Major Case of the North 3rd Battalion

The night in the Gobi Desert has fewer insect chirps and more stars.

Starlight mingled with moonlight, spilling into the border town. A middle-aged man with a goatee stood at the entrance of the inn.

The shopkeeper recognized the visitor and hurriedly ran to the door to greet him: "Master Lin... Master Lin, what brings you here...?"

Master Lin raised his hand: "Don't shout, I'm not here to take anyone away."

"And who are you?"

"A gentleman in gray has come here, accompanied by a little toad demon."

"Yes, sir."

The innkeeper pointed to a corner on the second floor. "He's in that guest room. Should I go and call him out?"

"No need, I can wait downstairs."

Master Lin pulled the shopkeeper back, and the latter turned around with a look of surprise, after all, he rarely saw this master Lin being so polite.

Master Lin saw through the shopkeeper's thoughts but didn't explain anything.

He definitely wouldn't have done this in the past.

He's just a wandering swordsman. If the county government wants to see him, it should be the yamen runners who should send a message to him, telling him to go to the county hall tomorrow to inquire.

But extraordinary measures must be taken under extraordinary circumstances.

A major incident occurred in the three battalions in the north, but what reached the common people was actually a version that had been suppressed time and again; the real situation there was much more serious.

Juntun County is nearby, so it naturally has to shoulder some responsibility.

The task assigned to the county government was to recruit talented individuals without disturbing the local people and to help the military handle the unexpected situation of the Northern Third Battalion.

We are seeking talented individuals, regardless of their background or past cases. As long as you have the ability, the county government can offer you money and official status. Any reward is negotiable as long as you can solve the problem.

They showed great sincerity, and the rewards were truly presented.

However, after several days, the county only managed to gather three people: two martial arts practitioners at the Guanchen realm who only knew how to fight, and the only one who was somewhat useful was an old Taoist priest who knew how to survey burial sites.

The number of people and their quality did not meet the requirements.

The urging letters from the prefecture and the border kept coming one after another. The county magistrate responded verbally, but his face grew more and more unpleasant each day.

Yesterday, a group of people from the county government spent the entire day huddled together, flipping through ancient texts, and barely managed to find a few clues about the "old camp drums," which brought some progress to the matter.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Master Lin went to the teahouse to relax and have some tea. As soon as the man in gray spoke, he revealed the results of their investigation that day.

Regardless of their level of understanding, such a person is worth inviting over for a visit.

Lin, the clerk, hurriedly returned to the county office and told the magistrate what had happened. The magistrate immediately slammed his fist on the table.

"please!"

Then Master Lin arrived, leading to the scene we see today.

To show his eagerness for talent, he waited in the hall instead of going upstairs.

Fortunately, the wait wasn't long.

Footsteps could be heard coming from the stairs.

Yan Li and his father came down first. Master Lin only glanced at them before looking away.

Next came a little toad demon.

The last one to come down was the man in gray.

Lin, the clerk, immediately stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Lin Fu, the magistrate of Juntun County, greets you, sir."

"Is something the matter?" Shen Gui asked, looking at him.

Master Lin had already prepared his speech: "What you said in the teahouse today was truly enlightening. My magistrate, after hearing it, would like to invite you to sit in the side hall of the county government office. There will be no shortage of benefits."

Shen Gui looked over, scrutinizing him.

Master Lin's palms were sweating from being stared at.

He had worked in the county government for many years, and had seen officials from the prefectural city and ruthless border generals, but the man before him was different.

It was a feeling of oppression, as if everything about you could be seen through.

It makes people uncomfortable and despair.

After a few breaths, Shen Gui said, "Lead the way."

Master Lin felt a weight lifted from his heart and quickly stepped aside to make way: "The sedan chair is ready, please, sir."

Zhaoyue immediately followed suit: "I'll go too."

"You stay."

"Why the quack?"

"Take care of them."

Shen Gui looked at Yan Li and Yan's father.

Yan Li was still standing by the stairs, his fingers pressing on his father's shoulder. The old man looked at the people from the county government office, then at Shen Gui, his eyes full of unease, but he dared not ask too many questions.

Having received a clear mission, Zhao Yue immediately puffed out her chest: "Alright, I'll stay. With me here, no one will dare to bully them."

Yan Li quickly bowed and said, "You've troubled me, sir."

Shen Gui nodded: "No need to rush, wait for my news."

Her words were soft, but Yanli felt a little more at ease.

Outside the inn, Shen Gui boarded the sedan chair.

Master Lin mounted his horse and led the way himself, with two constables flanking him on either side. The sedan chair bearers dared not go too fast. Rain pattered on the bluestone street, and the only sounds in the alley were footsteps and the swaying of the sedan chair poles.

There are hardly any lights in Juntun County at night; everything is lit by moonlight.

Upon arriving at the county government office, the sedan chair entered through a side gate.

There were no lights in the main hall, and two rows of constables stood straight at the door. When they saw Master Lin return, they quickly went forward.

"Where is the county magistrate?" Master Lin asked.

A constable handed over a letter of guarantee stamped with an official seal: "The lord has gone out on urgent business. Before he left, he instructed that if the person is brought in, you can make the arrangements. The letter of appointment has already been prepared, so there is no need to go through the complicated procedures."

When Master Lin took it and looked at it, it was indeed written in complete detail.

[The county advisor, assisting in the investigation of unusual events in the Northern Three Camps, may enter and exit relevant military defense areas with the county seal and credentials, without being obstructed by ordinary checkpoints.]

Master Lin asked, "Where has the master gone?"

The constable looked around and said, "They've gone outside the city to greet the guests."

"Who?"

"They said they came with people from the prefectural government, and the magistrate personally went to pick them up, with the county magistrate also accompanying them."

Master Lin frowned. Who was this person making such a big fuss?

Without asking any further questions, he turned to Shen Gui and said, "Sir, please come with me first. The county magistrate must be away on urgent business. If there is anything inconvenient, please forgive me."

"It's alright," Shen Guihui replied.

The two passed through the main hall and arrived at the side hall in the backyard.

Three people were already sitting in the backyard.

Two people sat facing each other playing chess. The man on the left was burly and had a short gun beside him, while the man on the right was a swordsman in a blue robe, holding chess pieces between his fingers. He looked quite like a master.

On a prayer mat by the wall sat an old Taoist priest, with a compass in front of him and his eyelids drooping.

Hearing footsteps, all three looked over.

Master Lin cleared his throat: "Gentlemen, this is Mr. Shen. He will be assisting in the investigation of the Northern Third Battalion from now on."

The old Taoist priest barely lifted his eyelids by half an inch, glanced at it, and then closed them again.

The swordsman in the green robe smiled and greeted him, "Nice to meet you."

The burly man was much more outspoken. He flipped the chess piece over and said, "What kind of strength do you have? If you're too weak, don't bring you into the team. I don't like having to take care of someone who's a burden when we're fighting."

"Mr. Shen is no ordinary person, so you can rest assured."

Master Lin smiled apologetically, but felt a little embarrassed inside.

All three of them are capable, and they all have their own tempers.

The two martial arts practitioners from the Observation Realm were a scholar named Lu Qingyan and a man named Du Heng who raised the question. The old Taoist's surname was Yan, and his nickname was Yan Banshan.

They came to Juntun County for the reward money and also for the imperial court's recommendation.

They were nice when they first arrived, but after waiting for several days without seeing any new staff, they naturally started to put on airs.

Now, suddenly there's a man in gray, personally invited by Master Lin. They don't say anything, but their dissatisfaction is evident on their faces.

Master Lin led Shen Gui inside, trying to ease the atmosphere as they went: "Experts are all a bit temperamental. We'll be working together later, so please don't mind, sir."

Shen Gui did not respond, but only asked, "Where is the specific intelligence regarding the Northern Third Battalion?"

"Sir, please take this item."

Master Lin took out a copper talisman from his sleeve.

"This talisman is a token that can be used to pass through the temporary military outpost, but if you want to enter the camp, you still need a warrant from the county magistrate or your superior. However, having this will at least save you some trouble."

Shen Gui took it and put it into his sleeve.

Master Lin took out another stack of files from the cabinet. It was a thick stack, tied with hemp rope, and sealed with the county seal.

"These are case files sent from the border, as well as some information that the county has deduced in the past few days. You may take a look, sir, but please do not spread them. Right now, people in the city are not at peace, and even the slightest rumor can cause trouble."

Du Heng scoffed beside the chessboard: "Master Lin, we need to see these things. You're saying he'll give them to us as soon as he arrives, before the magistrate has even approved them?"

Master Lin frowned: "Sir Du, your portion is also ready. It takes time to prepare, but we'll finish it today."

"Stop dawdling." Lu Qingyan placed the chess piece down. "It's taking this long to prepare some data. If we wait another two days, ghosts will be knocking on the county gate."

The atmosphere in the side hall suddenly became a bit tense.

Just as Master Lin was about to say something, hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside.

"Master Lin, Master Lin!" A constable rushed to the door, his clothes askew.

Master Lin said unhappily, "What's the rush? Speak slowly."

"The magistrate is back! He wants you to go to the main hall immediately!"

"Have the welcoming party arrived?"

"We've arrived! A truly important person!"

Du Heng put down the chess piece: "Who is it that scared you all like this?"

The constable swallowed hard. "The Imperial Observatory has sent people, and the Bureau of Astronomy and Fire Investigation has also sent people. Leading them is none other than Minister Zhang, the Vice Minister of War—a high-ranking official of the third rank!"

Upon hearing this, Master Lin disregarded all etiquette and turned to run towards the main hall.

Du Heng and Lu Qingyan exchanged a glance, both seeing the surprise and delight in each other's eyes. They both stood up and followed closely behind the clerk.

The old Taoist priest stood up, but his face didn't look good.

The fact that even a high-ranking official of the third rank from Chengtian Prefecture had arrived meant that the situation in the Northern Three Camps was very serious, even more serious than the government had told him.

The old Taoist priest held the compass and kept calculating, but he was already having second thoughts.

Immediately afterwards, he suddenly exclaimed in surprise:

"Huh?! Where's that man in gray? When did he leave?"

Looking around, there was no one else in the entire side hall except him.