Chapter 407: One Big and One Small

As expected, the Shimen merchant caravan successfully loaded the remains of the guard team and the envoy delegation onto their carriages and transported them for over three miles, where they coincidentally met a returning scout from the guard team.

After a brief encounter, the scout led the Shimen merchant caravan to meet Xiang Yunhuan, the deputy captain of the guard team. Their leader had died, so the deputy automatically became the head of the team.

The team, which had been so formidable just a few hours earlier, was now resting among the stone forest, their morale exceedingly low. He Lingchuan glanced over and saw that most of them were wounded.

Second Master Shi intended to return all the remains of the guard team to Xiang Yunhuan. However, after a moment of hesitation, Xiang Yunhuan surprisingly asked the Shimen merchant caravan to continue transporting their comrades' bodies to Poplar Town up ahead, where the guard team would receive them. Although carrying dead people was considered bad luck, Second Master Shi readily agreed this time because Xiang Yunhuan promised, "I will report your contributions to my superiors."

Second Master Shi also observed that the guard team had lost most of their carriages and horses, and with such heavy casualties, they couldn't even transport the remains themselves, forced to rely on the carrying capacity of these civilian merchant caravans.

For the entire guard team, it had been an utterly dismal day. The Wind Demon, absent for centuries, had suddenly reappeared. The Chiyan Kingdom envoy was abducted, the guard team suffered heavy losses, and even the spirit seed entrusted by the Precious Tree King was lost. What was even more frustrating was that they hadn't even figured out who was behind it all.

Fortunately, the envoys from the White Elephant Kingdom and the Xuluo Kingdom were still alive. And since the captain himself had already died in the line of duty, Xiang Yunhuan could at least report back to his superiors. Nevertheless, he still had tasks to complete and a team to lead, with over a hundred people looking to him expectantly.

Xiang Yunhuan forced himself to gather his spirits. He waved, summoning a raptor and ordering it to fly back to Fufeng City first to deliver the news. He, himself, would continue his unfinished mission, escorting the two envoys to the northern border before returning to Fufeng City to face his punishment.

When the raptor flew down, He Lingchuan realized that several bird demons had been secretly following the guard team. They hadn't appeared during the recent battle, probably because the wind was too strong, preventing them from getting close to the Wind Demon. He Lingchuan sighed with emotion, as usual, thinking how incredibly useful these high-altitude scouts were as informants and messengers.

He heard Second Master Shi console Xiang Yunhuan, saying, "This road has been peaceful for hundreds of years. Who could have predicted that the Wind Demon would launch a sneak attack? This isn't your fault, Lord Xiang, and your superiors won't be too harsh."

Xiang Yunhuan frowned.

He Lingchuan interjected, "Why the Wind Demon could resurface is precisely what's worth investigating. If you, Lord Xiang, can figure this out, it would clear a hidden danger from this crucial route."

Wind Demon Rock and Black Stone Fortress are both important nodes in the Precious Tree Kingdom, connecting north and south. All carriages and horses traveling through the kingdom pass through them. If the Wind Demon were to revive, it would undoubtedly pose a significant threat to anyone traveling through the tundra.

So He Lingchuan's words were no exaggeration. Second Master Shi also sighed, "Exactly. Wasn't that Wind Demon already subdued by our king long ago? Could a second Wind Demon have emerged here during the past four hundred years?"

Wind Demon Rock has strange 'Meridian Divine Winds.' Since it could give birth to the first Wind Demon countless years ago, who's to say it couldn't produce another?

He Lingchuan waved his hand slightly. "Earth, water, fire, wind – the chances of these natural elements developing sentience are less than one-millionth that of other demon types. Of course, this is under current conditions." There's no need to mention ancient times; in a world abundant with spiritual energy, anything outlandish could run rampant – only your imagination limits what's possible.

"Even if a second Wind Demon emerged naturally, how could it be such a coincidence that it's still in the old site of the Misty Sect?"

Second Master Shi had been with him for over a month and had some understanding of his temperament. "Brother He, don't keep us in suspense. You must know something."

"We've all visited the old site of the Misty Sect. At the stone cave entrance, there are three large characters carved into the cliff. They're ancient immortal script, reading 'Wind Lord Rock'."

"Therefore, in ancient times, the Misty Sect and the local people actually referred to the Wind Demon as 'Wind Lord'," He Lingchuan said calmly. "To them, this entity was likely a spirit guardian of the immortal sect and the entire tundra, not a monster. So, the 'Wind Lion God' statues were created in its likeness."

People erect statues for deities, saints, and mountain, marsh, and water spirits, believing these entities can bless and protect them. So, it's not strange for ancient people to erect statues for the Wind Demon—or Wind Lord.

"But have you noticed that the Wind Lion Gods almost always appear in pairs, one large and one small?" He Lingchuan took out a pair of Min Lion Gods from his storage ring. The larger one was as tall as a person, while the smaller one was less than three feet.

Second Master Shi recalled what he had seen inside the cave and couldn't help but nod. "Indeed, that's exactly right! The Wind Lion Gods in the fields and in the caves all appear in pairs. I heard the locals say that this is because Wind Lion Gods are divided into male and female."

"How can Wind Demons have genders?" Xiang Yunhuan had also heard those legends. He looked at He Lingchuan. "Are you saying the Misty Sect actually had two Wind Demons?"

"Yes, one large and one small." He Lingchuan patted the stone sculpture. "Just like these two."

Art always originates from reality. If there weren't two Wind Demons, why would the Misty Sect create such sculptures?

"Are you saying that our King subdued one Wind Demon but missed the other?"

That statement was dangerous. He Lingchuan wouldn't take the bait. "You said that, not me."

Xiang Yunhuan paused, speechless.

He Lingchuan patted the small Wind Lion God. "Wind Lion Gods might not be divided by male and female, but they could be father and son. This smaller one might have been born from the larger one. Or perhaps it's a 'differentiation'?" The Precious Tree King itself doesn't have genders, but the spirit seeds it produces are equivalent to its clones. So why not the Wind Demon?

Xiang Yunhuan said with difficulty, "Even if the small Wind Demon survived, why would it remain peaceful for four hundred years and then suddenly attack us? Was it awakened?" As he said this, his eyes suddenly widened. "Could it be related to the Chiyan envoy?"

His mission for this journey was primarily to escort three envoys back to the northern border. The Wind Demon's attack caused chaos. Someone took the opportunity to abduct the Chiyan Kingdom envoy and jumped straight off the cliff.

At that time, the wind was too strong, and the bird demons couldn't approach the battlefield. After the battle, Xiang Yunhuan had already sent bird demons down the cliff to search, but he knew in his heart that they were ninety percent unlikely to find anything.

The mastermind caused such a huge commotion, even risking offending the Precious Tree King, just to abduct the Chiyan envoy? A mere envoy entering the kingdom to offer birthday congratulations, just an ordinary human, what was so special about him?

"Lord Xiang, are you aware that before the Precious Tree King's birthday celebration, on the night the Imperial Spirit Dew appeared, the deputy envoy from the Xunling Kingdom was murdered? According to investigations, the culprit intended to target the envoy from the Shanyu Kingdom but made a mistake."

"I know about the murder of the Eluo Kingdom's deputy envoy." Xiang Yunhuan looked at He Lingchuan with a strange expression. "Who are you?"

Although the young man had an imposing demeanor, Xiang Yunhuan had been too dejected earlier and hadn't even bothered to ask for his name.

He Lingchuan showed the Grand Tutor's Mansion's silver token. "I have some connection with Young Master Sha Xinghai from the Grand Tutor's Mansion and was invited to attend the celebration." In the Precious Tree Kingdom, this token was indeed very useful.

Second Master Shi chuckled, chiming in, "Young Master He has already promised Grand Tutor Sha that after he finishes his business in Lingxu City, he will return to Fufeng City to take up an official post." His words were quite artful, making it sound as if Grand Tutor Sha was pleading with He Lingchuan to return and take up an official post.

"I see." Xiang Yunhuan's caution eased slightly. After all, it wasn't unusual for talented individuals to serve in demon kingdoms, sometimes even moving between different nations. "Are you saying this series of schemes was all directed at the envoys?"

He Lingchuan spread his hands. "Just a guess."

"No, no, your explanation makes sense," Xiang Yunhuan countered. "I was also previously responsible for part of the defense of the post station, specifically Willow Lodge. The envoys from the Shanyu Kingdom and the Chiyan Kingdom were staying in the same enclosed courtyard." The other party first targeted the Shanyu Kingdom envoy, but later abducted the Chiyan Kingdom envoy. And coincidentally, these two were staying right across from each other in Fufeng City. This couldn't be a coincidence, could it?

He Lingchuan's eyes flickered. "It's too convenient for these two envoys to exchange things. Could there have been some kind of handover?"

Xiang Yunhuan nodded. "That makes sense. If these two were conspiring something, meeting during our King's birthday celebration would certainly be a good cover." He thought for a moment and then added, "When the Shanyu Kingdom's delegation arrived in Fufeng City, they were two days later than scheduled. I heard from the team's attendants that on the way, some petty thieves stole the special envoy's storage pouch. It contained money, miscellaneous items, and transit documents, and they spent some time recovering it."

"They lost something?"

"No, nothing was lost. They reportedly recovered everything."

He Lingchuan suddenly realized, "No wonder the Shanyu Kingdom's delegation didn't pass through Sanxin Yuan as scheduled. It turns out they were delayed on the way."

Fu Shanyue waited there but didn't get his intended prey. As a result, the envoy from the Eluo Kingdom became the scapegoat.

At this moment, the bird demon previously dispatched by the guard team returned, reporting that the body of the Chiyan envoy had been found on the mountainside of Wind Demon Cliff, his neck twisted and broken. Upon hearing this news, Xiang Yunhuan couldn't help but press his temples. Any lingering hope he had was extinguished. It seemed the mastermind had already gotten what he wanted.

Next, he would be busy again and had no more time to talk with the two of them. He still had a basketful of troubles to deal with.

He Lingchuan, meanwhile, finally strung together the whole sequence of events. The Shanyu Kingdom intended to present a gift to the Chiyan King. Instead of sending it to the other country for a direct presentation through conventional means, they used the occasion of the Precious Tree King's 800th birthday celebration. The Shanyu envoy would carry the treasure to Willow Lodge, the post station in Fufeng City, and hand it over to the Chiyan envoy to take back. In other words, this was a private transaction between the two kings, not meant to be made public.

But Fu Shanyue, having somehow obtained this information, planned to intercept the treasure en route. He first ambushed them at Sanxin Yuan, a path the Shanyu envoy was bound to take. Unexpectedly, the Imperial Spirit Dew burst forth, and he killed the Eluo Kingdom's envoy instead. The real target, the Shanyu Kingdom envoy, was delayed because his personal pouch was stolen, so he didn't walk into Fu Shanyue's kill-formation. Instead, he arrived safely in Fufeng City and completed the handover with the Chiyan Kingdom envoy.

Thus, the "treasure" was signed for by the Chiyan Kingdom envoy. Fu Shanyue had no choice but to follow them to Fufeng City. He intended to attack the Chiyan Kingdom envoy. But little did he know that He Lingchuan wanted to avenge the chase at Sanxin Yuan and retaliated by reporting him, leading to the authorities showing up. Fu Shanyue's plan was once again thwarted. Fortunately, the persistent fellow also had a Plan C: using the Wind Demon to intercept the guard team and abduct the Chiyan Kingdom envoy amidst the chaos.