Seeking Truth with a Sword-Chapter 595 - 537: Seeing Monsters
The political situation in the Turkic regions was turbulent. The soldiers and Cultivators stationed at the city gates and critical transportation routes were also restless. It didn’t take much effort for Li Ang to sneak out of the city and head towards the frontier. He had severed all communication with the outside world and avoided Turkic scouts. On the second night, he arrived at the Anbei Protectorate. Even within the territory of Yu Country, Li Ang remained vigilant. He disguised a Spirit Summoning Paper as a train ticket and boarded the train back to Chang’an City.
The New Year was approaching; homes were brightly decorated, firecrackers were lit, and peach charms were hung. Walking with his horse through the bustling crowd shopping for New Year’s goods, listening to the lively chatter in various dialects, Li Ang’s previously tense heart gradually relaxed. A slight smile finally appeared on his face as he passed through the narrow alleys of the workshop, smelled the fragrance of plum blossoms extending over courtyard walls, and arrived at the back alley of Golden City Square. In just a few days, this death-defying adventure seemed to have lasted for months.
He stood outside the door adjusting his collar, just about to shout "I’m back," when noisy voices came from inside the house.
"Has she delivered? Not yet?"
"Quick, bring some hot water!"
"Shao Yuan, get out!"
Was that Aunt Song and Qiu Feng’s voices? 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢
In confusion, Li Ang pushed open the courtyard gate, only to see a large group of relatives and friends gathered. Li Wei, Yang Yu, Li Leqing, He Fanshuang, and Cheng Juxiu were all there, with Song Shaoyuan at the center of the crowd—standing anxiously pacing back and forth outside the room.
Seeing that no one noticed him, Li Ang exchanged a glance with the horse Lu Yunan had gifted him. The horse shook its tail and snorted as if to say, Are you sure this is your home? Li Ang smacked his lips and silently led the horse to the stable, then poured some beans and hay into its trough.
Turning around, he saw He Fanshuang standing in the sunlight outside the stable. She whispered, "You’re back."
"Mm, I’m back." Li Ang set down the bag of feed and sighed with relief.
Standing in his own courtyard, listening to the voices of friends and relatives, and recalling how just two days ago he had been climbing the treacherous cliffs of Li Yuan, he truly felt as if he were in a different world.
He and He Fanshuang walked out of the stable. The others then noticed his return and shouted in welcome. They were unaware of Li Ang’s experiences during this time; according to the Academic Palace’s official story, Li Ang had been busy developing a new medicine.
"Is sister-in-law giving birth?" Li Ang walked over to Song Shaoyuan and patted him on the shoulder.
The latter’s beard trembled. His expression remained tense and uneasy as he hesitantly nodded and said, "Actually, we came to visit today, but You Xiao’s waters suddenly broke. Luckily, Dr. Qiu and Dr. Ouyang were both here, so it was decided on the spot for her to give birth at your place." He paused and smiled wryly. "I hope you don’t mind."
"There’s nothing to mind among family." Li Ang waved his hand and offered a few more words of reassurance. Both Qiu Feng and Ouyang Shi were skilled in the Mind Silk Surgery Technique, so there wouldn’t be any problems.
Soon, a baby’s cry echoed from inside the house. After a moment, Aunt Song came out of the room, smiling as she announced the safe arrival of mother and child, handing the swaddled baby to Song Shaoyuan. Song Shaoyuan, who had grown a beard, carefully took the swaddled infant. He hesitantly reached out a finger and gently touched the crying baby’s cheek.
Everyone craned their necks to catch a glimpse. The newborn’s features were not yet distinct and, frankly, not very attractive. Li Wei smacked his lips and commented, "Rather... unique," and immediately received an elbow from Yang Yu.
Song Shaoyuan handed the swaddled baby to Aunt Song, then hurried into the house to comfort his pale-faced wife.
Chai Chai, Qiu Feng, and Ouyang Shi came out of the house, giving the couple some private space to talk. Chai Chai was ecstatic to see Li Ang return, while Qiu Feng’s eyes, aside from surprise, also held both relief and astonishment. She had learned from He Fanshuang that Li Ang had drawn the Ghost Shovel away alone to protect everyone in Tongluo City. Later, she found out from Galuo that Li Ang and the Ghost Shovel had fallen into Li Yuan, their fates unknown. She had been driven nearly mad with worry these past few days, yet had to act as if nothing was wrong in front of outsiders and potential Zhao Ming spies.
Qiu Feng lowered her voice and asked, "Risheng, how did you..."
"Shh, let’s not talk about that now." Li Ang raised his hand, interrupting Qiu Feng. He smiled and asked Chai Chai and Li Leqing to arrange a banquet celebrating You Xiao and her baby’s safe arrival. Then, he pulled Qiu Feng and He Fanshuang, who had participated in the operation, into the study to discuss matters.
It turned out that a split had occurred within the rescue team after they learned from Galuo that Li Ang had fallen into Li Yuan. Qiu Feng and He Fanshuang wanted to go to Li Yuan first to search for Li Ang. However, Ashide Tumen, He Siping, and Sui Yi preferred to prioritize completing the Khan’s rescue mission. They argued that the Taihao Mountain people were likely already searching along Li Yuan, following the traces, and going now would be like walking into a trap. Furthermore, Li Yuan was vast and deep, and it also sealed Cultivators’ abilities. Their small group would be no different from ordinary people there, making a successful rescue highly unlikely. It would be better to rely on professionals. Lastly, they believed that if Li Ang were still alive, he would also want them to prioritize completing the Khan’s rescue mission.
After some debate, Shen Tuyu, the team leader, decided to report the latest news about Li Ang to Yu Country. This would allow Yu Country to organize professionals—such as Academic Palace scholars who studied Li Yuan, and spies stationed in Jing Country and the Turkic lands—to prepare for Li Ang’s search and rescue. Meanwhile, the team itself would proceed with rescuing the Old Khan. This continued until the rescue mission failed, and everyone withdrew to Yu Country, where they waited at home for news of Li Ang.
"Of those in the merchant caravan who entered the Turkic lands with us, only thirty percent survived. And judging by the condition of the Old Khan’s body, it’s highly probable he was already dead by the time we decided to organize a team to go to the Turkic lands for the rescue." Qiu Feng’s voice was bitter. This kind of outcome—where all their hard work was doomed from the start—felt even worse than simply trying hard and failing.
"This operation was top secret and not to be leaked," He Fanshuang said calmly. "Even the people in the merchant caravan didn’t know our identities or purpose. Considering Galuo didn’t know our route, and the two Zhao Ming agents were coincidentally waiting in ambush in Tongluo City, we can infer that Galuo’s side didn’t leak the information. Instead, there must be Zhao Ming spies within Yu Country."
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!
The knocking interrupted their conversation. Li Ang opened the study door to find a young man and woman in garrison uniforms standing outside. They had awkward, stiff expressions. "Mr. Li, are you available now? Could you please come with us..."
He Fanshuang frowned. Qiu Feng was stunned at first, then anger appeared on her face.
Yu Country had many unwritten rules. One was that if Academic Palace Disciples committed minor violations of Yu Law, the Supervision Department would usually intervene to administer disciplinary education. This served both to preserve the Academic Palace’s reputation and to prevent certain departments—such as the Capital Prefecture, Imperial Guard, or Imperial Censorate—from failing to impose adequate and reasonable punishment on disciples due to their connection to the Academic Palace. Therefore, when other institutions approached Academic Palace Disciples before the Supervision Department did, it often meant they believed the disciple had seriously violated Yu Law or was under significant suspicion of endangering Yu Country.
