It doesn't matter what the lord is.

Ying Bai lowered his head, and a strand of jet-black hair fell down.

The world had never seen him in such a miserable state. The prince of the world's number one territory had his wrist and collarbone pierced by hinges, and despite his martial arts skills, he could not move.

Ying Bai breathed hard, the scene of the first Po Tian meeting in Nan Chu emerging in his mind.

He was thinking about someone who could break the impasse, but after thinking it over, he realized that this was no longer a problem that could be solved by one person alone. At least three people would need to be present at the same time to get him out of here.

One is his elder brother, Prince Xiang Hei of Nanchu.

One is the great wizard Merlin, whose whereabouts are unknown now.

There is another one, the Yunyang Lord Lide.

And if nothing unexpected happens... he probably won't live to see that time.

1. Go to Xiqin, pressure comes again

Years later, Lid and Alayya embarked on a journey to Xiqin.

Li De said that he was like an expatriate leader who traveled every day, running around in various places for years. But he had no choice. He was the one who had a bad feeling, not anyone else, and no one else could take over this job except him.

Jiang Lianqing sent a letter some time ago, and Li De finally knew why Xihe wanted to borrow soldiers. Wanze Territory was a big family, and they didn't want to pin their hopes on Xihe and a girl. But the sons of the Lord of Wanze were really disappointing, so they had to make Xihe the crown prince. Naturally, Xihe became a thorn in the eyes of many people. Although she kept trying to be as good as possible in both civil and military affairs, she could never completely convince everyone because of her gender.

The Lord of Wanze is not yet fifty years old this year, and he will not give too much power to Xihe, and Xihe will hardly have the opportunity to prove herself. So she negotiated with Lid to dispatch the troops of [Potian] to Wanze in advance, so that they can fight with the demons several times during the training. If they can fight a good battle, those who question her will have to shut up.

In Lid's opinion, this is a normal thing.

Even if this hadn't happened, the army of [Potian] was originally planned to go to Wanze Territory for training. Because when this army was formed, Xihe contributed money, manpower and effort on behalf of Wanze Territory, and she also had the right to dispatch this army.

But what really made Reed frown was the second half of Jiang Lianqing's letter.

Xihe did not return to Wanze territory.

Jiang Lianqing is now staying in Wanze alone. Although the Lord of Wanze is not so poor that he would set his sights on this army of two to three thousand people, there is no one familiar around him, which makes Jiang Lianqing feel a little awkward. Without Xihe, the Lord of Wanze would not approve this unfamiliar army to fight the demons, so Jiang Lianqing had to stay in the barracks to train every day.

She sent this letter to ask Lid whether she still needed to stay in Wanze?

If it is not necessary, she plans to take people back to Yunyang and wait for Xihe to come back.

After Li De finished reading the letter, that bad premonition flashed through his mind again. If nothing unexpected happened, Xi He's last journey should be to help Li De check the movements of the dragon clan. Li De's original intention was to let her investigate the letter sent from the capital - Yun Yang received a strange letter at that time, which said that the dragon clan had targeted Yun Yang, and that the sender did not intentionally betray Li De.

Logically speaking, this mission shouldn't be very dangerous. After all, it was a territory ruled by the royal family, and not just any evildoer could enter. Moreover, Xihe had already reached the ninth level of perfection, so even if he really encountered any danger, he would not be completely defenseless. Lid guessed that Xihe probably didn't encounter any trouble with the royal family, but probably had problems while following the clues.

Even the letter itself might be a trap.

Li De was very concerned about Xi He's safety, but he couldn't find Xi He now because he didn't even know where Xi He disappeared. It would take a lot of time to track him down, and there might be new changes in Xi Qin. With both things being urgent, Li De chose to go to Xi Qin first and wrote to Wu Mi to ask him to help investigate.

Although there is no conflict of interest with Xi Qin at present, considering that Yunyang has become increasingly powerful, Li De still chooses to disguise himself before setting off. The carriage is also loaded with a lot of newly forged steel. No matter from which angle you look at it, Li De looks like a businessman going to Xi Qin to do business.

Before leaving, He Yue also collected some books recording anecdotes about Western Qin and left them for Li De to read on the way.

In the carriage, Alayya sat opposite Reed, and she suddenly felt that she had not been alone with the young master for a long time.

She looked at Reed, who was leaning his head back to read the book in his hand. When he noticed Alayya's gaze, he looked away and smiled at her.

Alayya asked softly:

"Master, is there anything I need to pay attention to regarding Xi Qin?"

Lid had just finished reading the last page, closed the book, and replied:

"Not much. The Anbu organization of Western Qin is very powerful, and much of the outside world's understanding of Western Qin is limited to speculation. However, the system of Western Qin is somewhat similar to ours. The lord of Western Qin rarely takes charge of things himself, but instead leaves it to his subordinates to discuss and formulate strategies, and finally the lord of Western Qin makes the decision. They call this [Zhongtai Deliberation]."

Lid thought about it and said:

"Before the rise of Western Qin, Southern Chu was the strongest of all territories. Later, due to emotional disputes, Xiaobai's father worked hard to govern the country and finally had the opportunity to overtake. This must have benefited from the many major reforms implemented by Western Qin at that time. I read some of the reform regulations, which included streamlining officials, removing redundant institutions, implementing an annual inspection system, etc., which are indeed beneficial to the development of the territory. But if this alone can quickly increase the strength in a short period of time, it is not very realistic."

Alayya said doubtfully:

"But Master, isn't this how we developed?"

Lid put the book aside and replied:

"Well... we did issue similar regulations, but the gradual growth from Yuxi City to Yunyang is still due to industrial production. Simple reforms are difficult to take effect immediately, because most reforms mainly solve the distribution problem and will not create more wealth immediately. Otherwise, if Xi Qin's reform regulations can even be obtained by us, and other territories follow suit, then Yongtian Kingdom will become a battle between gods."

Of course, it is impossible for Western Qin to achieve industrialization, but they should also have their own unique skills - unique skills that can enable an entire territory to develop and grow rapidly.

Alayya nodded, not quite understanding.

She suddenly thought of something and asked again:

"Master, I remember when I first learned swordsmanship, the three greatest swordsmen in the world were Qingyun, Garberd, and Mr. Tingchao. Mr. Tingchao... is he still in Xiqin now?"

Lid raised his head and thought for a moment, then replied:

"He should be there, but there has been no news about him. Compared to Qingyun and Garberd, he is the most low-key of the great swordsmen of the older generation. Such a person would not move easily. When we get to Xiqin, maybe we will have a chance to meet him... Of course, it's better not to meet him, so as to avoid complications."

Although they are both at the tenth level, Mr. Tingchao should be stronger than Xige, the commander of the Jinyiwei, the commander of the Hidden Guards, and Yunhai Baiye. Compared with Xige, who was pushed up by Qingyun's sword energy, the commander of the Hidden Guards who specializes in assassination, and Baiye who was just promoted, Mr. Tingchao has been famous for a long time, and his realm is stable, and he must have many new insights into the sword.

The carriage traveled for quite some time before finally arriving at the border of Western Qin.

2. What's happening in Bieyun Town

"The target we are going to meet this time is named Selius, the host of [Central Council]. Although the work he does is slightly different, in terms of status, he is almost the Prime Minister of Internal Affairs, equivalent to He Yue. We definitely cannot ask the Lord of Xi Qin about Xiaobai's confinement, and the only person who may know the inside story besides the Lord is Selius."

While looking at the "Xi Qin Fengwu Zhi" in his hand, Lid said to Alayya:

"Although it would not be difficult to meet him if we reveal our identities, considering that we are just small merchants from Yunyang and their followers, it is impossible to meet him immediately. We must take a detour and save the country in a roundabout way."

The two had successfully arrived in Xi Qin, but they did not go to Yuanyang City, the main city of Xi Qin, for the time being. Instead, they stayed in a small place called Bieyun Town near Yuanyang City. Bieyun Town was still half a day's journey from Yuanyang City. Merchants from all over the world who came to Yuanyang City usually chose to rest here for a night and get up early the next day to sell things in Yuanyang City.

Yuanyang City is the main city, and it is not cheap to stay there for a night.

If the caravan arrives at Bieyun Town at noon or in the afternoon, it will enter Yuanyang City if it continues on its way, and there will be no time to go out to sell goods on the street that day, so it can only find an inn in Yuanyang City to sleep in. But if it rests in Bieyun Town for a night, it can get up early the next day and have a whole day to sell goods in Yuanyang City. If it is fast, it can even sell out in the evening, and there is no need to stay in Yuanyang City at all, which can save a lot of money.

Of course, Reed chose this place not to save money, but for other considerations.

There is a large flow of people and goods here, which means there will be a large amount of intelligence. Although there is a lot of intelligence in Yuanyang City, there are also many spies in the Anbu. If a businessman goes to Yuanyang City and collects all kinds of intelligence instead of selling things, he may be directly exposed by the Anbu.

So Reed planned to stay here for one night, which was equivalent to a final level-up before fighting the BOSS.

"Master, what are your plans?"

Alaia asked as always.

No matter what Lid plans to do, she will support him unconditionally.

Of course, it would be even better if there was a place where she could be of use.

Lid tapped the table lightly with his fingers and said:

"With our current identities, we naturally can't do anything big. From a businessman's perspective, the highest official position we can meet should be the [Tax Supervisor] of Xi Qin. If we can convince him to introduce us, it shouldn't be difficult to meet Selius. But the problem is that we don't even know the name of that guy right now, so we don't have any connections in this regard."

Alayya listened quietly, she knew that the young master would always find a solution.

Sure enough, not long after, Lid put down the book and said to her:

"It's not a big problem. I've already thought of a few countermeasures. We'll talk about it when we get to the city tomorrow. Today we still have to focus on gathering intelligence. We'll find a place to eat later...ah, wait a minute, your circle of friends is loose."

Considering that the disguise needed to be more thorough, Lied specially gave Alaia a new hairstyle. He used Alaia's light golden long hair to braid a crown head like King Arthur and tied it with a hair band. Now that the hair band showed signs of loosening, Lied immediately helped her tie it again and touched up her makeup appropriately.

Naturally, a maid of an ordinary merchant could not be too pretty, so Lid specially made Alaya look mediocre, and even considerately added several freckles to her. But overall, because Alaya's skin was too good, it was difficult to make her look really ugly, so she could only be made to look averagely pretty.

The first time he came to Xiqin, Li De naturally found a signature restaurant here and ordered a stewed sheep, two bowls of fried noodles, and a bowl of barley wine. The fried noodles were ridiculously spicy, and even Alaiya, who was not picky about anything, had a red face when she drank the soup, although she realized that this soup was not usually drunk until she drank half of it.

Reed poured her half a glass of wine, then sat on a chair and openly eavesdropped on the other guys' conversation.

The people of Xiqin are rough and serious. They don't shy away from anything when chatting. As long as the topic is not particularly confidential, they will shout loudly. The two brothers at the table next to Lide were discussing how much money they made from selling seafood this time. The two of them were having a great time discussing how to distribute it.

Lid deliberately ignored these useless intelligences. After listening for a while, he heard two businessmen, one old and one young, talking about a topic that interested him. The young man was wearing a brocade robe and was obviously from a big family, but he was respectful to the old man. It seemed that the old man was probably an elder of the clan. The discussion between the two began with the young man:

"Uncle Ming, do you think the people in Yuanyang City are weird?"

Uncle Ming picked up a piece of golden soup cabbage with chopsticks and ate it while absentmindedly responding:

"Strange? What's strange? Didn't our goods sell out as usual?"

The boy stared at the mutton on the plate in a daze, and muttered after a long while:

"I don't know what's strange... but I just feel like something's wrong with them... or maybe it's because I had a high fever a while ago and it hasn't subsided yet?"

It was obvious that he himself was not so sure.

A drunk guy next to him leaned over and said drunkenly:

"Hey, little brother, you think so too, right? Come on, my friend, let's have a drink!"

As he was about to pour the wine, the young man from a prominent family obviously couldn't handle such a person, and didn't know what to say for a moment. Uncle Ming immediately glared at the drunkard, thinking that he was just drunk and would accept anything he heard. Uncle Ming stood up, stretched out his hand to test the boy's forehead, and said:

"It's still a little hot. You haven't had much rest these days. Drink the mutton soup while it's hot. I'll take you back to the inn later, and you can wrap yourself in a blanket and sweat it out."

The boy did as he was told and picked up the bowl to gulp down the hot soup.

The drunkard blew a lot into the bottle. He was probably drunk. He didn't care whether the boy toasted with him or not. He just said:

"That look is wrong. Hey, that look is wrong!"

The boy's hand trembled, and a lot of soup in the bowl instantly spilled onto his expensive clothes.

Uncle Ming slammed the table and cursed at the drunk:

"Drink your wine. Why are you talking so much? Are you asking for a beating?"

The drunk also stood up and said staggeringly:

"You know nothing. If you don't agree, let's practice..."

Before he finished speaking, his legs went limp and he sat back on the chair. It was obvious that he was drunk and couldn't even stand steadily. The waiter next to him came to persuade him, but the drunk man was disappointed and threw out a handful of money to pay the bill, and left with half a pot of wine.

Uncle Ming took out his handkerchief and wiped the boy's clothes, saying:

"There are rubbish like this everywhere, don't bother with him."

The boy nodded, but there was obvious fear in his eyes.

Lid saw all of this. He looked in the direction where the drunk disappeared, and then looked at Alaiya. Alaiya gently placed her hand on the hilt of the sword, and silently asked Lid with her eyes. Lid shook his head, continued to eat noodles, and began to chat with Alaiya about steel-related topics from time to time.

When the rich young master and Uncle Ming paid the bill and left, Lid glanced at them out of the corner of his eye.

The direction they were heading should be the inn where Reed and Alayya were staying.

3. Mysterious Case

After finishing their meal leisurely, Reed took Alayya out of the restaurant.

On the way, Alayya asked Lid:

"Master, why didn't you let me follow you just now?"

Lidd replied:

"Because someone is watching us... Actually, they are not watching us. It should be said that there are spies from the Xiqin Anbu Organization in that restaurant. If you just went out, you would be exposed to their sight immediately. Considering that the drunk man may not know any intelligence, it is not worth it for us to do this."

Lid's standard for judging the spies of the Anbu organization is not based on the other party's realm, but on the other party's expression and behavior. In addition, there is another detail, that is, this kind of Anbu member is often a regular customer of a store, that is, he will often come to this store to spy, so he must sit in an inconspicuous position and order a small meal, because most of the food in the store has been eaten.

Just when they were eating, Lid saw three or four such people in the corner. They pretended not to know each other, but when the drunk man left, Lid saw two of them exchanged glances in a very obscure way. After that, Alaiya did not chase him out, but someone paid the bill and left first, and someone else continued to follow him in the restaurant.

Reid didn't tell Alayya these things, but if Reid said there were Xiqin spies in the store, Alayya would believe it unconditionally.

Alaiya nodded and said to Lid:

"So are we going back to the hotel now? Or should Master go back to the hotel first while I check the whereabouts of that man?"

Lid shook his head and said:

"We can't separate the merchant and the maid. It's strange to let the maid act alone at night. Once either of us is seen, it will immediately arouse suspicion. Let's go back to the hotel and call it a night. At least we have learned two pieces of information. First, there may be some strange phenomena happening to the people of Yuanyang City. Second, the Anbu organization in Xiqin is very active. I don't know if they have always been like this, or if they have received some special mission recently."

Reed was thinking about the situation here in his mind, but he was still chatting with Alayya about tonight's dishes, and kept criticizing the dishes here for not being as delicious as those in Yunyang. He looked like a typical businessman, and a nouveau riche at that.

In order to conceal his tracks further, Reed went to the hotel front desk at night to ask if there were any special places nearby. After learning that the largest brothel here was in Yuanyang City, he showed a very regretful expression. This way, it would be much more natural for him to sleep with Alaiya later.

That night, Reed was thinking about whether he should go and meet the rich young master, but after thinking it over, he decided not to.

The next day, Reed woke up very early because he heard the sound of people talking downstairs so frequently that it was a little abnormal.

After Reed and Alayya changed their clothes and went downstairs, they heard someone say:

"Oh, who told him to drink so much and go out for a walk at night? It's normal for him to fall into the river and drown. Look at the amount he drank last night. I guess he's not a good person!"

Lid frowned, and saw a patrolman at the door holding a portrait of the drunk from yesterday, showing it to the people in the hotel, and asked:

"Do you have any clues? Or if you know this person and can find a place to bury him, that would be great. It's only been a short time since the New Year, and a case like this has happened. It's very difficult for us at the Xiqin Patrol Office to handle this."