He Lingchuan muttered to himself, "The Jeweled Tree King has entered the game too."
Standing tall and unyielding for eight hundred years, the Jeweled Tree King had outlasted two successive Demon Emperors while remaining unchanged. It undoubtedly possessed an exquisite mastery of worldly survival.
He Lingchuan could not help smiling. With this old tree demon making a move, the waters of Beijia would only grow murkier.
"Though this old tree is rooted in its own domain, its weight is entirely different from the other demon kings." Among all the demon kings, the Jeweled Tree King was the most senior, the most experienced, and possessed the greatest rallying power. Even the Demon Emperor had to accord it three parts deference. "With it wading in, this affair can't end quietly."
"Oh, the midnight snack is here." Fu Shanyue saw a guard approaching with food. "You really don't want any?"
"No, thanks."
He Lingchuan walked back to his room and quietly let out a breath of relief.
Having captured Cen Boqing, the Ruler of Chiyan and his son actually had an adequate account to give both internally to their people and upward to their superiors. After all, digging deeper would intrude upon the internal affairs of Lingxu City, which exceeded the capabilities of most demon kingdoms.
Yet He Lingchuan constantly calculated his own situation. He was entangled far too deeply in this case. Whether Bai Ziqi wanted to investigate the death of Zhongsun Mou or the elixir of immortality case, he could not bypass He Lingchuan.
In fact, He Lingchuan himself could be considered a key witness, having clashed directly and extensively with both Zhongsun Mou and Cen Boqing.
If Bai Ziqi wanted to wrap up this case, he might even bring He Lingchuan back to Lingxu City under the pretext of "assisting with the investigation."
Could he refuse?
Under such circumstances, if the Ruler of Chiyan and his son beat a retreat, Mai Xuewen's warning to He Lingchuan might come true, as Chiyan would likely revoke his title and authority as special envoy.
Worse than holding a title without real power was having neither power nor title.
Now that He Lingchuan had learned from Fu Shanyue that the Demon King of Chiyan remained resolute, and that other demon kings had become embroiled, it served as a reassuring pill.
The more factions drawn into this matter, the less likely it could be swept under the rug.
As long as he positioned himself properly and said the right things, all the big shots would be too busy clawing at each other and trading blows to bother dealing with a small fry like him.
The mirror in his pocket suddenly spoke up. "Hey, they're going to interrogate Cheng Yu tomorrow. I bet that's weighing on your mind, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it is." He Lingchuan did not deny it. "I noticed Bai Ziqi has an unusual degree of interest in him."
Bai Ziqi had admitted with his own mouth that Cheng Yu might be useful for his next case.
Before being transferred to Baishaqu on urgent orders from the Demon Emperor, Bai Ziqi had been working on the Twilight Plains. Fu Shanyue believed he had secretly slipped across Chiyan's border to scout intelligence, but the moment He Lingchuan heard the Duyun Emissary utter the words "Twilight Plains," his mind had grown uneasy.
It was on the Twilight Plains that he had witnessed the second vision of the Thousand Stars City ruins—a hidden illusion never seen before by anyone else. He Lingchuan had good reason to suspect that this hidden illusion had manifested because it resonated with either the Dafang Pot or the Fusheng Saber.
In any case, a link had formed between him and the illusion, and the Dafang Pot was involved.
Deducing from the timeline, Bai Ziqi's deployment to the Twilight Plains likely occurred right after the hidden illusion appeared.
What if he had been sent there precisely to investigate that vision?
The thought filled He Lingchuan with a profound sense of crisis.
The soul-snatching mirror added, "Once they interrogate Cheng Yu, they'll find out how he tried to assassinate you. That won't be good."
He Lingchuan snapped, "Do I need you to remind me?"
The secret behind Cheng Yu's unfailing record of killing in dreams was the Hundred Faces Nightmare.
Right now, Bai Ziqi was merely somewhat curious about He Lingchuan. But once he learned Cheng Yu's star enforcer was a behemoth like that—
A Hundred Faces Nightmare capable of slaying even the monarch of the Mang Kingdom couldn't take down a petty special envoy of the Crown Prince of Chiyan—and He Lingchuan didn't even possess origin power!
How could a mere seventeen-year-old youth accomplish such a feat?
What secret method or magic artifact did he possess that could cause the Hundred Faces Nightmare to turn against Cheng Yu?
"When dealing with an opponent like Bai Ziqi, even the slightest suspicion on his part works terribly against us."
Shrewd, calculating, with exceptional observational powers.
Most terrifying of all, he had authority.
Authority granted by the gods.
The soul-snatching mirror immediately urged, "There's still time! Just bump Cheng Yu off before the interrogation tomorrow!"
"Kill Cheng Yu?"
"Yeah! With no one left to interrogate, your secret is safe." The mirror preened with self-satisfaction over this plan to cut the ground from under their feet. "You can definitely pull it off, right?"
He Lingchuan let out a sigh instead. "Back then, there was still more than a shichen before dawn. Neither he nor the Crown Prince was exhausted. Why didn't he continue interrogating Wu Kai? Was he worried Wu Kai was too tired, or that we were too tired?"
"Then why?"
"Maybe he wanted to go back first to wash up, change clothes, and offer incense to the gods. Maybe he wanted to hit the local heritage shop for beef flatbreads with sesame seeds and kway teow soup. Or maybe... it's a trap meant to test me!" He Lingchuan's face darkened. "If I release the nightmare to finish off Cheng Yu right now, I might be playing right into his hands. Who knows what tricks a Duyun Emissary has up his sleeve? I'd end up exposing myself instead of killing Cheng Yu."
The soul-snatching mirror groaned, "Then what do you suggest we do? You can't just sit by and watch Bai Ziqi interrogate Cheng Yu!"
Just as He Lingchuan was about to speak, someone seemed to be sprinting outside. Soon after, he heard Fu Shanyue pounding on the door and shouting:
"He Xiao! Get out here, quick, He Xiao!"
He Lingchuan pushed open the door and stepped out just as Fu Shanyue dashed past him, throwing back a sentence:
"The prisoner Wu Kai has taken ill—his life is hanging by a thread!"
Something happened to Wu Kai?
Holy fucking shit! He Lingchuan was genuinely stunned.
Tonight truly was far from peaceful.
Fu Shanyue barked orders to the guards as he ran: "Notify Emissary Bai at once, go!"
By the time the last word left his mouth, he had reached the entrance to the inn's cellar and dropped down into it.
Cen Boqing had only been captured tonight, so Wu Kai was still in the inn's cellar, not yet moved elsewhere.
Although Cen Boqing had already confessed, Wu Kai remained a critical witness steeped in numerous mysteries whom Bai Ziqi and Fu Shanyue intended to question further.
Fu Shanyue could not bear to see anything happen to him.
The two jumped down into the cellar and saw guards removing Wu Kai's shackles. The prisoner seemed terribly cold, curled into a tight ball on the ground and trembling violently.
At first glance, his symptoms looked very similar to the flare-up of the curse earlier that evening. In reality, however, his flesh was withering inward at a speed visible to the naked eye. As tendons and nerves contracted, his limbs twisted into grotesque angles, and his whole body jerked uncontrollably.
Red spots had also appeared across Wu Kai's skin, their shape and color resembling peach hearts.
"It's not a curse, it might be a lethal poison!" Fu Shanyue took one look, pulled a small bottle of medicinal liquid from his robes, and forced it down Wu Kai's throat himself.
Wu Kai's pharyngeal muscles had ceased functioning, leaving him unable to swallow, so the medicine merely trickled down his esophagus.
Whatever medicine Fu Shanyue produced at a time like this was naturally premium, life-saving medicine.
Yet Wu Kai choked on it immediately—not with a cough, but with a bizarre rasping squeak, like a rat crushed underfoot.
He began vomiting blood.
Vivid crimson blood, mixed with bits of minced flesh.
He Lingchuan's expression changed instantly. He reached out to check Wu Kai's pulse, only to find it completely chaotic; the heart, liver, and lungs were all severely ravaged.
From the onset of the affliction to critical condition, it had only been a matter of seconds!
With a dark expression, Fu Shanyue roared, "Doctor! Liu Shier! Where are they? Where the hell did they all go?"
Liu Shier was the curse master who had cast the curse on Wu Kai that afternoon.
Not having the swift agility of a martial practitioner, he had only just rushed down into the cellar.
He pulled back Wu Kai's eyelids, tore open his collar, and pressed twice against his chest.
"It's not a curse, but there's something inside his heart!"
He Lingchuan also reached out to press down, channeling his true power into the body.
A check revealed a horrifying sight: Wu Kai's heart was like a ragged sack riddled with holes, suffering greater damage with every beat.
Wu Kai suddenly stopped convulsing and let out a long rattle, as though the last breath had been squeezed out of his lungs.
He remained frozen in that curled posture, eyes bulging so wide they seemed ready to pop from their sockets.
He Lingchuan checked his carotid pulse, then shook his head at Fu Shanyue.
"He's dead."
Fu Shanyue whirled toward the curse master, seized him by the collar, and glared with murderous intent. "Does this have anything to do with you? Speak!"
"N-no, none at all!"
"Did you do something earlier this eve—" Retaining a shred of reason, Fu Shanyue stopped short of voicing the secret aloud.
"No, no, it has nothing to do with your subordinate!" the curse master pleaded. "He died of a heart ailment!"
"What kind of illness flares up so violently that a man dies in the blink of an eye?" From onset to death, it had taken less than thirty breaths—thirty breaths!
It gave no time at all to react.
Only now did the physician accompanying the retinue finally arrive.
Fu Shanyue eyed him coldly. "Did you make sure to finish your midnight snack before bothering to come over?"
The physician began wiping sweat the moment he arrived. "Calm your wrath, Your Highness! Just now, your subordinate was squa-squatting..."
He had been out back attending to nature's call when the guards came pounding furiously on the door.
Pulling up his trousers took time too!
Fu Shanyue knew that reprimanding him now would change nothing. "Find out how he died!"
"Ah, yes, yes!" The physician hurriedly squatted down to play the part of a coroner.
Not content with merely tapping and pressing the corpse, he soon drew a small knife.
Fu Shanyue immediately took note. "What are you doing?"
"Crown Prince, I have to cut him open to see what went wrong inside." An autopsy had to be done; otherwise, how could he determine the cause of death?
Fu Shanyue clutched his head, feeling weighed down. "Emissary Bai hasn't even arrived yet. Can you just go cutting the man open as you please? Wait!"
...
So when Bai Ziqi arrived upon hearing the news, this was the scene that met his eyes:
Fu Shanyue and He Lingchuan sat numbly to one side, while the physician knelt beside the prisoner.
The key prisoner, Wu Kai, lay curled into a ball, his eyes wide and unclosed in death.
Bai Ziqi's heart sank. Paying no mind to the dead man's eyes staring directly at the cellar entrance, he strode over.
"What happened?"
"He took ill and dropped dead," Fu Shanyue said in a heavy voice. "The physician says it wasn't a curse—"
The physician off to the side: "..."
He had said no such thing.
"Nor is it a lethal poison. As for the exact cause of death, I wanted to wait until Emissary Bai arrived before an autopsy."
Bai Ziqi's gaze never left Wu Kai's body. He crouched down, turned the corpse over a few times, and pressed against the chest.
"It might be a Shared-Fate Gu."
"What is that?"
"An exceptionally vicious Gu worm. Its most deadly variant is known as the Peach Heart Gu. When it strikes, it works with terrifying speed, beyond the reach of medicine." Bai Ziqi pointed at the red spots on Wu Kai's body. "These peach-shaped spots are proof."
Chapter 536