Chapter 740: How

In his dreams, Mu Shulan's face was sometimes very clear, sometimes very blurred. When it was clear, she looked eleven or twelve years old, with bright eyes and white teeth, innocent and lively. When it was blurred, Zhao Jin only vaguely sensed it was her, nothing more. After such dreams, Zhao Jin always woke up feeling somewhat wistful. Of course, he never spoke of these dreams to Xu Zhenzhen, and as time passed, that wistful feeling grew fainter and fainter...

Childhood sweethearts, innocent playmates — it had already been several years. In those years, there had been no news of Mu Shulan whatsoever. He himself had married, had a wife, had children. He had thought this name would merely become a memory of those days, or just fade and be forgotten like this. He never expected it to be brought up again, and with definite news at that.

"What? In Dongchang Prefecture? How was she captured!" Liu Yong fired off the questions in rapid succession.

"The whole story, the exact dates, what exactly happened — tell us everything you know. If you truly want to save her, then speak clearly. Otherwise, no one can be saved." Wang Zhaojing said slowly.

"What's your name?" Ji Xiang finally asked the question no one else had thought to ask.

The young man kneeling on the ground listened blankly to the question, then suddenly could not hold back. Tears rolled down his face, and even wiping them with his hand could not stop them.

"... My name is Li Yuliang. My father is the Canal Transport Inspector of Linqing Department..." After he announced this title, the people in the room exchanged glances, nodding slightly, but their expressions grew even more serious.

Inspector was an unranked miscellaneous military post, very insignificant on its own, but adding the words "Canal Transport" changed everything completely. It was equivalent to holding the critical position that controlled the flow of money along the canal. Even without serious effort, mountains of gold and seas of silver would roll into the household every day. This position was just like the Warehouse Commissioner of the Ever-Full Granary in Qingjiangpu — low in rank but heavy in authority. A mere ninth-rank official could be connected to the top-tier magnates of both the inner court and the outer court.

Announcing such a title was tantamount to admitting one's background, unafraid of investigation. At the same time, since he dared to give his family name, this news was certainly not false. It seemed Mu Shulan was truly in trouble.

"Speak. Start from when Mu Shulan arrived in Dongchang Prefecture. Speak quickly, don't leave anything out!" Zhao Jin said in a muffled voice.

Li Yuliang wiped his tears, choked up, and began to speak. Niu Jinbao, standing to the side, thought for a moment, then went and closed the door, afterwards bringing a cup of warm tea and placing it by Li Yuliang's hand.

After just a few sentences, Chen Sheng flew into a rage. He stood up and shouted, "Despicable! I could tell back then that relative of Xiaolan's was no good, treating his own family's child like this!"

Li Yuliang was so frightened he froze, instinctively shrinking backward. Chen Sheng's sudden outburst carried far too much killing intent.

"Sit down! Let him finish!" Zhao Jin spoke up, his voice also not low. The room fell silent again. Zhao Jin's attitude toward his companions varied, but only with Chen Sheng did he treat as an equal. Such a rebuke was a first.

Chen Sheng, however, did not take offense. He simply sat back down in a huff, slamming his hand heavily against the armrest of his chair.

"Xiaolan is so unable to let go. If she had sent word here earlier, we could have brought her back — how much better that would have been." After listening a while longer, Wang Zhaojing sighed and said slowly.

"By the time Sister Mu could send someone out to gather news, Zhao Jin... Master Jin had already married. And if Sister Mu had just left then, all those people around her would have died. Sister Mu did it for them too." Li Yuliang argued in defense.

Zhao Jin remained silent, and the others had no words either. Mu Shulan's life in Dongchang Prefecture was actually very dreary. Apart from praying and performing rituals, she was confined to that residence, with no space for free activity. Moreover, the security was loose inside but tight outside, and the precautions were extremely strict.

Mu Shulan had probably also thought: childhood sweethearts, innocent playmates, but after all, they had now grown up. Before parting, there had been no promise to stay together and reunite. One of them now had a family and even children. An entire Shandong lay between them. Whether in heart or in distance, they could be said to be as far apart as heaven from earth. How could there still be a chance to meet again?

Because her life was dreary and monotonous, there was not much to tell. It quickly came to the later part. After Li Yuliang was sent back home, the dust had already settled in the city of Linqing Department. Although no one knew at the time who had ambushed Mu Shulan, seeing now those people from the Yuncheng headquarters who came to take over, the whole sequence of events could be guessed and understood clearly.

"These damned monsters, stirring up trouble again and again. They ought to be wiped out completely, every last one." Ji Xiang said through gritted teeth, his voice full of hate.

Li Yuliang spoke very quickly, afraid that his account would delay the rescue. But seeing Zhao Jin's face as somber as still water, devoid of any expression, he slowed his speech and said, "Master Jin, Sister Mu always mentions you. When there are no outsiders, she always mentions you to us. She always misses you, always dreams of you, always talks about those days in Xuzhou. Master Jin, please go save Sister Mu, please go save Sister Mu!"

His voice grew louder as he spoke, until at last he was shouting. Zhao Jin's face remained calm and unruffled, and even his gaze seemed somewhat adrift, not looking at the person on the ground.

Li Yuliang, kneeling on the ground, was frantic with anxiety. When Mu Shulan had been captured and he was sent back home, Li Yuliang had already thought it through very clearly. Although his own father was very grateful to Mu Shulan and usually willing to lend a hand, at a time like this he would absolutely not get involved. The Smelling Incense Sect's power in Shandong was immense and all-pervasive. No one was willing to provoke them. The Li family was wealthy and powerful, and even less likely to reach out and invite disaster.

As for the authorities, they would care even less. Heaven knows how many believers and informants of the Smelling Incense Sect were among those clerks and runners. Not to mention that reporting it would likewise invite calamity, Mu Shulan's status as a Holy Maiden also meant she had to minimize dealings with the authorities.

After thinking it over, the only person who could save her was Zhao Jin in Xuzhou. Li Yuliang had heard Mu Shulan speak of him far too many times, and those people sent to gather news also said Zhao Jin's power was truly formidable.

Li Yuliang was not very old, but because of his family background, his insight was not poor. At the time, he had not believed those rumors brought back at all. Coming to Xuzhou was a choice made only when there were no other options. But after being escorted all the way here, and seeing and hearing everything along the journey, Li Yuliang knew: if he wanted to save Mu Shulan, he could only rely on this Zhao Jin.

Everything had been said, the earnest plea made. Chen Sheng, Wang Zhaojing, Ji Xiang, and Liu Yong all had anxious looks on their faces. Yet at this moment, no one spoke up or expressed an opinion. Everyone looked toward Zhao Jin.

Zhao Jin still kept a stern face. After everyone had looked at him for a while, Zhao Jin merely shook his head and stood up, saying, "It's getting late. I need to go back and rest."

The sky had indeed darkened. Normally, after finishing his work, Zhao Jin always rested quite early. But was this really the time to go rest? Everyone was stunned. Li Yuliang, kneeling on the ground, was even more dumbfounded. When he came to his senses, he grew desperate. He stood up, wanting to step forward, but Niu Jinbao behind him held him firmly in place, unable to move.

"Zhao Jin..." Chen Sheng frowned and asked. Zhao Jin turned his head and answered indifferently, "I'm tired. I need to go back and rest."

Their eyes met. Chen Sheng hesitated for a moment and did not press further. Everyone stood up to see Zhao Jin off. Under Niu Jinbao's actions, Li Yuliang on the ground not only could not move, he could not even shout.

Once Zhao Jin was out the door, Niu Jinbao and Sun Dalin moved to follow him, only then releasing their grip. With Chen Sheng and the others all in the room, there was no worry that a half-grown boy like this could stir up any trouble.

The moment he was released, Li Yuliang immediately shrieked in a piercing voice, "You can't just watch someone die and do noth—"

"Shut up!" Liu Yong cut him off with a sharp shout, stepping forward and delivering a heavy slap. Li Yuliang, ignoring his red and swollen cheek, still tried to struggle and plead. Liu Yong did not strike again, but merely said coldly, "Will shouting save her?"

After saying this, Liu Yong turned around and said, "I'll take some men and question this Li Yuliang further. The information he mentioned will also be checked tonight. Brothers, attend to your own matters first."

Chen Sheng and the others all nodded. Liu Yong called two household servants in from outside. They first gagged the struggling, shouting Li Yuliang, then hauled him out.

"The Canal Transport Inspector of Linqing — the merchants should have heard of his name. And quite a few people should have seen this Li Yuliang. Confirming this adds a few more degrees of credibility." Wang Zhaojing spoke up.

Ji Xiang glanced at the expressions of Wang Zhaojing and the others, then asked, "Since it was those people from the Smelling Incense Sect's Yuncheng branch who captured Xiaolan, can Zheng Quan and the others get any news?"

"That branch Zheng Quan manages is riddled with holes. Being able to prevent others from prying into it is already good enough. Where would he get the ability to gather news?" Wang Zhaojing sneered.

But after saying this, Wang Zhaojing shook his head and added on his own, "The sect branches outside Xuzhou aren't monolithic either, but what the Internal Guard has done is hard to say."

The Smelling Incense Sect had countless eyes and ears and was all-pervasive, so only with the strictest precautions could there be no leaks. Even if the Zhao Character Battalion's Internal Guard Team had planted moles and sleeper agents within the Smelling Incense Sect, absolute secrecy would be maintained. It was likely that only Zhao Jin, and one of either Liu Yong or Lei Cai, could know the details. No one else could possibly have access.

Chen Sheng's expression had also returned to calm. Looking outside the door, he said, "Shandong is not like the Southern Directly-Administered Region. To us, that place is like enemy territory. What's more, the Smelling Incense Sect and we share a hatred as deep as the sea. Going there carries extreme danger. And this kind of operation requires getting in and out fast. We would have to deploy our elite troops. If anything goes wrong, I'm afraid all those elites would be left behind in Shandong. Besides..."

At this point, Chen Sheng hesitated, uncharacteristically stopping short. Wang Zhaojing, his expression indifferent, continued, "Besides, by now Xiaolan might not even be alive. To rush from Dongchang Prefecture's Linqing Department to our side, even a fast horse needs several days. Capturing and killing someone to eliminate future trouble — they may have already done it by now."

Wang Zhaojing shook his head, then let out a long sigh and said somewhat wistfully, "It's not like those years anymore. Who could have imagined we would still hear this name today, still learn her whereabouts."

In this era, many commoners never left the range of a hundred li, or even a few dozen li, from their birthplace. The roads were treacherous and difficult to travel. Every long journey could be a final farewell. Mu Shulan had been taken away by her uncles, and from then on there had been no news. Everyone judged by common sense that there would be no chance to meet again in this life. The name Mu Shulan would only remain in memory. Who could have imagined such a situation would suddenly arise.

Thanks to "Mu Ming, Yuan Heng Li Zhen, Old Yang the User, 123*, Qi Sanwen, Jiang Feng Li Meng Wang Tong, Gu Wuzhao, Crow, Book Friend 1221134909" — several new and old friends — for the tips. Thank you everyone for your subscriptions and monthly tickets.