Then I had to make a trip myself.
After all, it had been over a thousand years since the Jiangdu Palace incident. Worried that Sima Dekan's memory might be fuzzy, I specifically found a bookstore and bought a tourist map of Yang Province, as well as a historical atlas of Yang Province. These historical atlases are generally available in bookstores in every cultural city, making it easier for visitors to understand the city's history.
With the map, Bingbing accompanied me in a taxi to a Chenghuang Temple on the northwestern outskirts of Yang Province. I showed my credentials and entered. I asked the Meng Po of the Naihe Bridge there, and learned that the corresponding or closest place in this realm was a place called "Diaoyucheng," which had nothing to do with the Diaoyucheng in the mortal world. It was said to be named Diaoyucheng because an ancient Yin Emperor once fished there.
It was three thousand li from Diaoyucheng to Erqicheng. Even if Bingbing and I used the Gale Art, it would take over an hour, assuming everything went smoothly. Due to her physical condition, Bingbing had just returned from the underworld yesterday and had not fully recovered. I left her waiting at the Naihe Bridge and entered the underworld alone. I sped in the direction indicated by Meng Po.
I didn't even dare to rest at noon, and ran all the way to Erqicheng. I didn't need to calculate the time; the Gale Art's speed was fixed, which was subsonic, over three hundred meters per second, so it definitely took more than an hour.
As I crossed the ring mountain, I activated my Qi Sensing Technique and discovered a royal army of about ten thousand strong marching out of the mountain, possibly on an expedition. The commanding general was the King of Xiliang, Li Yuanhao. I stopped and asked him if Sima Dekan was in the city. If not, I would have made the trip in vain. Li Yuanhao said he was, and he had seen Assistant Minister Sima just before leaving the city.
I immediately entered the city and first went to the palace to pay my respects to King Yama. I explained my purpose. King Yama summoned Sima Dekan. I told him about the matter in Yang Province. Sima Dekan was slightly surprised, "Yuwen Chengdu? That guy is still alive?"
"He should be dead, and has become a spirit in the underworld, but he is definitely very powerful, so the Mountain and Sea race on our side still wants to summon his soul and bring him back to life."
Sima Dekan nodded, "That demon Yuwen Chengdu was indeed incredibly fierce. If not for Li Yuanba back then, no one could have subdued him."
I unfolded the map and asked him for advice on the former site of Jiangdu Palace. Although Sima Dekan's memory was a bit hazy, and the ancient maps were not very precise regarding the Sui and Tang dynasties, Sima Dekan was once the commander of the ten thousand Xuguo Army. The Xuguo Army were Emperor Yang of Sui's personal guards, equivalent to the Imperial Guard. Sima Dekan frequently entered Jiangdu Palace to meet Emperor Yang of Sui, and thus was quite familiar with Jiangdu Palace.
Finally, Sima Dekan gave up on the historical atlas and directly consulted the modern map. Using unchanged landmarks such as forests and rivers, he deduced the former site of Jiangdu Palace. It was a large area, corresponding to Yang Province University, occupying about a quarter of the university's area.
The location where Emperor Yang of Sui was assassinated was in a lone dormitory building on campus, Building 26.
Sima Dekan could not pinpoint it to the meter, but it was within a range of a hundred meters.
"It's already very precise, thank you, Lord Sima!" I gave him the map, as its purpose was served once the location was confirmed. I immediately called Bingbing and told her to have Yaoyao and the others wait for me at Yang Province University. At the same time, I notified Bai Qingcheng that the Miao King was scheduled to summon the soul at ten o'clock tonight. It shouldn't be night yet. Since the Miao King intended to summon the soul, he would likely perform a ritual and set up an altar. Therefore, they must already be taking action.
After bidding farewell to Sima Dekan and King Yama, I bought a few more trinkets at the market on my way back, which I could sell for money later.
Retracing my steps, when I encountered Li Yuanhao again, they hadn't gone very far. I asked him where they were going. Li Yuanhao said he was leading his troops to reinforce Ercheng, which had also been attacked by rebels. I saw he had twenty cannons and their corresponding artillery crew behind him, and worried they might not use them effectively. Li Yuanhao said it was fine, Lord Dai Lu was already on his way to Ercheng, and the artillery would be handed over to her command upon arrival.
That's good. Little classmate Dai finally had an opportunity to achieve something, and promotion and a raise were likely not far off.