The water was far too deep; he was struggling just to stay afloat.
On the surface, he still had to ask, "Could it be the work of the Cen clan or the mastermind behind the elixir of immortality, trying to divert everyone's attention?"
Fu Shanyue couldn't make sense of it either, but in the end he laughed. "Who cares? Either way, we've made quite a splash in Lingxu City. Because it entangles so many factions, the elixir of immortality case is the hottest topic right now, drawing even more attention than the war in the east. It isn't just everyone on the Floating Isle buzzing about it—word has even started spreading down into Lower Lingxu. My royal father ought to be very pleased, too."
Spreading from the upper city to the lower city meant trickling down from high society to the common folk. The nobles and officials might not personally move between the Floating Isle and the ground all that often, but there were one hundred and seventy to eighty thousand servants attending them up there. With such a massive flow of people moving up and down, what kind of gossip couldn't leak out?
The common folk were especially delighted whenever corrupt dignitaries and powerful officials fell on their faces.
From the known details, this case involved at least the Minister of Agriculture, the Lingxu Crown Prince's close confidant Yao Xingning, the Cen family, the Zhongsun family, two commanders of the Tongxin Guard, and the Chiyan Crown Prince, among other heavyweight factions. What was more, the Emperor himself had personally appointed Emissary Bai of the Heavenly Palace to investigate, confirming the incident's high profile from the official level.
It had intrigue, confrontation, dramatic turnarounds, and shocking reversals—fulfilling the common people's every fantasy about the filthy rat race of fame and fortune.
The spectacle-hungry onlookers rejoiced like badgers in a ripe melon patch.
Even the citizens of Lingxu City, accustomed as they were to grand spectacles, found this profoundly satisfying.
The more attention the case garnered, the more thorough an accounting Lingxu City would have to provide to address the public scrutiny of at least seven million people. It could no longer simply be swept under the rug.
Now the pressure was squarely on the Demon Emperor and Bai Ziqi.
Such explosive drama erupting so fast and suddenly had caught even He Lingchuan off guard, but for him, the benefits outweighed the risks.
Now that his name was out there, anyone trying to deal with him in secret would find the difficulty suddenly magnified.
Indeed, aside from Chiyan, the other and even more vital protective talisman he had secured for himself was none other than "exposure."
For a nobody like him, only by standing directly beneath the spotlight could he keep the monsters lurking in the dark from pouncing on him—at least for now.
For now.
Watching from the sidelines, the soul-snatching mirror had grown increasingly jittery. "You are dancing on the edge of a blade."
This was Lingxu City, the foremost city under heaven, crouching with dragons and tigers. The brash kid had barely arrived and was already stirring up trouble everywhere. If he wasn't careful, he wouldn't even have a grave to be buried in.
Fu Shanyue spoke up again. "By the way, I went to check on the progress of Zhaixing Tower's investigation. Bai Ziqi sent word to tell me that they took the clues to the Azure Palace, and National Preceptor Qingyang has basically confirmed that Mai Xuewen is her former rogue disciple, Xi Yunhe."
"Oh?" He Lingchuan's interest was piqued at once. "Mai Xuewen was her disciple? Then does this connect back to the theft of the Azure Palace's treasures more than a decade ago?"
"Precisely." Finding his partner as sharp as ever, Fu Shanyue continued, "Fifteen years ago, Xi Yunhe stole a large hoard of treasures from the Azure Palace and fled. He was subsequently struck down and fell off a cliff, and his body was found downriver only half a month later, swollen and decomposing. People from the Azure Palace went to identify the corpse and confirmed it was Xi Yunhe."
"Was the snail-toad's shell indeed one of the stolen treasures of the Azure Palace?"
"It was. National Preceptor Qingyang has already identified it as the 'Mud Palace.' Furthermore, after looking at the wanted portrait of Mai Xuewen, she felt his appearance and mannerisms bore an uncanny resemblance to Xi Yunhe."
He Lingchuan frowned. "Xi Yunhe was a disciple under her wing; why would he steal treasures out of nowhere?"
"Xi Yunhe possessed extraordinary talent and was clever and diligent. National Preceptor Qingyang entrusted him with important responsibilities many times, and even considered making him her successor." Fu Shanyue took a sip of water. "Who could have foreseen that right around then, National Preceptor Qingyang would discover he was a spy from a foreign realm? Xi Yunhe deliberately staged the theft of the palace's treasures to divert the Azure Palace's attention so he could escape. But he failed, was seen through, and was hunted down."
He Lingchuan let out an "oh." "Why does it feel to me like he was quite successful?" Mai Xuewen—or rather, Xi Yunhe—had escaped, and he had taken the treasures with him.
Fu Shanyue chuckled as well. "Isn't that the truth?"
"Was the portrait he hid in Shuanglu Town painted by his own hand?"
"Yes. National Preceptor Qingyang confirmed that Xi Yunhe painted that portrait for her during a celebration twenty years ago."
"He painted it with exceptional care."
When a man painted a woman with such meticulous detail, he was either being paid a fortune or held her in his heart.
"National Preceptor Qingyang said Xi Yunhe harbored improper feelings toward her. Later, when she expelled him from the sect and ordered his capture, he grew consumed by resentment and deliberately laid out clues specifically designed to frame the Azure Palace."
The Mud Palace and the portrait could indeed both be linked to the Azure Palace.
"Who presided over the trial of that spy case fifteen years ago?" He Lingchuan pondered. "It couldn't have been like Zhongsun Mou judging the eastern imperial eagle case, could it?"
"The Azure Palace investigated and judged it internally, and then cleaned up their own house. Lingxu City didn't inquire any further."
"No inquiries at all, leaving it entirely to the Azure Palace?" He Lingchuan was astonished. "No oversight or review after the fact? Does that adhere to proper regulations?"
"Regulations?" Fu Shanyue coughed lightly. "Well, that's just how it went. The four National Preceptors hold an exalted status, and at times they enjoy tremendous autonomy."
He Lingchuan gave a dry laugh. "Perhaps a wronged ghost has returned from the underworld to overturn the verdict out of sheer indignation."
Injustice demanded redress. If every effort to seek recourse met closed doors, no one could blame a person for taking matters into their own hands.
"From the looks of it, Xi Yunhe has pointed the clues of the elixir of immortality case straight at the Azure Palace." He looked at Fu Shanyue. "If this turns out to be true, what will the Emperor do?"
Fu Shanyue fell into a rare silence before answering:
"I don't know."
He Lingchuan stretched languidly. "Which means the real show has only just begun."
Whether it was himself or Xi Yunhe, they had only set the opening moves. The real storm hadn't arrived yet.
Fu Shanyue glanced at the sky. The moon was bright and the breeze gentle.
"Care for dinner? I know a place that makes excellent fish in sour broth."
"As long as you're paying." He Lingchuan didn't hesitate, ready to go on the spot.
The two drank until they were thoroughly intoxicated, returning only after having enjoyed themselves to the fullest.
By then, the moon had passed its zenith, and two shichen had slipped by. Though Lingxu City was a city that never slept, few people remained on the streets at this hour. The lamps in the houses were mostly extinguished, and not even a dog barked.
Most were lost in the realm of dreams.
Back at the guesthouse, He Lingchuan patted Fu Shanyue on the shoulder and headed toward his own guest room.
He swayed as he walked, his footsteps light and off-balance. Fu Shanyue's guards moved to steady him, but he waved them off, insisting it wasn't necessary, before pushing open the door and stepping inside.
The guard turned back. Just as he descended the stairs and reached the door of his own quarters, a tremendous blast roared through the air.
Before he could even look up, the immense shockwave threw him violently to the ground.
Wood splinters, billowing dust, and bizarre debris spun through the air.
He looked up toward the source of the blast, dumbfounded.
He Lingchuan's room had blown up.
A broken wooden beam shot through the air and embedded itself in the ground right before him. Had he been standing two paces forward, it would have skewered him right between the legs.
Immediately after, Fu Shanyue charged out of his own quarters, roaring at the guard as he passed, "What are you just standing there for!"
The others snapped back to reality. "Your Highness, danger ahead!"
An explosion had just occurred; there might well be a second or a third.
"Danger, my ass!" Fu Shanyue possessed copper skin and iron bones, completely fearless. Seeing that half the stairs had been blown away, he planted one hand and vaulted straight up. "He Xiao!"
Half of He Lingchuan's guest room was gone.
"He Xiao!" Could that bastard really have been blown to pieces? Fu Shanyue didn't believe it. That fellow He was tougher than a cockroach. No matter what Fu Shanyue had tried in the past, he hadn't been able to kill him; could an inexplicable explosion do the trick? If he had known it was this easy, he would have used one long ago! "Stop playing dead! Answer me!"
He shouted several more times before a voice finally answered from the storeroom across the walkway: "Over here... *cough, cough!*"
Fu Shanyue leaped across in a single bound. The floorboards from the walkway had been blasted all the way over here. From amidst the ruins, a figure slowly sat up, coated in grime and ash—none other than He Lingchuan.
Every cough spat out a mouthful of dust.
"Are you all right?"
He Lingchuan shoved the wooden boards off himself, then tossed aside half of a shattered teapot.
"Not dead."
***
The Floating Isle.
Zhongsun Chi spent over a shichen in his underwater garden before swimming ashore.
Whenever he felt restless or irritable, he was accustomed to retreating into the quiet depths. No one disturbed him underwater, which helped him settle his mind to think.
A waiting maidservant immediately stepped forward holding a soft cloth to dry him.
She had to be extremely careful, for a vast expanse of scales on the old jiaoren's chest, back, and ribs had already shed. It was like a human losing their skin; wiping the raw flesh too firmly would cause sharp pain.
He had lost his temper over this many times.
Although the eldest young master had bought back the item the old patriarch wanted from the Dun Garden auction, the old man's mood had remained gloomy over the past few days.
The vertical furrow between Zhongsun Chi's brows deepened. "Where is the eldest? Why haven't I seen him all day?"
"This servant does not know."
Zhongsun Chi sent people to inquire, but every one returned saying they didn't know. Only a single page-boy reported that the eldest young master had gone out in the morning and had yet to return.
The old man slammed his palm against the table with a loud bang, startling all the servants into falling to their knees in unison.
"I told you to keep an eye on him! Are your eyes blind? You didn't see him leave?"
He had already been so troubled these past two days that he couldn't sleep well. With rage flaring up, he simply ordered the page-boy from his great-grandson's courtyard dragged to the blood pool and fed directly to the sharks.
With this bloody example before them, a dark cloud hung over the entire Zhongsun residence.
At noon, Zhongsun Ce finally returned.
Just as he crossed through the second gate, he looked up and was startled to see his great-grandfather sitting by the entrance, a wooden staff resting by his side. "Great-Grandfather!"
Zhongsun Chi's expression was as cold as frost. "Where have you been?"
"I... I was troubled, so I went for a walk in the lower city."
"You didn't go looking for trouble with the Chiyan Crown Prince?"
Zhongsun Ce's heart leaped, and he hurriedly shook his head. "No, no, not at all."
Yet what sort of person was Zhongsun Chi? A single shift in his great-grandson's eyes was all it took for him to understand. He slammed his staff heavily against the floor. "You really went! What did you do?"
Zhongsun Ce's jaw tightened. "Fu Shanyue has been strutting about, preening and showing off everywhere lately! Just looking at him infuriates me! His father killed your son, and he killed my brother, yet he still saunters arrogantly through Lingxu City with people flattering and fawning over him wherever he goes!" His teeth ground together in a harsh grate. "Truly... truly, there is no justice under heaven!"
After suffering that humiliation at Dun Garden, the more he thought about it, the angrier he became, wishing he could tear Fu Shanyue to pieces.
"You have no idea how widely the rumors have spread out there! You have no idea how they're mocking Ah Mou!"
Chapter 567