So it was Gu? "Indeed very fast. From beginning to end, less than thirty breaths."
Bai Ziqi gestured to the physician that he could proceed with the autopsy, then said to the two of them, "I've traveled all across Beijia. Twenty years ago in the Xuluo Kingdom, I encountered a case like this and conducted a dedicated study on it. The deceased was an attendant to a high-ranking official; after poisoning his master, he died as well. Those killed by a Shared-Fate Gu die in almost this exact manner.
"Shared-Fate Gu are always twin worms born of a single egg. One of the larvae is implanted in the heart, feeding on heart blood and true power. Only after three hundred days does it reach maturity and gain the power to threaten its host. But by that time, the host is completely under the Gu master's control, as they can trigger the Gu's lethality at any moment to take their life."
He Lingchuan cut in, "And what does 'connected hearts' mean?"
"The twin Gu worms from the same egg: one lurks in the victim's heart, known as the Yang worm, or 'ailment worm,' while the Yin worm naturally remains in the Gu master's hands. These creatures can go years without feeding, but the container used to house them is very specific. They cannot be kept in vessels of metal, porcelain, or jade, must not touch soil, and must be waterproof."
Fu Shanyue asked casually, "Then what else can hold them? Bamboo?"
"Right. Usually a bamboo canister is used." Bai Ziqi also found it ironic. "The bamboo canisters produced in Beijia for chewing tobacco are very suitable."
A bamboo canister?
A Gu worm kept in a bamboo canister?
He Lingchuan's gaze sharpened.
Aside from the chewing tobacco canisters used in various countries, he seemed to recall someone mentioning a bamboo canister somewhere, but he couldn't quite remember where at the moment.
"Killing is very simple. Because the two worms are refined through special methods to share one heart, one fate, living and dying together, crushing the Yin worm causes the Yang worm to run wild and die within dozens of breaths. Before dying, it wreaks havoc inside the host's body and even releases poison to ravage their meridians. That is why Wu Kai died looking like this."
The physician under Fu Shanyue was actually very professional. While the three spoke, he had already extracted the deceased's heart, drained the blood, and held it up for the lords to see.
Wu Kai's heart was riddled with tiny holes, almost like a sieve. No one could possibly survive such injuries.
Bai Ziqi sighed deeply. "Cut it open and take a look."
The physician complied.
Wu Kai's heart was sliced open. The three onlookers had piercing eyes, but at first none could see anything out of the ordinary.
Instead, it was the physician, after observing for a long while, who used the tip of his scalpel to lift a thin, purplish-black strip from the cardiac muscle, resembling a clot of bruised blood.
"Is this the ailment worm Emissary Bai spoke of?"
Wu Kai had suffered immensely before dying of cardiac arrest, so blood clots were only natural. But when the physician pulled it apart, everyone realized it truly was a worm, though its prolegs were barely discernible.
Fu Shanyue scratched the back of his head and said irritably, "What good is knowing he died from a Peach Heart Gu? The dead can't speak!"
Wu Kai's mouth was completely sealed now; some secrets were destined to follow him to the grave. If they couldn't dig deeper, Cen Boqing would be the sole principal culprit in the elixir of immortality case.
They were going to pin all the blame squarely on him.
"A Shared-Fate Gu is implanted in the human heart, taking an entire year just to nurture to maturity. Once activated, no array or divine ability can block it, and even death-substitution techniques won't work, because even if the wounds are transferred away, the Gu worm remains in the original host's heart. One could say that if the Gu holder wants you dead, you must die." Bai Ziqi spoke as he pondered, "However, I've heard that Shared-Fate Gu are extraordinarily difficult to refine. Not only is the success rate low, but those proficient in it can be counted on one hand. If they weren't worried about Wu Kai leaking secrets, they probably wouldn't have rushed to kill him."
Fu Shanyue looked up, his eyes full of hope. "Can we investigate from that angle?"
Bai Ziqi had investigated cases of this nature before; perhaps he had resources he could mobilize.
"Perhaps. I'll need to write a few letters and ask some old friends to help look into it."
Fu Shanyue exhaled a breath. "That's good, then. As long as the lead isn't severed."
The three walked upstairs. Just as they reached the inn's courtyard, the eastern sky was turning the pale white of a fish's belly.
Bai Ziqi glanced at He Lingchuan and smiled wryly. "Dawn is breaking. Looks like Heaven doesn't want us to rest."
He had specifically made quite a few arrangements around Cheng Yu.
Fu Shanyue invited him, "How about coming to my courtyard for some tea and a rest?"
Putting on no airs, Bai Ziqi nodded at once. "Alright. I've heard Chiyan has plenty of fine teas."
He had weathered all kinds of storms, but rarely had any case triggered so many unexpected twists in a single day.
The three walked over to Fu Shanyue's quarters. Guards promptly cleared away the remains of the crown prince's earlier meal and set out tea and pastries.
"As for Cen Boqing, this lead can probably only be pursued this far for now," Fu Shanyue said with no small amount of regret. "Mai Xuewen's whereabouts are also unknown. What a headache. Oh, right—according to my royal father, that monster Mai Xuewen raised seems to have quite a background."
The snail-toad? He Lingchuan's heart skipped a beat, though on the surface he continued cracking melon seeds. Fu Shanyue hadn't mentioned this before. Did they already know the snail-toad was Dong Rui's creation?
Bai Ziqi murmured, "Oh?"
"His men relied entirely on that monster tunneling through the ground to capture demons without a trace, acting with utmost secrecy. But as for the monster, its power comes entirely from the hard shell on its back. He Xiao once set a trap in Zhitian Township to capture it, yet that shell proved a hundred times sturdier than a tortoise's. Even with a hundred soldiers wielding origin power, it still managed to escape." Fu Shanyue said unhurriedly, "After this was reported up, my royal father said the hard shell resembled a magic artifact he had heard of in the past."
"Oh?" Not only was He Lingchuan paying rapt attention, but Bai Ziqi also raised an eyebrow and asked, "What is it?"
"One of the treasures once stored in the Azure Palace: the Snail Dwelling," Fu Shanyue continued. "It was the natal magic artifact of an ancient Snail Immortal, said to have taken a thousand years to polish. Not only is it extraordinarily hard, but inside is an entire palace capable of holding a hundred people, remarkably spacious. However, the Snail Immortal fell before the Battle of World Decimation, and no other demon could ever master this hard shell. Somehow or other, it ended up in Beijia and became part of the Azure Palace's collection."
Bai Ziqi remained silent. He Lingchuan dutifully played the foil: "How could a treasure of the Azure Palace be connected to Mai Xuewen?"
Bai Ziqi immediately barked, "He Xiao, watch your words!"
He Lingchuan gave a light cough. "I only meant to ask if there might be more to the story."
Bai Ziqi hesitated for a moment before saying, "A little over ten years ago, a batch of treasures was stolen from the Azure Palace, and this Snail Dwelling was among them."
"Even the Azure Palace had things stolen?" He Lingchuan expressed great wonder. "Who could pull that off? An inside thief?"
"...Yes." This kid really hit the nail on the head. "It was indeed the work of an insider. Although the thief was later slain, many of the treasures went missing and were never recovered."
He Lingchuan asked in confusion, "Such a major event—how could Cen Boqing, living right in Lingxu City, not know about it?"
If Cen Boqing had known, Wu Kai would almost certainly have known, and how would Mai Xuewen dare to use the Snail Dwelling so openly?
Bai Ziqi did not answer. Fu Shanyue chuckled and said, "Because the vast majority of people in Lingxu City don't know either. The Azure Palace covered it up. Even if the Minister of Agriculture knew, he wouldn't necessarily tell his son-in-law."
"But the Emperor... er, I mean, the people who ought to know all knew?"
"Of course." Fu Shanyue pointed at his own nose. "Doesn't my family know?"
"And the lost magic artifacts were just written off?"
Fu Shanyue's tone turned teasing. "Spiritual energy between heaven and earth is so thin nowadays. Do you have any idea how many ancient treasures turn into useless junk every year, only worth their antique value?"
He Lingchuan shook his head without hesitation, looking like a country bumpkin.
In this regard, he was indeed a country bumpkin. When it came to heritage, antiquities, or wealth, how could the Yuan Kingdom compare to Beijia in any way?
The latter had vast lands and abundant resources, with so many antiquities that losing a few didn't even sting. If the Yuan Kingdom had one or two, they would revere them like sacred relics; they simply had no family fortune to squander.
"Lost treasures and antiquities fenced off on the black market are mostly reported as damaged or deteriorated with age, and that's that. You could even claim you accidentally dropped and shattered it, and no one would hold you accountable. These things were kept deep within the palaces to begin with; commoners neither know nor care, so why tell them?" Fu Shanyue looked at Bai Ziqi with a grin. "Emissary Bai must surely know this semi-open secret."
Bai Ziqi coughed softly, but did not deny it.
He Lingchuan looked enlightened. "I see!"
"The thief who broke into the palace back then is already dead, yet the Snail Dwelling wound up in Mai Xuewen's hands to stir up trouble," Bai Ziqi said slowly. "Once I return to the Azure Palace, I will visit National Preceptor Qingyang to seek more clues."
These words were an implicit admission that, for now, he had no way of dealing with Mai Xuewen either.
In his mind, He Lingchuan summarized the situation for him: the fugitive Mai Xuewen, who had ambushed and killed Zhongsun Mou, remained at large and couldn't be caught, leaving no other recourse for now; the key prisoner Wu Kai had died suddenly and violently; and the only fruit of their labor was that Cen Boqing had confessed to his crimes, with irrefutable evidence against him.
Madam Cen, Yao Xingning, had delivered an important witness to him—the opera singer from Tinghe Garden who served as Wu Kai's contact—but the leads uncovered from that person could only be followed up upon returning to Lingxu City.
Thus, the elixir of immortality investigation had reached a dead end in Baishaqu, and Bai Ziqi had no reason to remain.
Unless his other mission was also linked to this place.
What would he do next?
Fu Shanyue had already spoken up to ask, "Then does Emissary Bai plan to return to Lingxu City next to continue the investigation?"
Wanting to track the progress of the case, he naturally needed to inquire about Bai Ziqi's next step.
Bai Ziqi seemed not to have fully made up his mind yet. He spun the teacup in his hand several times before finally nodding. "Yes, I will escort Cen Boqing back. He Xiao—"
He looked toward He Lingchuan. "You have crossed paths with Cen Boqing, Zhongsun Mou, Mai Xuewen, and the others. As a witness, you must come with me as well."
"Ah?" He Lingchuan pointed at himself with a look of astonishment. "I have to go too?"
Heh, Bai Ziqi had indeed made this demand of him. Wanting to interrogate him on the road, right?
Bai Ziqi smiled and nodded. "The crown prince wouldn't be reluctant to part with him, would he?"
"Why would I?" Fu Shanyue raised his hand to pour him a cup of tea, then said to He Lingchuan, "Setting aside its bustling splendors, Lingxu City is blessed with outstanding talent and remarkable scenery, unmatched under heaven. Wouldn't it be delightful for us to tour the sights and scenery along the way?"
Bai Ziqi's eyes narrowed slightly. "Us?"
"That's right." Fu Shanyue grinned, baring a mouthful of gleaming white teeth. "I'm going too. Demon citizens of Chiyan were murdered, and my father kept stressing that I must investigate thoroughly to the very end. Well, don't I have to follow along and see for myself?"
Chapter 537