Then it went dead silent.
Dong Rui understood, pulling a pouch of dried meat from his robe and handing it over.
These were small, semi-dried chunks of meat—the perfect bite-sized snack for a raptor.
With a single glance, He Lingchuan recognized them as rations meant for bat demon puppets.
The eagle owl could not resist snatching a piece in its beak to sample the flavor.
*Mm, unsalted, chewy, nicely springy. Not bad, not bad at all.*
Thoroughly satisfied, it chirped at once, "The slip looking to buy Bright Lantern Grass hung on the board for far too long and got blown away by the wind. But I remember it said the buyer was staying at the Beard Inn!"
He Lingchuan was not particularly concerned with where the buyer was staying; what drew his attention was the mere fact that someone had sought to buy Bright Lantern Grass here.
This meant the buyer knew Bright Lantern Grass could be found in the area.
Aside from the Xiaoyao Sect, who else could supply Bright Lantern Grass?
"You wouldn't happen to have seen what the buyer looked like, would you?"
"Face was covered. Couldn't see a thing," the eagle owl said lazily. "Truth be told, even if they hadn't covered their face, I couldn't tell you. It's an industry rule."
Dong Rui refused to give up. "Not even height, build, or whether they were fat or thin?"
The eagle owl turned its head away, ignoring him.
If it broke the rules, how could it earn its rations in the future? Other monsters had to hunt outside for scraps, but as long as it perched here, meals were delivered right to its beak every day.
"What about the one seeking Duyun stone?"
"Over there, still on the board." The eagle owl pointed down with a wing. "No one's taken it down."
The three looked closely. Sure enough, pasted on the upper-left corner of the bulletin board was a slip of paper that read:
*Purchasing five Duyun stones. Sit in the main hall of Liukezhuang, two cups placed upside down.*
The first sentence stated the purchasing need.
The second and third sentences were the signal for the meeting.
The buyer instructed any seller of Duyun stone to sit in the main hall of Liukezhuang and place two cups upside down on the table, after which someone would come forward to make contact.
"No one has torn the slip down." Dong Rui looked at He Lingchuan. "Want to try our luck at Liukezhuang?"
He Lingchuan answered bluntly, "No need. Going there would just be a wasted trip."
"Huh? How do you know?"
"Do you think Jin Bai and his men haven't tried already?" He Lingchuan turned back to the eagle owl. "Besides us, has anyone else asked about these two notices recently?"
"Sure have. Half a month ago, a few big burly fellows came asking, and they even gifted me a pack of raw beef."
The moment He Lingchuan heard that, he knew the bird was referring to the Shadow Tooth Guard. Given Jin Bai and his men's stature, they stood out like cranes among a flock of chickens around here.
Jin Bai had already inquired about this lead, so he would definitely have tried his luck at Liukezhuang.
Yet he had not mentioned a word about it during their earlier conversation, which meant his luck had been foul.
"It wasn't bad luck; rather..." He Lingchuan stared at the paper slip, his eyes glinting slightly. "In my view, this slip was placed as bait."
"Bait? To catch whom?" the soul-snatching mirror could not help chiming in from inside his robe. "Who would pay any mind to these two slips unless they possessed Bright Lantern Grass or intel on Duyun stone?"
"Most people wouldn't care and wouldn't go to Liukezhuang looking for the buyer, so their trick wouldn't be exposed."
Dong Rui said in surprise, "You mean they never intended to buy anything at all, but only wanted to send an outward message?"
"Didn't Jin Bai take the bait? Once he saw someone here was looking to buy Duyun stone, he only had to consult the Sect Leader of Xiaoyao Sect to deduce that the thief's goal was to forge a Heart Lamp."
Seeing others coming over to check the noticeboard, He Lingchuan and his companions turned and departed the ghost market.
Walking along the dirt road, Dong Rui suddenly understood. "And then, the moment Jin Bai heard the King of Bo's second son was recovering from his madness, he would conclude that the Bright Lantern Cup was stolen by Bo Kingdom."
"It's merely a deduction," He Lingchuan said modestly. "Just a deduction. After all, who can say for certain that the person seeking Duyun stone wasn't the royal house of Bo Kingdom?"
As the two conversed, A-Hao listened from the side with his mouth hanging wide open.
Madness? Theft? And the royal house of Bo Kingdom!
Good heavens, what on earth was he hearing? Just who were these two people?
He had truly stepped out under an unlucky star today!
He Lingchuan turned toward him with a faint smile. "It just so happens I have something to ask you."
In A-Hao's eyes, that smile looked like the arrival of the Grim Reaper. He could not stop shivering. "Y-You... I don't know anything, sir! Please don't kill me!"
"Answer properly, and not only will you keep your life, you'll earn money too." With that, He Lingchuan produced a large silver ingot in his palm.
It was a hefty ingot of silver, reflecting the moonlight and dazzling A-Hao's eyes.
His mind calculated instantly: this could buy two full months of meat, over a dozen new sets of clothes, and a few comfortable nights being pampered at Xiangxue Parlor on the east side of the street.
Or he could keep it as capital to trade more chewing tobacco.
This sweet vision of the future worked wonders to soothe A-Hao's nerves, gradually calming him down. "W-What do you want to know, sir?"
"We've just arrived in Bo Kingdom and don't know much about this place. As a local, why don't you fill us in?"
From then on, He Lingchuan asked questions and A-Hao answered.
Before departing, He Lingchuan had gathered information on the Shanjin Plain. However, time had been tight, and the plain was packed with petty states where the banners over city walls changed every few days. Consequently, intelligence was either incomplete or out of date. It was much like how Yuan Kingdom lay right beside Beijia, yet most people in Beijia neither knew nor cared how many prefectures Yuan Kingdom had, what resources it produced, or who sat on its throne.
Even Fang Canran could not recite the names of all the small states across the Shanjin Plain.
As for Bo Kingdom, the scene of the incident, He Lingchuan had only scratched the surface. To understand the specifics, he had to ask a local.
A-Hao was not yet twenty-five years old, but he was older than Bo Kingdom itself, for this realm had been founded a mere thirteen years ago.
Bo Kingdom was roughly the size of Fu Kingdom—another tiny state. Though it was nestled against mountains and faced the sea, blessed with a natural deepwater port and far superior inherent resources compared to Fu Kingdom, its history had been turbulent.
Within eighty years, seven dynasties had risen and fallen here.
The shortest reign belonged to the previous sovereign, who sat on the throne for a mere thirty-five days before being deposed in a usurpation by the current king. Confined to house arrest, he vanished without a sound after six months, supposedly dying of grief and depression.
The current King of Bo was originally a prominent minister of the previous dynasty. He had been around fifty years old when he seized power, and was now over sixty.
Since taking the throne, he had fought three foreign wars and put down two domestic rebellions. Having risen through usurpation himself, it was only natural that others sought to follow his example.
The rebel leaders were all former military commanders who possessed their own troops and fiefs, making them formidable foes.
In the brief thirteen years since Bo Kingdom was established, seven had been consumed by major military campaigns, keeping the domestic situation perpetually unstable. To make matters worse, the kingdom had borrowed heavily to fund these wars, remaining deep in debt to its creditors to this day and barely able to pay even the interest in recent years.
Since the debts could not be ignored, heavy taxes were levied on the populace, leading to abandoned fields and an exodus of merchants and commoners.
Ordinary folk like A-Hao had fled their inland homes simply because they could no longer survive there, drifting to the port in hopes of finding a bite to eat.
He Lingchuan then asked about the royal house of Bo Kingdom.
Once A-Hao finished explaining, He Lingchuan finally understood why the King of Bo was so anxious.
The King of Bo had fathered four sons in total. The eldest son had been slain by his own hand six years ago.
The second son possessed extraordinary talent and was the king's favorite, but a year ago, an error during cultivation led him to deviate into madness, losing his mind.
The third son had drowned before reaching adulthood.
The fourth son was merely seven years old, still a young child.
In truth, the old monarch was quite prolific, but he kept siring daughters. He had thirteen princesses, yet the male heirs he desperately yearned for had failed to materialize.
Dong Rui cut in, "How old is this second prince?"
A-Hao thought for a moment. "Around twenty-five or twenty-six, I think?"
"How is the King of Bo's health?"
A-Hao glanced left and right to make sure no one was listening. "I'm not sure."
Dong Rui chuckled. "No wonder he was so desperate to get his hands on the Bright Lantern Cup. He's terrified of leaving no heir behind."
The King of Bo was already past sixty, and his fourth son was only seven—hardly someone to rely on. If anything happened to the king, this thirteen-year-old dynasty would likely change surnames once again.
If the second prince's wits were restored to normal, it would resolve the King of Bo's greatest internal crisis.
He Lingchuan pondered aloud, "How much do the locals know about the second prince's recovery?"
A-Hao shook his head blankly. "Well, we only know it happened."
It had only been proclaimed across the kingdom in the last day or two.
Dong Rui eyed him sidelong. "Then you're of no use after all."
A-Hao shuddered and blurted out, "No, no, no! I can go sniff around!"
Dong Rui sneered. "A petty dockside hoodlum like you—what inside scoop could you possibly dig up?"
"I can, I really can!" A-Hao said frantically. "Our gang leader's godfather works in the palace—he's the deputy guard chief of the Imperial Feather Guard! He often sends two of his subordinates to the docks to collect kickbacks. I'm on very familiar terms with those two guards, and their ears are sharp, especially regarding palace gossip! Everything from what dishes Consort Mei had for breakfast to how much money a certain palace servant lost gambling—they know it all inside and out."
He swallowed hard. "Going by the calendar, those two will be coming to collect their money tomorrow—or the day after tomorrow at the latest. I-I can gather intelligence for both of you! Not just around here; I can even get news straight from Bodu!"
"Fine." He Lingchuan tossed the large silver ingot over to him. "Prying requires catering to people's tastes, and that takes money."
A-Hao caught it hurriedly, and just as he opened his mouth to thank him, the ghost ape on his shoulder clamped his jaw open. Dong Rui flicked a pill straight into his mouth and gave his throat a firm press.
A-Hao felt the "pill" squirm twice in his gullet before slipping down his throat.
The aftertaste was bitter and slightly fishy. Terrified, he stammered, "Wh-What is this?"
"A gut-piercing Gu worm that activates after five days," Dong Rui said with a pleasant smile. "Within five days, you must bring us intelligence in exchange for the antidote, and you must keep our secret. Otherwise, the Gu worm will metamorphose into a moth, gnaw through your entrails, and burst through your belly. This is my exclusive secret art; no physician you find will be of any help, and none can cure it! If you don't believe me, feel free to consult an apothecary."
A petty thief and swindler had zero credibility; Dong Rui had to attach an extra layer of insurance.
A-Hao went as pale as a corpse.
Dong Rui added, "Press your Qihai acupoint—that's your lower abdomen."
A-Hao complied. A sudden, violent spasm wracked his gut, catching him completely off guard. He collapsed into a squat, trembling so hard from the pain that tears and snot nearly poured down his face.
"If you don't get the antidote in five days, the pain will be ten times worse than this."
He Lingchuan squatted down beside A-Hao and said, "You must focus on finding out two things: what exactly the second prince used to regain his sanity, and where that item came from. Get those answers, and you won't have to die."
Catching his breath, A-Hao nodded vigorously.
"Yes, yes! I'll definitely question them thoroughly and make everything crystal clear for you both!"
Chapter 1105