Pressing the trigger just anywhere would be pointless; the celestial gods would soon realize it was a diversion. There had to be substantial material to uncover at the site, enough to fuel the fertile imaginations of the divine emissaries and send them into a thorough investigation.
Distant water could not put out a nearby fire. For the next twenty-odd days, he would have to hold out on his own!
Putting away the casket, Li Qingge's gaze rippled. She suddenly looked at him with a smile. "I'm saving your life. Shouldn't you repay the favor?"
He Lingchuan braced himself. "Naturally. Whatever you command, my Lord, I'll go through fire and water."
When all was said and done, he was paying the price for having no men of his own; even a vital task like this had to be entrusted to an outsider.
He could only hope Li Qingge would prove as dependable as always.
"Very well. In a few days at the Dun Garden auction, you'll find out." Li Qingge pulled on her gloves. "Let's go. I still have other places to be."
For the next several hours, He Lingchuan wandered the vicinity of the courier station. Only when the eyeball spider detected that Fu Shanyue was back did he casually saunter inside.
"Where did you run off to? Haven't seen you since last night," Fu Shanyue asked in surprise. "Emissary Bai sent people looking for you, but I brushed them off."
"Last night, the moment you left for Zhaixing Tower, people came right behind you to search for me," He Lingchuan said with a shrug. "I lay low to avoid the heat and took a stroll around town while I was at it."
"They came to search you last night?" Fu Shanyue's face darkened. "Nine chances out of ten, that was Zhaixing Tower too."
"During your audience last night, the Demon Emperor didn't give you a hard time, did he?"
Fu Shanyue offhandedly raised a sound-dampening ward before continuing, "He asked about the elixir of immortality case. The evidence we submitted was thorough, so the Emperor praised me at first, but then he reamed me out, demanding to know why I hadn't gathered proof that Zhongsun Mou falsified testimony. Thanks to that, the Zhongsun family is strutting about all high and mighty."
He Lingchuan smiled wryly. If they could have pinned down Zhongsun Mou for conspiring to fabricate testimony, he would have had ways to deal with that fishman long ago—would he have needed to scheme Zhongsun Mou to death?
Wu Kai had done his forgery too well, sending Zhongsun Mou straight to the Netherworld.
Fu Shanyue added, "Aside from that, he asked about Fu Shanji's death."
He Lingchuan glanced sideways at him.
"My father publicly announced that Fu Shanji died of illness. But I told the Demon Emperor the truth: I killed Fu Shanji." Fu Shanyue grabbed a pear and took a bite. "Naturally, I caught an earful."
He Lingchuan stayed quiet. Fu Shanyue being able to sit here looking completely at ease proved that neither the celestial gods nor the Demon Emperor truly held it against him.
This fellow had already been favored by the celestial gods to begin with. Now that he had secured the position of crown prince on his own merits, everyone was spared the trouble.
"Also," Fu Shanyue crunched on the pear, "they already know I went to the ruins of Thousand Stars City."
He Lingchuan's heart sank slightly. As expected.
"The Emperor asked about my itinerary two months ago," Fu Shanyue continued. "I figured he already knew. Keeping it hidden any longer would have been deception of the monarch, so I might as well own up to it candidly."
He Lingchuan nodded. Fu Shanyue had passed this test without mishap.
"The Emperor cares deeply about the second illusion in the ruins of Thousand Stars City and questioned me repeatedly. I suspect the other case Bai Ziqi is investigating is connected to it." Fu Shanyue leaned in and lowered his voice. "Keep this in mind: I didn't mention a thing about what we saw in the Yuan Royal Palace. I only said I wandered around the illusion of Thousand Stars City for a bit, that everything was peaceful and quiet, and nothing happened."
He Lingchuan breathed a quiet sigh of relief, but asked, "Why?"
"My father said that whenever the Twilight Plains or the Yuan Kingdom are involved, Lingxu City loses all reason. They'd rather kill thousands by mistake than let a single suspect slip away. Look at what the Twilight Plains have become now, look at what the descendants of Yuan have been reduced to—was my father wrong?" Fu Shanyue said. "If I had spoken the truth about the conversation between the King of Yuan and his nephew, the celestial gods and the Emperor would question endlessly why only the two of us saw it. Even if I had mouths covering my entire body, I wouldn't be able to prove my innocence.
"Forty years ago, the very year I was born, a court historian compiled history and examined Beijia's past two centuries. He put in a couple of good words for the Yuan Kingdom—just two casual, fleeting remarks—" Fu Shanyue swallowed hard. "The result? The celestial gods visited punishment upon him, and the Emperor flew into a rage, accusing him of summoning the spirits of Yuan remnants and whitewashing traitors and rebels, a crime worthy of ten thousand deaths. Originally, three generations of his clan were to be executed. When court officials pleaded for mercy, the Emperor grew even more furious, executing three of the pleading ministers and caning six others. In the end, the historian was severed at the waist and his corpse exposed in the marketplace for seven days, while nearly a hundred members of his three familial clans were hanged. Not a single soul escaped."
He Lingchuan hardly knew what to say. "That truly is..." *Utterly willful!*
"Whenever it involves the Yuan Kingdom, the celestial gods and the Emperor are especially vindictive. I'm about to inherit the throne of my realm; I can't afford to court such disaster." Fu Shanyue fixed He Lingchuan with an intense stare. "As for the King of Yuan and his nephew, I've already forgotten about it. What about you?"
"What did you say?" He Lingchuan blinked blankly. "What uncle and nephew? Did something happen?"
"Just like that." Fu Shanyue grinned. "I know there were several other merchant caravans in the mountains that night. What they saw must have been broadly the same as what we saw. Even if Lingxu City sends people to investigate, the statements they record will match mine."
Only he and He Lingchuan knew of the conversation between the King of Yuan and his nephew. As long as neither of them spoke of it, it was as if it had never happened at all.
"Still, did the appearance of that second illusion truly have nothing to do with you?"
"Thousand Stars City is nothing but ruins. Can it recognize individual people? Besides, that was my very first time visiting the Twilight Plains—why would it treat me as special?" He Lingchuan said solemnly. "Maybe it was someone in another caravan, or maybe it was Taozi... She absorbed a massive amount of earth fiend energy in Thousand Stars City."
Fu Shanyue had considered that possibility as well. He nodded. "Not impossible. Just make sure you don't slip up."
"I won't." He Lingchuan then asked, "Does your father know about this?"
"Of course not!" Did the two of them look like a harmonious father and son who shared every secret?
By unspoken agreement, both shifted the topic and chatted about the local sights and culture of Lingxu City.
He Lingchuan truly couldn't help wondering aloud: "This place spends gold like dirt, and even the food is terrifyingly expensive. Humans love luxury, but what about monsters?"
Fu Shanyue burst into laughter. "Steeped in wealth and luxury for six hundred years, you think monsters haven't learned how to enjoy themselves?"
He pointed toward the sky. "The most magnificent garden on Tianji Isle belongs to the Zhongsun clan. Instead of dwelling in the lakes within their own domain, they carved out a lake up in the sky called 'Banshan Canghai'—the Sea Hidden in the Midst of the Mountain—creating an underwater garden unlike anything else in Lingxu City."
"An underwater garden?"
"That's right. A garden fashioned underwater with wondrous rocks, water sunflower weeds, corals, and all sorts of fish—far more fascinating than anything on land." Fu Shanyue spat. "And those fishmen of the Zhongsun family weren't satisfied with enjoying it by themselves; they even built glass chambers at the bottom of the lake so other aristocrats could come to their home and admire it together."
Isn't that just a giant aquarium? He Lingchuan was momentarily speechless. "So Zhongsun Mou had it made as a third-generation heir to a high official, yet he chose to come pick a fight with us?"
"He had too much idle time on his hands," Fu Shanyue said solemnly. "I'm not just cursing him. In Lingxu City, patrician scions who are bored out of their minds and stir up trouble for no reason are as plentiful as grains of rice."
The moon shone bright tonight. He Lingchuan looked up at the sky. The silhouettes of the Floating Isles were distinctly visible—colossal mountains weighing down on everyone's head.
He let out a sigh.
...
The following day, people came looking for He Lingchuan:
"A summons from the Heavenly Palace: He Xiao is to report to Zhaixing Tower immediately, without delay!"
The party of four or five glared intently at He Lingchuan. Had he dared disobey, they would surely have dragged him out by force.
This matter should have been dealt with two days ago, but He Xiao had slipped away first, which clearly rankled them.
Today, they had finally tracked him down.
He Lingchuan also knew that as long as he remained in Lingxu City, there was no escaping them in the end.
What must come would come.
Before they could finish speaking, however, Fu Shanyue hurried over. "Oh? What's going on here?"
"Emissary Bai has summoned He Xiao to Zhaixing Tower to assist with the investigation."
Fu Shanyue tightened his belt. "Fine, let's go."
The men did not budge.
Fu Shanyue asked in surprise, "Still not moving? How long do you intend to keep Emissary Bai waiting?"
The leading lamp warden said helplessly, "Your Highness, Emissary Bai summoned only He Xiao."
"I know," Fu Shanyue said as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "My Chiyan Kingdom is an aggrieved party too, and I wish to know how the case is progressing. It's only fitting that I accompany him to assist."
The lamp warden was about to object, but Fu Shanyue glared and sneered, "What, Emissary Bai summons an envoy of my Chiyan Kingdom, and there's something I'm not permitted to hear?"
With Fu Shanyue stubbornly insisting on assisting with the case, the lamp warden was powerless against him.
For Emissary Bai to interrogate the Chiyan envoy while barring the Crown Prince of Chiyan from being present would be a breach of etiquette.
What a pity, then, that they had missed their chance two nights ago.
With Fu Shanyue stepping up, He Lingchuan didn't utter a single word, quietly watching the show.
The wary dread that the celestial gods and the Demon Emperor held toward the illusions in the ruins of Thousand Stars City bound Fu Shanyue and He Lingchuan even closer together. Fu Shanyue was equally unwilling to let He Lingchuan be interrogated alone, for fear that secrets might be exposed.
The situation had reached a stalemate.
Just then, another person strolled in from outside with hands clasped behind his back, letting out a long laugh:
"What is all this about?"
It was actually Bai Ziqi, arriving in person.
"He Xiao and I both wish to see how the case is proceeding," Fu Shanyue said calmly. "The latter half of this case falls under Lingxu City's jurisdiction, and my father commanded me to follow up so that the truth is laid bare."
He was using words to corner Bai Ziqi. The elixir of immortality case was divided into two halves: the first half had been investigated in Chiyan Kingdom, where He Lingchuan had dragged Cen Boqing into the light; Bai Ziqi was now taking up the baton for the second half, digging deeper to expose the mastermind behind the scenes.
Since Chiyan Kingdom had no authority to intervene directly in the latter half, it was only reasonable for their monarch to dispatch the crown prince to Lingxu City to monitor the developments.
Furthermore, the Ruler of Chiyan and other monster kings had demanded that Lingxu City deliver justice and provide an accounting to the victimized demon folk.
Thus, Fu Shanyue spoke with utter confidence and righteousness.
"Your Highness's request is both reasonable and lawful." Bai Ziqi did not mind his words in the least. Turning to the lamp wardens, he said, "All of you may return."
His subordinates bowed and withdrew.
"These lads lack tact. Hearing only that I wished to see He Xiao, they came barging in clumsily to fetch him."
All three chuckled, well aware he was talking nonsense.
Bai Ziqi then pointed toward the door, speaking pleasantly: "We're all well-acquainted, so there's no need to go to Zhaixing Tower. How about this: I'll host, and we can share an informal meal across the way at Qianjin Lodge?"
Chapter 556