Chapter 1355: Nonexistent Village and Nonexistent Daughter

**Chapter 1341: The Non-Existent Village and the Non-Existent Daughter**

Wanqifeng couldn't help but interject, "Where is that little girl, then?"

Everyone exchanged glances, realizing the point. Chen Family Village had suffered over a hundred casualties, and Wuma's Green Verdure Manor was utterly devastated, with even the lord and his son dead. Yet, the little girl, the very cause of this series of events, whose origins were unknown, had disappeared without a trace?

"A few hours after Wuma Xu was killed, Tong Tu appeared in the north courtyard and killed Wuma Dan," Dong Rui said as he stitched a wound, his needlework more exquisite than an embroiderer's. "And before Tong Tu jumped into the well, those two demonic puppets also headed north." He added, "So, was that little girl hiding in the north courtyard at the time?"

Wanqifeng pointed to three black-armored warriors. "We searched the north courtyard. Aside from a few Wuma clan members, we didn't see any girls under fifteen." He paused. "Tong Tu escaped by jumping into the well, possibly pursued by our lord. Xiao An's disappearance is indeed strange."

He Lingchuan's eyes flickered. "You just said Tong Tu is skilled at shapeshifting?"

"Yes," Dong Rui sighed, removing his spider-silk gloves. "All done. The heart fragments have been removed. He'll recover within half a month." In just over fifteen minutes, he had completed a difficult surgical operation.

Wanqiliang looked eagerly at Puhua. "How long until he wakes up?"

Dong Rui casually replied, "Within two hours, if I haven't miscalculated the dosage of the petrification poison."

Wanqiliang swallowed, asking cautiously, "Wh-what if you miscalculated?"

"Then—" Dong Rui spread his hands, making a helpless gesture. "It's not a big problem. I've experimented with it many times on demonic puppets. Given his age and physique, even if the petrification poison is diluted 128 times more, it shouldn't be lethal."

Wanqiliang scratched his head. "So this is the first time you've used it on a person?"

"Otherwise?" Dong Rui said smugly, "You never gave me the chance before."

"Should we head back now?" Having captured three of someone else's demonic puppets, he felt an urgent itch, eager to return to Jucheng immediately. "Anyway, that masked man can't catch up."

"Not so fast," He Lingchuan waved his hand. "Can you track your demonic puppets' whereabouts?"

"Of course," Dong Rui understood immediately. "Oh, you're worried he'll pursue us to Jucheng?"

"This demonic puppet master was always able to track Xiao An, which means he placed a tracking method on the little girl. Now that we've captured all three of his demonic puppets, how can he accept that? He'll most likely come seeking revenge," He Lingchuan mused. "Therefore, you cannot return to Jucheng." The relationship between the Yangshan Chamber of Commerce and the Black Armored Army must not be exposed right now.

"So where can I go?" He needed a safe, quiet place where he could experiment freely.

He Lingchuan's gaze shifted, and he smiled. "I've thought of a good place. You can work there undisturbed."

Dong Rui parted ways with the Black Armored Army at location three. He Lingchuan and the others exited through other entrances of the abandoned mine shaft. Only after the Soul Mirror confirmed it was safe and there were no other observers behind them did they stow their armor and change back into normal clothes.

Back in Jucheng, everything was as usual. He Lingchuan conducted business and attended social engagements as required. Puhua also woke up; his condition was stable and he was gradually recovering. However, it took him five hours to regain consciousness after the surgery.

Soon after, Yu Hai came to the Yangshan Chamber of Commerce to see He Lingchuan and immediately said, "The missing person notices have been distributed. Also, there's a lead on the matter you asked me to investigate."

Besides managing the Yuangxiang Association, he was also a nobleman of Pei State and was currently highly regarded by Pei's monarch. Li County's efficiency was too low, and Lieutenant Li couldn't find the information, so He Lingchuan had to ask Yu Hai for help. He Lingchuan was now a favored figure in the allied army and was investigating murder cases for Pei State. He could now mobilize some official resources through Yu Hai. Some matters are a hundred times easier for the authorities to handle than for individuals or private organizations.

"Please have a seat," He Lingchuan was always cordial with him, then called to a young servant by the door, "Tea!" Tea wasn't enough; there had to be three accompanying snacks: mung bean cake, preserved plums, and wind-blown biscuits.

Yu Hai took a sip of warm tea to moisten his throat. "In the towns and villages within a hundred-li radius of Chen Family Village, the authorities are organizing people to post portraits of Xiao An and missing person notices, stating that she's a witness to the serial murders. Three taels of silver will be given for providing clues, and thirty taels for directly bringing the little girl forward."

"Three thousand coins is no small sum for ordinary people," He Lingchuan smiled. "Thank you for your trouble." Mobilizing the public was the best method at the moment.

"Oh, Brother He, why are you thanking me? You're investigating a case for my Pei State. His Majesty also wants me to convey his gratitude."

Yu Hai continued, "Maodun is a small town, forty li north of Liu County, with a population of about two thousand. The land isn't very fertile, but there are local mineral resources and lacquer materials. I sent people to investigate in the town and found that the woman named A Hui was a native of Maodun. Her father died when she was seven, and she married into the Li family in Liang County at fifteen. She had two daughters, but her husband died of illness within two years. Her in-laws then sold her two daughters to outsiders and sold A Hui to a peddler thirty li away."

He Lingchuan said, "Oh, so she's from Maodun." Not Xingyun Village.

"Her in-laws wouldn't say, but a neighbor told me," Yu Hai said. "When her daughters were sold, her in-laws locked her in the house. She wailed for two days, and the neighbors clearly heard it and found it annoying."

He Lingchuan nodded. "So that's how it was." This aligned with what Aunt Wu from Chen Family Village had said.

"The peddler kept her locked in his home for over half a year until she became pregnant; only then did A Hui truly commit to him," Yu Hai continued. "And then, five years later, for unknown reasons, the peddler went out to procure goods, fell off a cliff, and died, leaving her with another daughter." At this point, he couldn't help but sigh, "Ah, it's truly a case of 'the weakest rope breaks first,' and 'misfortune only finds the unfortunate.' Brother Situ was right when he said: 'For common folk, fate is not their own.'"

They were silent for a few breaths. He Lingchuan simply said, "Have some tea."

Yu Hai refilled his cup. "About a month ago, A Hui escaped from her in-laws' home."

"With her daughter?" Aunt Wu had also mentioned that A Hui believed her in-laws wanted to sell both her and her daughter again, which is why she fled.

"Yes, with her daughter." Judging by her age, A Hui's daughter was almost five. "What's her daughter's name?"

"Wang Xiaoya."

He Lingchuan raised an eyebrow. "Her nickname isn't Xiao An?"

"Just Xiaoya," Yu Hai replied. "Furthermore, regarding Xingyun Village, which you asked me to investigate, it's reasonable that Lieutenant Li wouldn't know about it."

"Is the village too small? Too remote?" Pei State wasn't large to begin with, and small villages were often hidden in mountain hollows and corners. He Lingchuan suspected some might not even be officially registered.

"Neither," Yu Hai, rarely getting a chance to build suspense, said. "Since even the officials in Liu County didn't know, I sent people to inquire with elderly residents in nearby towns and villages. Most said they didn't know, but one old blacksmith said he had visited when he was young, and there was a very large apricot tree at the village entrance."

"He gave the location, and I sent people to investigate. Indeed, the distinctive old apricot tree at the village entrance was beautiful, but the village wasn't called Xingyun Village at all; it was called Dongbai Village."

Could Xiao An have misremembered? He Lingchuan mused, could a five or six-year-old girl misremember her birthplace?

Yu Hai ate a mung bean cake, his speech slightly muffled. "The strange part is this: according to the villagers, that place was indeed once called Xingyun Village, but that was twenty years ago!"

"Twenty years?" This answer surprised He Lingchuan. This matter seemed to be getting more interesting. "What happened to that village? Why did it change its name?"

"It wasn't renamed; it was destroyed by war. At that time, a strongman led troops to ransack Xingyun Village, killing many people, and the remaining villagers fled. Many years later, new outsiders came to the original site and rebuilt Dongbai Village there," Yu Hai said with a wry smile. "Small villages in the Situ family's territory were once completely devoured by the Ghost King. Such things occasionally happen here."

"Are there any missing girls named Xiao An in Dongbai Village?"

"No," Yu Hai shook his head. "The entire village only has two girls under five years old. Neither their official names nor nicknames are that, and neither of them is missing."

He Lingchuan immediately thanked him. "This sudden whim of mine truly caused you trouble, Brother Yu."

"It's a small matter," Yu Hai had always been troubled by not being able to repay He Lingchuan's kindness, so he was delighted when the other party assigned him tasks.

They chatted for a while longer, then Yu Hai discreetly excused himself. This person had an excellent sense of propriety, interacting with others with grace and measure, no wonder he could establish the Yuangxiang Association.

After seeing him off, He Lingchuan gazed out the window, lost in thought. This spring, a pair of swallows built a new nest under the eaves of his study. These days, there was chirping, probably indicating baby swallows had hatched. Birds, beasts, insects, and fish all have their parents.

The Soul Mirror asked him, "What have you figured out?" Why would A Hui's daughter say she was from Xingyun Village, a small village that ceased to exist twenty years ago?

"Perhaps A Hui told her daughter stories about Xingyun Village, and Xiao An remembered them?" the Soul Mirror mused, reasoning on its own. "Both mother and daughter seem a bit off."

"No, Xiao An is not A Hui's daughter," He Lingchuan corrected it. "A Hui gave birth to three daughters, and none of them were named Xiao An."

"Then what's going on with this mother and daughter?" The Soul Mirror, which considered itself well-informed and experienced, was now completely bewildered.

"You have to look at it this way: although A Hui is deranged, everything she said can be verified. Her words are credible."

The Soul Mirror thought for a moment. "It seems that's true."

He Lingchuan continued his analysis. "Therefore, if we use her words as a baseline, any discrepancy in Xiao An's account indicates a contradiction or delusion."

"My turn, my turn!" the Soul Mirror said excitedly. "Xiao An said her mother took her to escape from Xingyun Village to avoid monster attacks; but in fact, A Hui escaped from her second in-laws' home with her daughter. If there were indeed 'monsters' pursuing them, it was probably people trying to bring them back?"