Chapter 413 - 208: Terrifying Clue! The Beautiful Woman Goes Alone! (Please Subscribe!)_3
Thus, this middle-aged man devoted all his energy to his daughter, buying her the best things, and finding her the best school. Everything went smoothly, and it was considered a very harmonious family. However, suddenly one day, the middle-aged man remembered that it was a very nice day, but after his child went to school, she never returned.
At first, he could remain somewhat calm. When he later went to the school to find someone, the teacher said his daughter had already gone home an hour ago. The middle-aged man instantly began to panic and started asking along the way. Indeed, many people in the roadside inns had seen his daughter.
It further proved that his daughter left the school on time that day. She disappeared from the sight of passersby after passing through a small alley.
The man immediately chose to report to the authorities and then started searching for his daughter in Canglan City, but he simply could not find her. Fortunately, he had once been a cultivator and even a sect leader. A camel that is starving still outweighs a dog; the sect leader still had some gadgets, and his daughter had a bracelet on her wrist.
This bracelet looked quite ordinary, just a simple ornament, but it was actually a magical treasure.
When talking about this, the man went straight back into the house and took out something that looked like a compass. According to his introduction, as long as you infused spiritual qi into the compass, you could slowly search for the location of the bracelet.
He did exactly that, although he didn’t have any spiritual qi himself. He could still ask other cultivators to infuse some spiritual qi into it. Thus, he followed the compass to start his investigation. After using up his last connections, he finally reached the foot of a deep mountain. When he saw the deep mountain, his sparse connections could no longer be maintained.
Without others’ help, there was nothing he could do.
He was just an ordinary person now. In the past, so-called friends among cultivators, now none could be contacted. No one would help him, and even more, no one would be willing to wade into troubled waters at this time. Powerless, facing the stretch of vast mountains before him, he could only choose to go to the Imperial Decree Department for assistance again.
That’s when he encountered Ling Huzhong. After explaining the situation to Ling Huzhong, Ling Huzhong, upon learning the name of that mountain range, confidently promised he could find the missing girl.
As a result, after Ling Huzhong took away a compass, there was no news at all... It seemed like it had been a few months.
So, there was no other way. Believing it’s better to rely on oneself than others, this man sold everything at home and purchased another compass. The compass itself wasn’t rare, but it wasn’t a treasure from the Third State; it was a treasure imported from other states, making it extremely expensive. Before Yuchi arrived, the man had already decided to personally head to the great mountain, even knowing it was a journey of no return, but he would rather die on the road.
Because... no one would help.
When these words came out of the man’s mouth, his face was full of that simple-minded smile, and his eyes held a bit of apology.
What he said wasn’t a lie. Every year, so many people went missing in Canglan City, could the Imperial Decree Department truly investigate every single person with peace of mind? That’s simply impossible; this kind of thing is typically thankless, and after finding one person, there would be more missing later.
Of course, human life can be measured with gold and silver. Although these words might be criticized when spoken, that’s exactly what the man said. How could he be so sure? Because he used to do this. A disciple, depending on their cultivation level, could produce a certain amount of gold and silver in their lifetime, which could be calculated.
In Canglan City, it was the same. The Imperial Decree Department calculated the amount of gold and silver his daughter could earn in her lifetime, then calculated the manpower and resources needed to find her. Upon discovering the input far exceeded the return, why continue searching?
They stopped searching.
Canglan City... doesn’t lack people. Missing persons cases are, after all, few in number. Compared to missing persons cases, it is more beneficial to allocate limited resources to essential needs for the city. The interests of a few can never outweigh the interests of the many. This is a matter of fact; if the entire city were to mobilize to search for his missing daughter, would the other matters of Canglan City be managed? Would Canglan City help others?
That is simply the logic.
"How much gold and silver did you spend on this compass?" Yuchi asked this question at the time.
"Five thousand liangs," the man answered.
Indeed very expensive. Yuchi nodded:
"Let me give you five thousand liangs. You temporarily lend me the compass. If I investigate clearly, I will return the compass to you, and you return the gold and silver to me. If the investigation is unclear and the compass is lost, you don’t have to return this gold and silver to me. Your life is still long, and you should keep the gold and silver for you and your wife’s livelihood."
The man was immensely grateful.
At this point, Song Yinghan became stubborn. She helped Yuchi pay and said that the issue initially stemmed from the Celestial Capital Department’s mistake, and it was their observatory that tricked others out of their compass. At this moment, it should be their observatory that compensates.
Eventually, she would report this matter directly to the observatory to warn future generations, which is crucial.