Immortal Cultivation and Life-Saving Guide

Chapter 248 Current Situation
It can be seen that Qin Feng is not the only one who has such doubts.

"Are there any unusual movements among the soldiers on patrol?"

"These twenty-one people have been detained and are under guard. They are all ordinary soldiers, and there is nothing unusual in their confessions."

"Are there any bandits nearby?"

"This area is a government road, and we've been cracking down on bandits every year, so there aren't any bandits here."

Wei Xi thought about the large number of carriages: how could so much food and fodder disappear without a trace?

Apart from the two groups of people Qin Feng asked about, Wei Xi actually had two guesses: one was those refugees who were starving, and the other was Li Feng embezzling from his employer.

Wei Xi couldn't speak easily about either possibility without solid evidence.

The refugees are already pitiful enough. If they speak out, they will only be targeted, and the conflict will escalate and be difficult to resolve. Moreover, there are a large number of refugees, and a large-scale interrogation will be inefficient.
As for Li Feng, his cooperation is still needed to get to the bottom of this matter, so we also need to establish a good relationship with him.

Li Feng had his own thoughts. He whispered, "Masters, to be honest, I suspect some unofficial cultivators have infiltrated the refugee group and robbed this batch of food."

Wei Xi thought that his thinking was very clear, but he also understood why this man was so humble as to ask him to stay and help.

Every profession has its own specialties, and monks naturally have to solve their own problems.

"General Li, Fellow Daoist Qin and I can cooperate with your investigation, but there are too many refugees outside, and if we continue to block it off, there will be chaos."

Qin Feng agreed, "The refugees should be provided with aid by the various prefectures. Now that they are stopped here and have no proper resettlement, they are hungry and will definitely clash with your men..."

"I can't let go of the refugees who were nearby the night before yesterday," Li Feng replied immediately. "My men are counting them, and there are about 700 to 800 of them. We can set up camp nearby."

"Let the rest of the refugees go," Li Feng said decisively. "They are Fuzhou's responsibility!"

Wei Xi held Qin Feng and nodded, saying, "Then please let the General arrange it. I will use the Object Searching Technique to see if I can find any clues."

Sure enough, the object-hunting technique did not find anything. In this case, either the object was out of the search range, or someone had used a counter-spell.

"In that case, Fellow Daoist Qin and I will go look for clues nearby. Perhaps we can find out something."

The Object-Finding Technique didn't work, and Li Feng felt somewhat dejected. "I'll have my men cooperate with you two. I think the summit will send someone to investigate this matter in the next couple of days... We'll reserve a room for you two at the post station. I'd appreciate your help, Masters!"

After leaving the tent, Wei Qin and others turned to a secluded place.

"Why did you come to this camp?" Qin Feng pulled Wei Xi to look left and right, fearing that she was abused in Yinyangpo.

"I was originally going to Bingzhou, and I passed by here to ask Li Feng for a pass." Wei Xi changed the subject, "You were on a mission in Bingzhou, how did you get sent here?"

"A year ago, the State of Ju raised an army, and the three Dongyi states united to resist. The coalition forces and the King of Wuyang were deadlocked in the area of Qitiaogou. Three hundred thousand Ju soldiers pressed on the front lines, while the coalition forces held the natural barrier. The war made no progress for a while, and the court was in a state of turmoil."

"Half a year ago, Prince Wuyang led his army to break the deadlock, circling the enemy's rear and burning their food supplies, thus encircling and dividing the demoralized coalition forces."

Wei Xi snorted, and a hellish joke came to his mind: Maybe the ghosts of the Dongyi people took away the food and grass.

"The Dongyi coalition army has suffered a crushing defeat," Qin Feng, who has always kept an eye on the military developments of the Ju State, said. "Now King Wuyang is leading his men to finish off the Dongyi forces. This time, they intend to push the border of the Ju State to between Qitiaogou and Xushui."

Wei Xi wasn't interested. "I saw a lot of refugees. Are they from the Dongyi?" "You came all the way from Dieqi Mountain... no wonder," Qin Feng's tone suddenly became serious. "The Battle of Qijiaogou killed over 80,000 coalition soldiers. The corpses piled up like mountains, and the epidemic spread."

"This summer, Bingzhou, Fuzhou, and Tingzhou suffered a severe drought. The first crop was completely lost, and the land was full of starving people. It's not surprising to see refugees in Fuzhou."

"Drought." Wei Xi hadn't expected that so many things had happened to the Dongyi tribe in the northern border area during his two years of imprisonment. "Is this the reason why the monks came down the mountain?"

Qin Feng rubbed his brows, no longer trying to hide his fatigue. "The drought is one thing. The sect sent disciples down the mountain not only to help control the disaster, but also to deal with the accompanying demons and monsters."

"The sect still listens to the Ju Kingdom? That Master Li slandered me in front of most of the immortal cultivation world," Wei Xi said in a mocking tone. "This immortal doesn't need to cultivate anymore. He should just go and be a dog for the old emperor!"

Hearing this, Qin Feng put down his hand and looked at Wei Xi with tired eyes filled with guilt and heartache.

"Okay," Wei Xi put his arm around Qin Feng's shoulders. "I know I can't influence the overall situation by myself. I've been in jail for two years, so I should have figured it out."

"Before I went down the mountain this time, I told myself that I was doing this to save the people from suffering," Qin Feng said, tears welling up in his eyes, "...but it still feels like a betrayal..."

Wei Xi patted Qin Feng on the back and said, "No one can betray me except myself. After wiping away our tears, let's get down to business. As for the accounts with Coach Li and the others, we can settle them later."

Qin Feng wiped his eyes and cleared his throat. "How do we settle the bill? What do you need me to do?"

"We need to take it one step at a time. Right now, we need to help find the lost food supplies." Wei Xi wanted to cheer Qin Feng up. "I've broken through to the foundation building stage. I'm at Yinyang Slope!"

"Great!" Qin Feng was happier than she herself for breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage. But then he thought about the background behind this incident and his expression turned dejected. "That place..."

Wei Xi hushed his nose. "That place isn't as bad as you think. Of course, it's not a paradise on earth. There's nothing much to do there except practice."

"Good fortune and misfortune go hand in hand, isn't that right?"

"By the way," Wei Xi shifted his focus, "where did Lian Gouwei go? Didn't you two go to Bingzhou together?"

"Lian Gou and I are responsible for dealing with the drought-stricken dolls in Bingzhou," Qin Feng recalled a very bad experience, "Those monsters... Anyway, Lian Gou is finishing up in Bingzhou, and some things must be cremated."

"The Bingzhou government received Li Feng's request and reported it to the sect. They sent me and Lian Gouwei here. It was a sudden matter, so I went ahead."

"Where are the cultivators from the Bingcheng government office?" Wei Xi could always smell something sinister in the incident. "One of you is in the Foundation Establishment stage, and the other is in the Qi Refining stage, and you're here to deal with such a big problem?"

Qin Feng's expression was a little awkward. "Because this is a mess, and it's muddy water."

"I knew it the moment I recognized you," Wei Xi said, and she even put on a complete face change for Li Feng. "How muddy is the water?"

"This batch of grain and grass is to be delivered to the Prince of Wuyang. The Prince of Bingzhou was taught by the Minister of Rites Yan Qun, and Yan Qun's daughter is the Princess of Wuyang."

"Liang Fengqin?" Wei Xi thought for a moment and hesitated, "He didn't marry Yan Qingluo? Aren't they..."

"He married her," Qin Feng pursed his lips, "Teng Nu has always been a concubine, and Yan Qun's daughter is the principal wife of King Wuyang."

"What a mess," Wei Xi commented, then added a hint of doubt, "Everyone involved in this matter is under the command of King Wuyang. What's the problem if the victim doesn't pursue the matter?"

"Because the relationship is even more complicated, the commander of the grain escort team belongs to the Yuzhang Prince's faction." Qin Feng also thoughtfully added background information, "Yuzhang Prince is the Wuyang Prince's younger brother. He is quite prestigious in the court and is a strong contender for the throne."

　Wei Xi: The life of the ruling class is so complicated! Sniff sniff*
　　
　
(End of this chapter)