“Brother Lan?” Long Xuan looked at the official from the northwest.
“Your Excellency,” the official explained, “‘Brother’ is how we address young people here.”
“Where is he now?” Long Xuan urgently asked the elderly clan leader.
The elderly clan leader said, “I don’t know if this Brother Lan is the person you’re looking for.”
Long Xuan asked, “What do you mean?”
“Brother Lan returned with his companion, Brother Fu,” the elderly clan leader explained. “He claimed to be a businessman and never mentioned serving in the military.”
Brother Fu? Hearing this name, Long Xuan was certain that this must be Luo Wei. Taking the surname Fu, he must have taken it from Fu Hua’s surname. Luo Wei! Long Xuan sighed in his heart, he must really miss Luo Zhiqiu’s family.
“Your Excellency?” Seeing Long Xuan lost in thought, the elderly clan leader asked, “Is this Brother Lan the person you’re looking for?”
“Exactly,” Long Xuan said. “Wei Lan has a companion named Brother Fu. May I ask, where are they now?”
“These two don’t live in Xuanzhou City,” the elderly clan leader said.
“Not in the city? Then where do they live?” Long Xuan asked anxiously, afraid to hear that the two had left Xuanzhou and disappeared.
“They live in the mountains outside the city,” the elderly clan leader replied.
Long Xuan stood up. As long as Luo Wei didn’t leave Xuanzhou, he had to find him.
“Are you going to find them, Your Excellency?” the elderly clan leader asked as he saw Long Xuan stand up.
“It’s been years since we last met. I miss them very much,” Long Xuan said. “I just want to lay eyes on them again.”
“That valley is not small,” the elderly clan leader said. “Going there at night, you might not find them.”
“Do you know where in the valley they live?” Long Xuan asked.
“I don’t know. Their house was found with the help of Old Wei and some others,” the elderly clan leader said. “You’ll have to ask those old men.”
“Hurry and fetch them,” Long Xuan immediately told the official from the northwest.
The official quickly went to the militia leader to leave.
The militia leader asked the elderly clan leader, “Which Old Wei are you referring to?” Almost all the old men in the city could be called Old Wei. How would he know which one?
“Let me go with you,” the elderly clan leader said without much thought.
“Thank you, Elder,” Long Xuan politely said to the elderly clan leader.
The official led the elderly clan leader and the militia leader away.
Fuyun then asked Long Xuan, “Your Majesty, would you like to have a meal? You haven’t eaten all day.”
“I’m not hungry,” Long Xuan replied. Thinking that he would see Luo Wei soon, how could Long Xuan still have the energy to eat?
Fuyun asked Long Xuan, “Your Majesty, are you going directly to see the Prince?”
Long Xuan said, “Why? Shouldn’t I go?”
Fuyun quickly responded, “Someone as noble as the Prince definitely shouldn’t stay in a place like this. It’s just, Your Majesty, that Wei Lan is with the Prince. If the Prince loses his temper again, this servant is afraid that something will happen again.”
Fuyun’s words reminded Long Xuan. Considering Wei Lan’s skills, if violence were to occur, none of the people he brought with him would be a match for Wei Lan. Furthermore, thinking of Luo Wei’s personality, he wasn’t someone who would sit and wait for death. If Long Xuan were to harm Wei Lan, Luo Wei would surely fight to the death. This realization shook Luo Xuan’s heart. He couldn’t push Luo Wei to the point of desperation.
“Your Majesty?” Fuyun stood by, waiting for Long Xuan’s decision.
Wei Lan and Luo Wei needed to be separated. With this in mind, Long Xuan waved for Fuyun to retreat and called for his four imperial guards to approach. “Each of you guard a gate. Seal off the city gates of Xuanzhou. No one is allowed to go out.”
The four imperial guards quickly followed orders.
“And you two,” Long Xuan said to the two local officials from the northwest. “After those old men arrive, take your soldiers and bring all their family members here.”
“We obey the order,” the two officials replied.
Once the two officials left, Long Xuan turned to Fuyun. “Arrange for guards to secure the compound. No one is to leave. If those local militia cause trouble, kill them.”
“I will comply,” Fuyun said hastily.
Long Xuan stood up and walked towards the back hall, waiting for the arrival of the old men.
The old men arrived fairly quickly. In no time, they were conversing at the door.
“Welcome, elders,” Fuyun greeted them at the door with a smile, bowing respectfully.
Fuyun’s sharp voice made the old men pause, looking him up and down, trying to discern his background.
The elderly clan leader glared at his companions. “What are you looking at? Have you no shame?”
Old Wei immediately retorted, “Can’t we even look around? You’re dictating who we talk to now? Are you going to dictate where we look too?”
Seeing that the old men were gearing up for an argument, Fuyun quickly interjected with a laugh. “This humble one is just a slave, and he doesn’t care. Please, gentlemen, follow me inside. My master is waiting for you.”
In the inner hall, Long Xuan sat with his chin propped up, gazing out the window, lost in thought.
The old men stood before Long Xuan, curiously sizing him up. Having seen many people in their lifetime, aside from Lan and Fu, this brother also had a handsome appearance, not as refined as Fu, but on par with Lan.
“Please, have a seat,” Long Xuan turned his head and glanced at the old men, gesturing towards the vacant chairs. “Make yourselves comfortable.”
The old men exchanged glances. Not knowing Long Xuan’s identity and seeing the attendants pulling out chairs for them, they sat down confidently.
“Do you know where Wei Lan and the others live?” Long Xuan asked after the old men settled down.
Old Man Wei replied, “Your Excellency, we do know, but the mountain roads are treacherous. It might be better to wait until tomorrow morning to visit them.”
“I’d prefer to see Wei Lan in the city,” Long Xuan said.
“I’m afraid that’s not possible,” Old Wei hurriedly replied. “It’s late now, and Lan wouldn’t leave Fu alone at home. Even if you sent someone to fetch him, he could only come to the city tomorrow.”
“Are there wild animals in the valley?” Long Xuan inquired.
“There are wild animals, but none that would harm people,” another old man spoke up.
Long Xuan then said, “Then what’s wrong with leaving Fu alone for one night?”
“Brother Fu has always been in poor health,” Old Man Wei explained. “Lan worries about him even during the day, let alone leaving him alone at night.”
“Fu’s health isn’t good?” Long Xuan asked.
“It wasn’t great some time ago, but it’s improved lately,” another old man said. “Brother Fu has always been weak and is prone to illness.”
Hearing that Luo Wei’s health had improved, Long Xuan looked at the clan leader and said, “Elder, I apologize, I just lied to you.”
“What?” The clan leader was taken aback.
“I’m not here to find someone. I’m actually here to arrest someone,” Long Xuan said slowly to the elderly men.
Boundless Dao 
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