Chapter 492: Praying Mantis Catching Cicada

So they haven't given up hope yet. As long as the designated time hasn't passed, they won't leave early.

The mirror reminded him, "This is all based on the assumption that Mr. Mai hasn't communicated with the mastermind. What if they've already made contact?"

"There's no harm in trying; at worst, it's just some wasted effort. Even if it's futile, what's the big deal? Who can't afford this small trial-and-error cost? It's not coming out of my pocket anyway. Besides, according to my deduction, they haven't seen Mr. Mai all this time."

"Why?"

"He doesn't even reside here, yet all the clues obtained from him point directly to Baishajue. Isn't that interesting?"

The Soul-Gathering Mirror asked in surprise, "Doesn't he live in Baishajue? Didn't the old gatekeeper in Shuanglu Town say he always came from Baishajue?"

"If he resided here permanently, why wouldn't he buy a property?" He Lingchuan said softly, "He only stays in inns in Baishajue, having stayed in several, and Zhongsun Mou has records of them all."

"So Baishajue isn't his residence, but rather the long-term dwelling of the person behind the scenes."

The mirror found it incredible. "Wait, are you saying Mr. Mai led us here?"

"What else?" He Lingchuan had been suspicious ever since he received the 'Records of Reverence,' and this recent series of events further deepened his speculation. "If he directed all the clues here, why would he be the first to disrupt it?"

He paused. "Besides, we can verify it now."

The mirror was puzzled. "What are you planning to do?"

He Lingchuan put down his work and stood up. "Time to wrap up."

It was two 'ke' past the Wei Hour.

The Tea House by Tidal Lake was only twenty percent occupied:

The less-than-elegant blind date had concluded, and both parties seemed to have parted ways unhappily, each paying for their tea before leaving.

Only two tables remained occupied.

At that moment, a man in white walked up from downstairs, slowing his steps and scanning the interior of the pagoda as if searching for someone.

There were only seven people on the fourth floor, including tea drinkers and sightseers; they could be seen at a glance.

He looked at people, and others looked at him.

But like the other tourists, he didn't take a seat; instead, he walked to the perimeter corridor at the edge of the pagoda and circled it, as if admiring the view.

He wore clothes of Yanghu white, was tall with broad shoulders and long legs, and on his head he wore a veiled hat, which was essentially a wide, conical hat with silk netting draped around it to block wind and sun.

Baishajue has abundant water, which means many mosquitoes and insects by the shore, so it was not uncommon for fishermen and travelers to wear such hats.

However, the netting of this veiled hat was very dense, largely obscuring his face and revealing only a slight outline.

After circling once, the man went to the tea counter, picked up two bags of dried sweet potatoes, weighed them in his hand, then took out a small piece of loose silver from his waist and tossed it to the attendant.

As he performed these actions, the red jade thumb ring on the man in white's right hand became visible.

"I'll get your change."

Just then, two tea guests finished their conversation and were about to stand up, when the attendant suddenly dropped a few coins onto the floor. He squatted down to pick them up, inadvertently glancing upwards.

This action was subconscious, but after looking away, he seemed to remember something, then looked up again, his gaze fixed, even forgetting to stand up.

The man in white, naturally, did not miss his action.

He took a step back, swept his gaze across the tea room, and suddenly turned to go downstairs.

The attendant quickly scrambled up and called out, "Hey, sir, your change!"

The man in white ignored him completely, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

The old man came over to pay his bill and asked the attendant, "What's wrong with you?"

"He, his face..." The man in white had already disappeared at the stairwell, but the attendant still stared in that direction. "It looked familiar, as if I'd seen it somewhere before?"

As they were speaking, two craftsmen from the nearby renovation team approached him, asking for a cup of tea.

After going downstairs, the man in white stood at the entrance of Tidal Lake Pagoda and looked around.

Just then, several officers passed by, so he lowered his head and adjusted his veiled hat before blending into the crowd on the street and hurrying eastward.

Around Tidal Lake Pagoda were several rows of low-rise buildings, including residences and shops, making the pagoda stand out like a crane among chickens.

Only a dozen breaths after the man in white left the pagoda, three people emerged from the low-rise building opposite Tidal Lake Pagoda. They were all dressed as civilians, walking at an unhurried pace, also heading east.

The man in white, however, walked faster and faster, quickly slipping into the stable at the street corner.

In the blink of an eye, before the three behind him could catch up, the man in white had already led out a chestnut horse.

Clearly, he had boarded it there earlier.

These stables offered both rental services and boarding/custody, making them very convenient.

Tidal Lake Pagoda was in the suburbs, and there were no traffic restrictions on the roads. The man in white leaped onto his horse and galloped off, rapidly leaving his three pursuers behind.

This fellow was quite alert; the moment he sensed something amiss in the pagoda, he intended to leave Baishajue directly, without lingering.

His actions clearly exceeded others' expectations.

The three men didn't know what he had encountered in the pagoda, but having been assigned the task, they had no choice but to hastily turn into the stable, buy horses, and then chase after him.

They had initially intended to rent three horses, but renting horses required paying a deposit and registering first, which was troublesome and time-consuming. Unable to wait, the three decided not to rent and instead threw down silver to buy them outright.

This was much quicker.

However, one of them didn't have enough money, so he had to borrow from his companions to make up the amount before they could buy the horses.

This delay cost them a considerable amount of time.

Fortunately, the man in white wasn't galloping madly, so as they mounted their horses and gave chase, the distance could still be gradually reduced.

In the sky, a magpie had been following the man in white, occasionally landing on treetops or rooftops.

When the distance between them narrowed to less than ten zhang, just as the three men were about to speed up, a dozen or so riders, dressed as soldiers, suddenly burst out from the nearby woods. Their leader pointed at the fleeing figure of the man in white and shouted, "We found him! That's him!"

Chaotic hoofbeats echoed from behind. The man in white turned his head on horseback, and without a word, cracked his whip and urged his horse onward!

"Don't run, or you'll be killed without mercy!" the pursuers shouted.

The man in white fled even faster.

By the roadside lay sorghum fields, growing robustly, which at this season had become an endless green expanse.

The man in white simply urged his horse to leap into it.

Baishajue was renowned for its sorghum wine, and this crop was widely cultivated in its outskirts. Its stalks grew to a height of one to one and a half zhang (3-5 meters). The man in white, horse and rider together, plunged in; as long as he kept his head low, the pursuers behind would have difficulty seeing him, only able to pinpoint his location by sound.

This vast field was like a huge maze; anyone entering it would become disoriented.

The three men deliberately lagged a few paces behind the pursuers, arriving only after a slight delay.

The dozen or so pursuers, of course, also entered the sorghum field, disappearing instantly into the green expanse, with only the sounds of human voices and horses' neighs audible.

The three men stopped at the edge of the sorghum field and exchanged glances.

To pursue, or not to pursue?

Their superiors had ordered them to keep close surveillance, preferably bringing the person back, and if not...

The leader thought for a moment, then decisively said, "Pursue!"

The pursuers might lose their way, but they wouldn't, because the magpie demon had been guiding them all along. With an eye in the sky, this maze-like green expanse could actually help them locate their target and intercept the pursuers.

One of them turned his horse around to report back first; the other two fixed their gaze on the black-and-white figure of the magpie soaring in mid-air, and galloped straight into the sorghum field.

After galloping barely twenty zhang, a mountain of flesh suddenly appeared ahead.

Both men reined in their horses urgently, but one of them couldn't stop in time.

With a crash, rider and horse tumbled over.

The mountain of flesh turned its head, its face bewildered and startled.

It turned out to be a wild ox hiding in the green expanse, secretly munching, fully believing the tall sorghum stalks would conceal its presence. Little did it expect two thoughtless individuals to charge in and crash headfirst into its backside.

The wild ox, thinking it had been caught red-handed, was startled first, and so it bucked its hooves and thundered away.

Like a bulldozer, it flattened a large area of sorghum as it went.

Instantly, countless sparrows flew down from the sky, scrambling to eat the fallen sorghum heads.

"Damn it!" both men cursed.

There were too many sparrows, chirping everywhere, their small bodies flying everywhere. They suddenly couldn't clearly see where the magpie was.

They could only continue chasing in their original direction.

After galloping another ten zhang or so, the sparrows in the field suddenly startled into flight in large numbers again. The loud flutter of their wings was exceptionally clear.

A goshawk swooped down and pinned some unlucky bird in the field.

Chaos reigned all around: the sound of wind, human voices, horse neighs, and bird calls. It became even harder for the two men to pinpoint their location.

The sorghum stalks to their left suddenly rustled, a sound distinct from the wind, immediately followed by a dark brown figure leaping out, swift as lightning.

The horse neighed in alarm, rearing up on its hind legs.

But the rider on its back had already been knocked down.

Only then did a deafening roar explode next to the man's ear.

A ferocious tiger was actually crouching in the green expanse!

The moment the tiger demon appeared, it bit firmly onto its prey's shoulder, pressed its massive claw onto the collarbone, and gently twisted its head.

With a crisp "crack," the man's shoulder joint was dislocated.

This scene unfolded too quickly; from attack to success, the ferocious tiger took less than two seconds.

The man who had been pinned down had not yet recovered his wits before losing the power to retaliate, and then he saw a gaping, bloody maw right before his eyes, its sharp teeth glinting coldly.

He screamed loudly in terror.

The other rider raised his saber and slashed at the tiger's back. But the ferocious tiger seemed to have eyes in the back of its head; it dodged with a sideways roll, without losing a single strand of fur. Instead, the prey it held was forcefully twisted half a turn along with it, screaming as if being slaughtered.

The rider immediately realized he had been ambushed, and without attempting to rescue his companion, he tried to turn his horse and flee.

However, he saw horsemen approaching from all directions, encircling him completely.

The man in white they had been chasing stood at the very front, taking off his veiled hat and fanning himself twice. "Still not dismounting and surrendering? Do you want to lose an arm or break a leg?"

This person, of course, was Young Master He.

Trapped and surrounded, with the suppressed growl of the ferocious tiger coming from behind, the man's eyes darted around, clearly contemplating other ideas.

He Lingchuan immediately said, "Don't get any crooked ideas. Your companion will confess, and you'll die for nothing!"

His companion's groans of pain continued, but they were strong, certainly not like someone on the verge of death.

The man finally gave up hope, jumped off his horse, raised his hands, and said, "I surrender, don't kill me!"

The soldiers swarmed forward, tying the two men up like zongzi.

Only then did He Lingchuan step forward and ask, "Whose subordinates are you?"