Zhuo Qingke sat on the couch with a sad face, his legs bent and knees together, his arms wrapped around his calves, and his chin rested on his white-lined knees:
"Have you ever met Huo Shizhong?"
Zhuo Huai sat on one side of the room: "No. I asked people to wait outside Huo's house for two days, but he never came or went. My father guessed that he might not be in Chang'an."
Zhuo Qingke's clear eyes flashed with despair, and his face slowly turned pale: "If he doesn't come back in the end, will my daughter really marry him?"
Zhuo Huai also frowned: "...it can be postponed for a few more days."
The father and daughter were silent for a moment.
————
There was an undercurrent in Lujiang County that night, and huge turmoil occurred.
By the morning of the next day, Huo Qubing led two hundred elite cavalry and set off back to Chang'an. Among the two hundred people, there were two more prisoners who were disguised and wearing light armor.
One of them is Xiao Ping, the captain of Lujiang County, and the other is Chang Shi Duan Zhongyi.
One of these two people is responsible for the local armed forces, and the other is responsible for the issuance and recording of various documents and orders.
Huo Qubing traveled thousands of miles to attack, and his target was Zonghengdao.
In fact, he still wanted to find a breakthrough and dig out the true picture of the murder of Northern Army Lieutenant Liu Huai and the person behind it.
The discovery of Xiao Ping and Duan Zhongyi was the biggest gain since coming into contact with this matter.
Outside the county town of Lujiang County, Song Ran was filled with resentment. Seeing that Huo Qubing and others were no longer visible as they were speeding away, he turned to look at Qu Jun and Yue Rao, who were also left behind to deal with the aftermath.
The two of them, like her, seriously suspected that the three of them were riding too slowly and Huo Qubing made excuses to leave them here.
Huo Qubing led his troops and rode wildly. On the next night, he returned to Chang'an in a dusty atmosphere and went directly to the palace to meet the emperor.
As night fell, Liu Che met Huo Qubing in the Yutai Hall of the harem.
He was wearing casual clothes and sitting behind a low seat quite casually:
"How's it going?"
Huo Qubing: "The Zonghengdao has been destroyed. Following the clues, we found the captain and the chief historian of Lujiang County. We also obtained several ancient artifacts with provenance from the Zonghengdao, which may be of interest to Your Majesty."
Liu Che directly asked the result: "Why did the captain and chief historian of Lujiang County conspire with Zonghengdao?"
"Both Xiao Ping and Duan Zhongyi said that their wives, daughters, and family members were controlled by pills, and if they resisted even a little, the whole family would die.
But their statement is obviously not the whole story."
Huo Qubing said: "I just made a simple inquiry. The person has been taken back to the secret agent. The secret agent specializes in torture investigations. I think I can dig out a lot of things."
This is Huo Qubing’s principle.
He wants to be a relatively pure military commander and not be too involved in other things. For example, knowing too much may not be a good thing in a situation where there are many insider secrets behind the scenes.
He was destined to unite the army in war and always regarded foreigners as his real opponents.
It would be foolish to stretch one's hand too far on the basis of generals, involve too many non-military matters, and develop in the direction of powerful ministers.
Those who dominate the government and the public will inevitably arouse the suspicion of the emperor and rarely end well.
Therefore, he is responsible for arresting people. He will stay away from any interrogation or how many people are dug out, and will never approach them.
Don't ask, it's just that I just want to lead the troops on the battlefield!
Liu Che had watched Huo Qubing grow up since he was a child. He could probably guess what was on his mind. Seeing that Huo Qubing avoided snakes and scorpions in other matters, he burst into laughter:
"You still doubt that I can be suspicious of you?"
As an emperor, he could even ask such questions face to face, which shows his trust in Huo Qubing.
Not far away from the two of them was only the chamberlain Dong Xu, who was like an old monk in trance, neither listening nor looking much, but at this moment he still couldn't help but glance at Huo Qubing secretly, secretly envious.
This kind of trust and respect is truly unparalleled.
Huo Qubing shook his head and said: "Of course your Majesty will not be suspicious of me, but this is my duty. Just fulfill your Majesty's orders. I don't ask too much about anything else, and I don't want to ask too much."
Liu Che smiled and said: "Okay, you have been running around for a few days and you should be tired. Go back and rest. You don't need to worry about the rest.
I will give you all the money seized from Zonghengdao, I am not short of these few things."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Huo Qubing said goodbye and left.
The moonlight was bright outside Weiyang Palace, and it was already very late.
I originally wanted to go to Changle Palace and ask Liu Qing about the flying sword he used as a sacrifice of his soul to cut off Hu Hu halfway, but it seemed that he would have to ask again tomorrow, so he left the palace and returned to Huo Mansion.
The old servant Yan Qi is not asleep yet, waiting for him to come back.
After exchanging a few words with Yan Qi, Huo Qubing returned to the inner house. Before entering the courtyard, he heard Xiong Sanzhentian's snoring, so he returned to the study by himself and began to practice evening classes.
Since the Soaring Snake Yuanshen in the Consciousness Sea swallowed the Zongheng Yin Talisman in the consciousness of Zongheng Dao Master, his energy has increased significantly in the past few days.
Even though it was a fake substitute, after all, it still had the cultivation of the heaven and human realm.
When Huo Qubing closed his eyes, his consciousness sank into the sea of consciousness.
The Yuanshen Soaring Snake was guided by his consciousness and quietly swam out from the sea of consciousness.
If there are people who are good at spiritual cultivation, they will see a breath as thick as ink flowing out, coiling around Huo Qubing's body, and black snakes swimming and swaying, which is extremely frightening.
Its pupils opened and closed, and a pale golden talisman came out of its mouth.
It was the Zongheng Yin Talisman that was taken from the consciousness of Zongheng Dao Master that day.
At this time, the Yin Talisman was spit out by the Soaring Snake, and instantly broke apart, turning into countless small incantations that matched the Soaring Snake's scales.
This soaring snake has a series of light golden lines on each of its scales, which flash several times and finally disappear into the scales.
Immediately, Teng She rolled back and re-entered Huo Qubing's body from the center of his eyebrows, and his strength gradually increased.
After an entire hour, Huo Qubing ended his practice.
Absorbing a vertical and horizontal Yin Talisman was of small benefit to his own practice. The biggest change was the Soaring Snake Yuanshen, which began an unknown transformation.
I originally wanted to study the results of the vertical and horizontal trail, but seeing that it was getting late, I simply packed up and went to sleep.
————
same night.
There is a big city thousands of miles away from Chang'an, and in the city there is a huge and luxurious mansion.
Even after dark, the house is still brightly lit and people are constantly coming and going.
In a room in the back house of the mansion, an old man wearing dark brown clothes was talking to another middle-aged man with a majestic figure.
The old man sat down behind the low seat and fiddled with the jade chess pieces in front of him: "Everything is done."
"Yes, it's done. There will be no more loopholes." The middle-aged man replied.
The old man said slowly: "It's too dangerous this time, just a little bit."
The middle-aged man also said: "It is indeed dangerous. Who would have thought that Huo Qubing arrived at Lujiang in two days, and the speed at which he led his troops was astonishing.
If I go there for a moment at night, he will catch the Zongheng Dao Master."
"You just said that when you used the flying sword to cut off the life of Taoist Master Zongheng, another flying sword of the soul appeared. Did you find it?"
"Don't worry, Your Majesty, that flying sword is the Taoist Soul Sword, but its aura is weak and does not have the ability to detect me. Moreover, when she appeared, my flying sword had already broken into the void. Even if she had some sense, it would be impossible.
Know my identity." The middle-aged man said.
The elderly man in fine clothes let out a sigh of relief: "That's not bad.
I never thought that the son of a maid in Pingyang Mansion would be so powerful, and he almost found out about it."
The middle-aged man said: "His raid on Zonghengdao was just a facade, and his real purpose was to dig out the people buried in Lujiang County.
Fortunately, you have a clever plan and made the remedy in time."
The old man muttered: "I may not be able to hide it from them. There is also Ru Bohu in Chang'an. Liu Che is best at observing a person through some small things.
The compatibility between Ru Bohu and Liu Che is already difficult to deal with, so I have not been sure about it for so many years.
When I was ready, Wei Qing appeared again, and even the Huns were no match for him. A few years later, when I was ready again, Huo Qubing appeared again."
The middle-aged man advised: "Your Majesty, don't be discouraged. A temporary setback will never be as good as your plans over the years."
"Huo Qubing can get Liu Che's attention, and his behavior is very human. If you take action, how sure are you of getting rid of him?"
The middle-aged man said: "When he started on the Zongheng Road, I used my flying sword to sense from a distance that this man was close to the realm of heaven and human cultivation, and his aptitude was astonishing.
Others are in Chang'an, Liu Che, Wei Qing, Ru Bohu, and that person are also in Chang'an, so I'm really not sure. If I go to Chang'an, Liu Che and others will definitely feel it."
"Since we can't get rid of him, let's try to pull him over."
"He has been following Liu Che and Wei Qing since he was a young boy. I'm afraid it won't be easy."
“Always have to try.”
"Please give me your orders, Your Majesty."
"I heard that he is most interested in leading troops. Anyone who likes military affairs will like magical weapons, powerful military objects, or even mounts. In addition, at his age, it is time for marriage. Let's see if I can be by his side.
Arrange manpower.
He often walks around the emperor, and even at the worst he can get some useful information."
The old man thought for a while and said: "However, this incident shows his intelligence, so he must be careful in his actions. Don't use our people in the early stage, so as not to be seen by them. Choose someone with a family background who is easy to control, and promote it in secret.
If it bites the bait, start the next step."
The middle-aged man agreed in a low voice, bowed and retreated.