She is Jianxiu

Zhao Chun was completely unfamiliar with the coachman Liu An. Only after discerning the cause and effect did she realize where the crux of the matter lay.

On that day, she took the Heaven and Earth Furnace with her into this realm for her own protection. Who knew that when she broke through the boundary, a sense of confusion would suddenly fill her mind, making her dizzy and as if she had fallen into a deep tide. When she woke up, she was already in the Sique Mansion.

The Heaven and Earth Furnace disappeared without a trace, but there was a vague sense of it, and it could be roughly deduced that it was not far away.

As for where it ended up, that remains unknown.

Therefore, Zhao Chun was quite surprised to see what happened today. She didn't expect to be caught in the dark, with the coachman Liu An picking up the Heaven and Earth Furnace. Now she was stranded outside, and the source of her grudges with others was very likely because of this, which led someone to have the evil intention of killing her and stealing her treasure.

Fortunately, before leaving, she entrusted the mysterious object in the furnace to the sect leader. It contained Wang Fengyan's primordial spirit, so she handed it over to the sect for disposal as well.

In addition, Shi Rucheng, the leader of Taiyuan Sect, possessed a fragment of Huanyuan's body, which was refined using the Heaven and Earth Furnace. Because it touched upon the origin of the Three Thousand Worlds, it could not be brought along this time.

Therefore, the furnace contained only a small amount of highly refined spiritual energy. This was a preparation made in advance in case she was stranded in the outside world and had no spiritual energy to use.

Within the Qianming Realm, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was incredibly abundant, surpassing even the Three Thousand Worlds by several degrees. Zhao Chun practiced breathing exercises, finding them twice as fast as in the original Realm, yet also remarkably peaceful and balanced. Once she mastered their application, it flowed exceptionally smoothly, as if a human hand had already regulated and balanced all the spiritual energy under heaven.

No wonder scholars, without cultivating their physical bodies, can still achieve spiritual refinement and energy absorption.

If such an environment existed in the three thousand worlds, then surely ordinary mortals would eventually be able to forge a path to heaven.

Zhao Chun thought that although she wasn't in a hurry to use the spiritual energy of the Heaven and Earth Furnace, if she discovered its whereabouts, there was no reason not to try and retrieve it. After all, its uses were truly extraordinary, and if it fell into the hands of someone with ulterior motives and caused trouble, she herself would likely be implicated in the Qianming Realm.

After pondering for a moment, Zhao Chun lowered her sleeves and said confidently to Si Queyi, "I already know the whereabouts of the coachman Liu An. If Miss Si Queyi has any ideas, why don't you come with me to investigate?"

She was not familiar with this city of Mianzhou, and she also knew that there were three-rank scholars in charge of the city's academy and the prefect's mansion. Therefore, she could not use some methods too openly. It would be better to ask Si Queyi to accompany her, so that she could use her to find out about the power in the city.

Si Queyi naturally had no reason to refuse. Her desire wasn't just to know the inside story of Liu An's disappearance, but also to avoid the other party getting into trouble and bringing disaster upon herself and Yuezhu. If it was the latter, with Zhao Chun mediating, she could likely resolve the situation.

Since it was just for this matter, it was not appropriate to bring Yuezhu and the others along. Si Queyi straightened his clothes and instructed Huaying to act according to the situation. If he did not return by the appointed time, she should go to the clan school to ask for leave in advance to avoid being marked as absent.

She had been protected by her parents since childhood, and at the age of twenty-three, she had rarely encountered life-or-death situations. The thought that Liu'an might already be dead made her feel uneasy.

The two exited through the west side gate, which led them to the deep alley where the Sique Mansion was located. After passing through the area where the servants lived, they finally left the Sique Mansion and entered the city of Mianzhou.

Zhao Chun looked around and saw many new things. The surrounding area was bustling with activity and noise, far more noisy than the Sique Mansion. Carriages and horses came and went in a constant stream, seemingly without end. Most of the people walking around were from wealthy families, with strong bodies, ruddy complexions, and vitality that seemed to be overflowing. It was obvious that they had taken external medicine.

Or perhaps there were servants of powerful families moving about inside, each one beaming with pride and swaggering with arrogance, their every move exuding an air of dominance that made people dare not approach them.

As for the true powerful figures, they were unwilling to show their faces and mostly hid in their carriages, ordering their wealthy servants to do things for them.

If it weren't for this unexpected complication, the ceremony at the Imperial Palace would have been conducted as planned.

After looking around and finding the direction of the coachman Liu'an, Zhao Chun nodded slightly and led Si Queyi to the road. They arrived at a place with a large crowd, which almost dazzled the latter. It wasn't until Zhao Chun was about to step over the threshold that he came to his senses and stopped him with one hand.

"Senior, do you think Liu'an will be in Qianqiu Hall?" Si Queyi hurriedly stopped the person and asked in a low voice.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Chun also stopped and looked up at the plaque of Qianqiu Hall. The inscription was not in Qi script, but in ordinary handwriting, which read "Wen Guan Qian Qiu" (meaning "Literary Crown for a Thousand Autumns"), but the tone was quite extraordinary.

He then countered, "Which powerful family is behind Qianqiu Hall?"

Si Queyi was even more cautious. After he and Zhao Chun went to the side, he raised his hand and pointed to the plaque, saying, "This 'Literary Glory for a Thousand Autumns' refers to our ancestor, Suotu. During his lifetime, he was a second-rank scholar and once served as the Grand Master of Ceremonies in our Jinlai Kingdom. The Suotu clan benefited from this honor and has remained steadfast in Mianzhou City ever since. Even though they no longer have a second-rank scholar, their status is still on par with the Prefect's Mansion, making them the head of all aristocratic families."

According to Zhao Chun's deduction, a second-rank scholar in the Qianming Realm is probably equivalent to a Void-Diving Great Power in the Xuanmen Daoist Cultivation Sect. Such beings should be avoided unless absolutely necessary, and direct conflict should be avoided. Fortunately, Si Queyi comes from a prestigious family and has a thorough understanding of the power dynamics in Mianzhou City. He knows that the Suotu Clan no longer has a second-rank scholar in charge, and only a third-rank Zhizhen scholar, comparable to a god, is currently not staying at the Suotu Clan's main residence, but is far away in Lijing, in the Upper Academy of the Academy.

If Zhao Chun were to suddenly make a move, this person would likely be too far away to act.

But for Si Queyi, the Suo Tu family was an even greater behemoth than the Si Que clan. Not to mention Suo Tu Yi, a third-rank scholar in Lijing, even just considering the Suo Tu family in Mianzhou City, there were at least six people who had reached the fourth rank, five more than the Si Que clan.

Looking across the entire Sichuan region, the Suotu family was one of the most prestigious families.

If something really happened to Liu'an in Qianqiu Hall, Si Queyi would not dare to make a big fuss about it. He would rather pretend not to know and let the matter rest.

Zhao Chun waved her hand, remaining silent for a moment. After pondering for a while, she stepped into the doorway and quietly surveyed the scene inside.

Si Queyi felt a tremor in her heart and quickly lifted her robes to follow, softly calling out "Senior".

The Thousand Autumns Hall was crowded with people, including many scholars. Those at the eighth rank were merely unremarkable, hardly impressive figures. After the two men had lingered on the first floor for a long time without any sign of going upstairs, a graceful figure with a full face emerged. She then walked around to Zhao Chun and Si Queyi, smiling as she asked, "I've seen you two distinguished guests wandering around for quite some time; have you not found anything you like?"

Qianqiu Hall engaged in pawnbroking, which was divided into "dead pawn" and "live pawn". Live pawned items could still be redeemed, but interest would be charged according to regulations. Dead pawned items were handed over to the pawnbrokers for disposal. They would usually be re-evaluated and then sold. Therefore, pawnbroking and buying and selling were not separated.

With her keen eyes, Suo San Niang noticed that the two women hadn't gone to the counter first when they came in, so she knew they weren't there to pawn their belongings.

He stepped forward and said, “You two distinguished guests are so young yet so accomplished in literature. You must be from a prestigious family. May I ask your surnames and origins? My ancestor had many friends. If your family has any connection with him, I will certainly do you a favor today. I would never allow my Suotu family’s friends to suffer a loss at Qianqiu Hall.”

Having been used to being glib and smooth-talking, he made Si Queyi blush with just a few words and easily extracted information about Si Que's background.

"So this is the renowned Si Que family. It seems my eyes are still sharp enough not to have neglected our distinguished guests," Suo San Niang said, patting her chest and smiling. "You may call me San Niang."

As he spoke and laughed, he had already carefully examined the two people in front of him. He didn't think too much of these two young men, but he secretly weighed the words "Si Que Clan" in his mind and recalled what Suo Tu Hong had said some time ago.

The Suotu family has always been influential and well-connected in Mianzhou City. The coachman Liu'an thought he was keeping his whereabouts hidden, but in fact, not long after his death, the Suotu family's spies discovered his true identity.

A servant who drove horses and carriages for a collateral branch of the Sique clan even claimed to be the heirloom owner of the treasure in his hands.

Suo San Niang chuckled inwardly. By comparing the woman's appearance with the portrait presented by her servants, she knew that the Miss Si Que who had arrived today was the master of the coachman Liu An.

After learning that the owner of the six saddles was merely a minor eighth-rank scholar, Suo Sanniang advised Suo Tuhong to put his mind at ease. However, the latter was deeply suspicious and determined that the small stove had an extraordinary origin and could not possibly belong to the Sique clan. Therefore, he kept it a secret and rarely even revealed it to the elders of his clan. Recently, he had been living a secluded life and instructed Suo Sanniang to refuse all visits from people of the Sique clan.

Therefore, when they met today, she was waiting for Si Queyi to speak. She was also thinking that if the other party really came for Xiao Lu, she might as well go all the way and let her get rid of this thorn in the side of the master family!
Unfortunately, Si Queyi knew nothing about this, and even if Suo San Niang asked him, she couldn't expect him to give her a clear answer.

It can only be said that the person who was watching this scene with perfect clarity was someone else entirely. Suo San Niang's clever plan had just run into Zhao Chun's hands today.

She smiled faintly, curled her lip at Suo San Niang, and said with feigned arrogance, "I've looked around several times but haven't seen anything good. I think Qianqiu Hall is nothing special. I'll take you to Lijing another day to broaden your horizons."

After saying that, Suo Sanniang's two willow-leaf eyebrows furrowed tightly. Just as she was about to argue with Zhao Chun, the latter had already pulled Si Queyi out the door, completely ignoring Suo Sanniang.

After walking all the way to the outside of Qianqiu Hall, Zhao Chun stopped and turned around, staring at the plaque for a moment before saying, "Miss Sique, your coachman Liu'an is probably dead by now. This matter shouldn't have involved you, but because of me, Suo Sanniang and the people behind her have set their sights on you."

"However, you don't need to worry too much. I will handle this matter."

Hearing the first half of Zhao Chun's words, Si Queyi was still somewhat startled, but after Zhao Chun finished speaking, her surprise outweighed her fear. She thought to herself, "Senior Zhao, are you not even afraid of this Suotu clan?" (End of Chapter)