“You found it?” Xu Qi An blurted out, unable to contain his excitement as he turned his head to stare at the orange cat.
The orange cat kept a wary eye on the Night Watchmen’s Office as it spoke, “Not long ago, I sensed the presence of Number Six’s earth book fragment… But on my way to find you, the connection between the fragments was severed.”
“Then Number Six…” Xu Qi An’s expression changed slightly.
The orange cat shook its head, “I don’t know the specifics, but our previous guess was correct. He was indeed sealed away. Just now, the seal must have been broken for some reason.”
At this point, the cat paused, not continuing further.
Why was the seal suddenly removed? There were only two possibilities: One, Number Six had been moved. Two, Number Six was gone.
“Quickly, go notify Wei Yuan,” the orange cat urged.
It was difficult to read the cat’s expressionless face, but Xu Qi An could hear the hidden anxiety in the Daoist Master’s tone.
Although the Daoist Master was an old fox, he still cared deeply for the members of the Tiandihu… For me, this is a good thing. I can seek his help if I encounter trouble in the future… Xu Qi An nodded and said, “I’ll go right away.”
He sprinted into the office.
After his silhouette disappeared, the orange cat snorted softly, pondering:
What exactly is Luo Yuheng thinking? She hasn’t intervened at all from beginning to end. With her cultivation level and age, her tribulation shouldn’t have come yet. There’s no reason for her not to take action.
She wants to be the Imperial Mentor but is unwilling to dual cultivate with the emperor. I don’t know what she’s plotting. Sigh, let’s save Number Six first if he’s still alive.
As he was thinking, Daoist Master Jinlian heard a cat’s meow. He tilted his head to look and saw a large gray cat approaching, circling him and sniffing incessantly.
Daoist Master Jinlian ignored it and continued to ponder. Suddenly, the gray cat moved behind him and pounced…
Huh? Daoist Master Jinlian was stunned for a moment before reacting with fury. He turned and gave the gray cat a series of punches.
…
Xu Qi An ran at full speed, sprinting into Haoqi Tower. Without wasting time waiting to be announced, he pulled out his gold token while running and barked at the guards, “Urgent matter, get out of the way.”
Arriving on the seventh floor, he saw Wei Yuan standing with his hands behind his back in the observation hall. Wei Yuan spoke first, “What’s the matter?”
“Lord Wei, we may have news about Henghu,” Xu Qi An said, getting straight to the point without unnecessary words.
“How did you find out?” Wei Yuan turned to face him.
“Daoist Master Jinlian of the Tiandihu finally locked onto Number Six’s location through the connection between earth book fragments not long ago,” Xu Qi An explained. “Number Six of the Tiandihu is Henghu’s senior disciple, a monk from Qinglong Temple named Hengyuan. He disappeared without a trace while investigating his junior disciple Henghu’s whereabouts. I suspect he was sealed away by either Henghu or the demon clan.”
In other words, wherever Number Six is, there might be either demons or Henghu. Whichever it is, it’s worth paying attention to.
Wei Yuan nodded and returned to the tea room. He quickly wrote on a document at the table and affixed his jade seal. “Take my order to Yang Yan and have him mobilize all the Gold-badge constables. They are to assemble in the front courtyard of the office within a quarter of an hour. You don’t need to worry about anything else.”
“Daoist Master Jinlian is just outside the office. We’ll need him to lead the way…” Xu Qi An said in a low voice.
“I know,” Wei Yuan nodded.
“There’s one more issue,” Xu Qi An hesitated before continuing, “Henghu is in the inner city. If a battle breaks out, ordinary citizens will inevitably be injured or killed.”
Large-scale evacuation of nearby civilians would certainly alert the other side. Although the Astronomical Bureau’s formations were profound, they couldn’t be set up in advance, rendering them useless.
“This is unavoidable,” Wei Yuan stared at him intently, offering guidance. “This is also something I’ve wanted to tell you. I, too, despise those who disregard human life, but sometimes we must know how to make trade-offs.
“Henghu is involved in the Sangbo case, related to the sealed objects, and tied to the demon clan’s schemes. As long as there’s a chance, we must spare no effort to capture or kill him.
“Never let momentary moral considerations lead you to prioritize small matters over larger ones. That will only result in more severe consequences.
“I’ve read the files on the Ping Yuan Marquis family’s extermination case. Sealed objects prefer to devour blood essence to strengthen themselves. Although Henghu hasn’t caused any massacres yet, we can’t guarantee he’ll remain quietly dormant forever. Given the power of sealed objects, if he were to indiscriminately devour the blood essence of ordinary people, it would cause even more severe casualties.”
Wei Yuan is warning me not to repeat my previous mistake… He didn’t say anything outwardly about the incident with Constable Zhu, but he doesn’t approve of my actions… He’s a strategist, while I’m a policeman, although I’m keen on comforting the big sisters at the Court of Imperial Entertainers… Well, that’s not being a scoundrel, it’s wanting to give them a home.
As these thoughts flashed through his mind, he cupped his fists and said, “Understood.”
Xu Qi An withdrew with the order in hand.
He immediately went to find Yang Yan, encountering the stone-faced Gold-badge constable in the Divine Spear Hall. Meeting the other’s questioning gaze, he handed over Wei Yuan’s written order.
After reading it, Yang Yan’s sculpted face showed a trace of solemnity. “What has happened for my adoptive father to summon all Gold-badge constables?”
“We’ve discovered what seems to be Monk Henghu’s hideout,” Xu Qi An said.
Yang Yan’s gaze instantly sharpened. He stood up, extending his hand, and the silver spear resting on the wooden rack flew into his grasp with a “whoosh.”
“Constable Yang…” Xu Qi An called out, asking curiously, “With no Gold badge constables stationed at the office, won’t Lord Wei’s safety be at risk?”
“I don’t know,” Yang Yan shook his head.
Don’t know? Xu Qi An looked at him in bewilderment as he explained, “No one knows how many or how strong the protective forces around my adoptive father are.”
Keeping the security forces confidential? Making it impossible to discern what’s real and what’s not… Wei Yuan is truly an old schemer who loves to play mind games.
Soon, the on-duty gold badge constables were summoned and assembled in the front courtyard of the office.
Thirty Silver-badge constables were also called up, but no Bronze-badge constables. In case of conflict, any number of Bronze-badge constables would just be cannon fodder.
Xu Qi An ran out to the entrance of the Night Watchmen’s Office, looking around. He spotted the orange cat near a wonton stall not far away.
“Daoist Master Jinlian, come here, come here…” Xu Qi An waved.
The orange cat completely ignored him, staring longingly at the big pot, sniffing the aroma wafting from it.
What’s wrong with the Daoist Master? Is he hungry? While Xu Qi An was puzzled, he heard a familiar voice from behind: “I’m here.”
Turning around, he saw a large gray cat standing behind him, quietly watching him.