"Did the rope-bells ever chime?"
"Yes, they did," the guard recalled. "Right when Uncle Wu called me over, the rope-bells outside the courtyard, inside the courtyard, and in the room were all chiming. It went on for a good while before stopping. Uncle Wu said something was searching for Mister Cheng."
"What kind of thing?"
"Uncle Wu didn't say." The guard added, "The red lantern inside that bottle stayed lit the whole time. Right up until the last time I saw it today, it never went out."
Fu Shanyue chimed in at once, "The Three Talents Suspended Bell Array? If Cheng Yu's enemy couldn't be seen, it must have been some kind of spectral malice."
That array was designed specifically to detect the movements of unseen foes.
"Let's have a look at the bottle."
Fu Shanyue gave an order to Commander Lu, who bolted outside immediately.
Not daring to keep the two dignitaries waiting, he returned in about a quarter of an hour carrying a wooden chest.
When he opened it, inside lay that very transparent bottle, though its surface was covered in cracks—clearly ruined.
"It was already like this when they found it," Commander Lu emphasized.
Bai Ziqi examined the bottle closely. He even relit his platinum candle, pinched off the lamp spirit, and tossed it inside.
The lamp spirit that had displayed such fearsome might by the lakeside went silent the moment it entered the bottle, snuffed out without a whisper.
A thin wisp of residual smoke curled upward and drifted out of the bottle, as if guided by an invisible force.
With a soft pop, the bottle shattered into countless fragments of colored glass, scattering across the tabletop.
The moment the tiny house inside made contact with the outside air, it dispersed like fine sand caught in the wind, rapidly vanishing into the atmosphere.
Nothing was left on the table but shards of glass.
Bai Ziqi gave a soft sigh. "What a pity. Ruined just like that."
Fu Shanyue asked curiously, "What was that?"
"That place was a self-contained domain, instinctively rejecting the introduction of the lamp spirit." Bai Ziqi put away his candle. "In this form, the lamp spirit is gentle and harmless. Barring places of pure void or vile evil, it should not have been rejected."
He Lingchuan had witnessed the lamp spirit's berserk fury, but it seemed that most of the time it remained mild and refined.
That also suited its intended role in the Zhaixing Tower.
"Considering Xue San's account—that Cheng Yu was in a constant stupor, that the stopper could only be pulled when the light dimmed, and that the rope-bell array chimed once—this bottle was likely a..." Bai Ziqi considered his words with care. "...a dreamscape?"
Fu Shanyue wondered aloud, "I've heard dreamscapes form spontaneously. How could one be man-made?"
When living beings gathered in large numbers, their daily thoughts and nightly dreams coalesced over time to form a dreamscape.
"Dreamscapes take many forms, both large and small; some are growing, while others are headed toward collapse," Bai Ziqi explained. "A village that once prospered will have a thriving dreamscape. If its population later dwindles or is ravaged by war, with fewer and fewer living souls, the dreamscape will wither away. Once only three or five people remain in the village, that dreamscape ceases to exist altogether."
He pointed to the glass shards on the table. "This was likely a dying dreamscape. Cheng Yu must have used special techniques to seal it off, preventing anything else from entering. When crisis struck, his divine soul could take refuge inside to escape harm."
This was also the first time He Lingchuan had seen such a dreamscape in a bottle, but piecing together what the grotesque Nightmare had said in the past, he found Bai Ziqi's reasoning quite plausible.
Knowledge concerning dreamscapes was exceedingly esoteric. A Duyun Emissary naturally knew far more than ordinary folk.
Bai Ziqi said slowly, "A dreamscape bottle is hardly easy to come by. What piques my curiosity is why Cheng Yu prepared such an unusual item in advance. Did he anticipate that he might suffer an attack on his soul?"
He Lingchuan felt his pulse quicken by a beat or two.
He was getting close. His deduction was dangerously close.
When dealing with the Hundred Faces Nightmare, Cheng Yu must have proceeded with the utmost caution. Knowing full well what the monster was capable of, he had prepared a sanctuary for himself despite their pact.
After all, if a monster capable of overthrowing a monarch suddenly turned hostile, Cheng Yu stood virtually no chance of withstanding it.
The guard added, "On my first night taking over guard duty, Mister Cheng's lapels were stained with blood—likely coughed up by himself—and his complexion looked as ghastly as a corpse's."
Bai Ziqi pressed for the exact date.
The guard answered truthfully.
The moment He Lingchuan heard the date, he knew trouble was brewing.
Sure enough, in the very next second, Bai Ziqi's gaze swept over to him.
"Cheng Yu was injured, and Wu Kai brought him back to the Cen estate inside the Ficus Grotto-Heaven. He Xiao—"
He looked at He Lingchuan, his voice gentle:
"That night, Cheng Yu failed in his plot against you, fled first to the Cen estate, and later resorted to the bottled dreamscape. Strangest of all, the rope-bells chimed, meaning something truly pursued him there, intent on taking his life! Do you have any details to provide?"
He Lingchuan sensed the dagger hidden behind his mild words, yet maintained a look of utter bewilderment. "Provide what?"
"Whatever pursued Cheng Yu that night was invisible yet very real. What exactly was it?"
"How would I know?" He Lingchuan replied, sounding thoroughly baffled. "I am no expert in occult arts or spirits. Besides, does what happened to Cheng have anything to do with Cen Boqing's case? Other than him being hired to plot against me, that is."
"Indeed," Fu Shanyue chimed in. "The fellow failed in his plot, so why is my special envoy being interrogated instead?"
His voice rose sharply.
In Lingxu City, he would never dare speak to a Duyun Emissary in such a tone. But this was Baishaqu, where he enjoyed home advantage.
Even a mighty dragon could not crush a local snake. Bai Ziqi showed remarkably good temper, taking no offense at all. "When Cen Boqing fled at the very end, he made sure to take Cheng Yu with him, which shows how much importance he placed on the man. How could such a suspect be a mere bystander?"
"Cheng Yu ran for his life before his capture, yet he never unleashed any potent curse arts, which does not match his cultivation," Bai Ziqi continued. "This indicates that even after using the dreamscape, the severe soul injury he sustained over a dozen days ago had not yet healed. He Xiao, was the entity pursuing him sent by you?"
He Lingchuan forced a bitter smile. "Whatever that thing was, it drove a master curse master into hiding inside a dreamscape and sealing himself away. A feat like that would rank near the top across all of Beijia, wouldn't it? If such a power were at my beck and call, Cheng Yu would certainly have known my name."
Every profession had its specialty; no outsider could perform the craft of a curse master, not even Bai Ziqi.
To push a master curse master to such an extent within his own domain, only a fellow practitioner could have managed it.
Indeed, just as He Lingchuan said, how could someone with such capability remain completely unknown? Even if others had never heard of them, how could Cheng Yu not know?
Hidden masters existed, but they were rare. Aside from the second- or third-generation scions born with silver spoons, the status and reputation of most people in this world ultimately aligned with their abilities.
With curse arts so formidable, what were the odds of the culprit being an obscure nobody?
Naturally, He Lingchuan knew this answer would hardly satisfy Bai Ziqi, so he added, "Though, I do recall one detail."
Bai Ziqi's attention was hooked instantly. "Please, do tell."
"When I pursued him to the inn, the trap Cheng Yu set was triggered, and purple demonic fire engulfed the entire building," He Lingchuan said, furrowing his brow. "Yet I remember a square table standing right in the center of his room. Upon it sat a wood carving that looked thoroughly hideous and fierce, with incense offered before it. But the moment I touched the carving, it broke apart into several pieces."
"My guess—pure speculation, mind you—is that if that wood carving was the physical vessel of the spectral entity Cheng Yu had summoned, only to be consumed by the fire he set, that entity must have harbored deep resentment."
"Which is why it went back to seek revenge on him!" Fu Shanyue snapped his fingers. "In the end, what took down Cheng Yu was the very entity he summoned himself. That deduction makes total sense."
He Lingchuan continued, "Cheng Yu knew exactly what kind of entity it was and how formidable its power was, which is why he prepared the dreamscape in advance."
Yet Bai Ziqi asked him, "Did you not bring the wood carving out with you?"
"I certainly wanted to, but Commander Fan was hot on my heels swinging his axe. Saving my own skin took priority—how could I have had time for that?"
Bai Ziqi watched the two men in silence.
He Lingchuan stared straight ahead, while Fu Shanyue met his gaze without flinching.
After a long pause, Bai Ziqi said softly, "No matter. Cheng Yu will wake tomorrow in any case. We shall hear what he has to say then."
Both He Lingchuan and Fu Shanyue cursed inwardly: *Then what the hell was the point of rushing around interrogating everyone tonight?*
Yet on the surface, Fu Shanyue merely spread his hands, adopting an indifferent air.
Bai Ziqi glanced out the window. "Dawn will break in another hour or two. After spending most of the night on this commotion, how about we return to wash up and rest, and resume interrogating Wu Kai tomorrow afternoon?"
Fu Shanyue yawned. "Sounds splendid!"
Both parties headed outside, parting ways at the entrance of the county yamen.
***
Bai Ziqi watched as Fu Shanyue and He Lingchuan mounted their beasts and trotted away into the distance, the smile on his face slowly fading.
Only then did Fan Sheng hurry over to the yamen gates, saying sheepishly, "Emissary Bai, earlier, Madame Cen..."
Bai Ziqi raised a hand, cutting him off.
"Follow me."
Fan Sheng followed him back into the county yamen and stepped into Cheng Yu's partitioned room.
The room had no windows, and two guards stood sentry at the door.
"If I am not mistaken, an accident may befall him tonight." Pointing at Cheng Yu, Bai Ziqi said, "From this moment forth, you will stand guard over him right here until the interrogation tomorrow afternoon."
Fan Sheng hastily complied. "Yes, sir!" Then he added, "Where would this accident come from? I'll go eliminate it!"
Bai Ziqi smiled. "No need. Allow me to test him."
Fan Sheng was no fool and quickly caught on. "Emissary Bai intends to use this man as bait to go fishing?"
Bai Ziqi nodded. "Merely a hunch. It doesn't hurt to put it to the test."
Fan Sheng followed him further inside and couldn't help asking, "What if no accident occurs?"
"Then either the man is innocent," Bai Ziqi said with another faint smile, "or he is actually even harder to deal with."
***
Leaving the county yamen, He Lingchuan drew a deep breath. In this waterfront city, the night breeze of the eighth month was laden with damp moisture.
Today had been so packed that even someone with his boundless energy felt worn out.
One sudden development after another had left him barely room to breathe.
Galloping down the deserted streets, he asked Fu Shanyue, "Why is everyone so afraid of this Madame Cen?"
The Minister of Agriculture was indeed a man of immense power and high rank, someone low-ranking officials and common folk looked up to, and perhaps even the Ruler of Chiyan treated him with some deference. But what was Bai Ziqi's standing? A Duyun Emissary serving the divine! And Fan Sheng commanded troops at the foot of the imperial throne, enjoying the deep trust of the Demon Emperor.
Why were both of them so helpless when dealing with Madame Cen?
Fu Shanyue scratched his neck. "Yao Xingning showed extraordinary talent from childhood and cultivated with unrelenting grit. She enlisted in the military very early on, and her martial achievements far outstrip her husband's. She happens to be the sixtieth female general of our Beijia Kingdom, even if only a general of lesser rank. Though of course, that isn't the main point—"
Chapter 534