People bustled around, their voices boiling over like waves.
The Provincial Official's gaze shifted from those jade-like eyes to a face that bore exotic features, seemingly smiling yet not, looking at him; covered by a Scholar's headscarf, the visible portions were distinctly different from those of the Central Plains folk, with hair strands faintly red.
Behind her stood a middle-aged man with an expressionless face, hands behind his back, a high-bridged nose, and light yellow hair and beard that were slightly curly, his eyes a muddy light blue— a typical visage of someone from the Western Regions.
They were indeed the pair of nobles from Baekje in the Western Regions.
The Provincial Official took a deep breath, suppressing his anger. After all, as a Fifth Rank official, he should maintain his dignity when facing foreign dignitaries. A few moments later, he relaxed his brows and spoke calmly,
"I am unaware of why our distinguished guests are here."
"I recall, just now Lord Wuxin had issued a ban, with the exception of my own officials, no one else is allowed to leave the Xinglong District feast."
The Western Region maiden, nonchalant, flicked a jade pendant strung on a red cord around her finger nonchalantly before grasping it tightly in her hand, and said with a smile,
"I am not a person of the Great Qin State, his decree does not extend to me."
The Provincial Official's expression darkened as he said, "Since our esteemed guest is within the jurisdiction of Great Qin, you are expected to abide by the laws of Great Qin. How can you act in this manner?"
Far from being intimidated, the Western Region maiden instead chuckled and said,
"I thought that just now Wuxin had undermined your authority, and you, a high-ranking official of Qin, would not like him. It seems I have thought too much, seeing how you defend him everywhere."
"Is this what they call 'officials protecting each other' in the Central Plains dialect?"
She spoke fluent Qin official language, yet sometimes she would blurt out archaic phrases and use them inappropriately. The Provincial Official felt a twitch in his temple, not knowing how to respond, and simply waved his hand and said,
"'Officials protecting each other' is not used in that way."
"There are villains causing trouble in the city today. Although you have a master's protection, please be extra cautious. It's best to return to Xingde District. I still have cases to attend to and regretfully cannot escort you further; let us depart here."
With those words, he slightly bowed and stepped aside. The surrounding guards did not dare to collide with these two foreigners, and took a few steps around them, protecting their superior as they headed towards the government offices. As the Provincial Official brushed past the maiden, she seemed to say casually,
"Do not think you can bully him just because Wuxin is not in your Capital City..."
The Provincial Official snorted coldly and strode away.
The Western Region maiden dangled the jade pendant on the red cord nonchalantly in her right hand, turning back toward the direction of the Xingde District feast, her expressionless guard finally spoke in Baekje dialect,
"This is somewhat reckless, Miss."
The Western Region maiden replied casually,
"Reckless let it be."
"I am aware, all you have to do is keep calm."
After speaking, she intended to pat her subordinate on the shoulder as an expression of appreciation and encouragement, but the robust man was too tall. Standing on her toes, she just managed to pat his shoulder, saying,
The expressionless Western Regions man bowed his head.
Wang Anfeng and his two companions rushed out of the Xingde District, and everywhere they looked was bustling, red candles ensconced within lanterns; the light, originally soft, became bewilderingly mix when every place was lit by multicolored lanterns, making it dizzying and sight boundless.
After all, Liangzhou was a State City.
It contained seventy-three districts, each housing thousands of families; calculating five members per household, the population exceeded a million. On days of grand events centered around the Xingde District feast, nearly a million people crammed into the surrounding twenty or thirty districts.
Among so many people, finding a criminal was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Wang Anfeng suppressed his impatience and looked towards the southeast.
His sensitivity had peaked in that direction. He did not know what had occurred, but the feeling that had been intensifying suddenly vanished, and at this moment, the last remnants of that sensation were fading away.
He wanted to rush over immediately, yet, flanked by two guards—who were conservatively estimated to be Sixth Rank Martial Artists and possibly of Fifth Rank capability—he could not act rashly. Liu Ling had arranged for his release, not for him to behave like a reckless fool.
Wang Anfeng slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air, his eyes calming down, his mind spinning rapidly, considering how to separate from the two constables under the current circumstances and how he could act alone without drawing their attention, especially Wuxin's.
Wuxin glanced around and nonchalantly moved a few steps to the side of the street; Wang Anfeng had no choice but to follow behind Tie Lin to a secluded corner, where Wuxin pulled from his robe a piece of paper the size of a regular scroll, folded several times over, and opened it. It was a map of Liangzhou City, particularly highlighting the distribution of the nearby twenty or thirty districts.
Even with his mind agitated, Wang Anfeng could not help but be alarmed by its detail, as Wuxin pointed a finger on the map and said,
"Here is where the Xingde District feast is taking place."
Wuxin then swiped his finger outward from that location and said,
"The suspect, after committing the murder, fled towards the moon. At this hour, the moon has just risen in the east, suggesting that the suspect fled from the southeast. When you and I arrived, there was no one to be seen."