I Can Strengthen Infinitely

Chapter 249 - 186: Clue Found

As the number one city in Jiangnan, Yangzhou Prefecture definitely has a stronghold of the Seven Star Monitor, but Qin Yuesheng does not know where it is. Considering he is now a potential Copper Toad official, he is only one step away from becoming a real Copper Toad official, pending Lord Zuo’s official arrangement for him at the court.

The matter of the Sword Tomb secret is not easy for Qin Yuesheng to investigate on his own; if he could utilize the power of the authorities, perhaps he could find the location of the ’Sword-Casting’ small town sooner.

After having lunch at Yixin Residence, Qin Yuesheng took the initiative to visit the Yangzhou Prefecture’s Prefect’s mansion.

Speaking of the Prefect of Yangzhou Prefecture, Qin Yuesheng is unfamiliar with him, yet they have secretly crossed paths once.

If the truth were to be revealed, the Prefect of Yangzhou Prefecture would likely have Qin Yuesheng killed on the spot.

Indeed, the Prefect of Yangzhou Prefecture, Liu Xian, is the biological father of the sinister Liu Zhizhang whom Qin Yuesheng had once slain on Meteor Mountain.

However, this person currently does not know Qin Yuesheng is the one who killed his son. After all, Qin Yuesheng did the deed with immense stealth, and later the Celestial Star incident occurred, burying all traces he left under the earth.

Hence, Qin Yuesheng dared to swagger into the Prefect’s mansion with a clear conscience.

Seeing a stranger approach the Prefect’s mansion, the two guards standing outside immediately pointed their spears: "Who are you?"

"Go tell your lord, a Copper Toad official from the Seven Star Monitor is here to visit," said Qin Yuesheng.

In today’s Great Tang, a Prefect is a Third Rank official. Even if Qin Yuesheng officially becomes a Copper Toad official, he cannot be equal to Liu Xian in rank, so this time he is visiting with the mindset of a subordinate.

Of course, it’s just a mindset. If Liu Xian dares to underestimate him or displeases him, Qin Yuesheng will not hesitate to show the strength of the Fourth Layer of the Internal Power Realm, and beat him up as needed without any scruples.

After all, in the face of true strength, official ranks are irrelevant.

Someone immediately reported Qin Yuesheng’s details to Liu Xian, and soon someone came to guide Qin Yuesheng into the mansion, looking like a person with a role similar to that of a steward.

"This way, sir. Lord Liu is waiting for you in the guest hall."

"Thank you." Qin Yuesheng nodded and stepped into the guest hall.

Liu Xian, although in his middle age, maintained himself quite well, his complexion rosy, hair black and glossy, and full of energy, obviously having spent money on his upkeep frequently.

Upon seeing him, Qin Yuesheng immediately cupped his hands symbolically: "Subordinate Qin Yuesheng greets Lord Liu. Since my superior is processing my promotion to Copper Toad official in Chang’an, I don’t yet have my own Copper Toad official order, so I’m using this wooden order to prove my identity."

Seeing Qin Yuesheng take out a Wooden Toad Official Order, Liu Xian immediately smiled and shook his head: "No need, no need. Few people in the world know about the Seven Star Monitor, and fewer would dare to use this identity to deceive me. Old man trusts you; you may keep it, Lord Qin."

"Yes."

"I thought Copper Toad officials should be in their thirties, but didn’t expect Lord Qin to be so young. Delightful, delightful, having such a young expert in the Seven Star Monitor is truly like adding wings to a tiger." Liu Xian smiled benevolently.

As a Prefect, a Third Rank official, he naturally knows of the Seven Star Monitor’s existence. Although Qin Yuesheng is a rank lower, Liu Xian does not show the slightest disdain, as he understands that those who join the Seven Star Monitor are all experts.

And to become a Copper Toad official, one must be among the experts, so such a person is not worth offending unnecessarily.

If the relationship is good, perhaps they might be useful in the future.

"Please have a seat, Lord Qin."

"Thank you." Qin Yuesheng picked a chair and sat down, then directly stated: "I came here because I’ve come up empty investigating a sinister affair, and I plan to seek Lord Liu’s help in accessing the county management records of Yangzhou Prefecture to find clues."

"Oh? Is that so!" Liu Xian was surprised: "Of course, of course, how can I refuse such a matter? Don’t worry, Lord Qin, I will have it prepared for you right away."

Qin Yuesheng did not expect Liu Xian to agree so readily, but considering the things this person does behind the scenes, he immediately understood a lot.

This is an old fox.

Considering the matter of secretly sending Liu Zhizhang to Meteor Mountain to mine gold, although it is unclear whether this person has rebellious intentions, he definitely has a desire to strengthen his power with money.

Beneath the waters of Yangzhou Prefecture, it is unknown how deep Liu Xian’s hidden agendas run, but that is not Qin Yuesheng’s concern.

With Liu Xian’s arrangement, Qin Yuesheng soon smoothly reached the archives within the Prefect’s mansion.

This place is indeed immense; inside, bookshelves resembling long dragons stretch as far as the eye can see, densely packed with books.

Some were recorded on bamboo slips, some on paper, and most astonishingly, there was even information engraved on stone, which was truly eye-opening.

"Master, this is the archive room. Lord Liu said to let you take your time to search."

"Alright, I understand. Please thank Lord Liu for me." Qin Yuesheng immediately began to search through each bookshelf.

He focused mainly on books that documented geographical townships, and anything related to sword crafting, he would pick up and examine. After confirming that they were unrelated to the information he was seeking, he would return them to their place.

With the help of ’universal text recognition,’ Qin Yuesheng browsed through these books almost effortlessly, but after reviewing dozens, he still hadn’t found the information he wanted.

"Could it be that the small town isn’t called Sword Crafting?" Qin Yuesheng wondered.

Generally, whether it was a building, temple, shrine, or city, the plaque hanging on the main entrance almost always bore its name; rarely were there buildings without such a feature.

Despite his puzzlement, Qin Yuesheng continued his search.

Finally, after about an incense stick’s worth of time, he found a clue.

The Chronicles of the Sands Continent documented that next to the eastern coastline of Jiangnan, there was once a city called Copper Sword City. This place was famous for crafting weapons, and the furnaces in the city ran year-round, causing it to be blazing hot, making it always hotter than other regions of Jiangnan. Even in winter, the residents inside Copper Sword City didn’t need to wear thick clothes, they could wear thin clothes just like in the spring and summer.

Back then, many knights liked to bring precious materials they had searched everywhere for to this city to invite masters to craft swords. Unfortunately, the good times didn’t last long. One night, a massive wave surged from the East Sea, directly rushing over the Sands Continent, instantly submerging the entire city. From then on, there was no longer Copper Sword City on the East Sea coast.

This incident was very famous decades ago, but as time passed, even the biggest events become things people gradually forget.

"Decades ago, Copper Sword City coincides very well with the year Bai Yue Sword Saint disappeared," Qin Yuesheng remarked in surprise.

Additionally, the name Copper Sword City matches the ’Sword Crafting’ plaque he saw on the map last night, but with fractures on the left and right sides. There used to be something on both sides, which was later broken and fell off.

"It seems likely." Qin Yuesheng placed the book back, instantly making a decision to go investigate the situation at the Sands Continent.

Feigning further reading, Qin Yuesheng flipped through a few more books, and then left the archive room, bidding farewell to Liu Xian and leaving the prefecture.

After he left, Liu Xian’s previously amicable expression suddenly changed. He asked the steward beside him, "Have you investigated what that person was searching for in the archive room?"

"Master, he flipped through many old books. Judging by the dust variation on the bookshelves, a total of fifty-six books, all related to the geography of Jiangnan’s townships."

"This person isn’t here to investigate the unusual but is looking for something in Jiangnan," Liu Xian pondered, stroking his chin.

He had an unknown secret; for him, anything that could enhance his overall strength was something he must strive for.

Suddenly, Liu Xian’s eyes gleamed sharply: "Sword Tomb Secret!"

"Master, what?" the steward wondered.

"Isn’t there a rumor in Yangzhou Prefecture recently about the Sword Tomb Secret?"

"There’s talk of it, saying there’s a map of the Sword Tomb Secret right in our Yangzhou Prefecture, and many people from the martial world are searching everywhere."

Liu Xian stroked his beard: "Go, check all the books that person browsed; there must be clues in them."

"Yes."

...

Qin Yuesheng had indeed considered whether this old fox Liu Xian would go back to check the books he’d read. To prevent him from discovering the secret of Copper Sword City, Qin Yuesheng intentionally flipped through a lot of extra books, maintaining the same browsing time as The Chronicles of the Sands Continent. He even fabricated some crease marks on irrelevant book pages with his fingers to mislead Liu Xian’s attention.

Although these were preconceived scenarios, should they come true, they could indeed be quite useful.

As expected by Qin Yuesheng, Liu Xian really did have people watch the books he had looked at. Whether they could find the right answer among those dozens of books remained unknown.

Meanwhile, Qin Yuesheng was leaving Yangzhou Prefecture, preparing first to go to the east gate and embark on the journey to the East Sea coast’s Sands Continent.

At Yangzhou Prefecture’s east gate, two beggars sat lazily on the ground, holding bamboo sticks and broken bowls, seemingly trying to get money from passersby. But if someone observed carefully, they would find their gaze was not urgent but rather scattered, as if searching for someone.

As soon as Qin Yuesheng appeared in the crowd, the two men immediately got up from the ground and followed him, pretending to do so naturally.