Chapter 1120: Who Falls Into Whose Trap?

"This is a bit strange," He Lingchuan mused. "The public safety in Giant Deer Port is far worse than in Blade Port, which actually makes me appreciate Wu Tiju's work more. Commander Jin suspected Bo State, and it turned out to be true. Isn't that a little too easy to find out?"

"The difficulty of this case lies only in the value of the stolen tribute, not in its inherent complexity. Not every case is as intricate as the Elixir of Immortality incident. You're overthinking it," Dong Rui said, unfazed. "When Fang Canran assigned you this task, the case hadn't been solved yet. In a few days, after the Royal Master updates his intelligence, we'll likely realize it's a simple matter."

"So, in your opinion, when Bo State stole the Radiant Lamp, did they know they were robbing Mu State's treasure protection team?"

"Uh..." Dong Rui faltered. "Well, perhaps they did?"

"How do you figure?"

"If they didn't know, it means they didn't do even the most basic groundwork before acting. How could they possibly steal tribute from the Shadowfang Guards without anyone noticing?" Having engaged in similar activities himself, Dong Rui was well aware of the crucial details.

"Exactly," He Lingchuan nodded. "What if they did know?"

"If they knew—" With He Lingchuan's affirmation, Dong Rui's thoughts flowed more freely. "Then it's no big deal, right? This isn't Mu State's territory; could they really extend their reach all the way here?"

"The Radiant Lamp was stolen just over a month ago, and Bo State's Second Prince's madness has already improved. Did the Bo State monarch specifically celebrate for three days because he was afraid Mu State wouldn't know or wouldn't be angry?" He Lingchuan mused. "His son's madness wasn't a recent development. Couldn't he have waited a little longer for the cure, at least until the uproar over Mu State's stolen tribute had died down? Did he really have so little patience?"

"Maybe they're just reckless and fearless!" Dong Rui retorted, jabbing at him. "How many people are like you, always looking before they leap and acting so cautiously?"

"All in all, this is rather strange."

Dong Rui scoffed, "Is the Radiant Lamp in the hands of the Bo State royal family or not?"

"Highly likely."

"There you have it then!" Dong Rui said, adopting a pragmatic attitude that less trouble is always better. "As soon as that's confirmed, *bam*, your mission is complete. Quick, isn't it!"

It was a good mission: little work, good pay, and the only inconvenience was being far from home.

"The method of the crime is quite interesting," He Lingchuan pondered. "Even the Shadowfang Guards couldn't detect anything amiss."

The emperor's personal dark guards were masters of assassination, stealth, and various unorthodox techniques. While He Lingchuan had never personally dealt with Emperor Mu's Shadowfang Guards, he knew they certainly weren't amateurs.

Since even the Shadowfang Guards couldn't understand how they were defeated, Bo State's thieving methods must be highly sophisticated.

"Moreover, since they successfully stole right under the noses of the Shadowfang Guards, why didn't they just kill them on the spot?" Robbery is easier than theft and requires no special skill. Killing witnesses remains a tried and true method because the phrase "dead men tell no tales" has truly stood the test of time.

If they had eliminated the treasure protection team on the spot, Bo State could have concealed many details of the crime.

Even if Mu State later discovered that Bo State's Second Prince had recovered from his madness, without the treasure protection team as direct witnesses, investigating the matter would be extremely difficult.

Having or not having witnesses truly represents two different levels of difficulty. Why had so many officials from Chiyan State failed to find clues in the Lingxu messenger disappearance case that He Lingchuan later took on?

It was because the messenger, the key witness, was gone, and no eyewitnesses could be found either.

Yet, the people from Bo State chose not to.

Dong Rui remained unconcerned. "Confused decision-making is common even in Beijia, let alone Bo State. Perhaps there are internal conflicts within their organization, leading to contradictory external directives. Just look at the deplorable state of Giant Deer Port; it clearly shows their local governance is subpar."

He Lingchuan cast a sideways glance at him. "Your understanding has improved quite a bit over the past year or so. You actually grasp concepts like internal conflicts and external directives."

Dong Rui scoffed, but those were just about the only technical terms he knew. He quickly changed the subject: "By the way, the spiritual energy here is a bit thin. Have you noticed?"

He took a deep breath. "It's still... the spiritual energy is much denser back where we came from. I always thought the spiritual energy throughout the world was more or less the same."

He Lingchuan shrugged it off. "The world is vast, and conditions vary from place to place. One could simply say their fortune is shallow."

In the past two years, several spiritual rains had fallen, causing a sharp increase in spiritual energy concentration. Cultivators felt this change most profoundly, much like fish are most sensitive to changes in water quality.

But the spiritual energy environment in Giant Deer Port... how to describe it?

He Lingchuan felt it was roughly the same concentration as when he had first taken over the Yangshan Archipelago.

Over the past year or so, there had been three or four Imperial Dewfalls. Had none of them touched this land?

The world is vast, and naturally, spiritual energy environments vary across different regions. This depends on factors like the size of the spiritual rain when it falls, the ground's absorption rate, and even the topography and the presence of earth veins.

In short, the spiritual energy level in Giant Deer Port was significantly lower than that of the Yangshan Archipelago.

It was no wonder the local residents looked dispirited.

In places rich in spiritual energy, flora and fauna flourish, food production is high, and a greater number of high-quality living beings can be sustained.

Granny Zhu had estimated that if the Imperial Dewfall were to descend another hundred or so times in a short period, the spiritual energy concentration of heaven and earth would approach that of the Middle Ages—provided there was less turmoil among humans and nightmare qi wasn't largely siphoned off by the Celestial Net Star.

After touring Giant Deer Port, He Lingchuan only needed to experience its spiritual energy level to know that its local food production was far inferior to that of the Yangshan Archipelago and Bailie.

He had truly chosen an excellent place to settle down back then; how wise of him!

"What do you plan to do now?"

"I'm wondering why the thieves chose the port for the operation," He Lingchuan said, his thoughts still on the case. "Initially, we assumed they would escape by boat after the theft, making the port the most convenient escape route. Now, it seems that's not the case."

Since the Radiant Lamp was stolen by people from the host country, it was naturally delivered to Bo State's royal palace. Why would it need to be transported by sea?

Dong Rui considered this. "Perhaps it's because those Shadowfang Guards were moving too fast, catching them off guard? If they hadn't acted then, the Guards would have already left by boat."

"Yes, blocking the harbor entrance with driftwood was certainly intended to stop Jin Bai and his group," He Lingchuan mused. "But this method is a bit strange. Bo State officials could simply order the port to halt operations with any casual excuse—say, a sea monster passing through the outer harbor, dense fog, or excessively high waves—and shut down shipping for two days. Why did they specifically choose to block the waterway? Wouldn't cleaning it up afterward be troublesome for them?"

"Are you suggesting it wasn't Bo State?" Dong Rui's questions cut to the core. "Then who ended up with the Radiant Lamp? And why did Bo State's Second Prince's madness suddenly get better?"

"That's why we need to analyze the method. The method often reveals intent and indicates the destination," He Lingchuan said, stroking his chin. "While Jin Bai and his group are formidable Shadowfang Guards in Mu State, after traveling across the ocean to get here, they can hardly storm into Bo State's royal palace, point fingers at the monarch, call him a thief, and demand the Heart Lamp back."

A mighty dragon cannot overpower a local serpent.

"If Mu State wishes to resolve this through diplomatic means, they'll need to present irrefutable evidence that leaves no room for denial."

Otherwise, how would Emperor Mu even phrase a formal notice to the King of Bo? "You stole my state's tribute to cure your son"?

Where's the proof? Otherwise, it's just baseless slander!

The sudden improvement in the Bo King's second son's condition isn't evidence; it's a pleasant surprise, a sign of divine favor for their king.

After a brief walk around the port, the two left the main road and turned into a quieter, less-traveled alley.

The two thugs who had been following them instantly perked up and quickened their pace, giving chase.

The alley was flanked by low, earth-toned walls, the ground was uneven, and the graffiti on the walls had faded.

The two stood at the alley's entrance, peering in. The taller one suddenly said to the shorter, "Go on."

The shorter man flinched at the command, still hesitating, when the taller one shoved him from behind into the alley. "Remember to bring back those two fat monkeys too," he added. "They've got plenty of meat, and they'll be delicious roasted."

The shorter thug had no choice but to trudge deeper into the alley.

After walking several dozen steps, he glanced back to ensure the taller man couldn't hear him, then quietly muttered a string of curses.

They were very foul and malicious curses.

The alley was empty; the two men had vanished.

He walked another hundred paces, confirmed no one was in the alley, and then dejectedly turned back.

"Useless!" The taller man slapped him on the back of the head. "You even lost the money! How are we supposed to report back like this?"

The shorter man was furious but dared not speak.

They also became somewhat wary and turned on their heels to leave. "Never mind, let's just go back," one said.

Just as they turned, something dropped with a "whoosh" from the large locust tree by the road, nearly hitting one of them in the face.

It was a monkey.

A plump monkey, hanging upside down from the tree.

The man screamed, leaping backward, while the monkey bared its teeth and chattered twice at him, as if in mockery.

"You mischievous monkey!" The man, enraged, was about to throw a punch when he heard a loud "thud" from behind him.

He turned to look and saw that their previously vanished targets, He Lingchuan and Dong Rui, had somehow reappeared behind them.

He Lingchuan was pressing his companion's head against the wall, and that crisp thud had come from that action.

Blood streamed down his face.

Yet, his companion hadn't completely passed out, only seeing stars.

"His skull is quite hard," He Lingchuan muttered, and slammed his head against the wall once more.

This time, his companion finally, and effectively, passed out.

The man immediately knew he was in trouble, turned, and bolted.

No sooner had he turned his head than a furry monkey fist appeared before his eyes...

Dong Rui stood in the alley, grumbling, "Hey, how are we supposed to question them if they're all knocked out?"

The Ghost Ape bared its fangs. These two thugs had just been thinking of eating it and Lingguang. If its master hadn't found them useful, it would have devoured them one by one already.

We'd see who would be eating whom in the end.

Lingguang, perched on He Lingchuan's shoulder, immediately pulled out a bottle of smelling salts and randomly selected one of the unconscious men on the ground.

It chose the taller man and was about to wake him, but He Lingchuan specifically pointed to the shorter one.

"This one instead."

Lingguang then held the smelling salts under the shorter man's nose.

A few breaths later, the smaller man, who had been knocked unconscious by the Ghost Ape, slowly regained consciousness.

The moment he opened his eyes and saw Lingguang, he shrieked and scrambled back against the wall, his left eye already sporting a large bruise.

He certainly had done a lot of screaming that day.