Embers of Sword

Chapter 761 Clues
The candle went out, then reignited.

Nalan Qiutong frowned as he looked at the scene inside the tent. The books on the wooden table were neatly stacked, but the surrounding space seemed to have been "frozen".

"Has anyone been here?"

Nalan Qiutong spoke subconsciously.

On the way here, a subtle feeling stirred in her heart.

The mysterious flower gave her profound and enigmatic guidance—

Nalan Qiutong was ordered to meet Chen Chong in person. Following the guidance of this inner lake, she quickened her pace and headed straight for the camp.

"..."

Chen Chong did not respond to the young woman in front of him at all.

Nalan Qiutong held a very high position in the Li Kingdom.

She is the only stringed instrument disciple of the Grand Preceptor of Dali. Since her appearance, rumors have been circulating that Nalan Qiutong is considered the next Grand Preceptor of Dali, and that in a few years, she will become the chess player of Dali who will play against Chen Jingxuan.

This successor of the Mysterious Arts indeed displayed extremely high talent and strength, overpowering all the other young geniuses on this generation's list of prodigies and winning the top spot.

But with Chen Chong...

Nalan Qiutong's status is not high enough.

"You must announce your presence before entering my camp."

Chen Chong remained expressionless and slowly said, "Without the permission of the Yuzi Battalion Commander, no one may enter the camp without authorization... Your intrusion will be punished."

Having said that.

But he waved his hand, dismissing the soldiers outside the tent, and did not pursue the matter.

"I have come to see the General on the orders of the Crown Prince."

Nalan Qiutong took a deep breath, looked around, and said with a smile, "I heard from the soldiers that the General is staying in his tent tonight and hasn't summoned anyone..."

Chen Chong remained silent, simply watching the woman quietly.

"Never mind, never mind, pretend I never said anything."

Knowing the difference in their status, Nalan Qiutong didn't ask any further questions. She looked around and saw that the tent wasn't very big and there were no seats for guests, so she sat down on the ground.

It was both a coincidence and an inconvenient coincidence.

Nalan Qiutong sat in the spot where Miyun had left earlier.

"I have received His Highness the Crown Prince's decree."

Chen Chong said expressionlessly, "The incident happened suddenly, and the transfer order was too hasty. There are still some military affairs at Xuanbei Pass that have not been dealt with... I need to make arrangements first."

"It's natural."

Nalan Qiutong smiled.

She glanced over unintentionally and noticed some iron filings and dust scattered under the wooden table opposite her.

"Actually, Qiu Tong's unauthorized visit tonight has nothing to do with the transfer order."

Nalan Qiutong's gaze swept over them quickly.

She rested her chin on her hand and smiled, "General, are you aware that a murder has just occurred outside the city of Xuanbei Pass? A hook and pincer maker died in the East Alley."

Chen Chong frowned: "Someone dares to kill Hook Pliers Master at Xuanbei Pass?"

"..."

Nalan Qiutong scrutinized the face of the scholar in the blue robe.

This reaction doesn't seem faked.

Although Chen Chong was stationed in the inner city, the Northern Pass had been peaceful recently, and this Yang God wouldn't suddenly release all his divine sense to envelop the entire giant city. The murder of the hook-and-pincher an hour ago, while alarming the outer city, wouldn't have reached the ears of such a high-ranking figure.

"He is the 'Virtuous One' in Buddhism."

Nalan Qiutong said with a smile, "That man killed one of my hook-and-pinchers just to save a traveling merchant."

"Venerable Fude...has his identity been confirmed?"

Chen Chong asked, "Are you sure that in order to save a traveling merchant, we've exposed a powerful Yin God?"

"This matter is rather strange and suspicious."

Nalan Qiutong clicked his tongue in admiration and said, "However, the identity of Venerable Fude is confirmed. There are only a few Arhats of Buddhism who have been wandering outside. The only one who can have such physical strength and is still active in Chongzhou is 'Fude'. Seventy days have passed since he last appeared. That's enough time to infiltrate Xuanbei Pass."

She took out a jade slip containing divine soul essence from her sleeve and tossed it out. The contents of the jade slip were quite simple.

There is only the crime scene in East Alley and a replica of the traveling merchant's face.

"That's all..."

Chen Chong glanced at the jade slip and asked, "What about the other evidence?"

"No, and it's not necessary."

Nalan Qiutong smiled and said, "I came tonight to ask the General to identify this traveling merchant... Does the General know him?"

"Never seen it before."

Chen Chong shook his head: "Now that he's entered the city, you should inspect him yourself. Didn't you notice anything unusual?"

"That's where I failed in my duty."

Nalan Qiutong stared intently at Chen Chong and said softly, "I suspect this person is a great figure from Buddhism in disguise... There is more than one Yin God in Xuanbei Pass, perhaps two, or even more. All these people are serving that 'great figure'."

"..."

Chen Chong fell silent.

It must be said that Nalan Qiutong has a very keen intuition; he is indeed a dangerous person.

I guessed roughly what was going on just by guessing.

Chen Chong didn't care about the murder case that happened in the outer city, nor did he care who the traveling merchant was, because he already knew the identity of the important figure from the Buddhist sect who entered the city... However, judging from the time of the murder recorded in the jade slip, Nalan Qiutong's guess seemed to be slightly off.

That traveling merchant couldn't possibly be from Miyun.

The entry time into Miyun should be earlier, so that they can meet me before the hour of Yin (3-5 AM).

"Unfortunately, since the General does not recognize this person, then Qiu Tong has taken the liberty of disturbing you tonight."

Nalan Qiutong said with some regret, "I thought I could find some clues from the general."

"Sorry, I don't know this person."

Chen Chong said calmly, "...No need to see me out."

Nalan Qiutong prepared to stand up.

She glanced at it again, almost unintentionally.

It was already late winter.

Inside the tent, a few vibrant blades of grass, fresh and green, were scattered among the lawn.

"correct."

Nalan Qiutong paused thoughtfully for a moment, then picked up a blade of grass without making a sound, and said with a smile, "General... Qianzhou is paying close attention to the matter of the imperial edict to go south. The Crown Prince and the teacher are both hoping for good news from Wuzhou soon."

"it is good."

Chen Chong lowered his head and reread the paper, giving only a lukewarm response.

Nalan Qiutong left the tent with a smile, mounted his horse, left the Yuzi Camp garrison base, and returned to the Xuanwei Flower Carriage.

"Junior sister...how are you?"

The flower owner waited in the carriage the whole time.

String magic is related to cause and effect.

Regarding the case of the Hook Pliers Master, Nalan Qiutong's string technique provided rather cryptic guidance, and the Flower Master didn't really believe that Chen Chong would provide any clues.

But after returning to the carriage, Nalan Qiutong's demeanor instantly changed.

The smile on her face vanished completely.

Nalan Qiutong took out the piece of grass he had brought from the camp and stared at it for a long time.

"This, is it the clue?"

The flower owner paused, feeling somewhat confused.

"Yes and no."

Nalan Qiutong examined the blade of grass with utmost care and asked softly, "Senior Sister... what kind of grass do you think would sprout new life and rekindle its vitality in this kind of weather?"

(End of this chapter)