After breakfast, Li Jinglong did not go back. He turned into an alley with Hongjun and came to a house. They knocked on the door and entered. Hongjun had been here twice. It was the Chen family.
"What's wrong?" Hongjun asked in surprise.
Li Jinglong pondered for a moment and said to Hongjun, "I dreamt of something last night, so I came over to take a look."
When Wei-shi saw that it was Li Jinglong, she hurriedly carried her child out. The child was already one year old and was crawling around. When he saw Li Jinglong and Hongjun, he cried out, "Ah! Ah!"
"You dreamt of the Mind's Lantern?" Hongjun glanced at Li Jinglong.
Li Jinglong did not answer and took out some money to give to Wei-shi. Wei-shi hurriedly said that it was enough and that the money would not be used up. However, Li Jinglong asked her not to refuse and asked, "Have you given him a nickname?"
"He's called Houzi." Wei-shi said, "Everyone outside said that Changshi has been conferred the title of Marquis. I originally wanted to bring him over to kowtow to you, but I couldn't find a place to do so."
Wei-shi wanted to kneel, so Hongjun hurriedly helped her up. Li Jinglong said, "I'll choose a few characters and send them over. If you don't mind, you can choose one and make do with it."
Wei-shi hurriedly expressed her gratitude. Li Jinglong simply visited the child and then left with Hongjun. They walked slowly along the street.
Hongjun did not speak. The spring breeze brushed past. He felt that Li Jinglong seemed to have something on his mind. He went forward and tugged at his sleeve. His original intention was to call out to him, but Li Jinglong took his hand and held it in his own. Their fingers intertwined.
Li Jinglong's fingers tightened and said to Hongjun, "Hongjun, tell me, is it fate that the Mind's Lantern fell on me?"
Hongjun's expression changed and he replied, "Yes, this is fate."
In the past, he had not looked into it in detail. Now that he thought about it, many things were due to a freak combination of factors, karma. If he had not chased after the Flying Mastiff, he would not have met Li Jinglong, and his Mind Lamp would not have shattered. If he had given the Mind's Lamp to the true descendant of the Chen family, he might have been completely controlled by the demonized Lu Xu in Dunhuang and killed Li Jinglong and Mo Rigen …
Everything seemed to be destined by the will of the heavens. Hongjun seriously recalled the past and only felt that it was incomparably magical. However, Li Jinglong's words reminded him of another memory.
The past, which was hitherto indistinct, and which had been entirely forgotten by those who had been involved.
Li Jinglong pondered as he walked. When he reached the entrance of the Exorcism Division, Hongjun let go of his hand. Li Jinglong opened the door. Hongjun had to quickly wash his pants and quickly entered the courtyard.
"Marquis Yadan." A man's voice came from the courtyard. "You're too busy."
Hongjun hurriedly stopped and saw a person standing in the courtyard. It was Yang Guozhong!
Li Jinglong was startled and hurriedly said, "Prime Minister Yang."
Among everyone in the Exorcism Division, only Qiu Yongsi could still chat with the officials. Mo Rigen, Lu Xu, and Ashina Chong had never mingled in the officialdom, let alone the Prime Minister, who was second only to one person and above tens of thousands of people. Li Jinglong had once said that the Prime Minister had deliberately made things difficult for him. Everyone knew that Yang Guozhong was not on their side, so they all avoided exchanging greetings with Yang Guozhong to avoid being tricked by him.
Li Jinglong motioned for Hongjun to return to his room first and made a "please" gesture to Yang Guozhong. After excusing himself, he asked him to wait in the hall while he changed his clothes and came out to entertain the guests. This was the first time Yang Guozhong had received such treatment. All the officials in the country, from the three provinces to the county magistrate, who didn't bow and scrape before him?
But this group of lawless and unruly people in the Exorcism Division dared to leave him hanging in the courtyard! Even when Li Jinglong came back, he still went to change his clothes without asking! What was even more hateful was that the Exorcism Division was under his direct jurisdiction when it was first established. Li Jinglong was his old subordinate and was simply arrogant and despotic to the extreme.
Who would have thought that Li Jinglong went to change his clothes only to buy time to think. There were no carriages, no horses, and no attendants outside the alley. No one from the Supreme Court or the Ministry of Justice came with him. Only Yang Guozhong was alone. Why? How long had he been here? Why did he arrive early this morning? That was why Atay had come to inform him to return as soon as possible …
A visit early in the morning must be of great importance. Several questions flashed through Li Jinglong's mind. He washed his face, wiped his body simply in the room, buttoned up his sleeves, and hurried into the hall.
Yang Guozhong's expression was unfriendly, but Li Jinglong pretended not to see it. He parted his hands slightly, indicating that the Right Prime Minister had something to say.
"You must have been to Zhao Mausoleum," Yang Guozhong said in a low voice.
"I have." Li Jinglong wasn't surprised at all. Yang Guozhong's eyes and ears were everywhere in the city. His movements couldn't be hidden from him.
"Have you investigated the demons that appeared in Li Mountain's Huaqing Pool?"
"No." Li Jinglong shook his head.
A fish and a peng had suddenly flown out of the hot spring in Pure Flowers Palace. Li Jinglong guessed that it was most likely the two demon kings, the Kun and the Peng. Since it was related to Hongjun, he didn't plan on telling him.
"Does the matter of Zhao Mausoleum have anything to do with demons?" Yang Guozhong asked again.
Li Jinglong muttered to himself for a moment before examining Yang Guozhong with furrowed brows. "It's not clear yet."
Yang Guozhong asked, "What appeared in Zhao Mausoleum?"
Li Jinglong replied, "It's not clear yet."
Yang Guozhong leaned slightly and said in a low voice, "Marquis Yadan, the situation has already been sent to the eunuchs. Gui Fei's birthday is approaching. You should know what those fellows from the Censorate are thinking."
Li Jinglong immediately knew that Yang Guozhong couldn't sit still anymore. He thought to himself, you're afraid of impeachment now? Just as he was about to explain, Yang Guozhong said word by word, "Do you know how many people died in Qianling last night?"
Li Jinglong, "!!!"
Yang Guozhong looked at Li Jinglong with an enigmatic expression. "Presumably, you still don't know. Never mind. Twenty-five tomb guards outside Qianling were slaughtered overnight. Their necks were all broken, and not even their corpses were left intact."
Li Jinglong cursed inwardly and couldn't help but face the matter seriously. Yang Guozhong asked again, "Are you going to take a look yourself tonight?"
"I'll leave immediately. What did His Majesty say?" Li Jinglong stood up.
"The news is suppressed in the Supreme Court." Yang Guozhong replied in a low voice. "I don't care what methods you use. You must find out as soon as possible what kind of demon it is!"
Tianbao Year 13, March 18.
Case: Qianling Haunted
Difficulty: Earth-rank
Region: Liangshan North Peak's Qianling
Involved: Unknown
Case: On the 17th of March, a demon appeared outside Liangshan North Peak's Qianling Tomb and slaughtered twenty-five tomb guards.
Reward: If you catch the demon, the Yang Family will definitely reward you handsomely.
Note: Do not alarm His Majesty or anyone else. Otherwise, you will lose your life!
Li Jinglong immediately gathered all his subordinates. Yang Guozhong quickly walked out and said to Li Jinglong, "The Minister of the Supreme Court, Cheng Xiao, is still investigating the Zhaoling Case. We must find a way to cover this case."
"Right Prime Minister," Li Jinglong replied in a low voice. "This is a matter of life and death. Everything must be based on the truth."
Yang Guozhong took a deep breath as if he was about to explode in anger. Mo Rigen and the others came out and watched as Yang Guozhong angrily left.
"Follow me!" Li Jinglong led everyone through a small alley. However, they didn't leave the city. Instead, they turned into the wine shops of Atay and Trandol.
When Atay saw that everyone was ready to go, he knew that something had happened. He took his horse and was about to leave when Li Jinglong told everyone to go in and sit down.
"I didn't have time to call you back," Li Jinglong explained. "Let's just talk here."
Trandol was about to serve wine when Atay placed the tea on the table. He said, "I just received a letter from Yongsi. He'll be back soon. Let's see what he has to say."
In the Lanling Amber Wine Shop, Li Jinglong entered a private room. Everyone sat down. Atay told Trandol to keep watch outside and not let anyone come close. Li Jinglong then told everyone what Yang Guozhong said in detail.
Mo Rigen muttered, "Another one?"
Qian Ling was the place where Wu Jiong and Li Longji were buried together. After the tomb was sealed, very few people went there. Every year, when Li Longji paid respects to his ancestors, he didn't go to Qian Ling because he still hated Wu Jiong.
Ashina Chong heard this and laughed. "What do you mean? Did the ghosts of the previous emperors come out to scare your emperor? "
"Hey, be careful with your words," Atay said. "We even borrowed this place from the emperor."
Hongjun said, "I'm very sure that the guy in Zhao Ling is Xie Yu."
"I'm also sure," Lu Xu said.
"Yes." Li Jinglong nodded and muttered, "I also saw it with my own eyes. It really is Xie Yu. Or rather, it's Xie Yu's doppelganger."
Atay looked at Li Jinglong. Li Jinglong seemed to be thinking about something very difficult to conclude. He muttered to himself, "This is troublesome …"
"It's actually not him," Mo Rigen said.
"We can't make a conclusion yet," Li Jinglong said. "But this makes things complicated. If it's not him … then who is it?"
"What's so troublesome?" Hongjun's brain couldn't keep up. He felt that Mo Rigen, Atay, and Li Jinglong had reached some kind of strange consensus. Lu Xu and himself were completely outside of the situation.
"What are you guys talking about?" Hongjun saw that the atmosphere was silent. He was the only one who was completely outside of the situation. He suddenly felt a little sad. Even though his relationship with Li Jinglong had changed, it was as if they had returned to the time when they were all protecting him and hiding everything from him.
Li Jinglong immediately noticed the slight change in his expression and hurriedly said, "Hongjun, actually …"
"It's okay." Hongjun wanted to get up and said, "I'll boil some water and make some tea for you."
Li Jinglong grabbed his arm and didn't let him leave. He hesitated for a moment, as if he had made up his mind, and said, "I'm not telling you because I don't want to trouble you."
Mo Rigen made a cage gesture. Li Jinglong understood and nodded. He meant that Hongjun wasn't afraid of Xie Yu, at least for now. There was no harm in letting him know.
"Tell me," Hongjun said.
"These days, we've been deducing." Li Jinglong leaned against a wooden bench behind the table and frowned. "Where exactly is Xie Yu's lair? Could it be like the nine-tailed fox, turning into a human and hiding in Chang 'an? "
Lu Xu said seriously, "When I was in Dunhuang, I heard Xie Yu mention several times that the nine-tailed celestial fox in Chang 'an had died. It must be near Chang' an."
"I've already checked the details with Lu Xu." Mo Rigen interrupted. "That's all we have."
Only then did Hong Jun realize that they were actually already pushing and secretly investigating things that he didn't understand.
"So?" Hongjun said, "What's the conclusion?"
Usually, Hongjun only needed to listen to the conclusion, but this time, even Li Jinglong couldn't make up his mind.
Li Jinglong immediately became alert when he heard footsteps outside. Hearing Trandol's conversation, everyone heaved a sigh of relief. Atay hurriedly pulled open the curtain and said, "Yongsi is back!"
Hongjun laughed. Qiu Yongsi was travel-worn. He squeezed into the private room and said, "Ah, I'm so tired. Sister-in-law, give me some tea! "
After Qiu Yongsi left for a few days, Hongjun felt that something was missing in the Exorcist Division. Now, everyone was finally here.
"How's Luoyang?" Li Jinglong asked.
"Let's talk about you guys first." Qiu Yongsi took the teacup and drank a few mouthfuls. "I'll add more when we're done."
"There's a big problem in Chang 'an." Li Jinglong said.
"No way." Qiu Yongsi complained. "I thought you guys were here drinking and investigating a case."
The Carp Demon sat cross-legged on Hongjun's lap and said, "Second Brother, continue. Where do you think Xie Yu is?"
Li Jinglong said, "It's in Chang 'an. It's most likely in Xingqing Palace, and it's also very likely that it's beside Her Majesty."
"Ah?!" Hongjun exclaimed in surprise.
Everyone was silent. Lu Xu glanced at Li Jinglong and then at Hongjun. Hongjun remembered that Lu Xu had once said that Li Jinglong had some kind of "talent". He could always miraculously come up with incredible conjectures from missing information.
"Why do you say that?" Hongjun couldn't help but ask.
Mo Rigen said, "Although it's very ridiculous, I think it's very possible now that Chang 'an mentioned it."
"Xie Yu knows the situation in Chang 'an like the back of his hand." Li Jinglong took a sip of tea and said slowly, "There are two explanations. First, his eyes and ears are reporting to him at all times. Second, he's in Chang 'an. "
"After the death of the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox, the demons scattered. At least for a period of time, there were no demons in the city. After the death of the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox, Xie Yu must have placed another spy in Chang 'an. However, after the death of the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox, I paid special attention to the situation in the city, and there were no abnormalities. "
"After leaving Chang 'an and returning to Liangzhou, I checked the files of the Supreme Court, and there were no abnormalities."
"Hongjun, Qing Xiong also told you that the Demon King is in Chang 'an. Therefore, I guessed that Xie Yu has never left and has always been here. "
Hongjun, "…"
Qiu Yongsi obviously knew Li Jinglong's initial guess. He interrupted, "If I were him, with the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox leading the way, it wouldn't be difficult for him to hide by Her Majesty's side."
Li Jinglong nodded and said, "It's very likely that he's one of the officials in the court."
Hongjun said, "That's impossible!"
Although Hongjun didn't know much about the court of the Tang Dynasty, he had seen many officials with Li Jinglong. If the Hei Jiao's Xie Yu was hiding among the officials, it would be quite terrifying.
"We don't have a clear clue." Li Jinglong said to Hongjun, "There's only a vague direction. Xie Yu will definitely be very, very careful. In fact, it would be unreasonable if he revealed a clue."
Qiu Yongsi nodded and said, "Yes, if there are obvious clues that can lead people to the melon, then there's a problem."
"Think about it." Atay said, "If he could even replace the Madam of Guo, how difficult would it be for Xie Yu to change officials?"
Hongjun thought that it was very possible. Li Jinglong said, "In fact, from the day the Madam of Guo was executed, I had a vague suspicion."
"Who could it be?" the Carp Demon asked.
"The first suspect is Yang Guozhong," Li Jinglong said.
Hongjun couldn't help but feel a chill down his spine. He said in a trembling voice, "That's impossible!"
He had seen Yang Guozhong many times, but he didn't feel that he was a demon. Qiu Yongsi said, "It's very possible. A big demon like Xie Yu can change his appearance at will. If an ordinary exorcist can see through him, he won't be able to do anything."
"But now I don't think so." Li Jinglong frowned and said, "The second suspect is Gao Lishi."
"No." Qiu Yongsi shook his head and said.