Chapter 179 Routine Inspection
Fan Xian glanced at Wang Qinian, who looked unwilling, and smiled.
"Why do I feel like you want to pursue me more than I do? You really want to show off your strengths."
Being hit on the heart of the matter, Wang Qinian scratched his head in embarrassment.
"To be honest with you, sir, I haven't even started using my tracking skills yet, but I do feel a little..."
Fan Xian took over the conversation with a smile.
"It's disappointing, isn't it? I feel a little disappointed too, but based on our analysis just now, I can't find any reason to support us to continue chasing after her, and I don't want to force myself to be in the spotlight, so... I aroused your interest but also spoiled it, I'm sorry for that."
Wang Qinian waved his hand.
"Oh, your words are too serious. If I think about it carefully, what you said is actually completely reasonable. If there is no need to chase, then why bother? I didn't understand it just now, but I understand it now. I'm sorry to make you laugh."
After saying this, Wang Qinian picked up the box, put it on his back, and looked at Fan Xian.
"Then sir, shall we go back to the city?"
Fan Xian glanced towards the north and said thoughtfully.
"You say, since the mastermind dared to kill that lieutenant general and silence the whole mansion, will he also think of forcibly silencing Si Lili from the Supervisory Council?"
Wang Qinian didn't even think about it.
"Impossible. With the power of the Supervisory Council, no one in Qing Country dares to attack the Supervisory Council, unless he is crazy!"
After a little thought, Fan Xian shrugged.
"Yeah, let's go back then!"
……
The two were walking back to the city when Fan Xian suddenly stopped, his face filled with surprise and confusion.
Wang Qinian also stopped.
"What's wrong, sir?"
Fan Xian did not answer, but stretched out his hand to signal him not to interrupt his thoughts. Wang Qinian immediately shut his mouth, not daring to disturb him.
After a while, Fan Xian spoke.
"Remember what I told you at the city gate? I always felt that there was something wrong with Si Lili's way of getting out of this situation."
Wang Qinian nodded.
"Remember, sir, have you figured out the problem?"
Fan Xian hummed.
"I have been feeling uneasy since I left the city. One of your words just now has made me more suspicious. I thought about it for a long time and finally figured out what it was."
Wang Qinian was a little surprised.
"My words? Which ones?"
Fan Xian looked at him.
"You just said that if Si Lili set fire to the flower boat and rode out of the city, it would definitely arouse the vigilance of the Overwatch Council. It is this sentence that has increased my doubts."
Wang Qinian thought about it, but couldn’t figure it out.
"What's wrong with this sentence?"
Fan Xian said.
"You're right, but you're wrong! Have you ever thought about why Si Lili ran away?"
Wang Qinian said.
"If you're worried about being exposed, you naturally want to get out as soon as possible."
"Then why did she burn the boat?"
"Burn the boat..."
"If he wants to escape, then just escape. What's the point of burning the boat?"
"This... maybe there are some confidential letters on that ship, and they don't want the Overwatch Council to find them."
"Just burn the letter."
Wang Qinian was stunned when he heard this.
"Yeah, just burn the letter, why would she burn the boat? Tsk~"
Fan Xian then asked a question.
"Don't think about it for now. There is one more thing: why did she ride out of the city and transform into six paths?"
Wang Qinian can answer this question.
"It is to confuse people, of course."
Fan Xian stared at Wang Qinian with a burning gaze and spoke in a gentle and persuasive manner.
"But what if she disguises herself and sneaks out of town?"
Wang Qinian said casually.
"No one suspected her when she left yesterday. If she left the city quietly..."
When he said this, Wang Qinian's face changed.
"If she leaves the city quietly, wouldn't it be even harder to find her?"
Fan Xian raised his eyebrows.
"But she still burned the boats and rode the horses with great fanfare to attract attention. Why?"
Wang Qinian followed this line of thought.
"She ran away so that everyone would know?"
Fan Xian snapped his fingers.
"That's right!"
Fan Xian turned and looked towards the north, his eyes flickering.
"At this moment, everyone's attention will be focused on the north of Kyoto, trying to figure out her escape route. If I were her, when everyone's attention is attracted, it would be the best time to disappear!"
Wang Qinian suddenly realized.
"So, none of these six groups of people is a manager!"
Fan Xian nodded.
"If my guess is correct, she is probably already hiding from everyone's sight at this moment."
Wang Qinian was still a little confused.
"Then I can't understand. She just ran away quietly. Why is there such a fuss?"
Fan Xian thought of what Mei Chengan had said during their casual chat about the current situation in the world, and he asked with an idea in his mind.
"I heard that the Qing Kingdom and Northern Qi are on the verge of a war, is that true?"
Wang Qinian let out a cry.
"That's true, but what does it have to do with Si Lili?"
After confirming this, Fan Xian quickly sorted out his thoughts.
"In this case, the north must be under martial law at this time. If she wants to go north, the timing is not right! Even if she sneaks out of the city, there are still many passes and they are heavily guarded."
Wang Qinian’s previous doubts were resolved, and new doubts arose.
"But if she makes such a fuss, won't the inspection in the north be stricter?"
Yes, then she is... Fan Xian thought about it and an idea suddenly occurred to him.
"So she may not be heading north."
"Ah? You're not going back to Northern Qi?" "Of course I'm going back. Hey, Lao Wang, if we don't go north, is there any other way to get to Northern Qi?"
Wang Qinian was a little confused.
"Returning to Northern Qi instead of heading north? Isn't this..."
Fan Xian said.
"Don't think about it. Take out your map and let's study it."
……
The two men squatted down again. Wang Qinian looked at the map in front of him and fell into deep thought. Fan Xian squatted aside and watched quietly, not daring to disturb him.
Fan Xian couldn't really help with the map issue. It was too abstract and he couldn't understand it at all. He should listen to the map expert.
Wang Qinian did not disappoint his expectations and really found it.
"There is indeed a way!"
Fan Xian's eyes lit up.
"Tell me!"
Wang Qinian pointed at the map.
"Don't go north, go east, find the merchant ship, and gather at sea!"
"Which seaport is most likely?"
"Dongyi City, no, we are also on high alert against Dongyi City. Besides, there are many passes to Dongyi City. Besides..."
Wang Qinian followed the movement of his finger on the map, and his eyes lit up when he saw a small square in the lower right corner.
"That's it! Hey, sir, does this look familiar to you?"
Fan Xian actually read it, and after reading it, he felt so stupid and said unhappily.
"You've drawn it like this, how can I be familiar with it? Tell me quickly!"
Wang Qinian didn't keep the secret any longer.
“This is where adults grew up!”
Fan Xian was stunned and blurted out.
"Tanzhou Port?"
Wang Qinian chuckled.
"Exactly!"
You know what, after learning that the small square was Danzhou, Fan Xian no longer felt it was abstract at all, and even felt much more familiar.
Wang Qinian said.
"From Kyoto to Danzhou Port, it is all within the territory of Qing Kingdom, and there is no need to worry about the passage."
Fan Xian nodded.
"Then Si Lili will most likely go to Danzhou Port. Hey, take a look. Which route is the shortest from the north gate of Kyoto to Danzhou Port?"
Wang Qinian hissed after taking a look at the map.
"what happened?"
Wang Qinian stared at the map and said.
"From the north gate... to Danzhou Port, the mountains block the road and the passes block the way. It's not easy to go, but..."
After hearing the first half of the sentence, Fan Xian was a little disappointed, but when he heard the twist at the end, he suddenly became anxious.
"But what? Tell me now."
Wang Qinian glanced at him and said.
"If you don't go through the north gate, there is a convenient way. That is to return to Kyoto and exit from the east gate!"
Fan Xian turned around and looked at the vaguely visible North Gate of Kyoto in the distance, and narrowed his eyes.
"That is to say, if Si Lili wants to return to Northern Qi quickly, she must return to Kyoto."
Wang Qinian beside him also looked at the north gate.
"Sir, the North Gate has just been opened for a short time, and it will take time for Si Lili to return. If we hide at the North Gate now, we may catch her red-handed."
Fan Xian curled the corners of his mouth.
"It is true that even if you try hard to plant flowers, they may not bloom, but if you plant willows by accident, they may grow into shade trees."
Wang Qinian admired Fan Xian's eloquence and silently savored his words. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that it was appropriate and he smiled.
"The people under Lord Zhu are destined to fail."
……
Control Yuan.
Zhuge looked at his men in front of him with some surprise.
"What did you say? You're back?"
"Yes, not long ago Fan Xian and Wang Qinian reappeared at the north gate."
Zhuge felt something strange.
"Did they realize they couldn't catch up, so they gave up?"
"What's more strange is that after the two arrived at the north gate, they stayed there and didn't go into the city. They kept staring at the people entering the city, as if they were waiting for someone."
Zhuge frowned slightly when he heard this.
"You said they were watching people entering the city?"
"Yes."
"Did Fan Xian reveal his identity and get the captain of the city gate to cooperate?"
"No, we just hid in the dark at the city gate and observed quietly. After observing for a while, the brothers found that Fan Xian and Wang Qinian were not targeting everyone entering the city. They only targeted carriages and trucks that could hide people. If they saw them, they would stop them and check them."
Zhuge was a little puzzled.
"What is Fan Xian up to? If he doesn't go after Si Lili, why is he investigating her here? Does he think Si Lili might be hiding and returning to Kyoto?"
"No way. If we go back to Kyoto now, wouldn't that be courting death?"
"That's right, it's just a fantasy."
Zhuge frowned and thought for a while, but still couldn't figure it out. He was too lazy to think about it anymore and waved his hand.
"Forget it. As long as he doesn't harm my business, let him do whatever he wants. How's the situation over there? How many routes are left?"
"I confirmed two more routes, neither of them is Si Lili, so the only one left is..."
……
The north city gate.
A man in plain clothes was pulling a horse and carrying two large baskets of vegetables on a cart, slowly moving towards the city gate.
Without Fan Xian's signal, Wang Qinian stepped forward to stop him.
The man in plain clothes looked confused.
"Who are you and why are you stopping me?"
Wang Qinian said with a smile.
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. I'm from the Overwatch Council. I'm investigating bandits. It's just a routine inspection. It will be quick."
As soon as the word "Overseer Council" came out, a trace of panic flashed in the eyes of the man in plain clothes.
(End of this chapter)
