Chapter 462: Possessing a Jade Brings Its Own Punishment

He Lingchuan, in the carriage, asked Zhao Dazui, "Did anyone in the village get injured last winter?"

"Huh?" Zhao Dazui didn't understand. "What kind of injuries do you mean? Frostbite, crushing injuries, or falls?"

"...Ones that are difficult to treat." Porcupine quills were not easy to deal with.

Zhao Dazui thought for a moment. "Not that I heard of."

Jiao Yu interjected, "Did anyone die of illness?"

"Ah, yes." This time, Zhao Dazui nodded decisively. "Old Man Xu from Youtian Town had consumption for many years and didn't make it through last winter..."

"Those who died in their prime. Villagers or travelers are included."

"Oh..." Zhao Dazui thought again. "Yes, there was. In Xujia Village near Baitamian Temple, Xu Lao'er, who was in his thirties, had his legs frozen off in the mountains and died of a high fever a few days after returning home."

He Lingchuan nodded and noted it. "Anything else?"

Zhao Dazui thought carefully again but couldn't recall anything.

He Lingchuan's heart stirred, and he suddenly asked, "What about heavily injured or dead monsters?"

"I wouldn't know about that," Zhao Dazui chuckled. "Monsters don't usually live with us. How would I know what happens to them?"

"Monsters all live in the wilderness?"

"Yes, most of them live in the wilderness and have no contact with us," Zhao Dazui added. "Except for cat demons, ox demons, and bat demons, who might live under eaves, but I haven't paid much attention."

Why would human beings care if a monster died?

Before nightfall, He Lingchuan hurried back to Youtian Town and parted ways with Jiao Yu.

He went to the largest pharmacy in town, with General Ling insisting on accompanying him, seemingly addicted to watching the spectacle.

Zhitian County was the largest distribution center for medicinal herbs in Chiyan, with one-third of the nation's herbs being wholesaled from there. Naturally, pharmacies and medical halls were everywhere.

The place He Lingchuan found had a medical hall in the front and a large pharmacy in the back. After entering, he went directly to the pharmacy manager, took out the red powder scraped from the porcupine's den, and asked what it was.

The manager was also an expert. He looked at it twice and sniffed it but couldn't identify it. So, he got some medicinal powder and water to mix with it, then called a few doctors to examine it.

He Lingchuan felt it was a lost cause just by watching their posture. At this point, he missed his own medicinal ape even more. At least Lingguang wasn't as unreliable as they were.

Fortunately, the manager eventually brought an ape out from the back hall.

He Lingchuan was greatly surprised. "A medicinal ape?"

"Indeed," the manager said with a smile. "This is our chief alchemist, Mr. Lü."

Mr. Lü, the medicinal ape, had a white chin and beard. Hearing the manager say he couldn't identify the stone powder, he took a pinch of the red powder on his fingertip and spat on it.

Including the four or five doctors, everyone watched as the red powder turned transparent.

"That's right, this is stone network," Mr. Lü confirmed. "It's also called stone blood. Where did the guest obtain it?"

"What is it used for?"

"This substance is commonly known as 'stone's blood' and is also considered the essence of mountains. It's rarely used in making medicines or elixirs, which is why most pharmacists and alchemists don't recognize it, but it can actually be used in certain folk remedies," Mr. Lü recounted knowledgeably. "Furthermore, it's also a material for making certain magical artifacts. If the guest takes it to a craftsman, they might recognize it more easily."

He paused, then asked again, "Stone network is rare, and this is very fresh. Is the place where the guest extracted it not far away?"

"This is mineral powder, not a plant. How can you tell if it's fresh or not?"

"It has the scent of mountain rock and a slight decaying smell," Mr. Lü stated definitively. "It must have been dug out recently."

"Exactly. I just dug it out of a porcupine's den in Jade Wheel Mountain this afternoon."

"Jade Wheel Mountain?" Mr. Lü was visibly surprised. "Jade Wheel Mountain actually has stone network?"

"Is there a problem?"

"I've been in Zhitian County for eighty years, and this is the first I've heard of Jade Wheel Mountain having this substance." Mr. Lü stroked the beard beneath his chin like a human. "As I just said, stone network is very rare, and certain potent medicinal formulas absolutely require it. This substance is very expensive; refined stone network powder can sell for a high price of five taels of silver per tael!"

"I just broke this off; it hasn't been refined yet. What do you think of its purity?"

Mr. Lü fiddled with it for a while longer. "Very few impurities."

He Lingchuan put away the bottle and casually smiled, "So, whoever finds a stone network mine will get rich?"

"If the reserves are abundant."

The pharmacy manager couldn't help but interject, "Guest, it's not like that. In this region, you can't just randomly collect herbs or mine, unless the place belongs to you."

He Lingchuan knew this, of course, and laughed heartily. "Yes, mountains and rivers all have owners. Who can just mine them freely? I was just saying."

Having obtained the answers he sought, he thanked the medicinal ape, left a small silver ingot, and departed the pharmacy.

He Lingchuan knew that Jiao Yu's task wouldn't be finished quickly, so he followed a pleasant aroma and found a small eatery for a meal.

To call it a shop was inaccurate; it was more like a small stall set up under a snakeskin canopy.

However, all seven or eight low tables under the canopy were full of customers, each happily eating from a pot.

That's right, this stall specialized in "pot noodles."

On the stove, seven or eight pots were simmering, all containing medicated cuisine. When a customer chose one, the stall owner would add noodles to the pot.

He Lingchuan ordered a "Danggui pigeon soup" with local "cloud silk noodles." As soon as the pot was opened, a fragrant aroma wafted out. The soup inside was light brown, with only a thin layer of oil floating on the surface.

He tasted it; it was mellow and rich, and the medicinal herbs paired well with the meat. The ingredients were stewed until the bones were tender and the meat was falling apart, easily chewable.

Smelling the fragrant aroma, the three Wind-Piercing Beasts also made sure to get some food. This was a demon nation, where it was common for monsters to dine in towns. To accommodate their large mouths, the stall owner served them in wide-brimmed bowls instead of pots.

These sheep were indeed omnivorous, crunching up small pigeons one bite at a time and asking the owner for more food.

He Lingchuan slurped down one pot, while the others had already finished three bowls. He raised his hand to order another flavor of pot soup, this time eating it with hot sugar cakes.

The combination of sweet and savory was quite interesting.

Even better, the stall was directly opposite the pharmacy he had just visited.

While eating his second small sugar cake, he saw the head manager of the pharmacy come out and hurry away.

He Lingchuan smiled and made a gesture with his arm.

Passersby merely thought he was greeting someone, but in reality, a crow on a tree flapped its wings and fluttered after the manager.

A ready-made informant, no reason not to use it.

Crows were everywhere in Zhitian County, so no one would specifically notice its movements.

He Lingchuan then asked the stall owner, "Two more sugar cakes, to go. By the way, this 'Shuojin Hall' has such a grand facade. Who owns it?"

"Everyone in Youtian Town knows it's the Li family's property."

He Lingchuan said, "Oh, so it's the Li family."

After the meal, he went to explore the medicinal herb market in Youtian Town.

It was rare to encounter such a medicinal herb wholesale center; shouldn't he seize the opportunity to replenish his stock? However, with Lingguang absent, He Lingchuan's own quality control wasn't as reliable.

Walking, browsing, and buying like this, it soon became dusk.

He Lingchuan returned to the inn and waited for over an hour before Jiao Yu finally came back under the moonlight.

"How was it?"

"I checked the county office ledgers. Excluding those who died of old age or illness, seven young and strong individuals were injured or died last winter, three went missing, and two passing merchant caravans reported that their own porters died of acute illness," he paused. "This is for humans."

"As for the demon tribe, the only deaths were that den of porcupine demons. Two other demons entered the town seeking medical treatment, so they were recorded. The others are unknown."

Indeed, if monsters didn't seek medical attention, who would know if they were injured?

He Lingchuan shook his head. "One really can't find anything from the official records. No wonder Fu Shanji couldn't handle this case well. The person behind the scenes knows the authorities too well."

He recounted his visit to the pharmacy. Jiao Yu listened and then said, "Besides water and medicinal herbs, this porcupine den's territory now also has a stone network mine. The resources are truly abundant."

"Possessing a treasure makes one a target," He Lingchuan said. "It seems our suspects are no longer limited to just the Li, Wang, and Tu families."

He had already inquired; those three families were all in the medicinal herb business.

However, stone network was rarely known locally, so these prominent families might not have been involved with it.

He frowned again at this point. "But there's one thing I haven't figured out: since the culprits knew our whereabouts, why didn't they wait until we left Youtian Town or Zhitian County before acting?"

"Indeed, ambushing us so hastily, if they failed, would only expose the fact that they are operating nearby," Jiao Yu asked him. "What do you plan to do now?"

"First, let's stir the waters; perhaps the big fish will reveal itself," He Lingchuan told him. "Lord Jiao, please fetch Master Li."

"Now?" It was very dark.

"Yes, now," He Lingchuan affirmed. "That's precisely the effect I want."

Jiao Yu was a man of action; indeed, in less than fifteen minutes, he brought Master Li.

Master Li was roused from his sleep. Though dressed neatly, he had eye discharge in the corners of his eyes and was yawning incessantly. He was fifty-seven this year, and despite his usual careful maintenance, his energy was far from that of a young man.

The Crown Prince's special envoy had actually summoned him overnight, and his heart kept pounding. He kept subtly probing Jiao Yu, asking if anyone else was going with him.

Who, having built such a large business, could truly have clean hands?

If old affairs were dug up, then...

Just as he was feeling anxious, He Lingchuan put on a fake smile, took out a note, and unfolded it for him to see:

"Someone has reported you."

The next day, at the end of the Yin hour.

The magistrate of Baishi County had just dreamt of being promoted and holding a grand celebratory banquet, receiving congratulations from everyone, when he was mercilessly woken by his old servant:

"My lord, Master Li and Master Wang request an audience."

"Now?" The magistrate of Baishi County rubbed his eyes, saw that it was still dark outside, and couldn't help but feel annoyed. "Are they mad?"

"They said it's related to some 'messenger case'."

Messenger? The magistrate sat on the bed, dazed for a long time, slowly regained his senses, and only then remembered the case of the missing messenger from Lingxu City.

He honestly didn't believe that Zhitian County could be connected to this case and hadn't given it much thought these past two days. Why were these two prominent figures so frantically coming to see him?

"Have them wait in the study."

Fifteen minutes later, after both Master Li and Master Wang had finished a cup of tea, the magistrate of Baishi County finally arrived, tardily.