Immortal Cultivation and Life-Saving Guide

Chapter 276 On the Power of Ju State
"Who exactly is You Lanjing? We can find out by checking the household registration records at the government office." Qin Feng offered a relatively reasonable solution. "Bingzhou City is in turmoil right now, so there's no need to bother issuing a note."

"Household registration?" Lian Gouyue was a little confused. "What is that thing for?"

"The archives record the population, land, and shops of each household... They are overhauled every ten years. Village and lane chiefs are responsible for recording changes and submitting annual reports to the county and prefecture officials and deputy envoys."

"The conscription roll call," Wei Xi said succinctly, "and the list of names to be confiscated."

"No wonder," Lian Gouyue suddenly realized, "Jucheng was able to develop from a small city in the northern border to a great power that now spans the northern border, Dongyi, Western Regions, and Nanjiang. Such control... You should know that Baoxiang City tried to capture me for ten years and still couldn't catch me!"

"If you can run, you can steal things?"

Lian Gouqie laughed dryly twice, looked at Wei Xi for help, and said vaguely: "The ancestor gave me food, there is nothing I can do..."

"How detailed is the household registration?" Wei Xi asked. "From the clinic's perspective, You Lanjing is very cautious. I don't think he would leave any records at the government office."

Qin Feng's attention was drawn to this matter. After a moment's silence, he replied, "During the Taichang period, it was at least fourteen years ago. According to the rule of a major overhaul every five years, there must be records of Doctor You. At least we can know the locations where the two doctors served."

"Do you suspect that You Lanjing had contact with people from the Dead Immortal City during his service?"

Qin Feng, who was well-versed in Ju State history, spoke without hesitation, "During the Taichang era, in order to attack the still-established Boluo State, Ju City once offered bribes to two city-states in the Western Regions. Unfortunately, these two city-states betrayed their promise and switched sides at the critical moment, thus losing Ju City's best opportunity to strangle Boluo."

It was a curious incident. Ju, a nation that never resorted to the tactic of first using courtesy and then using force, had, on this occasion, believed that money could persuade people, and ended up being completely deceived. Not only did it incur heavy casualties, but it also gave the newly born Boluo Kingdom a respite.

"Later, the State of Ju launched a military campaign against the Western Regions. The two city-states were captured... The men were slaughtered, and the women were enslaved. The two cities were then transformed into counties and placed under the jurisdiction of Hutun Pass."

In the second half of the story, the State of Ju returns to its role as the god of killing and rushes towards power.

Because of this incident, the three of them went to the government office where the archives were stored. Thankfully, the rioting refugees were unaware of the purpose of these documents, so this place was not affected.

"It's such a big place, how long will it take us to find it?" Looking at the storage room which took up a lot of space, Lian Gou's face wrinkled into a bun and his wrist ached slightly.

Wei Xi walked straight to the door, pulled out a thin book with a black cover from the top of the first row of bookshelves, and placed spirit stones in the six grooves one by one.

"What is the name of this magic weapon?" Lian Gouqie came over to watch Wei Xi operate it and asked with interest.

"A simplified version of [Blindfold]," Wei Xi, who had been educated by Xian Hua's notes, answered. "It was invented by a weapon refiner in the Wanjian Sect a while ago. It's specifically used to store information."

"After several iterations, its functions have become diverse. The one used by the State of Ju can record a large amount of information in the same format, and information outside the format can be repeatedly overwritten. The cost is that it requires a carrier."

Wei Xiji himself was quite impressed by this idea at the time: this idea was clear and concise, and could be regarded as an instructive case for practical magical instruments.

All Wei Xi needed to do was enter the key information into the [Blind Eye], then follow the instrument's instructions to find the document where the information had been overwritten and verify it based on the document's contents. Sure enough, the instrument warmed slightly after Wei Xi entered "medical clinic." Sensing the faint spiritual energy left by the [Blind Eye], Wei Xi successfully located over thirty household registration files related to the medical clinic.

Wei Xi and Lian Gouqie each took half and began to check the files for any abnormalities.

"Old Doctor You's," Lian Gouqie pulled out a thin stack of files, eager to delve into this corner of history, "...a native of Bingzhou...a doctor, serving in...the Western Route Army..."

"That's it," Lian Gouqie shouted in disbelief, "Less than a page of information!"

When faced with this kind of paperwork, Qin Feng felt like a cat being caught by its tail, and he said impatiently, "He's just an old doctor! What's there to write home about? When did he die?"

"March of the twenty-third year of Taichang," Lian Gouqie's eyes scanned the file and suddenly paused, "...How come his wife also died in the same year and month?"

"The twenty-third year of Taichang..." Qin Feng was rarely immersed in arithmetic. "So, sixteen years ago?"

"Don't give up!" Lian Gou, who had already found this strange, wanted to stuff the file back. "How could the You family couple die by such coincidence? In the same year and month?"

Qin Feng replied dissatisfiedly: "Who knows... Or maybe, I'm not his adopted daughter... You Lanjing might know..."

"It's a pity he won't answer," Wei Xi handed the file he found to Lian Gou, "Before You Lanjing was adopted as the You family's son, he used the name 'Huiyang'!"

"That bastard in the crotchless pants is You Lanjing!"

Wei Xi suddenly felt enlightened: First of all, You Lanjing, as an unconventional cultivator, had carefully used his former name as a cover, which was indeed a smart move;

Secondly, based on what Bao Tian said, and the bodies they found in the mass grave outside the city, You Lanjing must be the instigator of the bone digging case in Bingzhou City. As a doctor, whether he was screening victims or entering and leaving the mass grave to dispose of bodies, he would not attract attention.

Finally, the household registration file of You Lanjing showed that he was indeed an orphan brought back from the Western Regions by Doctor You.

His biological parents were exiled prisoners who perished at the hands of the Hu people's scimitars. Sitting among the dead, wailing, Huiyang was rescued by military doctor Lao You, who brought him back to Bingzhou City and raised him. At the age of fifteen, he enlisted in the Western Route Army and was trapped in Wangxian City during the first conflict, but rejoined the army a few months later.

"Oh my goodness!" Lian Gou Xie was dumbfounded. "Didn't you say that...that Huiyang was a child? This...this young Doctor You must be at least thirty years old, right? How is it possible..." Lian Gou Xie was a little incoherent, obviously worried that the other party was a monster.

After hearing what Wei Xi had said, Qin Feng sneered, "You're a painting. Is there anything scarier than you in this world? Open your mind. Maybe that little bastard in the granary has some strange skills, or maybe he's just a pervert who specializes in maintaining a child's body!"

"What Qin Feng said makes sense," Wei Xi nodded. "If this person's skills are strange, that makes sense."

"But I still have a question in my mind," Wei Xi subconsciously smoothed the paper, "Following that sect leader, what is this Youlanjingtu?"

(End of this chapter)