Jiapingguan Chronicle

"Don't worry, that guy is cunning. Although we don't know who's behind him, they've managed to get along peacefully for years, so he should be able to handle it. Even if he can't, the person behind him won't blame him. After all, some people like excitement, and some people like chaos."

"That's true. If two people happen to be the kind who like to stir up trouble, they'll probably appreciate each other and won't easily part ways."

“That’s right, that’s exactly what I mean.” Chu Han nodded. “Moreover, nothing in this world stays stagnant forever. There will always be a breakthrough, whether it’s fast or slow, there will be a result. As for our current situation, if I’m not mistaken, it should be breaking soon. Before long, someone will be unable to hold back any longer.”

Chu Han knew that Shen Cha was worried that if things continued to drag on, it might fall apart. However, he was well aware that Wanyan Xi might not be in a hurry, but the old subordinates of the eldest prince Wanyan, led by Wanyan Xiaomei of the Golden Palace, and Wanyan Qingmu, who was very ambitious and determined to sit on the throne, were not patient. They could maintain the status quo only because the siege had just been lifted and everyone needed a period of rest and recuperation.

Shen Cha understood Chu Han's meaning and nodded to him. There was no need to continue the conversation now that it had reached this point.

"My great-uncle mentioned before that he once met Master Falian at the border. Was this the time?"

"Yes!" Chu Han chuckled. "Not only have we met, but my people also clashed with his people. However, I wasn't like this back then. I was wearing a mask and became someone else, so he didn't know who I was."

"A conflict broke out?" Song Yaojia frowned upon hearing this. "That kidnapper, I mean the person from Dujia Village, is he related to him?"

Chu Han gently shook his head, said nothing, and simply turned his gaze to Shen Cha.

"What does it mean by looking at me like that, Uncle? Could it be related to me?"

Seeing Chu Han smile silently, Shen Cha was taken aback. She looked at Shen Haolin, Xue Ruitian, Xia Chen, and Song Yaojia, and found that they also looked bewildered.

"Don't understand?" Chu Han saw that the children all looked confused, so he tapped the table lightly with his finger. "It has little to do with Xiao Cha, but it has a lot to do with the people around you."

Shen Cha's mind raced. Tomb raiding, the border, the Qinglian Sect, Master Falian—these events quickly connected, and two annoying figures appeared before her eyes.

Seeing the change in Shen Cha's expression, Chu Han knew she had figured it out and gave her a faint smile.

“They…” Shen Cha sneered, “As far as I know, they’ve been doing this for a while, and for quite a while. The stuff they’ve brought back is enough to support their extravagant lifestyle for a while.” She looked at Shen Haolin and Xue Ruitian, saw the worried expressions on their faces, shook her head slightly at them, and continued, “After all, the border is poor. No matter how extravagant they are, it’s not as expensive as in the capital.”

"Have you seen any strangers before? Who came looking for them?"

“I’ve never seen them. Their cronies outside only meet at the few restaurants and casinos near the border; they don’t bring them home.” Shen Cha snorted. “However,” she hesitated, looking at Shen Haolin, “we only found that one box back then, and Yan You took it. The rest have nothing to do with Master Fa Lian, right?”

"Yes!" Shen Haolin quickly realized who Chu Han was talking about. "Do you remember when they took back that box?" "Let me think."

Shen Cha closed her eyes, quickly recalling what happened back then. The others waited quietly, neither urging her nor making a sound.

After a long while, she slowly opened her eyes, looked at Chu Han, and softly said a date.

Chu Han did some calculations, looked at Shen Haolin and Shen Cha, then at Xue Ruitian, Song Yaojia, and Xia Chen who were looking on with anticipation, and nodded slightly.

"The Duke of Zhenguo and the Marquis of Wuding were ordered to garrison the border in February of the following year. I arrived around the same time as you, which was around that time. I also received the news that the Mudfish Prince had appeared here, so I came out of the camp to try my luck, and I didn't expect to actually run into him."

“So everything has a traceable origin.” Shen Cha sighed and said, “During that time, they weren’t at home at all. I don’t know why, but they went out early. Before they left, they both looked terrified and flustered. I thought they had incurred some debts outside, but I didn’t expect that they had offended someone they shouldn’t have.”

“They’re not exactly people we shouldn’t have messed with.” Chu Han chuckled. “When they were in Xijing City, the Little Prince had his eye on them. Many of the things they did in the capital were instigated by the Little Prince’s people. But he didn’t force them to do anything that outrageous.”

“I know what they did,” Shen Cha sighed. “My two elders mentioned it to my brother and me, and it didn’t sound like something a member of a prominent family would do.”

“Even if someone suddenly becomes rich, they wouldn’t do such a thing.” Chu Han shook his head slightly. “I’m afraid it’s not just us who think this way; the Little Prince probably thinks so too. As scions of wealthy families, no matter how bad their character is, they wouldn’t make any major mistakes. But I never expected them to play their cards so badly.” He sneered. “However, when I met him back then, his men and my men got into a conflict. It wasn’t a big deal; his men bumped into my men and demanded that my men apologize.”

"on purpose?"

"I don't know." Chu Han shook his head slightly. "Anyway, I showed up, and he showed up too. We figured out what happened, and he apologized to me, saying that his men were ignorant. The whole process seemed very rushed. He seemed to have something urgent to attend to. After apologizing, he left in a hurry without delay. I had my men follow him for a short while. He took his men to your old house, but they didn't go in. They stood there for a while and then hurriedly left the city. From apologizing to leaving the border, the whole process took less than the time it takes to brew a cup of tea."

Where did he go after leaving the city?

“I don’t know. My men saw him leave, waited there for a while, and then came back without seeing him or his men return.” Chu Han sighed. “That was the first time I had a direct confrontation with him.”

"How does it feel?"

"As expected of the name I gave him, he's slippery, just like a little mudfish."

(End of this chapter)