Chapter 31: Enshrouded in Mystery

Seeing this, Qin Fei hurriedly took out his official badge, held it high, and demanded, "I am Qin Fei, an investigator of the Imperial City Guard. May I ask which official is leading this team, and what is your business here?"

Just then, the crowd parted. Qiu Zhiching and Hong Qigong watched as a man in crimson official robes pushed through the people and walked up to Qin Fei, not even sparing him a glance.

The man spoke directly, "I am the Assistant Prefect of Lin'an. We have received secret reports that kidnapped children are being harbored within the Yongming Zen Monastery. I am here specifically to investigate and make arrests!"

With that, he turned to his subordinates and said, "Men, take this colleague from the Imperial City Guard aside to rest for a while!"

Though he called it "resting," the posture of his men made it clear this was a forced removal. Qin Fei was naturally unwilling; he had earned this major merit through blood and sweat, so why should he hand it over just because of a few words?

"The Imperial City Guard is currently investigating a major case of treason. I would like to see who dares to touch me!" As soon as these words left his mouth, the restless bailiffs of the Lin'an Prefecture suddenly hesitated, looking toward their Assistant Prefect for guidance.

The Assistant Prefect was now uncertain. If it were merely a case of child trafficking, it would fall under his jurisdiction. But if it involved a major treason case, that was not something he could easily suppress.

"May I ask, sir, if this is a major treason case, why are you the only one here?" a chief constable stepped forward to ask.

Qin Fei, clearly unwilling to engage with a low-ranking constable, stared sternly at the Assistant Prefect. "What? Does the Imperial City Guard need to report its operations to the likes of you?"

The official had no answer for that. The Imperial City Guard reported directly to the Emperor and operated in a different system than the local prefecture. If he dared to argue, the Censorate would have him sent off to fish in Qiongzhou by the next day.

Since that was the case, he would let Qin Fei stay, provided he did not interfere with their work. Qiu Zhiching and Hong Qigong did not understand the nuances, but Qin Fei knew exactly how things worked in these circles.

From the time they broke out of the sacks until now, only about an hour had passed, and they were at least six or seven miles away from the Lin'an Prefecture office. How could these bailiffs have arrived so quickly? And why would a mere child trafficking case warrant an Assistant Prefect and over a hundred men? Since when had the efficiency of the Lin'an Prefecture office ever been so high?

Indeed, in Qin Fei's view, child trafficking was a minor case. Even if there were many victims, it shouldn't warrant such an unreasonable reaction from the prefecture today...

Qiu Zhiching and Hong Qigong, watching from the rooftop, were unaware of these details. Qiu Zhiching, thinking with the mindset of a later era, assumed the arrival of the bailiffs to cordon off the scene was similar to police responding to an emergency. He was unsure of the official's rank, but he felt it was perfectly reasonable for a high-ranking official to show up for a large-scale child trafficking case.

Hong Qigong, however, relied on his vast experience to sense that something was amiss, though he couldn't put his finger on what exactly.

Qiu Zhiching was growing sleepy. Since the government had intervened, it was no longer his concern. He transmitted his voice softly to Hong Qigong: "Master Hong, shall I head back first? The temple where I am staying is not far from here. It is nearly the Hour of the Bo, and I have things to attend to tomorrow morning."

Hong Qigong was secretly astonished. He did not expect the young man to possess such a refined voice-projection technique, which was far superior to the common methods used by others. Most people's techniques were designed to carry sound as far as possible without being harsh to those nearby, but this method of directional transmission was something he had never encountered before.

Just as Hong Qigong was about to speak, a team of bailiffs emerged from the secret passage they had previously escaped from and reported to their superior:

"Reporting to the Assistant Prefect, we have discovered two chambers within the intricate network of tunnels. We have recovered thirty-two children. We encountered fierce resistance in the chambers and have killed all who resisted! Sir, what shall we do..."

Qiu Zhiching and Hong Qigong exchanged glances. Something was wrong. They had struck the acupoints of those guards, which should have kept them incapacitated for at least two hours. How could there have been "fierce resistance"? Was there some secret passage they hadn't discovered?

To their bewilderment, a group of children emerged from the tunnel, most looking traumatized, followed by the bodies being carried out. Qiu Zhiching noticed that most of the bodies were the same men he had struck earlier, but there were indeed more corpses than they had seen when they first arrived at the boat.

Though it felt strange, it wasn't significant enough for him to intervene. Since the authorities were involved, it was no longer a matter for a young Daoist like him. Qiu Zhiching signaled to Hong Qigong that he was leaving.

Unexpectedly, Hong Qigong suggested, "Since your lodging is so close, I shall endure the inconvenience and stay at your temple for the night."

"Do you not need to return to Lin'an city to arrange things for your disciples?" Qiu Zhiching asked curiously as they walked along the mountain path.

"No, I made arrangements before I came out. In half an hour, I will have Qin Fei's associate report to the authorities and bring those children along. After all, the Lin'an Prefecture is more professional when it comes to finding their families!"

Qiu Zhiching nodded in agreement. Whether in the Song Dynasty or later times, the government's household registration management was something that secular martial arts sects could never hope to match.

"And what about the Beggar Sect disciples on the boat?" Qiu Zhiching did not ask about the fate of the altar master; he was almost certain Hong Qigong had already dealt with him.

"Those people have committed countless evils and deserve to die! It was too easy for them to die at the hands of those bailiffs. However, my Lin'an branch of the Beggar Sect has suffered this time; it seems we will have to relocate."

Qiu Zhiching asked question after question like a curious child, until Hong Qigong began to regret his decision to follow him to his temple. Why hadn't he just slept in a tree?

Regardless of whether Hong Qigong was willing to answer, Qiu Zhiching was always eager to ask: why was his finger missing? Why were his clothes cleaner than expected? Between the four of them, excluding Wang Chongyang, who was the strongest at the Mount Hua Sword Trial?

Qiu Zhiching's questions and Hong Qigong's impatient replies drifted far along the quiet mountain path, dissipating into the deep night.

Back at the Fuxing Temple, Qiu Zhiching washed up and applied ointment to his wounds. Although they had stopped bleeding, he applied the medicine to prevent infection, even having Hong Qigong help him with his back after the older man had washed his hands thoroughly. Hong Qigong was quite dissatisfied with being told his hands were dirty, and he only calmed down after eating most of the midnight snack Qiu Zhiching had prepared.

The next day, Qiu Zhiching rose early for his morning prayers and practice before heading to the imperial palace's viewing hall to study with Cui Xuzi.

As soon as he saw him, Cui Xuzi asked curiously, "You are injured?"

Qiu Zhiching was even more curious: "Uncle Master, you can calculate that?"

"Nonsense. You are also a practitioner of the Dao; how can you ask such an absurd question?" Qiu Zhiching then remembered that Cui Xuzi had once taught him about divination, but it was too complex, and he hadn't studied it diligently.

In reality, it was just like that; it was impossible to calculate everything accurately, and most answers were ambiguous. Qiu Zhiching gave a sheepish smile.

"Have you forgotten what your Uncle Master used to do? With such a strong medicinal scent, I only need to sniff to know exactly what kind of medicine you are using." Qiu Zhiching was speechless, silently chiding himself for his foolishness; he didn't even know where he was when this Uncle Master was busy healing people.

He spent the morning in the viewing hall, following Cui Xuzi and learning as he worked. Now and then, other Daoists would pass by—some from Longhu Mountain, Maoshan, Gezaoshan, and even Qingcheng Mountain.

Qiu Zhiching was accustomed to their presence. Some were experts in alchemy, some in star-gazing, and others in talismans. One Daoist even mentioned that the climate had been warming in recent years. They were all talented and spoke eloquently, and Qiu Zhiching loved being there.

"Why are you here?" Qiu Zhiching looked curiously at Qin Fei, who was blocking the entrance to the hall. He felt a bit of internal wariness. He and Qin Fei were not on the best of terms, and he didn't want to be tricked; he had heard that people like him were treacherous.

"Those children yesterday were all sent back, but there are still two whose parents cannot be found..." Qin Fei spoke as if mentioning irrelevant matters.

Qiu Zhiching didn't know how to respond. If they couldn't find their parents, were they expecting him to adopt them? He joked to himself, Mount Zhongnan was over two thousand miles away in a straight line; how could he take them?

To confirm, Qiu Zhiching asked, "You don't expect me to adopt those two children, do you?"

The question caught Qin Fei off guard, and he let out a laugh before leaning in to whisper, "Yesterday, that Assistant Prefect from Lin'an burned all the bodies. I suspect something is not right. They arrived too quickly. Be careful in the future!"

With that, he stepped back and said loudly, "In any case, our previous misunderstanding is resolved, and our grievances are cleared!"

Watching Qin Fei's retreating figure, Qiu Zhiching recalled the expert from yesterday, and the spot behind his ear that looked like either the character for "dark" or a mole. He shook his head and decided not to dwell on it. It had little to do with him. Curiosity would kill the cat, and it could kill a Daoist, too.