Aboard the carriage, He Lingchuan asked Zhao Dazui, "Last winter, was anyone in the township injured?"
"Huh?" Zhao Dazui was puzzled. "What kind of injury do you mean, sir? Frostbite, crush wounds, or injuries from a fall?"
"...Injuries that were difficult to treat." Porcupine quills were hardly easy to handle.
Zhao Dazui pondered for a moment. "I haven't heard of any."
Jiao Yu chimed in, "Did anyone die of illness?"
"Oh, yes." This time Zhao Dazui nodded without hesitation. "Old Man Xu from Youtian Town suffered from consumption for years and didn't make it through last winter..."
"Only those who died in their prime. Villagers or travelers passing through both count."
"Oh..." Zhao Dazui gave it some more thought. "There was one. In Xu Family Village next to White Pagoda Temple, Xu the Second, a man in his thirties, lost a leg to frostbite in the mountains. He died of a high fever just a few days after returning home."
He Lingchuan took note and nodded. "Anyone else?"
Zhao Dazui searched his memory carefully, but nothing came to mind.
He Lingchuan's mind stirred, and he suddenly asked, "What about demons who were heavily injured or died?"
"That I wouldn't know." Zhao Dazui chuckled. "Demons don't usually live with us. If something happens to them, how would I know?"
"Do demons all live in the wilderness?"
"Yes, most live out in the wilds and have nothing to do with us until their dying day." Zhao Dazui added, "Except for things like cat demons, ox demons, or bat demons that might lodge under the eaves, but I never paid much attention."
If a demon died, what did it matter to humans?
Before dusk fell, He Lingchuan had already hurried back to Youtian Town and split up with Jiao Yu.
He headed for the largest pharmacy in town. General Ling insisted on trailing behind him, apparently thoroughly hooked on watching the spectacle unfold.
Zhitian Township was the largest distribution hub for medicinal herbs in Chiyan; one-third of the country's herbs were wholesaled from here, so apothecaries and medical halls naturally lined every street.
The place He Lingchuan chose had a medical hall in front and a massive pharmacy in the back. Once inside, he went straight to the pharmacy's chief manager, pulled out the red powder he had scraped from the porcupine burrow, and asked what it was.
The manager was an expert himself, but after looking it over and sniffing it lightly, he could make neither heads nor tails of it. He brought out various herbal powders and clean water to mix with it, then summoned several physicians to examine it together.
Watching their elaborate fuss, He Lingchuan felt it was a lost cause, and at that moment he missed his own medicine ape all the more. At least Lingguang was far more reliable than these people.
Fortunately, the manager eventually invited an ape out from the rear hall.
He Lingchuan was thoroughly surprised. "A medicine ape?"
"Indeed." The manager beamed. "This is our chief alchemist, Mr. Lu."
Mr. Lu, the medicine ape, had a chin and beard that were entirely white. Hearing the manager explain that they could not identify the stone powder's origin, he pinched a tiny bit of the red powder onto a fingertip and spat on it.
The gathered crowd, including the four or five physicians, watched as the red powder turned transparent.
"No mistake about it. This is stone sinew," Mr. Lu stated with certainty. "It is also called stone blood. Where did the honored guest obtain it?"
"What is it used for?"
"This substance is commonly called the blood of stone, and it is also regarded as the essence of mountain ranges. It is rarely used to concoct medicines or refine pills, which is why ordinary apothecaries and alchemists do not recognize it. However, it can actually be used in certain secret folk prescriptions." Mr. Lu reeled off the facts with effortless familiarity. "In addition, it serves as a material for crafting certain magic artifacts. If the guest takes it to craftsmen, they might recognize it more readily."
He paused and asked, "Stone sinew is extremely rare, and this batch is very fresh. Guest, the place where you chiseled it is not far away, is it?"
"This is mineral powder, not a plant. How can you tell if it is fresh?"
"It carries the breath of mountain rock, as well as a faint scent of rot," Mr. Lu said with absolute conviction. "It must have been dug up not long ago."
"Spot on. I dug it out from a porcupine burrow on Mount Yulun just this afternoon."
"Mount Yulun?" Mr. Lu was visibly stunned. "Mount Yulun actually has stone sinew?"
"Is there a problem?"
"I have stayed in Zhitian Township for eighty years, and this is the first time I've heard that Mount Yulun has such a thing." Mr. Lu stroked the beard beneath his chin just like a human. "As I said, stone sinew is rare, and certain domineeringly potent formulas cannot do without it. This material is exceedingly expensive; purified stone sinew powder can fetch a steep price of five liang of silver per liang!"
"I just chipped this off and haven't refined it yet. How is its purity?"
Mr. Lu fiddled with it for a good while. "Very few impurities."
Putting the vial away, He Lingchuan smiled casually. "So whoever finds a vein of stone sinew strikes it rich?"
"If the reserves are abundant."
The pharmacy manager could not help chiming in from the side. "Guest, it doesn't work that way. Herb gathering and mining here cannot be done willy-nilly, not unless the land belongs to you."
He Lingchuan naturally knew this and gave a hearty laugh. "Indeed, all mountains and rivers have masters. Who could just mine them at will? I was merely speaking in jest."
Having obtained the answers he sought, he thanked the medicine ape, left behind a small silver ingot, and departed the pharmacy.
Knowing Jiao Yu's errand would not wrap up anytime soon, He Lingchuan followed an alluring aroma to a small eatery.
Calling it a shop was generous; it was more like a stall propped up beneath a snakeskin tarp.
Yet the seven or eight low tables beneath the tarp were packed with patrons, each cradling an earthenware pot and eating with great relish.
Indeed, the stall specialized in pot noodles.
Seven or eight clay pots simmered over the hearth, each filled with medicinal stew. Whichever one a customer chose, the stall keeper would drop fine noodles into the pot to cook.
He Lingchuan ordered an angelica partridge soup with the local cloud-silk noodles. The moment the pot's lid was lifted, a mouthwatering aroma wafted forth. The broth inside was light brown, with only a very thin sheen of oil floating on the surface.
Taking a sip, he found the flavor mellow, warm, and rich; the medicinal herbs paired exquisitely with the meat. The ingredients had been simmered until the bones were tender and the meat fell apart, so soft that everything could be chewed and swallowed whole.
Catching the enticing scent, the three wind-boring beasts were not about to neglect themselves and ordered food as well. This was a demon kingdom, so the sight of demons dining in towns was utterly commonplace. To accommodate their wide maws, the stall keeper served them wide-mouthed basins rather than clay pots.
These sheep were truly omnivorous, crunching through the small partridges in single bites, snapping their jaws as they demanded more helpings from the proprietor.
By the time He Lingchuan slurped his way through one pot, the three beasts had already polished off three large bowls. He raised a hand to order another flavor of pot soup, this time pairing it with scalded-dough sweet flatbreads.
The sweet mixed with the savory made for a delightful combination.
Even better, this stall sat directly across from the pharmacy he had just visited.
As he ate his second sweet flatbread, he saw the pharmacy's chief manager emerge, hurrying off down the street.
He Lingchuan smiled and raised an arm in a casual wave.
To any passerby, it looked as though he were merely greeting someone, but up in a nearby tree, a crow flapped its wings and fluttered after the chief manager. A ready-made spy—no point in letting it go to waste.
Crows were everywhere in Zhitian Township, so no one would pay any special mind to its movements.
Only then did He Lingchuan ask the stall owner, "Two more sweet flatbreads, packed to go. By the way, Shuojin Hall has quite an imposing facade. Who is its owner?"
"Who in Youtian Town doesn't know? That is the Li family's property."
He Lingchuan gave an understanding "Oh." "So it's the Li clan."
After eating, he strolled through the medicinal herb market of Youtian Town.
Since he had stumbled upon a major herb wholesale hub, how could he pass up the chance to restock his inventory? It was just a pity that Lingguang was not around, leaving He Lingchuan with less confidence in his own quality control.
Between strolling, browsing, and buying, the lamps were soon lit across the town.
He Lingchuan returned to the inn and waited for more than an hour before Jiao Yu finally returned beneath the moonlight.
"How did it go?"
"I checked the township office's ledgers. Leaving aside those who died of old age or illness, seven young and able-bodied men were injured or killed last winter, three went missing, and two passing merchant caravans reported workers dying of acute illness." It paused. "Those are just the humans."
"As for the demons, the only casualties were that nest of porcupine demons. Two demons entered town seeking medical treatment, which is why they were recorded in the files. Nothing is known about the rest."
Indeed, if demons did not come seeking medical aid, who would know they had been wounded?
He Lingchuan shook his head. "Nothing useful can be gleaned from official records. No wonder Fu Shanji couldn't crack this case. The person behind the scenes knows the official system all too well."
He recounted his visit to the medical hall. After listening, Jiao Yu said at once, "Besides water and herbs, that nest of porcupines now has a vein of stone sinew on their territory. Their resources are remarkably abundant."
"Possessing jade is a crime," He Lingchuan remarked. "It seems our list of suspects extends beyond the Li, Wang, and Tu families."
He had already asked around; all three families were in the medicinal herb trade.
Stone sinew, however, was barely known in these parts, so those prominent households might not have dabbled in it at all.
At this point, he furrowed his brows again. "Yet there is one thing I haven't figured out: since the culprit knows our movements, why didn't they wait until we left Youtian Town or Zhitian Township before making a move?"
"Indeed. Ambushes launched in such a rush only expose the fact that they are operating nearby if they fail." Jiao Yu asked him, "What do you plan to do now?"
"Stir the water first. Perhaps the big fish will surface on its own." He Lingchuan said to it, "Lord Jiao, please fetch Master Li."
"Now?" The night was deep.
"Yes, now," He Lingchuan stated firmly. "That is precisely the effect we want."
Jiao Yu was a creature of action. Sure enough, in less than two quarters of an hour, it brought Master Li over.
Master Li had been dragged straight out of bed. Though dressed neatly, he still had dried crust in the corners of his eyes and yawned incessantly. He was fifty-seven this year; despite taking careful care of his health, his stamina was far from what it had been in his youth.
To be summoned in the dead of night by the crown prince's special envoy set drums beating in his heart. Along the way, he had repeatedly probed Jiao Yu, asking whether anyone else had been invited.
For someone who had built a business so vast, whose hands were truly clean?
If old misdeeds were raked up, then...
Just as his anxiety peaked, He Lingchuan offered a cold, mirthless smile, pulled out a slip of paper, and unfolded it right before his eyes:
"Someone has reported you."
***
The next day, late in the hour of the Tiger.
The County Magistrate of Baishi was in the middle of dreaming about his promotion, hosting a tail-burning banquet while basking in everyone's lavish congratulations, when an old servant ruthlessly shook him awake.
"Master, Master Li and Master Wang request an audience."
"Now?" The County Magistrate of Baishi rubbed his eyes and saw through the window that dawn had not yet broken. He snapped in irritation, "Have the two of them gone mad!"
"They said it concerns something about the courier case."
The courier? The magistrate sat on his bed in a daze for a long while before his wits slowly returned, finally recalling the case of the missing courier from Lingxu City.
In his heart, he had never believed Zhitian Township could have anything to do with that case, so he had given it no thought over the past two days. Why on earth were these two prominent figures rushing over in such a frantic state?
"Have them wait in the study."
Two quarters of an hour later, after both Master Li and Master Wang had finished an entire cup of tea, the County Magistrate of Baishi finally made his tardy arrival.
Chapter 455