Xuanqing Guard

Chapter 297: Chapter 297: Interests

Zhang Qian and Gan Lin had been hanging out together for years—it wouldn’t be exaggerating to say they were as close as sharing a pair of pants. After exchanging a look full of tacit understanding, both of them got the message.

This favor, they really couldn’t refuse.

After all, they were in the same boat, all following Jiang Cheng’s lead. Now that Shen Hao had come to ask for help, it’d be hard for them to brush him off. Plus, he had made it clear it was a high-priority case supervised by Inspector Jiang Cheng—even if they didn’t give Shen Hao face, wouldn’t they also be slighting Jiang Cheng?

Besides, although Zhang and Gan were Vice Commanders of the Garrison, their careers had basically reached a plateau. It was somewhat similar to Tang Qingyuan’s circumstances—a middling Cultivation but no direction, surviving just by drifting. Otherwise, they wouldn’t constantly be hanging around together in the pleasure quarters. So honestly, they were tempted by the benefits Shen Hao had just mentioned.

"Let’s make it clear upfront—even between sworn brothers, accounts should be settled properly. You tell us exactly how you want us to help, but whatever benefits are due to us, you’ll have to hand over first."

Shen Hao nodded and smiled, skipping the pleasantries. He pulled out two silver notes from his chest, laying one before each of them—denomination: fifty thousand each. This was skimmed off the five-times-over payment from Ma San, now repurposed for the case—a little taste in advance for Zhang and Gan.

Of course, money wasn’t all. Shen Hao then produced two small, fresh pill boxes from his Storage Bag, each containing a Great Nourishing Pill—also squeezed from Ma San’s stash.

"Ho!"

"A Great Nourishing Pill?!"

The two of them instinctively leaned forward, snatching up the silver notes and pill boxes, faces bursting with pleasant surprise.

"Are the two elder brothers satisfied? Like I said, this is a major case—there’ll be plenty of benefits if it’s cracked. Great Nourishing Pills are rare but not impossible to come by."

"There’ll be more of these pills in the future?"

Shen Hao chuckled. "That’ll depend on what kind of results you two elder brothers deliver. If it’s not enough, it’d be hard for me to ask for more from higher up, wouldn’t it?"

"Alright, just tell us what you want done."

The two men restrained themselves, putting the silver notes and pill boxes back on the table instead of pocketing them, wanting to hear what Shen Hao had to say next.

"There’s a crucial point in this case—the Storage Bags. When those thieves came for the goods, they brought over twenty Storage Bags, all identical in size and style. I want you two to find out where those bags came from."

From the outside, it was an impenetrable wall, but working from the inside, the difficulty dropped. That was Shen Hao’s plan for moving the case forward, and why he sought out Zhang and Gan.

Gan Lin spoke first. "Your suspicion isn’t unfounded. Having over twenty identical Storage Bags show up at once—most likely, those came from the military. But even a Thousand Households Station wouldn’t have so many bags. That would have to come from the Supply Battalion at the Military Government level at least."

Zhang Qian, next to him, added, "And Storage Bags are strictly controlled military equipment—checked regularly, with strict records for all movements. If one is lost or damaged it’s a big crime, so nobody dares be careless. If, as you say, twenty bags were transferred all at once, there would definitely be some traces. But digging it up won’t be easy."

Gan Lin nodded repeatedly. "Definitely not easy. Even though we’re in the military roll, the Garrison is always dead last in status. If we want to dig into such sensitive matters inside the Military Government, we’ll have to carefully plan how to approach it."

"Military Government" referred to the Front Army Commander’s Headquarters. With a few words, they’d hit the mark—that’s what Shen Hao had hoped for. It really did take insiders to probe such things.

"Gentlemen, this case is under heavy pressure from above, and it might involve military higher-ups. Only with hard evidence can the investigation move forward, so it’d be best if you could work fast."

Shen Hao wouldn’t meddle in how they conducted the investigation—that was their expertise. All he wanted was results.

"We’ll get on it as soon as possible. We’ll start probing at the Jingxi Military Government first. The Border Army side will have to wait—we’d need to do some maneuvering and find contacts there."

"About the timeline, we can’t promise anything, just so you’re clear."

Shen Hao shook his head. "There has to be a deadline, doesn’t there?"

"How about a month?"

"Way too long—not possible. Ten days, tops."

Zhang and Gan exchanged another glance. In the end, they nodded and accepted the deadline.

Once everything was set, the two grinned and finally pocketed the silver notes and pill boxes. Especially that Great Nourishing Pill—that was an unexpected windfall. They’d been coasting in the Garrison for over a year already and hadn’t laid eyes on such good stuff in ages.

"Alright, here’s to your swift success, brothers!"

Shen Hao raised his cup. Zhang and Gan lifted their horn cups in return, draining them in one go. This round of drinks made the three feel even closer. Before, their connection had relied on Jiang Cheng—now there was shared interest between them, and that made it different from before.

After removing the Concealment Array from the private room, Shen Hao called out. The two Guards at the door nodded at the madam waiting outside—the business inside was done, and it was time to bring out the wine and entertainment.

The attendants filed in, clearing away the cold dishes for reheating or replacing, while two Songstresses—both new hires with ranking—entered the room, settling one to the left and one to the right of Zhang and Gan.

"Oh? New faces?"

Zhang and Gan were regulars at the Flower House, and often visited the Hong’en Hall—most of the Songstresses there were familiar, but these two beside them were definitely new.

"You’ve got sharp eyes, gentlemen. These two are newcomers; the madam said it’s their first time tonight. What do you say, care to stay the evening?" Shen Hao sipped his drink with a sly smile. Honestly, these two were top-notch, and being their debut night meant Hong’en Hall had just gotten them certified as ranked Songstresses.

Of course, taking the maiden flag did not come cheap. If Shen Hao didn’t want Zhang and Gan to go all-in on the case, he wouldn’t have gone to the trouble or expense.

He glanced toward the door, recalling that he’d also booked another Songstress to accompany him—so why was one missing? He was just about to ask when a familiar fragrance wafted in from outside. In the next moment, a silhouette in pale white drifted in gracefully.

A white fur shawl, matched with a tightly wrapped white floor-length gown—the thin, gauzy dress clung to every curve, sashaying like willow branches stirring his heart.

"Miss Lian Xiang? What brings you here?" Shen Hao was genuinely surprised.

"Hmph! Lord Shen, you show up and don’t even bother to tell me. So I had to come find you myself, and you greet me with that tone!" Like a warm breeze she spun and landed straight in Shen Hao’s arms.

He instinctively caught her. Looking down, he met this little fairy’s gaze, heated enough to make him feel a touch flushed.