Xu Qi'an rode on a horse, while Lao Jingji drove a horse-drawn carriage. Xu Lingyue, Auntie, and the excited Xu Lingyin poked their heads out of the carriage window.

Because they had Da Lang accompanying them, they didn't bring any maids or servants, as they would only get in the way.

Along the way, Xu Qi'an bought some food for Xu Lingyue and Xu Lingyin and asked through the window, "Auntie, do you want some?"

Auntie refused.

When they arrived at the house, they got out of the carriage, and Xu Qi'an saw Auntie wiping her mouth.

"The location is not bad. It's not far from the city center, and there's a river nearby..." Auntie commented, standing at the entrance of the house and frowning, "But why does it look a bit old?"

Of course, it's old. This is a haunted house... Xu Qi'an thought to himself, signaling to Lao Jingji to open the door.

Auntie led her two daughters into the house, and they were greeted with a desolate and dilapidated scene, obviously abandoned for many years and unmanaged.

She frowned, "Is this it?"

"This house has been uninhabited for many years, and it hasn't even been rented. The pawnshop thinks it can sell it for four thousand taels, but the owner refuses to sell..." Lao Jingji explained.

"Four thousand taels? How much is this house selling for?" Auntie asked casually.

"Five thousand taels," Lao Jingji replied.

Auntie didn't say anything and started to tour the house with her daughters, scrutinizing every nook and cranny. Lao Jingji was also experienced, boldly following them wherever they went.

Seeing the beautiful and mature woman and the elegant and ethereal young girl walking towards the inner courtyard, Lao Jingji was startled and quickly looked towards Xu Qi'an.

"It's okay," Xu Qi'an said.

It should be safe during the daytime... Lao Jingji looked at the woman's swaying figure, her alluring buttocks particularly tempting.

"Are you really going to buy this house?"

"Yes."

This person is really not afraid of death. Lao Jingji had done everything he could to dissuade them, but now he asked, "Who are these two?"

"What do you think?" Xu Qi'an teased.

This question made Lao Jingji silent, and he was a little embarrassed for a moment. Mother and daughter? No, they're not that young. And there was no sign of maternal love between them.

Married couple? Well, the young girl might be the old master's wife, and the beautiful woman could be the mother-in-law... But what about the yellow-skirted girl from yesterday?

Lao Jingji was experienced, but he couldn't figure out the relationship between the two sides.

"The older one is my aunt, and the two younger ones are my sisters," Xu Qi'an said, and seeing Lao Jingji's surprised expression, he laughed, "What's wrong?"

Lao Jingji shook his head, thinking he had never seen anyone buy a house with their sisters and aunt. Because Auntie was definitely the wife of an uncle or an elder cousin, a member of the clan rather than a family member. He had never seen anyone bring their aunt and cousin to look at a house together.Although Auntie criticized and belittled the house, she was actually quite satisfied. Although it was also a three-story mansion, it was much larger than the Xu family's mansion in the outer city and of a higher class. If one had to distinguish between them, it was like comparing a rural house to a high-end villa in the city.

After spending an hour carefully inspecting the entire house, Auntie and Xu Lingyue were both excited. The latter even secretly decided on her own room.

Auntie probed, "This location, I'm afraid it can't be bought for less than five thousand taels."

She was nitpicking to lower the price, but after finishing the tour, she suddenly realized that five thousand taels was too cheap. The clever Auntie sensed that something was amiss.

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Xu Qi'an pointed to a well not far away, "There was a ghost in the well. Hmm, there really was a ghost. Caiwei and I have already verified it."

With two cries of surprise, Xu Lingyue and Auntie were frightened and retreated behind Xu Qi'an. The former tightly held onto her big brother's sleeve.

A ghost?

Xu Lingyin was also very scared. She ran to hide under her big brother's legs and looked at the well, swallowing saliva while feeling afraid.

Auntie's pretty face turned pale. She didn't want to stay for a moment longer and said, "We're not buying it. Let's go."

She held one daughter in each hand and quickly walked out of the house. Because she was walking too fast, her figure swayed.

The old broker looked at Xu Qi'an with a worried expression, "Are you just messing with me?"

Xu Qi'an waved his hand, "Don't talk nonsense, go pay the deposit at the dental clinic."

He didn't say that he had dealt with the female ghost, afraid that the dental clinic would raise the price. Until he had the house deed and land deed in hand, this was still a haunted house.

The carriage stopped outside the dental clinic. Auntie and her two younger sisters were inside the carriage, and when they heard that Xu Qi'an had gone to pay the deposit, Auntie became angry.

"I won't live there. Let him live in the haunted house alone. The little brat just doesn't want us to benefit." Auntie said angrily.

"Big brother isn't that kind of person," Xu Lingyue shook her mother's arm.

Just as she was speaking, Xu Qi'an came out, jumped onto the driver's seat, and lifted the curtain to stick his head in, "It's almost noon, let's go to Guiyue Tower for lunch."

Auntie turned her head away.

Xu Qi'an explained, "The female ghost in the house has been dealt with. If you don't believe me, the sorcerers in the Bureau of Heavenly Masters should believe me, right?"

Xu Lingyue nodded with a smile.

Auntie was uncertain and stared at Xu Qi'an, "Really?"

"Why would I lie to Auntie?"

They arrived at Guiyue Tower and ordered a private room. Xu Qi'an took out a jade mirror and sent a message, "Number Two, I remember you said you were investigating the mastermind behind the bandits in Yunzhou."

After sending the message, he placed the mirror upside down on the table and lowered his head to eat. After a while, he received a message notification.[2: Yes, during the bandit suppression process, I found that the various strongholds have stored a lot of military supplies. These things are not something that mountain bandits can obtain. I suspect that there is a force supporting them behind the scenes.]

Xu Qi'an nodded slightly. The so-called military supplies referred to equipment and instruments.

This topic aroused the interest of Number Four. As a former official of The Great Feng, he was more concerned about the situation of The Great Feng Dynasty.

[4: We can try to start with the local government in Yunzhou. Oh, I remember there is a prince in Yunzhou.]

[2: Your Highness is just a prince without real power. I have investigated him and there is no problem.]

[3: How did you investigate?]

[2: I sent people to monitor the prince's mansion.]

...Is this also called investigation? Xu Qi'an inwardly mocked, and sent a message: [I know the backer behind the bandits in Yunzhou.]

"???"

A series of question marks flashed through the minds of Number Two and Number Four.

What kind of intelligence did Number Three obtain? Why could he always obtain so much intelligence? It was understandable for news from the capital, after all, it was his "territory", but he had no relationship with Yunzhou at all.

I have been investigating for so long without any clues, how could he possibly know the backer behind the bandits in Yunzhou... Number Two knew Number Three well and always thought he was a man of noble character, so he did not doubt him. Instead, he sent a message solemnly:

[2: What's going on? Um, Number Three, tell me the inside information, and I owe you a favor.]

[3: Heh, no need, I admire your character. This news is free.]

When the relationship is not deep, you need to negotiate deals and prevent freeloading. After becoming more familiar with each other, you need to develop feelings and reduce the transaction of interests between each other.

Free things are the most expensive, because the thing that replaces the transaction is feelings. As the relationship between each other becomes deeper and deeper, freeloading appears... No, how can it be called freeloading between friends, it is mutual assistance.

This time, Number Two was freeloading on his information, and tomorrow he could freeloading on Number Two.

[3: It is the God of Witchcraft in the northeast. The God of Witchcraft is the mastermind behind the bandits in Yunzhou. Um, this information may not be accurate. You can take it as a reference, Number Two.]

Even if the God of Witchcraft is not the mastermind behind the bandits in Yunzhou, it is probably related to them. Xu Qi'an had the idea of letting Number Two investigate this matter.

The God of Witchcraft is the mastermind behind the bandits in Yunzhou? Number Two stared at the text information in the jade mirror and fell silent for a long time: [How did you know, and from what channel? Um, I'm not trying to test you, but I want to know the truth of the news.]

[3: It doesn't matter. The Nightwatcher found a stronghold of the God of Witchcraft in the capital last night. They have close contact with the Minister of Works...]

He roughly explained the situation, not going into too much detail since he was a student of Yunlu Academy, not a Nightwatcher involved in the case. The main point was that the Minister of Works provided the God of Witchcraft with military supplies such as firearms and equipment.

"I see, I see..." Number Two excitedly clenched his fist and sent a message, "This news is very important to me. It confirms a previous guess of mine. Thank you. I suddenly regret that Taoist Master Jin Lian didn't bring you into the Heavenly Dao Society earlier."

"Nine: Let's talk about business and not bring up personal matters."

After a pause, Taoist Master Jin Lian sent a message, "Nine: But the God of Witchcraft secretly supports the bandits in Yunzhou. It doesn't mean much to them."

"Four: Yes, Yunzhou is in the southeast, while the God of Witchcraft's territory is in the northeast, separated by thousands of miles. It's not realistic for military alliances or trade."

"That's exactly what I'm wondering about..." Xu Qi'an sent a message, "Number Two, you can try to investigate. I believe that with your abilities, you can find out the truth."

At this time, Number One, who liked to peek at screens, jumped out and said, "The matter of the Minister of Works reminds me of a detail in the Sangpo case."

"Gunpowder was quietly buried in the Yongzhen Mountain and River Temple through the convenience of Zhou Baihu and the arrangements for the ancestor worship ceremony. So who lit the fuse?"

"Two: The Imperial Army?"

"Three: It wasn't the Imperial Army. I checked the entry and exit records of all the Imperial Army on duty that night. All the patrollers died, and some of those not on patrol had alibis. Also, the Minister of Rites can't control the Imperial Army."

"Two: Why not?"

"One: It's a state secret."

What state secrets and not, isn't it just that Emperor Yuan Jing has the Court Astrologer question the Imperial Army every month... Xu Qi'an thought to himself.

He had a sudden realization, and certain clues suddenly connected, like opening up the Ren Du channels. "So Number One means that the people of the God of Witchcraft lit the explosives in the Yongzhen Mountain and River Temple?"

"Mm."

"Nine: It could be a decoy."

"One: Are you so sure, Taoist Master?"

"Nine: Heh, the puppet technique was passed down by the Taoist sect. I naturally know it well. Puppets have low abilities, just slightly stronger than ants, and can deceive the perception of martial artists. Sneaking into the Yongzhen Mountain and River Temple without a sound is not difficult. But puppets can be used as a medium to ignite gunpowder."

"One: In other words, the Sangpo case involved not only the demon race but also the God of Witchcraft. So the Qi Faction must have known about this, right?"

"Three: That's not right. The Qi Faction and the God of Witchcraft only have a cooperative relationship, not a superior-subordinate relationship. The God of Witchcraft can't tell the Qi Faction everything."

"One: But one thing can be confirmed, the God of Witchcraft has a relationship with the demon race."The demon clan bombed Sangpo to seal something. So, what is the purpose of the God of Witchcraft's teaching? It shouldn't be for Shen Shu's severed hand, otherwise there would be conflicting interests and they would fight each other... Xu Qi'an thought while picking up his chopsticks to pick up the dish, but he missed.

The already small dish was eaten up by the mother and daughter. Xiao Douding's face was flushed from eating too much.

"...just like Chu Caiwei." Xu Qi'an cursed and called the waiter to order more dishes.

After finishing the meal and leaving Guiyue Tower, Aunt and Lingyue got into the carriage first. Xu Lingyin saw someone selling malt sugar across the street and tugged on her big brother's pants, begging him pitifully to buy some for her.

Xu Qi'an led her to buy it, and with a sharp tongue but a kind heart, he warned her, "Malt sugar is too hard, be careful not to break your teeth."

Xiao Douding was an expert in the field of eating and was not afraid at all. "It's okay, I can eat it from hard to soft."

Xu Qi'an laughed when he heard this. "If you're so capable, then eat it from soft to hard."

Xiao Douding admitted defeat. "I can't do that...can big brother do it?"

"Big brother can't, but a powerful troublemaker can eat malt sugar from soft to hard, and then from hard to soft."

"A troublemaker? Can sister and mother do it?"

"I refuse to answer that question."

"Why, big brother?" Xu Lingyin blinked her innocent eyes.

"Don't ask why, Lingyin, why do you always force big brother to drive?"

PS: I know some people stayed up late waiting for updates, I'm sorry to keep you waiting for so long. But I've been working hard until now. I've been typing all along and haven't broken my promise.