Chapter 241: Before He Arrives, His Voice Comes First (Revised)

The turmoil at Lishan Sword Hut, deliberately exaggerated by those with ulterior motives, spread throughout the surrounding prefectures by the next morning.

Southern military officers secretly crossed the border, colluding with Southern Border poison shamans to harm Li Huaichuan, the old sect master who was patrolling Lishan as usual, and severely injured Lu Yan, an elder of the Righteous Path who rushed to investigate.

This heinous act directly sparked a massive uproar in both the court and the countryside, prompting countless righteous men to spontaneously rush to Lizhou to hunt down these Southern Border madmen who showed no respect for Northern Zhou.

Liu Dangui, the sect master of the Profound Heaven Sword Tomb and the foremost martial artist of the North, though having no personal friendship with Li Huaichuan, knew his master and the founder of Lishan Sword Hut were comrades-in-arms; upon hearing the news, he immediately issued a martial arts world arrest warrant.

As the representative of the Daoist sects in Northern Zhou, the Zhuji Sect could not remain indifferent; accordingly, the Huang Lin Temple, as the ancestral seat, also ordered all sects to search for this youth.

The reason they did not issue a 'Warrant for the Slaughter by All Sects' was purely because Xie Jinhuan's identity was special and his reputation for chivalry too great; without understanding the full circumstances, it was unwise to strike a fatal blow.

The Northern Zhou cultivation path consists of four branches: Dao, Buddhism, Martial Arts, and Wu; however, the Buddhist sect follows the ascetic path, and due to their sect's nature, they all stay away from worldly conflicts, practicing asceticism in harsh lands and not interfering in secular affairs; thus, only the 'Dao, Martial Arts, and Wu' three families handle matters for the Northern Zhou Righteous Path.

Now that the leaders of both the Dao and Martial Arts families have issued arrest warrants, everyone's gaze is surely turning toward the Wu Sect's Zhuji Sect, which holds the Great Imperial Temple.

The Zhuji Sect is revered as the state religion of Northern Zhou; the status of its Zhang Sect, Chen Chi, is equivalent to Lu Wu Zhen before his demotion, with one hand covering the sky and his word carrying the weight of nine tripods; even the Emperor welcomes him with the title 'Imperial High Priest' and treats him with utmost respect.

With a supreme-grade official killed in Lizhou and the Vice Minister of the Great Imperial Temple beaten, and the perpetrators being Southern cultivators, whether out of respect for the order of the cultivation path or national law, Chen Chi must provide an explanation, otherwise he will fail to convince the people.

But what confuses countless cultivators is that, faced with such a humiliating disgrace, the Great Imperial Temple has, against its usual nature, fallen into silence and has yet to respond.

Thus, as soon as the news broke in the morning, by noon public outrage had erupted; cultivators cursed the Zhuji Sect for having no backbone, while imperial censors and remonstrators in the court demanded they resign if they could not handle the job.

Facing the surging public opinion, Chen Chi truly had no choice; after all, this was not a simple case of bandits causing trouble, and it was obvious that powerful forces behind the scenes were fanning the flames to make the situation worse.

Xie Jinhuan is valued by the Southern Emperor, and his reputation for chivalry in the south is deeply rooted among the people; if the Northern Zhou court launches a manhunt, even if the Southern Emperor does not wish to wage war, he will have to mobilize troops and generals to exert pressure at the border; if Xie Jinhuan truly dies during the manhunt, both sides will be forced to fight regardless.

Even if the Southern imperial family is chaotic, their national strength is clearly visible and has not reached the point of imminent collapse; with such a grand justification for war, the military and people will respond with resentment, and their combat effectiveness will not be poor.

Meanwhile, the situation in Northern Zhou is not as strong as it appears on the surface; the matter of the 'Young Emperor assuming personal rule' has already split the court into two factions; Empress Dowager Guo's rule is also domineering, and even powerful local families and those in Mobei and the Western Regions dare not speak out, secretly engaging in small-scale actions all along.

Therefore, if a real war breaks out, Northern Zhou has no guarantee of certain victory; as long as they show weakness to the outside or suffer losses of cities and territory, Empress Dowager Guo could be toppled by a coalition of various forces.

Empress Dowager Guo's intention was for Chen Chi to handle the matter quietly, suppress it as soon as possible, and not harm Xie Jinhuan in the slightest.

As a member of Empress Dowager Guo's faction, Chen Chi knew this matter was difficult to handle; for the sake of the greater good, he could only comply, secretly sending people to search for Xie Jinhuan, while publicly exhausting his brain to spout nonsense, appearing tough on the surface but with words that clearly implied:

"The Great Zhou governs the country according to law; everything must be based on evidence; only after the truth is uncovered can we act impartially. I know everyone is anxious, but please do not be anxious for now..."

And among all, the most agitated were the Southern diplomatic delegation and Xie Jinhuan's old man!

Princess Changning has now been re-titled as the Great Qian Princess; the Northern Zhou court attached great importance to this, arranging her lodging in a large mansion on Duanli Street.

At noon, the main hall of the mansion was crowded with people; Li Jing, the director of the Imperial Academy leading the delegation, along with accompanying celestial officials Jing Wuniang, Monk Jingkong, and others, gathered to discuss matters, while Yang Dabiao and Feiji rushed in and out, reporting news just gathered from outside.

The Southern scholars who accompanied them were supposed to stay at the Four Directions Guesthouse and follow their teachers to various places for exchange and learning, but now many hot-blooded youths had run into the courtyard, passionately petitioning in a state of high excitement.

Wang He, the number one milk-bearer of the Chongwen Academy, stood with hands on hips, furiously denouncing:

"Northern Zhou truly pushes people too far! Young Master Xie is of such upright character; his past deeds are visible to all; if Li Huaichuan had no issues, how could Young Master Xie have taken action against him?"

Zhang Huaiyu from the Imperial College, also one of the exchange students, added:

"Exactly. Young Master Xie was struck by the Extreme Bliss Curse in the Golden Tower; what he saw was only slaying demons and eliminating evil; his heart holds no selfish desires; how could he randomly decide to kill Li Huaichuan? What does Li Huaichuan have that would make Young Master Xie target him?"

"Yes! This is Northern Zhou setting a trap to provoke us, intending to harm our Great Qian talents..."

"Young Master Xie has suffered this injustice; how can our Great Qian sit idly by? If Northern Zhou wants to fight, then let us fight them; why should we spare our seven-foot bodies..."

Princess Zhao Ling, dressed in magnificent robes, stood on the steps; facing the scene of high excitement, she was actually angrier than anyone else, wishing to grab a sword and rush to the palace to demand an explanation from Empress Dowager Guo.

But as the highest-ranking member of this mission, even if Zhao Ling had ten thousand grievances in her heart, she had to focus her attention on the situation between the North and South, so she merely calmed them down peacefully:

"Everyone, do not worry; I have already sent an urgent letter via eight-hundred-li express to Luoyang; Lord Chen is currently negotiating with the Northern Zhou Ministry of Rites; this matter will soon reach a conclusion..."

Duoduo was very worried about her future master, but she also spoke gently:

"Yes, everyone, please go back and wait for the news; Young Master Xie is a pillar of our Great Qian; Northern Zhou will definitely have to give us a satisfactory response..."

In a nearby room, Linghu Qingmo was almost exploding with anxiety; worried about her boyfriend's safety, she wished she could personally rush to Lizhou to find him.

But her going would obviously be useless; this is Northern Zhou territory, and her best friend cannot mobilize personnel; currently, the only option is to use Great Qian as a backing to apply massive pressure on the Northern Zhou court to ensure Xie Jinhuan's safety.

Lin Wanyi paced back and forth in the room; in her heart, she was not only worried about Xie Jinhuan but also about her own eldest master!

After all, she knew without thinking who the poison shaman accompanying Xie Jinhuan was; if they both encountered trouble outside, she wouldn't know what to do.

Lin Zisu came on this trip hoping for 'Empress Dowager Guo and Young Master Xie' to renew their past relationship; she truly did not expect that before Young Master Xie even arrived, public opinion had already exploded; at this moment, she comforted softly:

"Auntie, do not worry. Young Master Xie is incredibly powerful; he cannot be caught by those northern barbarians; he has probably already returned to Great Qian by now."

"Sigh..."

On the other side, the Department of Punishments, Bureau of Officials!

Xie Wen, wearing the official robe of a Bureau Director, paced back and forth inside the government office; his brow was full of anxiety, and he occasionally pulled over a minor clerk to ask about the situation outside.

Originally, upon learning that Xie Jinhuan was coming and that father and son were about to reunite, Xie Wen had been so happy he couldn't sleep for days; but at this very moment, he was even more unable to sleep.

After all, Xie Jinhuan had been missing for three years before returning, only to rush back to Great Qian to achieve great feats, seemingly forgetting the grace of Empress Dowager, which had already startled Xie Wen; now, while in Great Qian, he had been crazily slaying demons and eliminating evil, his conduct so upright it seemed perverse.

And now that he has come to Northern Zhou, his first move was to kill a Righteous Path sect master, followed by beating a Vice Minister of the Great Imperial Temple, highlighting a complete disregard for Northern Zhou people; even if you wanted to be a spy in the Southern Court, there was no need to act so convincingly!

With such a huge commotion, Empress Dowager Guo could not simply issue a single word to smooth everything over; court officials need an explanation, the people need an explanation, and the cultivation path needs an explanation, but how can this matter be explained?

As Xie Wen frowned and pondered deeply, a minor clerk suddenly ran in from outside and whispered:

"Lord Guo, there is news."

"Oh?!"

Xie Wen immediately became excited and stepped forward quickly:

"What news? Has that madman Xie... Xie Jinhuan been caught?!"

"He has been caught!"

"Ah?" Xie Wen's expression froze: "Who caught him?"

"Jiang Xian, who just arrived at the government office!"

"What?!"

Xie Wen straightened up a few degrees, his face full of the displeasure of 'Are you messing with me, old man?':

"Do you believe this yourself? Jiang Xiao Biao is a teenage girl; no matter how capable, there are limits. What did she use to catch him? You don't know what kind of figure Xie Jinhuan is…"

The clerk also found it rather unbelievable, but since Jiang Xiao Biao had arrived at the Xing Constable Bureau, there had been too many similar incidents; he was almost used to it by now, and hurriedly said:

"It's absolutely true. The man is locked up in the Xing Constable Bureau's dungeon right now. Because the matter is too big, Lord Shen didn't dare leak it to the outside…"

Xie Wen saw that this was indeed no joke, and was utterly shocked:

"Why on earth did you lock him in the Xing Constable Bureau's dungeon?!"

"Then where else should we lock him up? Should we send this hot potato to the Jingzhao Prefecture?"

"You… this Shen Cang, his brain must have been kicked by a donkey…"

Xie Wen was in charge of managing criminal cases and prisons. Hearing that his own son had been locked up in his own prison, he was completely dumbfounded. He grabbed his robe and ran outside, but immediately turned back to give orders:

"Quickly! Go to the palace and notify Her Ladyship the Empress Dowager. Remember to keep it absolutely secret. If even half a word leaks out, scraping you clean won't be enough to cover it."

The clerk took the order and hurriedly ran outside…

——

Xing Constable Bureau, dungeon.

The original jailers had all been sent away.

Outside the independent cell for holding serious criminals, Shen Cang and his deputy Old Wang stood guard attentively.

At daybreak today, Shen Cang had noticed the public mood was off. Although he wasn't close with Xie Jinhuan—in fact, he was quite wary of him—if Xie Jinhuan died right in front of him, he had no doubt he'd be left holding the bag for a huge disaster.

To send this Huozu Sect away as quickly as possible, Shen Cang risked his life to race to Jingcheng, requisitioning horses and carriages along the way without stopping, and managed to reach Jingcheng in just half a day.

Then a new problem arose—how should Xie Jinhuan be dealt with?

As the Chief Constable of the Xing Constable Bureau, if following official procedure, Xie Jinhuan's murder case was in doubt, so he had to bring him back to the government office for review. If he dared to release Xie Jinhuan privately, that would be treason and a disgrace to the nation; the censors and remonstrance officials would definitely have him sent to Mobei to herd sheep. But he also couldn't stop Xie Jinhuan.

Fortunately, Xie Jinhuan truly lived up to his chivalrous reputation, was understanding and reasonable, and voluntarily requested to follow them back to the Xing Constable Bureau to cooperate with the Northern Zhou's investigation.

As long as he delivered the man here, Shen Cang's duty was complete; the rest was for the higher-ups to worry about. Right now, he was so grateful he almost felt like kowtowing to Xie Jinhuan.

Inside the cell.

Because this was a key prison cell for holding political prisoners, the interior was very tidy. Meiqiu, imprisoned once again, squatted obediently in the corner facing the wall according to the knowledge she had been exposed to since childhood, waiting for my lord to come interrogate her.

Bu Yuehua, wearing a floral-patterned skirt, sat on the edge of the plain, clean bed. She still didn't quite understand Xie Jinhuan's 'walking into the net on his own,' since in this situation, Xie Jinhuan should have contacted the Southern Dynasty's foreign envoy first. Coming to a place like this, the subsequent developments would clearly be uncontrollable.

Xie Jinhuan sat in the confined cell, quite relaxed. After all, his father served as a Vice Minister in the Ministry of Justice's Prison Bureau, whose duties included supervising the execution of punishments and the daily affairs of prisoners. The official in charge of this place was his own father.

The last time they parted was three years ago when they were ambushed at the Sancha Forest in Weizhou. Now, with an imminent return to old place, Xie Jinhuan couldn't help feeling a little anxious in his heart.

However, if their relationship were exposed, the trouble he'd face in the Southern Dynasty would truly be enormous. Therefore, this matter could only be known between the two of them. Noticing that the beautiful Miss Bu beside him was a bit worried, Xie Jinhuan gently comforted her:

"It's fine. Negotiations between two countries aren't like the brawls of the jianghu—there are many subtleties. You just rest well. At the latest by evening, we'll be able to get out."

Bu Yuehua wasn't restricted and could have escaped from prison at any time, so she wasn't worried about her safety. Sitting idle now, she took advantage of the candlelight to observe him and noticed that Xie Jinhuan had been rushing around since last night without eating, drinking, or washing. There were even blades of grass stuck in his hair. So she raised her hand and, like a little shiniang, helped clean it off.

"…"

Xie Jinhuan looked at the serene face so close at hand. He didn't know if it was because during their shared hardship, he had discovered a little episode worth savoring, but he felt some stray thoughts in his heart and didn't stop this caring gesture.

After waiting only a moment like this, hurried footsteps sounded from outside, accompanied by voices:

"Old man! Am I amazing or what?"

"You're incredible! You could even catch this guy?"

"Hehe? Mainly it was Young Master Xie's cooperation, but I really did put in a lot of effort to find him. Lord Guo has to put in a few good words for me afterwards…"

"Don't worry. For such a great merit, I'll submit a memorial to Her Ladyship the Empress Dowager right away. Her Ladyship will definitely entrust you with an important position…"

"Wow! Thank you, Lord Guo…"

"Squeak?!"

Meiqiu heard the familiar address and voice and immediately ran toward the iron door.

Xie Jinhuan also felt as if a lifetime had passed. He hurriedly picked Meiqiu up and brought her back, handed her to Nangong Xianzi to help hold down, and got up to head to the door…

(End of this chapter)