He Lingchuan’s expression darkened. The news that his body's original owner had fallen off the cliff along with the leopard had been kept strictly quiet by the He household. That sand leopard was later secretly brought back into the city and autopsied, revealing it had already suffered severe wounds before ever attacking He Lingchuan.
Now, these two outsiders had suddenly come asking about the sand leopard's whereabouts—which meant they were tied to the people who had hunted the leopard demon and brought such misery upon He Lingchuan!
This lead could not be allowed to slip away.
"Where are they now?"
"Still at the tavern. Our altar master awaits your word, Young Master."
"Keep them there."
"Understood." The messenger smiled. "Those two strut around like high and mighty big shots, practically looking down their noses at everyone. One moment they gripe that the countryside wine is sour, the next they complain the rooms stink. The brothers were already itching to give them a lesson anyway. Teaching them some manners would be our pleasure."
After a brief hesitation, He Lingchuan stood up. "Lead the way."
He had known that coming into this world would not just be about enjoying luxuries without suffering hardships or putting in work.
Since that was the case, he might as well seize the initiative.
Uncle Hao spoke up. "Allow me to go first, Eldest Young Master. You can join us in a bit." With that, he departed alongside the messenger.
As for why the Red-White Gang had come to tip him off, Altar Master Jin had shared drinks and listened to singers with He Lingchuan in the past, and He Lingchuan had pulled strings and helped him arrange a few matters, so they shared some rapport. In a small town, webs of connections were everywhere. Naturally, the Red-White Gang was also keen to do a favor for Governor He.
Years ago, when He Chunhua first took office, he discovered that Blackwater City was a den of mixed dragons and snakes, with the most lucrative businesses already carved up. As the commandery governor, he naturally wished for lasting peace and stability under his jurisdiction. Furthermore, given Blackwater City’s strategic location, shadowy underworld forces had to be brought under control. Rather than cutting off their livelihoods and inciting conflicts, he tailored a measure to local conditions and instituted the "Liquor License," requiring merchants and commoners to hold a permit before selling wine and spirits.
In other words, anyone selling alcohol in Blackwater City had to operate with an official permit from then on.
Whoever they were, they had to obtain a Liquor License from the authorities, or face legal punishment.
Common folk did not cross the magistrate. An organization like the Red-White Gang could hardly defy the authorities openly after all. With He Chunhua's shrewd combination of pressure and conciliation, he finally brought these rough, unruly forces under control through the Liquor License, gradually turning Blackwater City into his own domain.
If anything stirred in the city, the He Manor would soon know.
Such was the power of a local lord.
***
The two outsiders stepped out of a teahouse just as a gust of wind blew into their faces. Before they could put on their veiled hats, swirling sand stung their eyes so badly they could hardly keep them open.
Cursing under their breath, the two hurried back to their inn, ordered hot food and dishes, and then headed down to the public bathhouse.
After soaking for a while, they began yawning uncontrollably. Drowsiness washed over them, and they actually fell asleep in the wooden tub.
...
*Splash!* Cold water slapped against their faces.
Both men snapped awake instantly, only to find themselves bound to chairs, facing a drab gray wall.
...
By the time He Lingchuan walked into the inn's backyard, Uncle Hao stepped out, his hands dripping wet and his face solemn. "Interrogated. Both cracked."
"Still alive?" Uncle Hao had a stern face to begin with, and seeing him look this grave made He Lingchuan’s heart sink as well.
"...Alive." *Did Eldest Young Master not want to hear what they confessed first?* "They claim to be second-rank guards of the Donglai Residence, dispatched on the Grand Marshal's orders to handle business in Blackwater City."
"Donglai Residence?" The name rang a faint bell; he would have to rummage through the original owner’s memories.
That fellow had been an expert in eating, drinking, and seeking pleasure, and had a passion for martial arts and spellcraft, but paid little heed to anything else.
Yet the three words that followed—"Grand Marshal"—hit He Lingchuan like a thunderbolt!
He remembered.
In the entire Yuan Kingdom, how many Grand Marshals could there be?
"The residence of Dong Haoming, Grand General of the State's Pillar and Grand Marshal, was personally inscribed by the King's imperial brush as the 'Donglai Residence'!" Uncle Hao said, enunciating every word. "He is Queen Dong's father, the sovereign's own father-in-law!"
"These two are actually men under the Senior Pillar of State?" He Lingchuan's expression shifted drastically, though something soon felt off. "If that's so, why didn't they speak up earlier? Why wait until they couldn't endure the torture before confessing? Are they gluttons for punishment?"
Though called guards, they were essentially private soldiers of the Donglai Residence. While aristocrats in the capital were forbidden from maintaining armies, many high-ranking officials secretly amassed private troops under various pretexts.
With governance currently slack and unruly, policy loopholes were growing wider by the day. Everyone knew it, yet no one voiced it.
"Their assignment is confidential. The residence imposed a gag order forbidding them from speaking to outsiders." Uncle Hao extended his hand. In his palm lay two tokens stained with blood. "These are Dongming tokens, confiscated from their bodies."
Each token was only the size of a mahjong tile, with rounded corners to match, but as thin as a leaf. He Lingchuan took them and weighed them in his hand; they were remarkably light, engraved with the characters "Dongming" alongside a golden seal.
The purpose of a token was to establish identity while preventing counterfeiting. The material of these two was peculiar—neither gold, copper, iron, nor wood. It looked like jade, but did not feel like it when squeezed, yielding with a slight elasticity when pressed.
"These should be genuine," Uncle Hao said in a low voice. "I have seen tokens from the Dongming Residence before, and they were identical to this. The Senior Pillar of State's fief produces a peculiar tree. Stripping away its bark yields a sap that is colorless, odorless, and translucent, which sets firmly once baked. Wares crafted from it cannot be replicated anywhere else."
"These two really belong to the Donglai Residence?" In other words, had he crossed paths with the Donglai Residence?
No, the Donglai Residence had crossed paths with him.
Separated by thousands of li, how had he managed to offend the monarch's father-in-law out of nowhere?
Even He Lingchuan's original self would have felt that things were looking terribly grim. His mind spun slightly. "Why would tracking a wounded sand leopard be treated as a top-secret assignment?"
The original He Lingchuan had swaggered through Blackwater City for sixteen years, living life as comfortably as could be. How was it that less than two months after he stepped into his shoes, he had landed in such a wretched mess?
"These two were sent to Blackwater City merely to find clues and know nothing beyond that. More than a dozen others were dispatched at the same time, splitting up to scour the vicinity of the Red Cliff Trade Route." Uncle Hao added, "Also, they were originally stationed at Wuzhao Ridge, so this time they set out from Wuzhao Ridge rather than the Donglai Residence."
Wuzhao Ridge lay across the provincial border from Blackwater City, less than two hundred li away—far closer than the royal capital.
He Lingchuan gave an "oh," not paying it much mind.
The current sovereign was weak, while Dong Haoming belonged to the ruling faction with real authority, his network spanning the realm. What was so strange about him placing men in Wuzhao Ridge?
"Will more people from the Donglai Residence be coming after this?"
"They aren't sure either." Uncle Hao glanced back toward the room. "The interrogation is done. How should we handle these two?"
The cleanest way was to chop them down and destroy the evidence without a trace.
Chapter 3