Chapter 492 - 491: New Clues

Chapter 492: Chapter 491: New Clues

One of the two men was silent, the other just grunted. Neither would speak.

Jiao Yu sniffed the air, then walked over to the guard with the dislocated shoulder. "This one pissed his pants."

The soldiers erupted in laughter. The man’s face turned a pale, greenish-white, a mixture of shame and fear.

This was probably the lowest point of his life.

Hee Lingchuan also walked up to the captive with the dislocated shoulder and clapped him on that very shoulder—

The man cried out, "AARGH!" As he raised his eyes in pain, he came face-to-face with the Mirror Hee Lingchuan had produced.

"Look!"

The man tried to look away, but it was too late. His gaze instinctively fell upon the Mirror’s surface, and he didn’t notice anything unusual at first.

Until the reflection in the Mirror gave him a faint smile...

Sorghum stalks blocked the slanting afternoon sun, casting everyone in shadow. They all saw a wisp of white smoke being drawn from the captive’s mouth, instantly vanishing into the Mirror.

The captive’s eyes immediately went dull and vacant.

The man was injured and weak-willed, making him more susceptible to external influences than his companion.

Hee Lingchuan repeated his question, "Who were you chasing?"

The captive answered robotically, "The man wanted all over the city. His surname is Mai."

With his soul extracted, his wariness had vanished completely.

"Have you dealt with him before?"

The man shook his head. They were just following orders.

"What were your orders?"

"Bring him back. If we couldn’t, we were to kill him on the spot."

’Just as I thought,’ Hee Lingchuan mused. "Who sent you?"

"Elder Wu."

’Finally, a new name to investigate.’ "And who is Elder Wu?"

"Elder Wu is a long-time servant of the Cen Mansion. He’s been by Lord Cen’s side for over a decade and handles many affairs."

"Lord Chen? Or Lord Cen?" Hee Lingchuan asked him. "What’s his full name?"

"Cen..." A look of struggle returned to the man’s eyes.

’Even with his soul gone, his instincts are still fighting it?’ Hee Lingchuan said, "Don’t worry. Tell me, and I guarantee you’ll be safe."

But the man just shook his head repeatedly.

Hee Lingchuan had to change his approach. "Does he live in the northwest corner of Baisha Jue?"

"Yes."

"Does he live east of Blue Lake?"

"Yes."

"Are there any identifying landmarks?"

"A pair of White Jade Qilins, each over ten feet tall, guard the main entrance. There’s also a three-hundred-year-old Parasol Tree."

Hee Lingchuan thought for a moment. "What does Elder Wu look like?"

"In his fifties, square-faced, a little chubby, not very tall. His eyes crinkle when he smiles."

’Those features sound familiar.’ "Was he wearing a maroon silk robe, a black and gold-trimmed belt, and a black hat today?"

The man even took a moment to recall. "Yes."

Hee Lingchuan let out a faint sneer.

Elder Wu had been at the tower just now!

He was the old, wealthy merchant who had been haggling with someone at the Chaohu Tea House.

Whether it was because he was bold and skilled or just confident he wouldn’t be exposed, Elder Wu had gone in person.

Fortunately, Hee Lingchuan had also put on quite a performance at the tower, so they hadn’t seen through him at a glance.

"Is Elder Wu the steward of the Cen Mansion? What kind of affairs does he handle?"

"No, the Cen Mansion has another steward." The man shook his head. "Elder Wu only follows Lord Cen. We don’t know what he does."

"Is Elder Wu Lord Cen’s trusted confidant?"

"Yes."

"Good. Take them away." Hee Lingchuan felt a sense of relief. He said to the soldier’s leader, "Tell your Marshal to immediately escort this captive with the dislocated shoulder to the National Capital and present him to the Crown Prince as a key witness. Lock the other one up, and be careful he isn’t silenced."

The soldier took his orders and left.

Hee Lingchuan stood up, stretched, and whistled.

Cangying flew over from out of nowhere, a few magpie feathers still stuck to the corner of his beak.

"You’re already eating?" Hee Lingchuan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "The man who turned back to report also needs to be tailed."

Cangying stood on the horse’s back and flapped his wings. "I’ve already sent out scouts."

Time was short, so once everyone was ready, they hurried back.

It wasn’t until the Tide Lake Tower came back into view that two blue magpies flew in from ahead, landing before Cangying and chirping a few times.

Cangying raised a wing threateningly, and the two Bird Demons flew off in a fright.

"What is it?"

"They lost him," Cangying said, displeased. "They said the third man, the one who turned back, entered a short building across from the Tide Lake Tower and never came out. They waited a while, felt something was wrong, and slipped through a window to check, only to find it empty."

"Hmm, he’s already slipped away. If it’s not a secret passage, it’s an Array." Hee Lingchuan sighed. He knew finding the enemy’s lair wouldn’t be that easy. "Take me there."

The two blue magpies led the way.

They had been temporarily recruited by Cangying. As a Chiyan Demon Official, he had the authority to commandeer these Demon Birds for his service.

Hee Lingchuan followed them to a one-story building diagonally opposite the Tide Lake Tower.

It wasn’t in the front row of buildings facing the street but was a loft in the back. It was like a second-and-a-half floor. When Hee Lingchuan went up, he saw that he could indeed monitor the entrance of the Tide Lake Tower through the window.

Houses like this dotted the area around Tide Lake Tower, very inconspicuous. The people coming and going were a motley crew, and many outsiders rented rooms here to save money.

After all, it was a tourist area, not a closed-off residential neighborhood where a new face would be spotted immediately.

Hee Lingchuan and Jiao Yu searched the room a few times. When they moved a low table, they discovered a completed Array drawn underneath it.

Jiao Yu recognized it at a glance. "This is a Small Mountain Moving Array. It can only move a person about twenty feet away."

Of course, the cost was also small.

’No need to look. The other end of the Array must open up in the neighboring house. The third target has already escaped.’

The blue magpies’ surveillance mission was a complete failure.

"Guard the captives we have. They are crucial witnesses." Hee Lingchuan straightened up. "Fortunately, we’ve already gotten a new lead."

The Blue Lake East Mansion, with White Jade Qilins at the gate and a three-hundred-year-old Parasol Tree.

It was as good as giving him the name and address.

In truth, the moment those three men had given chase, Hee Lingchuan had felt relieved.

The goals for setting this trap had already been achieved:

First, he had to determine whether Mr. Mai had made contact with the true mastermind.

The entire case hinged on this.

Now, the answer was clear:

He hadn’t.

After escaping from Frost and Dew Town, Mr. Mai had vanished without a trace. Neither Hee Lingchuan nor his immediate superior had been able to find him.

Otherwise, these people wouldn’t have needed to take the risk of investigating the Tide Lake Tower.

Mr. Mai’s disappearance was itself an intriguing signal. Did he sense the danger and flee to protect himself, or did he have his own schemes from the very beginning?

If it was the latter, what was his goal?

Second, fishing.

Hee Lingchuan hadn’t expected to catch a big fish right away. To be honest, he knew the waters here were deep. The one that took the bait wasn’t necessarily the true culprit.

But if someone gave him a vine, he could follow it to the melon. He could find a crack in the enemy’s tight defense.

And now, hadn’t a clue delivered itself right to his doorstep?

...

After stepping out of the Small Mountain Moving Array, the third Guard saw Elder Wu.

Seeing him return empty-handed, Elder Wu knew something was wrong. "What happened?"

Before the guard could report, Elder Wu’s expression changed. "Enough, let’s go! Talk while we walk!"

The Guard hadn’t even opened his mouth before Elder Wu had already scratched the Array on the wall, destroying it, and then hurried away with his subordinate.

「Half a double-hour later.」

Elder Wu stood before his master, his head covered in cold sweat.

"Those two imbeciles never came back. This old servant was muddle-headed and fell into the enemy’s trap!"

"They may have already confessed." Cen Boqing paced around the room. "Those two alone can’t do any real damage to the Cen Mansion, but this Hee fellow is digging up more and more. He absolutely cannot be allowed to live."

"Please give me your orders."

"He is the Chiyan Kingdom’s Crown Prince Envoy, so a public execution is out of the question." Cen Boqing paused. "In that case, find a Curse Master. Send him on his way."

"You mean... Cheng?"

Cen Boqing nodded. "He should be ready."

"If we can get *him* to act, it should be foolproof." Elder Wu breathed a sigh of relief. "Even the Monarch of the Mang Kingdom died at his hands back then. This Hee fellow should be a piece of cake."

"Go and see what else needs to be prepared. And tell him not to get careless."

Elder Wu agreed and was about to leave when Cen Boqing suddenly added, "Right, have you verified the background of this Mai Xuewen?"

"I’ve already sent someone to double-check. His hometown is a bit far, so it will probably be three to five days before we get the results."

"I just heard that when he sends his men to kill demons, he uses a very... special method?"

"Well..." Elder Wu’s face paled slightly.

"You don’t know either?"

"When Mai Xuewen first started this work, I accompanied and observed him for over two months. His methods for killing demons were very ordinary, nothing like... nothing like what’s being said now." Elder Wu swallowed. "Afterward, Mai Xuewen always delivered the Pulp Pearls on schedule, sometimes even exceeding the quota. He was the most low-profile of all the proxies and never caused any trouble, so this old servant rarely, very rarely, questioned his methods again."

’He had many subordinates and many things to worry about. Since Mai Xuewen never made a mistake, why would he keep a constant eye on him alone?’

Cen Boqing said softly, "You have many proxies under you. It’s impossible to question every single one of them about these things, I know."

Elder Wu kept his head down. He knew Cen Boqing well. This matter wouldn’t be let go so easily.

"But this is the second major mistake you’ve made!"

CRACK! Cen Boqing threw a teacup, and it smashed against the wall right next to Elder Wu.

Shards flew, cutting the back of his hand, but Elder Wu didn’t move an inch, letting the blood drip to the floor.

"Was that trap Hee set at the Tide Lake Tower so brilliant? How could you walk right into it!" Cen Boqing slammed the table and cursed. "How do you train your subordinates? They’re either as stupid as pigs and dogs or they desert their posts!"

Elder Wu endured the scolding without a word.

His biggest mistake near the Tide Lake Tower was not staying in the loft to observe. As a result, the three Guards had rushed out to catch their target but couldn’t adapt to the situation.

Just then, someone requested an audience at the back door, claiming to be an "old friend of Lingxu."

Those four words were the code phrase.

Cen Boqing immediately reined in his anger and took a deep breath. Elder Wu hurriedly cleaned up the broken porcelain on the floor.

A servant brought in a person dressed in commoner’s clothes.

Such a large estate as the Cen Mansion normally required over a hundred people to maintain its operations, so people coming and going was a common sight.

Cen Boqing thought it was one of Zhongsun Mou’s guards in disguise, but when the person flipped off their hat, they revealed pale blue skin.

"Brother Zhongsun?" Cen Boqing’s surprise was genuine. "Why have you come in person?"