Speaking in Riddles?

"So in reality, they're still sourced from Beijia, and just taking a trip abroad makes them legitimate?" Mai Xuewen spread his hands. "Outside of the Beijia Kingdom, where else could hunting demons be this easy?" As a northern demon kingdom, demons naturally abounded. Human realms were scattered all across the world, while demons hid away in deep mountains and vast swamps—dispersed and hard to track down. When considering efficiency and cost, hunting demons in Beijia was, of course, the most economical option. He Lingchuan pondered for a moment. "You said they're sent off to be refined into medicine... So Cen Boqing isn't refining the elixir himself?" Mai Xuewen chuckled softly. "You're sharp. The one refining it is someone else, but only after you survive your current predicament will I be able to tell you." "Why?" "If you can't even nail down Cen Boqing, you won't be able to carry on with what comes after." He Lingchuan looked at him. "The one you have a grudge against isn't Cen Boqing, is it?" Mai Xuewen smiled without answering. "If you want to cooperate, you must show some sincerity," He Lingchuan said, crossing his arms. "How are you going to help me?" "I can give you two leads." Mai Xuewen raised a finger. "First, the man who went into the county jail to collude on confessions with Fu Songhua is named Pang Denian. He is also one of Wu Kai's subordinates. Once the bribed head jailer died, he was in the clear, and was sent off to do odd jobs and lay low at the Hou Family Estate in the southwest of Baishaqu under the alias Chen Erhei. Nobody there knows him. On the surface, the Hou Family Estate has no ties to Cen Manor, but it's actually controlled by Cen Boqing's cousin." He paused before adding, "The reason Wu Kai didn't silence Pang Denian by killing him is probably because Wu Kai's grandson once fell into the water and was saved by Pang Denian. After that, the two remained on good terms." "Second, I discovered that another team hunting demons for their pulp beads is in Xiaohulu Town in Baiting County. Their leader is named Yang Song, and he likely has five or six men under him." Jiao Yu, the tiger, chimed in, "Hold on. Baiting County isn't within Chiyan Kingdom's borders." "The teams under Wu Kai are scattered across different vassal demon kingdoms." Mai Xuewen glanced at the tiger. "Baiting County is considered quite close—only seventy or eighty li from Chiyan's northern border." "Cross-border arrests?" He Lingchuan frowned. "What about the other teams?" "I suspect there are three or four more teams, but they don't know each other and have no contact. The only intermediary is Wu Kai." He said to He Lingchuan, "Both of these leads are tied directly to Wu Kai. If you apprehend them, you might be able to extract more details." "That's it? That's far too little to be of real use." "If they hadn't covered their tracks so thoroughly, you wouldn't have been called in to investigate at this late stage," Mai Xuewen sighed. "Here's one more lead, then. Wu Kai lost his wife and son in his earlier years, but he has a grandson. Over the past few days, his daughter-in-law has brought the boy to Baishaqu for a visit." He Lingchuan was dissatisfied. "And here I thought you'd tie Wu Kai up and hand him over to me directly." "The entire Cen Manor is fortified with formations that bar escape techniques, so the snail-toad cannot enter." Evidently, Mai Xuewen had already tried. "Besides, Wu Kai and Cen Boqing are practically joined at the hip, and both are protected by hidden guards." The snail-toad was only suited for sneak attacks. He Lingchuan thought for a moment. "What kind of personality does Cen Boqing have?" "Don't be fooled by his overbearing arrogance toward outsiders. Inwardly, he's suspicious and weak-willed, quick to compromise, yet capable of sudden, reckless desperation. You could say he has a complex, mercurial temperament. Oh, and he intensely loathes trouble." He Lingchuan pondered. Bullying on the outside yet weak within, prone to swinging to extremes when backed into a corner? People with that sort of personality were hardly rare. "How did Uncle Wu come to serve Cen Boqing?" "Wu Kai was the personal attendant of Cen Boqing's father, Cen Dan. After Cen Dan passed away, he remained at Cen Boqing's side, and has been with him for over a decade." "So Wu Kai enjoys Cen Boqing's deep trust?" "Naturally. Otherwise, how could a business like hunting demons for their pulp beads ever be entrusted to him?" Mai Xuewen added, "Let me offer you one more piece of advice." "Oh?" The fellow was speaking with immense airs. "The deeper this case is investigated, the worse it gets. You won't be able to handle it alone. Call on the Crown Prince for backup immediately." "I also have a question for you," He Lingchuan suddenly threw out a completely unrelated question. "There was a painting in your study depicting a woman playing a bone flute. Where did that painting come from, and who is depicted in it?" Why ask about that out of the blue? Not only Mai Xuewen, but even the tiger beside him froze, forgetting to groom its fur. Mai Xuewen immediately asked, "The painting is with you?" He Lingchuan retrieved the scroll from his storage ring and waved it at him. "I bought it from a market and kept it because of the exquisite brushwork." He Lingchuan was displeased. "If you keep spouting nonsense, I'll drop this case and walk away." Mai Xuewen fell silent for a moment before speaking. "That painting was created twenty years ago. The woman in it is the current master of the Azure Palace, National Preceptor Qingyang." What? The portrait was of National Preceptor Qingyang? This answer caught He Lingchuan entirely off guard. "One of the Four Great National Preceptors of Beijia?" "Indeed." "What's the origin of the instrument in her hands?" "That flute?" Mai Xuewen asked in surprise. "Why do you ask about that?" Nonsense, if not for the bone flute, why would he bother putting so much effort into investigating this case? "I seem to have seen that flute before." "It may be a piece from the Azure Palace's collection." Mai Xuewen's eyes flickered slightly. "National Preceptor Qingyang loves collecting rare curiosities, and having held her position the longest, the treasures kept in the Azure Palace far outnumber those of the other three National Preceptors." He Lingchuan stared at him. Unfortunately, the servant's face was stiff, revealing nothing. "You truly don't know the flute's origin?" "All I know is that it seems to have been in National Preceptor Qingyang's hands for a very long time." "And what is your relationship with the National Preceptor of the Azure Palace?" Mai Xuewen answered smoothly, "None at all." Heh. He Lingchuan didn't believe him, but since the man refused to elaborate, he let out a soft breath and continued, "With only our current evidence and leads, it wouldn't be appropriate for the Crown Prince to step forward. What's more, I have no legitimate justification to stop Zhongsun Mou from taking Fu Songhua back to Lingxu City." Without conclusive evidence in hand, Fu Shanyue would be in a passive position even if he came. "In other words, the moment Zhongsun Mou finds Fu Songhua, this case is closed," he said, enunciating every word. "And once that happens, you won't get another chance." That was why his adversaries had spent the past few days combing the entire town for Fu Songhua—even the Fan brothers hadn't come looking for trouble with He Lingchuan. The moment that fugitive wanted by Lingxu City was recovered, this contest would come to a close. All of Mai Xuewen's long-laid plans would go down the drain. This outcome was clearly something Mai Xuewen could never accept. After a moment's thought, he said, "Then I'll do you one more favor. Tomorrow happens to be the Lotus Fragrance Festival..." "Silence!" He Lingchuan slammed the table and barked, "You are a suspect, and I am the special envoy! I have no need for your favors, nor will I make any deals with you!" Mai Xuewen: "..." Jiao Yu: "..." Not making a deal? Is this envoy just messing with people? "I was merely coaxing information out of a suspect," He Lingchuan said as he took out a small box and opened it, revealing several damp little round beads inside. He took one out, rolled it between his fingers a couple of times, and casually moved to crush it flat. Mai Xuewen's eyes locked onto it, and seeing this, he couldn't help crying out, "Don't!" He Lingchuan didn't crush it. He merely glanced at him, smiled, and slowly placed the bead back in the box. "It seems you're very close to me." "You won't catch me, especially in weather like this." Outside, the rain had not stopped for a moment. Even with the windows shut, the room was thick with dampness. "Don't try any funny business, and don't even think about disrupting other people's celebration," He Lingchuan warned him sternly. "Turn yourself in early. Otherwise, once I catch you, you'll be punished to the fullest extent of the law!" Mai Xuewen gave him a deep look. "You're an interesting fellow. I hope you're still alive once this case is closed." "Don't trouble yourself." The moment the words left his mouth, the servant staggered back two paces, nearly falling over. With a start, he steadied himself and looked around, his eyes filled with bewilderment. "What?" What had happened? How had he slipped into a guest's room? He looked back to find the doors and windows shut tight, while steam billowed from the large wooden tub. A shiver ran down his spine. C-could it be...? Fortunately, the guest pointed behind him. "Get out." It seemed Mai Xuewen had withdrawn his technique, allowing the servant to return to his senses. The servant dashed out in a flash, not forgetting to pull the door shut behind him. It appeared Mai Xuewen's magic had left no lingering harm. He Lingchuan looked at the big tub of hot water. Who sends hot water in the middle of summer? Lunatic! Still, now that it was here, letting it go to waste would be a pity. Yet before he could even loosen his clothes, the tiger jumped into the water with a loud splash and rested its massive head on the rim of the tub. "You don't bathe in your room anyway," it muttered with half-lidded eyes, looking precisely like an old man lounging in a bathhouse. "..." The beast certainly knew how to pamper itself. Meanwhile, Jiao Yu asked him, "What kind of riddles were you two playing?" It had a nagging feeling that their final gestures and exchange held hidden meanings—both men seemed to understand something that completely eluded the tiger. Humans, heh, with their eight hundred conniving schemes. "Were we?" He Lingchuan smiled faintly. He fished a towel out of the hot water, folded it into a neat square, and set it on the tiger's forehead. "You're overthinking it." Amid the billowing steam, his smile appeared slightly hazy. "Rough seas and stormy waves are coming." Jiao Yu blurted, "Huh?" Turning its head, it saw He Lingchuan lie back onto the couch with his hands pillowed behind his head, looking completely at ease—as though those words hadn't just come from his mouth. ... In the loft across the street. Two lookouts were staring blankly at the wooden window opposite them when a guard from Cen Manor suddenly appeared behind them: "Any movement?" The two nearly jumped out of their skins. "None. Everything's normal." Their sole job was to watch the Crown Prince's special envoy at the inn. They had watched him for days now, and the man was remarkably well-behaved—just eating, sleeping, and chatting. The guard looked over. He Lingchuan's wooden shutters were closed. "What is he doing?" "Taking a bath," the two replied. "A servant brought up a large tub of hot water." The guard grunted in acknowledgment and was about to turn away when something struck him as odd: "Wait. Doesn't he usually go to the bathhouse to bathe?" "Yeah, but..." If a man wants to bathe in his guest room, why shouldn't he? The guard raised his hand and smacked both of them across the back of their heads. "Using a bath as an excuse to shut the window is an anomaly! How could you not know to report that?!" With that, he hurried down the stairs, leaving the two lookouts in the loft trembling with anxiety. Unfortunately, the guard arrived too late. By the time he reached the inn, the door to He Lingchuan's room was already open, and several servants were carrying the tub out. The water was somewhat dirty, with a few yellowish-red hairs floating on the surface.