Xu Lingyue guessed that she had over-imagined things, as she was a relatively introverted person who always kept her emotions inside. When she saw her eldest brother return safely, she finally breathed a sigh of relief and burst into tears.

Until the maid walked out and saw the two siblings hugging each other, she exclaimed in surprise, "Did the eldest son get released from prison?"

At this moment, Xu Lingyue remembered that she was an unmarried young lady and struggled out of her big brother's embrace. She sobbed while standing with her head down, her face burning red.

Xu Qi'an took his sister's hand and entered the boudoir. The maid brewed tea for him, and he stood quietly to the side, listening to the conversation between the eldest son and the second miss.

"Go and tell the servants to heat up some water. I want to take a bath," Xu Qi'an ordered.

The maid went out to deliver the message, but to her surprise, all the servants' faces turned pale and they refused one after another.

The maid returned to tell the eldest son, who was also angry. He thought to himself that these servants were useless and that he could not even rely on them.

"Then you help to heat up the water," Xu Qi'an said.

The maid felt even more aggrieved, but she did not dare to refuse. She pouted and left.

Xu Qi'an turned to Xu Lingyue and smiled, "His Majesty allowed me to make amends, so I am temporarily safe."

Xu Lingyue nodded her head, her delicate face looking somewhat tired. "How did the eldest brother end up fighting with his colleagues?" she asked.

Xu Qi'an briefly explained the situation, and Xu Lingyue became extremely angry. She clenched her fists and said, "My brother has always been trustworthy."

She showed a brilliant smile, her eyes filled with pride.

Xu Qi'an couldn't help but pinch her face at this moment.

Xu Lingyue blushed and lowered her head shyly.

After taking a bath and putting on their Nightwatcher uniforms, Xu Qi'an and Xu Lingyin sat under the eaves, side by side, holding a large bowl of egg and meat noodles in their hands.

This scene was harmonious and warm.

"Lin Yin, do you want to exchange your eggs for meat with me?" Xu Qi'an asked.

Xu Lingyin thought for a moment and shook her head. "No, my mother said that you tricked me with buns last time."

"Do you think I tricked you?" Xu Qi'an asked.

She tilted her head and thought seriously, "I forgot."

"So, how could I trick you? I would never trick you into giving me your eggs to eat. I just..." Xu Qi'an didn't finish his sentence before he saw Xu Lingyin spit on the egg noodles twice.

Xu Qi'an was dumbfounded.

"Second brother taught me," Xu Lingyin said.

... Scholars are really not good people! Xu Qi'an lowered his head to eat, giving up on his little sister's eggs.

But he scared her by saying, "Lin Yin, this noodles can't be eaten. It's poisonous."

"What?" Xu Lingyin widened her eyes and looked at the bowl on her lap, then at her big brother, full of suspicion.

Xu Qi'an patiently explained and popularized knowledge to her. "When you fell and scraped your skin, did your father use his saliva to clean the wound?"

Xu Lingyin nodded.

Xu Qi'an said, "This is because saliva can... um, kill dirty things. Therefore, it can be inferred that saliva is poisonous once it leaves the mouth. From this, it can be inferred that your egg noodles are poisonous and cannot be eaten."

He finished speaking and watched Xu Lingyin's small face turn pale.

"Will I die?" Xu Lingyin asked, pouting and on the verge of tears.

"You won't die, but your stomach will hurt for many days," Xu Qi'an said.

Xu Lingyin nodded and continued to eat her noodles with peace of mind.

Xu Qi'an: "???"After finishing his noodles, Xu Qi'an went to Xu Erlang's room and found his own jade mirror in the study. He noticed a few pages of paper on the corner of the desk, held down by a paperweight.

The paper was filled with messy handwriting analyzing Xu Qi'an's situation and evaluating whether the Bureau of Astrology and the Yunlu Academy could be of any help.

It was probably written during a quiet night of contemplation.

Xu Qi'an chuckled to himself and left the study.

He hurried back to the yamen and went straight to see Wei Yuan.

Wei Yuan had been waiting for a while and pointed to a spot next to Yang Yan, saying gently, "Sit."

Yang Yan handed him a dossier.

Wei Yuan said, "I have assigned the Gold Jade Hall, Spring Breeze Hall, and Zhenxie Hall to work together on this case. You will be the lead investigator."

Xu Qi'an was surprised.

Wei Yuan smiled and said, "It's an imperial decree."

Their eyes met, and Xu Qi'an suddenly understood that Wei Yuan wanted to promote him by appointing him directly as the lead investigator, rather than just a collaborator.

Xu Qi'an opened the dossier and asked directly, "Is there something sealed under Sangpo? "

Wei Yuan's eyes flashed with surprise.

Even Yang Yan's usually expressionless face showed a hint of shock.

The truth that something was sealed under Sangpo was something Wei Yuan had told him that morning. Nangong Qianrou, who was smarter than him, had also suspected it after the incident at Sangpo last night. But they were not sure until Wei Yuan confirmed it this morning.

However, this little copper gong had directly revealed that something was sealed under Sangpo.

Wei Yuan suppressed his surprise and smiled, "Tell me your reasoning."

Xu Qi'an was eager to prove himself in front of Wei Yuan, "Although Sangpo is a forbidden area in the Great Feng, the only valuable thing for outsiders is probably the Town Guardian Sword. But it says in the dossier that the Town Guardian Sword is not affected. So the thief's target must be something else."

"So I suspect that there must be something in the Yongzhen Mountain and River Temple, and this thing needs the Town Guardian Sword to seal it."

Xu Qi'an was actually deducing the process backwards after learning the answer.

His clear thinking and meticulous logic earned him Yang Yan's admiration and Wei Yuan's attention.

Not only was he talented, but he was also intelligent and capable, worth cultivating.

"You know, don't you, Wei Gong..." Xu Qi'an tested the waters.

Wei Yuan shook his head calmly, "The emperor did not say, but I have some guesses in my mind..." His expression turned serious, and his tone contained a warning, "Your task is to find out who bombed the Yongzhen Mountain and River Temple and retrieve that thing. If you encounter any trouble you can't solve, tell Yang Jinluo, he will handle it."

"The emperor has given you a gold medal that allows you to move freely in the imperial city, except for the harem and a few special places. You can use this medal to go wherever you need to."

Xu Qi'an took his leave.

Wei Yuan watched his back as he left and listened to the faint sound of footsteps on the stairs before turning to Yang Yan, "I heard the head of the Bureau of Astrology is sick?"

Yang Yan nodded.

Wei Yuan's eyes were calm as he fell silent for a long time, "Old thing!"

...

After leaving the Haohui Building, Xu Qi'an went straight to the Spring Breeze Hall and said, "Boss, call the two Silver Gongs from the Gold Jade Hall and Zhenxie Hall to gather in the front yard of the yamen. Hurry!"Li Yuchun looked confused for a moment and stared at Xu Qi'an, "You're the boss, and I'm the boss?"

Xu Qi'an showed his golden badge, "I am now the chief official appointed by His Majesty. From today on, we'll each mind our own business. You can call me 'Boss', and I'll call you 'Sir'."

"Boss, go and invite the two silver gongs for me," said Li Yuchun gloomily.

The silver gong of Zhenxie Hall was named Yang Feng. He was a tall and thin middle-aged man with dark skin and a large black mole on his forehead.

The silver gong of Jinyu Hall was a man with a full beard named Min Shan. He had a slanting scar on his cheek, which looked particularly fierce.

Together with Li Yuchun from Chunfeng Hall and twelve bronze gongs, they quickly gathered in front of the courtyard.

According to the "custom" of the yamen, before going out to handle a case, they had to gather in the front courtyard, where the chief official would give a speech to boost morale. It was also a show for other Nightwatchers.

"Last night, there was an explosion in Sangpo, and the Yongzhen Mountains and Rivers Temple was destroyed. His Majesty was furious and ordered the yamen to find out the truth within half a month and catch the thief." Xu Qi'an held his sword with one hand, standing tall and sharp-eyed.

"I am following His Majesty's decree and personally investigating this case. You must work together to do your best and repay the emperor's grace."

Xu Qi'an added in his heart: If he succeeded, he would get to enjoy the services of a young model in a brothel. If he failed, he would be executed in the market.

"Yes!" everyone shouted in unison.

Because they were all silver and bronze gongs under Yang Yan's command, they were relatively obedient, but they were still a little dissatisfied. They wondered how Xu Qi'an, a mere bronze gong, had the experience and ability to handle such a big case. They didn't know how His Majesty had appointed him as the chief official to handle the case.

Leaving the Nightwatcher yamen, they mounted their horses and headed for the imperial city, choosing the most time-saving route: crossing the imperial city.

In fact, they could also go around the imperial city to inspect the scene, but Xu Qi'an relied on his golden badge and came as quickly as possible. In any case, time was of the essence in any case.

Led by the Forbidden Army, the Nightwatchers arrived at Sangpo. The scenery here had changed dramatically. The long corridor that connected the shore had been destroyed in the explosion, and the Hanbaiyu platform in the center of the lake had disappeared into thin air.

The water surface of Sangpo was clean and empty, and who would have thought that a grand ancestral ceremony had been held here a few days ago.

A small boat was moored by the lake. Xu Qi'an said, "Let's go and take a look. We have to get into the water."

Xu Qi'an jumped onto the boat first and quietly reached into his pocket, pulled out the "magic book" given to him by the scholar, tore out a page, and held it in his hand.

The other silver gongs followed him onto the boat, leaving twelve bronze gongs and a column of Forbidden Army on the shore.

Li Yuchun rowed the boat to the center of the lake.

Yang Feng, the tall and thin silver gong, looked at Xu Qi'an and suddenly said, "Boss, I'll go down."

"Then come down with me," Xu Qi'an said.

He ignited the paper and opened his clairvoyance.

Clang... he drew his sword and held it in his mouth, jumping into the water.

The cold lake water stimulated his pores, and a series of tiny bubbles emerged from Xu Qi'an's mouth as he held the black and gold long sword. He tried to open his eyes wide and observe the situation underwater.

The foundation of the Hanbaiyu platform extended all the way to the bottom of the lake, and the gap where the platform collapsed was more than ten feet away from the surface of the water.

The sound of surging water came, and Xu Qi'an turned his head to see that Yang Yin had followed him.The dark-skinned Yang Yinluo also observed the collapse of the Hanbaiyu platform and immediately made a judgment. He kept his reasoning to himself and planned to probe the young copper gong who was entrusted with an important task after getting ashore.

At this moment, Yang Yinluo noticed Xu Qi'an diving into the water along the foundation of the Hanbaiyu platform.

He quickly followed and as they went deeper, their vision became increasingly blurry until it was pitch black.

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Yang Yinluo stopped following and floated up to the surface himself.

"Splash~"

He leaped out of the water, climbed onto the small boat, and while drying off the cold lake water, he looked around at everyone.

"Master Xu went to the bottom of the lake, where it's pitch black and nothing can be seen."