The items inside were shaped like peanuts, numbering several dozen, but each was only the size of a mung bean. Their colors ranged from whitish to pale yellow, and some were even slightly translucent.
Yet these things weren't peanuts at all... Thanks to his sharp eyesight, he looked closer and gasped softly. "Bee pupae?"
These tiny things were indeed bee pupae, their bellies and limbs clearly discernible, but they were already semi-desiccated. Not a single one was alive.
"This device is refined using clutch-bees," Li Qingge explained. "Have you heard of them?"
"Of course," He Lingchuan smiled. "Back in Blackwater City, I saw someone pursued for vengeance by a clutch-bee. He was stung until he swelled up all over, his throat choking up so badly he couldn't breathe. He only survived because of a remarkably skilled physician."
Ever since then, he knew that clutch-bees were among the deadliest killer bees, capable of forming an entire hive with just a single male and female. They cherished their offspring beyond measure. At the slightest sign of danger, they would clasp the bee pupae beneath their abdomens to protect them—hence their name.
If an enemy stole their pupae, they would hunt them down to the ends of the earth.
Li Qingge pointed at the two needles on the compass. "These two needles are the abdominal stingers of clutch-bees. Their instincts remain even after death, so we utilized this trait to craft this needle box."
She took out a bee pupa and tossed it against a pillar in the corner of the room.
The pupa shattered without a sound, leaving a faint yellowish mark on the pillar.
He Lingchuan watched as both needles on the compass moved.
"The smaller needle belongs to the female bee; it points toward the location where the pupa was crushed."
"The larger needle belongs to the male bee; it marks the distance on the dial."
He Lingchuan took a look, and sure enough, the larger needle pointed to a mark within one zhang.
"We have tested it. Its effective tracking range is within twelve hundred li."
He Lingchuan clapped his hands. "What a fine tool! So convenient! Once it hits the market, it's bound to sell like hotcakes."
For tracking and tailing enemies, this was simply too convenient.
While previous tracking supernatural abilities were varied, most involved convoluted casting procedures and harsh conditions. How could any of them match the ease of this Tracking Bee?
Just on convenience, efficiency, speed, and accuracy alone, He Lingchuan knew this gadget would have no trouble selling.
Li Qingge pressed the box into his palm and said with a smile, "May your words come true. It will be released for sale next spring. If you run out of bee pupae, you can replenish them at the Songyang Mansion branch in Lingxu City. As long as you keep them inside the box for a day and a night, the bee needles will automatically treat them as their offspring."
He Lingchuan gladly accepted it.
Having achieved her objective, Li Qingge changed the subject and chatted about interesting gossip around Lingxu City.
She possessed a natural charm; no matter what she talked about, she made people feel as refreshed as if bathed in a spring breeze, always leaving them wanting more.
Before long, Fu Shanyue returned.
Not minding the leftover feast on the table, he sat down and downed two large jugs of wine in quick succession with Li Qingge, drinking until her cheeks flushed red and she hastily took her leave.
Only then did Fu Shan ask He Lingchuan, "You rascal, meeting a beauty behind my back while I was out?"
"If I wanted to meet a beauty, I wouldn't pick this place," He Lingchuan said with disdain. "Too many killjoys around."
"What did she actually come here for?"
"Nian Zanli has leverage over Songyang Mansion, and the Marquis of Songyang is plagued by his harassment. She wants to ask for Your Highness's help."
"Me?" Fu Shanyue pointed at his own nose. "Internal strife between two Yuan people, and the Marquis of Songyang wants my help?"
He Lingchuan nodded.
"Does she want me to lend troops to Nian Zanli?" Fu Shanyue wondered aloud. "Chiyan is far from Nian Zanli's territory... What was it called again?"
"Xunzhou."
"Right. The Chiyan Kingdom is too far from Xunzhou. Moving troops and horses wouldn't be easy." Never mind tens of thousands; even marching an army of several thousand from Chiyan to Xunzhou would incur astronomical costs just feeding the men and horses.
"The Xuluo Kingdom is closer."
"The ruler of Xuluo is on good terms with my royal father." Fu Shanyue coughed lightly. "However, I slaughtered two of the Xuluo Grand Preceptor's men, so..."
Before he could finish, He Lingchuan snatched the wine jug from his hands.
"If you want wine, buy it yourself."
If he couldn't help, what right did he have to drink his wine?
"Hey!" Did he have to be so mercenary?
"She didn't say we actually have to lend troops, just help the Marquis of Songyang avoid being squeezed."
Fu Shanyue shrugged. "Tell me when you've thought of a way." With that, he leaned in and asked, "Do you fancy the Marquis of Songyang?"
He Lingchuan replied calmly, "Nothing of the sort, but I owe her a favor."
A favor was a debt, and debts had to be repaid.
"Is that so? What a pity." Taking advantage of his distraction, Fu Shanyue snatched the wine jug right back.
He Lingchuan walked out into the courtyard and stretched.
Li Qingge had flattered him nicely, saying he "wasn't that kind of person," but He Lingchuan understood that her true reason for trusting him with this task was that He Lingchuan had vulnerabilities in her hands as well. They were even.
Besides, she knew his origins. She even knew he hailed from Blackwater City, right beside the Panlong Desert.
Li Qingge might not realize that this information could cost him his life, but leaking it to Nian Zanli or Hong Chenglüe would be enough to cause him endless trouble.
Most importantly, Li Qingge probably believed he had no idea what was hidden inside the bamboo cylinder.
***
The next day, Fu Shanyue brought He Lingchuan an update:
The poison detected on the tables and chairs in his guest room on the day of the explosion could rapidly penetrate the human body through the skin, causing shock, coma, and death by suffocation.
It was not a biological toxin, but rather a powdered medicinal extract derived from a certain type of stone. In extremely small doses, it was used to treat hemiplegia, so the Lingxu City authorities did not prohibit its sale on the market.
However, when blended with several herbs such as whitefish gall, a marvelous chemical reaction occurred, transforming it into a lethal weapon.
Several new envoys had moved out on the day of the explosion, so there were many servants moving luggage in and out of the posthouse throughout the day. It was unclear whether the culprit had seized that window of opportunity. He Lingchuan was merely a special envoy, so security around his guest room had not been particularly tight.
Hearing this, He Lingchuan remained expressionless. "In other words, you found nothing at all?"
"The government office is still working hard," Fu Shanyue coughed. "Whoever plotted against you naturally did their best to leave no traces, not to mention a massive explosion followed right after."
An explosion was always one of the best ways to destroy evidence.
"I've pressured the magistrates several times, and the royal court won't just sit idly by. Just wait for news." An attack on the Crown Prince of Chiyan at the posthouse was an egregious offense, especially during such a sensitive period. Lingxu City had to provide the Chiyan Kingdom with an answer.
He Lingchuan nodded, turned around, and walked outward.
"Where are you going?"
"Taking a stroll around Mount Xu to admire the relics of the immortal sect."
He answered placidly, without the slightest hint of anger.
Because he genuinely wasn't angry.
Why would someone poison him in the posthouse and then detonate an explosive? Why go through double the trouble to kill one person?
The reason was exceedingly simple: he had placed and detonated the explosives himself.
The immortal elixir case had already drawn the attention of the Minister of Agriculture, the Cen family, the Zhongsun family, and Zhaixing Tower toward a minor figure like He Xiao. They might not be able to do much against Fu Shanyue, but they could easily vent their anger on He Xiao, the thorn in their side.
Furthermore, at the Dun Garden auction, the friction between the Crown Prince of Chiyan and the Zhongsun family had deepened, and He Lingchuan himself had come face-to-face with Hong Chenglüe.
Hong Chenglüe had not turned hostile on the spot, but who could guarantee that General Qingwu wouldn't change his mind afterward?
He Lingchuan had only just arrived in Lingxu City, yet his situation had already deteriorated to this extent, leaving him surrounded by enemies on all sides.
With so many adversaries queuing up to make trouble for him—all prominent figures in Lingxu City—he felt both flattered and compelled to devise a once-and-for-all solution.
And that was to strike first!
Beating everyone else to the punch, he struck against himself.
This wasn't his first or second time using explosives. He had even conducted repeated trials back in Panlong City, so the explosion's power this time had been controlled with perfection. Apart from himself, virtually no one was seriously injured.
Once the news spread and the name "He Xiao" rose to even greater prominence in Lingxu City, the nobles and magnates would find it far harder to lay a hand on him.
Arriving in Lingxu City as an insignificant figure amid a den of crouching tigers and hidden dragons, He Lingchuan possessed two great talismans to protect himself.
One was transparency.
The other was justice.
Placing himself under everyone's gaze, drawing the attention of nobles and commoners alike while leaving no glaring fault to pick at—that was transparency.
Once everyone knew he had come for the immortal elixir case and was injured while hunting the real culprit, he draped himself in the cloak of selfless justice.
When the name He Xiao was burning bright and hot, even the Demon Emperor would not want to strike at him directly.
However, the poison on the table and chairs that night was someone else's handiwork.
Someone truly wanted his life.
It was only when He Lingchuan spotted two figures sneaking into his guest room to plant the poison via his eyeball spider that he resolved to return to the posthouse and trigger the explosion.
The waters were already murky enough; adding fuel to the fire was what made the show truly lively.
As for the South City government office failing to discover who the poisoner was, whether due to incompetence or neglect, He Lingchuan did not care in the slightest.
This was the best possible outcome.
If the culprit couldn't be found, then everyone with an old grudge against him—including the Grand Marshal, the Cen family, the Zhongsun family, and even the Fan brothers—became potential suspects.
Once the explosion became the talk of the entire city again and everyone pointed fingers behind their backs, He Lingchuan's rivals would be too busy clearing their own names to risk acting against him.
After all, Lingxu City was still a place governed by royal law.
He Lingchuan waved toward the tall tree in the courtyard, and a shadow leaped from a branch onto his shoulder.
The goshawk perched on the roof cast a single glance his way before turning away indifferently.
On its very first day moving into the tree, the squirrel had already registered with Lord Wu. When hungry, the goshawk would not treat it as a snack.
He Lingchuan took out a few hazelnuts and handed them over. He had always been generous toward the monsters around him.
The squirrel happily nibbled on them while saying, "The cart sent to fetch you has arrived."
He Lingchuan stepped out of the gate and saw a donkey cart waiting there.
It seemed the big-horned sheep didn't have to work today either.
Old Ge moonlighted as the driver, waving at him. "Dedicated pickup service—a perk exclusive to VIP guests!"
He Lingchuan boarded the cart, and the donkey clopped forward, heading straight north.
Spinning the whip's tip around his fingers, Old Ge remarked, "Those Chen brothers you were investigating are already dead."
He expected He Lingchuan to be displeased, yet the young man's expression remained utterly indifferent as he continued admiring the street scenery.
"How did they die?" He Lingchuan sighed inward. Just as expected.
Chapter 573