Chapter 3: The Identity of the Pursuers

He Lingchuan’s expression darkened. The He family had kept silent about the news that the original He Lingchuan and the leopard had fallen off the cliff together. The sand leopard was later secretly transported back to the city for dissection, revealing it had been severely wounded before attacking He Lingchuan.

Now, these two outsiders suddenly showing up to inquire about the sand leopard’s whereabouts indicated a connection to whoever had pursued the leopard demon and caused He Lingchuan’s misfortune!

This lead couldn’t be let go.

“Where are those two?”

“They’re still at the tavern. Our chief is awaiting your instructions.”

“Detain them.”

“Alright,” the messenger chuckled. “Those two are incredibly arrogant, looking down on everyone. They complained about the sour wine in this rural place and then about the stench in the room. Our brothers were already annoyed with them, so it would be great if they could get a lesson.”

After a slight hesitation, He Lingchuan stood up. “Lead the way.”

He knew that coming to this world meant he couldn’t just enjoy benefits without suffering setbacks or putting in effort.

Since that was the case, he might as well take the initiative.

Uncle Hao, however, said, “I’ll go first. Young Master, you can come later.” With that, he left with the messenger.

As for why the Red-White Dao came to tip them off: Chief Jin had previously invited He Lingchuan for drinks and music, and He Lingchuan had also helped him out with various matters, establishing a certain rapport. In small towns, networks are always pervasive, and naturally, the Red-White Dao also wanted to curry favor with Prefect He.

When He Chunhua first took office, he discovered that Blackwater City was a chaotic mix, with the most lucrative businesses divided among various factions. As prefect, he naturally desired long-term peace and stability in his jurisdiction. Given Blackwater City’s crucial strategic location, some illicit forces also needed to be brought under control. Therefore, he didn’t cut off their livelihoods to avoid escalating conflicts. Instead, he issued a “Liquor Permit Edict” tailored to the local conditions, allowing merchants to sell alcohol only with a permit.

In other words, selling alcohol in Blackwater City now required a license.

Everyone had to obtain a liquor permit from the authorities, or face legal repercussions.

The common people don’t contend with officials, and organizations like the Red-White Dao, after all, couldn’t openly defy the authorities. He Chunhua, with his shrewd methods, gradually brought these unruly factions under control through the “Liquor Permit Edict,” slowly turning Blackwater City into his own territory.

Any stir in the city would quickly reach the He residence.

This was the capability of the local power.

The two outsiders exited a teahouse just as a strong gust of wind hit them. Before they could put on their veils, the sand carried by the wind stung their eyes, making it impossible to open them.

They cursed under their breath, hurried back to the inn for hot food, and then went to the communal bathhouse.

After bathing for a while, they inexplicably started yawning incessantly, growing increasingly drowsy, and eventually fell asleep in their wooden tubs.

…

“Splash!” Cold water hit their faces.

The two men immediately woke up to find themselves bound to chairs, facing a grey wall.

…

By the time He Lingchuan entered the inn’s backyard, Uncle Hao emerged, his hands wet and his expression grave. “They’ve been interrogated. They confessed.”

“Are they still alive?” Uncle Hao, already a serious-looking man, made He Lingchuan’s heart sink further with his stern expression.

“…Alive.” Shouldn’t the Young Master ask about the confession first? “They claim to be Second-Class Guards from Donglai Manor, sent to Blackwater City by the Grand Marshal.”

“Donglai Manor?” Those words sounded somewhat familiar. He would have to search his original body’s memories.

That fellow was very good at eating, drinking, and having fun, and also enjoyed practicing martial arts, but didn’t pay much attention to anything else.

However, the three words “Grand Marshal” that followed immediately jolted He Lingchuan.

He remembered.

In the State of Yuan, how many Grand Marshals could there be?

“‘Donglai Manor’ was personally named by the emperor as the residence of Dong Haoming, the Grand General and Grand Marshal!” Uncle Hao stated, word for word. “He is the Eastern Queen’s father, the King’s father-in-law!”

“These two are actually subordinates of the Grand Marshal?” He Lingchuan’s face changed dramatically, but then he felt something was off. “If so, why didn’t they say so earlier? Why did they only confess after being tortured? Are they naturally thick-skinned?”

Though they claimed to be guards, they were essentially Donglai Manor’s private soldiers. While nobles and royals in the capital were not allowed to maintain armies, many high-ranking officials secretly kept private forces under various pretexts.

The current regulations were chaotic, with many loopholes in policies becoming increasingly wide. Everyone knew, but no one spoke of it.

“Their mission was classified, and the manor had issued a gag order, forbidding them from revealing it,” Uncle Hao said, extending his hand. Two blood-stained tokens lay in his palm. “These are Dongming tokens, found on them.”

Each token was about the size of a mahjong tile, with similarly rounded corners, yet as thin as a leaf. He Lingchuan took them, finding them very light. They were engraved with the characters “Dongming” and bore a golden seal.

The purpose of such tokens was to identify the bearer while also preventing forgery. These two tokens were made of a special material—neither gold, copper, iron, nor wood. They looked like jade but didn’t feel like it when handled, as they were elastic when pressed.

“These should be genuine,” Uncle Hao said gravely. “I’ve seen Dongming Manor’s tokens before, and these are identical. The Grand Marshal’s fiefdom produces a strange wood that, when its bark is peeled, oozes a colorless, tasteless, semi-transparent gum. This gum solidifies after baking. Items made from it cannot be replicated anywhere else.”

“These two really are from Donglai Manor?” He Lingchuan mused. “So, I’m now at odds with Donglai Manor?”

No, it was Donglai Manor that was at odds with him.

Separated by a thousand li, he had inexplicably offended the emperor’s father-in-law?

Even the original He Lingchuan would have felt things were seriously amiss by now. He Lingchuan’s mind was a mess. “Why would tracking an injured sand leopard become such a classified mission?”

The original He Lingchuan had run wild in Blackwater City for sixteen years, living a life of utter indulgence. How was it that less than two months after he had taken over, he was saddled with such a troublesome affair?

“These two were assigned to Blackwater City to find clues, but they know nothing else. More than ten other people were dispatched concurrently, heading to different locations near the Red Cliff trade route,” Uncle Hao added. “Oh, and they were originally stationed in Wuzhao Ridge, so this time they departed from Wuzhao Ridge, not Donglai Manor.”

Wuzhao Ridge was across a province from Blackwater City, less than two hundred li away, much closer than the imperial capital.

He Lingchuan murmured, “Oh,” not paying much attention.

With the current ruler being weak, Dong Haoming, as a powerful faction leader, had supporters throughout the land. What was strange about him placing some men in Wuzhao Ridge?

“Will more people from Donglai Manor be coming later?”

“They don’t know,” Uncle Hao said, glancing twice into the room. “The questioning is over. What should we do with these two?”

The best approach would be to kill them quickly and destroy the bodies without a trace.