Yet of all people, the killer had been his own son, his only surviving flesh and blood.
The relationship between that father and son—tsk!
It seemed even more twisted and bizarre than his own relationship with He Chunhua.
Bai Ziqi also shook his head with a sigh. "Who can say? It's a tangled mess."
As they spoke, the two approached the Cen estate.
The grounds remained surrounded by Commander Lu's soldiers, but troops were now openly escorting people and goods in and out. Compared to their previous tactic of laying siege without attacking, this was done openly, under torchlight and without the slightest restraint.
Among the Lingxu City noble houses residing in Baishaqu, few had a pedigree higher than Cen Boqing's. Now that the Cen family was facing its downfall, neighbors emerged from all around to watch. The streets teemed with throngs of onlookers, pointing and whispering.
It was livelier than the New Year; all it lacked was strings of firecrackers.
The moment Bai Ziqi arrived, Commander Lu strode out to meet them. "My lords, we have taken the Cen residence and are currently searching for Cen Boqing."
He Lingchuan frowned, and Bai Ziqi asked directly, "Searching? Cen Boqing hasn't been captured yet?"
"The Cen estate is vast. We have nearly searched every corner, but we have yet to find any trace of him."
By now, the servants of the Cen household were being rounded up and escorted outside. From young errand boys to kitchen maids, not a single one was spared. Rather surprisingly, the one bustling about in charge of the scene was Magistrate Tian.
Bathed in the glow of the constables' torches, Magistrate Tian held his head high and chest out, barking orders with rhythmic cadence and grand authority.
Catching sight of Bai Ziqi and He Lingchuan, he immediately put on a flattering smile. "The Crown Prince is in the rear garden, my lords..."
Bai Ziqi waved a hand, cutting off his pleasantries. "Have you questioned the servants about Cen Boqing's whereabouts?"
"Ah, they are being interrogated right now. So far, everyone questioned claims to know nothing."
This was He Lingchuan's first time setting foot inside the Cen estate. Leaving aside the exquisitely crafted architecture and ornamental landscape, fragrant lotuses and plums blossomed throughout. A natural spring flowed through four distinct gardens, nourishing brocade carp that had grown up to five feet long, looking regal and opulent. Floating in the spring were jellyfish of all sizes, the smallest like fists and the largest comparable to pumpkins. Whenever they touched an object, they emitted flashes of red, yellow, blue, or green light; they had to be an extraordinary sight at night.
He had no idea what species they were. In the past, He Lingchuan had always thought jellyfish existed only in the ocean.
It was mid-August, the height of summer, and sweltering hot. Taking just two paces outdoors was enough to work up a sweat.
Yet within this sprawling Cen manor, the air remained at a constant, comfortable temperature in the low twenties. Gentle, cool breezes blew both indoors and out, proof that the heat-dispelling formations were operating smoothly.
Maintaining such formations consumed tremendous amounts of energy; at the very least, the household of the Chief Administrator of Xiazhou back in the Yuan Kingdom could never afford to run them.
Here, however, even the latrine in the rearmost courtyard enjoyed the privilege.
Bai Ziqi asked again, "Where is Commander Fan?"
"Commander Fan carries his axe and comes and goes like the wind. No one knows where he has gone by now."
He Lingchuan interjected, "Did Emissary Bai send him to apprehend someone?"
Bai Ziqi did not conceal it. "Yes, Cheng Yu."
He Lingchuan's heart skipped a beat. This special envoy from Lingxu City had only just arrived in Baishaqu, so why had he set his sights on Cheng Yu of all people?
"That curse master?" he asked with feigned curiosity. "What's so special about him?"
"His sorcery is unique. I might need his assistance for my next case."
"Emissary Bai's next case is already lined up? You truly are a busy man."
Bai Ziqi wore his enigmatic, almost charlatan smile once more. "To share the burdens of the Sacred Sovereign and the Demon Emperor is my bounden duty."
As the three walked into the rear garden, they heard Fu Shanyue's booming voice:
"Smash that rockery open! Let me see if there's a hidden passage!"
Before them stood an intricate rockery of winding heights, like a labyrinth where ordinary people would easily lose their way. Seventeen or eighteen soldiers had looped ropes around the highest peak, hauling and grunting with all their might, yet it remained motionless.
Fu Shanyue's idea was not without reason. Many estates favored building escape tunnels beneath rockeries, as rear gardens were typically secluded and separated from the outer street by merely a wall or two. Any commotion from digging could easily be masked under the guise of garden renovations.
In such wealthy estates, gardens were meticulously designed and refined, often taking two to three years—and sometimes as long as a dozen—to complete.
Over a dozen more constables joined in the effort. Finally, the jagged rockery, standing nearly twenty feet tall, toppled like a collapsing mountain, shattering into pieces.
The soldiers surged in like ravenous wolves, trampling through the rubble, but found no trace of a secret entrance.
Bai Ziqi's expression turned somber. "When was the last time the servants saw Cen Boqing?"
Commander Lu came over to report, "A page from the second courtyard said that about two hours ago, Cen Boqing ordered the servants to gather miscellaneous items, resembling materials for casting a curse. But with the manor surrounded, they couldn't procure quail, so he came to the rockery to catch two magpies instead... That was likely the last time anyone saw him, as he subsequently went to the side courtyard to meet with Cheng Yu, dismissing all the servants while they spoke."
Just then, Magistrate Tian hurried over to report that the entire estate had been thoroughly searched, and Cen Boqing was nowhere to be found.
Fu Shanyue said with a dark expression, "Search again! Search thoroughly this time!"
Magistrate Tian had no choice but to take his orders and scurry off.
"The Cen estate was tightly surrounded, with hundreds of eyes watching, not to mention the passersby..." Bai Ziqi glanced at Fu Shanyue, leaving one detail unsaid—that the Crown Prince himself had been overseeing the perimeter. "By all rights, a living person like Cen Boqing should have had no chance of escaping."
Fan Sheng slipped out from the shadows and added, "Cheng Yu as well."
Two living people, vanished into thin air?
Fu Shanyue's fury was palpable. The cooked duck, practically in his mouth, had sprouted wings and flown away?
Then what had all his efforts to intercept Cen Boqing amounted to? Was Cen Boqing just playing him for a fool?
"Could it be a mountain-moving array?" Fan Sheng suggested. "That would allow for instant teleportation."
Fu Shanyue said coldly, "We laid down an escape-art prohibition. Even a mountain-moving array wouldn't function."
He Lingchuan recalled something, and his mind stirred. "That's right. The night I pursued Cheng Yu, his aura vanished completely once he entered Fu Songhua's residence. No matter how I searched, I couldn't locate him."
Fu Shanyue declared at once, "He does possess some tricks. It's useless to waste time waiting here. Go interrogate Wu Kai!"
Wu Kai was Cen Boqing's confidant. Whatever methods the master possessed, Wu Kai would know best.
And so, Bai Ziqi returned to the inn to interrogate Wu Kai.
Fu Shanyue called He Lingchuan into the waterside pavilion in the garden, waved away his attendants, and casually laid down a sound-dampening barrier.
Seeing his actions, He Lingchuan turned serious. "What is it that warrants such secrecy?"
"Bai Ziqi's arrival is rather suspicious. Keep an eye on him for me over the next few days."
"Suspicious?" He Lingchuan feigned slight surprise. "Isn't he here on orders to investigate the courier case?"
"Bai Ziqi claims he came from the Twilight Plains. Hah, I don't believe for a second he stopped there."
He Lingchuan asked, "He entered Chiyan?"
"Ninety percent certain," Fu Shanyue said. "Whenever an envoy from Lingxu City enters a demon kingdom, they typically notify the local authorities first so they can be received and aided in their duties."
They were all officials, after all; shouldn't operations require mutual cooperation between superiors and subordinates?
"Yet Bai Ziqi snuck around this time. No one knew he entered Chiyan, nor did anyone know his destination. If not for Zhongsun Mou's downfall and the Demon Emperor's urgent reassignment, I wouldn't have even known he had arrived." Fu Shanyue said slowly, "What is he up to?"
He Lingchuan replied with two words: "Official business."
"Nonsense, of course it's official business. Do you think he wanted to come of his own accord?" Fu Shanyue sneered. "Don't be fooled by his affable demeanor. Those people from Lingxu City think they were born superior, and deep down, they look down on everyone. Unless it's to convalesce in a scenic resort like Baishaqu, they wouldn't step foot in a vassal demon kingdom if they could help it."
Understanding was written across He Lingchuan's face. Wasn't it just a hierarchy of contempt?
The people of Beijia looked down on those from the Fu and Yuan Kingdoms, while the people of Lingxu City looked down on the vassal demon kingdoms.
"This Emissary Bai seems quite formidable." Bai Ziqi was polite to others, unlike Cen Boqing or Zhongsun Mou, who looked down their noses at everyone.
Yet He Lingchuan could sense that his warmth was merely surface-level, meant only to lower people's guard.
Bai Ziqi was constantly observing the people and events around him.
Every time his gaze swept over, it made He Lingchuan uneasy, as though the man were prying into his deepest secrets.
And He Lingchuan truly was a man with secrets.
"A Duyun Emissary holds an exalted status, answering only to the celestial gods and the Demon Emperor, and can even disregard the National Preceptor. Is that a position just anyone can hold?" Fu Shanyue paced back and forth. "Bai Ziqi keeps a low profile, and most of his assignments are covert affairs, so I haven't heard of many. But ten years ago, when the Baixiang Kingdom nearly descended into civil strife, the Demon Emperor dispatched Bai Ziqi to mediate, and the two sides ended up making peace. Five years ago, when trouble arose in the imperial capital, it was again Bai Ziqi who handled it."
"Sounds like a capable troubleshooter." Whether in a nation or an organization, there were always such figures.
"Indeed, he has varied methods." Fu Shanyue frowned. "Usually, however, his errands concern the celestial gods. Why would he come to Chiyan this time?"
He Lingchuan smiled. "If he has business in Chiyan, he may very well come to you for help in the end."
His own heart was uneasy as well.
What mission had Bai Ziqi been covertly assigned when he slipped into Chiyan in the first place?
If it involved the celestial gods, this was the Beijia Kingdom, a land renowned for revering gods. Why would celestial gods need to order their envoy to act in secrecy on their own territory?
"At least for now, only Emissary Bai has reached Baishaqu. The factions behind the Zhongsun clan and the Minister of Agriculture haven't arrived yet."
Fu Shanyue murmured, "I'd say the real show is yet to come!"
All the way out of the Cen estate, He Lingchuan reflected carefully on his actions since taking on the case.
It seemed he hadn't left any obvious slips.
"Does that Demon Emperor in Lingxu City truly intend to investigate the case impartially?" the mirror suddenly asked him. "Isn't that a good thing for you? You're acting in line with the sovereign's will, which lifts a tremendous amount of pressure off you."
"How is it not partial?"
"He directly sent the most uninvolved party available," the soul-snatching mirror replied. "Otherwise, with the Zhongsun clan wanting to complain, the Minister of Agriculture looking to defend himself, other factions would surely have tried to meddle in the selection of the envoy."
"Impartial? Most uninvolved? Do you truly think that?" He Lingchuan gave a slight chuckle. "Do you think that just because you followed two generals and a few powerful figures, you understand the depths of human nature?"
Chapter 525