New Clues

One stayed silent while the other merely groaned; neither was willing to speak. Jiao Yu sniffed the air, walked over to the guard with the dislocated shoulder, and said, "This one pissed his pants." The soldiers burst into laughter. The man's face turned pale green, filled with embarrassment and terror. This was likely the rock bottom of his life. He Lingchuan stepped up to the captive with the dislocated shoulder and gave him a slap on the shoulder— The man howled in pain. When he jerked his eyes up, they met the surface of the mirror He Lingchuan had brought forth. "Look!" The man tried to tear his gaze away, but it was already too late. His eyes reflexively settled on the mirror, noticing nothing unusual at first. Until the reflection inside smiled faintly back at him... The tall sorghum stalks blocked the slanting afternoon sun, casting everyone in shadow. A wisp of white smoke was drawn out from the captive's mouth, plunging straight into the mirror in an instant. The captive's gaze turned dull and wooden. Injured and weak-willed, he was far more susceptible to supernatural intrusion than his companion. He Lingchuan repeated his question: "Who were you pursuing?" The captive answered dumbly, "The man wanted throughout the whole city. Surname Mai." Having lost his soul, even his vigilance was completely gone. "Have you ever dealt with him?" The man shook his head. They were merely acting on orders. "What orders did you receive?" "Bring him back. If he cannot be brought back, kill him on the spot." It was just as He Lingchuan had expected. "Who sent you?" "Uncle Wu." Finally, a new name to trace. "And who is Uncle Wu?" "Uncle Wu is a veteran servant of the Cen Manor. He has served by Lord Cen's side for over ten years, handling many affairs." "Lord Chen? Lord Cen?" He Lingchuan asked. "His full name?" "Cen..." A flicker of struggle reappeared in the man's eyes. Even with his soul drawn out, he instinctively resisted speaking? He Lingchuan said, "Don't worry. Tell me, and I guarantee no harm will come to you." Yet the man shook his head repeatedly. He Lingchuan had no choice but to change his angle: "Does he live in the northwest corner of Baishaqu?" "Yes." "Is it east of Blue Lake?" "Yes." "Are there any distinguishing landmarks?" "A pair of white jade qilin over ten feet tall guard the main gate, and there is a three-hundred-year-old wutong tree." He Lingchuan pondered for a moment. "What does Uncle Wu look like?" "In his fifties. Square face, slightly chubby, not very tall, squinting eyes when he smiles." These features sounded very familiar. "Was he wearing maroon silk today, with a black gilded belt and a black hat?" The man thought back for a second. "Yes." He Lingchuan gave a faint smirk. Uncle Wu had been up on the pagoda just now! He was that elderly, wealthy merchant haggling with someone at Chaohu Teahouse. Whether out of supreme confidence in his skills or absolute certainty he wouldn't be exposed, Uncle Wu had gone in person after all. Fortunately, He Lingchuan had played his part to perfection up on the pagoda, not letting the man see through him at a glance. "Is Uncle Wu the head housekeeper of the Cen Manor? What kind of affairs does he handle?" "No, the head housekeeper of the Cen Manor is someone else." The man shook his head. "Uncle Wu only follows Lord Cen. We don't know what he actually does." "Uncle Wu is Lord Cen's confidant?" "Yes." "Good. Take him away." In high spirits, He Lingchuan said to the squad leader, "Tell your commander to escort this captive with the dislocated shoulder to the capital immediately and present him to the Crown Prince as a crucial material witness. Lock the other one up, and guard against any attempt to silence him." The soldier acknowledged the order and departed. He Lingchuan stood up, stretched, and blew a whistle. The goshawk flew over from who knew where, a few magpie feathers still clinging to its beak. "You're eating already?" He Lingchuan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "The one who turned back to report needed to be shadowed, too." Perched on a horse's back, the goshawk flapped its wings. "I already dispatched watchers." With time of the essence, everyone packed up and hurried back. Only when Chaohu Pagoda came back into view did two azure-winged magpies fly in from ahead, landing before the goshawk with a flurry of chirps. The goshawk raised its wings in displeasure, startling the two avian monsters into taking flight. "What is it?" "They lost him," the goshawk said sourly. "They say the third man who doubled back entered a low house across from Chaohu Pagoda and never came out. After waiting a bit and sensing something was wrong, they slipped through the window to check, only to find it completely empty." "Mm, then he's already slipped away. If not a secret passage, then an array." He Lingchuan let out a breath, knowing tracking down the enemy's lair wouldn't be that simple. "Take me there to have a look." The two azure-winged magpies led the way. They had been temporarily conscripted by the goshawk. As a monster official of Chiyan, the goshawk had the authority to commandeer these avian monsters for its service. Following them, He Lingchuan arrived at a single-story structure diagonally across from Chaohu Pagoda. It was not in the front row facing the street, but rather a loft in the rear, roughly on the third level. He Lingchuan climbed up and saw that the window indeed offered a direct view of Chaohu Pagoda's main entrance. Such buildings clustered around Chaohu Pagoda, unremarkable and nondescript. A mixed crowd came and went, with many out-of-town visitors renting rooms here to save money. After all, being near a scenic spot, it was not as insular as ordinary residential quarters, where an unfamiliar face would be spotted immediately. He Lingchuan and Jiao Yu searched the room a few times. Moving aside a low table, they found a drawn array hidden underneath. One look, and Jiao Yu remarked, "This is a lesser mountain-moving array. It can only transport someone twenty feet away." Of course, the cost was correspondingly low. No need to check; the other end of the array was undoubtedly set in the neighboring house, and the third target had already slipped away. The magpies' surveillance had failed completely. "Guard our current prisoners well; they are crucial material witnesses." He Lingchuan straightened up. "Fortunately, we've already extracted new clues." A grand manor east of Blue Lake, guarded by white jade qilin at the entrance, with a three-hundred-year-old wutong tree. This was practically naming names. In truth, the moment those three gave chase, He Lingchuan had already felt reassured. The goals of this trap had already been achieved: First, he needed to ascertain whether Mr. Mai had made contact with the true culprit behind the scenes. This was the crux of the entire case. Now the answer was clear: No. Ever since fleeing Shuanglu Town, Mr. Mai had vanished without a trace; neither He Lingchuan nor Mai's direct superior had managed to find him. Otherwise, these people wouldn't have risked snooping around Chaohu Pagoda. Mr. Mai's disappearance was itself a thought-provoking signal. Had he fled after catching wind of lethal danger to save his own skin, or had he harbored designs from the very beginning? If the latter, what was his aim? Second, baiting the hook. He Lingchuan hadn't expected to hook a big fish right away. To be honest, he felt the waters here ran deep, and whoever bit the bait might not be the true culprit. Yet give him a vine, and he could trace it to the melon, prying open a flaw in the enemy's tight defense. And now, hadn't a clue delivered itself right to his door? ... After stepping out of the lesser mountain-moving array, the third guard met Uncle Wu. Seeing him return empty-handed, Uncle Wu instantly knew things had gone wrong. "What happened?" Before the guard could report, Uncle Wu's expression shifted drastically. "Enough, move! Speak as we walk!" Before the guard could even open his mouth, Uncle Wu swept his hand across the array on the wall, damaging it, and hurried away with his subordinate. Half an hour later. Uncle Wu stood before his master, cold sweat dripping down his forehead: "Those two fools never returned. This old servant grew foolish and walked right into their trap!" "They may have already confessed." Cen Boqing paced across the room. "The two of them alone cannot bite their way into the Cen Manor, but this He fellow is uncovering more and more. We cannot let him live." "Please instruct me, Master." "He is the special envoy of Chiyan Kingdom's Crown Prince; he cannot be executed openly." Cen Boqing paused. "Find a curse master to send him on his way." "You mean... Cheng?" Cen Boqing nodded. "He should be ready by now." "If we can bring that man into play, it should be foolproof." Uncle Wu breathed a sigh of relief. "Even the ruler of Mang Kingdom died by his hand back then. Dealing with this He fellow should be child's play." "Go see what else needs to be prepared, and tell him not to be careless." Uncle Wu assented and was about to leave when Cen Boqing suddenly added, "Right. Have you verified Mai Xuewen's background and history?" "I've already sent men to recheck it. His hometown is rather far, so it will likely take three to five days to get results." "I just heard that he had his subordinates slay monsters in a very unusual manner?" "This..." Uncle Wu's face paled slightly. "You don't know either?" "When Mai Xuewen first started doing this, I accompanied and observed him for over two months. His methods for leading men to slay monsters were quite ordinary—not at all like, like how it is now." Uncle Wu swallowed hard. "Afterward, Mai Xuewen always delivered the pulp beads on schedule, sometimes even exceeding the quota. He was the most low-profile of all the proxy handlers, and nothing ever went wrong. This old servant rarely... rarely looked into his methods again." He had many subordinates and countless matters to worry about. With Mai Xuewen never putting a foot wrong, how could he keep his eyes solely on him? Cen Boqing said softly, "You manage many proxy holders; it's impossible to interrogate every single one about these things. I know." Uncle Wu kept his head down. He knew Cen Boqing too well—this matter wouldn't blow over so easily. "Yet this is the second major mistake you have made!" With a crisp crack, Cen Boqing hurled a teacup, shattering it against the wall right beside Uncle Wu. Shards flew, cutting the back of his hand, but Uncle Wu remained motionless, letting the blood drip onto the floor. "Was the trap this He fellow set at Chaohu Pagoda so brilliant? How could you step right into it!" Cen Boqing slammed the table, roaring in fury. "How did you train your men? They're either stupid as pigs and dogs, or they flee at the first sign of trouble!" Uncle Wu took the berating without a word. His biggest mistake at Chaohu Pagoda was failing to stay in the loft to oversee things himself. As a result, the three guards rushed out to seize their quarry, only to prove incapable of adapting to changing circumstances. Just then, someone requested an audience at the back gate, claiming to be an old friend from Lingxu. Those four words were a secret code. Cen Boqing instantly reined in his temper and took a deep breath. Uncle Wu quickly moved to clean up the broken porcelain shards on the floor. A servant ushered in a person dressed in commoner's garb. For a residence as grand as the Cen Manor, over a hundred people were required just for daily upkeep, so people coming and going was entirely normal. Cen Boqing had assumed this was one of Zhongsun Mou's guards in disguise, but the visitor lifted his hat, revealing pale blue skin. "Brother Zhongsun?" Cen Boqing's astonishment was completely unfeigned. "Why have you come in person?"