Chapter 456: Eating Invitation

## Chapter 455: The Invitation to Dinner

Such exceptional mobility seemed possible only for a creature capable of flight.

The Goshawk immediately denied, "There are such creatures, but they wouldn't do something like this."

"Oh?" He Lingchuan's interest was piqued. "Are you referring to a specific demon king?"

"The monarch of Shanyu Kingdom is a red-crowned giant eagle, known to have consumed an entire elephant, though not in one gulp. Additionally, the Imperial Master of Sleeping Ice, who oversees the Winter Palace, is a snow luan reportedly capable of transforming into a massive form," the Goshawk explained. "Beyond these two, I can't think of a third."

While these two possess the capability, their status and position make it highly improbable they would commit crimes in Chiyan Kingdom.

The Goshawk continued, "Due to the scarce spiritual energy, it's difficult for feathered creatures to grow to such immense sizes anymore."

The larger the monstrous beast, the more concentrated spiritual energy it requires for sustenance. Current conditions are insufficient; we are no longer in the era of giant monsters, as was the case in ancient times and the early medieval period.

Even the Shanyu Kingdom monarch and the Imperial Master of Sleeping Ice can only maintain their size by relying on powerful primal energy.

"Then it must be a land-dwelling monster."

Jiao Yu, offering his thoughts, added, "It might not be just one creature."

"That's true," He Lingchuan mused. "They committed crimes in Ox Head Mountain, so why did they specifically come here to dispose of the remains?"

"Skeletal remains found deep in the mountains are not easily detected," Jiao Yu replied. "Furthermore, this location is already within Baishi County. Even if the remains are discovered, the county has no missing persons reports, so they likely wouldn't bother to investigate seriously."

Outsiders and transient demons, dying in the wilderness, would go unnoticed.

This isn't unique to Beijia; it's the same in any country.

Aside from local officials being unwilling to get involved, it's objectively difficult to investigate. Communication between prefectures and counties is limited, making it hard to coordinate investigations.

The perpetrator was well aware of this, which is why they took advantage of the loophole to cross county lines and dispose of the bodies.

"Is that all?" He Lingchuan agreed with the logic but still had doubts. "This location is quite far from the county border, surrounded by deep mountains. Why specifically choose to dump the bodies so deep in here?"

"What's your take?"

He Lingchuan stood up and surveyed the surroundings. "This place sees no daylight, the ground is damp, and water drips from the rocks. It's likely the kind of environment the culprit prefers. Don't forget its previous appearances also occurred on rainy nights."

"Even though this creature commits crimes in various places, it must have a regular habitat, right?"

"Are you suggesting its lair is nearby?"

"Otherwise, how would it excrete here?" He Lingchuan asked. "If you lived on the east side of the county, would you travel to the west just to relieve yourself?"

"...I have no such inclination," Jiao Yu replied, looking around. "There's also a faint, fishy scent mixed with the stench of the corpses."

"It's a shame you weren't here the day the sheep thief came for the rock sheep," He Lingchuan said, jumping to the ground. He took out his water pouch to wash his hands, scrubbing repeatedly with scented soap to remove the lingering stench. "By the way, whose sense of smell is keener, yours or Fu Shanyue's?"

Jiao Yu paused, then replied after a moment's thought, "That would still be the young master, I believe."

He Lingchuan then retrieved the mucus-covered branch from his storage ring. "Smell this. Is this the scent?"

The tiger leaned in and sniffed carefully, its nose almost touching the branch.

He Lingchuan trusted his word; the posture alone indicated the Ba's superior sense of smell.

The tiger finally confirmed, "Yes, that's it!"

He Lingchuan took a deep breath.

So, the culprit was the real sheep thief. This meant both public and private grievances could be resolved together, and Fu Shanyue had indeed chosen the right person for the task.

After a brief thought, he declared, "Since we're already here, I'd like to visit the porcupine den."

"Yulun Mountain?" Jiao Yu, who had been present during Wang Mazi's interrogation, knew what he was referring to. "That's on the other side of Zhitian Township. It's getting dark; should we find lodging in the township for the night?"

"Yes." A significant amount of information had been gathered so far, but He Lingchuan knew the investigation was missing one crucial element:

A breakthrough.

The perpetrator operated covertly; while traces were left, they weren't sufficient for tracking.

Why was this monster preying on both humans and demons throughout Chiyan territory?

Merely for sustenance?

Zhitian Township's income alone accounted for two-thirds of Baishi County's total revenue.

For this reason, Baishi County's yamen was directly located in Youtian Town within Zhitian Township, facilitating the handling of various administrative matters.

Dusk had already settled when He Lingchuan entered the town.

Youtian Town's streets and alleys were noticeably more orderly than those of Shuangyi Town, with streetlights hanging beneath the trees for the convenience of night travelers.

Lights shone from every household. As He Lingchuan walked the streets, he could always smell the aroma of food and hear the sounds of conversation from the alleys.

The town boasted numerous large residences, some occupying substantial plots. Their smooth exterior walls and exquisite roof tiles clearly indicated they belonged to affluent families.

Jiao Hu also informed him, "The townspeople primarily cultivate medicinal herbs. Several prominent families who deal in herbs made their fortunes and subsequently purchased land to build these grand houses."

The economic ecosystem of a town is quite simple: some cultivate, some harvest, and some transport goods outwards, allowing wealth to circulate.

He Lingchuan, however, posed a question:

"Where do the monsters reside?"

"Most reside in the mountain forests on the outskirts of town," Jiao Yu replied. "However, monsters who collaborate with humans in cultivating medicinal herbs also live in these residences."

The town had several inns. Since He Lingchuan's travel expenses were now reimbursable, he naturally chose the largest and most expensive accommodation.

The guest room's decor was quite distinctive: a private, self-contained small courtyard with an old tree stump in the patio covered in purple ganoderma and white lingzhi mushrooms.

A crow would never dare compete with a goshawk for a tree stump; it could only perch on a tree in the courtyard.

After checking in, He Lingchuan said to Jiao Yu, "I'll need to trouble you, Lord Jiao, to visit the county yamen and report the cases we've handled to the authorities."

Jiao Yu nodded. "You're right. These cases are complex, and the cooperation of local officials is indispensable."

He left for half an hour.

When Jiao Yu reappeared, he brought back an invitation:

The Baishi County Magistrate requested the honor of the Special Envoy and General Ling's presence at a banquet.

He Lingchuan immediately rubbed his stomach, stood up, and readily accepted. "Perfect, I haven't had dinner yet."

It had been dark for quite some time, and He Lingchuan hadn't ordered any food. Jiao Yu suspected he was simply waiting for this meal.

The banquet was held at Xihong Tower, the town's finest restaurant.

The Baishi County Magistrate stood at the restaurant's entrance with seven or eight people, awaiting their arrival. Upon seeing He Lingchuan and his party, he immediately stepped forward to greet them: "This must be the Crown Prince's Special Envoy! Greetings, General Ling, Lord Jiao, Lord Wu!"

Lord Wu referred to the Goshawk.

He Lingchuan was also quite adept at social courtesies. Both parties met like old friends, exchanging pleasantries before heading upstairs to be seated.

The Baishi County Magistrate offered He Lingchuan a cup of wine before introducing the people beside him. "These are the esteemed local gentry of Zhitian Township. Upon hearing of the Special Envoy and General Ling's arrival, they all wished to meet you."

He included General Ling when mentioning the Special Envoy, showing respect for the old goat.

General Ling grunted, lowered his head to drink, and largely ignored the others.

The human-sized cups were too small for him; he specifically requested a large bowl, and a single tilt of his head could empty half of it.

The magistrate seemed accustomed to his demeanor, simply introducing the people to He Lingchuan one by one, with each person raising their cup in turn.

The so-called local gentry were, in fact, the wealthy, influential families of Zhitian Township. It went without saying that they were footing the bill for this meal.

They represented the highest financial standing in Zhitian Township.

He Lingchuan noted that they were all human.

Amidst the clinking of cups, dishes were continuously brought to the table.

The restaurants here also featured Zhitian Township's specialties, particularly renowned for their medicated cuisine. Dishes like blood vine stewed old crab, eucommia stir-fried lamb kidney, fleeceflower root with liver slices, and fragrant deep-fried ground ginseng were served.

He Lingchuan even wondered if a normal person consuming an entire table of these medicated dishes would end up with a nosebleed.

Fortunately, the wine served was a sweet rice wine rather than a medicinal one, warm, mellow, and smoothly soothing.

Jiao Yu had already briefed the Baishi County Magistrate on the case details. The magistrate now addressed He Lingchuan, "Special Envoy, your humble servant has already ordered the Wind-Boring Beast case to be formally registered. We are now comparing it with past records to see if any new clues emerge."

All the local gentry commented, "We never expected something like this to happen in Zhitian Township."

"That monster is truly audacious and arrogant!"

He Lingchuan asked the group, "Has Zhitian Township not reported any missing person cases?"

Everyone shook their heads. "None in recent years."

"And no unusual occurrences generally?"

The group exchanged glances, then shook their heads again. "Agricultural work in the fields and rural areas has been completely normal; there have been no issues."

He Lingchuan then informed the Baishi County Magistrate, "Tomorrow, I'd like to visit the porcupine den at the foot of Yulun Mountain."

"The porcupine den?" The Baishi County Magistrate was greatly surprised. "No one has been there in a long time. Could this be related to the missing courier case?"

"If there were no connection, I wouldn't be here," He Lingchuan stated, a remark that sent a shiver down the magistrate's spine.

"I heard the entire porcupine den died in the underground cave last year, which sounds rather bizarre," General Ling remarked without preamble. "Was that matter not thoroughly investigated?"

"Heavy snow sealed the mountains at that time, and the villagers only discovered them the following spring. The monster's lair was crushed by a huge boulder from above, which we presumed was the cause of death," the Baishi County Magistrate explained. "All of this is recorded; the Special Envoy may review the records."

"What do you mean 'presumed'?" General Ling asked, displeased. "It either is or it isn't. Wasn't a coroner dispatched at the time?"

"Yes, yes, I sent the best coroner in the county," the Baishi County Magistrate quickly asserted, eager to avoid responsibility. "But after a winter and a spring, the remains had already decayed so much that nothing else could truly be determined."

At this point, he sighed. "A den of porcupines, how could they be connected to Lingxu City?"

Instead of answering, He Lingchuan asked, "I heard these porcupines were quite unpopular in the village?"

"Yes, their reputation wasn't great," one of the local gentry admitted. "Both of Zhitian Township's water sources pass through their territory before reaching our fields. These porcupines frequently found excuses to cut off our water supply."

"Was there any direct conflict?"

The group exchanged glances again before one of the gentry slowly remarked, "They were local bullies. They injured many people, faced lawsuits, and eventually paid compensation, yet none of us could do anything about them. The county government mediated for us numerous times, but in the end, we were the ones who had to make concessions."

General Ling sneered, "Concessions? I suspect it was those porcupines who suffered the hidden losses. You humans are far shrewder than monkeys."

The wealthy man opened his mouth to argue, but was cut off by someone tugging at his sleeve.

Why argue with a powerful demon?

He Lingchuan then asked, "What was the root cause of the conflict?"

This time, the local gentry remained silent. The Baishi County Magistrate cleared his throat and said, "It was still about the water sources."

(End of Chapter)