Xuanqing Guard-Chapter 61: Preparation

Shen Hao kept pondering, unable to understand how nine-year-old Liu Yan could have been abducted in broad daylight, with not a single person on the street witnessing it.

This was very abnormal.

There are two possibilities: either Liu Yan’s family is lying—in reality, Liu Yan is already dead, even possibly at the hands of her own parents—and their report to the government is just a cover to brush off outsiders.

The second possibility is that when Liu Yan was abducted, someone concealed her, hiding her in a cart, stuffing her into a box or a bag—any means of covering her up could be possible.

But...

In the case file of the Liu Yan Case from that year, there are some interview records, all statements from shopkeepers and passersby near the West Gate at the time. These people were also asked whether they had seen "someone carrying a burlap sack, pushing a large box, or driving a covered carriage" during the relevant timeframe, but the answer was "no."

This is also why the governmental officials back then quickly shelved the case, as there was simply nowhere to start the investigation. In fact, all indications made it seem even more likely Liu Yan’s family was lying.

However, it cannot be seen directly from the file whether the officials ever conducted a counter-investigation into Liu Yan’s parents at that time.

Now, in Shen Hao’s hands, a few new pages had been added to the Liu Yan Case file. He personally wrote the red marginalia "Reinvestigate," and appended the newly obtained clues regarding "Yin-Yang Blood and Qi" and "Extreme Yin and Yang Calendar."

He also wrote at the end: Suspected to be the work of an Evil Cultivator, will follow up.

"Knock, knock, knock—General Flag, Wang Jian requests an audience."

"Let him in."

Soon after, the door of the Public Office was pushed open. Wang Jian entered with a beaming smile, gave a salute before speaking: "General Flag, Gan Lin and Zhang Qian have replied. The arrangements have all been made. It’s set for the day after tomorrow—the fifth day of the seventh month."

"Alright, then you’ll accompany me when the time comes. Also, how is the matter going with what I previously asked you to procure?"

"No need to worry, General Flag, at the latest it’ll arrive tonight. It will not delay anything."

"Good. Once the items arrive, keep them at your home for now. Just remember to bring them when the time comes."

"Understood."

"Take a look at this case file, and share your thoughts after reading."

Shen Hao pushed the Liu Yan case file in front of Wang Jian.

By the time an incense stick finished burning, Wang Jian closed the file. His eyes struggled to contain excitement; he’d seen that last line—it smelled like a big case.

Everybody wants to handle major cases, even just taking part in one is an impressive credential. If Shen Hao got promoted again in the future, who would take the open position but the person with the thickest credentials?

"General Flag, may I participate in this case?"

"Heh, share your thoughts first."

Wang Jian was silent a moment before finally saying: "In my opinion, our first step should be to confirm whether Liu Yan’s parents are lying. If they are, everything makes sense. If they are not, then your assessment that an ’Evil Cultivator’ is involved becomes all the more plausible and is worth deeper investigation."

Shen Hao nodded. Wang Jian’s ideas were never dazzling, but they were always rock-steady and rarely wrong. This line of inquiry was indeed the most prudent approach for now.

However, Shen Hao shook his head and said, "I need to consider this case further. Hand over the Copper Cabinet responsibilities to Zhang Liao, pull back half the personnel, and join this investigation."

Wang Jian accepted another file, opened it: the Ma Haotian Missing Case.

Another missing person case?

Flipping through quickly, Wang Jian’s brows furrowed. Looking at the two cases individually, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but now he thought otherwise.

"General Flag, these two cases are almost identical. Furthermore, this Ma Haotian was born on an Extremely Yang Day. Are you suspecting both cases were done by the same person? Are you preparing to consolidate these cases?"

"Not just these two, look, all of these."

Following Shen Hao’s gesture, dozens of old case files were piled in the corner, making Wang Jian stare in astonishment.

"That many?!"

"Unsolved cases are all difficult to investigate. Time, clues, and case facts all become obstacles. But putting all these cases together, every one of them involves children with Yin-Yang Blood and Qi—do you think that’s a coincidence? So, what we first need to do is tease out an entry point, and only then can we justify merging all similar cases. Do you understand?"

"Understood, General Flag. I’ll hand over the Copper Cabinet duties to Zhang Liao immediately and reassign half the men to investigate this case." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Good. Remember, at this stage we’re just laying the groundwork—do not leak any details externally or internally, not even to those involved."

"Yes, General Flag."

...

Two days later, Wang Jian brought the investigation results to Shen Hao.

"General Flag, Ma Haotian’s family moved from Li City last year to an estate twenty li outside the East Gate. They are still selling pork, and have had another son. The mother watches the child all day, never letting him leave her side.

We first checked the Ma Family’s background—very clean, average commoners, true natives of Li City. Afterward, we entered their home under the pretext of government officials verifying the household registry, mentioned Ma Haotian, and had them recount the circumstances of his disappearance.

The result: the Ma family’s recollection of their child’s disappearance was identical to the Liu Yan Case. Not only did the child "vanish in the blink of an eye," but no pedestrians or shopkeepers saw the child or any suspicious figures—everyone on the street seemed completely blind.

So, General Flag, based on this, should we apply to merge the Ma Haotian Case and the Liu Yan Case?"

Shen Hao shook his head again: "Still not enough. There was a one-year gap between the cases, and simply having similar details can be dismissed as a ’coincidence.’ We are still lacking something decisive."

"What are we missing?"

"A potential motive." Shen Hao tapped the table, brows deeply furrowed: "Why kidnap children with Yin-Yang Blood and Qi? Only when we find a logically consistent motive can we justify merging the cases."

"But how are we supposed to investigate the motive?"

"The Library—but not ours at the Li City Guard Station. The one at Fengri City Thousand Households Station. There should be more information on Yin-Yang Blood and Qi there."

"Right! The Thousand Households Station has a much higher security level. The material on Yin-Yang Blood and Qi there must be far more than what we’ve seen. When are you planning to go, General Flag?"

"No rush. Tomorrow, I’ll visit Households Commander Jiang first, then decide."

"Alright, then I’ll take my leave, General Flag."

"Mm."

Once Wang Jian left, Shen Hao leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and reflected. Tomorrow, he would meet Jiang Cheng, which meant actively seeking to align himself with him. But between them stood Tang Qingyuan and Chen Yiyun. He wasn’t sure Jiang Cheng would definitely accept him.

What Shen Hao was betting on was whether his reputation as "Model General Flag of the Black Banner Battalion" carried enough value in Jiang Cheng’s eyes—and also on whether Jiang Cheng’s dislike of Chen Yiyun ran deep enough.

Now, Shen Hao had to think: if he succeeded in choosing Jiang Cheng’s faction, how would he respond to the inevitable probes from Tang Qingyuan and Chen Yiyun? And if he failed, what fallback could he seek next?