Haqi Tower, seven floors.

Inside the tea room, besides Wei Yuan, there was no one else. Xu Qi'an, with a tall and straight figure, walked in steadily and greeted with folded hands, "Master Wei."

Wei Yuan had just poured a cup of tea and placed it in front of him. He raised his hand to gesture, "Please sit."

Xu Qi'an sat down cautiously, took a symbolic sip of tea, and then looked at Wei Yuan with a sense of foreboding. He had a feeling that Wei Yuan was going to talk about the Princess Pingyang case.

"The Princess Pingyang case has ended, but the Sangpo case still needs to continue. His Majesty rejected my proposal." Wei Yuan drank his tea in a calm tone, as if he was casually chatting, and told Xu Qi'an what had happened in the imperial study.

Xu Qi'an's face darkened, "Minister Sun of the Ministry of Justice and Assistant Minister Zhou of the Ministry of Revenue hold a grudge against me from the beginning..."

Wei Yuan waved his hand impatiently, interrupting him, "Those are small matters!"

He spoke with a slightly impatient tone, "The big issue is that His Majesty dislikes you."

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Xu Qi'an's face immediately turned gloomy.

It's funny, I don't like him either. When I saw Emperor Yuan Jing wearing his ceremonial robe during the ancestor worship ceremony, I felt a faint disgust towards him.

At that time, I thought it was because he represented feudal imperial power. Later, after experiencing the Linglong incident and having close contact with him, he found that his hatred towards Emperor Yuan Jing was very pure, without any other reasons, just an inner loathing.

Maybe it's because our zodiac signs clash... I'm a Monkey and he's a Goat? Xu Qi'an forced a bitter smile, "I don't know why His Majesty dislikes me."

"Maybe you're not pleasing to the eye." Wei Yuan rubbed his forehead and said, "Just wait patiently. You don't need to investigate anything. Any clues have been wiped out by now. If His Majesty insists on beheading you after the deadline, I will arrange for a death row prisoner to replace you."

"Don't worry, no one will pay special attention to your identity as a mere patrolman."

And then I became your... subordinate as a matter of course. Xu Qi'an asked, "What if we catch Zhou Chixiong?"

Wei Yuan smiled, "This matter can be resolved."

He shook his head and chuckled.

After leaving Haqi Tower, Xu Qi'an returned to Chunfeng Hall and told Song Tingfeng, Zhu Guangxiao, and Li Yuchun about what had happened.

Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao's expressions stiffened. The former slammed the table hard and cursed, pacing restlessly in the hall, while the latter became even more resentful, with a furrowed brow.

Li Yuchun pondered for a moment and said, "The Princess Pingyang case has wasted too much time. It's hard for you to investigate the Sangpo case now. The astrology of the Bureau of Heavenly Secrets cannot accuse officials above the fourth rank. Unless you can persuade the Bureau Chief."

Find the Bureau Chief? Never mind whether the Bureau Chief is willing to help, even if he is, would Emperor Yuan Jing believe it? Xu Qi'an thought to himself, I won't go looking for that old man.

...

Observatory Tower.

"Sister Caiwei, I need to see the Bureau Chief. Do you have any way to take me to the Eight Trigrams Platform?" Xu Qi'an held a large bundle of food and snacks, smiling like a lapdog from his past life.

Chu Caiwei ate the food he offered without any hesitation and said, "No, Master is in seclusion and has closed the passage to the Eight Trigrams Platform. No one can go up."

She was like a goddess who consumed her admirers.

"Is there no way at all?"

"No way."

"When will our Master come out of seclusion?"

Chu Caiwei glanced at him and wondered, what does he mean by "our Master?"

She said, "It could be several months or as short as half a month. I estimate that he is deducing the stars on the Eight Trigrams Platform."

...Xu Qi'an almost spat out blood. This was retribution. He had been freeloading all the time, and finally, he was freeloading on someone else for once.No, this won't do... He placed all the food he bought with two taels of silver on the table and asked, "My little sister from home came to Kui Shui and is suffering from unbearable stomach pain. What can I do?"

Chu Caiwei heard this and twisted her waist, running off quickly. After a moment, she returned with a porcelain bottle and said, "Take one pill when the pain comes, and it will work immediately."

Although this girl was greedy, she was very generous. She was willing to give away expensive pills to others.

...

Yunzhou.

In the vast mountains, a not-so-small fortress was built along the mountain, and continuous lights dotted the pitch-black night.

The fortress was easy to defend and hard to attack. When it was first built, the government would send troops to surround and suppress it. After several failures, they turned a blind eye.

The banditry in Yunzhou was severe, and there were countless robbers and bandits who robbed and looted. The people had been suffering for a long time, and the government had been struggling with it for decades.

Decades had passed, and they had gradually become accustomed to it. Chaotic regions had their own way of living.

As soon as night fell, the mountain wind blew fiercely, and suddenly, lightning and thunder roared, and heavy rain poured down.

On the arrow tower, a bandit responsible for standing guard endured the cold raindrops that slanted in, looking enviously towards the direction of the fortress.

Today, they had made a big haul again, robbing a merchant caravan and obtaining many valuable items such as silk, tea, and porcelain.

This was all thanks to the new sixth-in-command in the mountain fortress, who had exceptional martial arts skills and was proficient in joint attacks. He was said to have come from the military and used to work in the capital of The Great Feng. Later, because he couldn't stand the incompetence and corruption of the court, he became a bandit.

At this moment, there was a celebration banquet in the fortress.

In the charcoal-burning room, the six commanders and some small leaders were eating and drinking heartily, speaking vulgar words and holding up large bowls.

The women in tattered clothes waited beside them, forcing a smile. They were all kidnapped women, some were ordinary women, and some were even rich young ladies.

The ones with good looks were picked out and specially served the commanders and small leaders, while the ones with average looks were shared with other brothers in the fortress.

Zhou Chixiong sat in front of the table, habitually straightening his back, incompatible with the lustful bandits. There was a delicate woman serving him, but Zhou Chixiong was too lazy to even look at her.

He had no interest in such mediocre women.

Zhou Chixiong had brought his family to Yunzhou, but his wife and son were not in the mountain fortress. They were arranged in the largest city in Yunzhou, the White Emperor City, where there was no need to worry about banditry.

The eldest commander had a full beard, looked rough, but was actually very meticulous. He asked Zhou Chixiong, "Brother Zhou, do the women here not suit your taste?"

Before Zhou Chixiong could respond, the eldest commander laughed and said, "I heard that there is a beautiful woman in the caravan this time, who is as beautiful as a flower and is locked up in the firewood room?"

"Yes, Commander. That woman is really beautiful."

"Compared to the women in the fortress, that woman is like... like the difference between mud and white sugar."

The image of that woman's stunning appearance appeared in Zhou Chixiong's mind, and his heart became hot. He had kidnapped her, and he knew what she looked like. If she hadn't just arrived, she would have been in his room by now.

The eldest commander pondered for a moment and then said with a smile, "Bring that woman up here. Tonight, let the sixth-in-command handle her. Since he kidnapped her, he should be the first to enjoy her."

The other commanders had no objections. It didn't matter who started first, they would all have a taste sooner or later.

After a while, a woman was brought up. She was wearing a white layered long dress, her skin was as white as snow, her eyes were big and bright, and her features were flawless.She was a bit afraid, as timid as a deer in the woods.

Suddenly, the surroundings became quiet, and everyone was fascinated by her beauty, staring dumbfounded.

"Gulu gulu..." The sound of a rolling throat came.

The woman seemed to already know her fate, biting her lip and timidly asking, "Which master does this slave serve?"

Zhou Chixiong swallowed his saliva, feeling that the other party was incredibly beautiful. He walked over and pulled her to the table.

Zhou Chixiong embraced the beautiful woman, touching and biting her as if he were starving. The bandits around them were jealous and wished they could take her place.

"Are you Zhou Chixiong?" The woman's gentle voice rang in his ear.

She knows my name... Zhou Chixiong's heart sank, and his desire disappeared. At the same time, he noticed that the beauty in his arms was gradually turning pale and lifeless.

In the blink of an eye, she turned into a paper figure the size of a person.

"Kakaka..."

The woman's sharp laughter echoed in the room, making people's hair stand on end.

Clang... The window was blown open by the strong wind, extinguishing the candles in the room.

In the darkness, the sound of unsheathing swords continued, and the leader shouted, "Who is the demon trying to deceive us?"

The woman's sharp laughter stopped, but a few seconds later, everyone in the mountain stronghold heard a piercing scream echoing through the mountains and the night sky.

"It's a demon." Zhou Chixiong said in a deep voice. He had a bad feeling about the person behind the demon.

Zhou Chixiong vaguely felt that the other party was coming for him.

Just then, the sound of drums echoed throughout the stronghold, and the bandits outside shouted, "Enemy attack, enemy attack..."

The leader and subordinates of the stronghold held their weapons and rushed out of the house, looking out into the pouring rain. The night sky, rain, and forest obstructed their view.

Sharp whistling sounds came from the sky, they were arrows.

Many bandits were hit and fell to the ground, crying out in pain.

The leader dodged the arrows and breathed a sigh of relief. They would attack back. The arrows were not that strong, and as long as they were not hit in a vital spot, they would not lose their fighting ability.

"Prepare the rolling stones and tung oil..."

The stronghold had the advantage of terrain, and these two things were their defensive weapons. At the beginning of the establishment of the stronghold, they used these things to withstand the government's siege and survive the most difficult times.

As soon as the leader finished speaking, a silver light flashed across the night sky. It was not lightning, but a burst of energy from a long spear.

Boom!

The lightning flashed, and the bandits below saw a figure standing on the silver spear.

She was wearing scale armor, with a scarlet cloak behind her, no helmet, and her long hair tied into a waist-length ponytail. She was majestic and looked like a fierce female warrior.

The female warrior pinched a spell and summoned thunder, and with a flick of her wrist, lightning struck down.

Two arrow towers in front of the stronghold collapsed.

The Thunder Control Technique?

Zhou Chixiong's heart sank, and he felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave.