Chapter 33 The Lonely Object in the Box: There is One Matter That Needs to Be Discussed with Lord Jiang
The carriage moved as smoothly as it had arrived. The tea and teaware on the table had been changed, and the aroma of the tea had changed. However, a box of documents reappeared in Su Heng's hands as if by some strange twist of fate. Su Heng opened the brocade box and began to read it.
Su Heng had already finished off all of them earlier, but unexpectedly, there was still a new box waiting. If it were Jiang Geyun, she would definitely curse a few times in her heart when faced with this "endless homework," but the big villain might just want this feeling of being in complete control.
“Since Lord Jiang has any questions, he may ask them,” Su Heng replied calmly.
Jiang Geyun slightly raised her eyebrows.
She was the one asking Su Heng the question, but back and forth, the ball was kicked back to the big villain again.
Could it be because she showed a puzzled expression when she asked the system in her mind just now?
That shouldn't be the case. No matter what she's thinking, she can maintain a perfect expressionless face. She's good at cultivating composure.
However, it's still quite easy for her to ask questions.
She also said she's good at escaping, so the big villain better not try to escape.
Jiang Geyun smiled politely and said, "I'm just wondering why the case of the mission wasn't handed over to my colleagues in the Investigation Department."
Su Heng lowered his eyes to look at the documents in his hand, seemingly ignoring Jiang Geyun's question.
The room was filled with the aroma of tea, the distant sound of bells, and a warm breeze seeped through the curtains, then slowly drifted away, as if a long time had passed, or as if the next moment had arrived—
He said indifferently, "I am responsible for investigating the case, and I need Lord Jiang's protection. Isn't this the duty of the Bureau of Suppressing Strange Things?"
Jiang Geyun was stunned.
Needs protection?
Who needs protection?
It's true that the Zhenyi Division members are among the most skilled fighters in the three divisions of the Xuandu Bureau, and it's true that the main villain, as the primary investigator, needs protection...
No, that's completely wrong.
What happened to that horde of people who looked so powerful and were following the main villain?
Besides, isn't the main villain himself quite capable in combat? Does he need her protection?
The words of you Su family members are truly incomprehensible.
The system lazily interjected: "No changes. Please don't tease the system. The system will handle the favorability issue, don't worry!"
No, you'd better not try anything funny...
Jiang Geyun was speechless for a moment, then replied, "This humble official will certainly protect Your Highness."
Su Heng looked up from the documents, smiled gently at Jiang Geyun, and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Lord Jiang... Is there anything about the case that you are curious about, Lord Jiang?"
At this point, Jiang Geyun sat up straight.
She asked earnestly, "Your Highness, the delegation is large. Have the bodies of the victims been identified? Are there really 143?"
She also wanted to ask: If there were any broken or missing limbs, had they all been counted?
They were also worried that it would be too direct and frightening.
...and she couldn't understand why she felt that saying these things to the main villain was too direct and frightening.
The step of counting the bodies may sound scary, but it is absolutely necessary. If there are not 143 actual bodies, then the missing persons who are not among them must be the key to solving the mystery.
She thought to herself, this technique is still quite classic.
Su Heng said, "No."
Jiang Geyun opened her eyes wide and leaned forward slightly.
Su Heng looked up at her current expression.
His gaze was so meticulous, as if he wanted to see every facet of her clearly and remember it forever.
Jiang Geyun was completely absorbed in the case and was focused on waiting for his answer, so she didn't notice anything amiss.
Su Heng paused for a moment, then blinked, looking bewildered.
Before she could fully react, Su Heng said, "Lord Jiang has hit the nail on the head. All 141 corpses have been counted. Of the remaining ones, one is seriously injured and unconscious, and has been placed under protection."
"The missing person..."
Jiang Geyun had a guess and asked cautiously.
Su Heng smiled and said, "Your Highness, Gutulu Ur."
Jiang Geyun's heart stirred.
For the remainder of the time, Jiang Geyun asked many more questions about the details of the case—how the body was examined, how the scene was preserved, more knowledge about the Tu Lan Dynasty, and whether there were any xenophobic immortals in the capital area, etc.
While still in the Department of Prophecy, during the lull between Ji Songci and Lu Jianzheng's later entanglements, Jiang Geyun took the time to ask the system what the truth of the mission case was in the original work.
The system checked, but found nothing.
The original novel only briefly states that "Crown Prince Su Heng resolved the matter and found Prince Tu Lan." At this stage of the original novel, the main villain has not yet been exposed. He is a tool who occasionally appears to praise the protagonist and promotes the protagonist. The whole case is just a simple and vague background.
In this part of the story, Xie Jiming is sent to Ci'en Temple to exorcise a ghost. He is trapped in the temple with a beautiful foreign woman, and they get along in various ways. Yes, compared to the so-called truth of the case, this "getting along" is the focus of the original narrative.
In the end, Xie Jiming and the foreign woman together converted the evil spirit.
When Xie Jiming returned to Xuandujian with the woman, Pei Xueyi was very jealous. Their feelings for each other only increased, and this episode was an important moment when Pei Xueyi realized her true feelings.
Jiang Geyun found it absurd, but from this perspective, it was actually a good thing that Pei Xueyi was sent to Jingzhou.
Even more coincidentally, the foreign woman was also a Turanian, and she had come to find Guthulhu Ur, his sister.
Prince Gudulu considered that the Crown Prince had already given an explanation, Xie Jiming had saved people and thus had done a favor for Tulan, and in addition to the prepared Mirage Compass, he ultimately did not pursue the case further and returned to Tulan with the compass, Ji Songci and his sister.
This incident became the prelude to Xie Jiming's later trip to Tulan to explore new maps.
The main perspective of "Xuan Du Zhao Ye" is Xie Jiming, and the system knows as much as Xie Jiming knows.
In other words, the system knows nothing about the truth of the mission case.
Jiang Geyun will have to rely on herself again.
If this case isn't resolved, she won't have 91 days left to live, but only 9.
Leaving it to Su Heng to handle seems like a good option, since in the original story, the unassuming villain easily resolved everything.
Judging from Su Heng's actions today, he probably won't let her go...
What grudge or hatred could there be?
The tea gurgled and sipped, like a kitten purring, and unknowingly created a fragrant atmosphere that enveloped the two of them. The carriage moved very smoothly, with only occasional breezes lifting a corner of the curtain and letting in a few rays of sunlight, which would fall right between them, shimmering like broken gold.
For a moment, there was an atmosphere as if gambling on books and enjoying the aroma of spilled tea.
Jiang Geyun was completely unaware of the atmosphere around her, and focused intently on asking many questions, which Su Heng answered one by one.
But the more she asked, the more mysteries there seemed to be. Between the questions and answers, she couldn't help but rub her temples wearily.
Su Heng's fingertips twitched slightly.
Jiang Geyun poured herself a cup of tea, subconsciously trying to avoid any "intimate" contact with the main villain.
After drinking it, I felt much more refreshed.
With that movement, she paused her questioning.
With that pause, her movements suddenly stopped.
She just... was practically using the villain as a search engine to ask questions...!
Moreover, the main villain actually answered all the questions in detail from beginning to end!
This is really—
Jiang Geyun looked at Su Heng with a complicated expression. Su Heng saw that she had poured the tea herself and withdrew her hand without making a sound. When she saw Jiang Geyun looking at her, she smiled.
That's really amazing!
Even though he was pretending to be gentle, Jiang Geyun couldn't help but feel a sense of respect for him!
Su Heng paused almost imperceptibly.
Then, still smiling, he said, "...Lord Jiang, we can discuss the remaining issues tomorrow at the Xuandu Academy."
A distant, silvery bell sound suddenly drew closer, the carriage descended, and the curtains were drawn back.
We've arrived at Yinguanglou.
Jiang Geyun turned her head and glanced outside.
Su Heng picked up the scroll and said, "I won't see you off any further, Lord Jiang. Farewell."
...
The villain said he would no longer send them far away, and he really didn't.
Jiang Geyun arrived at the lobby of Yinguanglou alone. It wasn't mealtime, and there were few customers in Yinguanglou. The manager was resting on the wooden counter.
Jiang Geyun looked around and saw that there was no one else around, and the accountant was not behind the counter.
Jiang Geyun stepped forward and greeted him softly, "Hello, store manager."
The store manager remained as composed as ever. He calmly glanced at Jiang Geyun, then stared intently at her with his cloudy eyes, which resembled stars in the process of extinction, his pupils forming vertical lines.
Jiang Geyun pondered for a moment, then placed her hand in front of the shop manager, allowing the manager to lean in and smell it.
The store manager hesitated for a moment, then withdrew his head after smelling it, no longer resisting Jiang Geyun's approach.
Jiang Geyun relaxed a bit and reached out to touch the shop manager.
She'd never seen such an old cat before; the person taking care of it must have been very attentive.
"etc--!"
Suddenly, a ragged gray-clad man stood up from behind the counter and placed his hands in front of the old cat to "resist" Jiang Geyun's touch.
Having failed to touch the shopkeeper and been startled by the cactus and chilled to the bone, Jiang Geyun reluctantly withdrew her hand and looked at Zhengyi.
Zhengyi's clothes were even more tattered than yesterday's. After stopping Jiang Geyun from touching the cat, she took the opportunity to gently stroke the old cat's fur and smiled with satisfaction.
The shop manager was momentarily taken aback by the coldness, quickly bent over, changed positions, and turned back to lick it with dissatisfaction.
Jiang Geyun withdrew her gaze from the shop manager, glanced at Zheng Yi, and thought to herself, "This person calls others ghosts, but she's more like a ghost, isn't she?"
After being indirectly rejected by the store manager, Zheng Yi's expression, like Jiang Geyun's, became somewhat sullen.
Jiang Geyun smoothed things over, saying, "Your Highness has gone to great lengths to take such good care of the shopkeeper."
“I don’t bother,” Zhengyi said. “I’m not the one raising them.”
Okay, Jiang Geyun paused for a few seconds.
Zheng Yi propped his face up with his hand and said to Jiang Geyun, "But I quite like the shopkeeper. What about you, Lord Jiang? What kind of animal do you like?"
Jiang Geyun said, "Camel."
Because you can chew cactus like chewing gum.
There was silence for a moment.
Clearly, Zhengyi didn't understand her humor.
Zheng Yi repeated it in a low voice, then asked with considerable curiosity, "Camels are not commonly seen in the Great Zhou. Is it because you saw Ji Songci today?"
Jiang Geyun said, "That's fine."
Zheng Yi indeed knew what Jiang Geyun had seen and heard at Xuandujian today. Well, Xuandujian is Zheng Yi's home turf, so it would be strange if he didn't know.
Zheng Yi said, "Then you've met the old fox too."
Don't give the road inspector a nickname.
Jiang Geyun cautiously replied, "This humble woman does not know what Your Highness is referring to."
Zheng Yi stared at Jiang Geyun expressionlessly for a while, and seeing that Jiang Geyun did not waver, he immediately became bored.
She said lazily, "He's already prepared everything, and he even hinted that I should do this kind of thing again. How annoying."
"Again"? It seems Jiang Geyun is not an isolated case.
Jiang Geyun asked cautiously, "May I ask, Your Highness..."
Before she could finish asking, Zheng Yi explained, "When it comes to recruiting people, there is a special selection process for the descendants of Xuandujian people. However, there are always exceptions. If someone encounters a situation, shows talent, and proves to be a capable person, they will be brought in after a trial period."
After saying that, Zheng Yi looked "bored" and continued, "This kind of thing is not uncommon, don't worry about it, go back in peace and take a good look at what the old fox has prepared for you."
As Zhengyi spoke, she slowly stood up, staring at the store manager, eager to try.
It seems that Zhengyi's interest has completely shifted back to the store manager.
Wait, could it be that Zhengyi was hiding behind the counter just to...
Jiang Geyun raised her hand in a polite bow and left.
Standing in front of the door again, the scene from last night flashed by, and the sense of déjà vu made Jiang Geyun's fingers tremble involuntarily.
Thinking about how well she had slept last night, she silently comforted herself for a few moments before pushing open the door.
Okay! Everything is normal! She is safe!
On the table was a blue and gold brocade box, which presumably contained jade tokens and other items that Lu Jianzheng had prepared for Jiang Geyun. The box appeared to be a single, seamless piece, like a cube that could not be opened at all.
Jiang Geyun closed the door and walked to the brocade box.
As soon as she reached out, a crack appeared between the lid and the box, allowing her to open it with little effort, just like opening an ordinary brocade box.
The box contained a dark blue outfit, with a jade pendant on top.
Jiang Geyun picked up the jade pendant and looked closely at the bird on it. It was a vivid yet abstract shrike. Jiang Geyun's name was engraved on the other side of the jade pendant.
Upon closer inspection, one can see that the materials used are exquisite, and the shape is no different from that of the official jade pendant of the Night God.
She remembered that the employee badges for interns, full-time employees, and outsourced workers in large factories were different, and Xuandujian must have a similar distinction, but she didn't know how Xuandujian made the distinction.
She wasn't dissatisfied, but she was mainly worried that Su Heng might notice something was amiss.
Jiang Geyun examined the jade pendant over and over for a while before finally putting it down.
She reached down to the dark blue clothes below, and just then—the wardrobe door next to her suddenly moved!
Jiang Geyun's hand, which was reaching for her clothes, stopped.
A moment later, she put down the brocade box, stood silently in front of the wardrobe, reached for the Shouzhuo belt at her waist with one hand, and opened the wardrobe door with the other.
The darkness was instantly illuminated.
There was nothing she expected.
A red-haired boy covered in blood was curled up in her wardrobe.
The boy was pale and frowning. When the light suddenly shone on him, he couldn't help but squint. His face showed signs of great pain.
Hearing the wardrobe door being pulled open, he immediately opened his eyes alertly and looked at the person in front of him.
His eyes were green, now extremely alert and bright, like those of a wounded wolf cub.
Jiang Geyun met his gaze.
Neither of them made any further moves, as if whoever made the first move would be at a disadvantage.
The eye contact didn't last long.
Suddenly, there were three knocks on the door.
That warm, gentle voice and composed, elegant tone are truly distinctive.
Through the door, Su Heng said, "I have something I need to discuss with Lord Jiang."
Jiang Geyun looked at the door, then at the cabinet door, and then at the red-haired boy inside the cabinet, whose eyes were fierce yet fragile.
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Author's note: I arrived just in time today too! [kissing emoji]
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