I Got Together with the Goddess [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 24

Jiang Yiqing had originally intended to teach the young heir of the Marquis of Huaiyi a lesson so that he wouldn’t dare pursue Si Xuansu anymore. She hadn’t expected that his family and the family of the Marquis of Ningyang would collaborate to plot a rebellion. This truly was a case of bringing ruin upon oneself.

However, both families flatly deny the allegations of treason. The Ministry of Justice investigated for several days without finding any concrete evidence.

Although they had Daoist Master Yuanyi as a witness, it remained difficult to make the charges stick without proof that they had intended to rebel. Furthermore, the Emperor seemed to favor the Marquis of Huaiyi’s family. Although their actions this time had “stroked the tiger’s whiskers” and incensed the Emperor, it was rumored that the Marquis had immediately resorted to a “self-injury ruse” in the imperial prison, going on a hunger strike for several days. It was only after the Emperor himself went to visit the Marquis of Huaiyi that he finally agreed to eat.

The Minister of the Ministry of Justice came to consult with Si Xuansu, stating that they were truly unable to find any more clues and requesting the General’s assistance.

Si Xuansu pointed out the key to the matter in a single sentence: “If the Marquis of Huaiyi and the Marquis of Ningyang have been planning this for a long time, they must have stockpiled a vast amount of weaponry and gold to prepare for the rebellion. Once we find the location where they have hidden their weapons, they will have no way to argue their way out of it.”

Jiang Yiqing thought to herself that the Goddess was indeed worthy of her title; her insight into matters was exceptionally piercing.

The Minister agreed, though he still wore a worried frown: “But the warehouse for hiding weapons is bound to be very secretive. It will be extremely difficult to find.”

“Naturally. However, Daoist Master Yuanyi might know something.”

The three went to visit Daoist Master Yuanyi. Because the Emperor had spoken, he hadn’t faced any further assassination attempts since then.

“Daoist Master Yuanyi, do you know where the Marquis of Huaiyi and the Marquis of Ningyang have hidden their weapon warehouse?” the Minister asked.

“I only know it is in the vicinity of Yuanqu Cave. I do not know the exact location,” Yuanyi replied.

Si Xuansu and Jiang Yiqing exchanged a glance. Yuanqu Cave was exactly as its name suggested—a place filled with numerous winding caverns. One would lose their sense of direction upon entering; moreover, the caves contained venomous creatures and underground rivers, making it incredibly dangerous. Almost no one dared to set foot there.

If weapons were hidden there, it would indeed be very difficult to detect.

“There is no time to lose. We shall go there now,” Si Xuansu said.

The Minister looked surprised: “General Si, you mean right now?”

“Precisely.”

“It would be safer to bring more troops,” the Minister said cautiously.

“Very well. You go and bring more men. To prevent them from moving the weapons, Yiqing and I will head there first.”

“General Si, please take care.”

Leaving the imperial prison, the two rode the Yunlin beast and headed straight for Yuanqu Cave.

The Yunlin traveled as fast as lightning and arrived at Yuanqu Cave in no time.

If she weren’t there to investigate a case, Jiang Yiqing would have thought this was a great place for tourism. Looking down from a high vantage point, numerous caves floated above the lake’s surface like a series of fortresses.

However, once they drew closer, she realized how dangerous it was. The undercurrents in the lake moved in unpredictable directions, and the caves were pitch black, hiding unknown threats.

One could imagine how difficult it would be to find a hidden weapon cache among so many caves; there was no way around it other than searching them one by one. Fortunately, the caves were connected by waterways, so as long as they didn’t get lost, the search would be relatively convenient.

The two boarded a small boat and approached a cave. The entrance was wide, so they rowed the boat inside.

The surroundings were very dim. Jiang Yiqing released her “Artificial Moon,” which illuminated the area.

As they ventured deeper into the cave, the path became narrower and the ceiling lower. The two moored the boat to one side and jumped into the water.

They swam forward together through the water. Si Xuansu said, “Yiqing, watch your surroundings. These waters look a bit dangerous.”

Jiang Yiqing nodded. The water here was exceptionally cold; as she swam, she felt her limbs growing numb. However, she didn’t make a sound and continued swimming forward.

After a while, the waterway diverged. Seeing a place where they could walk, the two returned to dry land.

Si Xuansu used her internal energy to dry Jiang Yiqing’s clothes, then dried her own and draped her outer robe over Jiang Yiqing’s shoulders.

“Aren’t you cold?” Jiang Yiqing asked.

“I have practiced martial arts since childhood; it’s no problem,” Si Xuansu was saying when a faint movement suddenly came from above.

Jiang Yiqing heard it too. She looked up and saw a thin, wriggling thing emerging from a crevice in the rocks. She let out a scream and instinctively tried to back away, but then, feeling that Si Xuansu’s side was the safest place, she tightly hugged her arm.

Si Xuansu held her close with one arm and said softly, “Don’t be afraid. It’s just a centipede.”

Jiang Yiqing hugged her arm, trembling.

Si Xuansu had never seen her look so frightened. She pulled her even closer and gently covered Jiang Yiqing’s eyes. Drawing her sword with one hand, she flicked the centipede to the ground with the tip of the blade, preparing to kill it.

“Wait, let it live!” Jiang Yiqing said. Although she was terrified, she felt that killing for no reason wasn’t right.

For Si Xuansu, since it had frightened Yiqing, it was better to dispose of it. However, since Yiqing said to let it live, she let it go.

Jiang Yiqing hurried away from that spot. As they continued forward, she suddenly thought she heard a voice speaking in her ear.

Jiang Yiqing suspected she was hearing things, but the voice grew weaker, pleading with her, “Don’t go…” Jiang Yiqing stopped in her tracks.

“What’s wrong?” Si Xuansu asked.

“It sounds like something is talking underwater.”

The reason she said “something” instead of “someone” was because the idea of a person being down there was even more terrifying.

The System confirmed her suspicion, saying: “There is a Water-Grass Spirit underwater.”

A spirit? This was the first time Jiang Yiqing had encountered a spirit. Although the Golden Immortal Dew Cicada and the Silver-Silk Spiritual Tusk possessed spirituality and Jiang Yiqing felt they could understand her, this was the first time she had met one that could speak.

“It seems it wasn’t my imagination,” Si Xuansu said.

So, she heard it too?

“It seems to be a Watergrass spirit,” Jiang Yiqing said, surprised herself as she relayed the information to Si Xuansu.

Si Xuansu raised an eyebrow and said, “Interesting. What does it want with us?”

Hearing their conversation, the Watergrass spirit said, “Wait, you two. Please help me with a small favor, okay?”

“What kind of favor?” Jiang Yiqing asked.

“The spiritual energy around here is depleted, which is affecting my cultivation. I hope you two can move me to a place with abundant spiritual energy. I think that cave about a kilometer away would be quite good.”

“So, you’re a Watergrass spirit that wants to move house,” Jiang Yiqing laughed.

“Yes. It wasn’t easy to find two people who could hear me. I hope you’ll be kind.”

“That’s easy to say,” Jiang Yiqing nodded, then asked, “But I wonder, have you seen any middle-aged men dressed in expensive clothing passing through here? Is there a place nearby where many weapons are stored?”

She asked casually, but to her surprise, the Watergrass spirit said, “I have seen such people, and I know where the weapons are. You want to go there, don’t you? I can lead you there, but you must help me in return.”

Jiang Yiqing looked at Si Xuansu. Seeing her nod, Jiang Yiqing said, “It’s a deal.”