Five letters

Li Lingsu, who was already planning to go out, hurriedly caught up with Xu Qi'an, intending to leave the inn together.

"Your appearance is too conspicuous," Xu Qi'an said, raising his hand in a reminder.

"My damn charm," Li Lingsu muttered to herself habitually, then suddenly choked, glancing at Xu Qian's retreating figure with a hint of dejection.

"Senior, I haven't collected any materials for disguise yet."

He had barely finished speaking when Xu Qian tossed something over. He reached out and caught it, discovering it was a brocade pouch embroidered with orchids.

The old sea king twitched his nostrils, absolutely certain that it was a woman's personal item.

"Storage Law Artifact?"

Li Lingsu's eyes lit up, and her face lit up with joy.

As the Holy Son of the Heavenly Sect, he originally had two storage Law Artifact: one was a gift from his sect, and the other was a fragment of the Earth Book.

The sect's storage Law Artifact were confiscated by the Dongfang sisters, and the fragments of the Earth Book were given to their meddlesome junior sister, Li Miaozhen.

Thank you, senior.

Li Lingsu was overjoyed, knowing how important a storage Law Artifact was when traveling the martial world.

However, storage Law Artifact are too valuable. Even a holy son of the Heavenly Law Artifact would suffer a loss if he lost one.

Only Warlock can produce this thing.

"There's a veil inside," Xu Qi'an said calmly.

Li Lingsu took out a veiled hat from the brocade pouch and put it on, glancing at Xu Qian's appearance as she did so, a thought suddenly occurring to her:

Which of Xu Qian's true identities is he really?

"Senior, this isn't your true self, is it?" Li Lingsu probed tentatively with a tone of certainty.

He had previously realized that Xu Qian, who was skilled in disguise, might not be his true self despite his ordinary appearance.

But he had no evidence, and the Holy Son didn't care about it.

Until he saw Luo Yuheng the day before yesterday, and saw the true face of the most beautiful woman in Great Feng, Li Lingsu could no longer turn a blind eye. Now he was extremely looking forward to seeing Xu Qian's true face.

"Don't try to find out my identity; it won't do you any good," Xu Qi'an said calmly.

Is this a threat? Li Lingsu pouted. "Senior, I thought we were friends."

"Because we're friends, I don't want you to feel awkward digging out a two-bedroom apartment with the soles of your feet after you find out who I am, "Xu Qi'an thought to himself.

Recalling how respectful the Holy Son had been as a junior throughout the journey, and his dark circles under his eyes when he was suffering from kidney deficiency, Li Lingsu would definitely be the one to die when his true identity was exposed.

The two strolled casually down the street, with Xu Qi'an always clutching the fragment of the Earth Book, tucked into his sleeve.

He surveyed the surroundings, ready to detect any dragon energy hosts nearby.

Li Lingsu walked with her hands behind her back, exuding a leisurely air and clearly more confidence than before.

This confidence does not stem from charm, but from the restoration of one's self-cultivation.

Dajiaochang was originally the barracks for the city's garrison.

Ji Xuan welcomed a fourth-rank secret agent, who was in charge of the Yongzhou City.

"You must be very busy."

Ji Xuan held his teacup, gently blew on it, and scrutinized the secret agent who was wrapped in a long robe and wearing a hood.

Before this, they were contacted by a fourth-rank secret agent from Zhangzhou. The reason they were forced to take over the territory was that the secret agent from Yongzhou was tied up with other matters and could not spare the time to deal with the Buddhist School and Xu Qian.

The spy chuckled, his gaze sweeping over Xu Yuanshuang and Xu Yuanhuai on the other side, and said, "I am 'Chen,' one of the thirteen fourth-rank spies."

"In fact, what I've been investigating recently is somewhat related to Xu Qian."

Upon hearing this, the siblings' expressions changed slightly, and Xu Yuanhuai gritted his teeth.

A glint of light flashed in Ji Xuan's eyes.

"Before Leizhou, Xu Qian had been to Yongzhou. This story begins with the underground palace outside Yongzhou city."

Chen, the secret agent, recounted the events that unfolded in the underground palace to Ji Xuan and the Xu Household siblings in detail.

Later, the Gongsun family and Dragon God Fortress sealed off the underground palace, preventing anyone from approaching. Rumors circulated that the Gongsun family and Dragon God Fortress had joined forces to monopolize the treasures inside.

"I secretly investigated and discovered that a man named Xu Qian appeared on the night the Gongsun family explored the underground palace."

Ji Xuan narrowed his eyes and slowly said, "The Gongsun family has known Xu Qian for a long time."

Xu Yuanhuai gritted his teeth and said, "He dared to play us! Seventh Brother, I'm going to the Gongsun family right now!"

Ji Xuan raised his hand, signaling to calm down, and asked, "What's the deal with the underground palace?"

The secret agent paused for a few seconds, a hint of fear in his voice:

"The reason I'm only meeting you now is because I've been exploring the underground palace. It's an ancient tomb built of granite, its age beyond imagination. An ancient corpse is sealed inside."

Ancient corpse?

Ji Xuan frowned. "Is it dangerous?"

Chen, the secret agent, nodded. "I've already reported this to the Palace Master, and his reply was to mind my own business. Furthermore, the Palace Master said this has resolved a question that puzzled him."

The spy didn't say what his doubts were, because he didn't know either.

The intelligent Xu Yuanshuang frowned slightly. "The actions of the Gongsun family and Dragon God Fortress are not quite reasonable."

Based on the style of Jianghu forces, this kind of thing will definitely be left to the government, and they will not spend a lot of manpower to seal off the mountains where the underground palace is located.

In the Great Feng, only the Martial Alliance of Jianzhou is keen on maintaining order and acting as a law enforcer of the Jianghu.

"According to the information I've gathered, it was Xu Qian who ordered them to do this."

"Xu Qian?!" Xu Yuanhuai raised his eyebrows.

The spy nodded, offering no further explanation.

He knew Xu Qian's true identity, but he didn't intend to tell the siblings. Although the Palace Master hadn't expressed any opinion on the matter.

The spies kept quiet for two main reasons: First, if the siblings harbored feelings for the older brother and were dissatisfied with their father's cruel and ruthless behavior, telling them would only cause trouble.

Second: If the siblings harbor hostility towards Xu Qi'an, given Xu Yinluo's personality, they should still be executed. And if something happens to the siblings, the secret agents will be held accountable.

Xu Yuanhuai immediately said, "I'll go to the Gongsun family first."

"No need!"

Ji Xuan waved his hand to stop Xu Yuanhuai's impulsive behavior and analyzed, "Perhaps this is Xu Qian testing us. If we go to the Gongsun family, he can glean a lot of information from the feedback on this matter."

"Most importantly, unless you can get a Buddhist School monk to go with you, it's just suicide. Don't forget, he has a third-rank Warlock by his side. It's not worth the risk for the sake of the Gongsun Lineage."

Just then, Liu Hongmian swayed her hips as she walked in, her eyes sparkling, and said, "The Gongsun family sent someone to inform us that they found that kid at the Liubo gambling den."

"That kid" is how this team describes the dragon energy host in Qingzhou.

Ji Xuan, sent by the Gongsun family, asked, "Do you have more detailed information?"

"No."

Go and collect it immediately.

Chen, the secret agent, immediately said, "Leave it to me. Yongzhou City is my territory."

On the archway of Gongsun Manor, a sparrow stood quietly, gazing towards the mountain path, motionless.

On the other side, in a teahouse near the bustling city.

Xu Qi'an and Li Lingsu sat at the table. The former ordered a pot of extra-large goji berry tea, while the latter ordered regular Maojian tea.

But looking at Xu Qi'an's goji berry tea, Li Lingsu felt a pang of jealousy.

The two wandered aimlessly for an hour without finding anything, so Xu Qi'an found a teahouse to rest and take a look at the letters sent by the fish in the pond.

Without making any special selections, he picked up the first letter on the outermost layer, which was signed by Lin'an.

"Dog lackey:"

"My brother, the Crown Prince, has ascended the throne! I'm so happy! He's endured many years of hardship and has finally reached the dragon throne. He's full of energy. He says he wants to sweep away the chronic illnesses and restore the Great Feng to its peak of twenty years ago."

"My mother is not happy because my elder brother, the Crown Prince, does not agree to depose the Empress Dowager. His reason is that Wei Yuan's faction is still around, and he still needs them to do things. Moreover, Chief Minister Wang also does not agree to depose the Empress Dowager, at least not in the next few years."

She briefly described the political situation at court, and then began chattering about her current life.

"Now I can do whatever I want in the palace. I can leave whenever I want. Before, it was difficult for me to sneak out of the palace to see you. Now there are no restrictions, but you are no longer in the capital."

"Simu and Xu Erlang are engaged! I'm so envious of her!"

The implication is very clear.

"When are you going back to the capital? It's going to be very cold this winter, so remember to wear warm clothes. If you see anything fun, remember to buy it for me. Keep it for now and give it to me when you get back to the capital. You wretched lackey, it's been so long and you haven't sent me a single letter."

The Fourth Prince was much more dejected; he had no hope left. Huaiqing was still the same as before, except her official position had been taken away by her brother, the Crown Prince. Hmm, I think... I can't remember what her official position was, but she was a historian.

"Now I can bully her as much as I want, and she won't dare to fight back."

Xu Qi'an smiled gently, his eyes warm, and a fleeting image of a beautiful woman in a red dress, with an oval face, and full of charm and passion flashed through his mind.

He then opened the second letter, which was from Huaiqing.

The eldest princess's letter was much simpler, beginning with a polite greeting and then mentioning some current affairs at court.

The Emperor's assessment of the Crown Prince—or rather, the Yongxing Emperor—was: a monkey.

Emperor Yongxing was made a fool of by his ministers. Although he was full of enthusiasm and tried to sweep away the malpractices in the officialdom and make the Great Feng prosper, he was not skilled enough. Without the help of Chief Minister Wang and the assistance of a few loyal and righteous people, the Great Feng might have become even worse.

Compared to Emperors Yuanjing and Zhen De, this new emperor is still too young.

Besides despising Emperor Yongxing, Huaiqing was extremely worried about the future of the Great Feng, even going so far as to say:

Within two years, the Great Feng will face a life-or-death test.

In addition, she complained a little about Lin'an's lack of understanding of the times, how he was always picking on her, but she always managed to suppress him forcefully.

But they never tire of it.

So who lied, Huaiqing or Lin'an? Xu Qi'an muttered, "My poor little nightclub queen."

"Huaiqing's political acumen is as sharp and frightening as ever," he thought to himself.

The third letter was from Chu Caiwei. The letter was divided into two parts. The first part was Chu Caiwei rambling on about some trivial things and asking about the delicacies of Great Feng.

They probably planned to collect information in advance so that they could follow the recipe list if they ever traveled the world.

Then there's the issue of complaining about a few eccentric senior brothers. For example, Song Qing would invent some terrifying creations every now and then, only to be suppressed by the supervising teacher.

For example, Yang Qianhuan would occasionally come up with bold ideas, only to be suppressed by Teacher Jianzheng.

For example, Senior Brother Sun, who had been traveling around, finally returned, but no one liked to talk to him or listen to him.

During the time when Senior Brother Sun was at the Bureau of Astronomy, his fellow disciples always carried writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones with them. Whenever they saw Senior Brother Sun, they would immediately hand him paper and brushes without saying a word.

On one occasion, when she went to talk to the supervisor, she discovered that a set of writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone had been added to the Eight Trigrams Platform.

Finally, she said she would be teaching her junior colleague next year, and she was both excited and nervous.

But there was one thing that made her very unhappy: the Warlock at the Bureau of Astronomy secretly gave her future junior brothers a name: the Eaters Party.

The second half was Zhong Li's message, which succinctly stated that she was fine and inquired whether he was safe and sound.

"If you are well, then all is well; but Fifth Senior Sister, the moment you leave the Bureau of Astronomy, it brings a raging storm, with thunder and lightning."

Xu Qi'an recalled his senior sister, who always walked with her head down and wore a simple robe, and felt a surge of emotions.

Then he thought of Xu Yuanshuang.

"If she also wants to advance, she'll probably face the same fate as Senior Sister Zhong."

The fourth letter was sent by Xu Lingyue.

She said she had become an outer disciple of the Human Sect, but she didn't want to cultivate, so she almost never went to Lingbao Temple.

The letter contained mostly everyday conversations.

"Ever since Father became a commander, he's been buying green tangerines from time to time. I know there must be a reason behind it, but Mother still doesn't seem to care. Brother, do you know why?"

Girl, are you testing me? Uncle was just having a simple social engagement; don't overthink it. By the way, pay attention to whether Erlang buys oranges frequently. If he does, like Uncle, I suggest you secretly tell Wang Simu.

"Chu Caiwei came to our house a while ago to freeload and gave my mother a batch of youth-preserving pills. After taking them for half a month, my mother became even younger and more beautiful. But later, Lingyin and Lina stole them all."

"Mother doesn't want any more daughters," she said, chasing after Lina and Lingyin with a broom.

"Auntie, they're just hungry." Xu Qi'an silently covered his face.

"The day before yesterday, Madam Wang invited Lingyin and me to her residence. The women of the Wang family are very self-important, which made me extremely uneasy and afraid. Brother, you know how scheming and infighting are in wealthy families, I have never been one to engage in such things."

"Oh right, Lingyin went to study at the Wang family's private school. After only a few days, she heard that the teacher at the Wang family's school fell ill. Lingyin said that the teacher stopped paying attention to her after that."

"However, the Wang family recommended her to the palace as a companion student, to listen to the teachings of the Grand Tutor alongside the princes and princesses."

"Does that gentleman have a grudge against the Grand Tutor?" This thought flashed through Xu Qi'an's mind.

The princes and princesses refer to the nephews and nieces of Huaiqing and Lin'an.

Emperor Yuanjing's nine sons have all married and had children. Among the princesses, the third princess has already married and had children, while the other three are still unmarried.

At the end of the letter, Xu Lingyue subtly expressed her longing for her elder brother.

The last letter was sent by Xu Erlang.

The letter described his daily life in the imperial court, complained about the atmosphere in officialdom, and expressed concern about the empty treasury.

Xu Erlang said that he wrote to Emperor Yongxing, hoping that he could organize a donation drive so that high-ranking officials and nobles could contribute some money to relieve the people.

However, Emperor Yongxing rejected the proposal.

"What's the use of donations? In the end, it's still the common people's money that gets split 30/70, while the rich and powerful get their money back in full!" Xu Qi'an said with a sigh.

"When I visited the Prince's residence recently, I noticed a significant change in the Wang family's attitude towards me. Upon reflection, I realized this change only occurred after Lingyue visited the Wang family. I think it's because Lingyue's gentleness touched everyone in the Wang family. What do you think, elder brother?"

Erlang, that sounds sarcastic!

P. S.: Requesting monthly votes. I'll update first and then revise later.