The Myth of Daqin: The Soul of Yi Xiaochuan

After Xiao He comforted his wife Tian, ​​he and Meng Xin immediately went to "Fan's Trading Company" to inform Meng Yi.

When Meng Yi learned about this, his face changed suddenly. He knew that time was running out and every moment of delay would put the child in greater danger.

He turned to Fan Wen and asked, "Manager Fan, are you aware of the recent number of children missing in the county?"

Fan Wen hesitated, "Mr. Qin, this..."

Meng Yi said seriously, "Manager Fan, I don't want this matter to ruin our friendship."

Fan Wen sighed and said, "Fan's firm has been traveling extensively for many years, so they naturally have their own sources of information. I'm afraid Mr. Qin can't handle this."

Meng Yi angrily said, "Manager Fan, please don't test my patience. Is there anything more important than a life-or-death situation?"

Fan Wen didn't say anything, he was thinking in his mind.

Seeing that he didn't say anything, Meng Yi threw him the identity token and the silk cloth containing the imperial decree.

After Fan Wen opened it, he was shocked and quickly bowed and said, "Lieutenant."

Meng Yi said in a deep voice, "My last name was Qin, but now it's Meng, the Meng of General Meng Tian. I will take responsibility for anything that happens."

Fan Wen said tremblingly, "Lieutenant, do you know that the county magistrate of Longyi City is Yan Le?"

Meng Yi asked in confusion, "Yan Le? Could he be Zhao Gao's son-in-law?"

Fan Wen nodded and said, "It is this man. If it were not for Zhao Gao, how could he have been appointed magistrate of such a large county as Langyi?"

Meng Yi asked, "So the disappearance of the children in Langyi is related to him?"

Fan Wen said in a deep voice, "Your Excellency the Lieutenant, you may not know that Yan Le was transferred to the position of county magistrate this year. It is said that he has connections with the Taoist priest Lu Sheng."

Meng Yi thought to himself, "Lu Sheng was an alchemist who made elixirs. Could he have used children as medicine? Did Zhao Gao know about this? Did the First Emperor know about it?"

Meng Yi then made up his mind that no matter whether the First Emperor knew about this, he would find the child back, or at worst, quit his job.

Xiao He, who was standing nearby, also sensed the difficulty of the matter. Although he was very anxious, he could not urge Meng Yi to send someone to the county government office immediately. He could only wait for Meng Yi's decision. Although he believed that Meng Yi was not someone who feared the powerful, Xiao He was not sure if he would give up his future for the sake of his children.

Although Meng Yi didn't know what Xiao He was thinking, he always had his own principles.

Meng Yi then looked at Fan Wen with a sharp gaze. "Regardless of whether Zhao Gao knew about this, as the Lieutenant of the Qin Empire, and since this incident occurred in Neishi County, it falls under my jurisdiction. I will investigate it thoroughly. If it's really related to Yan Le and Lu Sheng, I will not let them off!"

He turned to Meng Xin and said, "Take the token and the imperial edict and go directly to the patrol camp outside the city. Dispatch three hundred elite soldiers to seal the four gates of Longyi City."

Meng Xin received the order and left quickly.

Meng Yi turned to Xiao He and said, "Brother Xiao, don't worry. Your child is my nephew. No matter who he is, even if I have to fight for my official position, I will definitely seek justice for him."

Xiao He suppressed his grief and anger, bowed and said, "Thank you, my lord."

The call of "Master" represented Xiao He's recognition and complete loyalty to him.

Meng Yi then said to Fan Wen, "Manager Fan, you are quite familiar with this place, so we need you to send some people to assist in the investigation. Also, please spread this matter to prevent more families from being harmed."

Fan Wen bowed and replied, "I will follow your orders, Lieutenant."

Afterwards, Meng Xin led a team of 100 men to quickly seal the four gates of Longyi City, while another 200 men were on standby outside the Fan family trading company.

Lü Su and the others returned to the inn. Ying Bu, Han Xin, and the others learned of this and left four of them to guard the mistress. They immediately led the others to search for Meng Yi.

After Ying Bu and his men arrived at the trading company, Meng Yi recounted the entire incident in front of Ying Bu, Han Xin, and Li Ziwei.

Then, Meng Yi said, "Brothers, this matter may offend many important people. But Xiao He is my brother, and his son is my nephew. If the sky falls, I, Meng Yi, will hold it up. If you have any concerns, please leave. I, Meng Yi, will not blame you."

Ying Bu patted his chest and said, "Young General, what are you talking about? I, Ying Bu, can't stand those corrupt officials who bully the common people! I will fight you!"

Han Xin also expressed his opinion: "Young General, although I, Han Xin, don't have much ability, I also know how to write the word loyalty! I am willing to follow you, young general!"

Li Ziwei then said, "We are willing to obey the orders of the young general!"

Xiao He bowed to everyone present and said, "Xiao He would like to thank all of you brothers."

Ying Bu quickly supported him and said, "Brother Xiao, we are brothers, don't do this."

Meng Yi was deeply moved and waved his hand: "Okay! In that case, let's work together to find out the mastermind behind this and rid the people of this evil!"

Meng Yi began assigning tasks: "Li Ziwei, you have extensive experience as a spy. You will lead our six brothers and fifty soldiers to search the city for clues. Han Xin, you will lead a hundred men to search the surrounding areas from this point. Ying Bu, Xiao He, you two will lead the remaining fifty men and accompany me to the county government office to meet with the magistrate, Yan Le!"

Everyone followed the order and left, and a battle with the evil forces began...

Ying Bu, Xiao He and others arrived at the gate of the county government office, only to find it closed.

Ying Bu went forward and knocked on the door, but no one answered for a long time.

An ominous premonition flashed through Meng Yi's mind, and he signaled Ying Bu to force a goal.

Everyone rushed forward and broke the door open in a few pushes.

The county government office was empty; it was obvious that the county magistrate had already received the news and fled.

Meng Yi's face was gloomy, he realized that things might be more complicated than they thought.

At this moment, a soldier hurried over to report that a tunnel had been discovered behind the county government office.

Meng Yi led his men into the tunnel and walked along the dark passage.

Soon, they came to an underground secret room filled with various bottles and jars, and some children tied to the laboratory table.

The children's eyes were dull, and they had obviously suffered inhuman torture.

Xiao He looked around the crowd and suddenly saw his son lying in a cage. After checking, he found that he had just fainted.

Meng Yi was furious and vowed to bring the mastermind behind the incident to justice.

Meng Yi looked around and found an experimental record, which recorded the evil deeds of Yan Le and Lu Sheng, who used the blood of children to perform some kind of evil ritual in an attempt to pursue the secret of immortality.

Meng Yi angrily threw the experimental records to the ground.

Ying Bu cursed, "These beasts are willing to sacrifice innocent lives for their own selfish desires!"

He turned to Ying Bu and Xiao He and said, "We must find Yan Le and Lu Sheng as soon as possible, otherwise more children will suffer."

At this time, a soldier came to report that traces of Yan Le were found in the north of the city.

Meng Yi immediately led everyone to chase after them, and finally surrounded Yan Le and his followers in a group of houses.

Seeing that there was no way to escape, Yan Le tried to tempt Meng Yi with money and power.

However, Meng Yi remained unmoved. "Your evil deeds are beyond the reach of justice. Today is the day you die!"

After saying that, Meng Yi and Ying Bu drew their swords and rushed towards Yan Le. After one round, Yan Le and others were subdued.

Meng Yi successfully rescued all the kidnapped children and arranged for them to be sent back to their respective homes.

At the same time, good news came from the team led by Han Xin. They found Lu Sheng's hiding place and captured him alive.

Meng Yi decided to escort Yan Le and Lu Sheng back to Beijing along with their criminal records and hand them over to the First Emperor for disposal.

Unfortunately, Meng Yi did not find any correspondence between Zhao Gao and Yan Le.

On his way back, Meng Yi pondered the deeper meaning behind this incident. He knew this was no simple kidnapping, but rather a conspiracy involving palace intrigue and power struggles. He secretly resolved to investigate the matter and uncover the truth upon his return to Beijing.

After everyone returned to the inn, Tian saw the unconscious child in Xiao He's arms and burst into tears of joy. After learning that the child was safe and sound, Tian immediately knelt down, and Xiao He followed suit.

Lu Su quickly supported Tian, ​​while Meng Yi held Xiao He, saying, "Sister-in-law, Brother Xiao, what do you mean? Please stand up quickly. Don't you consider me a brother anymore?"

Lu Su also quickly said: "Sister-in-law, we are all family, there is no need to be like this."

Tian and Xiao He then slowly stood up. Lu Su helped Tian and the child to rest nearby.

Meng Yi summoned Meng Xin and Han Xin and asked them to gather their troops and bring them back to the patrol camp. He then summoned the county magistrate and the county lieutenant.

Meng Yi said in a serious tone, "I don't know if you two have any dealings with Yan Le, nor do I want to know. I just hope you will do your job well and not let down the title of 'parent official.'"

The county magistrate and the county lieutenant hurriedly bowed and nodded in agreement.

Then he asked the two men to retreat, after all, they were still needed to pacify the people in the city.

At this moment, everyone in the inn breathed a sigh of relief.

Xiao He stood aside, watching all this quietly, his heart full of gratitude.

Outside the window, sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting patches of mottled light and shadow. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves, seemingly adding a touch of life to the tranquil scene.