The farther they rode toward the central city districts, the more bustling both sides of the thoroughfare became.
Teahouses, restaurants, eateries, modest taverns, bathhouses, theaters, the Red Pavilion Quarter, and government offices—everything needed for daily life and public affairs was readily at hand.
He Lingchuan even saw a colossal restaurant beside the road: five full stories tall, each spanning several thousand square meters, ablaze with lanterns and clamorous with hosts and guests.
Yet it was far from the grandest or most magnificent structure. That distinction belonged to the temples.
Just behind the main avenue, on land worth its weight in gold, he repeatedly spotted the roofs of various shrines and temples, both large and small. The deities worshipped within bore just as varied titles.
In any case, any deity capable of having a temple established and an altar consecrated in Lingxu City was no ordinary god.
According to Fu Shanyue, the nouveau riche and prominent nobility were especially fond of funding or renovating temples. Even adding a new roof counted. Had Lingxu City not forbidden gilded roofs, gold might have gleamed from every corner. Such acts not only gave these elites face, but also secured the gods' ongoing blessings.
"Does it actually work?"
The moment the question left He Lingchuan's mouth, he felt he had asked something foolish.
Fu Shanyue laughed heartily. "The gods keep silent; sincerity makes it work!"
As darkness fell, the question of lodging arose.
When officials from various regions and vassal demon kingdoms entered Lingxu City to await imperial decrees or conduct business, they usually stayed in official post-houses so superiors could easily summon them.
Fu Shanyue had entered the capital on his own accord this time and was free to lodge wherever he pleased, yet he chose to stay at the post-house anyway, lest the authorities summon him and find him absent.
From this single detail, He Lingchuan knew the man was sharp beneath his rough exterior.
Or perhaps Lingxu City held far too many heavyweights, and even Fu Shanyue dared not act rashly here.
Though called a post-house, domestic and foreign envoys as well as visiting officials all stayed there, so the accommodations were remarkably fine: tranquil surroundings, refined furnishings, and servants whose smiles seemed genuine and natural.
Of course, post-houses were divided into three tiers. Officials from lesser kingdoms arriving in Lingxu City were usually assigned to second- or third-class establishments, and none dared complain.
The Chiyan Crown Prince naturally stayed in the highest tier, and He Lingchuan tagged along to share the lodgings.
If the post-houses He Lingchuan had stayed in before were dingy inns where the desk clerk was prone to vanishing without explanation, then Lingxu City's first-class post-house was on par with a five-star hotel.
While their subordinates bustled about settling in, Fu Shanyue tried to drag He Lingchuan out for welcome drinks, only to be refused.
"I have business to attend to."
"Nonsense." Fu Shanyue glared. "It's your first time in Lingxu City. What business could you possibly have?"
"Visiting friends and relatives." He Lingchuan patted his shoulder. "Seriously, I'll drink with you tomorrow."
"Fine, fine. Go on."
After a moment's thought, He Lingchuan returned to his guest room, released an eyeball spider up into the roof beams, and quietly slipped out through the post-house's rear entrance. Boarding a moose carriage, he set off for his next destination.
Less than two shichen after he left, a guard entered to announce:
"Your Highness, an emissary from the Heavenly Palace has arrived with orders!"
"Now?" Night had deepened. Was the Emperor in such a rush?
When Fu Shanyue met the emissary, it turned out Zhaixing Tower had summoned him for an audience that very night.
His decision to lodge at the post-house had proved entirely correct. Straightening his clothes and hat, Fu Shanyue departed alongside the emissary.
The other party did not mention He Lingchuan at all.
Young Master He had been a key figure in Baishaqu, but here he was a nobody. Bai Ziqi and Fu Shanyue presenting their accounts before the throne was more than enough; as an insignificant outsider, He Lingchuan was not even qualified to be summoned by the Emperor.
Bai Ziqi had brought him along to Lingxu City merely as a precaution, in case one of the imperial superiors wished to probe deeper into the matter and couldn't find the Chiyan Crown Prince's lead investigator.
Of course, He Lingchuan also knew the man harbored ulterior motives.
***
Heavenly Palace, Zhaixing Tower.
Bai Ziqi knelt on the floor, recounting the course of his investigation in Baishaqu in meticulous detail. This was not only for the Demon Emperor and the Chief Duyun Emissary to hear, but also for Holy Venerable Lingxu.
He was thorough in his work, bringing back all the physical evidence, witnesses, and suspects to Lingxu City, including the remains of Fu Songhua, Wu Kai, and Cheng Yu.
After listening for over half a shichen, the Demon Emperor could not help stifling a yawn. "You say Cen Boqing confessed?"
"He did, but Lady Cen brought forward a witness who firmly testified that he was merely an accomplice. The true culprit behind the scenes is someone else."
The Demon Emperor asked, "You found it so difficult to pry open Wu Kai's mouth, so how did Yao Xingning capture the actor who was his contact so effortlessly?"
Bai Ziqi shook his head. "Lady Cen claims she was simply lucky."
"More likely, someone moved from the shadows to lend her a hand," the Demon Emperor said languidly. "There is no need to question her further. She's scatterbrained and probably doesn't even know it herself. Can you continue investigating this case?"
Bai Ziqi hesitated slightly. "I fear the entanglements run far and wide."
"Keep investigating for now, but withhold the findings," the Demon Emperor said slowly. "The Minister of Agriculture has been weeping and complaining to me for days, insisting his family had no idea what his son-in-law was doing. As for the Zhongsun clan, they keep airing their grievances, demanding to track down Zhongsun Mou's whereabouts—alive or dead."
Bai Ziqi replied, "They are also implicated in the elixir of immortality case."
"Hah. Qingfu Temple and everyone inside were reduced to ashes by that fire, and Wu Kai is dead. With neither physical evidence nor witnesses left, old Zhongsun came out boldly to deny everything. He claims he never took any elixir of immortality, that his grandson in Baishaqu couldn't possibly have covered for Cen Boqing or given false testimony, and that it's all Cen Boqing framing him. That cunning old fox... Tell me, during your investigation in Baishaqu, did you find any direct evidence that Zhongsun Mou committed perjury for Cen Boqing?"
Bai Ziqi reflected carefully, then shook his head. "The case progressed sluggishly in Baishaqu and nearly stalled entirely precisely because there was no direct evidence implicating Zhongsun Mou and Cen Boqing. Wu Kai operated very meticulously. In the courier's disappearance case, the false deposition he provided was written and hand-stamped by Fu Songhua himself. Even if pursued after the fact, Zhongsun Mou could only be charged with gullibility, negligence, and incompetence."
Thus, the Zhongsun clan's crime of illicitly purchasing the elixir of immortality merely hung in limbo, while Zhongsun Mou's disappearance made them genuine victims.
"I knew it would be like this." The Demon Emperor snorted. "The Zhongsun clan still wants to make trouble for the Cen family. Tell me, should they?"
"If Mai Xuewen's robbery and murder of Zhongsun Mou was of his own initiative and not instructed by Cen Boqing, then..."
"Mai Xuewen is still at large, and you haven't so much as caught his shadow. By the looks of it, he won't be showing his face anytime soon."
Bai Ziqi bowed his head. "This subordinate is incompetent."
"Enough. Disregard the Zhongsun clan for now. Continue following the leads Lady Cen provided..."
Before the Demon Emperor could finish speaking, several red characters suddenly materialized on the Celestial Book:
*Kill the chicken to scare the monkeys; the Zhongsun clan's crime must not be forgiven lightly.*
The hall fell dead silent.
A few casual characters, and catastrophe was poised to descend upon the Zhongsun family.
This was divine will.
After a long while, the Demon Emperor finally spoke: "For over a century, the Zhongsun have been loyal veteran ministers of Lingxu."
This was essentially an appeal for leniency, but the Celestial Book showed no response; the celestial gods clearly had no intention of rescinding their decree.
Illicitly concocting and purchasing the elixir of immortality truly trampled upon their deepest taboo.
The Demon Emperor cleared his throat again. "If we are to punish them, it must be done by the book, backed by evidence! When Bai Ziqi finishes pursuing the matter, neither buyers nor sellers of the elixir will escape. Why rush to penalize the Zhongsun clan this very moment?"
After a prolonged silence, no new instructions appeared on the Celestial Book, which was likely tacit assent.
The Demon Emperor immediately changed the subject. "Has there been some progress regarding Qingfu Temple as well?"
Day in and day out, nothing but difficult puzzles were thrust upon him. When a cockroach appeared out in the open on the tabletop, there was likely a whole nest of them hidden in the house. Zhongsun Mou purchasing the elixir of immortality for his grandfather was by no means an isolated incident.
Were they to treat them like cockroaches, executing harsh punishment every single time one was spotted?
How many subjects and officials would that implicate? What if it destabilized the royal court of Lingxu City?
Yet in the lexicon of the gods perched high beyond the heavens, when had there ever been the concept that "the law cannot punish the multitude"?
Bai Ziqi did not know what the Demon Emperor was pondering; he merely kept his head bowed and answered, "Yes."
"As for the abnormal movements of the Dafang Pot, how do you personally view them?" Having heard the factual account earlier, the Demon Emperor now wished to hear Bai Ziqi's own perspective.
He glanced at the divine altar; it remained tranquil.
"Looking at both time and location during the two fluctuations of the Dafang Pot's aura, Chiyan Crown Prince Fu Shanyue and Mai Xuewen were both very likely near the area," Bai Ziqi said respectfully. "This subordinate believes both must be investigated."
"With the Jeweled Tree King taking the lead, four or five demon kings have submitted memorials in succession. Hmph, now is not a good time to touch Fu Shanyue and his people—at least not until the elixir of immortality case concludes, lest the demon kings assume I am targeting the Chiyan Kingdom." The Demon Emperor looked at Bai Ziqi. "You must still show Fu Shanyue courtesy."
"Understood." Bai Ziqi hesitated.
The Demon Emperor immediately sensed it. "Is there something you haven't said? Speak!"
"The special envoy dispatched by the Chiyan Crown Prince to investigate the case... this subordinate also feels something is off about him."
"Oh? The one who pursued the courier case to the end and dragged Cen Boqing into the light?" The Demon Emperor's tone rose slightly. "How so?"
Bai Ziqi dared not dally and spoke honestly: "I cannot find any connection, nor any evidence—not even circumstantial. It is just that... whenever this subordinate sees him, I feel an uneasy suspicion."
"Spiritual intuition is more important than evidence." The Demon Emperor saw nothing wrong with that. "If so, simply summon him and interrogate him directly. For such a trivial matter, do you even need to hesitate?"
"This subordinate understands."
Baishaqu was the Chiyan Crown Prince's territory, making it inconvenient for Bai Ziqi to interrogate his subordinates directly there. But back in Lingxu City, many of those concerns vanished or were greatly simplified.
"It's inconvenient for you to interrogate Fu Shanyue, but you can interrogate his subordinate," the Demon Emperor chuckled. "Isn't that just perfect?"
"Yes." Bai Ziqi thought for a moment before adding, "If neither he nor the Chiyan Crown Prince is our target, could the Holy Venerable induce another reaction from the Dafang Pot?"
Three times was all it would take; if the Dafang Pot emitted fluctuations a third time, Zhaixing Tower's difficulty in pinpointing its location would decrease drastically.
The Celestial Book gave no response; clearly, the gods were pondering as well. The triggers for the pot's previous two disturbances were unrelated, making it difficult to say what condition might trigger it again.
The Demon Emperor was uneasy. "What if it sees through the trap?"
Two lines of characters slowly appeared upon the Celestial Book:
*Mitian is dead. The Dafang Pot has instinct, but no artifact spirit. Once activated, it cannot be stopped.*
"Is that so? Then all is well."
The Chief Duyun Emissary, silent for a long time, suddenly chimed in: "The Holy Venerable mentioned that over a century ago, the Dafang Pot underwent numerous changes in Mitian's hands. Someone witnessed it devour a Water Spirit with their own eyes, showing that it craves heavenly materials and earthly treasures."
Characters formed once more upon the Celestial Book:
*"The Dafang Pot integrates the laws of both realms and craves rare treasures from both."*
Upon hearing this, the Demon Emperor declared, "Very well. Isn't the Dun Garden auction in Jinjiao starting soon? Fetch a relic of the celestial gods from the treasury to test them."
Chapter 548