard not far from the Xu Residence.

The small courtyard was filled with colorful flowers, and the air was sweet. An ordinary-looking woman lay comfortably on a bamboo chair, eating early-ripening oranges. She grimaced from the sourness, but couldn't resist the temptation and stubbornly endured it.

"Why are you here again? What if someone finds out?" Mu Nanzhi said irritably.

"No one can see me except the Supervisor," Luo Yuheng said calmly. "If you think the Supervisor would covet your beauty, then I wouldn't have come."

"I still have the self-awareness to admit it," Mu Nanzhi hummed in agreement.

Luo Yuheng ignored her and walked straight to the water vat. He glanced at the thriving nine-colored lotus roots and nodded in satisfaction.

"You've been doing well lately." She shifted her gaze, scrutinizing the princess.

"I feel like my waist has gotten thicker." The princess pinched her waist and complained, "It's all that scoundrel Xu Qi'an's fault, always taking me out for fancy meals."

Luo Yuheng smiled. When she was still the Princess Consort of Huai, she had all kinds of delicacies, but she never liked to eat them. Now she was an ordinary housewife in the city, eating simple meals, but her appetite was better than before.

After being confined to the Prince's mansion for twenty years, she was finally free, and the radiant spirit in her eyes was completely different.

If she were to reveal her true self at this moment, she would surely be the most captivating woman in the world.

Luo Yuheng asked casually, "Xu Qi'an is leaving the capital. Will you go with him?"

The princess quickly shook her head, denying it. "Of course I won't go. Why should I go with him? I'm not his concubine. I'm just borrowing some money from him and temporarily staying at his outer residence."

Luo Yuheng was satisfied with this answer and said calmly, "Remember your words. If you go back on your word, I'll sell you to a brothel."

Mu Nanzhi asked suspiciously, "What's it to you!"

Luo Yuheng ignored him.

The princess tossed her an orange. "Here, have a taste. I bought it at the market this morning; it was quite expensive."

Luo Yuheng waved his hand, shoving the orange back at him without even looking at it. "I won't eat it."

The princess said, "Tsk tsk, I really envy women like you who don't use the outhouse."

Luo Yuheng frowned slightly. "The way you're talking right now sounds like a vulgar, common woman from the marketplace."

The princess chuckled.

On the other side, Xu Qi'an pondered how to find a breakthrough here with the head of the Earth Sect.

"I definitely can't go to investigate the Earth Sect's leader. First of all, I don't know where the Earth Sect is, and even if I did, I couldn't go. Master Jinlian would report me for suicide. But now, I can't go to the Dragon Vein anymore because it's too dangerous and there's nothing to gain."

"I've finished reading the daily log, but there are no major clues. How should I investigate? No, what exactly am I supposed to be investigating?"

Xu Qi'an reviewed his clues and thoughts. Initially, he investigated Emperor Yuanjing because the other party supported the Prince of Zhenbei in massacring the city. The effort and reward were disproportionate, and there was something wrong with this.

After investigating for so long, it's clear that Emperor Yuanjing does have serious problems, but Xu Qi'an doesn't have a clear answer or direction regarding what those problems are.

"What I need to do is unveil the mystery surrounding Emperor Yuanjing. Soul Pills, human trafficking, and dragon veins are all clues, but we lack a single thread to connect them. The Soul Pills contain traces of the Earth Sect's leader, and the dragon veins also bear the shadow of the Earth Sect's leader."

"Luo Yuheng's line of thinking is correct; the leader of the Earth Sect might be the thread connecting everything. But how do I find a starting point?"

"I've also fallen into a misconception. To find a starting point, we don't necessarily have to start with the head of the local sect himself; we can start with what he's done. Let's go to the Nightwatchers's office."

He immediately left the mansion, mounted his mare, and headed straight for the Nightwatchers's office.

Upon arriving at the gate of the Nightwatchers's office, he tossed aside the reins, shook his robe, and entered the office as if he were going home.

The guards at the gate didn't stop him; they even held the reins and watched over his horse.

After entering the yamen, I searched around but couldn't find Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao, those two lecherous men. Perhaps they had gone to the brothels to listen to music while I was out on patrol.

Fortunately, Li Yuchun was a dedicated and good gong. He was very happy to see Xu Qi'an visiting. Li Yuchun happily pulled him inside while looking back over his shoulder.

"Don't worry, that slovenly girl didn't come along." Xu Qi'an knew his superior all too well.

No, don't say it, don't say it out loud.

Li Yuchun waved her hand vigorously. "Even now, when I think of her, I still get goosebumps all over."

It seems Zhong Li left a deep psychological scar on Chun Ge; the place is as big as a two-bedroom apartment. Xu Qi'an didn't waste any words and stated the purpose of his visit:

"Boss, I'd like to see the confession of the man who trafficked people from Pingyuan."

"Easy, I'll have someone fetch it for you." Li Yuchun didn't ask any further questions, beckoned to the clerk, and instructed him to retrieve it from the archives.

For these types of cases, the night watchman doesn't even need to Nightwatchers in person; a clerk is enough.

The two sat down to drink tea and chat. Li Yuchun said, "By the way, Guangxiao is getting married at the end of the year, and the date has been set."

This is a good thing!

Xu Qi'an smiled sincerely, thinking to himself that Zhu Guangxiao could finally get rid of his troublesome friend Song Tingfeng and leave this frost-covered, tree-lined path of no return.

During his investigation in Yunzhou last year, Zhu Guangxiao said that once the Yunzhou case was over, he would return to the capital to marry his childhood sweetheart.

"Time to pay wedding gifts again!" Xu Qi'an's smile concealed an instinctive, primal resentment stemming from his past life.

Come to think of it, the biggest regret of my past life was not getting married. My college classmates, high school classmates, and childhood friends all got married one after another. I gave them money as wedding gifts, but now I have no chance to get it back.

Just thinking about it makes my heart ache.

Before long, the clerk returned carrying a thick stack of files from the human trafficking organization.

After the death of the Earl of Pingyuan, most of the leaders and henchmen of the human slave trade were captured, with only a very small number escaping. Those who were imprisoned had already been dragged to the execution ground to be beheaded.

Only the interrogation statements were kept.

Xu Qi'an skipped over the confessions of the underlings and focused on reading the confessions of the organization's minor leaders.

The organization's nominal leader is a man known as "Black Scorpion".

Black Scorpion's identity is mysterious. Before the Nightwatchers's office could even identify him, Hengyuan killed the Earl of Pingyuan, disrupting the Nightwatchers's plans.

As for these petty leaders, they didn't even know they were serving the Earl of Pingyuan; their only responsibility was to lure and abduct lone children, women, and even adult men.

Men were sold into slavery or forced labor, while women were sold into brothels or kept for the pleasure of the brothers within the organization.

They were completely unaware that the Earl of Pingyuan was secretly sending people to the palace.

"Given the Marquis of Pingyuan's status, he certainly wouldn't personally contact the human trafficking organization. This Black Scorpion is an important figure. Nightwatchers could even locate him, Hengyuan had already stormed into the Marquis of Pingyuan's residence."

Xu Qi'an took a breath. "Could the python in the story of Fuxiang refer to this black scorpion? He knew the Nightwatchers was investigating him, so he secretly reported it to Emperor Yuanjing. After receiving Emperor Yuanjing's instructions, he leaked the information to Hengyuan, using Hengyuan to kill him and silence him?"

This guess flashed through my mind.

It was only a fleeting moment; Black Scorpion's fate was either to flee the capital and go far away, or to be silenced.

There's no need to investigate this person.

Xu Qi'an continued reading the confession, and as he read, a seemingly insignificant detail caught his attention.

There is a confession from a small-time boss known as "Master Dao." In his confession, Master Dao mentioned that when he first entered the business, he followed a senior named Master Lu.

This Master Lu claims to be a veteran of the human trafficking organization, and Master Dao followed him when he was young. As Master Lu got older, he gradually retired and supported this confidant to take over.

The biggest problem with this message is that Master Dao entered the industry in his early twenties and is now forty-three.

Before Master Dao, there was also Master Lu, which means that the human trafficking organization existed for at least thirty years.

The Human Spy organization has existed for at least thirty years, that's a conservative estimate; Emperor Yuanjing has only been cultivating for twenty-one years. Xu Qi'an took a deep breath:

"Are Master Lu's family members still alive?"

He handed the confession to Li Yuchun.

Li Yuchun shook his head. "This case wasn't handled by me, so I'm not too clear on it. I'll go ask around for you."

He took the confession, got up and left. About fifteen minutes later, Li Yuchun returned and said:

"Lord Lu died of illness long ago. According to the laws of the Great Feng, those who sell people are punished according to the severity of the crime, including slow slicing, beheading, exile, and caning. If the father dies, the son will pay for the crime, and the punishment will be reduced by two degrees."

"Master Lu's crimes warranted the death penalty of slow slicing. Because he died of illness, his son paid for his crime, reducing the sentence by two degrees, and he was exiled to the frontier at that time. Master Lu's wife, however, is still alive."

Xu Qi'an downed his tea in one gulp, stood up, and said, "Take me to her."

Although Master Lu amassed a fortune in his early years, he was well aware of the "danger" of his profession and prepared for the worst by purchasing a mansion in the inner city, leaving behind a considerable amount of wealth.

After his son was exiled, Lord Lu's first wife and her family moved into the inner courtyard, where they could still live a life of luxury.

Unfortunately, the night Nightwatchers were all ruthless and would extort money from the families of human traffickers every now and then, squeezing all the dirty money they had earned.

So Lu Ye's family moved back to the outer city and now live in a small courtyard in the north of the city, with a grandson, a daughter-in-law, and a grandmother.

Li Yuchun led Xu Qi'an to knock on the door of the small courtyard. The woman who opened the door was quite attractive but had a weak expression.

She was washing clothes, dressed in a simple, coarse cloth skirt.

In the courtyard, a child is riding a bamboo horse, and an elderly woman with white hair is feeding the chickens.

Upon seeing Li Yuchun's Nightwatchers, the old woman and the young woman's expressions changed drastically. The latter became meek and trembling, while the former was quite fierce, throwing down her winnowing basket and bursting into tears and cries.

"The soldiers are bullying us! The soldiers are bullying us again! You might as well force me to my death! Even if I die, I'll show the villagers the true faces of you bastards!"

The old woman must have been quite fierce in her youth, which isn't surprising, given that she was the wife of the head of the slave trader.

Li Yuchun stepped forward and kicked him a few times, shouting, "Shut up! If you keep making noise, I'll grab your grandson and sell him!"

It seemed that this had touched a nerve with the old woman, and she indeed fell silent, glaring venomously at Li Yuchun and Xu Qi'an.

Xu Qi'an closed the courtyard gate, walked around the piles of chicken droppings, stepped up to the old woman, and said in a deep voice, "I have a few questions for you. Answer honestly."

After the old woman nodded, he asked, "Is Master Lu a veteran of the human trafficking organization?"

The old woman's eyes flickered as she said, "What elder or not? I'm just a woman, I don't know anything about this."

"Oh, you don't know anything."

Xu Qi'an nodded in realization, then pulled the young woman into the house, grinning maliciously, "This little wench is quite pretty; I'll go inside and have my way with her."

Embarrassingly, the young woman blushed, secretly glancing at Xu Qi'an, but didn't call out.

Enraged, Xu Qi'an said, "Sell her to a brothel again."

The little woman then screamed, "Mother, save me!"

"Sell this little brat too," he added.

The old woman quickly hugged her grandson, crying out, "No, no, I'll tell you everything, I'll tell you everything!"

The old woman told Xu Qi'an that Master Lu was originally a lazy bum who did nothing all day, loved to fight, and associated with a group of scoundrels.

Until one day, someone asked him to "get" a few people. Later, the request turned into recruitment, and the human trafficking organization was born. Master Lu led his brothers into the organization and thus rose to prominence.

"When did these happen?" Xu Qi'an asked.

The old woman recalled for a moment, frowned, and said, "If I remember correctly, it was the 26th year of Joan of Arc's reign."

The year marked a turning point in her impoverished life, and it was of great significance to her, leaving a deep impression on her.

Joan of Arc's 26th year... that sounds familiar. Xu Qi'an muttered to himself for a moment, then his body suddenly trembled, and his expression froze on his face.

According to the records of the late emperor's daily life, in the 26th year of the Zhende era, the late emperor invited the head of the Earth Sect Daoist sect to the palace to discuss Daoism.

According to the records of the late emperor, in the 26th year of the Zhende era, the Prince of Huai and Yuan Jing were hunting deep in the Southern Garden when they were attacked by bears, and almost all of their guards were killed or wounded.

In the 26th year of Joan of Arc, someone asked Mr. Lu to secretly plunder the population, and these people were secretly sent to the palace. From this, it can be inferred that the Earth Escape Formation of Pingyuan Bofu was built in the 26th year of Joan of Arc.

They all happened in the same year.

After a very long time, Xu Qi'an, as if using all his strength, murmured to himself, "The leader of the Earth Sect."

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