Chief Constable Han Ping from Pingxi City’s Law Enforcement Office was the first to return to the city. When he realized that Yan Liqiang wasn’t in the city, he soon discovered that the latter had gone to the Lu Residence in Huanglong County after asking around. With that, he rode tirelessly to the Lu Residence to make a report.
After Yan Liqiang assigned Han Ping his task last time, the latter left Qiyun Prefecture with two of his reliable subordinates. They put on a disguise and infiltrated Yin Province. It had been almost a month since then. Han Ping was travel-worn. His beard was dusty and he seemed to have slimmed down considerably. Even so, he was still very energetic.
Yan Liqiang knew he had an important report to make just by looking at him, so he didn’t stay any longer in the Lu Residence. After bidding his farewell to Old Master Lu, he had Han Ping join him in his carriage while they rode back to Pingxi City overnight.
The interior of Yan Liqiang’s four-wheeled carriage was layered with white tiger leather. It even had a small bar table with some wine on it. Under the bar table was an exquisite fridge for storing some ready-made ice. Not only that, but the bottom of the passenger seats were also fitted with spring coils for shock absorption. Hence, it was an extremely luxurious carriage that could be considered unique.
As soon as Han Ping climbed into the carriage, he observed the interior with awe in his eyes. He prudently sat down on the edge of the seat as he waited for Yan Liqiang to start the conversation.
The carriage started running on the road, whisking them away from the Lu Residence in just the blink of an eye. Through the stained glass window, Han Ping could see that the carriage was being escorted by guards in front and behind. Hence, he didn’t need to worry about someone eavesdropping on them.
Inside the carriage, all they could hear was the sound of the wheels rolling on the road. Yan Liqiang poured a cup of wine, then offered it to Han Ping. “You’ve worked hard. Here, warm yourself up with some wine. So, what information did you all manage to gather…?”
Han Ping cautiously accepted the beautiful silver cup from Yan Liqiang. He drank the wine in one gulp, then wiped his mouth. “Protectorate General, we found Fang Zigao.”
“Oh, how did you find him?” Yan Liqiang asked.
“I brought a few men with me to Yin Province last time. When we got there, we headed straight to Qianshan Prefecture and Yulin Prefecture because the people in a few counties and mountain regions within the two prefectures like to dip their cilantro into vinegar. We went disguised as leather merchants during our visit…” Han Ping moistened his lips.
“Good, that should be where the search should start!” Yan Liqiang nodded in agreement.
“I have some friends in Yin Province and the Law Enforcement Office there. So I sought help from them and had them keep their eyes peeled for people who suddenly returned home after a decade in the targeted areas within the two prefectures, or those who had gone to Pingxi Prefecture to seek a livelihood ten years ago. My friends coincidentally found a few people that fit the criteria, so I went to verify and discovered that one of them from Guang’en County in Yulin Prefecture was none other than Fang Zigao!”
“Did you arrest him?”
“No!”
“Why not?”
“My lord, Fang Zigao isn’t his real name. He is Zhu Chenggui in Guang’en County and he isn’t an ordinary person there either. He is a steward from the Zhu Clan, an extremely influential clan that serves the bureaucracy in Guang’en County, owning thousands of hectares of land and thousands of servants at home. The Guang’en County magistrate is none other than Old Master Zhu’s nephew. Under such circumstances, none of us dared to rashly lay a finger on Fang Zigao. We didn’t even dare to reveal our identities. If we did, we might not even make it back alive. The Law Enforcement Office could just find a reason and do us in.”
Yan Liqiang frowned. Han Ping was mostly telling the truth, except the part about his friends.
The people who really helped Han Ping track down Zhu Chenggui, or Fang Zigao who delivered a fake letter to Xue Cao, weren’t Han Ping’s friends but an entity from the White Lotus Society in Yin Province. The White Lotus Society was much more powerful in Yin Province, so they found a few people who fit the criteria in just less than ten days by following Han Ping’s suggestions. When Han Ping went to verify their findings, he found Zhu Chenggui as expected.
However, Yan Liqiang had never come across with the Zhu Clan. They had no bad blood with each other. So why did they lay a finger on someone from his archery academy?
“Apart from these, what other information did you gather about the Zhu Clan?”
“You’re asking the right question, my lord. We discovered that the Zhu Clan is not only extremely powerful in the area, but they are also very close to one of the four major sects: the Divine Sword Sect. A few children in the Zhu Clan with decent aptitudes are cultivating in the sect. Not only that, but the Zhu Clan has also been making preparations to open another provincial branch for the Divine Sword Sect in Yin Province over these two years. When we went to Guang’en County this time, we realized that many well-trained disciples from the sect are residing in the Zhu Clan.”
Divine Sword Sect… Divine Sword Sect… Why them? Yan Liqiang was slightly taken aback as he had a very complicated relationship with the Divine Sword Sect.
“Any news on Xue Cao?”
A regretful expression appeared on Han Ping’s face. “Please forgive my incompetency, my lord. Many places in the Zhu Residence are extremely well guarded. We had no way to infiltrate it. When we managed to find Zhu Chenggui and get our hands on some clues, we hurried back to make a report so you can make a decision. If you would allow me more time, I will think up of ways to infiltrate the Zhu Clan and hopefully discover more clues on Xue Cao’s whereabouts…”
“Have your subordinates returned?”
“Yes.”
“We’ll stop the investigations here for now. Leave the rest to me!” After saying that, Yan Liqiang started thinking.
Han Ping looked at Yan Liqiang’s expression, then spoke carefully. “My lord, if we secretly leak this news, then surely all the Wanderers will rush to the Zhu Residence. By then, even without you showing up, the Zhu Clan won’t be able to protect Zhu Chenggui. This will be a warning to them!”
Yan Liqiang threw a glance at Han Ping and his voice turned slightly colder. “If the Zhu Clan can’t protect Zhu Chenggui, can we even keep Xue Cao alive? What’s the use in taking the life of the Zhu Clan’s steward?”
Han Ping quickly lowered his head. “You are right, my lord. I’m being too reckless!”
“Regardless, you did well this time. You will be handsomely rewarded by the time we solve this case!”
“Thank you, my lord!”
“I’ll take over the rest. All of you just pretend you are not aware of this.”
“Understood!”
“Your friend in Yin Province sure is capable to be able to track down even things like this.”
Han Ping’s eyes lit up. “If you would like to meet them, I can introduce them to you! My friends have been looking forward to meeting you in person!”
Yan Liqiang waved it off. “Let’s leave that until the next opportunity arises…”