Through and through, describing him as a humble commoner was no exaggeration.
Yet for a man who looked so simple and honest, the moment he heard He Lingchuan was there to "buy the red cord," he immediately shooed away the nosy neighbors.
He didn't dare shut the courtyard gate, for behind He Lingchuan stood several burly, intimidating men.
Fortunately, those brutes stayed outside. Only He Lingchuan entered to speak with him.
"The red cord for the Bright Lantern Grass? Yes, yes, I have it—and the incantation too," Old Liu said solemnly. "But this is precious stuff. It won't come cheap."
He Lingchuan replied courteously, "Mr. Liu, let's hear your price."
Old Liu's lips twitched as if he were steeling his resolve, and he forced out a number: "Five..."
After just that one syllable, his throat seized up. He coughed twice in a hurry. "A firm price—five thousand taels!"
"That's asking for the moon." He Lingchuan countered with three thousand taels, payable on the spot.
Old Liu rubbed his hands together. Three thousand taels of silver! A fortune he couldn't earn in two lifetimes.
His fingers trembled. He Lingchuan could see how desperately he wanted to agree, but just then, Old Liu's wife coughed loudly several times from inside the house.
Old Liu blinked, regaining his senses at once. "Uh, w-we need to think it over. Why don't you come back in two days?"
"I'm heading into the mountains right away," He Lingchuan said, fixing him with a stare. "Three thousand taels of silver. What could you possibly be dissatisfied with?"
"W-we just... need a little more time to consider."
He Lingchuan could tell the man truly wanted the three thousand taels. To pull back by force now, there could only be one reason.
"Oh? Did someone else make an offer?"
Having his secret exposed, Old Liu's eyes flickered.
Indeed, just two days earlier, someone had come to buy the red cord, offering five hundred taels. Old Liu and his wife had been dazzled by the sum and agreed without a second thought.
However, the buyer had demanded they accompany them up the mountain after the White Bear King was slain, so no money had changed hands yet.
Now He Lingchuan was here looking to buy. Old Liu had tested the waters with five thousand taels, only for He Lingchuan to counter with three thousand!
This was a rare commodity with soaring value! If they waited a few more days, could they hold out for an even more staggering figure?
Or better yet, pit the buyers against each other in a bidding war? The couple's greed instantly flared.
He Lingchuan smiled. "The more people who know you hold the red cord, the greater danger you are in. Frankly, if not for the secret incantation holding things together—which requires going up the mountain to verify—you would already be dead."
Old Liu's face went pale. Before he could speak, the woman rushed out from the house. "In broad daylight, you dare threaten us? Believe it or not, we can report you to the authorities right now and have all of you foreigners thrown in jail!"
"Then the three thousand taels are gone." Knowing that seeing was believing, He Lingchuan drew a pouch of gold from his robe and tossed it onto the bamboo table.
The mouth of the pouch spilled open, and several gold cakes, gold bars, and gold beads tumbled out, gleaming alluringly in the sunlight. Both Old Liu and his wife swallowed hard.
Didn't people spend their entire lives chasing this very thing?
"Three thousand taels—do you have any idea how many bags of gold that is?"
The couple had no clue.
"I am willing to pay three thousand taels, but others might not be so generous. Guess what happens when they want the cord but refuse to pay?" He Lingchuan chuckled. "Dao Town's public order only improved in recent years, didn't it? Have you forgotten what it used to be like so quickly?"
The past? The husband and wife exchanged a glance, stepped aside to murmur a few hurried words, and finally agreed.
Dazzled by this windfall, Old Liu's mood brightened, and he answered every question eagerly.
It turned out his father had once seen better days and had tied a red cord with the Bright Lantern Grass by a stroke of fortune. However, he fell ill and passed away less than two years after returning from the mountain, leaving the secret of the grass to his son on his deathbed.
Old Liu himself lacked any real ability, and caught amid years of war, he had exhausted all his efforts just to live as an ordinary nobody.
"Who was it that ordered the red cord from you earlier?"
"I don't know. A group of seven or eight people. They claimed to come from the east and said they needed it to save a life. I asked for money up front, but they refused. We agreed to head up the mountain together after the White Bear King was dealt with in a few days."
Old Liu added, "They didn't look particularly wealthy to me, either."
To verify the authenticity of the red cord and the incantation, He Lingchuan naturally had to take Old Liu up Baimao Mountain himself, while his wife could wait behind.
Old Liu was terribly reluctant. "You have the cord and the incantation now. You can just go up the mountain on your own! I wouldn't cheat you. I'll wait for you here!"
He Lingchuan gave them only one line:
"Sitting at home and pocketing three thousand taels—did you really think money comes that easily? Don't worry, the White Bear King is currently near the capital, not on Baimao Mountain."
This was the truth. The Liu couple had recently heard endless reports of the White Bear King mauling people around the capital. Still, the thought of entering Baimao Mountain made Old Liu's heart flutter with dread.
For the sake of... for the sake of the three thousand taels! They could never earn that much in a lifetime.
Thus, He Lingchuan paid a deposit of one thousand taels and took the red cord, leaving the remaining funds with the local xiangbao. Ten days later, whether Old Liu returned or not, his wife could present the written contract to the xiangbao to claim the remaining two thousand taels.
The Julu Kingdom maintained the xiangbao institution in towns specifically to facilitate trustworthy transactions for merchants and commoners alike. In He Lingchuan's eyes, it was essentially a third-party escrow backed by official government credibility.
This way, Old Liu didn't have to worry about He Lingchuan's group murdering him to save money after obtaining the Bright Lantern Cup.
***
Early the next morning, Jin Bai and his men set out for Bodu, and He Lingchuan rode alongside them.
After a night of contemplation, Jin Bai seemed to have realized the necessity of investigating the case, rallying his spirits to answer He Lingchuan's inquiries.
Of course, the primary reason was that he needed to cooperate with He Lingchuan to find evidence of the Bo Kingdom stealing the tribute.
In dealings between nations, evidence was paramount.
Even if the Mou Kingdom wished to strike later, they needed a clear target.
"From the Xiaoyao Sect to Julu Port? During the transport of the tribute, I hardly shut my eyes," Jin Bai said gravely. "I was fully lucid throughout those days. Only on the night we arrived at Julu Port did I spend two double-hours circulating my power to adjust my breath. But six brothers were guarding right outside my door. Besides, circulating power is not sleeping, and I had set up a barrier. If anyone approached, how could they have evaded my senses?"
All in all, the tribute had vanished from his person into thin air, a mystery that completely baffled him.
Dong Rui chimed in lazily from the side, "There are ten thousand wondrous powers in this world. For all you know, you fell into an illusion that night, believing you were at Julu Port when you weren't."
Upon entering the Bo Kingdom, the Shadow Tooth Guard could channel very little origin power. Illusions they once could have dispelled with ease might now prove insurmountable obstacles.
"We considered that as well," Jin Bai answered honestly. "But for a thief to steal the tribute, they would have had to blind and deafen more than a dozen of us at the same time. How could anyone accomplish such a feat?"
Stolen light, an invisible thief.
Yes, this case was quite intriguing. He Lingchuan thought for a moment. "Is it possible that the tribute was tampered with from the very beginning?"
"You mean what I brought away from the Xiaoyao Sect was already a fake?"
If so, no matter how vigilant Jin Bai and his men had been during transit, it had all been in vain.
"You've never harvested a Bright Lantern Cup before, have you?" The last time the Bright Lantern Cup ripened was thirty years ago; judging by Jin Bai's age, he didn't look like someone who could have made the trip twice.
"No, this was my first time. But before departing, I viewed a shadow projection of the Bright Lantern Cup and studied its documentation in detail. The Bright Lantern Cup I saw on the snowy peak of the Xiaoyao Sect matched the projection exactly."
"A shadow projection?"
"An image preserved within a jade slip, perfectly mimicking the real object, far more thorough and precise than a painting."
He Lingchuan let out a long "Oh." They had technology that advanced?
"I considered that possibility too," Jin Bai sighed. He wished with all his heart that it were true. If the Bright Lantern Cup had been stolen before he ever reached the Xiaoyao Sect, he would naturally be cleared of negligence. "However, on the Bright Lantern Grass I saw, several lantern moths were perched on the leaves. The records say those moths only seek out the Bright Lantern Grass to borrow its light when the Bright Lantern Cup is ripe. So—"
Even the symbiotic moths had been present. How could it be fake?
"Moreover, when I plucked the Bright Lantern Cup with my own hands, Sect Leader Li of the Xiaoyao Sect was watching right beside me. Surely he wouldn't mistake it?"
"How old is this Sect Leader Li?"
"In his sixties. The last time the Bright Lantern Cup ripened, he was the one who accompanied the Mou Kingdom's guards up the mountain to harvest it."
So Sect Leader Li had seen the Bright Lantern Cup more than once, and it was a treasure guarded by his own sect. Could he have misidentified it?
Jin Bai continued, "I also had people discreetly ask whether anything unusual had occurred at the Xiaoyao Sect recently. But aside from someone trespassing into the back mountain several months ago, there was nothing out of the ordinary."
He Lingchuan analyzed, "Then the urgent priority right now is to find out whether the second prince of the Bo Kingdom's recovery is truly thanks to the Bright Lantern Cup."
There were few travelers on the road.
Setting aside Blade Harbor and the Yangshan Archipelago, the number of travelers on this official highway was sparse even compared to the Longchuan trade route. Over their entire journey so far, they had encountered barely a dozen caravans.
Halfway through the journey, the party arrived at a three-way junction. On the right side of the road stood a wooden marker painted with an arrow, reading:
Xun City.
Xun City was the capital of the Bo Kingdom.
Without so much as a glance at the sign, Jin Bai continued straight ahead.
Dong Rui asked curiously, "What's the deal with that signpost?"
Wasn't a signpost supposed to guide travelers? Why did Jin Bai and his men ride straight when the sign indicated Xun City lay to the right?
"It's fake." Only then did Jin Bai point back at the post. "Notice anything? That sign is brand-new."
Indeed, though the timber was aged, the carved characters were fresh, and the wood shavings from the carving hadn't even been fully swept away by the wind at the crossroads.
"When we took this road last time, we hired a local guide," Jin Bai explained. "Several nests of bandits dwell around this trade route. They frequently tear down the official road signs and erect fake ones at junctions to misguide travelers and caravans off the main highway."
Once foreign travelers fell for the trick and wandered into unknown mountain paths, what good end could await them?
"Doesn't the Bo Kingdom do anything? Isn't this supposed to be one of their main arteries?"
For such chaos to plague an official highway connecting the capital to a port was truly unbelievable.
Back in the Panlong World, the Longchuan trade route had once suffered from water bandits, but it stretched across vast distances and ran directly alongside the Longchuan River. Its complex geography had created a persistent headache for both Xiji and Yuheng City.
Yet this trade route in the Bo Kingdom spanned a mere few dozen li, and several nests of bandits were packed along it!
He Lingchuan couldn't help wondering: with such high bandit density, wasn't the robbery business fiercely overcrowded? Could the bandits even fill their bellies preying on this road?
"This route is the only way for several inland nations to reach the coast. Any merchant or cargo heading out to sea from neighboring countries must pass through here. The Bo Kingdom reaps substantial tax revenue from this road, and supposedly, they send troops to patrol back and forth to maintain order." Jin Bai pointed toward a winding mountain trail that had just appeared beside the road. "Trails like that, they ignore entirely. If someone complains, the officials say you were blind—who told you to stray from the main road?"
He Lingchuan pondered. "No wonder the local goods cost an arm and a leg once exported."
The Ya Kingdom prohibited the export of ores to the Yangshan Archipelago, forcing the latter to seek alternative sources. Aside from the Mou Kingdom, the best ores came from the Shanjin Plain, which were easy to refine and contained few impurities.
However, ore from the Shanjin Plain cost over fifty percent more than from the Ya Kingdom, and that was assuming no disruptions occurred. If there were road closures, political coups, or blockades at Julu Port, prices fluctuated wildly.
Now He Lingchuan understood why ore here was so expensive.
The logistical costs were exorbitant, and the unpredictable risks were immense.
If the lands of the Shanjin Plain hadn't been desperate to sell ore for cash and had such cheap labor, the prices would have climbed even higher.
Jin Bai nodded. "That's why large caravans always hire guides and armed escorts."
And those expenses would ultimately be reflected in the prices of the goods.
Dong Rui sneered, "With official patrols, it's still this pathetic?"
"The Bo Kingdom has suffered terrible luck in recent years. They fought several wars internally and externally, and a locust plague struck two years ago. I heard from the guide that ever since ascending the throne, the King of Bo has launched new policies twice, yet the people's livelihoods showed zero improvement while corrupt officials lined their pockets. In a rage, the king went on a killing spree, executing many officials."
It wasn't that the Bo Kingdom didn't want to govern; they simply lacked the capability.
A gust of wind blew past, and the ghost ape on Dong Rui's shoulder suddenly sat upright. It sniffed hard several times, then leapt onto a nearby branch and swung away through the trees.
Dong Rui and He Lingchuan reined in to wait for it.
Roughly a dozen breaths later, the ghost ape swung back, chattering into Dong Rui's ear.
Only Dong Rui and Lingguang could understand monkey chatter.
Dong Rui translated, "It says deep in the dense woods beside the road, about fifty zhang in, more than a dozen corpses lie exposed in the open, already rotting. Several stray dogs are feasting on them."
The group didn't venture in, continuing along the road. Jin Bai said, "That's what happens when you take the wrong path. The men I hired said some local guides charge very little because they're in cahoots with the bandits, intentionally leading merchants astray. Once the bandits strike, the guides get a cut of the spoils."
"The ones who hire those crooked guides are usually petty peddlers with little coin and few men—easy prey for the thieves."
"Some roadside inns are even slaughterhouses that drug their guests to strip them of everything, or kidnap women and children to sell off. So when traveling this road, it's best not to stop for rest or lodging, but push straight through to your destination."
Listening to this, He Lingchuan was reminded of the Yuan Kingdom.
Years ago, when he accompanied He Chunhua's army from Blackwater City to Dunyu, he had witnessed countless human miseries along the way.
Bandits, crooked inns, displaced refugees, abandoned villages—none were missing.
People often said harsh lands bred treacherous folk, and poverty bred wicked schemes. It seemed everywhere was the same.
The bandits here dared to slaughter people right beside the main highway; back then, the cutthroats and deserters in Xianling Village had pursued He Chunhua's regular force of several hundred men across dozens of li of mountain paths.
In comparison, though Bailie and the Qing Kingdom were small, they were vastly wealthier and far more peaceful.
While they were conversing, a shrill, childish voice suddenly cried out from the dense woods by the road:
"Help!"
Immediately after, a small figure burst onto the highway, throwing himself directly in front of their horses.
He Lingchuan and his companions had long heard the snapping of twigs and deliberately reined in their mounts; otherwise, this reckless dash would have seen the boy trampled under hooves!
Looking down, they saw a boy of four or five, dressed in coarse cloth with two patches. He had handsome features, but his face was scored with bloody scratches from branches, and a large, dark bruise marked his temple, blood trickling down his cheek.
"Help!" Seeing He Lingchuan's mount shy aside, the boy lunged again toward the hooves. "Save my parents!"
He Lingchuan patted the horse's neck to calm it, asking the child, "Where are your parents?"
"They're trying to catch me!" Tears and blood mingled on the boy's face as he pointed behind him. "They took my father and mother!"
Leaves rustled in the woods as if more footsteps approached, but no one emerged.
He Lingchuan glanced toward the sound, raised his wrist, and loosed a sleeve arrow with a sharp twang.
The next instant, a scream echoed from the trees.
The ghost ape on Dong Rui's shoulder darted into the woods immediately.
Within three or four breaths, a man was hurled out, tumbling twice across the ground before rolling directly beneath He Lingchuan's horse.
Evidently, he had chased the child to the roadside, only to balk at He Lingchuan's imposing mounted group.
A short arrow was lodged in the crook of his knee, making it difficult for him to rise. Before he could struggle, He Lingchuan leveled the Soaring Dragon spear at his throat, freezing him in terror.
He Lingchuan asked, "Where are this child's parents?"
The man pointed gingerly toward the depths of the forest. "O-over there."
"Still alive?"
"Alive, alive!" the bandit blurted out. "We haven't harmed their lives!"
Mounted on his horse, Lingguang chimed in, "Why were you chasing this kid?"
The bandit stammered, unable to answer.
Jin Bai folded his arms. "Most likely to carry him off and sell him for coin."
He Lingchuan asked again, "How many of you are there?"
"Fifty—"
Before the word cleared his lips, the spear tip flickered, boring a hole through his shoulder. The bandit shrieked, "Sixteen! Sixteen of us in total!"
The moment he finished, the spear punched through his throat from front to back.
Shaking the dead man off his spearhead, He Lingchuan said casually to Jin Bai, "Wait here for a moment, gentlemen. I'll be right back."
*What formidable spear technique this Cloud-Turning Envoy possesses,* Jin Bai thought. He lifted the boy up onto the front of his saddle and nodded. "Very well."
He Lingchuan and Dong Rui spurred their horses into the forest, reaching the scene within seventy or eighty zhang.
It was a gentle slope, not far from the main road, but the canopy was so dense that cries for help couldn't carry through.
The victims were a small party of traveling merchants—seven men and one woman. The men were bound tightly on the ground, while the woman was pinned down, being assaulted. She was presumably the boy's mother.
Another bandit was already unfastening his belt.
Still ten zhang away, He Lingchuan drew his Fusheng saber and hurled it forward.
The cold blade spun through the air, shearing through the gaps between the trees without nicking a single leaf, before sweeping cleanly across the assaulting bandit's neck.
A severed head flew high into the air, splashing the woman below with crimson blood!
Chapter 1109