Chapter 1590: Swarm of Insects Probing the Enemy

He paused. “It’s more likely they purchased it under a merchant guild’s name. This is because Skyfringe City has always encouraged merchant guilds and trading houses to acquire land for residences, offering significant tax exemptions as an incentive.”

Yaoguo, especially Skyfringe City, had always been a unique entity on the Glimmergold Plain. While other nations generally prioritized agriculture and suppressed commerce, or at least were agriculturally focused, Yaoguo actively promoted trade. Its domestic logistics and commercial efficiency and standards even surpassed those of most other countries in this world.

He Lingchuan had only been in Yaoguo for a few months, but he had been constantly involved in business and political matters. His understanding of the system and laws here already far surpassed that of local Skyfringe residents.

Based on this alone, he largely concluded: “Either he recently acquired a new large residence within the last half-month, or he’s staying in a luxury inn. I lean towards the latter possibility, as purchasing land for a residence is quite troublesome. If he doesn’t intend to reside in Skyfringe City long-term, an inn would be his primary choice.”

“Nevertheless, the necessary screening cannot be omitted. I’ll go to Skyfringe City’s property department to screen property transactions from the past half-month. Tian Yun seems to be a discerning person—” unlike Dong Rui, who could live just anywhere, even in a dark, damp cave. “—with a large group and no shortage of money, the residence he buys wouldn’t be too small.”

A small residence would not only be insufficient for their needs but also compromise their privacy. It’s important to remember they keep demon puppets; if one were to escape and harm someone, it would be no laughing matter.

These demon puppeteers naturally dislike mingling with ordinary people. Psychologically, they would also prefer a large residence with better privacy; even Dong Rui kept his distance from others at Yongquan Manor.

Of course, there were also third and fourth possibilities: Tian Yun might have previously purchased a large residence in Skyfringe City under another alias and was currently living there comfortably. Or, Tian Yun and his group’s accommodation might not be within the city at all. However, these two possibilities were less likely and akin to searching for a needle in a haystack, so He Lingchuan temporarily disregarded them.

Dong Rui asked, “How many upscale inns are there in Skyfringe City?”

“At least forty to fifty.”

“...That many? Are all the merchants and travelers in Skyfringe City that wealthy?”

He Lingchuan went out to assign tasks.

Two hours later, he returned to Dong Rui, holding two pieces of paper, one of which was a map with red circles drawn on it.

“The weather’s good today, so let’s take the beetle and go find its owner.”

The search took a full two days.

Finding someone, just like solving a case, involves a lot of fruitless effort.

He Lingchuan still had official duties during the day. In the evening, after his shift—er, after work—he could finally go into the city with Dong Rui to search for the person. He also had to wear a veiled hat while searching.

There were fifty-one upscale inns in Skyfringe City to screen. The property department also provided information on ten large residences that had been sold within the last half-month.

That made a total of sixty-one locations.

The good news was that the bug puppets had a large range for sensing the ancestral bug, conservatively estimated at three to four *li* or more. Luxury inns in Skyfringe City tended to cluster together, with twenty-two or twenty-three of them concentrated on a few famous main streets. He Lingchuan and Dong Rui walked along these streets, and since the bug puppets showed no reaction, these areas could be ruled out.

For the large residences that needed screening, they had to visit each one individually.

Each visit came up empty.

After two days, only three inns and four large residences remained.

“If we don’t find him in these last places, we’ll have to consider other possibilities.” At that point, the difficulty of finding Tian Yun would significantly increase.

Under the moonlight, Dong Rui rubbed his face, exclaiming, “My legs are about to give out!”

Fortunately, just as they approached the Fennel Inn near Skyfringe City’s South Gate, the two bug puppets confined in the cricket cage suddenly became agitated, repeatedly bumping against the bars!

“They’re reacting!” Dong Rui’s spirits soared. He ducked into a secluded spot and tore open the cage door.

The two bug puppets immediately flapped their wings and flew out, with thin spider silk tied to their bodies.

“Follow them.”

The Fennel Inn was opulent, its signboard polished to a shine. However, the bug puppets didn’t enter; instead, they circled the outer wall and flew inwards.

This street was also brightly lit, but the shops and residences on either side were not as neat or grand as those on the main street.

The bug puppets, of course, couldn’t distinguish between good and bad locations. They simply dove headfirst behind a wall.

The courtyard wall was not tall and its color was mottled. Grass grew on the damaged sections of its top.

Just looking at this wall, the word “luxury” didn’t come to mind at all.

Dong Rui yanked the bug puppets back and specifically walked around the main entrance to look at the inn’s signboard.

“Tonglai Inn?”

From the facade, it was clear this was just an ordinary inn. Its signboard showed signs of repair. Two broken bamboo baskets lay unattended by the main entrance. Two tired vagrants were resting on the stone steps, when a waiter from inside came out to shoo them away: “Shoo! Go sit somewhere else!”

“Hey!” Dong Rui cast a sidelong glance at He Lingchuan. “Tian Yun is actually staying here? You guessed wrong!”

He Lingchuan didn’t reply. He snapped his fingers and waved towards the inn.

The Yangshan followers behind him dispersed, taking up positions to monitor the inn from different angles.

Then, He Lingchuan and Dong Rui walked directly into Tonglai Inn.

He Lingchuan made his footsteps heavier, but the innkeeper remained hunched behind the counter. It wasn’t until Dong Rui tapped on the counter that the innkeeper peeked out, eyes half-closed, and asked lazily, “Just stopping for a meal or staying the night?”

“Staying the night,” He Lingchuan replied. “How much per night?”

“Half a *liang*.”

For such an ordinary inn, it used to cost at most two *qian* of silver per night half a year ago; he didn’t expect it to have more than doubled now. He Lingchuan raised an eyebrow. “Does that include breakfast?”

The innkeeper chuckled. “The main kitchen hasn’t been firing up for half a month. You’ll have to eat outside.”

Grain was so expensive, how much would it cost to cook and serve it? Every guest complained about the high price, and after a few arguments, the inn’s kitchen simply stopped operating.

It saved both firewood and trouble.

“Let me see the rooms first.”

Many guests would inspect the rooms before deciding to stay. The innkeeper was accustomed to this and simply nodded towards a nearby waiter. “Take him upstairs to have a look.”

He Lingchuan first asked, “Are there many guests? Is it quiet?”

“Quite a lot. We’re a fifty-year-old establishment, and nearly half our rooms are currently occupied, with about thirty percent being repeat customers.”

Dong Rui interjected, “Let’s go upstairs and see.”

The cricket cage in his sleeve was bouncing around. By instinct, the presence seemed to be upstairs.

The waiter asked suspiciously, “What was that sound?”

“I keep a couple of crickets.”

The waiter suspected nothing else. He lifted his lantern and led the two up the stairs.

Upstairs, there were about ten guest rooms arranged in two rows, forming an inverted U shape. The innkeeper hadn’t exaggerated; it was an old establishment, and the furnishings had some age but were still quite well-maintained.

The guest rooms were all closed. As the three walked past them one by one, Dong Rui suddenly turned, raised an eyebrow at the third room on the left, and gave He Lingchuan a meaningful look.

This one!

He Lingchuan immediately asked the waiter, “Is the room directly opposite occupied?”

“No,” the waiter replied, walking over and casually opening the door. “Take a look.”

The room had simple furnishings, with two narrow beds. There was only one chair, a square table, and a washbasin stand beneath the window.

He Lingchuan stood by the window and could see the middle of the street.

Focusing his gaze, he could also spot Wanqis Liang sitting at a cold drink stall, sipping water.

As soon as the window on the second floor opened, Wanqis Liang looked up and saw him.

“This room will do,” He Lingchuan said, tossing the waiter one *liang* of silver. “Keep the change, and bring us a pot of tea.”

With the money in hand, the waiter’s expression immediately brightened. As he was about to leave, He Lingchuan took out another silver ingot and placed it on the table.

“I have two questions for you.”

“Ah, please, go ahead,” the waiter said, facing He Lingchuan and not noticing Dong Rui raising a hand to cast a sound-insulating barrier.

He Lingchuan asked directly, “Who is staying in the room opposite?”

“Opposite?” The waiter paused, surprised. “It’s two out-of-towners, around thirty or forty years old. They’re very stingy and never tip.”

Upon hearing this, Dong Rui noted that the age matched, but only two people?

“What do they do?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Not regular customers?”

“No, I’ve been at Tonglai Inn for three years, and this is the first time I’ve seen them.”

“A few final questions,” He Lingchuan said, pushing the silver forward. “When did they check in?”

“Three days—no, four days ago, I think.”

“Do they have any companions?”

“No, just the two of them checked in.” The waiter was quite perceptive and spilled everything like beans from a bamboo tube. “One of them had a bruised and swollen face when he first arrived, as if he’d just been beaten. I asked if he’d run into robbers, and he vaguely said yes, but didn’t say what he did. Both guests leave at dawn and only return after dark. Once they’re back, they stay in their room, and no one else has come looking for them.”

“Are they in the room now?”

“Yes, they are. They just had two bowls of noodles brought to their room.” The waiter then cupped his hands together and pleaded, “Gentlemen, please don’t cause any trouble in this inn! We truly cannot afford it.”

The inn was struggling; it used to have four waiters, but now only he remained.

The waiter was straightforward. He Lingchuan slipped the silver into his hand and patted his shoulder, saying, “Don’t worry, we are law-abiding citizens. Just continue with your usual duties. Don’t do anything out of the ordinary, and nothing will happen to this inn!”

The heavy silver ingot appeased the waiter’s anxiety. He mumbled in affirmation and quickly left, clattering down the stairs.

Dong Rui whispered, “Shall we act?”

“Send in the eyeball spiders.”

The eyeball spiders, which hadn’t been deployed in a long time, finally got a chance to go on a mission.

Being an old establishment, the building was aged, and the door cracks weren’t very tight. The small spiders easily squeezed through the gaps.

Indeed, as the waiter had said, two people were sitting inside eating. One of them had bruises on his face and whip marks on his neck. Although he was recovering, it was clear that his assailant had shown no mercy.

This person was slurping noodles, but not smoothly. He had to stop after every few bites because opening his mouth tugged at the bruise on the corner of his lips.

“How long do we have to stay here?” his slightly plump companion asked him. “When will Master let us go back?”

The injured man slurped, “We can go back once we’ve completed the task Master assigned us.”

His companion mumbled, “Second Senior Brother, I have a strange feeling about this.”

“Eat your noodles,” Second Senior Brother said, glancing at him. “Eat more, ask less.”

Through the eyeball spiders, both of them recognized the two people in the opposite room: “It’s not Tian Yun.”