Chapter 70: Exposed

County Prefecture.

The lord of the county, Pang Jiuling, finished reading the secret letter in his hand and let out a deep sigh.

Sitting across from him, Supervising Censor Chen Zhongyi frowned and asked, "The Governor still refuses to send us reinforcements?"

"See for yourself." Pang handed him the letter.

Chen took the secret missive and read it quickly, his expression darkening. In the letter, the Governor of Xiang Prefecture instructed Jiangning County to continue suppressing the rebels on its own. The letter also expressed great dissatisfaction with Jiangning's performance: for an uprising in a mere seven counties, suppression had dragged on far too long without success.

From the perspective of those above, Jiangning comprised twenty-eight counties, only seven of which were affected by rebellion. Compared to neighboring Nanyang County, which had fallen to the rebels in large part, Jiangning's troubles seemed negligible.

In the end, the Governor stated he would send only a thousand troops as reinforcements, soon to arrive.

"Just a thousand reinforcements—it's barely a drop in the bucket."

"It seems we can stop hoping for more reinforcements for now. The Prefecture has fifty thousand troops, but forty thousand have already been sent to suppress Nanyang County next door. Getting more soldiers for ourselves is extremely difficult," Chen Zhongyi said with resignation.

The reason most of the Prefecture's forces were dispatched to Nanyang was simple: the rebels had seized most of that county, so naturally the main force was sent there to restore order.

Originally, Xiang Prefecture had a hundred thousand troops; but a year ago, the court drafted fifty thousand northward to resist the Yuan. Had that not happened, with a full force of a hundred thousand, the Xiang Prefecture rebellion might have been quelled long ago.

"Our funds and provisions are dwindling as well. If this continues..."

"The court's power is waning, the sun setting on its reign. The rebels in Jiangning show traces of the Scarlet Faith's remnants; Nanyang's rebels bear signs of the Yellow Turban cult. Those great sects, driven away centuries ago, have returned. Now that they're back, the National Faith, the Liuli Sect, hasn't sent anyone to eradicate them!" Pang Jiuling said gravely.

"Pang, shut up. I don't want to die with you," Chen Zhongyi retorted coldly.

Pang Jiuling glanced at him. "Hmph!"

...

In the slaughterhouse north of the city.

Altar Master Dong Haobo was summoned to Zhou Wuzhi's room.

"Well, how is the investigation into Zhu Fengyin's disappearance going?" Zhou Wuzhi asked.

Today, he had sent men to contact the Jin League in Huangsha Town, paid a deposit, and received assurance that a batch of heavy armor would be delivered in ten days.

He had also shared a piece of news: that Zhu Fengyin had likely vanished after failing to keep her appointment. The Jin League asked for his help investigating, and he readily agreed.

"Master, there are no valuable leads. What we've found is much the same as before: the squad leader He Xiongjian is dead, most likely killed by Zhu Fengyin. Then, she disappeared."

"We dug deeper and discovered an interesting clue, which even connects to our former deputy altar master Wang Kuntai," Dong Haobo said.

"Oh? Go on," Zhou Wuzhi stroked his chin.

"The origin of Zhu Fengyin's brother's death lies in the twelfth patrol squad discovering heavy armor from the Four Seas Trading Company. Later, Chief Constable Huo Boru recaptured two men who had escaped from Four Seas Trading. Because of that, Zhu Fengyin placed her hatred on the entire twelfth squad, its deputy leader He Xiongjian, and even Huo Boru himself."

"The fact she killed He Xiongjian proves it."

"Leaving Zhu Fengyin aside, our investigation found that only one deputy captain, Qin Feng, survived the twelfth squad's raid on Four Seas Trading! Do you remember the incident in Lijia Town? Wang, our deputy altar master, died there. Qin Feng is a suspect, so you ordered one of our incense masters in the city to test him. Whether the incense master did so or not, soon after, his base was conveniently discovered by the city guard, who wiped it out—none escaped!"

"We found that Qin Feng's cultivation is only third stage. Why was he the only survivor from Lijia Town? Why was he the sole survivor from Four Seas Trading? Is his luck not a little too extraordinary?" Dong Haobo said, smiling.

"His luck is indeed excessive. At the time, Incense Master Lu should have received my secret instructions, but whether he actually tested Qin Feng, we can't know—he died and left no evidence," Zhou Wuzhi nodded.

After that incense master and his city base were destroyed, Zhou had put the matter out of mind.

He hadn't expected the investigation to reveal that Qin Feng was indeed suspicious.

"So, if Qin Feng is a hidden master, and if Zhu Fengyin, after killing He Xiongjian, sought him out as well—after all, unless she was foolish, she wouldn't confront Huo Boru. She ought to vent her fury on He Xiongjian and the twelfth squad's lone survivor, Qin Feng. That's the most likely scenario," Dong Haobo analyzed.

"Even if Zhu Fengyin vanished without targeting Qin Feng, since he went to Lijia Town and may be linked to Wang's death, we must test him regardless!"

"Yes, you're right. To prevent any mishap, tonight, you and I, and a few skilled men, will probe Qin Feng together," Zhou Wuzhi said.

As a hall master, he rarely acted personally, preferring to delegate minor tasks. But hearing Qin Feng's story, he sensed something unusual.

So he would go himself, ensuring absolute safety.

Even if Qin Feng had managed to kill Zhu Fengyin, Zhou would not fear him, for he could kill an eighth-stage Zhu Fengyin himself.

Hearing that the hall master would act personally, Dong Haobo naturally approved. Even a lion uses its full strength to catch a rabbit; only thus can success be guaranteed.

...

On the evening after work, Qin Yi went to a restaurant for dinner. Since his father had sent him to the Fangxian Daoist sect, he usually ate out.

On the second floor, he found a seat by the window.

He watched the throng in the street as he waited for his food.

"Have you heard? The situation in the north remains grim—three more cities lost just days ago!" the burly man at the adjacent table said, spittle flying.

"The Northern Yuan cavalry is truly formidable! The north is mostly plains, making our fight difficult. But if those iron cavalry reach the south, ha, with our rivers and forests, they won't fare nearly so well."

"You fools, do you know why the Northern Yuan suddenly launched an attack on Dayong?" another burly man squinted.

The other men looked at him, waiting for an answer.

"Forget it. Too many ears here. Maybe another time," he said, falling silent.