# 229. Replies to Letters
*So dark... Where am I... Who am I?*
He thought groggily, unable to remember who he was or where he was.
Woo woo woo...
Boom boom boom...
Xu Qi'an heard the sound of horns and drums. Gradually, he heard other sounds: the overwhelming shouts of battle, the deep and chaotic sound of horse hooves, the explosions, and the sharp clash of blades.
All kinds of sounds intertwined, forming a clear picture in Xu Qi'an's mind.
A battlefield!
As soon as he thought that, the darkness before his eyes split open, light pierced through, and indeed, he saw a battlefield.
A dense mass of troops charged, like swarming ants, with high-ranked martial artists rampaging on the battlefield, just like humans trampling on an anthill.
This battlefield was not just filled with humans; there were giant beasts two stories high, serpents dozens of meters long, and fierce birds circling the sky...
Above the melee were monks chanting sutras in the air; there were mighty barbarian warriors who could move mountains; there were fearless undead armies; there were rows of artillery troops; and there were brave cavalry riding fearsome beasts...
*What kind of battlefield is this? It's too exaggerated, too many people dying,* Xu Qi'an thought blankly.
His gaze swept over the battlefield, over the undead army, over the artillery troops, and looked towards the high sky at the rear of the battlefield, where a group of flying beasts hovered.
A man in azure robes stood proudly on the head of a beast, hands behind his back, looking indifferently at the fierce battlefield below.
"Wei Yuan?!"
Xu Qi'an's heart trembled, suddenly remembering who he was. At that moment, the battlefield scene collapsed and returned to endless darkness.
Xu Qi'an opened his eyes and still saw darkness.
*Damn, it's so stuffy...* He didn't get up immediately but concentrated on sensing his surroundings. Then, he "saw" the dark cabin, the neatly arranged five coffins, the slowly moving official ship, and the rippling waves on the canal.
This was the supernatural ability he gained after reaching the Refining Spirit stage.
He didn't know how other Refining Spirit martial artists were, but Xu Qi'an's mental power could, to some extent, act as eyes.
Even if his titanium dog eyes were blinded someday, he wouldn't be afraid.
*The dream I just had... no, it shouldn't be a simple dream, how could a dream be so clear? An undead army, high monks... I've never encountered these things, how could I dream of them?*
*Why was Wei Yuan in the dream? He looked so young... at least his temples weren't grey. Dad really was handsome when he was young, just as handsome as me...*
Lying in the coffin, Xu Qi'an recalled the scenes he saw in the dream: the vast army covering the mountains and plains, the massive scale of the battle.
Multiple forces clashing.
Combining this with Wei Yuan's appearance and his deeds, Xu Qi'an immediately had a guess — the Battle of Shanhai Pass.
*Among Wei Yuan's deeds, the most famous was the Battle of Shanhai... nations clashing, large-scale, perfectly fitting the historical records of the Battle of Shanhai Pass... but why would I dream of the Battle of Shanhai Pass? How did my weakling second uncle survive? He must have been playing dead in the pile of corpses...* Xu Qi'an thought, pushing open the coffin lid.
Fresh air rushed in. He took a deep breath and sat up. Suddenly, a delighted voice came from the dim cabin:
"You're awake."
Xu Qi'an was startled. Only then did he notice a man in white sitting three meters to his left, with his back to him... Well, identity revealed, it's Yang Qianhuan.
This guy was the only man Xu Qi'an could recognize just by his back.
Without responding immediately, he pondered for a few seconds before saying, "Where are we?"
Yang Qianhuan's tone was quite cheerful, showing he was in a great mood. "On the road back to the capital, oh no, on the water."
"The Yunzhou case is over?" Xu Qi'an's face showed joy. "Ah, this damn case is finally over. I no longer have to stay up late and work overtime.
"I died once, I wonder if Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao were sad for me, maybe they were more sad about missing out on five free rides...
"Ah, I never got to trick Susu into coming home as my paper wife. Li Miaozhen probably wants to kill me, good thing I died first, otherwise it would have been really awkward..."
Yang Qianhuan patiently listened to his ramblings.
"By the way, why are you on the ship too?" Xu Qi'an asked.
...Yang Qianhuan thought for a moment and said, "I was sent by my master to handle matters in Yunzhou. Now that it's done, naturally I'm returning. I happened to see the Nightwatchers sending your corpses back to the capital, so I sneaked on board.
"Then, I discovered the wounds on your body were strangely healing, so I figured you weren't dead. After waiting for a few days, hey, you really came back to life."
Yang Qianhuan spoke calmly, but his psychological journey was far more tumultuous than his tone suggested. Upon hearing the news of Xu Qi'an's death, he thought, *I'm finished. When I return to the capital, teacher will shut me under the Stargazing Tower, never to see daylight again.*
He was so scared he almost ran away from his sect.
At the same time, he felt it was a pity, such an interesting guy, how could he die, how could he be so foolish, sacrificing his 20-year-old life for an old man's.
Inspector Zhang was already half a foot in the coffin, the old man.
He followed all the way, sneaked onto the official ship, opened Xu Qi'an's coffin lid, and found that things took a turn for the better. The injuries on this kid's body were miraculously healing, his heartbeat gradually recovering, showing signs of revival.
So, Yang Qianhuan happily stayed by the coffin, not even having time to poop.
Of course, these things could not be told to Xu Qi'an.
*...Did he open my coffin? Otherwise, how would he know my wounds were healing... Why would he open my coffin... I feel like he has some unspeakable purpose...* Xu Qi'an thought, but showed a smile on his face:
"What did Jianzheng send you to Yunzhou for?"
Just at that moment, Yang Qianhuan asked, "How did you come back to life?"
After asking, the two of them stared at each other, falling silent.
A few seconds later, feeling guilty, they both tacitly changed the topic:
"The weather is nice today."
"The wind is quite noisy today."
Xu Qi'an and Yang Qianhuan fell silent again.
*It's a bit awkward...* Just as Xu Qi'an was thinking of changing the topic and talking about something else, he suddenly found four letters in his arms.
Whose letters are these?
The coffin was stored at the bottom of the cabin, with only weak light penetrating through the gaps in the deck.
The deck lets light through, this ship needs proper repairs... Xu Qi'an grumbled, casually opening a letter and reading it by the faint light.
Now, his eyesight allowed him to see in the dark without any obstacles.
After reaching the Refining Spirit stage, his body's attributes had improved in all aspects.
*Big Brother:*
*We received your letters. Mum and dad are all very happy, Lingyin is also very happy. Mum was especially pleased, she didn’t expect you to write a letter for her, she was smacking the table with joy. It’s good to know that Big Brother is safe. I don’t need to worry any more.*
The words were thin and slender, Lingyue’s handwriting.
*Auntie’s probably smacking the table and cursing out my late mother… but are you happy, sister…* Lingyue’s slender and graceful face appeared in Xu Qi’an’s mind. Imagining her slightly lowering her gaze, with a shy and bashful expression on her face, the corner of his mouth curled up slightly, and he continued to read:
*Not long after you left, Lingyin was made to enter the school. Everything was arranged for by second brother. Now, Lingyin can recite nine characters from the Three Character classic. When mum and dad found out, they were nearly moved to tears.*
Lingyin can read nine characters now? Xu Qi’an was nearly moved to tears.
*However it seems she was bullied. Mum bought her a jade bracelet once, that cost ten taels of silver, and it disappeared a few days ago. There were some light bruising on her wrist, someone seems to have pulled it off.*
*But Lingyin doesn’t know better, when we asked who had done it, she didn’t say, didn’t even think it was an issue. Maybe in her heart except for food, there was nothing else important.*
*The Spring Festival is soon arriving, dad gets home late every day, or staying overnight at barracks elsewhere, not having time to manage things in the family. Mum hasn’t told him yet, and went to go ask the teacher at the school herself, but the teacher said that he didn’t know, and maybe that Lingyin had lost it herself. Mum was shaking with anger, but she couldn’t do anything.*
*If big brother were here, then this wouldn’t have happened right? If second brother were here, he would definitely lament the teacher out of the city.*
*However second brother has also been really angry recently. From what dad said, he was freezing in the winter wind for half a night, and after returning home the next day for money and food, he hasn’t talked to us since. Second brother is so stingy, it’s not big brother’s fault that you forgot to write a letter, big brother is also very busy.*
Sis, Xinnian is your direct blood brother… it seems that not only have your legs taking a wrong turn, your heart has taken a wrong turn right to me… please continue on this trajectory. Reading up to here, Xu Qi’an had to cover his mouth with his hand to stop himself from laughing out loud.
It’s a shame that I couldn’t see Erlang in that state, hehehe…
*Oh also, mum said after spring, she would find me a husband. I hate it, why doesn’t she go marry herself? Lingyin misses you, she asks for you every day. I… I also miss you.
What are you saying, it’s not as if Auntie can remarry, Auntie is a member of our Xu family, alive or dead… big brother misses you too.
Finishing the letter, Xu Qi’an folded up the paper, and put it back into the envelope with satisfaction.
He glanced at Yang Qianhuan, but this character still had his back turned, quiet like a statue.
“What are you looking at me for, where else would I be?” Yang Qianhuan said grumpily.
Xu Qi’an ignored him, and opened the second letter.
*Dearest,*
*You and I have been twenty days apart, and the thought of you is like a crackling flame, ever getting brighter. Everything at the Jiaofangsi is good, every day I nap, then go pick plum blossoms, and walk around. I’ve brewed a cask of plum blossom wine, for us to share when you come home.*
This was the Madam Oiran’s letter.
*Occasionally I would go drink a few drinks with guests, listening to their conversations, but really your servant wants to hear about you. Yet, the capital and Yunzhou are a myriad miles apart, and information does not travel easily.*
*Those wretched men, they boast about being scholars, but are really only fit for gorging and boozing, with not a drop of talent, hardly comparable to my dearest. Your servant has thought many times, that meeting Master Xu was heaven’s greatest gift to me.*
*Some days ago, the maids brought a message, I heard that you have written a new poem in Qingzhou, treated as an utmost treasure by Ziyang Jushi, and carved onto stone stele to admonish all who would cause trouble. To know the person who wrote it makes your servant unbelievably happy.*
*Dearest Master Xu, your servant misses you every night, my nails are even trimmed down.*
Miss me all you want, just don’t get it all over your hands… Xu Qi’an chuckled, before carefully folding up the paper and putting it back in its envelope.
There were two more letters left. He thought back through his remaining spare tyres: Chu Caiwei, Huaiqing, Lin’an.
There were clearly three people — three tyres, but why were there only two letters.
Xu Qi’an was a little indignant, thinking who didn’t write me a letter? Is it that my tyre-raising skills are too lacklustre, or that my ocean king’s trident isn’t accurate enough?
He picked one at random, and opened to read:
*Running dog.*
*When’s the Yunzhou case over? We don’t miss you per se, but considering the Spring festival is near, many guards have gone on holiday, and we have fewer servants by our side.*
Just from the first sentence, a wave of coquettish, bitchy playfulness hit him at full force.
Is her highness really lacking attendants… mn, Biaobiao has remembered to reply, not bad, not bad… Xu Qi’an continued reading:
*Your five-in-a-row has made its mark in our hands, everyone is praising my inventiveness and sharp wit, even Huaiqing has admitted defeat to me on this one, on all fours at that. Privately she said to me: Lin’an, your intelligence far bests mine, Huaiqing admits your superiority.*
*But of course she wouldn’t admit it in public. I’m just gossiping, don’t take it to heart ok? Huaiqing is still a princess after all, gotta let her have some of her pride.*
*But we do not take advantage of our subordinates. With the spring festival coming, Father gifted me some gold, silver, and jade, as well as some silk and jewellery. When you get back, come to our stores to pick some out.*
Haha, bless your heart, Lin’an, to think that I told her that to support my martial arts, uncle had to get loans and scrape by, she just up and believed it, and is still finding ways to give me silver, how innocent… keep it up, you’re doing great!
Xu Qi’an smiled happily.
*What’s up with the chicken bouillon, didn’t you invent it? Why is everyone out there saying that the Sitianjian’s Chu Caiwei invented it? We were so angry that we went and raised a storm at the Sitianjian.*
*Those white cloaks didn’t dare touch me, but they had the gall to go tell on me to Father, and I ended up getting a heavy scolding. When you come back, we can go back to the Sitianjian, make things fair and square.*
Um… admittedly the chicken bouillon really was invented by Chu Caiwei, I only gave her the prompt. We’ve already agreed that she can use the refinement of chicken bouillon to reach the Master of Alchemy rank.
Xu Qi’an was somewhat moved, Biaobiao is really quite protective of her own.
He put Lin’an’s letter back in its envelope, and taking a deep breath, opened the last letter.
Huaiqing or Caiwei, which one of you is the traitor, we’ll find out now!
*Bronze Gong Xu.*
*The situation in Yunzhou is complex, and banditry has been endemic for decades. The Qi clique and the Church of the Warlock God have conspired for many years, and they likely have a lot of power in Yunzhou.*
*Remember to act carefully. Even if you have the fourth rank Gold Gong Jiang with you, you are not completely safe. If you have your target, you must move with lightning speed, lest you give him time to respond.*
*I surmise that Duke Wei has arranged secret orders, but likely they will not cross paths with you. Perhaps Inspector Zhang knows, perhaps not. Although your skill in deduction is unparalleled, your strength is still limited, remember to not act alone.*
It’s Huaiqing, huh.
Complex feelings coursed through Xu Qi’an’s mind. He was feeling both disappointment and pleasure, disappointed that that big eyed kawaii beauty was not up to par, that all that effort was for naught. To let her into his fish pond, and yet not so much as to respond.
Pleased that Huaiqing was most certainly up to par, she still had this Bronze Gong in her heart.
But both sides of the hand are made of flesh, and so Xu Qi’an could not weight one feeling over the other.
*Huaiqing’s really scary, a little too intelligent no? No, this isn’t just intelligence, this is a deep analysis of the situation, an ability to predict people’s intentions, she even managed to predict Duke Wei’s plans… fuck, if I go out of line even a little I’ll have no chance of getting away with it.*
As he remembered it, Huaiqing was still half a disciple of Wei Yuan, so to have that ability was admittedly not out of the question. Xu Qi’an narrowed his eyes, and continued reading:
*A few days ago, Caiwei came to have lunch at my gardens. When we were chatting, we started chatting about you. She said that recently she was struggling over how to reply to you, because she didn’t like to read, and was afraid that her clumsy writing would make you laugh.*
*She also said: “Xu Qi’an is really thoughtful, he even sent me a red lotus petal to me from Qingzhou, saying that I’m as pretty as the lotus in the wind.”*
*When Caiwei was talking about this, she wore much a smile… and so I decided to tell Caiwei: We will write a letter for you, and she happily agreed.*
*Heh, Master Xu is very suave indeed. Sending a flower to two people, with different phrases in each, and in such a way as to perfectly please the recipient.*
*We admire your talent.*
… Xu Qi’an stared at the paper with a stupefied expression.
“What’s up?” Yang Qianhuan asked.
“The cart’s overturned…” Freeloader Xu’s face reddened, so embarrassed that he wanted to jump into the river, and swim back to Baidi city.
*Fuuuuck… I forgot that Caiwei hadn’t really started thinking about romance. And she’s on good terms with Huaiqing, she could share such gossip without so much as a thought.*
*Huaiqing already has some prejudice to me, she wouldn’t even see me when I left the capital, and now that Miss Caiwei has let the cat out… Huaiqing must have already stuck a “Scumbag” label on me."* Even the tips of Xu Qi’an’s ears turned red.
*Old Xu still has some sense of pride, how could I have any face to show at the capital now… oh right, I’m dead. That’s okay then.*
At the same time, he also felt relieved because Huaiqing couldn't see the letters from Biaobiao, Fuxiang, and Lingyue.
The latter two need no explanation, as they had no interaction with Huaiqing. And Biaobiao was her sister, they were like water and fire and would never share such intimate letters.
It was even less likely that she would show off. No matter how innocent and naive Biaobiao might appear, she was still a royal princess and wouldn’t be foolish enough to show such letters around.
*Luckily, I know Chu Caiwei is a blockhead and didn't flirt with her, just talked about the local delicacies along the way... Perhaps because of this, Princess Huaiqing was unhappy but still wrote to remind me. After all, what I wrote to her were love (bootlicking) letters, while what I wrote to Caiwei were normal letters.*
*Hehe, Huaiqing, you thought I was on the second level, but I was actually on the fifth.*
"Who wrote the letter?"
Seeing that Xu Qi'an finally finished reading, Yang Qianhuan started talking again.
"A friend from the capital," Xu Qi'an said calmly.
"Must be your lover," Yang Qianhuan remarked.
Xu Qi'an immediately became vigilant. "Did you peek at my letters?"
Yang Qianhuan sneered, "I, Yang Qianhuan, would never stoop to such lowly deeds."
After all, he was a fourth-ranked Arcanist... Xu Qi'an nodded and said, "By the way, your junior sister Caiwei is truly a blockhead. At her age, she should have romantic feelings. I couldn't even flirt with her; when I wrote to her, she still..."
Xu Qi'an sighed deeply.
Yang Qianhuan agreed, "Junior sister Caiwei is indeed slow to mature. She treated it as regular correspondence between friends and told Princess Huaiqing. It's not that she has no feelings for you; at least you are a very important friend to her."
Xu Qi'an's gaze suddenly became sharp. "How the hell do you know she told Huaiqing?"
"..." Yang Qianhuan.
The King of Posturing didn't speak for a long time, realizing he had been tricked. He finally understood the shame Xu Qi'an had felt earlier.
*Not only did you peek at my letter, but you also stuck the envelope back...*
"Forget it. Considering you helped me capture Liang Youping, I won’t fuss about it," Xu Qi'an warned.
"But you mustn't spread the word about the letters."
Since things had come to this point, Yang Qianhuan had already read the letters, so he couldn’t turn back time. He might as well pretend to be generous.
Yang Qianhuan was puzzled. "I didn't help you catch Liang Youping."
A cold breeze blew through the deck's gaps, hitting Xu Qi'an's neck.
He shivered slowly, his hair standing on end, and even his voice carried a hint of tremor. "What did you say?"
...
In the warm winter sun, Nangong Qianrou drove a carriage to the outer palace.
After parking the carriage, he handed the reins to a Yulin Guard who came up, bent down to take out a wooden stool, opened the carriage door, and said,
"Father, we've arrived."
Wearing a luxurious azure robe and with graying temples, Wei Yuan emerged from the carriage and stepped down onto the wooden stool.
The two of them entered the palace and headed for the Imperial Study.
"Father, I heard there was an urgent message this morning?" Nangong Qianrou asked.
The intelligence levels of the Great Feng were divided into three-hundred-mile urgency, four-hundred-mile urgency, six-hundred-mile urgency, and the highest eight-hundred-mile urgency.
Among them, eight-hundred-mile urgent information was sent directly to the cabinet, which then passed it to the emperor. Before it reaches the cabinet, no one except the messenger was allowed to handle it.
Otherwise, it was considered treason.
Wei Yuan nodded solemnly. After the eight-hundred-mile urgent letter was sent to the palace, the emperor had called a small court meeting in the Imperial Study shortly after.
An eight-hundred-mile urgent letter must be a major event, but it was unclear which province it came from.
"Truly a troublesome time!" Wei Yuan sighed lightly and then asked, "How is the preparation of the rhino armor going?"
"The materials have been collected, just waiting to be taken to the Sitianjian for forging," Nangong Qianrou said sourly.
The rhino armor was a gift Wei Yuan intended for Xu Qi'an. The rhino armor was impervious to blades and fire. If the alchemists and formation masters of the Sitianjian were to forge it into a magical item, it would become an unparalleled defensive treasure, difficult even for a fifth-rank martial artist to break through easily.
Nangong Qianrou understood Wei Yuan's intentions. He wanted to cover Xu Qi'an's last weakness, to protect this sapling that had yet to fully grow.
As they neared the Imperial Study, Nangong Qianrou was stopped by the imperial guards, and Wei Yuan proceeded alone.
Wei Yuan stepped over the threshold and entered the Imperial Study.
He casually glanced at the ministers on either side and immediately frowned.
All the ministers were looking at him with an inexplicable and obscure gaze.
Emperor Yuanjing was also looking at Wei Yuan, but the old emperor was deep in thought, showing no expression.
"Your Majesty," Wei Yuan bowed and saluted, then naturally joined the ranks, standing in his place.