Chapter 296 Luwei Village
Shen Lun remained calm, or rather, expressionless, with only his long, willow-leaf eyes revealing a deep gaze: "My lord, there's no need to rush. What does it matter if we can't find out or deduce anything? Since he's hiding the prince, it's impossible that no one around him knows. Just wait for me to return to the ancestral home in my current identity and ask him some questions. What's there to worry about in finding clues?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Qiao's pupils contracted, but he quickly regained his composure: "Hmph, even if you can impersonate me, it will be difficult to hide your true colors over time. Who knows how long the prince can wait without eating or drinking, or whether your impersonation will be exposed and you will have to come to me for help. Everyone here is a smart man. If you don't want to risk the prince's life, why not make a deal with me?"
"Expose? You've been impersonating me for so many years, have you ever been suspected of being exposed? Even if you were, how did you handle it?" Shen Lun retorted. "I can guess how you would handle it. Now I'm just doing the same thing. What's so difficult about that?"
“Uncle, this matter needs to be handled quickly. If we delay, I fear something might really happen to Mu Xun.” Although Shen Lun spoke with confidence, Mu Xi still dared not gamble with Mu Xun’s safety. Overwhelmed by concern, he asked Shen Qiao, “A deal? How do you intend to make the deal?”
Shen Qiao smiled lightly: "It's very simple. As long as you are willing to release me, I will release Wangsun."
"Let you go? Absolutely not." Mu Xi naturally wouldn't agree.
"So you want to use the prince's life to accompany me in death?" Shen Qiao sneered.
Mu Xi froze. Wasn't this stalemate just a return to square one?
Shen Qiao further said, "I don't need you to do anything. Now that my identity has been exposed, I can't stay in Yan Sheng anymore. All you need to do is send me to the dock in the eastern suburbs of Qinzhou City. I will then tell you where the prince is hiding. After that, I will leave on my own. As for what I have accumulated over the years... it will all go to you."
"This..." Mu Xi felt somewhat relieved.
Shen Lun objected: "No, Your Majesty must not waver. The dock at the East Suburbs harbor leads directly to the Nine Gardens. Shen Qiao must have already made contact with one of the forces in the Nine Gardens. If he goes to the Nine Gardens, it will be like releasing fish into the sea. If he attracts the forces of the Nine Gardens to attack in the future, wouldn't that be another great calamity for the people of Yansheng?"
Mu Xi was undecided and frustrated: "In that case, why don't we split up? Uncle, return to the city as the Marquis of Yong and find out where Mu Xun might be hiding as soon as possible. As for this Marquis Shen... I'll find a way to get him to talk."
"Whether you talk or not, you'll die anyway, so you might as well take someone down with you. Don't waste your energy." Shen Qiao was willing to fight to the death when he saw that negotiations were failing.
“It’s not your turn now.” Doctor Luo stepped forward, and with a flash of silver light, he stabbed Shen Qiao somewhere on the back of the head, and Shen Qiao fainted. Turning back to Mu Xi, he said, “Why bother arguing with him? We already have him in our hands. There are a million ways to get a confession.”
“Yes, this is not the place to ask questions.” Mu Xi stood up. “Let’s split up and act without delay.”
"Yes." Everyone agreed and started to walk out.
Mu Xi still looked at Shen Lun with unease: "Uncle's trip is like a lamb entering a pack of wolves. Jingwei, who was with him before, must have been his most trusted confidante. Now that they have all disappeared overnight, it will surely arouse suspicion."
“It’s alright…” Shen Lun seemed to have thought it through long ago. “Back then, he was impersonating me, so he had to be careful in everything he did and follow my behavior and habits back then. But now I’m pretending to be myself. So what if someone has doubts? The truth will out. As long as I return to the mansion smoothly and get all the official seals and documents, there should be no worries.”
"Since you say so, Uncle, there's nothing more I can do to help except send more people to protect you. I hope you will be careful and that everything goes smoothly." Mu Xi clasped his hands in a respectful gesture.
At this moment, Qi Qingyuan said, "If Your Excellency is worried, I am willing to go with Lord Shen. After all, I have visited the Shen family mansion before, and I am quite familiar with everyone there. Perhaps I can help you cover things up smoothly."
“Very well then, I’ll trouble Elder Qi.” Mu Xi nodded, then glanced at the unconscious Shen Qiao on the ground. “As for Shen Qiao, everyone here has a deep grudge against him. We’ll have to gather together to discuss how to deal with him in the future.”
Neither Shen Lun nor Qi Qingyuan said anything more, and they left with their hands clasped in a fist and bow.
Mu Xi, along with Doctor Luo and Dai Xin, concealed Shen Qiao's presence and returned to the camp.
Four days later, accompanied by Dai Xin, Mu Xi led two hundred personal guards into Qinzhou City through the west gate, then sped out through the east gate, heading straight for a fishing village in the eastern suburbs.
When he smelled the salty, fishy scent of the sea breeze, Mu Xi finally reined in his horse and took a short breath.
Four days ago, Mu Xi and Shen Lun split up to search for where Mu Xun was hiding.
Shen Lun, posing as his younger brother Shen Qiao, the Marquis of Yong, or rather, returning to his true self, successfully entered Qinzhou City and returned to his ancestral home.
However, a thorough search of the ancestral home and various locations under the Shen family's name yielded no trace of Mu Xun.
After returning to his camp, Mu Xi urgently requested reinforcements from Bai Su's side, preparing to suppress the local forces in Qinzhou City and take this opportunity to completely reclaim Qinzhou, the easternmost city in the southern border.
On the other hand, despite repeated interrogations of Shen Qiao and even the use of sedatives, they still couldn't find out Mu Xun's whereabouts.
Mu Xi was unable to eat or sleep, and was at her wit's end when the white-robed immortal persona in the inner void suggested that perhaps a shaman could be found to cast illusions on Shen Qiao and extract a confession.
Although Mu Xi had genuine experience with "spirit possession" before, she did not truly believe in gods and ghosts, so she did not take it to heart. In fact, she easily gave up her initial plan to build a reputation as a shaman in order to regain her true identity.
Now, reminded by the white-robed immortal's personality, she still didn't quite believe it, but in her helpless situation, she decided to give it a shot.
So they quickly sent people into Qinzhou City to invite several of the most renowned shamans in the area to perform rituals on Shen Qiao.
Whether it was from the torment he had endured for days or the witchcraft that had truly taken effect, Shen Qiao, in a daze, uttered a name—Deer Mother Bay.
When Mu Xi asked where Lumu Bay was, she immediately received the answer: it was the harbor on the eastern outskirts of Qinzhou.
If you continue your inquiry along the Deer Mother Bay, you will find the location of a small fishing village called Deer Tail Village, where Mu Xun was hidden.
Upon learning the exact location of Deer Tail Village, Mu Xi immediately led a group to set off. This was the closest the two had ever been to each other since they had been separated for many years.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
