The sky was high and the night dark, with a few stars especially clear and bright.
Within the military camp, bonfires were lit one after another. People came and went to the stone-built cooking stoves to get soup and take flatbread, then returned to sit before the bonfires to eat.
The smell of smoke and fire, the odour of a group of rough men, the scent of food, and the smell of horses, mounts, or livestock all mixed together. It truly was not very pleasant.
A woman pacing between the piles of bonfires drew the sideways glances of a group of men, even causing them to lean their heads together and snicker, whispering words that were too vulgar to hear.
The woman wore a cloak, its hood hanging down her back unused. She had fiery red lips and exquisite features, truly beautiful as a flower, and a gorgeous flower at that. The frivolous meaning in her bright, wandering eyes was seductive, making her look like the sort who was relatively easy to approach.
This woman was none other than the current Grand Walker of the Daye Division, Xiang Lanxuan.
Pacing beside her with hands clasped behind his back was the Outer Marquis Commander, Mi Yunzhong. Also accompanying them was the garrison commander.
Not far away, a eunuch hurried over carrying a great cloak, carefully draping it over Mi Yunzhong’s shoulders as he matched his pace, while saying, “Commander, the weather has turned a bit cold.”
Mi Yunzhong slightly raised his hand, signalling him to withdraw. Afterward, his ears twitched slightly, and his gaze fixed upon those soldiers whispering amongst themselves. He knew that if he could hear their quiet words, Xiang Lanxuan could certainly hear them too. He immediately comforted her, “They are all just uncultured rough men, accustomed to talking nonsense behind people’s backs. Grand Walker, do not lower yourself to their level.”
Hearing this, the accompanying commander’s expression immediately changed, and he was about to summon someone to pass orders to restrain his subordinates. Who would have known that Xiang Lanxuan smiled and said, “No matter. It means I am pretty, good-looking, and charming. Today, let them feast their eyes.”
She looked as if she were thinking, anyway, they cannot have me.
Seeing that she was quite enjoying this feeling of being the centre of attention, the commander had no choice but to keep silent. However, he muttered inwardly, what the hell did this have to do with being pretty? Any female would get the same reaction.
Mi Yunzhong chuckled. As a eunuch, he did not like to openly discuss a woman’s looks, so he changed the subject. “Grand Walker has come in person. Could it be that you are making preparations for the ‘Lord’?”
The “Lord” he referred to was the Earth Master. There were many people here, so he used an indirect term.
The accompanying commander understood immediately upon hearing this. Who else could the “Lord” be, for whom the Daye Division’s Grand Walker would personally come to make preparations?
Xiang Lanxuan shook her head slightly. “Whether the ‘Lord’ will come or not, I do not know either. If there is nothing that interests the ‘Lord’, Kunling Mountain, this thousand-year-old great sect, might not necessarily have such great face. My coming here has nothing to do with the ‘Lord’. After all, this grand assembly is being held within the borders of the Yin Kingdom, and on the territory of the Daye Division at that. The Daye Division cannot simply ignore it.”
Mi Yunzhong nodded in agreement. “That is only natural.”
The accompanying commander listened quietly, bringing only his ears and not his mouth.
Xiang Lanxuan continued, “After all, twenty years have passed in the blink of an eye, enough for many new people to mature. I wonder if there are any exceptionally talented individuals. The Daye Division also needs to replenish and recruit new members. I have come to pick and choose. We cannot let others have all the bargains.”
Mi Yunzhong nodded again. “That is only natural.”
Actually, this was also one of the purposes of holding the “Rising Sun Assembly”. Newcomers needed to use the platform to make a name for themselves and earn a good price. Various powers also needed to use the assembly’s platform to recruit people, including the military and those wealthy, powerful households that could afford to pay.
“Additionally, I hope the assembly goes smoothly. After all, it is a grand event on our turf. If it is ruined, everyone will lose face. Our Daye Division must also keep an eye on things. We do not want to interfere too much, but if it is something our Daye Division should handle, we cannot be vague about it. I heard that the Commander has come in person, and that you are also toiling over this matter. You have many eyes and ears, so you must have a good grasp of the situation. Therefore, I have come to consult with you, Commander. If there is any situation, we can complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses. What do you say?”
Mi Yunzhong immediately laughed heartily. “With the Grand Walker personally coming to oversee things, I naturally could not ask for more. Grand Walker, rest assured. If there is any situation, I will definitely inform you promptly.”
Xiang Lanxuan also giggled.
Just then, the deputy general in charge of external affairs hurried over, falling in beside the commander to report, “Great Commander, something is not quite right. Cao Wei is missing.”
“Missing?” The commander stopped in his tracks and turned to ask, “What do you mean, missing?”
Mi Yunzhong, who knew something of the situation, also stopped upon hearing this and turned his head slightly to look.
They had all stopped, so Xiang Lanxuan naturally also stopped to look and listen, wondering what matter could draw this Outer Marquis Commander’s attention.
The deputy general said, “The men in the mountains received the message and set up the trap waiting. Who would have known that even after it grew completely dark, they did not see Cao Wei bring anyone over. The other side felt something was wrong, so they sent people to come back and check. As a result, they did not see Cao Wei’s shadow along the entire way, so they sent someone to report. And our hidden sentries in the town on this side clearly saw Cao Wei bring people over. Great Commander, something has almost certainly happened.”
The commander said in a deep voice, “Search. Send more men to search.”
The deputy general said, “Your subordinate has already ordered men to search.”
The commander: “Prepare for the possibility that we cannot find them. Bring those who have seen the three men’s appearances. Once we cannot find them, immediately have portraits drawn and distribute them everywhere to set up a net for capture.”
The deputy general said, “Your subordinate has already brought back the hidden sentry who saw the three men’s appearances. He is currently giving an oral description, and the portrait artist is already painting.”
Mi Yunzhong suddenly interjected, “I have a woodblock carving expert here who came from the palace workshop. Once the portraits are painted, they can be brought over.”
The commander hurriedly praised, “The Commander is wise. Being able to carve blocks immediately would be best. If the portraits can be printed, the speed will be much faster.” He then turned back and waved his hand at the deputy general, shouting, “What are you waiting for? Hurry up and get it done.”
“Yes.” The deputy general quickly took his leave and departed.
After they finished their exchange, Xiang Lanxuan asked with concern, “Commander, what has happened?”
Mi Yunzhong politely extended his hand, indicating they should continue their stroll. As they walked, he slowly explained the matter of fishing for and capturing those with ill intentions who planned to infiltrate the “Rising Sun Assembly.”
This was also one of the matters Xiang Lanxuan was concerned about on this trip. She listened with a slight nod. “It is indeed a good method. Have you caught anyone before?”
The commander hurriedly replied, “More than ten people have already been captured. Their identities are currently being verified.”
Xiang Lanxuan then said to Mi Yunzhong, “Commander, let my people interrogate them again?”
Mi Yunzhong smiled. “It is good to be rigorous. Wherever we have not done well enough, we can also promptly fill the gaps.”
Since he insisted on speaking this way, Xiang Lanxuan was not polite either. After all, the information grasped by both sides might still have some differences. She then asked the commander, “Your method is not bad, and the plan is thorough. Logically speaking, there should not be any slip-ups. Have there been any accidents in previous captures?”
The commander hesitated for a moment. “No, everything went smoothly before. This time, I do not know what happened. Somehow, an accident occurred.”
Xiang Lanxuan had a thoughtful expression, then smiled again. “An accident? I love accidents the most. People who can give others surprises must have a reason. Either they encountered someone cunning, or they encountered someone capable, or it was simply an accident, or there is a problem within our own ranks.”
Mi Yunzhong hesitated and said, “Does the Grand Walker suspect that someone within our ranks has leaked information?”
Xiang Lanxuan: “I am only saying it is possible. As the Commander said, filling gaps. Accidents are the best at revealing problems. Whether there are internal problems or not, once we catch the people, we will naturally find out. If there really is a problem, it is a good thing to expose it promptly. Do you not agree?”
Mi Yunzhong nodded slightly, understanding her meaning. If there really was a leak or a traitor within their ranks, then truly serious problems could easily arise. It would not be as simple as a few suspects. His expression became resolute as he said, “I shall see whether they can escape from beneath my hand!”
The topic ended there, and the three continued to tour the night scenery of the military camp.
They did not wait too long before that deputy general hurried over again, carrying the suspect portraits drawn by the artist in his hands, and handed them to the commander.
The commander examined them one by one by the light of the bonfire. After confirming they were clear and unblemished, he gathered them together and presented them to Mi Yunzhong with both hands.
Who would have known that Xiang Lanxuan beside him would say, “Wait.”
Mi Yunzhong, who was about to reach for the portraits, as well as the commander who was handing them over, including the deputy general, were all stunned. They turned their heads together to look at her, not knowing what this woman meant.
Mi Yunzhong was puzzled. He was now unsure whether he should take the portraits or not, and asked, “Is there something improper?”
Xiang Lanxuan, her face clearly showing confusion, reached out and took the portraits. As she spread them open, she said, “I just glanced at them from the side and did not see clearly. Let me look again.”
The few people nearby were all speechless. Was it worth making such a fuss over not seeing clearly? The commander and deputy general could not help but exchange a glance, feeling that this woman’s behaviour did not match the bearing of a great personage.
Whose portraits could they be? Naturally, they were of Yu Qing, Nan Zhu, and Mu Aotie. The drawings were only rough likenesses. How accurate an oral description could produce was questionable.
After staring at them with her head tilted for a while in contemplation, Xiang Lanxuan raised her eyes to look at the deputy general. “What were the physical characteristics of these three men?”
The deputy general hesitated and said, “I think they said there were fat ones and thin ones. The one with the chubby face was the fat one.”
Nonsense! Seeing that he could not explain clearly, Xiang Lanxuan said, “Are the people who saw the suspects here? Bring them to me.”
The deputy general looked at the commander for his meaning, then cupped his hands to accept the order and departed, running off quickly.
At this moment, Mi Yunzhong sensed something was wrong and tried asking, “Grand Walker, do you perhaps know these three men?”
Xiang Lanxuan was also somewhat puzzled. “I dare not confirm whether they are the ones I know. Logically speaking, if it really were them, they should be cowering in hiding and not daring to come out. How would they dare to run to the ‘Rising Sun Assembly’ to join in the fun?”
Mi Yunzhong asked one more question, “Who are they?”
He did not receive an answer from her. However, he already had a good idea in his heart. People who could be remembered by this Grand Walker of the Daye Division were probably not simple. Speaking of which, it did not seem difficult to understand how they could escape from the opened net.
Before long, the hidden sentry who had returned to camp to orally describe the suspects’ appearances was brought over.
Xiang Lanxuan could not be bothered with that set of formalities. She directly produced the portraits, first pointing at the first one of Nan Zhu and asking, “Is this big fat man about the same height as your commander?”
The person who came sized up the commander’s height and nodded. “Yes, it is about the same.”
Pulling out the second portrait, Xiang Lanxuan asked again, “Is this a big fellow with no expression on his face?”
The portrait only showed the head, not the body.
The person was stunned for a moment, then nodded. “That is correct. He is a big fellow, and indeed no expression can be seen on his face.”
Xiang Lanxuan immediately pulled out the third portrait. “Does this little moustache look somewhat wretched?”
This kind of portrait could not capture the feeling she described.
Yet the person nodded repeatedly. “That is correct. At his age, he still looked quite young. Few people would keep that kind of moustache. He did look a bit strange.”
“Heh heh.” Xiang Lanxuan laughed so hard that she trembled like a branch of flowers, then publicly tore the portraits with a ripping sound, crumpled them into a ball, and directly threw them into the bonfire.
Watching the portraits they had worked hard to create turn into bright flames, the several people present all had expressions of shock. Mi Yunzhong pointed at the burning portraits and frowned. “Grand Walker, what is the meaning of this?”
Xiang Lanxuan reached out and pressed down his hand, sighing. “Ah, I also did not expect that these three bullshitting fellows had come. It is no surprise that they could escape. Forget it, I am also saving you trouble, and everyone can save some effort. In short, these three do not need to be captured. Even if you captured them, you would not dare to do anything to him, and you would have to release him after inviting him back. There is no need to mobilise the troops. Very well, since these three have come, just hand them over to my side for handling. I will take responsibility for everything.”