Transmigrating to the Qi Family - Chapter 171

When Zhang Quan arrives, Jiang Miao and Pei Che are sitting closely together, examining a piece of paper on the table while seemingly discussing something.

“Greetings, my lords!” Zhang Quan knocks on the door to announce his arrival. Once they look up, he bows respectfully.

Pei Che says, “No need for formalities. Come in and have a seat.”

“Thank you, my lord!” Zhang Quan cups his hands in gratitude, then steps inside and sits on a chair opposite them. His eyes betray a hint of excitement.

Pei Che says, “Take a look at this.” As he speaks, he slides the paper he and Jiang Miao have been studying toward Zhang Quan for his review.

Curious, Zhang Quan leans forward. He has no idea what the two lords have been looking at. Lowering his gaze, he sees a large sheet of parchment covered with thick and thin lines. These lines rise and fall like mountain ranges in some places and meander like paths in others. Scattered across the lines are dense clusters of bold black dots, seemingly numbering in the hundreds.

“My lord, what is this?” Zhang Quan asks after staring at it for a while. Although he has a guess in mind, he dares not make assumptions.

Jiang Miao explains, “This is a topographic map. Cangzhou is surrounded by mountains, with complex and treacherous terrain. Without a map like this, it would be difficult to navigate, let alone search for the missing people. Over the past days, Lord Pei has been compiling reports from those venturing into the mountains to create this map, all in hopes of resolving these disappearance cases as soon as possible.”

Jiang Miao’s explanation is partly to clarify that Pei Che has not been idle these days, nor has he neglected the matter.
Pei Che, sensing his intention, subtly reaches under the table and gives Jiang Miao’s hand a gentle squeeze.

Zhang Quan abruptly stands up, his face filled with excitement and his words stumbling out, “Then… then these black dots, they’re… they’re the missing people? My lord, does showing me this mean… does it mean we can go search for them now?”

Pei Che replies, “Calm down. At present, I’m still unsure of their exact locations; I only have some clues. Look here—notice the positions of these black dots.”

Suppressing his excitement, Zhang Quan follows the direction of Pei Che’s pointing finger.

Upon closer inspection, he notices something peculiar. While the distribution of these black dots seems random at first glance, there is a subtle pattern to them. The southern part of the map has significantly more dots than the northern part, and among the southern locations, a few spots show particularly high concentrations of missing persons.

“Sir, does this mean that the group’s lair is likely to be nearby?” Zhang Quan asks, pointing to one of the locations.

Jiang Miao shakes his head. “Even rabbits don’t eat the grass near their burrow. Why would they capture people right at their doorstep? Look here—” He takes out a blank sheet of paper, marks the locations with the highest number of disappearances, and connects them with lines, circling the area where the lines intersect.

“This place is Pucheng County, which governs over a dozen villages and towns. Among them is a place called Yangshupo, where not a single villager has ever gone missing.”

“But there are several villages near ours where no one has gone missing either…” Zhang Quan hesitates, thinking that this alone might not count as evidence.

Pei Che interjects, “Across all of Cangzhou, there are twelve villages with no missing persons.” He swiftly marks the positions of these villages on the paper. His confident strokes reveal his familiarity with the area.

“These four are in the north, far from where the majority of disappearances occurred. Considering the distance, it doesn’t fit the pattern of the culprits’ actions.” Pei Che crosses those out.

“These next five are on the outskirts, not near the mountains. The residents mostly farm and rarely venture into the mountains. Especially after the rumors spread, even fewer people go there. These include the villages near yours that you mentioned.” He crosses those out as well.

“The remaining three villages are close to the deep mountains, where there isn’t much arable land. Most residents rely on gathering goods from the mountains to sell for food. It’s indeed strange that no one has gone missing there. However, our investigation shows that the villagers in these areas keep many dogs. When they go into the mountains, they often bring these dogs along. The dogs are highly alert and bark loudly at the scent of strangers. With this in mind, it’s unlikely these villages could be the culprits’ lair.” Pei Che adds that he plans to use some of the dogs from this village later to aid in the search.

Zhang Quan nods but still has doubts. “What about this village, then? Why are you so certain that Yangshupo is suspicious?”

Pei Che replies, “I was just about to explain. You should’ve heard of this village by now. Most villages are surrounded by mountains on three sides, but this one is encircled on all four.”

“Ah! I remember now!” Zhang Quan exclaims. “The people there live on the mountaintop. It’s difficult to go up or down the mountain. Whenever they have heavy goods, they use vine baskets to hoist them up.” According to an old man with relatives married into the village, it’s the poorest place imaginable. While others might go hungry, the people there even have to ration water.

“In that case, only Yangshupo remains,” Jiang Miao says. “The people of Yangshupo are much like those in Tuyan Village—few in number and honest, simple folk. They often venture alone into the dense forests and mountains, yet they’ve never fallen victim to harm. Considering their location, this is clearly illogical.”

In a region where disappearances are frequent, why are the villagers of Yangshupo the only ones left untouched? When Jiang Miao first notices this, he wonders if one of the culprits might be from Yangshupo. However, after the authorities investigate, they confirm that every villager’s whereabouts are well-documented, ruling out the possibility of someone hiding among them as a trafficker.

So, what makes Yangshupo special enough that the culprits dare not act against its people? Jiang Miao ponders this for a long time until, one night, while eating rabbit meat, an idea flashes in his mind.

There’s a saying: “A cunning rabbit has three burrows.” Rabbits, when digging their burrows, often leave a handful of grass at the entrance to conceal it. Could Yangshupo be that handful of grass—a deliberate blind spot created by the culprits? By leaving the villagers untouched, they ensure that no official investigations target the area, allowing them to remain hidden.

Jiang Miao shares this theory with Pei Che, who also finds it plausible.

The problem now is that if Yangshupo truly is their hideout, it is likely under close surveillance, with the culprits monitoring any unusual activity. Sending officials would alert them immediately, and even disguised hunters would probably face scrutiny. If Pei Che wants to catch them all at once, he needs a flawless plan.

After understanding their concerns, Zhang Quan remains silent for a moment before suddenly speaking up. “My lord, I have a distant cousin who married into Yangshupo. If I go there to visit relatives, it won’t raise their suspicion.”

“You mean you want to investigate this?” Pei Che asks, his gaze fixed on Zhang Quan, uncertain.

Zhang Quan nods resolutely. “I want to go. I’m just an ordinary villager—they shouldn’t suspect me. I’ll act carefully, investigate in secret, and I won’t disrupt your plan!”

“This is just a theory for now. Whether it’s true or not remains uncertain. But if Yangshupo really is their decoy, your actions could put you in grave danger if discovered. Are you not afraid?”

Zhang Quan nods again. “I’m afraid. But I’m even more afraid of not being able to save my father. If I can uncover clues a day sooner, my father can come back a day sooner. My lord, please let me go. If you send someone else, their identity might be exposed, and they may not be as determined as I am.”

Pei Che and Jiang Miao exchange a glance, still uneasy. Jiang Miao tries to dissuade him. “You’re only fifteen years old. You’re too young to be taking on such dangerous tasks.”

Zhang Quan smiles, his expression showing a hint of youthful innocence. “My lord, it’s precisely because I’m young that it’s easier for me to investigate. Would you guard against an adult, or against a naive kid?”

“If we forbid you from going, are you planning to sneak off anyway?” Pei Che asks, already sensing Zhang Quan’s determination.

“Yes, I would go,” Zhang Quan admits. “When I was eleven or twelve, I dared to climb the mountains alone to search for clues. There’s no reason I’d be less brave now that I’m older.”

“Very well, you may go. But remember this: no matter what happens, do not act recklessly!” Pei Che instructs.

“Don’t worry, my lord. I won’t ruin your plans!” Zhang Quan replies, visibly delighted.

Jiang Miao sighs and explains, “What he means is, you must not act impulsively. Your top priority is to protect yourself. Don’t put yourself in unnecessary danger.”

Zhang Quan scratches his head, looking both embarrassed and touched.

“I’ll assign someone to secretly support you. You’ll need to work out a system to exchange secret messages with them,” Pei Che adds. He has considered sending a covert operative to investigate, but in such a heavily watched area, even the slightest misstep could draw attention. It’s better to have someone openly draw focus, allowing secret actions to go unnoticed.

“And remember,” Jiang Miao adds with a hint of a threat, “don’t act rashly. Unless you want your mother to find out.”

“Got it!” Zhang Quan nods emphatically, his face showing he has taken the warning to heart.

…

“Mother, do you remember Aunt Xiaoyun?” Zhang Quan asks during dinner.

Zhang’s mother pauses, the name momentarily unfamiliar. “Aunt Xiaoyun?”

“You know, Aunt Xiaoyun from Third Uncle’s family. She used to play with me all the time when I was little.”

“Oh, her!” Zhang’s mother smiles. “Of course, I remember. When you were three or four, you loved following her around. It’s been two or three years since we last saw her after she got married.”

“Yes! Mom, I heard Aunt Xiaoyun just had a baby recently. Can I go see her?”

Zhang’s mother looks surprised but soon smiles with joy. “So she’s finally had a baby! That’s good news—her in-laws won’t trouble her anymore. Visiting her is a good idea, but it’s not proper for a boy like you to go. I’ll go instead. I’ll take an old hen and some eggs to give her as a gift.”

This year, they’ve earned decent money from tea-picking, and Zhang Quan has just brought home over two taels of silver. Zhang’s mother isn’t as frugal as she used to be.

“No!” Zhang Quan objects. “Mother, your legs aren’t in the best condition. It’s a long journey and too hard for you. Let me go instead!”

Zhang’s mother glares at him. “I’m not some frail old woman in my seventies. I’ve traveled much farther before. This is nothing!”

“But, Mother, there’s still tea to be picked on the mountain. If you go, you’ll lose several days of work. Aunt Zhou and Aunt Lin will earn more than you by the time you get back.”

Zhang’s mother pauses, considering. It doesn’t seem worth it—spending money on gifts and losing income at the same time.

“Fine, you can go,” Zhang’s mother relents, exasperated by his persistence. “But if you mess it up, don’t bother coming home!”

“Don’t worry, Mother. I’ll take care of everything!” Zhang Quan promises with a grin.