Mislead Him!

He Lingchuan shook his head. "It isn't fair to compare us like that. I exhausted every trick up my sleeve, but Commander Fan still had trump cards he never brought out." Stroking his deer's mane, Bai Ziqi said, "You are a modest youth, yet also exceptionally bold—wagering fifty thousand taels in a single breath. With over a hundred teams harvesting lotuses, how were you so certain you could find the Overlord Lotus and claim top honors?" He Lingchuan gave a crafty grin. "Naturally, I had a few underhanded methods of my own. Over the years, how many of those who claimed the lotus token actually found it with their bare eyes and sheer dumb luck?" Only later had he learned of a champion from several years prior who won by releasing a hive of over two thousand bees, sending them swarming through the Lotus Palace to search for the Overlord Lotus. How could any ordinary person compete with that kind of efficiency? Because of that incident, Baishaqu patched the competition rules, strictly forbidding the use of swarms of familiars. Yet the old adage remained ever true: As the virtue rises a foot, the demon rises ten. Absolute fairness was simply impossible. Both men were well aware of the words Bai Ziqi had left unsaid: Zhongsun Mou just had to be murdered right at that exact time. Neither brought it up, however, as nothing would come of raising the matter anyway. Bai Ziqi said leisurely, "You have dealt with Mai Xuewen the most. What sort of man do you think he is?" Dealt with Mai Xuewen the most? Was Bai Ziqi trying to lay a trap for him? He Lingchuan shook his head repeatedly. "I merely tracked down a few clues he left behind. I can hardly say I have dealt with him. Wu Kai should know the answer far better than I do." Yet Wu Kai had also seen only the false persona Mai Xuewen had manufactured. Bai Ziqi naturally grasped the underlying meaning: if even the cautious, meticulous Wu Kai had fallen into the man's hands, how could He Lingchuan claim to understand Mai Xuewen? Even so, He Lingchuan added, "Still, for Mai Xuewen to spare no effort in exposing his former superior, and even abduct an Inspector in broad daylight, goes far beyond the word 'madness.' When hunting this man down, we must watch out for his utter desperation." "Yet he isn't mad in the slightest; he acts with great method." He Lingchuan shrugged. "Can't a madman be methodical as well? Emissary Bai, having handled so many cases, what is your view?" "This case is exceedingly complex. I fear the portion submerged beneath the surface is even vaster." Cen Boqing's identity alone was a thorn in the side for both Fu Shanyue and Bai Ziqi. "Oh, right. The case files note that the monster snail-toad ridden by Mai Xuedong once committed violence on the southern border of the Chiyan Kingdom?" "That is correct." It had nearly snatched his bighorn rock sheep back then. "When was this?" "Roughly forty-odd days ago." He Lingchuan grew guarded inside, taking care not to mention that he and Fu Shanyue had been present at the scene. "A merchant caravan lost two yaoguai—a cat yaoguai and a hedgehog yaoguai. After waiting in place for two days without their return, they reported it to the local authorities." When Fu Shanyue killed his brother in the ruins of Thousand Stars City, the Ruler of Chiyan had placed a strict gag order on the incident. None of the Chiyan people present were allowed to speak of it, let alone spread word outside. Naturally, the order had also been delivered to the Shimen Merchant Guild, and Second Master Shi had assured them of total compliance. "Forty-odd days ago, you say?" Bai Ziqi seemed to be turning something over in his mind. "How did such a minor incident catch your attention?" "The Crown Prince ordered all regions to report missing yaoguai citizens. By then, we had already discovered that the snail-toad frequently emerged on rainy nights, and this particular incident occurred right after a heavy downpour. Furthermore, the local townsfolk mentioned that yaoguai occasionally went missing on rainy nights in the outskirts. First, the numbers were small; second, it was right at the border checkpoint, so no one could be sure whether they had vanished or simply crossed the border on their own. Thus, the local yamen never paid it much mind." Bai Ziqi frowned slightly. "No eyewitnesses?" Then it was merely a suspected case. After all, the reasons for humans and yaoguai to go missing were endless. "Even if there were witnesses, they were likely eaten," He Lingchuan said with a wry smile. "I saw that monster with my own eyes. Striking from beneath the earth, it catches people completely off guard." "In other words, if this truly was Mai Xuewen's doing, his journey to hunt yaoguai and harvest their pearls proceeded from Chiyan's southern border northward. Hmm..." Bai Ziqi seemed lost in thought. "From south to north. That matches up." "Huh? What matches up?" "Nothing." Bai Ziqi smiled faintly. "By the way, while gathering reports of missing yaoguai, did you happen to notice whether several yamen bailiffs went missing around that time at the checkpoint between the Twilight Plains and Chiyan's southern border?" He Lingchuan's heart skipped a beat. How could he not remember? Those bailiffs had joined Zhongsun Mou in tripping up Fu Shanyue, using the search for the witch child as an excuse to ransack and smash the Shimen Merchant Guild's cargo. How could Fu Shanyue stomach such foul treatment? A few days after entering the kingdom, he snuck back. Aside from Zhongsun Mou's guards, he killed every single bailiff who had harassed him on the spot, sparing only Zhongsun Mou. In the end, Zhongsun Mou was also set up and eliminated by He Lingchuan, which served as a convenient settling of scores on Fu Shanyue's behalf. He Lingchuan had once asked about it, and Fu Shanyue stated he hadn't consumed their blood, merely dragged their corpses into the outskirts to bury them after the slaughter. Why had Bai Ziqi gone to the Twilight Plains? Why was he investigating these matters? After a moment's contemplation, He Lingchuan shook his head. "The case files the Crown Prince sent me contained no such matter, likely because the deceased were human." Every single word was the absolute truth. As an outsider with neither power nor influence in Chiyan, how could he possibly gather regional cases on his own? He simply read whatever the Crown Prince provided. Bai Ziqi realized this as well and ceased pressing him. He Lingchuan's heart immediately settled. Although Fu Shanyue and Zhongsun Mou had clashed before the checkpoint, an Inspector abusing his authority to throw his weight around would never be entered into the official archives. The local officials would have simply pretended not to see, and they might even have been instructed to keep quiet. Nor did the checkpoint record entry and exit details for every single caravan. Bai Ziqi would not necessarily discover that he and Fu Shanyue had passed through Chiyan's southern checkpoint nearly forty days prior. At that moment, Bai Ziqi pointed ahead. "Wu Kai's private estate—is it this one?" "East of Yao Lake, mostly white buildings, with a ten-foot-tall boulder standing at the entrance." Remembering Wu Kai's description, He Lingchuan said, "This should be the place." Twenty li from Baishaqu, land was plentiful in the desolate outskirts. The estate occupied a substantial tract of land, encompassing several ponds and a small hill. Backed by hills and facing the water, it possessed excellent feng shui. The estate's buildings were mostly constructed upon the small hill, including two warehouses and several residences. Of course, to economize on labor, several large storehouses were built down on the level ground. Years ago, when He Lingchuan accompanied his father from Blackwater City to Xiazhou, he had seen plenty of rural estates along the way. Amid frequent banditry and famines, a private estate set upon such terrain was fought over fiercely. As long as thick walls were erected, wooden barricades spiked in place, and a few reliable, burly men hired as guards, such an estate became no different from a mountain fortress—easy to defend and hard to attack. Even in turbulent times, one could shut the gates and live a sweet, comfortable life. Naturally, there was no need for such precautions within the Chiyan Kingdom. As they passed a small cottage, a gatekeeper leaped out brandishing an axe, shouting, "Who goes there!" The yamen officer behind He Lingchuan flashed a badge that gave off a faint yellow glow in the dark. "I am from the Baishaqu Yamen! Accompanying the high emissary from Lingxu City to apprehend Cen Boqing! Is he here?" "Ah?" The gatekeeper was stunned. He hardly saw an outsider once every ten days to half a month; why had yamen officers and some high emissary suddenly arrived? "T-this humble one does not know." "Useless!" The officer pushed past him, crowding around Bai Ziqi and He Lingchuan as they headed toward the hill. The crops in the fields were not yet ready for harvest, while the cherry trees covering the hill had already been harvested in early summer. Right now was the slack season for farming. Bai Ziqi and the others rushed straight in, encountering barely anyone along the way, and those they did find knew nothing at all. However, there was one disadvantage: The small hill was surrounded entirely by flat farmland. Standing on the heights, any movement below was laid completely bare. The path up the mountain was paved relatively smoothly to facilitate hauling supplies up and down, but it was somewhat narrow—a deliberate choice on the estate master's part. Reaching the summit, among four or five houses, only a single one had a light burning. Bai Ziqi waved his hand, and the bailiffs immediately surged forward, searching the buildings one by one. No one. Not a single building held a soul. Yet inside the lit house, they made a discovery. When Bai Ziqi and the others entered, they found the windows tightly shut and the door half-open. The candle on the table was only half-consumed, and beside it sat two wooden cups. He touched the side of a cup. "Still warm." The people inside had left only moments ago. "They likely spotted us approaching." If Cen Boqing had fled here, he would undoubtedly remain on high alert at all times. He Lingchuan pointed to the floor. "Doesn't this look like the scene of a cast spell?" On the floor lay a few bird feathers, a handful of straw, and an unidentified yellow oil stain laced with faint red threads, looking thoroughly greasy and vile. The brick surface also bore scorch marks. He Lingchuan recognized the feathers as magpie plumage at a single glance. At his home in Panlong City, magpie feathers frequently drifted down because a sparrowhawk was always hunting them there. Curiously, the burnt stench lingering in the room carried a hint of sweet fragrance. Smelling it for too long induced dizziness... He Lingchuan quickly threw open the window. Bai Ziqi picked up a stalk of straw, dipped it into a bit of the oily stain, and brought it beneath his nose to sniff. "Corpse oil, extremely pure." As everyone displayed looks of disgust, He Lingchuan felt a faint chill. "So they truly were hiding here just moments ago?" Bai Ziqi nodded. "Cen Boqing is exceedingly cautious. In the event that the bailiff Zhou Tailai was arrested and interrogated, his movements would inevitably leak. Hence, he took the time to take a detour, slipping west after leaving the city." "The wind is strong tonight," he added. "This type of curse art must be performed in a quiet, sealed, and windless environment." That was why the two fugitives had sneaked in here. "Yet having only just fled, we can still catch up to them." The bailiffs who had scouted the surroundings returned, reporting, "There is no path behind the hill, but the slope is not overly steep; one can scramble down." Bai Ziqi reached into his robes and drew out another candle. The onlookers were bewildered: the room was already lit, so why was he lighting another candle? Standing close by and possessing sharp vision, He Lingchuan noticed that the white candle he produced was flecked with faint specks of gold, making it look exceptionally high-class. Once lit, the flame radiated pure white light from core to tip. Bai Ziqi pinched the wick, and the small cluster of flame actually balanced steadily upon his fingertip. Only then did everyone see clearly that the flame had taken on a distinct form—possessing a head, a torso, and two arms, though everything below the waist remained a whorl of light. What in the world was this? A phantom of light?