Chapter 510: Who is anxious, who is not?

"This matter is a bit complicated, but if we carefully peel back the layers, it becomes clear that the root of the problem lies with Wu Kai," He Lingchuan said slowly. "Not only us, but Cen Boqing himself thinks so."

Before the eyeball spider was destroyed, it had heard Cen Boqing's words clearly.

Although Cen Boqing was known to be the mastermind, the difficulty for He Lingchuan in handling this case was the lack of direct evidence to connect the crimes to Cen Boqing.

Whether it was Fu Songhua's testimony, the guards' confessions, or even Mai Xuewen's actions, Cen Boqing could deny everything.

In other words, crucial evidence was missing.

He Lingchuan would only win if he found irrefutable evidence that Cen Boqing could not deny.

At this point, his attention turned to Wu Kai.

This old man seemed to have little presence, simply following Cen Boqing in and out. However, the guards had already identified him as Cen Boqing's confidant, specifically handling matters entrusted by Cen.

Most importantly, the entire upper echelon of Baishajue's elite also knew this.

If they could find a breakthrough through Wu Kai, he would be the human witness they desperately sought.

Jiao Yu instinctively extended a sharp claw: "That's not good. What if Cen Boqing kills him to silence him?"

"That would be very troublesome," He Lingchuan mused, stroking his chin. "But if he doesn't, it just shows that Wu Kai is very important, and Cen Boqing doesn't want to abandon him unless absolutely necessary."

Through the eyeball spider, he had already heard that Cen Boqing was willing to take this risk rather than kill Wu Kai.

That meant Uncle Wu's work was important and not easily replaced.

*Emmm*, considering that it was Wu Kai who ascended Chaohu Tower that day—to receive the pulp pearls regularly submitted by Mr. Mai—He Lingchuan had reason to suspect he was the person in charge of hunting monsters and collecting pearls.

If his prediction was correct, whether Mai Xuewen was captured no longer mattered. As long as Uncle Wu was apprehended and made to testify, Cen Boqing would not be able to clear his name of the charges!

Jiao Yu asked, "How do we deal with him? Should we strike when he's alone?"

"They are already on guard; Wu Kai won't be alone. Even if he were, it would likely be a trap set for us." He added, "If we can set traps, so can they. It's fair."

"So what do we do?"

"On the surface, we'll wait and see," He Lingchuan said calmly. "We're not in a hurry, but someone else always will be."

"Someone else in a hurry?" Jiao Yu pondered for a long time, wagging its tail behind it. "Are you talking about Mai Xuewen?"

It only realized later that He Lingchuan had been stroking its head for a long time.

The feeling was truly addictive.

"Mai Xuewen really shouldn't have sent this note," He Lingchuan said, picking up the note and burning it to ash. "He probably thinks I'm furious right now and will use any clue I get."

Jiao Yu thought, *Wouldn't a normal person do that?*

Just then, someone else came to see He Lingchuan.

This time, he received an oiled paper package. Inside, he found a note and a few strands of hair.

He Lingchuan was somewhat surprised at first glance: "Elder Xiang got the items so quickly?"

He had expected to wait another day or two, not anticipating Xiang Yan's efficiency.

No wonder he could serve as an official in the imperial court for decades until his peaceful retirement.

When He Lingchuan went to the outhouse, another eyeball spider exploded next to his ear.

"I didn't expect Cen Boqing to find your companion."

"Yes, he deserves to die a thousand deaths!"

"Mm-hm, we won't let him off; he'll definitely get what he deserves."

"No, no, no, just stay quietly by my side. You don't need to keep an eye on him," He Lingchuan said, digging in his ear. The little spider's angry squeals were almost rupturing his eardrums, yet only he could hear them. "He's already on guard. I don't want you to be destroyed as well."

Alas, he was left with only one spider spy. He wondered if he could get more when he saw Second Madam Zhu again.

When it got dark, the third guest arrived.

The inn where He Lingchuan was staying was exceptionally lively today.

The visitor was surprisingly the Baishajue County Magistrate.

"Magistrate Tian?" He Lingchuan's surprise was genuine. "Why are you here?"

"To deliver an invitation, of course," Magistrate Tian said, smiling broadly. "The Lotus Festival is the day after tomorrow. It's Baishajue's grandest summer festival, celebrated by all city residents. Would you grace us with your presence?"

"Interesting, I'd be honored." He Lingchuan stroked his chin. "Which other important figures will be there? What about Zhongsun Mou?"

"Lord Zhongsun... Lord Zhongsun has already agreed to attend," Magistrate Tian stammered before continuing, "He will also deliver a speech at the opening ceremony."

"Oh, he has such leisure time for that?"

"Yes, yes," Magistrate Tian replied, setting down the invitation and taking a step closer to whisper, "The information you asked me to inquire about earlier—"

"Hmm?"

"The rumor of Lord Zhongsun's arrival in Baishajue was first spread by the Cen family," Magistrate Tian said in a low voice. "It was casually mentioned during a Cen family gathering."

"As expected," He Lingchuan nodded. "Thank you for your hard work, Magistrate Tian."

"It was no trouble at all," Magistrate Tian replied. "The Cen family is currently sending people to search the entire city for Fu Songhua. Baishajue is such a small place, and the Cen family knows it like the back of their hand, so I'm afraid..."

"That's to be expected," He Lingchuan said. "Magistrate Tian, you're very considerate."

"Not at all," Magistrate Tian replied. Being a discreet man, he took his leave after delivering his message.

The tiger was licking its paw nearby. "This intelligence is already outdated."

They already knew the Cen family was the mastermind.

"I don't expect Magistrate Tian to gather any useful intelligence," He Lingchuan thought clearly to himself. "As long as we confirm he's not involved, we'll face one less major obstacle."

Magistrate Tian himself wasn't important, but the fact that he wasn't opposing He Lingchuan was.

After all, he was still an official of the Chiyan Kingdom.

The midsummer rain arrived suddenly and then refused to leave, falling steadily for most of the day.

Surprisingly, several more waves of guests arrived.

He Lingchuan hadn't expected the visitors to all be officials from the Chiyan Kingdom, some retired, some still serving. Several even came together.

They all offered the same reason:

"The Special Envoy has worked hard on this case; we've come especially to pay our respects, and this small gift is merely a token of our regard."

All the officials arrived smiling, talked with smiles, and left with smiles.

He Lingchuan didn't understand. What was this all about?

Jiao Yu wagged its tail. It was rare for the Special Envoy to be puzzled. "It means they're all on our side. It seems Cen Boqing and these influential figures from Lingxu City aren't popular here locally."

He Lingchuan let out a long "Oh."

After the guests left, he was too lazy to move. Besides cultivating, he would simply sit and watch the rain fall on the banana leaves, or play his flute and xun.

The flute was a bamboo one he had picked up at the market; its sound quality was mediocre, a far cry from Sun Fuling's bone flute.

Anyway, his skill level was also mediocre.

*Cough*, actually, he had improved compared to a few days ago, at least able to play a complete tune.

There were still pauses, so it was best not to mention rhythm for now.

He truly had no talent for music.

Whenever this happened, the tiger would find an excuse to leave. Only the Soul-Snatching Mirror remained sorrowful, silently enduring:

*It had no legs; it couldn't leave!*

From his second-floor vantage point, he could see the small lake ten *zhang* away. The delicate pink lotus buds, washed by the rain, looked shy and hesitant, and their stems trembled as frogs bumped into them.

Seeing these frogs, who would organize grand choruses for no reason, He Lingchuan couldn't help but think of that snail toad.

Mr. Mai was probably hiding somewhere in Baishajue, quietly observing the turmoil he himself had stirred up, wasn't he?

Just then, a small, dark object flew in from outside the wall, sweeping diagonally towards his window.

He Lingchuan thought it was a bat because it flapped its wings. But as it flew closer, he realized he was wrong—

It was a mechanical bird.

It was slightly larger than a pigeon, relatively crudely made. If taken apart, it would only have a few components and a wind-controlling array.

This contraption could only fly a hundred *zhang* at most, incomparable to the mechanical flying pigeons in Wu Shaoyi's possession, which could travel dozens of *li*.

It couldn't even land properly, struggling to fly in through the window before crashing down.

He Lingchuan took two steps back, ready for it to explode.

However, the mechanical bird just lay crookedly on the floor, flapped its wings twice, and then stopped moving.

Jiao Yu, the tiger, who was about to leave, turned and pounced, pawing at it twice. "There's a seam on its belly."

He Lingchuan reached into the mechanical bird's belly and, indeed, found a hidden compartment. Opening it, he found another note:

"Three hours from now, at the Rain Shelter Pavilion on the east bank of Luan Lake, please come alone."

The tiger saw it too and let out an "Oh? Is this another...?"

"Probably Mai Xuewen." He Lingchuan was very familiar with the handwriting on the note; it was indeed similar to that in the ledger. "We haven't moved for long, and he's already getting impatient."

"Are you going to keep the appointment?"

Logically, He Lingchuan shouldn't go.

This was an extraordinary time. Zhongsun Mou, the Cen family, and the newly arrived Fan brothers were all watching him. Who knew how many informants were outside the inn? If these people discovered him secretly meeting Mai Xuewen, the consequences would be unimaginable.

He Lingchuan could imagine Zhongsun Mou gleefully slandering him.

However, Mai Xuewen clearly knew more insider information, which could help him break the current deadlock.

Furthermore, He Lingchuan always had one thing on his mind that he couldn't tell outsiders:

The painting in Mai Xuewen's study, and the bone flute within it.

He looked at the rain outside the window.

"Stealing rain, not snow—this weather is actually a good time to go out." He noted that pedestrians on the street all held oiled paper umbrellas, completely obscuring their faces. "So—"

"—I'm not going."

Jiao Yu had some understanding of him by now and wasn't surprised at first: "Are you really going alone? That's too dangerous... Huh? You said you're not going?"

"That's right."

"Mai Xuewen sees that I've been quiet these past few days and isn't sure what's going on; perhaps he thinks I'm scared now," He Lingchuan said lazily. "If he's anxious, I'll be even less so."

This guy truly had a big heart. The tiger's tail twitched. Just as Xiang Yan had said, He Lingchuan was currently in a dangerous situation, and Zhongsun Mou and others were determined to eliminate him.

It had expected He Lingchuan to immediately retaliate after two consecutive attacks. Perhaps the other side was also waiting for such a reaction.

However, he didn't.

He Lingchuan nodded, recalling something. "Right, according to Fu Shanyue's reply, he should..."

"Soon."

"That's good."