Xuanqing Guard

Chapter 294: Chapter 294: Involvement

Before dawn, Shen Hao was already waiting in the tea room of the Jingxi Town Governor’s Office. Because he was a familiar face, the back door of the Governor’s Office was opened for him ahead of the Upper Emissary’s hours. The Imperial City had snowed again last night, colder than usual, and the tea room was much warmer.

Originally, Shen Hao intended to head straight to Jiang Cheng’s residence in the middle of the night, but then he thought it might not be appropriate. Though the matter was urgent, it was not pressing enough to disturb his superior’s rest. Thus, he turned back to wait at the Governor’s Office.

Because he had arrived too early, the steward even specially brought Shen Hao a few cakes as breakfast. But there was no idle chatter; after a word or two of greeting, he withdrew, for Shen Hao’s face was too cold, and the steward did not dare attempt to get close.

Not long after mid-7 a.m., Jiang Cheng arrived at the Public Office. Just as he sat down, his deputy reported that Hundred Households of Shen from Fengri City had been waiting for a long time.

"Shen Hao? Why did he come so early? Let him in."

The deputy answered and soon led Shen Hao inside.

Jiang Cheng was sipping the fragrant tea brewed by the steward. Looking up and seeing Shen Hao’s expression, he smiled and said, "Sit. What is it—why do you look so grim?"

"Forgive me for letting you see this, my lord," Shen Hao replied, then fell silent. Only after the deputy in the Public Office tactfully withdrew and closed the door did he continue, "My lord, something has gone wrong with the Pseudo-Evil matter."

Pseudo-Evil referred to the group of Pseudo-Evil Sect cultivators, represented by Ma San, who were active within the realm of the Jingjiu Dynasty. Just a few days prior, Shen Hao had filed an urgent report to the Governor’s Office seeking assistance and support on this issue. The scouting discs now in the hands of scouts at the teleportation arrays of all the major cities had been mobilized urgently by the Governor’s Office, along with personnel.

Jiang Cheng’s trust in Shen Hao was evident to all. Essentially, every request was met; Shen Hao was given complete freedom to act as he saw fit, and Jiang Cheng would spare no effort to cover for him. Such a superior was truly rare.

And indeed, Shen Hao lived up to this trust. From Li City onward, step by step, he had never disappointed Jiang Cheng.

Therefore, even when Shen Hao wore a frosty expression, Jiang Cheng did not think anything major was amiss and continued to smile, "What could go wrong? Don’t tell me you lost them—that’s all."

Jiang Cheng had meant it as a joke. He was familiar with Shen Hao’s arrangements and could not believe that, under such tight and covert pursuit, three living people could simply fly away.

However...

"It is my fault, my lord. We lost track of Ma San and the other two," Shen Hao had no choice but to set his error before him.

"Lost them?!" Jiang Cheng now put away his smile, sat upright, and looked genuinely shocked. He too found this unreasonable, and at once realized that, should Ma San and the others lose their trail, it might be impossible to recover those sixty-one large carts of grain—this was a classic case of losing the bait instead of catching the fish, a significant blot that would benefit no one.

"Yes, my lord. For three days, we’ve not found the slightest trace of Ma San and his companions—it is as if they have evaporated from the face of the earth."

Jiang Cheng frowned slightly, tapped on the desk, and said in a low voice, "So are you here today to accept punishment?"

"In my judgment, I have erred and naturally shall accept punishment. However, I troubled you so early today because there is a conjecture I do not dare to draw lightly; I would like to ask for your guidance, my lord."

Jiang Cheng said nothing, only raised his chin for Shen Hao to continue, knowing that what followed must be the true reason for Shen Hao’s early visit today.

"My lord, these past three days I have repeatedly deduced Ma San’s movements, yet have never been able to figure out how, given our precisely targeted net, he could vanish without a trace. Ultimately, all the issues hinge on where he went after separating from Zhang Lie on November 30th.

Our entire area of surveillance was only incomplete at the very beginning, outside Five Rams City. So long as Ma San and the others chose to travel through the mountains and forests, they could avoid detection and buy themselves a window of time.

Considering their objective, I believe it impossible that they would hide for long in the wilds; they must have prepared thoroughly in advance, using a large number of storage bags to travel light and rapidly transport goods to the Barbarian Race.

Therefore, our net of surveillance was not at fault; the problem lies in the one point I previously overlooked."

Jiang Cheng interrupted, "You mean the problem is outside Five Rams City?"

"Yes, my lord. Beyond Five Rams City lies mountainous, hilly terrain, with winding, complicated roads and many small paths passable by men. Ma San and his companions have high cultivation; traversing such rugged routes would not be difficult for them. They need only travel north for two hundred and thirty-one li to completely disappear from our surveillance."

"Two hundred and thirty-one li?"

Shen Hao took out the military-level Jingxi map he had previously borrowed from his storage bag, leaned over the table, and pointed to a small town on it. "My lord, look—here, Shuangshi Town. So long as Ma San and his fellows trek two hundred and thirty-one li through forested hills, they can arrive, and then take the small teleportation array within Shuangshi Town straight to Beach Stone, then from Beach Stone avoid official and side roads, and circle around to reach Xiaochuan all the same. Once they’ve reached Xiaochuan, given the topography and complexities there, our net cannot possibly trace them with precision."

"That is Bing Town."

"I am aware, my lord."

"You mean Shuangshi Town is under the jurisdiction of the Jingxi Army, while Beach Stone is held by the Southern Border Army."

"I understand, my lord."

Jiang Cheng cast a deep look at Shen Hao, who stood bowing below. He thought to himself that Shen Hao truly had that bold and audacious temperament, daring to imagine anything at all.

"Since you understand all this, do you truly think your deduction is reasonable? Ma San is merely a Pseudo-Evil agent—so what if he has a group of Evil Sect cultivators behind him? How could he possibly get the Jingxi Army and the Southern Border Army tangled up together in this affair?"

"My lord, it is because it appears impossible that it is so easily overlooked. I, too, had not thought in this direction before, but after excluding all other possibilities, I had no choice but to start afresh, and then discovered this one possibility.

Zhang Lie once came to report that, on Ma San’s two associates, he sensed the same aura he himself once had. Zhang Lie’s background is in the military, and he is your trusted old hand. Before becoming a secret agent in the black market, you know best what kind of bearing he had—a model military backbone, strict and disciplined.

Moreover, the twenty-odd storage bags Ma San brought were identical in capacity and appearance—they were obviously standardized equipment, and the likeliest place to equip so many standardized storage bags is precisely the military.

Furthermore, do you recall, my lord, that those three Snake People once said that, at the beginning, it was not Ma San nor the Evil Sect cultivators who contacted them, but another group of mysterious men. It was these mysterious men who linked the Evil Sect cultivators with the Barbarian Race. I believe this group of mysterious men, hidden behind the Evil Sect, have this time let slip their tracks."

Jiang Cheng’s breathing became labored, feeling a pressure in his chest. He drained his teacup in one gulp, stood up, and paced back and forth in the Public Office, his expression gloomy.