Chapter 1958: Unknown Danger
Worried that something could have happened to Ji Xiaoxi, Zu An flew straight toward Copper Gong Mountain. His movements caught the attention of many in the capital.
“As expected of the regent. He disappears in the blink of an eye.”
“Isn’t there a formation forbidding flight in the capital? Why does it not work on him?”
“Don’t you know that officials are exempted from the laws? Such restrictions only apply to peasants like us.”
…
Those from the major clans in the capital stared at the sky in confusion.
“He appears to be in a hurry. Did something happen in the imperial court?”
“I hope that star of misfortune never returns.”
…
In the Palace of Peace, Eunuch Lu greeted the empress behind a curtain and reported, “Your Majesty, the regent has just left the capital in a hurry.”
“Got it,” the empress said, waving her hand lazily.
Given Zu An’s cultivation level, there’s no need to worry about him.
Eunuch Lu backed out of the room in surprise.
Her majesty usually keeps a close eye on the happenings in the capital, but she doesn’t seem bothered by Zu An’s movements. Indeed, women are more tolerant of powerful men.
Thinking about how relaxed and lazy the empress had looked earlier filled Eunuch Lu with jealousy and agitation.
Her majesty must have had a good time at the academy’s rear mountain.
In the Eastern Palace, Rong Mo had been chatting by the windowsill when she suddenly rushed to the crown princess and reported, “Young miss! I heard the regent has just left the capital in a hurry!”
“Got it,” Bi Linglong replied weakly. Her mind was too occupied with the grudge between Zu An and the Bi clan to bother with any other matters.
Rong Mo was stunned. The young miss has always prioritized news about Sir Zu above all things else, but she looks so disinterested now. What in the world happened today?
Meanwhile, Zu An finally arrived at Copper Gong Mountain.
It was said that the mountain got its name from the copper gong sounds caused by the raging Pillchasing River ramming against the mountain at its winding curves, though the imperial court’s official documents attributed it to the mountain's rich copper mines. However, the copper mines had already been emptied out after a thousand years of mining, so the imperial court had abandoned them. Over time, many of the old mines had accumulated rainwater, forming small lakes. Due to the rich minerals in the mountain, those lakes were extremely clear, looking like sapphire gemstones from afar. Among the lakes, Shadowmoon Lake was the largest and most beautiful one of all, but it was rarely visited as it was located in the depths of the Copper Gong Mountain.
There was a small town at the foot of Copper Gong Mountain, but there was hardly anyone walking on the streets even though it wasn’t nighttime yet. Zu An didn’t think much of it, as the population density in this world was much lower than that of the modern world. He was about to pass through the town when he noticed a few Embroidered Envoys heading toward the mountain.
“Oh?” Zu An muttered, then flitted forward and landed before the Embroidered Envoys.
“Who is it?” The Embroidered Envoys had been chatting merrily when Zu An’s arrival alarmed them, and they quickly drew their weapons.
“Not bad. You’re vigilant,” Zu An said, nodding in satisfaction. These people wore embroidered clothes and metal masks, signifying their identities. He didn’t bother changing into his Chief Commander’s robes since he could mobilize them in his official capacity too.
“R-Regent?” One of the Embroidered Envoys recognized him and hurriedly bowed. The others jolted in shock before anxiously bowing as well. There was no way they wouldn’t know the most famous person in the capital at the moment.
Zu An was about to reach for his waist token to reveal his identity, but he was startled by their response. He asked, “You know me?”
“We have seen your portrait,” the Embroidered Envoys replied with fawning smiles.
Zu An was speechless. Those damn merchants have been spreading my portraits around the capital. I’ll conduct a thorough investigation to see who’s behind it.
He had initially thought those selling his portraits were after profits, but he quickly realized that couldn’t be the case.
Hardly any merchants in the capital have seen me before, and even if they saw me by coincidence, it would be hard for them to capture my appearance accurately through their memories. The portraits must have been highly accurate for these Embroidered Envoys to recognize me right away… It must have been the doing of someone who’s familiar with my appearance.
Could it be someone from the imperial court?
However, Zu An was too worried about Xiaoxi to dwell on it. He asked, “What are you doing here? Did something happen in the vicinity?”
Any incident involving the mobilization of the Embroidered Envoy was anything but trifling. Could their appearance in Copper Gong Mountain be related to Xiaoxi?
The Embroidered Envoys quickly put on a serious expression and replied, “Regent, something bizarre is indeed going on at Copper Gong Mountain. The locals here make a living from chopping wood in the mountains and selling it in the capital in the morning. However, all the woodcutters who recently entered the mountain have vanished.
“The woodcutters are veterans who often navigate the mountain. They know which places are dangerous, and they usually limit themselves to the outer perimeter of the mountain. Far too many people have disappeared to shrug it off as an accident, and the terrified locals claim that there are monsters living on the mountain.”
“Which household was the first one to talk abut the monsters?” Zu An asked.
The Embroidered Envoys were startled. They hadn’t expected the regent to be so professional; that was also the angle they were approaching from.
“The rumors originate from an old woodcutter who goes by the surname of Zhang, living on the west side of town. He claims to have encountered monsters in the mountain, and that he only survived by hiding inside a tree hole,” the leader of the Embroidered Envoys replied. “The local magistrate did dispatch a team of constables to look into the matter. They paid a visit to Woodcutter Zhang and had him lead them to the monsters. As elite soldiers from the capital purge Copper Gong Mountain of powerful monsters now and then, the constables should have been enough to deal with this matter. And yet, the constables disappeared after entering the mountain too.”
The Embroidered Envoy usually dealt with the most severe cases, but they still felt chills running down their backs as they recounted the story.
Zu An nodded in realization. He had been perplexed by the presence of the Embroidered Envoys, as the disappearances of woodcutters shouldn’t have warranted their mobilization. However, it made sense if an entire team of constables had disappeared too.
“Do you know where the monsters are usually located?” he asked, deducing that this matter was related to Xiaoxi’s disappearance too.
“It frequents this area,” one of the Embroidered Envoys replied as he took out a map and drew a circle on it. “Woodcutter Zhang is one of the bolder ones, and he inherited a map from his father too. Every now and then, he ventured deep into the mountain to harvest fresh mushrooms or rare herbs to sell. He encountered one of the monsters while he was harvesting mushrooms.”
Zu An glanced at the map and noticed that the demarcated area wasn’t too far away from Shadowmoon Lake. He asked, “Did he describe the monster’s appearance?”
Could some of the fiends be dwelling on this mountain?
The Embroidered Envoys shook their heads and said, “We don’t have any information about that. Woodcutter Zhang should have told the constables, but the constables have all gone missing.”
Zu An nodded, advising them, “Proceed carefully and prioritize your safety above anything else. Should you meet with danger, don’t hesitate to request help from the capital’s Embroidery House.”
He had no plans to work with the Embroidered Envoys. He urgently needed to look for Xiaoxi, and these Embroidered Envoys wouldn’t be able to catch up with him.
“Thank you, my liege!” the Embroidered Envoys replied. The Envoys were known for their strict discipline. Even in the face of danger, they were expected to charge in and acquire useful intelligence. Zu An’s edict gave them the option to retreat without being punished by the Embroidery House, and that greatly increased their chances of survival. Naturally, they were grateful to him for that.
Zu An nodded. He soared into the air and headed deeper into Copper Gong Mountain. He noticed the forest beneath him growing so lush that the top canopy completely covered the ground. It was no doubt hard for humans to venture into such grounds. A white fog soon appeared, and it grew thicker the deeper Zu An ventured into the forest.
“Hm?” Zu An couldn’t help but notice that the white fog had gotten unnaturally thick. He had never seen a mountain forest with such thick fog before. Furthermore, the fog obscured his divine sense, forcing him to lower his altitude to better perceive the situation below.
He landed on the canopy of a tree and scanned the area. Then, he took out the jade badge to communicate with nearby animals. Now that his divine sense had gotten much sharper, he was less reliant on the jade badge, but there were still specific situations in which it proved to be more useful.
It didn’t take him long to form a connection with the small animals dwelling in the forest, be they canaries, boars, or rabbits. Their thoughts flowed into his mind, and he sieved through them for useful information. He sensed that the animals were fearful of something, though they were somehow unable to process what the source of that fear was. He could only sense that it was something purple.
His eyes suddenly narrowed as he picked up on something useful. He immediately flitted into the distance, and the tree he had been standing on swayed in his wake. He soon arrived within the vicinity of a lake. It wasn’t Shadowmoon Lake, but one of the other nameless mine lakes. There was an abandoned campsite next to it, suggesting that someone had been here not too long ago.
He squatted down and inspected the faint yellow powder scattered around the campsite. It was the feces of a dragon. Back in Brightmoon City, Ji Xiaoxi had used it to deter ferocious beasts from approaching her.
She was here!
Zu An carefully examined the campsite, and his heart sank. There were many footprints around it, indicating she wasn’t the only one here.That girl is too kind and trusts others too easily. Humans are sometimes scarier than beasts.
He inspected the scene. He was a veteran in this field due to his experience as an Embroidered Envoy, and it didn’t take him long to come up with a conjecture.
There are no signs of battle here, so it’s unlikely Xiaoxi was harmed by the other humans residing in this campsite. They didn’t manage to keep the tent, and the pot beside the campfire was overturned. They must have left in a hurry. Were they escaping from something terrifying?
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