Zhong Huai'en soaked in the tub for three days, battling against Lü Huazi's affliction for three whole days.
In the end, he lost the fight and died in the tub.
Looking at Zhong Huai'en, Old Xu sighed repeatedly. "What a waste...
"What a waste of such a good tub, and what a waste of this whole tub of fine night soil."
Old Xu had never held a favorable opinion of Peak of the Sages disciples, but respecting the dead came first. He couldn't bear to let Zhong Huai'en remain dead in a strange land.
He grew two eggplant men, crafted a stretcher, and had them carry Zhong Huai'en back to the Peak of the Sages.
When it came to growing eggplant men, Old Xu differed slightly from Zhang Wanlong.
In terms of refined appearance, Old Xu truly could not compare to Zhang Wanlong. The eggplant men he grew all shared identical features: thick eyebrows, large eyes, broad noses, and square lips, with dark, weathered skin that instantly gave them away as rugged men beaten by wind and frost.
Yet when it came to combat strength, these two eggplant men were extraordinary. Carrying Zhong Huai'en's corpse, they took the newland, braving mountains and rivers all the way, and truly managed to deliver Zhong Huai'en back to Jianrengang.
Inside the grand manor, the Sage was in the midst of cultivating. At a critical juncture, a dense, pungent stench drifted into his bedroom. The Sage instantly lost control of his circulation, and along with it, all desire to continue cultivating.
Driving the woman out from his bed curtains, the Sage emerged outside the manor's main gate and saw Zhong Huai'en's corpse.
A crowd of people knelt before the entrance, waiting to be accepted as the Sage's disciples. The sudden appearance of Zhong Huai'en left them deeply conflicted.
They had been kneeling for many days. Should they get up now or stay down?
This could very well be a test from the Sage. If they stood up now, all their prior efforts would go down the drain.
Yet if they stayed down, the stench was genuinely more than they could endure.
Several disciples of the Sage caught wind of the smell from other courtyards and hurried over to look. Seeing Zhong Huai'en gleaming with golden light, the fellow disciples covered their mouths, tears streaming down their faces.
They covered their mouths not because they were afraid of crying out loud, but so they could cover their noses at the same time.
Their tears were entirely genuine—this foul stench burned their eyes to no end.
The Sage turned his gaze toward the two eggplant men. They still held the stretcher, making it obvious that they were the ones who had delivered Zhong Huai'en back.
Having delivered the body, their respects had to be delivered as well. The two little figures looked at the Sage and sang a folk ditty to send Zhong Huai'en off:
"Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!
"You dumb fool, hey! You dumb fool, hey! You, you, you, you, you dumb fool, hey!"
The ditty was sung in a thick regional accent, their voices ringing loud and clear in perfect harmony.
After they sang it twice from start to finish, the veins on the Sage's forehead bulged.
The disciples trembled in terror. They knew all too well the consequences of provoking the Sage's wrath; these two men of unknown origin were unquestionably doomed.
The Sage's brow twitched, and one of the eggplant men blew apart on the spot!
The night soil inside the eggplant man's body erupted in a torrent, splashing the Sage from head to toe!
The consequences were indeed severe—the Sage was soaked through.
The disciples were not spared either, each splattered with golden stains of varying intensity.
One of the disciples, named Gong Ziming, commanded considerable prestige among his peers. He first took a silk handkerchief to wipe his own face, then produced a clean one, stepping forward to wipe his master down.
The Sage raised a hand. Gong Ziming dared not advance any further, and the others kept utterly silent.
Yet the remaining eggplant man paid him no heed. Shaking his head, he continued looking at the Sage, singing the ditty in his regional drawl: "You dumb fool! You dumb fool..."
The disciples and the supplicants looking to join the sect all watched from the side.
A surge of oppressive aura washed over the area. The irrelevant bystanders scattered in haste, leaving only a few trusted disciples who followed the Sage into the manor.
Standing in the center of the courtyard, the Sage spoke in a low, raspy voice. "Xu Han's blatant provocation must have an underlying motive. Who is willing to make a trip to Yaowanggou and see what that old thief is up to?"
The disciples lowered their heads in silence. The Sage turned his gaze to Gong Ziming. "This is your specialty. I assign this task to you."
Gong Ziming had no idea how to decline.
Gathering intelligence was not particularly difficult for him; he had scouted for information in the Inner States before.
However, spying on Xu Han and expecting to return in one piece was an entirely different matter.
Could he deflect the Sage's attention away from Xu Han?
Gong Ziming bowed respectfully. "Master, this disciple heard that Junior Brother was wounded by Lüshui Beggar."
This was a legitimate concern. Zhong Huai'en had died at Lüshui Beggar's hands, so any investigation ought to focus on Lüshui Beggar. Gong Ziming would far rather keep tabs on Lüshui Beggar than court trouble with Xu Han.
The Sage took this into account as well. He assigned another disciple, Xing Zhongquan, to head to Lüshui City. "Once you reach Lüshui City, find your Senior Brother Bai Jin first and ensure everything Chu Shaoqiang arranged is handled properly.
"Regarding Lüshui Beggar, follow Chu Shaoqiang's instructions. Temporarily sever communication with the Outer States so Chu Shaoqiang doesn't grow suspicious, and above all, avoid causing misunderstandings with the Inner States.
"As for Yaowanggou, Ziming will still go. We must keep close watch over Xu Han to prevent him from making any moves there..."
While the Sage was still laying out assignments, the eggplant man's singing outside the gates showed no signs of stopping: "You dumb fool..."
The Sage glanced at Gong Ziming. "Go dispose of him."
Looking at the eggplant man outside, Gong Ziming had no idea how to even begin.
***
At the Garrison Office, Liao Zihui was listening to an investigation briefing from Deputy Chief Commissioner Tang Huanjie. The corpses of the four men previously sent to Xiaoyaowu had been recovered.
Autopsies alone revealed only that all four had suffered broken limbs and died of massive blood loss, but who was responsible and what methods had been used remained unverifiable for now.
Tang Huanjie said, "I suspect this was Chu Shaoqiang's doing, but we don't have substantive evidence yet."
"Evidence isn't important." Liao Zihui set down the report. "What concerns me now is Chu Shaoqiang's motive."
"Do you think he's targeting us?"
Liao Zihui pondered for a long while before speaking. "On the surface, probably not. Chu Shaoqiang belongs to the Inner States, and the Inner States shouldn't want an open rupture with us just yet.
"However, the personal grievance between Chu Shaoqiang and us runs deep. It's hard to say what he might do on his own initiative."
Tang Huanjie also found the situation thorny. "If the Inner States don't want an open feud, we can't start hostilities with them either. At the very least, we cannot act directly against Chu Shaoqiang."
Liao Zihui reviewed the sequence of events. "Those four men lost contact with us at Xiaoyaowu. This matter is inextricably tied to Li the Seventh."
"Do you suspect a connection between Li the Seventh and Chu Shaoqiang?"
"I suspect Chu Shaoqiang was at Xiaoyaowu at the time, and I suspect they were accomplices all along!
"Li the Seventh isn't officially affiliated with the Inner States. Striking at him won't be seen as turning against the Inner States, and I've been wanting to teach that man a lesson anyway."
Tang Huanjie remarked, "Yet Li the Seventh won't be easy to handle either."
"We will need to muster more men. Li the Seventh has cost us considerable losses in freight revenue; based on that alone, the higher-ups will back our operation.
"Once we deal with Li the Seventh, Chu Shaoqiang will naturally rein himself in. When that time comes, we can mobilize a Balancer to smooth things over with Chu Shaoqiang through the Peak of the Sages, and the entire affair will quickly blow over.
"Work hard today and draft an operational plan. We'll hold a meeting tomorrow to finalize the action."
***
The following morning, while Liao Zihui was holding a meeting with several Deputy Chief Commissioners, his secretary, Ling Sujun, entered the room and reported an urgent development. "There is trouble at Santoucha's Sinner City. Over three thousand people have fled beyond the city limits."
Liao Zihui frowned. "Is it still because of the dark matter flow?"
Ling Sujun nodded.
Deputy Chief Commissioner Du Liyong said, "A couple of days ago, I sent people to check on Sinner City. The situation there is indeed dire. Many people are dying every day."
Liao Zihui was well aware of the conditions in Sinner City, but that was not his primary concern. His focus was on the runaways. "How did more than three thousand people escape? There is a Boundary outside Sinner City."
Ling Sujun presented a report. "According to current intelligence, they appear to have fled through the newland."
Liao Zihui's heart settled back into place. "Leave them to fend for themselves. Sinner City's newland has no exit."
The group resumed discussing their operation against Li the Seventh. By afternoon, just as the operational plan had been settled, Ling Sujun walked into Liao Zihui's office.
"Commissioner Liao, escapees from Sinner City have appeared near Haichiling."
Liao Zihui was startled. "Impossible! How could they have reached Haichiling? Sinner City's newland doesn't connect to Haichiling!"
Ling Sujun shook her head. "The reason is unknown."
Liao Zihui could no longer sit still. This was bound to cause serious trouble. "Assign core personnel to Haichiling and do everything possible to persuade the escapees to return."
"And what about Li the Seventh...?"
"Suspend the operation. Resolve the Sinner City situation first."
***
At Haichiling, near the edge of Sandaoling, a person stood near the boundary of the newland, anxiously awaiting news.
It was hard to tell whether this person was male or female. Over two meters tall with extraordinarily broad shoulders, the figure bore three heads upon those shoulders: the middle head was a woman, the left a man, and the right a child.
The biting wind blew bitterly cold. The figure shuddered, and the child on the right said meekly, "Sister, I'm hungry."
The woman said, "Bear with it a little longer. Once we reach Haichiling, there will be plenty of good food."
The man on the left said, "With the little bit of money we have on us, what could we possibly afford to eat?"
"Just for ourselves, it should be enough." The woman turned around, glancing at the forest behind them.
Many more people were waiting in the woods, also hoping for food.
The man sighed. He—or perhaps one should say they—simply waited in silence amid the snow.
After waiting for over an hour more, Pan Dehai's figure slowly materialized before them. "Everyone, you have suffered and labored. I brought along a bit of food for you all—just a small gesture of goodwill, so please don't take offense."
Over a dozen hemp sacks of grain appeared on the ground, amounting to roughly two thousand-odd jin.
The child grew excited at the sight of the grain. The woman looked up at Pan Dehai. "Master Pan, can we enter Haichiling now?"
Pan Dehai shook his head. "I'm afraid that won't do right now."
The man asked, "Then when will it be possible?"
Pan Dehai fell silent for a moment before speaking. "I am a man of virtue, and I don't wish to keep things from you. Entering Haichiling will never be possible, not now or ever. Once you finish this meal, find yourselves another way out."
The woman was dumbfounded. "Master Pan, you promised us before..."
Pan Dehai sighed. "I agreed before because I was afraid you would lose all hope in your desperation. Being a virtuous man, I truly couldn't bear to see that happen."
Translated into plain terms, those words meant: had he told them the truth earlier, he feared they would have acted rashly out of sheer desperation.
The woman looked entirely lost. "Master Pan, why must this be?"
"Because Haichiling has only just enjoyed a few days of peace, and we have no wish to stir up friction with the Outer States. Take my advice, everyone: go back to wherever you came from. No one in Puluo Province dares take you in."
The man ground his teeth. "Old Pan, going back on your word is your wrongdoing! We've waited here for two full days, starving to the point of collapse. If you don't give us a proper explanation, we are resolutely not leaving today!"
Pan Dehai smiled faintly. "You know yourself that you've been starving for two days. To be completely honest, if you refuse to leave on your own, I can certainly find a way to see you off."
Chapter 416