Xu Qian An inquired with a Qingyi attendant about the unsealing of Xikou County but found the person clueless, which made him suspicious. It seemed that many people’s memories here could be altered at will.
Upon returning, he couldn’t find the Northern Zhen Princess in the room, leading Xu Qian An to believe that she had escaped again. He began to subtly use magic to search for her and coincidentally discovered the Northern Zhen Princess distributing alms to a few beggars behind the house. Xu Qian An had just picked up a small pouch and had previously instructed the princess to “express a token of goodwill,” but unexpectedly, the princess gave all the golden melon seeds in the pouch to the two beggars.
The beggars widened their eyes, their hands trembling and not daring to move. Xu Qian An reminded the princess that these golden melon seeds were rare in the world, equivalent to giving the beggars hundreds of thousands of taels of silver. However, the princess seemed unaware whether this silver could help the old man and his grandson overcome their difficulties. It wasn’t until Xu Qian An told her that even those several generations removed have no trouble with food and clothing that she understood what was happening.
That day, Xu Qian An encountered someone from Meizu. To find a strong lead, Xu Qian An first helped them capture two escaping servants and then used the princess as bait, hoping to get them to explain what “blood massacre three thousand li” meant. The other party, seeing that he was no match for Xu Qian An, told him that the Northern Zhen Prince didn’t care about the princess; it was because this woman had spiritual essence within her. By absorbing this essence, she could ascend to the second rank of immortal status, but even without the spiritual essence, consuming large amounts of qi energy from second-rank sorcerers was also possible. The Meizu person also advised Xu Qian An, saying “those who recognize the times are heroes,” suggesting that he could offer the princess to the Northern Zhen Prince now, which would surely bring him wealth, honor, and official titles in the future. Xu Qian An did not consider his suggestion and sent him away directly.
Late at night, Xu Qian An deliberately wandered outside for a long time before returning, only to find that the princess was still in the room. Xu Qian An indicated that he now understood the truth and that the princess could leave at any time. His sincere gaze was evident, but the princess lamented that she had been treated like a commodity since childhood, first sent to the emperor’s palace by her parents, then the emperor transferred her to the Northern Zhen Prince. Even if she opened the cage to let the birds fly free, she had nowhere to go. Xu Qian An cooked some porridge and rice for the princess to use first. At this moment, the jade stone mirror emitted a signal, indicating that Li Miaozhen had captured the key suspect. This person proposed that only by meeting Xu Qian An would he be willing to reveal the truth.
Xu Qian An settled the princess and rode swiftly, traveling continuously for three days and three nights to finally reach the inn where Li Miaozhen resided. Exhausted, he immediately collapsed on the bed and fell asleep. In the evening, the person contacted by Li Miaozhen arrived as scheduled. He confessed that the “blood massacre three thousand li” took place in the area under the jurisdiction of the Minister of Civil Affairs, Zheng Xinghuai.
Both Xu Qian An and Li Miaozhen were surprised. Wasn’t Zheng Xinghuai working in the palace? An informant explained that the person was an imposter, and the real Zheng Xinghuai was hiding in a cave on a nearby cliff. Then, the informant truly took Xu Qian An and Li Miaozhen to the cave. Zheng Xinghuai was dressed in rags, with a very unkempt beard and hair. Talking about what happened that day, Li Miaozhen asked him not to get too emotional. Then, he used magic to create an empathy link between Xu Qian An and Zheng Xinghuai, allowing them to relive the events together.
On the day of the incident, Zheng Xinghuai was eating with his family. It was originally an ordinary day, but the guards hurriedly came to report that the townspeople had been gathered by the Protector of the Nation to the city gates. Zheng Xinghuai was puzzled and rushed over, questioning the Protector of the Nation about his intentions. At that moment, the Protector of the Nation began a slaughter, killing all the unarmed townspeople in the city, resulting in a river of blood and an unspeakable massacre. This Protector of the Nation had secretly allied with the Wushen Cult. He drew his sword to kill Zheng Xinghuai, but his son desperately used his own body to block the attack, sacrificing himself for his father. Reflecting on this, Zheng Xinghuai could never let go of the grief of losing his son. The empathy session ended.
With the truth of the case revealed, Xu Qian An was also deeply affected. He felt that this case was extremely complex, with so many deaths and injuries yet so little known. It was clear that another clan was erasing many people’s memories, and their power was so great that even Wei Yuan was not fully aware.
