Chapter 493: New Clues

One remained silent, the other grumbled, neither willing to speak.

Jiao Yu sniffed, then walked over to the guard with the dislocated shoulder and said, "This one wet himself."

The soldiers burst into laughter. The man's face was pale and greenish, a mix of embarrassment and fear. This was probably the lowest point of his life.

He Lingchuan also approached the captive with the dislocated shoulder and slapped him on the shoulder. The man cried out in pain, his eyes darting up, only to meet the mirror He Lingchuan held up.

"Look!"

The man tried to avert his gaze, but it was too late. His eyes subconsciously landed on the mirror's surface, noticing nothing unusual at first. Until the reflection in the mirror smiled faintly at him...

The sorghum stalks blocked the setting sun. Everyone stood in the shade, watching a wisp of white smoke being drawn from the captive's mouth and instantly absorbed into the mirror. The captive's gaze immediately became dull. Injured and weak-willed, this man was more susceptible to external influences than his companions.

He Lingchuan repeated the question, "Who were you pursuing?"

The captive replied blankly, "The person who is currently being hunted throughout the city, surnamed Mai." After losing his spirit, even his vigilance vanished.

"Have you dealt with him before?"

The man shook his head. They had only been following orders.

"What were your orders?"

"Bring him back. If you can't bring him back, kill him on the spot."

It was just as he had suspected: "Who sent you?"

"Uncle Wu."

Finally, a new name to investigate: "Who is Uncle Wu?"

"Uncle Wu is an old retainer of the Cen Manor. He's been with Master Cen for over a decade and handles many matters."

"Master Chen? Master Cen?" He Lingchuan asked him, "What's his full name?"

"Cen..." A look of struggle appeared in the man's eyes again.

Even after losing his spirit, he instinctively didn't want to speak? He Lingchuan said, "Don't worry, you'll be fine if you tell me."

But the man repeatedly shook his head.

He Lingchuan had to change his approach: "Does he live in the northwest corner of Baishaque?"

"Yes."

"Does he live east of Blue Lake?"

"Yes."

"Are there any distinguishing marks?"

"At the main entrance, there's a pair of white jade qilin statues over ten feet tall, and a three-hundred-year-old phoenix tree."

He Lingchuan thought for a moment: "What does Uncle Wu look like?"

"Around fifty years old, square face, slightly plump, not tall, and his eyes squint when he smiles."

These features were familiar. "Was he wearing a maroon silk robe today, with a black gilded belt, and a black hat?"

The man thought for a moment: "Yes, he was."

He Lingchuan smiled faintly. Uncle Wu had been on the tower earlier! He was the elderly merchant bargaining at the Tide Lake Teahouse. Whether it was overconfidence or a belief he wouldn't be recognized, Uncle Wu had gone himself. Fortunately, He Lingchuan had also put on quite a show on the tower, so he wasn't seen through immediately.

"Is Uncle Wu the Cen Manor's steward? What kind of things does he handle?"

"No, the Cen Manor has another steward," the man shook his head. "Uncle Wu only follows Master Cen. We don't know what he does."

"Is Uncle Wu Master Cen's confidant?"

"Yes."

"Good, take him away." He Lingchuan felt relieved and instructed the soldier leader, "Tell your commander to immediately escort this dislocated-shoulder captive to the capital, to be presented to the Crown Prince as an important witness. Imprison the other one, and be careful he isn't silenced."

The soldiers took their orders and departed.

He Lingchuan stood up, stretched, and blew a whistle. The Hawk flew over from somewhere, a few magpie feathers still clinging to its beak.

"How are you already eating?" He Lingchuan said, half-laughing, half-exasperated. "The one who went back to report also needs to be shadowed."

The Hawk flapped its wings from atop the horse's back. "I've already sent out scouts."

Time was pressing, so everyone packed up and hurried back.

Not until Tide Lake Tower reappeared in sight did two blue magpies fly from ahead, landing before the Hawk and chirping a few times. The Hawk raised its wings, its expression stern, scaring the two bird-demons into flight.

"What's wrong?"

"They lost him," the Hawk said, displeased. "They said the third person who returned entered a low-rise house across from Tide Lake Tower and never came out. They waited for a while, felt something was off, and flew in through a window to check, finding it empty."

"Hm, he's already slipped away. Either a secret passage or a formation," He Lingchuan sighed, knowing it wouldn't be so easy to get to the opponent's stronghold. "Take me to see."

The two blue magpies led the way. They had been temporarily recruited by the Hawk, who, as a demon official of Chi Yan, had the authority to conscript these bird-demons for his service.

He Lingchuan followed them to a single-story house, directly opposite Tide Lake Tower. It wasn't in the front row facing the street but a loft located at the back. It was equivalent to a two-and-a-half-story building. He Lingchuan went up and indeed found that he could monitor the main entrance of Tide Lake Tower through the window. Such houses lined the area around Tide Lake Tower, unremarkable. The people coming and going were a mixed bag, with many visitors renting rooms here for cheap. After all, it was a tourist area, not as enclosed as a normal residential district where new faces would be easily noticed.

He Lingchuan and Jiao Yu searched the room, moving a low table to reveal a well-hidden formation beneath. Jiao Yu took one look and said, "This is a Minor Mountain Shifting Formation; it can only move a person about two *zhang* away." The cost was also small, of course.

Without looking, the other end of the formation must have opened in the adjacent private residence, and the third target had already slipped away. The blue magpies' surveillance had completely failed this time.

"Guard the existing captives well; they are important witnesses," He Lingchuan straightened up. "Fortunately, we've already uncovered new clues." The large mansion east of Blue Lake, with white jade qilin statues at the entrance and a three-hundred-year-old phoenix tree. This was practically naming names.

In fact, He Lingchuan had felt a sense of reassurance when the three men pursued them. The objective of this trap had already been achieved:

First, he needed to ascertain whether Mr. Mai had contacted the real mastermind. This concerned the entire case. Now, the answer was clear; he had not. After escaping from Frost Dew Town, Mr. Mai had vanished without a trace. Neither He Lingchuan nor his superiors had been able to find him. Otherwise, these people wouldn't have needed to risk investigating Tide Lake Tower. Mr. Mai's disappearance was, in itself, an intriguing signal. Had he sensed danger and fled to save himself, or had he had an agenda from the beginning? If it was the latter, what was his objective?

Second, fishing. He Lingchuan didn't expect to catch a big fish right away. To be honest, he felt the waters here were very deep, and whoever took the bait might not be the true culprit. But if given a vine, he could find the melon; he could find a crack in the opponent's tight defenses. Now, hadn't the clues delivered themselves?

After stepping out of the Minor Mountain Shifting Formation, the third guard met Uncle Wu. Seeing him return empty-handed, Uncle Wu immediately knew something was wrong. "What happened?"

Before he could report, Uncle Wu's expression changed. "Alright, let's go! Tell me as we walk!" Before the guard could open his mouth, Uncle Wu had already ruined the formation on the wall and swiftly departed with his subordinates.

Half an hour later.

Uncle Wu stood before his master, sweating profusely: "Those two idiots haven't returned. This old servant was foolish and fell into their trap!"

"They might have already confessed." Cen Boqing paced the room twice. "Just these two won't be enough to implicate the Cen Manor, but this He fellow is digging deeper and deeper. He absolutely cannot be left alive."

"Please give your orders."

"He is the Crown Prince's special envoy of Chi Yan. It's not suitable for a public execution," Cen Boqing paused. "Then find a spellcaster to send him on his way."

"You mean, Cheng?"

Cen Boqing nodded. "He should be ready."

"If we can enlist that person's help, it should be foolproof," Uncle Wu breathed a sigh of relief. "Even the King of Mang died by his hand back then; this He fellow should be a piece of cake."

"Go see what else needs to be prepared, and tell him not to be careless."

Uncle Wu acknowledged and was about to leave when Cen Boqing suddenly added, "Oh, by the way, have you verified Mai Xuewen's background and history?"

"I've sent people to recheck. His hometown is a bit far, so it will probably take three to five days to get the results."

"I just heard that he uses a very special method when sending his subordinates to kill demons?"

"That..." Uncle Wu's face paled slightly.

"You don't know either?"

"When Mai Xuewen first started this, I observed him for over two months. His methods for leading people to kill demons were very ordinary, nothing like—nothing like they are now," Uncle Wu swallowed. "Later, Mai Xuewen consistently delivered the essence pearls on time, sometimes even exceeding the quota. He was the most low-key among the agents, never causing any trouble, so this old servant rarely—very rarely—inquired about his methods again."

He had many subordinates and many concerns; Mai Xuewen never made mistakes, so why would he constantly keep an eye on him alone?

Cen Boqing said softly, "You have many agents under you; it's impossible to question each of them about these things, I know."

Uncle Wu lowered his head. He knew Cen Boqing well; this matter wouldn't be easily dismissed.

"But this is the second major mistake you've made!"

With a crisp crash, Cen Boqing flung a teacup, which shattered against the wall beside Uncle Wu. Shards flew, cutting his hand, but Uncle Wu remained motionless, letting the blood drip to the floor.

"Was the trap set by this He fellow at Tide Lake Tower so clever? How could you walk right into it!" Cen Boqing slammed the table and cursed. "How do you train your subordinates? They're either as stupid as pigs or they flee at the first sign of trouble!"

Uncle Wu endured the scolding in silence. His biggest mistake near Tide Lake Tower was not staying in the loft to observe. As a result, the three guards rushed out to apprehend someone but couldn't react flexibly.

Just then, someone requested an audience at the back door, claiming to be an old friend of Lingxu. Those four words were the code. Cen Boqing immediately reined in his temper, taking a deep breath. Uncle Wu quickly gathered the broken porcelain shards from the floor.

A servant led in a person dressed in civilian clothes. For a mansion as large as the Cen Manor, it normally required over a hundred people to maintain its operations, so people coming and going were a common sight. Cen Boqing thought it was Guard Zhongsuna disguised, but then the person lifted their hood, revealing light blue skin.

"Brother Zhongsuna?" Cen Boqing's surprise was genuine. "Why have you come yourself?"