Catching Monsters

Chapter 464 I want one of Jiang Qiaoqiao's hands
It wasn't that Wen Chen was overthinking things; after all, Jiang Yun and the other two had been out of contact for four whole months after they arrived on the immortal island.

Many people even secretly wondered, how could a normal person, if they were to reach such a fairyland, be willing to leave again?
Many people believe that Jiang Yun will never come back.

Jiang Yun smiled at Wen Chen's expression, while Hu Meier stepped forward and grabbed Hu Yi's ear: "You, Hu Yi, secretly went to the Immortal Island all by yourself without thinking of me?"

"Ouch, ouch, ouch!" Hu Yi said hurriedly. "It happened so suddenly that I went up with Brother Jiang and Miss Linglong."

"You have no idea how much that immortal on the fairy island adores me. He wanted me to stay and be his mount, but I was thinking of you, so I reluctantly declined his invitation..."

Hu Meier didn't believe him. She glared at Hu Yi, then her gaze fell on Jiang Yun and Linglong.

At this moment, the whisk in Jiang Yun's hand had a faint five-colored light on its surface, and it was clearly no ordinary object.

The white spear that Linglong held was also extraordinary.

These were probably all benefits the two of them had gained on the Immortal Island. Hu Meier couldn't help but look at Hu Yi curiously: "You've been on the Immortal Island for so long, haven't you brought back any good things?"

"No, no way..." Hu Yi felt a little guilty, and spread his palm to reveal a lot of rapeseed: "These are rapeseed from the Immortal Island. The vegetables grown from these seeds are all for the immortals to eat."

"Can an ordinary person have the good fortune to eat this?"

“I brought this bunch of rapeseed back to the clan. I’m afraid even the clan leader will be craving it and want to eat a piece of this magical vegetable.”

Upon hearing this, Hu Meier sniffed the air and began to study it, while Jiang Yun looked at Wen Chen and slowly asked, "Is His Majesty still alive?"

"Yes." Wen Chen nodded and said in a deep voice, "However, his health is deteriorating, and I'm afraid he won't be able to hold on for much longer."

"Furthermore, during these four months, the coastal bandits and Wang Longzhi's army joined forces, and the situation on the front lines was not good."

“A month ago, Duke Zhenguo Xu Xiaogang was ambushed by the Demon Spirit Sect on the front line and was seriously injured. Fortunately, there was a master watching over him, which saved his life.”

"Now, he has been summoned back to the capital by His Highness the Crown Prince to recuperate, and the Tianqi Army Commander Zhang Yuhu has led the Tianqi Army to the front line. However, the battle situation is still not going smoothly."

Hearing this, Jiang Yun's expression turned serious. He took a deep breath and said, "Set sail and go home."

……

Inside the Crown Prince's residence, Xiao Jingfu was already quite adept at handling political affairs. He could quickly review and resolve the mountain of memorials placed before him.

That evening, after reviewing the last memorial, Xiao Jingfu finally had some free time. Huang Pingfeng stood respectfully beside him and hurriedly stepped forward to massage Xiao Jingfu's shoulders: "Your Highness, you must rest well. You have worked too hard today. It pains me to see you like this."

Xiao Jingfu closed his eyes and slowly said, "I can't rest. The war in the south is not going well. I want to transfer troops from the north, but the Hu tribes are quickly gathering again."

"The plague has broken out in the three northern prefectures of Linhu, Guang'an, and Baiyang, and it is spreading."

At this point, Xiao Jingfu couldn't help but rub his forehead and said, "Also, Xu Xiaogang isn't planning to come and pay his respects to me yet?"

Huang Pingfeng said in a low voice, "The Duke of Zhenguo claims that his injuries have not yet healed and he is unable to come to pay his respects to Your Highness."

"An excuse." Xiao Jingfu snorted coldly, slammed his hand on the table, and narrowed his eyes.

Just then, a young eunuch knocked on the door. Huang Pingfeng quickly stopped, walked over, and opened the door.

A secret letter was delivered to Huang Pingfeng.

Huang Pingfeng asked, "Where did you come from?"

"Haiyan City".

Upon hearing the words "Haiyan City," Huang Pingfeng's expression changed slightly. He quickly turned around, went back into the house, opened the secret letter, and handed it to Xiao Jingfu.

The letter contained only one short line of text.

"Jiang Yun has been spotted; he has returned to Beijing from overseas."

Upon seeing this line of text, Xiao Jingfu's expression hardened, and he then handed it to Huang Pingfeng.

Huang Pingfeng quickly took the letter to a copper basin next to him and burned it completely with a tinderbox.

"Your Highness, Jiang Yun is back. What should we do next?"

Xiao Jingfu closed his eyes slightly and said, "Tell me, did Jiang Yun really obtain the immortal herbs and elixirs from that so-called immortal island?"

Upon hearing this, Huang Pingfeng's heart sank. This question was not easy to answer, so he could only say, "According to the Imperial Guards who went to sea with Jiang Yun and returned."

"They witnessed a crane descend from the sky and take Jiang Yun, Princess Ning Yi, and a monster to the Immortal Island..." "To be honest..." Huang Pingfeng paused, then muttered, "That Immortal Island is so magical, floating in the sky, that even if there really is a way to prolong life inside... it's not impossible."

After hearing Huang Pingfeng's words...

A murderous glint flashed in Xiao Jingfu's eyes. He slowly stood up, paced back and forth, and said, "Jiang Yun's sister is still in our hands, isn't she?"

“Yes.” Huang Pingfeng nodded repeatedly upon hearing this, and did not forget to flatter him: “It is thanks to His Highness the Crown Prince’s foresight that he first got Qian Buchou to join us and locked up Jiang Qiaoqiao.”

Xiao Jingfu remained silent for a moment, then quickly and calmly said, "Killing Jiang Yun won't be that easy, so..."

"If he really has some miraculous medicine, then let him exchange it for his sister's life."

"If you're free tomorrow, tell Qian Buchou to come over. I need him to take me to meet Jiang Yun's sister."

"Yes." Huang Pingfeng nodded quickly.

"Also, how is Father Emperor's health lately?" Xiao Jingfu asked in a deep voice.

"Eunuch Feng and the Eighth Prince have been serving His Majesty in the palace for the past few months. Although whenever asked, Eunuch Feng always says that His Majesty is in poor health and that he may have to prepare for his passing at any time."

"Can……"

Huang Pingfeng dared not continue speaking, for to do so would be a grave disrespect.

"Father, Father, what is the reason for your robust health?" Xiao Jingfu said, then suddenly narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, "By the way, was Princess Ningyi with Jiang Yun as well?"

"Yes." Huang Pingfeng nodded slightly.

Xiao Jingfu closed his eyes, thought for a moment, and then said, "Tomorrow, I want to personally watch Qian Buchou cut off one of Jiang Qiaoqiao's arms and then give it to Jiang Yun."

“Tell him that before returning to the capital, he must kill Princess Ningyi and bring her head and the elixir in exchange for his sister.”

At this point, a ruthless glint flashed in Xiao Jingfu's eyes.

Linglong must eliminate this matter; otherwise, if she were to return to the capital and learn that Jiang Yun had obtained the elixir and then been abducted by her, her father would find out.

As for the relationship between siblings.

If he had any other choice, he would have killed the First Prince and the Eighth Prince in one fell swoop.

What use is a younger sister?

The next morning, Qian Buchou rushed to the Crown Prince's residence upon hearing the news.

Money is no object now, but things are different now.

He was already the Commander of the Five Cities Garrison, a sixth-rank official of the imperial court. Although the Commander of the Garrison was only a sixth-rank official, he wielded considerable power, responsible for matters related to the entry and patrol of the outer city of the capital.

Moreover, and crucially, everyone knows that the position of Commander of the Military Command was personally arranged by His Highness the Crown Prince.

He is now a favorite of the Crown Prince, and even many fifth-rank officials address him as Lord Qian.

In the past few months, Qian Buchou's complexion has become even rosier, and he has also moved to a larger house.

Upon hearing the news, he arrived at the study and respectfully said, "Your Highness, I heard from Eunuch Huang this morning that you wished to see me, so I came immediately."

"Hmm, where are you keeping Jiang Qiaoqiao?" Xiao Jingfu was sitting in his study having breakfast, and he pointed enthusiastically at the table: "Come on, don't be shy, eat."

"I won't stand on ceremony," Qian Buchou said while eating breakfast. "That girl is locked up in the cellar of my mansion."

Xiao Jingfu chuckled and said, "It's strange that there hasn't been any movement from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion since Jiang Qiaoqiao disappeared for so long."

Qian Buchou replied, "Hey, that little girl is only able to live in the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion because of Jiang Yun's connections."

"Now I hear that Jiang Yun went out to sea more than four months ago. Whether he can come back alive is still uncertain."

"What I told the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion was that Jiang Qiaoqiao claimed she wasn't used to living in the capital and had returned to Nanzhou Prefecture. The Duke of Zhenguo's mansion didn't seem to suspect anything."

"However, given that Jiang Yundu's fate is uncertain, would the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion really go to such lengths to search for someone who is already dead?"

Hearing Qian Buchou's words, Xiao Jingfu smiled and then said calmly, "I want one of Jiang Qiaoqiao's hands."

(End of this chapter)