Xuanqing Guard

Chapter 337: Chapter 337: Target Locked

Fengri City, Xuanqing Guard Thousand Households Station.

Shen Hao had just returned to the Public Office after lunch in the dining hall, and before he could sit down, the gatekeeper came to report that Wang Jian had arrived.

"Let him in."

A moment later, Wang Jian strode in, declined the tea the gatekeeper offered, closed the door behind him, and leaned in two steps to speak in a suppressed, excited voice, "Sir, we’ve found him!"

"Sit down and tell me." Shen Hao paused with his tea cup, then smiled and pointed to a chair, telling Wang Jian not to rush.

Wang Jian didn’t stand on ceremony; he sat half on the chair, still leaning forward, eyes shining with excitement, "Sir, just last night, the people I placed near the Imperial City sent word back—they spotted someone from the portrait!"

The portraits had been drawn from the descriptions Wang Jian gathered from Zhang Lie and the others; it took three days of repeated effort to finalize them. Wang Jian then copied several versions himself and took them straight to the Imperial City, showing them to the homeless who’d already been controlled ahead of time, rigorously memorizing the faces. Afterwards, surveillance was set up outside the Ministry of War.

No one would question something they saw daily, let alone vermin-like homeless folk—skulking about the corners and alleys all day, unpleasant to look at.

Yet these pests seen in every city, under cover of darkness and the indifference of passersby, managed to catch a big fish.

"Are you certain?"

"Certain! Two informants saw him—they’re sure it’s one of the men from the portraits."

Upon hearing this, Shen Hao quickly took two portraits out of the drawer and spread them on the table: "Which one did they see?"

Wang Jian pointed to the one on the right, "This one—the man with the small mustache. Around early 7 p.m., he got off a carriage and went in through the back alley entrance of the Ministry of War. The guards at the rear entrance didn’t question him, just checked his waist token and let him in. Definitely a regular face in the Ministry—no mistake.

Sir, do you want me to arrange to get his name from the Ministry guard posts?"

"Don’t make any moves. The closer we get to the big fish, the more we should avoid acting rashly. The Imperial City isn’t our turf; the connections aren’t secure, and any leak could ruin everything.

You hold position, keep your people watching. I’ll find others to confirm."

Wang Jian nodded immediately, then added, "Sir, Tan Bin and the others officially exited yesterday. Before he left, he sent one last Thousand-Mile Sound, saying he’d found a suitable guide."

"Once they leave, they’re out of the Thousand-Mile Sound’s range. If all goes well, how soon can we expect news?"

"Even if everything goes smoothly, we won’t hear back until the end of next month."

"Let’s hope he brings something useful this time."

Wang Jian then discussed the issue of authority allocation regarding Zhang Liao, since Shen Hao is the commander of the Black Water Plan and any transfer of critical authority must get his nod. Wang Jian was doing his utmost to leave no gaps—some of it learned from home, some from observing Shen Hao.

It was always Shen Hao’s intention to let Zhang Liao manage the Impermanence Department, and Wang Jian’s ability to anticipate this was commendable. After a couple words of advice, Shen Hao let Wang Jian go.

Shen Hao then took the two portraits and left the Public Office. He went looking for Zhang Qian or Gan Lin. They had contacts at the Jingxi Army Supply Battalion and had direct interaction with the two men from Magic Artifact Department of the Ministry of War who had come to inspect the storage bags. If a match could be made with their appearance, the case was nailed shut.

Zhang Qian was away on official business. Gan Lin didn’t dither, took the portraits and went off himself, telling Shen Hao to wait at home for word.

That very night, Gan Lin’s message came back: confirmed, the men who inspected the storage bags at the Jingxi Army Supply Battalion were precisely the two from the portraits.

As soon as Shen Hao got the news, he clenched his fists in excitement. With corroboration on both fronts, he could advance the investigation’s progress in the official record by a major step—and finally have results to report.

He spent the entire night in his study, adding more than two thousand words to his draft, currently titled "Ma San’s Smuggling of Barbarian Race Secret Network Deep Investigation Progress Report."

Early the next morning, Shen Hao presented himself at the Jingxi Town Governor’s Office.

Lord Shen didn’t need a token or to wait, so as soon as Jiang Cheng arrived as Upper Emissary, he called him right in.

"Subordinate greets you, Sir."

"Sit. So early—urgent matter?"

"Yes, Sir. We have clues on Ma San’s line." Shen Hao said as he handed over the record he’d written overnight.

Jiang Cheng’s smile instantly vanished; his previously relaxed demeanor turned serious. He remembered Shen Hao had reported progress before—already tasked Zhang Qian and Gan Lin to keep investigating from within the military due to the storage bag issue. Some time had passed since then; bringing it up again now must mean there’s a conclusion.

As Jiang Cheng began reading the record, Shen Hao explained alongside: "Based on information from Zhang Qian and Gan Lin at the Jingxi Army Supply Battalion, on the twenty-ninth day of November, two men from the Ministry of War’s Magic Artifact Department came with a warrant and conducted an inspection of the storage bags, taking all twenty-one bags from the battalion, then returning them on the fifth of December.

Both the quantity and timing are suspicious. According to Zhang Qian and Gan Lin, the Ministry of War has never inspected magical artifacts at the end of the year; the inspected artifacts were not even maintained as claimed, just perfunctory, their behavior highly suspect.

To verify the identity of the two men, I first had someone check the special channel entry/exit records from the Imperial City Teleportation Array; indeed, two men affiliated with the Magic Artifact Department entered and exited within the relevant period, most likely those who took the storage bags from the Supply Battalion.

Then, based on the descriptions from Zhang Lie and company on the day of the transaction, portraits were drawn, and informants posted at the Ministry of War tracked them down. Finally, the night before last, one of the men from the portraits was spotted freely entering and exiting the Ministry."

Shen Hao spoke quickly, mainly to help Jiang Cheng, who was reviewing the record, sort out the logic. There were plenty of details—ones Jiang Cheng could read in the text. This combination of written report and explanation made it easier for Jiang Cheng to follow the connections.

After a long pause, Jiang Cheng closed the record and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his brow.

"What do you intend to do?"

What do I intend to do?

The question caught Shen Hao off guard. His mind raced, and after a brief silence he replied, "Subordinate doesn’t know. Will do whatever Sir orders."

Ordinarily, with progress like this, the investigation would proceed. But Jiang Cheng’s reaction was clearly hesitant. Shen Hao understood what his superior was weighing, but wouldn’t dare engage further. No "choices"—he’d do whatever was ordered, fulfill his role as a subordinate. Even if Jiang Cheng decided to bury the case, Shen Hao wouldn’t expose it; at most, he’d remember it.

But judging from what Shen Hao knew of Jiang Cheng, it was unlikely that Jiang Cheng would let such an obvious and enormous hidden danger slide out of concern for various sides.