Chapter 494: This Person Cannot Stay

Chapter 492: This Person Cannot Be Kept Alive

He and Zhongsun Mou had only been acquaintances, not old friends, but he knew the man acted very cautiously. The current situation was somewhat chaotic, yet Zhongsun Mou had actually come in person. Wasn't he afraid of being caught off guard by the so-called Crown Prince's Special Emissary?

"I heard about what happened this afternoon at Tide Lake Tower." Since the water mirror spell didn't last long, Zhongsun Mou had to come in person to discuss serious matters. "Your servant was captured by He Lingchuan's scheme. I'm afraid your secret won't remain one for long."

"'Our' secret," Cen Boqing corrected him. "Didn't you say you took all the documents and intelligence from Mai Xuewen's house? How did that He fellow know Mai Xuewen's trading time and location in Baisha Jue?"

He was truly caught off guard.

He hadn't initially given any thought to the Crown Prince's Special Emissary, never expecting to suffer such a significant loss and be tracked down by the other party.

Although He Lingchuan couldn't do much against them yet, being targeted like this felt very unsettling.

Who wouldn't prefer to stay hidden in the shadows?

"He arrived first, and I followed immediately, only a few breaths apart," Zhongsun Mou secretly sneered. "I can only say your luck is truly bad."

Cen Boqing let out a breath. "Brother Zhongsun, you've come overnight. What insights do you have?"

This fellow's overconfidence and incompetence had caused him so much trouble. How dare he now come to gloat?

"He Lingchuan is too much trouble," Zhongsun Mou said bluntly. "My reinforcements have also arrived. I wanted to see if Brother Cen needed any assistance."

This was a prompt for him to act. Cen Boqing narrowed his eyes. "The people I've hired have been preparing for days; we can make our move tonight."

"How confident are you?"

"I wouldn't say absolutely certain, but about an eighty percent chance of success."

"That's quite high," Zhongsun Mou relaxed slightly. "Excellent. Do you need us to provide protection?"

"He doesn't allow outsiders to observe his ritual," Cen Boqing replied, still somewhat courteous to the Inspector. He then added tactfully, "However, please be prepared, Brother Zhongsun, to fill in any gaps or deficiencies at any time."

"Then how about this..."

On their way back, Jiao Yu reminded He Lingchuan again, "You are now a thorn in their side. Be extremely careful."

"I know," He Lingchuan replied, understanding the situation. "If they kill me, the investigation will halt."

When problems can't be solved, usually the problem-maker is dealt with.

Now, he was that troublemaker.

If he were killed, the mastermind could continue to enjoy a peaceful, uneventful life.

He was currently at a disadvantage because he was in the open, while his opponents remained hidden.

The hidden opponent had likely already bared their fangs at him.

As for Zhongsun Mou, who was out in the open, He Lingchuan couldn't kill him as a special envoy of Chiyan State.

Not harming or humiliating an Inspector was the bottom line set by the Chiyan monarch for Fushan Yue.

"There's also a third party, whose allegiance is unclear, also lurking in the shadows," He Lingchuan said, his mind clear.

"Are you saying?" Jiao Yu paused, then quickly reacted. "Oh, the one who sent us the *Record of Reverence for Gods*! Do you think it's Mr. Mai?"

"He wants someone to investigate here, whether it's me or Zhongsun Mou, as long as someone finds out," He Lingchuan mused. "But Zhongsun Mou has sided with the true culprit behind the scenes, even publicly announcing that the courier case has been solved. So, this third party should be very displeased."

"Will they also come after us?"

"Not necessarily, but being cautious isn't a bad thing." Who knew what the other party intended?

Now, he had at least two factions of enemies: one that wished him dead, and another with ulterior motives, whose intentions were unknown.

He had only been in Baisha Jue for a few days; was it always this eventful?

Half an hour later, He Lingchuan returned to his inn.

He lowered his gaze and noticed that a wool fiber he had stuck in the door crack had fallen off.

That was General Antelope's whisker, a very long one.

This meant someone had secretly entered his room.

He had set up these traps and preparations to guard against Mr. Mai and his mastermind. Of course, Zhongsun Mou was now another person to be wary of.

He Lingchuan entered the room and surveyed it, finding that none of the small mechanisms he had set up had been triggered.

This meant the intruder hadn't conducted a thorough search of every corner, and their movement within the room was very limited.

What did the other party want to do?

At this moment, Jiao Yu also rushed in from outside, his expression solemn.

"I found out."

It had left midway to investigate the latest intelligence it had acquired.

He Lingchuan was mentally prepared. "Oh? Which powerful family owns that large mansion?"

"It's Cen Boqing, the eldest son-in-law of Beijia State's Grand Minister of Agriculture."

He Lingchuan suddenly felt his mental preparation was insufficient. "What? The Grand Minister of Agriculture from where?"

"From Lingxu City! He's one of the Nine Ministers, responsible for Beijia's finances and provisions, holding immense power." Jiao Yu retracted a paw, leaving three claw marks on the table with his front paw. "Cen Boqing himself is a Valiant Colonel; he's fought victorious battles and has military merits. I heard he's about to be promoted, and many in the court are currying favor with his family."

He Lingchuan scratched his head. "No wonder the captive dared not speak his name directly."

He had been mentally prepared that digging deeper into this case might uncover sensitive issues for some individuals in Lingxu City.

But he hadn't expected the opponent's background to be so significant.

How many officials in the vassal demon states did the three words "Lingxu City" deter from overstepping their bounds?

Jiao Yu asked him, "What do we do now?"

"Wu Bo's subordinates, with just the testimonies of these two minor figures, cannot bring down an opponent of Cen Boqing's caliber," He Lingchuan said slowly. "But we now know who our target is and which direction to exert our efforts, and that's a huge step forward."

He looked at the sky. "Tomorrow, we'll take the captive and go meet this son-in-law colonel."

At this moment, the courtyard gate sounded. Commander Lu's personal guard came to deliver food, and the password was correct.

Before He Lingchuan returned to the inn, he had instructed Commander Lu to always send personal guards to deliver meals in rotation, changing personnel and the restaurants from which meals were purchased.

Opponents hidden in the shadows who wished to scheme against him would resort to nothing more than assassination, poisoning, or curses.

As for assassination, Zhongsun Mou should know he isn't easily killed, and attempting an assassination in a place like Baisha Jue, with so many eyes, is prone to errors;

The more secretive methods are the latter two.

He Lingchuan currently had no elemental energy to protect himself, making him more susceptible to poisons and curses. Zhongsun Mou clearly knew he was a foreigner, so these two methods would be easier to execute successfully.

Therefore, from today onwards, He Lingchuan had to be vigilant everywhere.

Even with meals delivered by Commander Lu's personal guard and the correct password, he still took out a dropper of medicinal liquid to test for poison, eating only after confirming it was safe.

This medicinal liquid was created by his clever monkey, Lingguang, who said that vigilance against others was essential, making it a necessary medicine for home and travel.

Alas, if Lingguang were here, he wouldn't have to worry about being poisoned.

After dinner, he meditated and regulated his qi for over an hour, then went down to the public bathhouse, which was open all day and had quite a few people.

Before lying down in his room, he habitually took out his Soul-Capturing Mirror and shone it thoroughly on every corner of the room, not missing even the rafters.

This mirror could see through many divine abilities and curses, making it an excellent aid for his comprehensive checks.

He Lingchuan swept the mirror under the bed, initially just a casual glance, but the mirror cried out, "Hey, hey, hey, go back!"

He bent down and shone the mirror clearly under the bed.

"Here!" The mirror emitted a ray of light, shining on the underside of the bed frame.

Only then did He Lingchuan notice a small clump of gray threads, resembling spider silk, where the light shone.

In such a dark and damp corner, wasn't it perfectly normal to find spider silk?

No matter how splendid a guesthouse or inn appeared, its unseen corners were still dirty and grimy.

However, attached to the spider silk was a small, inconspicuous gray cocoon, smaller than a regular silkworm pupa.

If the mirror hadn't revealed every detail, he might have missed it even if he had seen it with his own eyes.

He Lingchuan drew his dagger, dug out the cluster, and set it on fire.

Just as the flames consumed the cocoon, in another inn over three hundred *zhang* away, someone suddenly clutched their chest, crying out in agonizing pain!

The person tore open their collar, revealing a large charred patch on their chest, as if it had just been burned by an open flame, even emitting a faint scent of burnt flesh.

"Damn it, it was discovered!"

The person had no choice but to quickly swallow a potion and repeatedly pour medicinal liquid over the wound.

After a little less than half an hour, the wound gradually closed, leaving only a coin-sized scar.

Complete recovery would take some time.

"Heh, don't get cocky; you're in for big trouble!" He then pulled out a barefoot wooden carving, placed it on the table, and lit two offerings candles.

This was a deity statue, two palms high, the wood somewhat old. Although its gilded surface hadn't completely peeled off, its form was not as solemn and dignified as other statues; instead, it had a hundred faces and a hundred expressions, and its attire was not formal, appearing tattered and worn.

Faces grew on its chest, hands, feet, neck, and even on the holes in its clothes. Some had only one eye, while others had three or four; some eyes were like brass bells, while others were bloodshot and even bleeding.

Some faces were weeping, some laughing, some raging, some sorrowful—all with contorted expressions.

Only a few faces were completely blank, without eyes, noses, or mouths, which could perhaps be described as expressionless.

Other statues either evoked a sense of majesty or benevolence, but this one was hideous and terrifying; even a glance sent shivers down one's spine.

It was as if countless vengeful spirits had been crammed into this wooden carving.

The person dripped a few drops of medicinal liquid into their eyes, then placed a small wooden sphere into an offering bowl, knelt straight down, lit a small stick of incense, and began chanting.

After dripping the medicinal liquid, he could see a translucent shadow floating within the wooden sphere—the soul of a young child, only three to four years old, still wet, likely having drowned.

Once out, the child's soul looked left and right, its expression bewildered, not knowing what had happened, but instinctively leaned closer to greedily inhale the incense smoke.

This was its sustenance, capable of replenishing its weakened soul-body.

The wooden sphere was carved from underwater wood, allowing lingering souls to temporarily reside within it.

The curse master then took out two full sticks of incense, lit them, pressed the burning ends to his forehead, and continued chanting.

The night was quiet, and the atmosphere in the room quickly became heavy.

It was as if something unseen yet formidable was approaching, silencing even the chirping of insects outside.