Chapter 1127: Bodu Experiences

As she screamed, He Lingchuan galloped forward. Just then, his Floating Life Blade spun back to him; He Lingchuan caught it with one hand and killed two men in quick succession.

The second man reacted quickly, rolling away to dodge the blade. Before he could get up, He Lingchuan threw his spear backhand, pinning the man's palm to the ground with a whoosh! The bandit cried out in pain but couldn't escape. Before he could even scream, He Lingchuan turned his horse, and its four hard hooves trampled directly over him! The horse's weight combined with He Lingchuan's, and the deliberate slow pace of the trampling, caused onlookers to hear several crisp "cracks," like small firecrackers going off. His spine, arms, and legs were all broken. At that moment, his screams echoed to the heavens. Only then did He Lingchuan pull out his spear and calmly pursue the remaining bandits.

As soon as the bandits heard the hooves and saw three of their companions dead, they lost all will to resist. With a shout, they scattered in all directions. He Lingchuan pointed at a few retreating figures and said to Dong Rui, "These ones, are they all yours?"

"Alright, alright." Good opportunities never seemed to come his way, Dong Rui thought resentfully as he shook his reins and went to pursue them. Soon after, the screams coming from that direction became louder, more panicked, and more prolonged, finally dying down after about a quarter of an hour.

By the time the two returned to the woods, the blood had dripped clean from He Lingchuan's spearhead, leaving it spotless, while the green-skinned monkey on Dong Rui's shoulder was picking its teeth with its mouth open. Lingguang had already untied the people on the ground. When Jin Bai and others brought the children over, the woman rushed to embrace her son, repeatedly bowing her head in gratitude to He Lingchuan and Dong Rui. All the rescued people bowed to He Lingchuan, calling him their benefactor.

He Lingchuan waved his hand, "Why did you take this small path instead of the main road?"

"We were on the main road," the boy's father said with a bitter expression. "My wife had an urgent need and went into the woods to relieve herself when she was robbed by bandits. We went in to rescue her, but then we couldn't even protect ourselves."

Another person added, "We even hired escorts, but they ran away as soon as they entered the woods, abandoning us to the bandits."

Jin Bai asked, "These escorts weren't hired through a legitimate source, were they?"

"We hired them at the market. I saw they were burly and they claimed to have fought in battles, so..." He Lingchuan understood. In such places, trying to save a little money often led to significant losses. He and the Shadowtooth Guards returned to the main road.

"Mister He is truly righteous and eager to help," someone remarked.

He Lingchuan smiled, "Everyone has a heart."

The Red Cliff Road in the Dragon Coil Desert used to have desert bandits, but after He Chunhua became the prefect, he imposed strict rules: only money and goods could be taken, no one was to be harmed, and violators would be suppressed. After a few incidents, the surrounding bandit gangs became much more law-abiding. Otherwise, it would be like draining the pond to catch all the fish; who would dare use Red Cliff Road in the future? Unlike here, where lawlessness prevailed and official patrols were mere formalities.

The small detour on the road didn't cause much delay. By evening, the outline of Xun City, the capital of Boh Country, appeared in everyone's view. The Shadowtooth Guards advised He Lingchuan and Dong Rui, "Don't go to the small, cheap eateries here; it's easy to get an upset stomach. Several of us have had that experience... Also, wandering around at night can lead to trouble." However, He Lingchuan and Dong Rui didn't seem like people who shied away from trouble, so Jin Bai didn't bother reminding them to be careful.

The group headed straight for the city gate. The Yangshan Archipelago had trade relations with the Glimmergold Plains. Several important ores were transported from the Glimmergold Plains by sea to the archipelago, indeed transiting through Boh Country and being loaded onto ships at Julu Port. Thus, He Lingchuan possessed a legitimate trade permit, so entering and exiting the capital should not have been an issue.

The area beneath the city gate was bustling. He Lingchuan initially thought there were too many people queuing for inspection, but as he approached, he realized that very few people were being inspected at the gate. Instead, a sea of people was crammed into the shantytowns a dozen *zhang* away, at the foot of the wall! The shantytowns here stretched for two *li*, populated by commoners who had fled from other places. In terms of ragged clothing, they rivaled the beggars at Julu Port's docks.

But at that moment, they grew excited, craning their necks and clutching their broken bowls as they pushed forward, because someone was distributing alms ahead. He Lingchuan never liked going to crowded places. As he passed by, he only cast a fleeting glance and saw several large carts parked in the open space in the center of the shantytowns. Some people were unloading coarse flour buns from the carts, while others were in charge of distribution. Refugees who lined up could take two buns and then leave. The reason the refugees could queue orderly without swarming and snatching was that over a hundred guards stood by, armed, maintaining order. If anyone tried to cause trouble, they would immediately receive two slaps across the face.

A scrawny old man, in his haste, trembled, and his bun fell to the ground. Someone nearby picked it up, dusted off the grit, and handed it back to him. The old man hugged the bun to his chest, bowed several times to the person, and was about to leave, but the person said, "Just eat it here on the side, then you can go."

At the same time, Dong Rui let out a "wow." This was, surprisingly, a beautiful woman adorned with jades and pearls. A fox-fur cloak concealed her figure, yet it couldn't hide her unparalleled beauty. The beauty of Li Qingge, the Lord of Songyang Mansion, was vibrant and grand; Sun Fuling's beauty was gentle with a hidden heroism. But this woman's beauty was completely different from theirs, and unlike any other beautiful woman He Lingchuan had seen before. It was a delicate fragility, like thin porcelain that a spotlight could shine through, or a peach blossom jellyfish floating in a spring. While people carefully cradled it in their palms, there was also an urge to fiercely destroy it, to crush it!

Though the woman was busy distributing supplies and speaking with refugees, not sparing a glance for passersby, all external gazes were fixed solely on her. Her cloak's hood obscured half of her delicate features, yet she still shimmered brilliantly in the setting sun. This woman only needed to stand there; she possessed a contradictory yet captivating magic, needing no seductive gestures. He Lingchuan's first impression upon seeing her was of a narcissus suddenly blooming in a muddy pond, standing gracefully and utterly out of place with its surroundings.

Dong Rui also stared intently at her, disbelievingly, "Boh Country actually has such a beauty?"

"You're drooling, wipe it off," He Lingchuan chuckled. Dong Rui indeed wiped his mouth casually, found nothing, shot He Lingchuan a fierce glare, but then shifted his gaze.

"She's from the royal palace," He Lingchuan said, nodding his chin towards the guards. "See those soldiers?" If unguarded, such a beauty would likely not be able to walk a hundred *zhang* on the streets of Boh Country. Conversely, for her to dare appear in the refugee shantytown outside the city, she must have complete confidence in her backing. This disaster relief and almsgiving team was clearly led by her. He Lingchuan observed that the team's distribution of food and organization of the refugees' queue were orderly, indicating that this beautiful woman was not doing this for the first time. Beautiful and kind-hearted, eh?

At this moment, a merchant caravan suddenly cut in line ahead, gaining priority entry into the city, while other commoners and traveling merchants had to wait much longer. He Lingchuan and his group weren't in a hurry. If they had to queue, they'd queue. It was another half an hour before it was their turn to pass through. He Lingchuan took out his documents and travel permit and handed them over. The city gate guard glanced at them, "Merchants, hmm, first time here?"

"Yes."

"Then you don't know the rules." The guard pointed to the monkeys on their shoulders. "Pets aren't allowed in." The word "rules" was emphasized. They had traveled to many places and had never heard of such a rule.

Dong Rui retorted, "These aren't pets; they're demon companions."

"Then they're even less allowed in!" The guard glared at him, putting on a stern face. "This is the capital, a vital area. How can demon creatures be allowed to disturb it?"

Jin Bai and others came from behind, pulled out two small pieces of silver, and slipped them inside the documents: "Actually, their demon companions are registered on this permit, and they are harmless. Would you mind taking another look?" They had been here once or twice and knew how things worked.

"Let me see." The guard took the documents, immediately pocketing the silver. "Indeed, they are listed. You may pass." Although He Lingchuan and his group wore ordinary clothes, they were sturdy and their attire was clean and unpatched. The city gate guards had sharp eyes and immediately noticed they were well-off, assuming they had money, so they had to extort some. He Lingchuan had traveled extensively for years, seen people extorting money, but never so openly. This was the southern gate of the capital, right under the nose of the Boh ruler! The soldiers guarding the city dared to openly block people and demand money? Their leader was sitting behind them; he must have heard it, but he didn't even raise an eyebrow. They were all in cahoots.

After passing through the gate and entering the city, the group found lodging at an inn called Rulin Inn. Then, He Lingchuan and Dong Rui went to explore Xun City. Xun City was only half the size of Yuandu, and its houses were more crowded. The advantage was that it appeared to have a higher population density, unlike Yuandu where three out of ten houses might be empty. As a capital city, its main street had everything: inns, restaurants, teahouses, and even places for entertainment. They all seemed to be doing good business, brightly lit, with luxuriously dressed people constantly coming and going. With a gust of wind, the laughter of women and the scent of cosmetics would be carried out.

But walking behind the main street, just two blocks away, the roadsides grew dark. Few houses were lit, clutter and garbage were everywhere, and the air carried the stench of human waste. The distance of two blocks seemed to separate two different worlds. Sometimes at crossroads, a few people would sit cross-legged in the middle of the road, burning joss paper. No matter who passed by, they remained expressionless. A few pieces of joss paper blew to He Lingchuan's feet. He looked down and saw that the joss paper seemed to have a big-headed doll drawn on it, its expression distorted by the fire, only its almond-sized eyes still glaring.

After passing a few households burning joss paper, He Lingchuan and Dong Rui took a shortcut back to the main street, intending to buy some cooked food to take back to the inn with their drinks. After a few dozen breaths, the two passed an old locust tree, where someone else was also burning joss paper. Their appearance seemed to startle the people there. The men quickly grabbed the spirit tablets from the ground, threw them into the fire barrel, and then cast warning glances at the two: Don't meddle. The spirit tablets, also made of pasted white paper, burst into flames with a lick of fire. However, He Lingchuan had good eyesight. By the light of the fire, he clearly saw a few words exposed on the tablet, which was half-buried in ashes: "...Lord Mai's Spirit Tablet." Soon, the flames consumed these words too.

He Lingchuan didn't bother to look further and continued with Dong Rui along the alley, quickly returning to the main street. Someone like him, who loved visiting small, informal eateries, dared not look for them after Jin Bai's advice. Instead, he entered a bright, clean, and hygienic-looking braised dish stall. He first ordered a chicken foot to taste, then pointed at the remaining dishes and said, "Wrap them all up; we'll take everything." There were seven or eight dishes, both meat and vegetable, including braised goose, chicken offal, smoked rabbit, smoked bamboo rat, and various cold appetizers. In terms of variety, it was far inferior to Suoding Island. Before they arrived, the owner hadn't sold much all afternoon and evening and was almost dozing off on the counter. Hearing this, he was overjoyed and quickly got up to chop meat and prepare portions for his generous customers. He Lingchuan then went to the adjacent liquor store and bought several jars of wine, placing them all in his storage ring, before returning to the inn with Dong Rui.

The capital's residents all knew about the great royal celebration because the King of Boh had ordered two days of grand festivities, during which each person could receive two *jin* of grain, two *liang* of meat, half a *jin* of dates, plus ten pieces of malt candy. So, during the day, Xun City was as lively as during the New Year. Several shelters were also set up outside the city, distributing porridge and food to beggars and vagrants, truly a cause for universal joy.

Upon arriving in a new place, the hardest thing to establish was connections. He Lingchuan instructed Dong Rui to gather information in the red-light district, ideally finding a patron from the palace or a high-ranking official's household, which would make it easier for them to deploy their eyeball spiders. Information had to be gathered bit by bit, focusing on following the vine to find the melon. The key was to find the right vine to ensure there would be a melon later.

However, before Dong Rui could even set off with the silver, a lead came knocking at their door—A-Hao from Julu Port had rushed to Xun City in a desperate hurry.

Dong Rui widened his eyes, "News already?" He hadn't even had a chance to leave!

"Yes, yes, I have it!" A-Hao, sweaty from a full day's ride, exclaimed. "I got the information you two sirs wanted! I treated those two escorts to a feast and got them drunk before I could get it out of them..."

Dong Rui interrupted him, "Did you find out the origin of the Clear Lamp?"

"No, no, not that. I couldn't find that out!" A-Hao shook his head like a rattle drum. "But there's a new development in the palace: Imperial Physician Chen recently received a large reward! That was less than ten days ago, I think."

"Imperial Physician Chen?"

"Ah, yes. The Imperial Medical Bureau hasn't had an easy time these past two years. The Grand Imperial Physician himself even had his head chopped off by the King. I heard it was all because of ineffective treatment and the Second Prince's worsening condition." A-Hao licked his parched lips. He Lingchuan handed him a cup of water, which he took and drank in one gulp. He was already under their spell; they didn't need to poison the water.

"Imperial Physician Chen, who took over as Grand Imperial Physician two months ago, was originally just a junior physician, and no one had high hopes for him. The palace guards even set up bets on how long he'd last. But unexpectedly, he performed a miraculous recovery, and the Second Prince's condition significantly improved," A-Hao continued. "I heard Imperial Physician Chen has recently become a favorite in the palace, frequently entering and leaving the Second Prince's bed-chamber to treat him. Two days ago, the King publicly awarded him several rare delicacies and tribute items, making everyone envious."

Dong Rui tutted, "So capable, why was he only a junior physician before?"

He Lingchuan followed up, "Why was Imperial Physician Chen directly promoted from junior physician to Grand Imperial Physician? Were there no other skilled physicians in the Imperial Medical Bureau?" That was a promotion of several ranks.

"Ah..." These three consecutive questions completely stumped A-Hao. He just remembered what the palace guards said; he hadn't actually considered these questions. Yes, why would a junior physician suddenly become the head of the Imperial Medical Bureau? He Lingchuan saw his bewildered expression and knew there was no answer, so he changed tack, "So, Imperial Physician Chen really cured the Second Prince's madness?"

"It hasn't been announced yet. Once the Second Prince fully recovers, Imperial Physician Chen will soar to prominence."

"Good, excellent," He Lingchuan patted A-Hao's shoulder. "You can find out Imperial Physician Chen's residence, right?"

"Yes, absolutely, please give me one day!"

Dong Rui tossed him a pill. "Take this; it will delay the poison for seven days."

As A-Hao swallowed the pill, he was suddenly asked by He Lingchuan, "By the way, how's your accomplice? The tall one?"

"Gulp!" The pill got stuck in his throat. A-Hao coughed a few times and drank several gulps of water before he recovered.

"So excited? What happened to him?"

"Nothing, nothing," A-Hao waved his hand. "He didn't say anything after waking up, just cursed his bad luck. It's not the first time he's encountered a tricky situation."

"That's good then," He Lingchuan said unhurriedly. "I thought he wouldn't let you off the hook. It seems you handled it yourself." The listener was attentive. A-Hao felt a chill in his heart. Looking at He Lingchuan's calm expression, he wondered if He Lingchuan had spoken intentionally. He quickly excused himself.

After A-Hao left, He Lingchuan asked Dong Rui, "Did you really poison him with a *gu*?" This fellow knows how to use *gu*?

"Of course!" Dong Rui said smugly. "When I say I'll do something, I do it."

Impatiently, he started walking out, clutching He Lingchuan's silver, eager to go out and spend lavishly. Oh, wait, this was official business, official business! After several days of arduous travel, Lord Dong needed to relax properly. The entertainment venues in Boh Capital were indeed thriving. Which one should he go to? Dong Rui, with a diligent and truth-seeking attitude, decided to visit a couple more establishments.

But just as he stepped out of the inn's main entrance, two people whizzed past with a "whoosh," nearly colliding with him. He couldn't make out their faces, only that they were running incredibly fast, indicating they were cultivators. Thump-thump-thump, the two vanished into the alley behind them in a flash. Fleeing for their lives, were they? Dong Rui cursed under his breath. People on the street weren't startled; they remained indifferent, continuing about their business.

But Dong Rui had only walked a dozen paces when over thirty government constables rounded the street corner, sprinting furiously towards him. It was clear they were chasing someone. Dong Rui finally understood why those two had fled so quickly. He lowered his head and continued on his way, but just as the constables were about to pass him, their leader suddenly turned to look at him, then pointed a finger: "It's him!"

Who? Who are they talking about? Dong Rui saw him pointing at himself, so he looked left and right, but there was no one else around him. He shifted two steps to the left, but the man's finger followed, still pointing directly at him. At the leader's command, dozens of subordinates swarmed forward, their handcuffs clanging as they moved to seize him.

The Violent Ape perched on Dong Rui's shoulder chirped twice, wanting to get down. Dong Rui quickly covered its mouth, "No, don't." He didn't want the trouble of a demon ape causing chaos in Boh Capital. His movements were exceptionally agile, and two or three guards lunged at empty air. Dong Rui shouted, "I'm a visitor from out of town! You've got the wrong person!"

The leader merely said, "Kneel! If you're not a fugitive, what are you afraid of?" This statement made a lot of sense, but after witnessing the conduct of the local constables, Dong Rui had no confidence whatsoever in their investigative and identification skills, so he was determined not to be imprisoned.