Brocade Robe Unparalleled

Chapter 55 Tracking
With the respectful farewell of the Jingbian Division personnel, Commander Zhou, accompanied by several close attendants, rode away.

When Lin Xuan returned to the duty room, two new figures were sitting in the places where Zhang Hu and Chen Bao had been.

The two smiled slightly at Lin Xuan and nodded in acknowledgment.

Lin Xuan had some recollection of these two individuals; their cultivation had reached the eighth rank, but because there were no vacancies for the banner officers, they had been in a state of being replaced.

After Zhang Hu and Chen Bao resigned, these two took over their positions.

Lin Xuan and the other two were not familiar with each other, and he did not say much. He sat back in his seat and took the soft armor that Commander Zhou had given him and examined it.

This soft armor is very thin and light. I don't know what material it is made of. When I hold it in my hand, it feels like nothing.

On the soft armor were mysterious patterns woven with silver threads. Lin Xuan could vaguely sense a strange power flowing between these silver threads.

This power should be the reason why this armor can withstand an attack from a sixth-rank martial artist.

Although the soft armor didn't look like anything new, Lin Xuan didn't care at all as long as it didn't affect its effectiveness.

Lin Xuan put away the soft armor, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes to rest.

Of course, closing his eyes to rest was just an act; in reality, he was secretly practicing the "Starry Sky Technique."

The advantage of visualization is that, unlike martial arts, it is not limited by time and space, and can be practiced anytime, anywhere.

Nothing happened all morning, and Lin Xuan meditated until noon before going home to cook.

Not long after leaving Jingbian Division, Lin Xuan paused slightly.

He walked to the side of the street, looked at a little girl selling candied hawthorns, and asked, "Little sister, how much are the candied hawthorns?"

The little girl looked at the banner officer's uniform Lin Xuan was wearing, a hint of fear showing on her face, and whispered, "If you want one, sir, I... I'll give you one."

In her mind, people who wear this kind of clothes are all important figures that you can't afford to mess with.

It's common for these important people to buy things without paying.

Lin Xuan looked down and realized that it was his clothes that had frightened the little girl. These guys from the Jingbian Division hadn't done much to pacify the border and protect the people, but they were all eager to prey on them.

He looked at the little girl, a kind smile on his face, and said, "No need, it's only right to pay for things. How much is a candied hawthorn? I want two."

Seeing that the man had a handsome face and a kind smile, the little girl timidly said, "Ten, ten coins each."

Ten coins a skewer is not exactly cheap, but sugar is relatively scarce here, so it's normal for candied hawthorns to be a bit more expensive.

Lin Xuan paid for two skewers of candied hawthorn. The little girl carefully wrapped them in glutinous rice paper and then wrapped them in a clean lotus leaf before handing them to Lin Xuan.

As Lin Xuan reached out to take it, her gaze seemed to casually sweep over a certain spot on the street before she turned and walked towards home.

He had just left when two figures followed him from a distance.

Lin Xuan walked slowly down the street. The flag officers under Huang Yue were following him in a very unprofessional way. Did they think they could hide from him just because he had changed into casual clothes?

In the past, Lin Xuan might not have noticed.

However, after being trained by the man in black robes, he was no longer the Lin Xuan he once was.

It's unclear whether they were acting on Huang Yue's orders or Shen Baihu's.

He just mentioned the Tian family, which may have gotten past Commander Zhou, but it could arouse Commander Shen's suspicion.

However, there is nothing we can do about it.

Lin Xuan preferred to face Shen Baihu rather than Zhou Qianhu.

After returning home, A Luo had already cooked rice and prepared dishes, just waiting for Lin Xuan to cook.

Lin Xuan handed her a candied hawthorn and said, "Here you go. I bought it on the way back."

A'Luo took the candied hawthorn and said sweetly, "Thank you, Brother Lin."

Lin Xuan gave one of the two candied hawthorns to A Luo and kept one for herself, planning to cook after eating them. Before she could even take her first bite, there was a knock on the door.

Lin Xuan walked to the door, opened the courtyard gate, and Tian Qingluan stood outside. She smiled slightly at Lin Xuan and said, "Lin Xiaoqi, I'm sorry to bother you again. There are some details about the refined sugar process that I'd like to discuss with you again..."

After a while.

Tian Qingluan and A Luo sat in the courtyard eating candied hawthorns, while Lin Xuan was in the kitchen, his spatula flying across the dishes.

When Miss Tian arrived, he added two more dishes on the spot.

She's been really into coming here lately, and she always comes right around mealtimes. Lin Xuan wonders if it's a coincidence.

Whether it was a coincidence or not didn't matter; it was just a matter of adding a couple more chopsticks. Building a good relationship with the Tian family wouldn't do him any harm. Besides, he still needed her help with the Jiuli tribe's affairs. For him, nothing was more important than dealing with the Gu worms inside his body.

After the meal, Lin Xuan and Tian Qingluan discussed the process of refining sugar at the stone table. At the right moment, A Luo brought them two cups of tea and then left silently.

Fifteen minutes later, Tian Qingluan took her leave.

After washing the dishes, A Luo leaned close to Lin Xuan and whispered, "Brother Lin, why does Miss Tian always come here? Do you think she likes you?"

Having known Tian Qingluan for so long, Lin Xuan had a fairly good understanding of her.

Clever, intelligent, decisive, and shrewd, even a naive girl like A Luo would probably be sold out by her and still have to count the money for her.

It's hard to imagine what kind of man would catch her eye.

Lin Xuan shook her head and smiled, "She probably likes my cooking, just like you do..."

When Lin Xuan returned to Jingbian Division in the afternoon, he noticed that the two tails were still there.

He returned to his duty room without making a sound. The two men who followed him to the Jingbian Division did not enter through the main gate, but instead went around to the back gate.

Inside the office of Commander Shen.

A border guard knelt on one knee, clasped his hands, and said, "Reporting to your Excellency, we both witnessed that the eldest daughter of the Tian family in Black Stone Village went to Lin Xiaoqi's house just now and stayed there for a long time before leaving..."

Upon hearing this, Huang Yue, standing to the side, wore an expression of relief and said aggrievedly, "Sir, am I right? This Lin Xuan has close ties with the Tian family. He's probably having an affair with the eldest daughter of the Tian family. The incident last time was definitely related to him!"

Shen Qingya glanced at him but didn't say anything.

Huang Yue continued, "When he mediated the conflict between Black Stone Village and White Stone Village last time, I found it strange. Those two families had a long-standing feud, and even a commander of a thousand men couldn't handle it. How could a mere banner officer like him have such ability? I heard that Black Stone Village took the initiative to back down that time. This Lin Xuan must have used his looks to seduce the eldest daughter of the Tian family and become her lover. You may not know, sir, but the power of the Tian family is in the hands of the eldest daughter of the Tian family..."

Shen Qingya narrowed his eyes, his face expressionless, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking.

He, the third young master of the Shen family and a chief official, could he really be manipulated by a mere flag officer?
Huang Yue spoke again: "Sir, Lin Xuan colluded with the chieftain and stormed the government office. He should be arrested and severely tortured!"

Shen Qingya finally couldn't hold back any longer and said in a deep voice, "Shut up!"

The Commander had just awarded Lin Xuan the Third-Class Order of Peace, and he had Lin Xuan arrested and tortured. This was not torture of Lin Xuan, but a slap in the face to the Commander!

Even if Lin Xuan really did that, he has no evidence.

Without evidence, even a commander wouldn't dare to convict a hero who possesses the Third-Class Order of Jing'an.

Even if Lin Xuan has committed a crime, he should still be brought back to the capital for trial.

As for the two chieftains, he dared not provoke them even more.

If they block the gates of Jingbian Commandery again, he'll probably have to go back to the capital...

He will go back sooner or later, but not now, and certainly not in this way.

With nowhere to vent his anger, he gulped down a cup of tea, but his temper only intensified. He looked at Huang Yue and asked in a low voice, "Is there anywhere in Sizhou where I can have some fun?"

"Fun?"

Huang Yue glanced at Shen Qingya with surprise. Since arriving at the Jingbian Division, this Commander Shen had been busy with power struggles. Huang Yue had thought that Commander Shen was a highly ambitious officer...

After enduring so much, is this finally the time for their true nature to be revealed?
He quickly recovered, a fawning smile spreading across his face, and said, "Yes, yes, yes, the brothels in Sizhou have girls from all ethnic groups..."

Shen Qingya glanced at him indifferently and said unhappily, "A brothel... what do you take me for? How could I possibly go to such a filthy place?"

Huang Yue was slightly taken aback, but then immediately understood and said with a smile, "Please calm down, sir. It was my oversight. I know a teahouse that just received a batch of new tea from Nanzhao a couple of days ago. Why don't I take you there to taste it after we leave the office?"

Shen Qingya raised an eyebrow: "How new?"

Huang Yue laughed and said, "This is a new tea that no one has ever tasted before..."

Shen Qingya and Huang Yue exchanged a glance, a hint of interest flashing in their eyes. They nodded slightly and said, "No need to wait until the end of the day, let's go now."

Then, he glanced at the two border guards and said, "Keep a close eye on Lin Xuan. Report any unusual movements to me immediately..."

Outside the duty room, a figure carrying a sword heard this and turned to leave.

Lin Xuan was meditating in his duty room when a guard from the border guards walked in and said, "Young Commander Lin, Commander Wenren requests your presence."

Lin Xuan slowly opened his eyes, a look of surprise on his face.

What does Commander Wenren want with him?

(End of this chapter)