Chapter 444: Present Retribution

Taozi whispered, "After drinking that bowl of blood soup, I got hungrier and hungrier, so I wanted to come out for a walk. As soon as I came out, I smelled the scent of living people and thought it smelled so good, so I, I just followed it."

"You're fine," Fu Shanyue breathed a sigh of relief, a grin spreading across his face. "It actually worked, hahaha, it really worked! You're no longer a Fiend Child."

"What is she now?" He Lingchuan asked on Taozi's behalf. "A *ba* (drought demon)?"

Fu Shanyue rubbed Taozi's head. "Exactly!"

He had just tried it on a whim, never expecting it to work on the first try! He was thrilled.

He Lingchuan chuckled in surprise. "I thought all *mei* (demons/spirits) were formed from corpses of the dead. The world truly is full of wonders."

"There are exceptions, like me," Fu Shanyue scratched his chin. "But I was born a *mei*. Taozi, on the other hand, was a living person who absorbed the yin energy of the earth's fiend-star, and then was force-transformed by consuming a *mei*'s vital blood."

"A living *ba*?"

"You could say that," Fu Shanyue stroked Taozi's hair. "To have created a little companion, this trip was definitely worth it, absolutely worth it."

"Is it because of the trip to the Thousand Star Ruins?"

"Most likely," Fu Shanyue mused. "She's a descendant of the Abyss Dwellers, but she absorbed too much of the earth fiend's yin energy. Without human blood, she couldn't suppress it. My blood then guided her transformation further, allowing her to rapidly change with the aid of the fiendish energy. It really was good luck."

He had only tried it on a whim, never expecting it to actually succeed.

The two searched the corpses but found nothing useful, only a few miscellaneous items. He Lingchuan casually put them away, then patted the big horns of the ibex. "They wanted to steal you?"

The ibex walked to the edge of the cliff and peered down.

He Lingchuan frowned. "They wanted to push you off?"

Taozi reminded him again, "They wanted to push me off too."

"Strange. If they failed to steal the ibex, they could have just fled. Why kill them?" He Lingchuan looked at the ibex. "Would you honestly let them steal you?" This creature dared to butt even bear demons and was agile. How could two humans easily catch it?

The ibex let out a few embarrassed bleats. He Lingchuan didn't understand. Fortunately, the Soul-Capturing Mirror in his embrace temporarily acted as a translator. "It said the other party used sweet red grass to lure it."

So that's what happened.

The ibex kept sniffing the soles of the corpses' shoes. People usually didn't check that spot. He Lingchuan leaned closer and saw that the soles of the dead thieves' shoes were covered in mud, green grass, and some light red powder.

"Is there anything special about it?"

The ibex couldn't explain but wanted to lick it very much. He Lingchuan simply took off the shoe and said to Fu Shanyue, "How about you smell it?"

"Get lost!" Fu Shanyue roared in anger. "What do you take me for?"

He Lingchuan shrugged and had no choice but to take an empty bottle, scrape the substance from the sole, and collect it. Fu Shanyue had long grown impatient. He kicked the corpse off the cliff. "It's almost dawn. Let's go back."

The next day, when the Shimen Merchant Association's attendant went to buy breakfast, he overheard other merchant teams complaining that several accompanying monsters in their groups had not returned, causing everyone to wait for two days. "Accompanying" meant paying to travel with a merchant caravan. Not only human travelers did this, but some smaller monsters or those not adept at long-distance migration also preferred it. The pancake stall owner, hearing this, told them that monsters had gone missing here before, also on rainy nights.

Didn't the authorities investigate? They did investigate, but found nothing, so they eventually gave up. Besides, the missing monsters were sporadic incidents, and far more died each year from wilderness brawls. Who could truly say what happened?

Upon hearing this news, He Lingchuan remarked, "It seems my ibex wasn't the only victim last night." The big-horned ibex was just luckier. But why did the culprits specifically target monsters and not people?

At that moment, Fu Shanyue approached and demanded that the caravan slow down. "What?" Before Second Master Shi and Li Qingge could react, He Lingchuan said displeased, "If you delay their cargo delivery, will you pay the compensation?" Second Master Shi inwardly praised He Lingchuan's consideration, thinking that Young Master He had learned a lot from traveling with the merchant association.

The last thing Fu Shanyue wanted to get involved with was the word "money." He had no choice but to say, "Then lend me your ibex for a few days. It's fast, so I can catch up with the team later."

He Lingchuan blew a whistle, and the big-horned ibex bounded over from nearby. After the events of last night, He Lingchuan wanted to calm it down. So that morning, it ate alfalfa and oats, along with a large bucket of pea soup. Its master also gave it extra jerky as a snack and booked a wash-scrub-brush package for it at the inn, even having the beard under its jaw meticulously trimmed. It was now feeling completely refreshed and invigorated, with last night's unpleasantness long forgotten.

"Take this guy to run some errands," He Lingchuan said, pointing at Fu Shanyue. "Come back to find me in a few days, understand?"

The ibex nodded.

Fu Shanyue then mounted the ibex's back. Suddenly remembering something, he pointed at Taozi and said, "You all look after this little one. Remember, one bowl of pure blood every day." With that, he turned and galloped back, quickly disappearing from sight.

Second Master Shi asked curiously, "Where is he going?"

He Lingchuan shrugged. "He's going to take care of some personal business. Don't worry about it; he'll catch up in a few days."

Li Qingge waved, and Taozi obediently walked to her side, smiling sweetly and cutely.

"Oh?" Li Qingge bent down to look at her. "Open your mouth again; let me see."

Hearing this, Taozi opened her mouth.

Li Qingge asked in surprise, "She has teeth now? So fast?" She had personally seen Taozi missing several teeth yesterday, and now, to her surprise, they had all grown back. Her mouth was full of small white teeth, but her left and right canine teeth were particularly sharp, thin, and long, completely different from those of an ordinary person.

"Is there anywhere else you feel uncomfortable?"

Taozi shook her head. "Sometimes it's a bit itchy." She wanted to grind her teeth, but the urge for blood had already been suppressed.

He Lingchuan took out the twig and examined it under the daylight. The mucus had dried, feeling a bit hard and brittle, and it also reflected light, like a soap bubble. What exactly was under the cliff last night?

A few more days passed, and the group arrived at the capital of Chiyan Kingdom. The journey had been smooth and uneventful. In fact, this was the norm for the Beijia trade route, but both He Lingchuan and Second Master Shi sensed an impending storm. With such a drastic change in the Chijun monarch's household, how could it not affect the country?

They also traveled by water for a stretch, disembarking at Baigong Wharf. As they arrived, four or five people were already waiting at the dock, their eyes intently fixed on every passenger disembarking. Several boats had finished unloading passengers, yet they still stood there, craning their necks, clearly having missed their distinguished guests. He Lingchuan and the others paid no mind and continued on their way.

However, the same situation occurred at the next inn. Judging by their attire and demeanor, those waiting were all influential figures, divided into two or three factions, each keeping to themselves. They were all waiting for someone. Even after He Lingchuan and Li Qingge departed, those people were still waiting.

This situation persisted even after entering the capital of Chiyan Kingdom: High-ranking officials and nobles either sent people or personally waited by the roadside.

He Lingchuan said to Second Master Shi, "I'll bet five taels they're waiting for Fu Shanyue."

Li Qingge, overhearing, chimed in, "I'll bet five taels that the Chijun monarch is dying."

Second Master Shi was startled. "Why?"

Li Qingge chuckled leisurely. "If the Chijun monarch were healthy, wouldn't publicly showing favor to Fu Shanyue right now be like courting death?"

He Lingchuan's heart stirred. "The Chijun monarch is a powerful *mei*. How could you think his lifespan is nearing its end?" Li Qingge must know something more.

"Of course, his combat prowess is legendary; otherwise, how could he have founded the Chiyan Kingdom? But his health isn't good; there have long been rumors about this in the capital." Li Qingge thought for a moment. "I heard that he contributed greatly to the battles of Thousand Star City and Panlong City over a hundred years ago. Otherwise, why would Lingxu City have ceded a portion of the former Yuan Kingdom's territory to him to establish a new country?"

He Lingchuan's expression changed. "What? The Battle of Panlong City?" He had never imagined that the Chijun monarch could be linked to Panlong City. They were clearly thousands of miles apart. But then he suddenly remembered the history of Panlong City that he had read. In the final war of annihilation, the northern demon kingdom, at the request of Ba Ling and Xian You, directly dispatched powerful demon armies and generals. Could the Chiyan monarch have been one of them?

Unfortunately, Li Qingge said, "That's all I know. Panlong City was certainly annihilated in that battle, and all other participating parties were extremely secretive about it, with even historical records providing only brief accounts."

He Lingchuan took a deep breath. Having grown accustomed to living in the Panlong Dream, he always subconsciously overlooked its inevitable demise.

Li Qingge chuckled. "Are you very interested in Panlong City?"

"Of course," He Lingchuan smiled. "I'm from Blackwater City, and I've been a neighbor to the Panlong Desert for over a decade."

"That's right, your precious saber is a relic of Zhong Shengguang, no wonder it's extraordinary." His precious saber was far more than just a relic of Zhong Shengguang.

The next time he encountered people waiting, He Lingchuan simply walked over and asked directly, "Excuse me, who are you waiting for?"

The person glanced at him. "It's none of your concern."

"Not Fu Shanyue?" He Lingchuan muttered. "Then it's indeed none of my business." He then turned to leave.

The person immediately cried out, "Wait! Do you know the Eldest Young Master?"

"Yes, I've been traveling with him this whole time."

The person looked unconvinced. "Then where is the Eldest Young Master?"

"He went back to take care of some personal matters, but he'll catch up eventually," He Lingchuan said, looking at him. "And you are?"

"My surname is Qian. My father is the current Minor Minister of Justice."

He Lingchuan smiled. "He should arrive in another three to five days. If you're patient, you might as well wait here a bit longer." Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked away.

Five days later, Fu Shanyue indeed returned to the capital and knocked on He Lingchuan's guest room door. "Your ibex is back; I put it in the back stable."

He Lingchuan looked down and noticed a small black stain on the corner of Fu Shanyue's clothes, which looked like blood. "Did you go back and kill someone?"

Fu Shanyue grinned, revealing a mouth full of white teeth. "Couldn't let it go to waste."

He Lingchuan knew that given Fu Shanyue's relentless nature, he wouldn't just quietly swallow such an insult.

"I killed all the officers who caused trouble for you and me," Fu Shanyue said, clenching his fists, producing two cracking sounds.

"You truly have enemies everywhere."

"Only mediocre people are not envied."