National Preceptor Shuangye and Nian Zanli certainly had prior dealings; after all, Shuangye had allocated origin power to Nian Zanli and even dispatched Hong Chenglüe to support him.
Although the outcome of that major battle had not been great, regardless of what Nian Zanli thought of National Preceptor Shuangye and Hong Chenglüe, upon coming to Lingxu City this time, he must have paid a visit to National Preceptor Shuangye and requested reinforcements.
When living under someone else's roof, one had to bend the knee.
Now that National Preceptor Shuangye was willing to help, he had not dealt with Nian Zanli directly. Instead, he made a detour to Fu Shanyue and He Xiao first, clearly leaving the favor for them to bestow.
The Lord National Preceptor's conduct was truly watertight.
Xi Yunhe nodded. "Entrusted by another, one must remain faithful to their charge."
Meaning: we have already fulfilled your request; now it is your turn.
He Lingchuan sat up straight. "I am all ears."
"The elixir of immortality case involves Cen Boqing. The day after the report reached the Demon Emperor, Qingfu Temple caught fire. All one hundred and twenty-one people in the temple were burned to death, from the abbot down to night watchmen, water keepers, and bell ringers—not a single one escaped. When Bai Ziqi investigated up to this point, the trail went cold," Xi Yunhe recounted smoothly. "Hence, National Preceptor Qingyang has been going about her business as usual lately, acting as if nothing happened, precisely because she knows no one can lay hands on concrete evidence."
"Where is the evidence?"
"Arson is the best way to destroy evidence," Xi Yunhe said. "Yet it is actually the most prone to error as well, because everyone was burned beyond recognition."
He Lingchuan stroked his chin. "Is that how National Preceptor Shuangye helped you fake your death back then?"
Xi Yunhe ignored the remark.
"The death toll was off—didn't the Azure Palace suspect anything?"
"Only one hundred and three bodies were discovered afterward. In a fire that huge, missing a few is hardly strange."
After a catastrophic blaze, there were always people missing. Besides, the fire at Qingfu Temple was rather suspicious; eyewitnesses on the scene claimed there had been hints of purple light, so what was unusual about a few bodies being incinerated to ash?
Xi Yunhe continued, "Qingfu Temple had a temple keeper named Kong Jiaxiang. That night, he slipped off to Nanli District to visit an old flame and stayed the night without informing the temple. When he woke up the next morning, he heard Qingfu Temple had burned to the ground. The fellow was sharp; he didn't return to check at all, but greased his soles, slipped out of the city immediately, and headed south to lie low in his hometown of Yangshui."
"Is he still in Yangshui?"
"Yes," Xi Yunhe chuckled softly. "We have men keeping watch on him, but he doesn't know it."
"Even National Preceptor Qingyang thinks Kong Jiaxiang is dead—how did you know he was alive in Yangshui?" He Lingchuan eyed him with veiled vigilance. Could the fire at Qingfu Temple have been set by National Preceptor Shuangye's subordinates?
Considering Xi Yunhe could adopt the alias Mai Xuewen, killing demons under Wu Kai's nose to harvest pearls and plant clues, it didn't seem far-fetched at all for National Preceptor Shuangye to torch Qingfu Temple either, did it?
"You think we set the fire?" Xi Yunhe shook his head. "That was the primary site and proof of illicit elixir of immortality trafficking; how could we just burn it away? At first, we also thought everything was destroyed by that fire, until over the next two days, someone noticed Kong Jiaxiang's old flame acting as if nothing had happened—she was even laughing merrily while chatting with neighbors, without the slightest grief."
He Lingchuan's eyes flickered. "Who found out Kong Jiaxiang had a lover?"
"Me, of course," Xi Yunhe said flatly. "I've been keeping tabs on him since three years ago."
"Once that question arose, the rest was easy to investigate." He paused on every word. "This time, National Preceptor Qingyang's luck has run out—Heaven itself has come to claim her!"
Otherwise, why would National Preceptor Shuangye have been the first to discover Kong Jiaxiang was alive, rather than National Preceptor Qingyang?
"Were all hundred-odd people in the temple involved in selling the elixir of immortality?"
"Of course not. Only three to five people knew the truth," Xi Yunhe said. "Kong Jiaxiang was in charge of handoffs and bookkeeping. As long as Bai Ziqi apprehends him, he can easily follow the vines straight back to the Azure Palace."
He gave a cold laugh. "In truth, Bai Ziqi knows full well the elixir of immortality was illicitly produced by the Azure Palace. But against such an adversary, one gets nowhere without concrete evidence."
He spoke of it lightly, but He Lingchuan knew this lead had been hard-won. Finding an exit among hundreds of dead ends must have demanded immense effort.
Xi Yunhe's competence was genuinely exceptional; no wonder his investigations back then had driven National Preceptor Qingyang to wit's end, leaving her no choice but to eliminate him.
He Lingchuan exhaled softly. "Then let me ask: if even the Duyun Emissary was stumped by the fire at Qingfu Temple, on what basis would an outsider like me discover Kong Jiaxiang is still alive and well?"
Bai Ziqi would inevitably demand that he or Fu Shanyue disclose their source; there was no skirting this question.
"Because Kong Jiaxiang has another identity: he isn't just Wu Kai's fellow townsman, but also the elder brother of Wu Kai's daughter-in-law," Xi Yunhe said calmly. "You can say that while digging into Wu Kai's background in his hometown, you uncovered such a living person, yet noticed his name was on the Qingfu Temple casualty list."
"Yangshui lies within Chiyan territory. It is only natural that your people could find him."
He Lingchuan pondered this. "Not a bad idea. But to be safe, I must send an informant back to Yangshui."
Even though Xi Yunhe's competence was plain for all to see, and the likelihood of him lying about this case was slim, the stakes were too high. Without sending his own scout to verify it, He Lingchuan could not put his mind at ease.
Xi Yunhe was not surprised in the least. "Suit yourself, but act fast. Delays breed complications."
Kong Jiaxiang was their painstakingly obtained trump card. If the Azure Palace eliminated him as well, the truth behind the elixir of immortality case might never see the light of day again.
He Lingchuan thought for a moment and added, "Right, Crown Prince Huan stormed Panshan Residence last night to murder and burn. You know about that, don't you?"
"The whole city knows."
"Do you know who was behind it?"
Xi Yunhe asked, "With so many enemies, don't you have any idea yourself?"
He Lingchuan gave a wry smile. "Can it be found out?"
"I advise you not to act rashly," Xi Yunhe's puppet said with a stiff face. "Just carry out your mission obediently."
"The National Preceptor is supposed to keep me safe," He Lingchuan smiled. "What if those people strike again?"
"Didn't the Demon Emperor bestow a manor on the Chiyan Crown Prince?" Xi Yunhe said flatly. "And assigned the Tongxin Guard to protect you."
"You know full well what my relationship with the Tongxin Guard is like," He Lingchuan rubbed his nose. "If the Fan brothers don't cause trouble for me, it's already their generosity. If assassins sneak in wanting my life, they might just look the other way."
"If something happens to the Chiyan delegates again, it won't reflect well on the Demon Emperor either," Xi Yunhe said with a chuckle. "If we catch wind of anyone moving against you, we will inform you beforehand. By the way, I will teach you the Technique of Heart-Shadow Transmission."
Heart-Shadow Transmission was a divine ability that turned a living person into a puppet, dominating their speech and actions for a brief period.
During that time, the controlled individual had no memory and would not even sense the passage of time.
However, this spell generally worked only on ordinary folks, loose demons, the sick, or the unconscious; it was practically ineffective against those with firm willpower. Otherwise, Xi Yunhe could have simply controlled He Lingchuan to go to Bai Ziqi—why bother negotiating terms with him?
"What if the target is old and frail, but protected by origin power?" He Lingchuan liked splitting hairs.
Xi Yunhe gave him a strange look. "Origin power? I don't know how other countries distribute it, but so long as they aren't going to the battlefield, most officials in Lingxu City are not endowed with origin power. Origin power is so precious; even Beijia wouldn't hand it out to every official in sight."
He Lingchuan had an epiphany. "So that's how it is."
"Furthermore, those controlled by the Technique of Heart-Shadow Transmission cannot execute overly complex tasks, such as combat."
He Lingchuan smiled again. "This Technique of Heart-Shadow Transmission—which National Preceptor taught it to you?"
"Neither," Xi Yunhe replied. "I chanced upon an ancient text and learned it myself."
In this world, cultivation arts were myriad and bizarre, with many passed down from ancient or medieval times, far beyond the full knowledge of mortals.
"Do they know you possess this secret technique?"
Xi Yunhe said flatly, "That has nothing to do with you."
Which meant they didn't. He Lingchuan understood. It seemed this fellow had grown wiser and no longer laid all his cards on the table, not even for his savior, National Preceptor Shuangye.
Xi Yunhe concisely explained the incantation and key nuances, then added, "Though National Preceptor Qingyang is unaware of our moves here, she will not sit idly by awaiting doom. Keep your eyes open going forward."
He Lingchuan's gaze shifted slightly. "What moves does she have left?"
"She has been visiting the Demon Emperor frequently of late." National Preceptor Qingyang shared deep ties with two successive Demon Emperors. Sometimes, even without doing anything else, simply playing the sentimentality card was most effective. "Besides, she is adept at under-the-table machinations. Don't assume that just because National Preceptor Shuangye is forcing her to yield ground step by step, she is powerless to strike back. Heh, on the surface there is no sign of movement, but who's to say the recent events in Lingxu City aren't tied to her?"
"Recently?"
"Perhaps including what you encountered."
He Lingchuan was startled. "You mean our recent attacks are connected to her?"
Aside from the courier station explosion that he had orchestrated himself, someone had poisoned him, and someone had incited Crown Prince Huan to intercept the Chiyan delegates and set fire to Panshan Residence.
So far, the masterminds behind none of those cases had been found.
Could they be linked to the Azure Palace?
Indeed, facing the steady tightening of the net by Bai Ziqi and the Chiyan delegates, how could National Preceptor Qingyang remain completely unperturbed?
"Perhaps." Xi Yunhe's puppet gave a stiff shrug. "Just personal speculation, based on my understanding of her."
Saying no more, he urged He Lingchuan to finish the task promptly and then departed.
Once he was gone, He Lingchuan lost no time in calling the goshawk into the room.
"A new job has come up. Fly to Yangshui in Chiyan for me once more to check on someone and dig up some information."
A winged creature could cover a thousand li in a single day; a round trip to Yangshui would take mere days.
***
Night fell, bringing the first snow to Panlong City.
He Lingchuan was walking along the street when he suddenly felt a chill on his face. Fine flakes of snow arrived unbidden, drifting down his collar.
Pedestrians bundled their lapels tighter, quickening their steps.
In such freezing weather, hurrying home to gather around the hearth was the only sensible choice.
He Lingchuan stepped into an apothecary, ordered a few medicinal herbs, and asked the shopkeeper to brew White Tiger Decoction for him.
"Someone at home needs to sober up?"
He Lingchuan smiled. "That's right."
He had thought he would enter Panlong City by night after leaving Mount Xu, but that night he had first dreamed of the Dao-Seeking Tree, and the following day the Crown Prince of Lingxu had come to murder and burn.
Tonight, he was finally inside the city.
A moment later, the White Tiger Decoction was ready. Unafraid of the heat, he picked up the clay pot and headed back.
Chapter 596