The Fairy: From the Traveling Merchant

Chapter 769 Chess Pieces
In a Western-style house just across the street from Xuannv Palace.

As soon as Zhao Chen entered the living room, he saw Yan Hongxia, Ning Meng and Mo Qiu having breakfast, but Ming Xueling was nowhere to be seen.

He couldn't help but frown, because according to the agreement yesterday morning, Ming Xueling should have been here to protect Ning Meng and Mo Qiu.

Of course, Zhao Chen did not leave any other plans in place. Before leaving, he asked Fang Peiniang, one of the "Flower Fairies" in the "Hundred Flowers Book" and known as "Thunder Princess", to hide in this house.

Although Fang Peiniang is only a cultivator with low-grade magical powers, she can be blessed by the "Hundred Flowers Book" and can borrow power from Zhao Chen at any time. Even ordinary cultivators with medium-grade magical powers may not be his opponent.

Seeing Zhao Chen coming back, the three women stopped what they were doing and came over to greet him.

Zhao Chen greeted them one by one before asking, "Where's Mingxue? Where did she go?"

Seeing the question, Yan Hongxia and Ning Meng looked at each other, and then looked at Mo Qiu beside them.

After all, when Ming Xueling left, one of them had not returned yet, and the other was practicing magic seriously, so they didn't know the details.

Mo Qiu was a little nervous for a moment, but she had been in charge of the martial arts school for many years, so she quickly calmed down and replied: "Fairy Duan left yesterday evening. She seemed to have found something or someone that interested her, so she left in a hurry."

The things or people that can interest Mingxue...even without caring about what I tell you to do?
Although I spoke to her in a negotiating tone yesterday and did not give her an order, she chose to leave. Obviously, she thought that the thing that interested her was more important... more important than protecting Ning Meng!

What will it be?
While Zhao Chen was thinking in his mind, he divided part of his mind and entered the "Star Chariot" to check Ming Xueling's current condition.

——After meeting "Master Tianding" in Xiliang City, the "ownership" of Ming Xueling had already belonged to Zhao Chen, but she was unaware of it.

Xiao Ling is not in danger, but is in a "hidden" state, and seems to be following or stalking someone... In this case, let's not communicate with her for the time being, so as not to disturb her and expose our whereabouts.

As his thoughts turned, Zhao Chen's spirit returned to reality from the "Star Chariot". He then found a seat and sat down, and asked the three female warriors to return to their previous seats. After looking around, he said, "In that case, let's not wait for Mingxue. Let's first summarize the intelligence we got yesterday and clarify today's mission."

As he said that, he looked at Yan Hongxia: "Sister Hongxia, tell me about the situation on your side first."

When asked, Yan Hongxia said a little embarrassedly: "You know, I only visited a friend in Beijing yesterday, Shen Lin from Wanbaolou, and something unexpected happened...

"Later, Shen Lin was called away by the manager of Wanbaolou for questioning, so he was unable to obtain more information about the masters of the Liang Palace.

"But Shen Lin has promised me that she will organize all the information she has collected over the years and give it to me. I will go get it later."

Zhao Chen nodded. This was within his expectations and he did not feel disappointed. Anyway, he asked Sister Hongxia to collect relevant information just to verify the information he had obtained.

He thought about it and asked curiously, "Is Shen Lin well-informed in the capital?"

As far as he knew, this orphan girl from a fifth-rank civil official's family who had a grudge against King Liang was not very powerful.

"She has the support of 'Wanbaolou' and is well taken care of by my uncle, so she has built up some connections over the years." Yan Hongxia was very confident in her friend, and it was obvious that this was not the first time they had worked together.

I must have gotten a lot of information from Shen Lin before. Zhao Chen looked at Yan Hongxia thoughtfully, and then assigned her a new task: "Sister Hongxia, if you have time this morning, why not help me investigate the details of the two gangs in Beijing, the Shenmu Gang and the Baishui Gang."

As for the afternoon, they had to go to Daxiangyun Temple to meet Concubine Ning, so they probably wouldn't have time to do anything else.

"Shenmu Gang and Baishui Gang?" Yan Hongxia looked at Zhao Chen in confusion, not quite understanding why they wanted to investigate two gangs.

Seeing this, Zhao Chen once again summoned the "Liang Yi Golden Box" to cover the room, then picked out the information he had obtained last night and told it to the three female heroes.

Of course, the details about his "conversation in the bathtub" with the Queen and his "confession of love" with the Imperial Concubine were completely skipped.

After listening to Zhao Chen's story, Yan Hongxia's face turned ugly. After all, King Liang's behavior of wanting to release the "enlightened beast" was simply a challenge to the authority of the "Daoguan Office". If there was no evidence, she would have wanted to report it directly.

And the Emperor's "indulgence" made her even more dissatisfied.

Although she did not reach the level of "hating evil as much as she hates it", Yan Hongxia, as a "Taoist official", could still be said to have "performed her duties conscientiously".

After about half an incense stick of time, Yan Hongxia finally calmed down and said carefully, "Xiao Chen, you asked me to investigate the Baishui Gang and the Shenmu Gang. Do you want to find out the true origin of Yan Ruyu?"

"I want to know who is involved. This way, I can see what our emperor wants to do... and what he needs me to do...

"I won't feel at peace until I figure this out!" Zhao Chen sighed.

This was the first time he felt so passive since he traveled through time. Even the game Song Wu Rui had set up did not give him such a sense of oppression... Of course, that was also because Song Wu Rui had never treated him as a chess piece.

Although he had often been "arranged" to participate in various events by the existence behind the scenes before, most of the time he was just "playing by and taking advantage", and when he realized that he was being "arranged", he had basically figured out the whole story.

Unlike this time, I knew I was a pawn, but I had no idea where I would be "used"...

Zhao Chen felt so aggrieved that he thought it would be a loss even if he managed to pry the imperial concubine away.

……

In an alley next to a teahouse in the East Third District of Beijing.

Ming Xueling used his magical powers to transform himself into a tree and stared at a window on the left side of the third floor of the teahouse, where sat the enemy who murdered Duan Mingxue's mother - Gu Changhe.

At this distance, if she were outside Jiuzhou, she would have been discovered by the "Dongxuan" Zhenren beside Gu Changhe long ago, but in the capital, spiritual consciousness is subject to strict "laws", so she had the opportunity to peek.

Speaking of which, the reason why Ming Xueling hurriedly left the house where the group was staying yesterday evening was because she "saw" Gu Changhe passing by the door.

"He seems to be waiting for someone..." While Ming Xueling was thinking in his heart, he also reduced his presence to the minimum, as if he was really just a tree.

(End of this chapter)