Chapter 165: Miss Yan’s Clue
Hearing Gu Changxiao’s voice, Yan Shi’er, who had been unable to sit up, suddenly straightened up and shouted outside the tent:
“Gu, are you out there? If you’re a man, you should own up to what you’ve done! Hand over the Prince!”
Han Xing sighed helplessly, “Miss Yan, Daoist Ji is truly not here.”
Gu Changxiao also said, “The person you’re looking for isn’t here. As for where he is, we’re also waiting for news. After you’ve recovered, this King will arrange for someone to send you back to Yandi.”
Yan Shi’er spat heavily, “You heartless scoundrels! After how good the Prince was to you! I won’t leave until I find the Prince!”
These shouts seemed to have used up all her strength, and she once again fell heavily back onto the animal hide mat.
At the same time, Jin Sui was using a telescope to look for clues. She no longer cared if Yan Jiu noticed, and took out ten telescopes from her space, giving them to the Yan Clan Bodyguards.
She, Liu Yun, Yan Jiu, and over a dozen bodyguards were riding horses in the wilderness, searching for Shi’er.
Because just last night, someone found several corpses in the snow, gnawed beyond recognition by wolves, and Shi’er’s waist token was found among the bodies.
When the blood-stained waist token was presented to Yan Jiu, his face instantly turned pale, his lips trembling. He, who had always been particular about cleanliness, snatched the blood-stained waist token and looked at the character ‘Jin’ on it.
Jin Sui was also startled and disbelievingly asked someone to take her to the pile of corpses to examine them one by one. Fortunately, they were all male corpses.
Furthermore, from their clothing and appearance, she guessed that these were all bandits, and they had suffered fire burns before their deaths.
Being burned to such an extent could only be done by fish oil firearms. She quickly informed Yan Jiu of this news:
“Miss Yan fought with them and used a large amount of fish oil firearms. She either escaped or was captured by the bandits and taken back to their stronghold.”
Regardless of which situation it was, they had to find Yan Shi’er as soon as possible. If it was the former, she might be seriously injured and fleeing alone in the cold Northern Frontier, which would be fatal.
If it was the latter, they had to find her even faster. With so many of their men dead, the bandits would surely torture her for revenge.
Yan Jiu immediately ordered the team to halt their advance and search an area of a hundred li for Yan Shi’er and the bandits’ stronghold.
Yan Jiu had originally asked Jin Sui to stay with the team, but she naturally disagreed and dragged Liu Yun along to search for clues.
Her heart burned with pain. The thought of what Yan Shi’er might be going through made Jin Sui wish she could burn this entire world with fish oil.
She also regretted not saying goodbye to Shi’er before they parted. Otherwise, that simple girl wouldn’t have done something like this.
Her Northward Journey could be said to be for the sake of the Black Feather Army’s camaraderie, to rescue the brothers who had fought alongside her.
As for Shi’er, she truly did it for herself…
It was too cold; her exhaled breath turned into white mist, and the tears that rolled down her cheeks turned into crystal clear ice beads.
Shi’er, please don’t be alright!
Gods above, since you could respond to Ling JinSui’s request and bring my soul from another world, a thousand years later, to this place.
Then please also respond to my request! I am willing to shorten my lifespan by fifty years in exchange for Shi’er’s safety!
Liu Yun had been quietly observing Jin Sui, filled with surprise. He hadn’t expected her to be so decisive and ruthless when disguised as Li King.
Now, for Miss Yan, she was so gentle. Truly a woman of changing moods.
After searching for three days, there were still no clues. Jin Sui comforted herself, no clues were the best clues.
On the fourth day, the weather changed drastically, and it began to snow lightly. Although the snow was light, the wind was strong, whipping up the remaining snow on the ground like a sandstorm, disorienting them.
A small team reported finding a lost Xia Soldier.
This was surprising. Could Gu Changxiao’s team be nearby?
When the soldier, whose face was pale and blue from the cold, was brought over, Yan Jiu recognized him, “It’s a Meteor Horse, from the border city.”
Jin Sui was shocked again. Meteor Horses were messengers, and being from the border city could only mean he was sent by Cheng Yu.
She quickly personally administered aid. Although the person was saved, he remained unconscious for a long time, and Jin Sui found no letter on him.
Yan Jiu guessed that it might have fallen on the road. He was clearly lost, and his horse had died halfway. If he had been found half a day later, he would have surely died.
After picking up Liu Yun, the team found another messenger. Jin Sui handed the person over to Liu Yun to care for:
“This messenger from the border city is your colleague. You are responsible for his safety. Once we catch up to the Prince, you two can rejoin the team.”
Liu Yun expressed confusion at the word ‘colleague.’ “I am the Prince’s Personal Guard, an Old Guard who has been by his side since Chang’an. This is Cheng Yu’s messenger, how can he be considered a colleague?”
However, he still obediently took care of the patient, only hoping that the other person would wake up soon so he could ask what message Cheng Yu had sent, and if it concerned the Prince’s safety.
On the fifth day, they finally found a clue to the bandits’ stronghold. They happened to encounter a shepherdess who was trapped by a blizzard.
The Yan Clan exchanged two bags of wheat for her to act as a guide, leading them to the tribe of ‘Han Chinese.’
Yan Jiu had initially strongly disagreed with Jin Sui accompanying them, but after Jin Sui produced her hand crossbow and fish oil firearms, Yan Jiu had nothing more to say.
At the same time, Liu Yun insisted on going. He wasn’t going to kill bandits and rescue Yan Shi’er, but to ensure Daoist Ji’s survival.
Jin Sui realized that when speaking with children like Liu Yun, one couldn’t be indirect; direct commands were necessary.
Just like Gu Changxiao’s command was to protect Daoist Ji’s safety and ‘obey Daoist Ji,’ he would carry out the mission.
When these two tasks conflicted, he would resolutely execute the first.
The shepherdess, anxious to take the wheat home to share with her family, led them down a small path that surprisingly led directly into the mountain stronghold.
This shocked all the bandits. The sentries outside hadn’t seen anyone approach, yet the enemy had already reached the backyard.
When questioned by the Yan Clan, they were furious, “Our stronghold doesn’t even have a ewe, where would we have women? Are you looking for us because you lost your woman?”
“Get out! No, leave the grain and silver, and then get out!”
Jin Sui was burning with anxiety and had no time for their nonsense. She first threw two fish oil firearms to intimidate them, “Hand over the person! Otherwise, I will burn your entire stronghold to the ground!”
Yan Jiu was relatively calm and advised her, “Don’t use fire. If Shi’er is imprisoned in an underground tunnel or something, you might injure her!”
If fire couldn’t be used, then anesthetics and cold arrows would be used. In short, a fight broke out. Except for a few bandits who escaped, all the others were captured by the Yan Clan Bodyguards and knelt before Yan Jiu for interrogation.
Jin Sui, meanwhile, led people to search the entire stronghold, shouting Shi’er’s name.
It was ultimately confirmed that this was a temporary resting place for the bandits, hence the absence of women and children. A dozen of them had indeed gone out ‘hunting’ a few days ago but had never returned.
Jin Sui had the corpses brought over for them to identify. The bloodthirsty bandits, upon seeing the wolf-gnawed remains, actually vomited.
What useless creatures!
After vomiting, they answered Yan Jiu’s questions more honestly, and their gaze towards Jin Sui changed drastically. This was clearly not a beautiful lady, but a fierce woman!
She could look at such terrifying remains without batting an eye! And the way she looked at them was as if they were already dead.
Indeed, Shi’er was not found in this stronghold. Yan Jiu ordered all the bandits to be killed and hung in the forest outside the stronghold to deter the escaped bandits.
Jin Sui, as she wished, turned the stronghold into a sea of fire, successfully destroying one of the bandit’s dens.
However, the clue to finding Shi’er was lost again. Jin Sui hired the shepherdess again with food, wanting to ask her to help lead a team to inquire in the herdsmen’s tribes.
The shepherdess agreed to her face but slipped away afterward. She was very familiar with the surrounding terrain and hid herself so well that they couldn’t find her.
Yan Jiu analyzed, “She was willing to lead the way to the bandits because the bandits are Han Chinese, and the Northern Frontier people are very willing to see Han Chinese kill each other.”
“But she was unwilling to bring us, dangerous Han Chinese, to the tribes of the Northern Frontier herdsmen.”
“But we just want to find someone, we won’t harm them!”
“But what the shepherdess saw was us killing fierce bandits and burning their stronghold.”
“What do we do? The clue is lost, how do we find Shi’er?”
Yan Jiu pondered over the map and finally left dozens of people to investigate the area. Any news would be sent to the post station where they had previously stayed, and the shopkeeper would have a way to contact Yan Jiu.
The rest of the group continued to advance, disregarding the wind and snow, and hurried to the next post station, hoping to find a clue to Shi’er there.
The journey that followed became much faster. During the day, both Yan Jiu and Jin Sui did not ride in carriages, but rode horses forward despite the cold wind.
Seven days later, the team arrived at the first city in the Northern Frontier named ‘Cloud City.’ It was called a city, but it didn’t even have city walls.
In Jin Sui’s opinion, it was just a larger tribe. The Northern Frontier people lived in felt tents, but they had also built some wooden huts, which were used to store goods.
There was a market, a lake, a river, and roads. In the eyes of the Northern Frontier people, this was a city! They had even formally named it Cloud City.
This made Jin Sui couldn’t help but ponder what name to give her new border city when it was built. She couldn’t possibly still call it Border City, could she? It wasn’t as nice as the city names in the Northern Frontier.
Let’s call it a four-character name. Four-character names are imposing and sound good, like Shangri-La, Urumqi, they just sound good!
How about ‘Limitless Wrath’? I wonder if Gu Changxiao would agree…
Three days ago, Jin Sui and her group arrived at another post station, and were very disappointed to find no clues about Shi’er. However, they learned that Gu Changxiao’s team had passed through five days ago.
Jin Sui was surprised, “Why are they traveling so slowly? An army should be faster than us!”
From an initial difference of over ten days in their journeys, it had now narrowed to only five days. Jin Sui couldn’t help but worry, could someone be sick?
Did they bring the medicine she left behind?
Yan Jiu, however, had another suspicion, “Perhaps they are waiting for that Meteor Horse.”
The messenger remained drowsy and had not woken up. Liu Yun fed him medicine and liquid food every day.
Jin Sui had suspected that the letter was hidden in his clothes or scalp, and had Liu Yun search him from head to toe, but still found nothing.
After arriving at Cloud City, Jin Sui specifically inquired, and Gu Changxiao had not passed through here.
Yan Jiu guessed that he was heading directly to the Northern Frontier Royal Court, which was why he didn’t rest in Cloud City. As for why Yan Jiu had to stop here, it was naturally to look for Shi’er.
The main force camped outside the city. Yan Jiu took only a dozen people into the city. When the group entered a felt tent with the word ‘Trade’ hanging on it, the shopkeeper inside immediately came to bow and greet Yan Jiu.
Jin Sui then learned that much of the trade in Cloud City was conducted by the Yanzhou Gentry. To avoid Jin Sui’s misunderstanding, Yan Jiu specifically explained, “We will not do business in strategic supplies with the Northern Frontier people.”
Jin Sui nodded, “I am not narrow-minded. Being able to exchange ordinary goods for warhorses, animal hides, and other supplies from the Northern Frontier people is a good thing.”
“Besides, I also want to do some business with the Northern Frontier people myself. Since the Head of the Family has the channels, we can cooperate.”
Yan Jiulang smiled. This was the first time he had smiled since finding Shi’er’s waist token.
“Miss Ji, your insight is indeed sharp, and you see things with foresight.”
“The Imperial Court, in order to restrict Yandi’s development, has many restrictions on trade from the Central Plains and Jiangnan to Yandi. If trade with the Northern Frontier is also cut off, the number of refugees in Yandi will increase.”
“What kind of business do you want to do in the Northern Frontier? If it’s a Rouge Shop or a restaurant, it might be difficult.”
Jin Sui shook her head, “It’s not those two. Let’s talk about it after we find Shi’er.”
Cloud City was equivalent to Great Xia’s Yanzhou, both being the first major cities on the border. However, the population difference was significant, especially with trade cut off in winter, the city was quite deserted.
But upon learning of the Yan Clan Head’s arrival, within half a day, nearly a hundred shopkeepers came to pay their respects, all arranged there by the Yandi Gentry.
Yan Jiu was known for his generosity. To everyone who came, he gave generous gifts and entrusted them with the task of finding Shi’er. Whether they found the person or a clue, the Yan Clan promised a substantial reward.
Thus, the team temporarily settled in Cloud City. Jin Sui had her own felt tent. To make the appearance of glassware more plausible, she borrowed a kiln and pretended to be firing it inside.
In addition, she would take Liu Yun, dressed in Northern Frontier attire and with their faces covered, to wander around the city.
Liu Yun asked her, “What are we doing wandering around like this? Why don’t we go find the Prince first!”
He was anxious about Yan Jiu’s decision to stay, and if they delayed any longer, they wouldn’t be able to catch up to the Prince.
Jin Sui was naturally also anxious. What if Gu Changxiao reached the Royal Court and the group was killed by the Northern Frontier King? But if she couldn’t find Shi’er, she couldn’t just leave.
“Let’s take this opportunity to scout the terrain of the Northern Frontier clearly, and also gather information on the various forces and tribes in the Northern Frontier. If the Prince were to counterattack the Northern Frontier in the future, this would be intelligence!”
Three days passed in a blink of an eye. As Jin Sui was preparing to go out, she saw a shopkeeper rushing to report, “Yan Clan Head, we have news!”
“East of the city, at the foot of the Snowy Mountain, herdsmen have discovered the young lady you are looking for.”
Yan Jiu immediately stood up, “Where is the specific location?”
The shopkeeper quickly said he could lead the way personally. Yan Jiu immediately gathered manpower to go with him, and Jin Sui naturally followed.
For some reason, she felt that this shopkeeper was overly enthusiastic. Although it was for the reward, he was still too enthusiastic, as if afraid Yan Jiu wouldn’t trust him.
Jin Sui quietly packed her fish oil firearms, hand crossbow, and anesthetic weapons, and followed beside Yan Jiu.
She didn’t voice her doubts because she knew Yan Jiu was already extremely anxious. She wouldn’t let go of even the slightest clue.
And she was the same! At worst, she would be tricked once.
They galloped on horseback, and in an hour, they reached the foot of the Snowy Mountain, but there were no tribes here, not even a shepherd in sight.
Jin Sui quickly asked, “Where is the person?”
The shopkeeper suddenly spurred his horse towards the forest at the foot of the mountain, shouting, “I’ve brought the person! Release my family!”
