He explained that as their medicinal herbs gained renown and sold across the entire realm, Zhitian Township's water consumption had grown larger and larger, so they had hoped to tap new sources upstream and increase the flow. The porcupine demons had refused, however, because opening new channels and building dams would encroach on their territory.
"Couldn't that have been settled through mediation and compensation?" He Lingchuan had handled plenty of mediation back in Dunyu.
One of the local gentry couldn't resist a cold sneer. "They may be pigs, but they open their mouths like ravenous lions."
Evidently, the porcupines had demanded more money, and the negotiations had broken down.
He Lingchuan took a sip of fine wine. "So then, who stood to gain the most from that entire nest of porcupines being wiped out?"
Sensing the dangerous turn in his tone, the gathering scrambled to clear themselves. "My Lord, that has nothing to do with us!"
"All we do here is purchase local herbs and resell them outside, earning nothing more than errand money. Where would we get the heart or the ability to murder anyone?"
He Lingchuan smiled. "Generally speaking, whoever benefits the most is the prime suspect."
One wealthy magnate protested indignantly, "You cannot speak like that, My Lord! We work diligently day in and day out, which is why Zhitian Township prospers. How does that make us the prime suspects? If not for us, those herb farmers and tenant peasants, those—"
He had intended to say "demons," but a companion jabbed him in the ribs, so he quickly changed his tune: "...how could they enjoy the good days they have now?"
"Indeed, indeed! Zhitian Township's prosperity far surpasses other lands, and we have done our utmost."
The County Magistrate of Baishi hurriedly interjected, "My Lord, didn't you mention this might be the work of demons? Furthermore, the victims are scattered all across Chiyan—how could that have anything to do with these respected local gentlemen?"
He Lingchuan's gaze swept over their faces. "Which of you have dealt directly with the porcupine demons?"
The room fell dead silent.
Jiao Yu looked toward the magistrate. "Surely you would know?"
The County Magistrate of Baishi could only brace himself and point them out one by one to He Lingchuan.
Three prominent magnates seated there had dealt with the porcupines—and even had bad blood with them. Their surnames were Wang, Li, and Tu.
The three hastened to defend themselves, insisting they harbored no malicious intent whatsoever.
General Ling pawed the ground with an irritable hoof.
He Lingchuan scrutinized them for a long while until their skin crawled, before finally letting out an "Ah." "I was merely asking as a matter of routine. None of you need to take it to heart."
Master Li asked timidly, "If the culprit is truly caught, what sentence would they face?"
"Murdering an envoy from Lingxu City is a beheading offense at the very least."
General Ling added from the side, "Extermination of three clans."
His words dripped with such bloodlust that everyone choked, at a total loss for words.
The banquet soon came to an end.
Returning to the inn, He Lingchuan washed his hands and face.
In midsummer's seventh month, the night brought little cool relief, and even the cicadas kept up their endless drone.
General Ling took his personal guards and took a room next door.
In the courtyard stood a large water vat filled to the brim. The tiger simply leapt into the water to escape the heat, asking He Lingchuan, "Do you truly believe the case is connected to those merchants?"
The magistrate had a point: the killer struck all across the country, so what would that have to do with the local gentry?
These magnates were ordinary humans; not a single one was a cultivator.
"Looking at the files we got from Fu Shanji, nearly every case involved only two or three victims—one or two humans, or one or two demons. Even the thieves who came to steal my rock sheep targeted just that single prize," He Lingchuan said. "That is the clever way to do it; it doesn't easily draw attention.
"Yet the case of the wind-boring beasts broke pattern, claiming over twenty victims all at once.
"If tomorrow we can confirm that the porcupine clan was also wiped out by our killer, then a year ago its appetite was even vaster, taking out over a hundred victims in one go."
He Lingchuan continued slowly, "These two anomalies occurred a mere thirty to forty li apart. Perhaps it was just a coincidence, but if I'm not mistaken, what could have driven the killer to unleash such slaughter?"
Jiao Yu did not know how to answer either.
Killing one or two humans or two or three demons could still be chalked up to feeding its belly.
But over a hundred at once?
That motive seemed far from simple.
"It was never simple to begin with," He Lingchuan said earnestly. "Don't forget, the courier dispatched specially from Lingxu City died at their hands. Normally, no one would dare lay a hand on an imperial courier, right?"
Jiao Yu looked stirred. "By your reckoning, is there a foreign spy hidden in Zhitian Township?"
"We'll only know once we find the killer." He Lingchuan suddenly offered an unrelated remark. "I used to think Beijia truly was a utopia for demons. Now it seems that might not be the case."
Jiao Yu did not reply.
It was not raining tonight, and He Lingchuan felt no sleepiness, so he drew out his Soaring Dragon spear and practiced spear technique for an hour.
Ever since redeeming the spear manual from the Panlong dreamscape, he had practiced it diligently, devoting more time to it than to his saber techniques.
This spear manual comprised only sixteen mnemonic verses, even more concise than the saber style.
The spear was the king of all weapons, far more difficult to master than the saber. Fortunately, martial arts held that mastery in one path opened a hundred paths; now that his own realm had risen, his spear training was not far behind.
Moreover, he had witnessed General Red, Xiao Maoliang, and Hong Chenglüe strike—each blow carrying the force of thunder. He often pondered those moments in his mind and had gleaned insights from them.
Before he knew it, an hour had slipped by. His movements flowed smoothly without any feeling of fatigue, and as the faint warmth of alcohol stirred within him, he couldn't help letting out a long cry. With a slight flick, the spear tip swung sideways and struck the trunk of a tree.
At once, blossoms showered down from the crape myrtle.
He Lingchuan expanded his divine sense; his spear darted like a needle, skewering the falling petals one after another onto the tip.
The spear weighed thirty-nine jin and measured seven feet long. Gripping it in one hand, even the slightest tremor at the butt would make the tip waver wildly, making it immensely difficult to control. Piercing through petals so delicate, soft, and unresisting was an arduous feat indeed.
Perched in the tree, a crow saw only shadowy spear thrusts teeming with chilling intent; terrified, its feathers fluffed out, and it beat its wings in a frantic escape into the open.
In the dead of night, was a bird not even allowed to sleep in peace?
What He Lingchuan practiced was an art of killing, yet the scene appeared remarkably graceful.
When the shower of blossoms ceased, only a sparse few petals lay on the ground.
All the rest were impaled upon the tip of his spear.
Jiao Yu had been dozing on the steps, but the killing intent jolted him awake.
Seeing his closing move—spear reined in like subduing a tiger—a cheer rang out from the side: "Bravo!"
It turned out General Ling was resting against the courtyard wall watching the show, having arrived at some unknown point. When standing semi-erect, he was over ten feet tall, the crown of his head rising well above the top of the wall.
A veteran of many battles himself, the general could see that while the youth's spear technique could not yet rival that of Chiyan's old monarch, it struck like a wild serpent flicking its tongue and withdrew like a wily hare darting into its burrow. Possessing such resolute boldness alongside the wisdom of restraint already surpassed ordinary military commanders.
This kid truly had real skill.
He Lingchuan exhaled a long breath and wiped the light sweat from his brow.
This stance, "Plum Blossom Thrust," had finally achieved initial mastery.
Just then, two light knocks sounded against the courtyard gate.
He Lingchuan had already heard footsteps coming and going outside. When he opened the gate to look, only a letter lay on the ground.
It was an anonymous letter of accusation, reporting the bad blood between Master Tu and the porcupine demons.
As it turned out, the two sides had long been at each other's throats. Master Tu's grandson had even been struck in the calf by a porcupine quill; the wound had festered to the bone, nearly necessitating amputation, and took over three months of treatment before gradually healing.
An hour later, there was another stir outside.
Someone crept forward on tiptoe, but how could his footfalls escape He Lingchuan's ears?
The person bent over, just about to slide a slip of paper beneath the door crack, when with a creak, the courtyard gate swung open. He Lingchuan stood in the doorway, smiling at him.
"Since you're already here, why not say it to my face? Who is your master, and whom does he wish to accuse?"
"Ah..." Caught red-handed, the man turned green in the face.
He Lingchuan snatched the slip from his hand, unfolded and read it on the spot, then said, "Oh, so you want to report the Li clan. Does your master's surname happen to be Wang, or Tu?"
The man dared not utter a sound; the slip bore no signature.
"I certainly hope your master's surname isn't Tu." He Lingchuan produced the earlier letter and waved it before his eyes. "Someone already came to report him earlier."
"Huh?"
***
Fifteen li away in Shuanglu Town of Zhitian Township, inside a grand manor.
An owl fluttered down onto a large tree beside the main house, letting out a few soft hoots.
A window opened, letting the owl fly inside.
The person inside closed the window once more, leaving only one person and one bird in the room.
With a wave of his hand, he set up a barrier to prevent eavesdropping, then asked the owl, "What word from the capital?"
"The case of the missing courier from Lingxu City has been handed over by the Monarch to Fu Shan."
The person murmured an "Oh?" "Even Fu Shanji couldn't solve it, so what could a brute like Fu Shan do..."
He stood up and paced a couple of steps before adding, "Still, Fu Shan needs to win the Monarch's favor right now, so he will likely spare no effort. Hm, he does have a few capable hands under his command. Whom did he dispatch to investigate?"
"Not yet clear."
The person halted. "Not clear?"
"The officials under him are all busy with other duties," the owl said. "Only Household General of Baishan, Jiao Yu, left the capital several days ago, his whereabouts unknown."
"Jiao Da's son?" The person asked with curiosity. "Would Fu Shan send him alone to handle this?"
To this question, the owl had no answer.
It ate meat and drank water here, then closed one eye and went to sleep.
In the second half of the night, another man dressed like a steward arrived.
"My master bade me come through the night to report." The steward had entered via the back door. "The Crown Prince has sent a special envoy to Youtian Town to investigate the Lingxu City courier case."
"Oh?" the person asked urgently. "Whom did he send?"
"The envoy's name is He Xiao, bearing the Crown Prince's token. There is also a tiger named Jiao Yu, seemingly some Baili something..."
"Household General of Baishan?"
"Yes, yes!" The steward nodded repeatedly. "And a goshawk, supposedly an imperial palace guard as well."
"He Xiao?" The person pondered for a long time. "Never heard of him."
"The county magistrate hosted a banquet for him, but he had the nerve to suspect the local gentry of murdering that nest of porcupines on Mount Yulun."
The person sat bolt upright at once. "Does he have evidence?"
"None. He hasn't even visited the site yet, just shooting his mouth off."
"It might not be idle talk; perhaps he intends to bluff you all." The person asked, "What else?"
"He is going to inspect the porcupine burrows tomorrow."
"What of an item used by this He fellow?"
The steward took a cloth bundle from his breast and opened it to reveal a wine cup.
"They dined at Xihong Tower, and He Xiao used this very cup."
"Very well. Go back and tell your master to put his heart at ease." The person took the wine cup. "This will never trace back to him!"
"Yes, sir."
After the steward left, the person sat in the room contemplating for a long while, then suddenly rose and walked into the courtyard.
Tree shadows swayed gently; in the courtyard lay a corner impenetrable even to moonlight.
The person seemed to crush something, then scooped a ladle of fresh water and poured it into this dark corner.
Soon enough, within the shadows of the corner, something stirred.
"A new target is assigned: He Xiao." The person lowered his voice, setting the cup onto the ground. "He is currently in Youtian Town and will visit the porcupine burrows on Mount Yulun tomorrow. You know what to do."
Chapter 450