Nightwatcher

# 357. Li Miaozhen's Message

The High Court Deputy Justice left the room, descending the stairs to the main hall, where Chief Constable Chen, two censors, and Yang Yan sat at the table in silence, sipping tea.

On the table were brushes, ink, paper, and an inkstone.

The Deputy Justice, in his early forties and still considered energetic and capable in officialdom, silently took a seat at the table, picked up a brush, and wrote on the paper:

“Not an arcanist!”

On the paper was another line, written by Chief Constable Chen: “Hiding something in the right hand.”

Following that, the two censors entered the room to have a covert conversation with the female spy. Upon their return, one wrote: “Didn’t inquire about the case.” The other wrote: “Extremely focused on Silver Gong Xu.”

Yang Yan crumpled the paper into a ball, and with a light exertion, the ball disintegrated into powder.

He casually scattered the powder, his expression stoic, before heading upstairs. Without knocking, he pushed the door open and entered the room.

“The princess consort is missing. You Nightwatchers bear the primary responsibility,” the female spy said solemnly.

Yang Yan sat at the table, his features as rigid as stone, devoid of expression. He responded coldly to her accusation:

“State your business.”

“Fine!” The female spy nodded and said slowly, “Let me be direct. Where is the princess consort?”

“What’s in your right hand?” Yang Yan countered instead of answering, his gaze falling on her right shoulder.

“As expected of a Gold Gong—you saw through my little trick immediately.” The female spy raised the hand concealed beneath the table, revealing a small octagonal bronze disk resting quietly in her palm.

“A magical artefact from the Sitianjian, capable of distinguishing lies from truths.” She pushed the disk aside and said blandly, “But this is ineffective against someone at the peak of the Fourth Rank. To verify your truthfulness, a Sixth Rank arcanist would be required.”

Yang Yan ignored the octagonal disk and answered her initial question: “I don’t know where the princess consort is.”

The female spy’s second question followed swiftly: “Where is Xu Qi’an? Did he truly return to the capital, injured?”

Yang Yan raised his hand slightly and said, “You ask one question, I ask one question.”

… Hidden beneath her cloak and mask, her deep, inscrutable eyes studied him for a moment before she said slowly, “Ask away.”

“Why are the barbarians targeting the princess consort?” Yang Yan’s question went straight to the heart of the matter.

The female spy did not answer.

Yang Yan nodded. “I’ll ask another question. Did Chu Xianglong insist on taking the river route to rendezvous with you?”

“Yes.”

The female spy confirmed and then asked, “Where is Xu Qi’an?”

Yang Yan shook his head. “I don’t know. Why didn’t the spies return to the capital and covertly escort the princess consort? Why insist on intercepting her at the Chuzhou border?”

*I don’t know… That means Xu Qi’an didn’t return to the capital gravely injured.* The female spy said gravely, “We have our own enemies. Did Duke Wei know about the princess consort’s northern journey?”

*Unable to spare any manpower...* Yang Yan’s eyes flickered as he replied, “He knew.”

…

The female spy left the inn, not accompanying Deputy General Li out of the city. Instead, she headed alone to the Wanzhou military camp, and laid down to rest in a tent. As night came, she suddenly opened her eyes, seeing someone lifting the tent flap to enter.

The newcomer was also clad in a black cloak, their face obscured by a mask, save for their chin, which bore a faint stubble of azure hue. Their voice was hoarse and low:

“I just rushed back from Jiangzhou. I found two locations—one showed signs of a fierce battle, while the other bore no visible traces of combat but had spider silk left by the Jinmu Tribe. What about your side?”

In a similarly low voice, the female spy replied:

“The intelligence I gathered from the diplomatic mission matches yours. The northern monsters and barbarians dispatched four Fourth Ranks: the serpent demon Hong Ling, the Dragon tribe’s Tangshan-Jun, and Zalmukha of the Heishui Tribe. However, the Jinmu Tribe’s leader, Tianlang, was absent.

“Chu Xianglong took advantage of the three Fourth Ranks being entangled with Xu Qi’an and Yang Yan to have the guards escape with the princess consort and her maidservants. Additionally, the members of the delegation were unaware of the princess consort’s uniqueness, and Yang Yan does not know her whereabouts.”

The male spy hummed in acknowledgment. “It seems Tianlang lay in wait, and Chu Xianglong is likely doomed. As for the princess consort…”

The atmosphere in the tent grew heavy.

“Wait. You mentioned that Chu Xianglong had the guards take the princess consort and maidservants separately?” the male spy suddenly asked.

“Precisely. He took the princess consort, while the guards escorted the maidservants,” the female spy confirmed.

“Heh. He’s not one to show such mercy.” The male spy’s tone carried a trace of mockery as he continued, “It’s clear—the one he escorted was a decoy, and the real princess consort was disguised as one of the maidservants. A clever yet foolish strategy. Clever in creating a diversion, foolish in thinking such a move could fool Tianlang and the others.

“Bringing maidservants during an escape is as good as announcing that the real princess consort is among them. Hmm, his distrust of the diplomatic mission—or perhaps his certainty that they’d all perish—must have driven this choice.”

The female spy nodded. “The ones who intercepted Tangshan-Jun and Zalmukha were Xu Qi’an and Yang Yan. Xu Qi’an’s true cultivation level is likely at the Sixth Rank…”

She recounted Xu Qi’an’s recent exploits, adding, “According to the Ministry of Law’s Chief Constable, Xu Qi’an relied on Confucian magic to defeat the elite disciples of the Heaven Sect and Human Sect. Chu Xianglong likely didn’t expect him to have more spells saved up.”

The hoarse-voiced male spy commented, “That’s not all. External aids will eventually run out, and Fourth Rank martial artists are notoriously hard to kill. In the end, Xu Qi’an would have been outmatched. That’s why Chu Xianglong chose to abandon them.”

“Reasonable.”

The female spy sighed, her tone worried. “What should we do now? If the princess consort falls into the hands of the northern barbarians, her fate will surely be grim.”

The male spy chuckled lightly. “It’s not as dire as it seems. Dispatching four leaders to ambush the princess consort indicates the barbarians are aware of her unique nature.

“Now, who would want the princess consort the most?”

The female spy’s eyes lit up. “The leader of the Qingyan Tribe.”

The hooded man tilted his head, seeming to nod. “Precisely. They will first take the princess consort northward. Whether to share her spiritual essence out or in exchange for immense benefits, one thing is certain: until that leader makes their move, the princess consort is safe.”

The female spy agreed with his reasoning and tentatively suggested, “Then, should we notify King Huai and have him seal off the northern border? We could concentrate our efforts in Jiangzhou and Chuzhou to capture Tangshan-Jun and his cohorts and retrieve the princess consort.”

The man neither agreed nor disagreed. “Is there anything else to add?”

“Yes! Lead Official Xu Qi’an didn’t remain in the capital; he secretly headed north. As for his destination, Yang Yan claimed ignorance, but I believe they must have a special means of communication.”

“What makes you think so?” the male spy countered.

“Xu Qi’an has been tasked with investigating the 'Blood Runs Three Thousand Miles' case. Fearing offense to His Highness King Huai and wary of surveillance, using the delegation as a front while secretly pursuing his investigation is the correct choice. A prodigy in solving cases with meticulous thought would naturally take such precautions; anything less would be unreasonable.”

The female spy continued, “Moreover, the delegation is rife with internal discord—officials from the three departments and the Nightwatchers are constantly at odds. For him, the delegation offers little value. Staying with them might even lead to his efforts being stifled by the officials.”

The man rubbed the faintly azure stubble on his chin, his fingers grazing the stiff bristles as he mused, “Don’t underestimate these civil officials; they might just be putting on an act.”

“But if you knew Xu Qi’an once blocked the path of civil and military officials outside the Meridian Gate and composed a poem to ridicule them, you wouldn’t think that way,” the female spy said.

She paused, then added, “Does Wei Yuan know about the princess consort’s journey north and the involvement of the barbarian clans?”

The man sneered, “Don’t ask me. Azure Cloak Wei’s intentions are unfathomable. But we can’t afford to be careless. Spread Xu Qi’an’s portrait. Once he’s found, monitor him closely. As for the delegation, keep a tight watch on Yang Yan’s movements. As for the civil officials, handle them as you see fit.”

…

At dawn the next day, the princess consort woke up in a cliffside cave, covered by Xu Qi’an’s robe. She saw him crouched at the cave entrance, immersed in a copper basin filled with water of unknown origin, his entire body soaking in it.

Still angry with him, the princess consort hugged her knees and watched him act oddly for a good quarter of an hour.

Then the man turned his back, furtively rubbing his face. After a long while, he turned around.

“Ah!”

The princess consort screamed, shrinking back like a startled rabbit. Her wide, lively eyes stared at him, trembling as she pointed at him. “You-you-you- Xu Erlang?”

Had she just seen a ghost?

The man before her was unmistakably Xu Qi’an’s cousin, Xu Erlang. But how could Xu Erlang possibly be here?

“Stop overreacting…” Xu Qi’an chuckled smugly, “This is my face-changing trick. Even martial artists of higher cultivation levels wouldn’t see through my disguise.”

As he spoke, he poured out the potion in the copper basin.

“Why would you disguise yourself as your own cousin?” The princess consort, reassured by his familiar voice, eyed him suspiciously.

*This woman really wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed. Perhaps her days of strutting around King Huai’s residence, unchallenged, had dulled her wits—no rival wives, no household scheming. She was just like Auntie...* Xu Qi’an retorted irritably,

“Are you stupid? Do you think I can waltz into a town with Xu Qi’an’s face? This is basic counter-surveillance awareness.”

Counter-what? The princess consort didn’t understand but pouted. “I’m hungry.”

“The porridge is ready. There’s also a pheasant I just caught outside. Go clean it and roast it,” Xu Qi’an ordered.

“Oh!” The princess consort obediently went outside.

Over the past few days, she had learned how to clean and cook game—a skill Xu Qi’an had insisted she pick up. She had also grown used to being bossed around, having no choice but to submit under his authority.

Of course, the princess consort wasn’t entirely without guile. She never confronted Xu Qi’an directly but always found ways to exact petty revenge.

For instance, she would hide his clothes while he was bathing, leaving him fuming in the water.

Or smear bird droppings onto the game before roasting it and serving it to him.

Recently, she’d been toying with the idea of spitting on the roasted meat.

Her acts of defiance often came with a cost: being forced to listen to ghost stories at night, leaving her too terrified to sleep, or going an entire day without food while trekking long distances.

More than once, she had cried herself to sleep, drooling from sheer exhaustion.

After a while, the pheasant was roasted. Having spent ample time spitting on it, the princess consort smirked mischievously, placed the cooked bird aside, and called out toward the cave,

“The pheasant is ready! I’ll just have the porridge.”

Xu Qi’an ate meat, and the princess consort drank porridge—a mutual understanding born of their cycle of petty vengeance.

Disguised as Xu Erlang, Xu Qi’an emerged from the cave, sat by the fire, and said, “By dusk, we’ll reach Sanhuang County.”

The princess consort’s face lit up. This meant their grueling journey was finally coming to an end.

Xu Qi’an glanced at her and said flatly, “This pheasant is for you.”

Her expression froze instantly.

“What’s wrong? Don’t want it? Or did you smear bird droppings on it again?” Xu Qi’an narrowed his eyes, probing.

“You’re so petty! Can’t you stop suspecting me?” the princess consort grabbed the bird, held it up, and protested, “See for yourself! Where’s the droppings?”

“Then eat it.” Xu Qi’an nodded.

“...” She opened her mouth but said weakly, “I... I’ve lost my appetite for meat.”

“Well, you’d better eat it all. Wasting food will make me very angry,” Xu Qi’an said with a bright smile.

“...” Her plain face crumpled into a frown.

At that moment, Xu Qi’an felt a faint lurch in his mind. After days of silence, the Earth Book chat group had finally seen a message.

He picked up his bowl of porridge and returned to the cave, saying as he went, “Hurry up and finish that. If you don’t, I’ll leave you here to feed the tigers.”

The princess consort made a face at his retreating back.

Xu Qi’an sat down against the cave wall, his eyes fixed on the Earth Book fragment. Taking a sip of porridge, he saw a line of text appear on the jade mirror:

【TWO: Daoist Jinlian, please shield our messages from the others.】

A few breaths later, another message came through from Li Miaozhen:

【Xu Qi’an, have you reached the Northern Border?】

Xu Qi’an put down his bowl, and using his finger as a pen, replied:

【I’ll arrive at the Northern Border by dusk. Do you have any updates?】