Who's Anxious, and Who Isn't?

"This matter is somewhat complicated, but unravel the threads and peel away the layers, and the crux clearly lies with Wu Kai," He Lingchuan said slowly. "Not just to us—Cen Boqing thinks the exact same thing." Before the eyeball spider was destroyed, it had heard Cen Boqing's words loud and clear. Even though they already knew Cen Boqing was the mastermind, the primary difficulty He Lingchuan faced in handling this case was the lack of direct evidence linking the crimes to Cen Boqing himself. Whether it was Fu Songhua's testimony, the guard's confession, or even Mai Xuewen's actions, Cen Boqing could flatly deny them all. In other words, they lacked decisive evidence. Only by unearthing irrefutable, ironclad proof that Cen Boqing could not wriggle out of would He Lingchuan truly win. And at this moment, his sights were set on Wu Kai. The old man seemed unremarkable, merely trailing in and out behind Cen Boqing, yet the guard had already identified him as Cen Boqing's trusted confidant, responsible specifically for carrying out the tasks Cen assigned. Most crucially, the high society and nobility of Baishaqu all knew this as well. If they could find a breakthrough through Wu Kai, he would be the living witness they so desperately sought. Jiao Yu instinctively extended a sharp claw. "That's bad. What if Cen Boqing kills him to silence him?" "Then it would be quite troublesome," He Lingchuan said, rubbing his chin. "But if he doesn't, it proves all the more that Wu Kai is too important, and Cen Boqing won't abandon him unless left with absolutely no choice." Through the eyeball spider, he had already heard that Cen Boqing would rather shoulder the risk than kill Wu Kai. That meant Uncle Wu's work was vital and not easily replaced. Furthermore, recalling that Wu Kai had been the one to ascend Chaohu Pagoda that day—to receive the pulp beads handed over periodically by Mr. Mai—He Lingchuan had good reason to suspect he was the person in charge of hunting demons for their beads. If his deduction proved correct, it no longer mattered whether Mai Xuewen was captured. As long as they caught Uncle Wu and had him testify, Cen Boqing would never wash himself clean of suspicion! Jiao Yu asked, "How should we deal with him? Strike when he's alone?" "They've already raised their guard; Wu Kai won't be alone. Even if he were, it would likely be a trap set for us." If they could lay traps, the opposition could too—fair was fair. "Then what do we do?" "On the surface, stay put for now," He Lingchuan said leisurely. "As long as we aren't in a hurry, someone else always will be." "Someone else?" Jiao Yu pondered for a good while, his tail swaying behind him. "You mean Mai Xuewen?" Only when the tiger came to his senses did he realize He Lingchuan had been stroking his head for quite some time. That touch was truly addictive. "Mai Xuewen really shouldn't have sent that slip of paper." He Lingchuan picked up the note and burned it to ashes. "He probably assumed I'd be furious right now and leap at any lead I could get." Jiao Yu thought to himself, *Wouldn't a normal person do just that?* Right at that moment, another visitor came looking for He Lingchuan. This time, what he received was an oiled-paper packet. Opening it revealed a slip of paper and a few strands of hair. Seeing them, He Lingchuan was somewhat surprised. "Old Master Xiang got hold of the items so quickly?" He had expected to wait another day or two, never anticipating Xiang Yan would be so efficient. No wonder the man had served as an official in court for decades until his peaceful retirement. When He Lingchuan went down to the outhouse outside, the other eyeball spider erupted in his ear. "I didn't expect Cen Boqing would discover your companion, either." "Yes, he deserves to die ten thousand deaths!" "Mm-hmm, we won't let him off. We'll definitely make him pay for it." "No, no, no, you stay obediently by my side. No need to go keep an eye on him." He Lingchuan dug at his ear. The little spider's furious screeching was nearly rupturing his eardrums, yet he was the only one who could hear it. "He's already on his guard. I don't want you killed in action as well." Alas, he was down to his last spider spy. He wondered if he could restock whenever he saw Zhu Erniang again. By nightfall, a third guest arrived. The inn where He Lingchuan was staying was remarkably lively today. The visitor turned out to be the County Magistrate of Baishaqu. "Magistrate Tian?" He Lingchuan's surprise was genuine. "What brings you here?" "To deliver an invitation to you, of course," Magistrate Tian said with a beaming smile. "The day after tomorrow is the Lotus Festival, the grandest summer celebration in Baishaqu, celebrated by the entire town. Would you grace us with your presence?" "Interesting. It would be rude to refuse." He Lingchuan rubbed his chin. "Which other prominent figures will be attending? Zhongsun Mou?" "Lord... Lord Zhongsun has already agreed to attend," Magistrate Tian said after a slight hesitation. "He will also deliver a speech at the opening ceremony." "Oh? He has such leisure and elegance to spare?" "Indeed, indeed." Magistrate Tian set down the invitation, took a step forward, and lowered his voice. "The information you asked me to inquire about earlier—" "Hmm?" "The word that Lord Zhongsun had arrived in Baishaqu was first leaked by the Cen estate," Magistrate Tian whispered. "It was mentioned offhand during a gathering of the Cen family's kin." "Just as expected." He Lingchuan nodded. "Thank you for your trouble, Magistrate Tian." "A minor effort, not worth mentioning." Magistrate Tian added, "The Cen estate is dispatching people across the city to search for Fu Songhua. Baishaqu is only so large, and the Cen family knows this place like the back of their hands. I'm afraid..." "As anticipated," He Lingchuan said. "Magistrate Tian has been very thoughtful." "You flatter me." Magistrate Tian was a sensible man; having delivered his message, he took his leave. The fierce tiger licked his paw nearby. "That intelligence is old news by now." They had long known the Cen estate was the mastermind. "I didn't expect Magistrate Tian to dig up anything particularly useful," He Lingchuan said, clear-headed. "As long as we're certain he hasn't taken their side, we've eliminated a major obstacle." Magistrate Tian himself was not important, but the fact that he had not aligned himself against He Lingchuan was very important. After all, he was still an official of the Chiyan Kingdom. *** Midsummer rain arrived without warning and refused to leave, pouring down densely for more than half the day. Remarkably, several more waves of guests came calling. Even He Lingchuan had not anticipated that the visitors were all officials of the Chiyan Kingdom—some retired, some currently in office, and several arriving in pairs. All of them offered the same pretext: *The Special Envoy has worked hard investigating the case; we have come specifically to pay our respects, bringing a modest gift to express our regards.* Every official arrived smiling, conversed smiling, and left smiling. He Lingchuan could not make sense of it. What play were they putting on? Jiao Yu flicked his tail. It was rare to see the Special Envoy at a loss. "It means they're all standing on our side. It seems nobles from Lingxu City like Cen Boqing aren't popular around here either." He Lingchuan let out a long "Oh." Once the guests were gone, he couldn't be bothered to move. Aside from cultivating, he simply sat watching the rain beat against the plantain leaves, or played his flute and xun. The flute was an ordinary bamboo flute he had bought on a whim at the market. Its sound quality was middling at best, far inferior to Sun Fuling's bone flute. In any case, his skill was equally mediocre. Ahem, in truth, he had made progress compared to earlier days; at least he could play through a complete tune now. There were pauses and breaks throughout, so rhythm was best left unmentioned for the time being. When it came to music, he truly lacked talent. Whenever these moments arrived, the fierce tiger would find an excuse to slip away. Only the soul-snatching mirror was left behind in sorrow, enduring in silence: It had no legs; it couldn't leave! From the second floor, the view overlooked a small lake about thirty yards away. The tender pink lotus buds were washed by the rain into a shy, delicate beauty, swaying under the impact of bounding frogs. Seeing these frogs organizing their impromptu choruses, He Lingchuan couldn't help but recall the snail-toad. Mr. Mai was probably hiding in some corner of Baishaqu as well, quietly watching the tempest he had stirred up, wasn't he? Just then, a dark little object flew in over the compound wall, swooping diagonally toward his window. He Lingchuan initially thought it was a bat, as it fluttered its wings. But as it drew closer, something was off— It was a mechanical bird. The creature was only slightly larger than a pigeon and relatively crude in craftsmanship. Dismantled, it would contain merely a few components and a wind-riding array. At most, the thing could fly a few hundred yards, bearing no comparison to the mechanical carrier pigeon in Wu Shaoyi's possession that could cover dozens of li. It could not even manage a proper landing; after flying clumsily through the window, it tumbled straight down. He Lingchuan took two steps back, bracing for it to explode. However, the mechanical bird merely lay slanted on the floor, fluttered its wings twice, and went still. The fierce tiger Jiao Yu, who had just been about to head out, spun around and pounced over, prodding it twice with a paw. "There's a seam on its belly." He Lingchuan reached into the bird's belly, and sure enough, found a hidden compartment. Opening it revealed another slip of paper: *Three double-hours from now, at Xieyu Pavilion on the eastern shore of Luan Lake. Please come alone.* The tiger saw it too and let out an inquisitive sound. "Could this be...?" "Probably Mai Xuewen." The handwriting on the note was very familiar to He Lingchuan, indeed matching the ledgers. "We've only stayed idle for a little while, and he's already gotten anxious." "Are you going to keep the appointment?" By all logic, He Lingchuan should not go. These were unusual times. Zhongsun Mou, the Cen estate, and the newly arrived Fan brothers all had their eyes on him, and there was no telling how many informants lurked outside the inn. If these people caught him meeting Mai Xuewen in private, the consequences would be dire. He Lingchuan could already picture Zhongsun Mou laughing maniacally as he flung mud at his name. Yet Mai Xuewen clearly possessed deeper inside knowledge that could help him break through the current deadlock. Moreover, there was something He Lingchuan kept brooding over, something not meant for outside ears: The painting in Mai Xuewen's study, and the bone flute within that painting. He looked at the rain outside the window. "Thieves steal in the rain, never the snow—this weather really is ideal for slipping out." Pedestrians on the street all carried oiled-paper umbrellas, their faces completely obscured. "Therefore—" "—I'm not going." Jiao Yu had come to understand him somewhat by now and wasn't surprised at first. "You're really going to venture into enemy territory alone? That's too danger... Wait, you said you're not going?" "That's right." "..." "Mai Xuewen sees that I've quieted down over the past few days and can't figure out what's going on; perhaps he thinks I've gotten cold feet," He Lingchuan said lazily. "Since he's anxious, I'm in even less of a hurry." *This fellow's nerve is truly enormous.* The tiger flicked the tip of his tail. Just as Xiang Yan had said, He Lingchuan was currently in deep peril, with Zhongsun Mou and the others straining every nerve to see him dead. Jiao Yu had assumed that after two consecutive attacks, He Lingchuan would lash out in immediate retaliation. Perhaps the other side was waiting for precisely that reaction as well. Yet, nothing of the sort. He Lingchuan nodded, recalling something. "Right, according to Fu Shanyue's reply, he should be..." "Arriving soon." "That's good, then."