Because of this, Liu Yunan temporarily put aside his less urgent sect matters to accompany Lin Xiao. Currently, besides Lin Xiao, the Lingxian Sect only had four Foundation Establishment cultivators, along with Senior Liao's spirit form.
Jiang Youfu needed to cook for the Lingxian Dining Hall, which couldn't afford to suddenly stop operations. Sun Yigao had to teach, so it wouldn't be ideal for his students to miss classes. Liu Chun was responsible for crafting talismans and preparing for transactions at the Duobao Pavilion. As for Senior Liao, his spirit form made it inconvenient for him to appear in front of mortals since it might scare them.
Thus, Liu Yunan was the most flexible in terms of time and was able to join Lin Xiao.
When the three of them arrived at Liaoju Prefecture, Prefect Tong hastily introduced Lin Xiao, Liu Yunan, and Han Weishu to one another before they set off urgently for the location where the abductees were last seen boarding the spirit ship.
Since Liu Yunan had to bring Han Weishu along, their speed was a bit slower. Nevertheless, Liu Yunan remained courteous, summoning his peachwood sword and flying alongside Han Weishu. Although Han Weishu was disguised well, it wasn't difficult for a cultivator like Liu Yunan, whose cultivation was much higher, to discern her true gender.
Meanwhile, Prefect Tong, who was still being carried by Lin Xiao, glanced enviously at Han Weishu, who was riding comfortably on Liu Yunan's sword.
As they flew high and fast, the common folk of the prefecture barely noticed their presence. Occasionally, when they passed over rural fields, a farmer would glance up while wiping sweat from their brow, catching a fleeting glimpse of shadows passing overhead.
During this period, the villagers' favorite topic became stories like "I saw immortals flying over our village" or "Immortals passed right above me."
Since Han Weishu was the only one who knew the way, the four of them traveled together. Lin Xiao carried Prefect Tong in a leisurely manner, while Han Weishu, sitting behind Liu Yunan, kept her focus on Qiuqiu's reports about the situation. However, to prevent Qiuqiu from being discovered after spending too much time in the mine, she had ordered Qiuqiu to leave the mine temporarily, only checking in periodically.
As time passed, Han Weishu started feeling a bit bored. She suddenly recalled the attire of those people in the mine and shared the details of their sect's uniforms with Lin Xiao and Prefect Tong.
Lin Xiao, hearing this, immediately used a communication talisman to relay the information to Mo Yuanjiao. Meanwhile, Prefect Tong, hearing the new lead, could only nod absentmindedly and continue watching the rapidly passing scenery below.
Seeing this, Han Weishu felt a slight pang of guilt. She thought for a moment and recalled the earlier conversation with Prefect Tong regarding the difficulty of proving a case due to the victims being undocumented mountain villagers. She asked, "Prefect Tong, my friend who was taken is not an undocumented person—he has official residency papers. Could that serve as evidence?"
Prefect Tong sighed and shook his head. "An individual's registered status isn't sufficient evidence in itself. The situation depends on the context. If this was an isolated action by a sect or rogue cultivators within Huanyou, and the court claims ignorance and condemns the actions, then it's easier to handle. However, if… well—"
Prefect Tong trailed off, deeply troubled by the complexities of the situation. He let out a long sigh, unwilling to continue discussing it further.
Even though he didn't elaborate, Lin Xiao and the others understood his meaning. If this matter was sanctioned by Huanyou, or if it was a joint effort between their sects and court, then any evidence they presented might be disregarded, and Huanyou would likely deny any wrongdoing.
If Huanyou insisted that Han Weishu's friend had trespassed into their country, they'd have no recourse. The only solid proof would be if all the abducted villagers had official citizenship records.
When Prefect Tong mentioned the court, Lin Xiao suddenly recalled that their village still housed a royal ancestor from the imperial family. How could they not inform such a key figure?
Still holding Prefect Tong with ease, Lin Xiao took out another communication talisman. He calculated the time and figured that Sun Yigao was likely taking his afternoon break.
Back at Shuisui Village, Sun Yigao, who was indeed resting at the private school, received Lin Xiao's transmission.
"Yigao, if you have a moment, please find the Li family's elder staying in our village and explain the situation to him. Ask if he'd like to join us."
Since Lin Xiao and Liu Yunan had informed everyone in the sect before their departure, Sun Yigao was already aware of the situation. After receiving Lin Xiao's message, he went to find Li Zhanying and slightly adjusted Lin Xiao's message before asking whether the royal elder would like to join them.
As this matter pertained to the dignity of the Pusi Kingdom, Li Zhanying naturally agreed without hesitation. After asking for the general location, he swiftly set off. Meanwhile, Wang Goudan and Niu Xiaoxue remained in Shuisui Village, fully focused on their cultivation.
Back in the sky, Lin Xiao soon received confirmation from Sun Yigao. Not long after, a response from Mo Yuanjiao also arrived.
Mo Yuanjiao had immediately gone to see his cousin, Emperor Li Zhouxuan, upon receiving Lin Xiao's message. Interestingly, Mo Yuanjiao used a communication talisman to record their conversation, which Lin Xiao could now hear.
The conversation started with the sound of pottery shattering, indicating that something had been smashed in the palace. Then, Li Zhouxuan's angry voice followed, "Outrageous! Does Huanyou think nothing of our kingdom? How dare they infiltrate our land and abduct our people!"
It was clear that Mo Yuanjiao had already informed the emperor of the situation, though it wasn't clear how he had explained it.
"Exactly, Emperor Cousin! This is a direct slap to Pusi's face! How can we tolerate this? Absolutely unacceptable!" Mo Yuanjiao added, fanning the flames of anger.
After being riled up, Li Zhouxuan's tone became slightly more composed. "Although these mountain villagers are undocumented, they have lived on our land for generations—they are still our citizens! Huanyou has truly overstepped!"
"Send out orders immediately—mobilize the southeastern army for drills along the border. Make sure they exert pressure. If necessary, some friction is acceptable."
From the moment Li Zhouxuan heard about this incident, he knew that it was likely a coordinated effort between Huanyou's sects and their court. After all, as a long-time neighbor, he knew Huanyou's methods well.
Unlike the balance of power between Pusi's royal family and its three major sects, Huanyou's court held more power than its sects. While Huanyou's sects weren't as strong as Pusi's, they made up for it in sheer numbers.