Chapter 519: Money and Life, I Want Both

He had just chopped down a large patch of lotus leaves…

He wanted to shout, "Stop!" How dare a mere lotus spirit offend an officer! But underwater, he couldn't open his mouth, and trapped in the fishing net, he could only let the lotus spirit forcefully tighten its grip around his neck.

Normally, he wouldn't even give such a small water spirit a second thought.

At this moment, however, it was a critical threat.

As soon as the golden-armored bronze figure reached the shore, it froze.

Jia Yu watched it remain still for a long time. "Special Envoy?" he asked. Had the puppet malfunctioned from being soaked in water?

He Lingchuan pressed his chest.

The divine bone necklace was warm again.

So, the treasure it coveted was still in the water?

Wasn't it the Overlord Lotus?

He Lingchuan sighed deeply. Thinking back, the Overlord Lotus was something that grew every year; how could the divine bone, with its high standards, be interested in it?

What should he do now? Return to the Lotus Palace, or continue on his way?

He Lingchuan hesitated for a moment, then urged the golden-armored bronze figure to continue its journey.

He needed to prioritize; first, he would return to Tide Lake Tower to see what had happened. If he wasn't mistaken, something significant should have occurred there.

The treasure in the Lotus Palace could be retrieved later if the opportunity arose.

The further south he went, the hotter the divine bone necklace became, clearly indicating its displeasure with his choice.

He Lingchuan completely ignored it.

This thing was too temperamental; sometimes, it was best to just let it be.

The lake's shoreline was winding and extensive; it took the golden-armored bronze figure over half an hour of travel to reach Baisha Islet.

To He Lingchuan's surprise, the onlookers did not disperse and flee. Instead, they stood behind, craning their necks toward the islet, maintaining what they believed to be a safe distance.

There were even more curious onlookers than usual.

The annual Lotus Fragrance Festival had long since bored some people. However, the Inspector from Lingxu City being swallowed by a monster was an unprecedented and sensational event in Baishajue since its founding—definitely worth seeing.

They'd have something juicy to talk about over dinner and drinks later.

In contrast, the wealthy guests, valuing their lives, had mostly evacuated.

By the time He Lingchuan arrived, there were few people left in the pavilion. The carriages of the powerful and influential were leaving one after another, and the authorities had sealed off the entire Baisha Islet.

Commander Lu was also on site with his troops, maintaining order. Jia Yu jumped down to report the situation to his superior.

He Lingchuan looked around but didn't see Cen Poqing. Instead, the Baishajue County Magistrate stood by the beach, looking utterly distraught.

"Magistrate Tian, what happened?"

As He Lingchuan approached, Magistrate Tian started, as if finding an anchor in the chaos. "A monster shot up from underground, and Senior Official Zhongsun was… was swallowed!"

He Lingchuan was shocked. "What kind of monster?"

"It's the monster you spoke of before," Magistrate Tian said with a bitter smile, "the one that looks like a snail and a frog. It also carried a hard shell like a small house on its back. After ambushing Senior Official Zhongsun, it immediately burrowed into the sand and vanished without a trace. Now… alas, I don't know what to do!"

He was so disheartened that he even forgot to use the formal address for a subordinate.

"So, the Snail Toad came to seek revenge on Senior Official Zhongsun," He Lingchuan stated, immediately categorizing the sudden incident. "I've said it before: this case was never simple."

He patted Magistrate Tian's back. "What's happened has happened; panicking is useless. This matter must be thoroughly investigated. We must strive to rescue Senior Official Zhongsun and provide an explanation to Lingxu City."

"Rescue… rescue Senior Official Zhongsun?" Magistrate Tian clutched at the idea like a drowning man. "Is he still alive?"

"That depends on the Snail Toad's controller, Mai Xuewen, and his intentions. If he believes Senior Official Zhongsun is still useful, then this is a kidnapping."

Magistrate Tian, who knew nothing about the Snail Toad compared to He Lingchuan, felt hope rekindle in his heart. He took a deep breath and said, "I see. I'll go issue a wanted warrant."

Baishajue had already issued a wanted warrant for Mai Xuewen, but Magistrate Tian now intended to raise its severity.

He turned to leave, but He Lingchuan grabbed him. "Magistrate Tian, what about my wager with Senior Official Zhongsun?"

"A wager?" Magistrate Tian's mind had clearly been elsewhere. He paused, then it took him a moment to recall that the two had made a bet, with him as a witness. "Oh, yes, you won."

"So I can go collect my winnings?" He displayed the Overlord Lotus in his hand.

He wanted Zhongsun Mou's life.

He wanted Zhongsun Mou's money too!

He intended to gain both.

How could Magistrate Tian still focus on the Lotus Fragrance Festival? He vaguely pointed toward the tall tower with a bitter smile. "Congratulations."

He Lingchuan immediately ran toward the tall tower. Using the Overlord Lotus, he retrieved his three mystic crystals, then grabbed Zhongsun Mou's fifty thousand taels of banknotes and carefully counted them twice.

Yes, the amount was correct.

This thick stack of banknotes reeked of money, and thinking of its source only made it smell sweeter to He Lingchuan.

With fifty thousand taels in his pocket, he suddenly felt a bit more financially comfortable.

Now he had some savings again, and his Hundred Virtues Pills ensured a sufficient supply of cultivation medicine. Hmm, it was time to find some projects to invest in, to ensure a steady flow of income in the future.

In the current chaotic situation, he was probably the only one capable of pondering such things.

As He Lingchuan emerged from the tower, Tiger ran over from a distance. Seeing him, it was overjoyed. "You won! You really made it back alive!"

It clearly saw the Overlord Lotus in He Lingchuan's hand.

The top prize for lotus picking was here, He Lingchuan looked energetic and alive, and Fan Sheng was nowhere to be seen. This outcome was truly beyond its expectations.

It had originally thought that merely He Lingchuan surviving would be a good outcome.

"Where's Fan Sheng?" Tiger looked left and right. "Did he not go, or did he not beat you? No, wait, you're injured."

Although He Lingchuan had returned, his face and hands were covered in wounds, appearing to be… bite marks? More precisely, small and sharp tooth impressions.

There were also injuries on his waist, which looked more severe.

"He ambushed me, so I left him soaking in the water." He Lingchuan scratched his head. Fan Sheng's cultivation was profound; over half an hour of soaking shouldn't be enough to kill him.

"While you were in the Lotus Palace, Zhongsun Mou was swallowed by the Snail Toad," Jiao Yu said, her eyes full of doubt. "Are you…"

She recalled Mai Xuewen, who had visited her yesterday.

He Lingchuan replied with a smile, "Is it what?"

"Nothing," Jiao Yu said. Having been an official for many years, and though a monster, she had learned much strategic thinking. She understood that what shouldn't be spoken must never be uttered, especially since she had not a shred of evidence, so why worry needlessly? "After Zhongsun Mou's incident, Cen Poqing's expression turned grim, and he quickly withdrew. I tracked him all the way to the Cen Manor before returning. I'm worried—"

Jiao Yu paused. "I'm worried he's going to flee back to Lingxu City, so I had Commander Lu dispatch people to watch his front and back doors."

Baishajue was within Chiyan Kingdom's territory. Once Cen Poqing returned to Lingxu City, he would have the home-field advantage, and it would be significantly more difficult for the Chiyan Kingdom's people to investigate him.

He Lingchuan nodded, then blew a whistle toward the sky and waved his hand.

Soon, an eagle descended from the sky, landing on a branch beside him.

"Deliver this message, quickly!" He whispered a few words to the eagle. "You know who to find."

The eagle nodded, flapped its wings, and flew east, disappearing into the horizon shortly after.

The teams participating in the lotus-picking competition were also returning by boat at this time.

He Lingchuan specifically scanned the area but didn't find Fan Sheng, which made him chuckle.

Suddenly, a loud boom echoed from the northwest.

Everyone turned their heads, wondering what had happened.

Wasn't the Lotus Palace in that direction?

The lotus-picking event was already over; what other trouble could possibly arise in the maze?

In all the previous Lotus Fragrance Festivals, which year hadn't gone smoothly and uneventfully? When had so many strange things occurred?

Magistrate Tian's nerves were constantly on edge. As soon as he heard the explosion, he immediately dispatched people to investigate.

Perhaps it was related to the Snail Toad?

A moment later, he suddenly came to his senses and realized that a major figure was missing:

Fan Sheng.

This Deputy Commander possessed great combat prowess and was a high-ranking official. Magistrate Tian had intended to consult him about rescue efforts, only to realize that Senior Official Fan was also missing! Magistrate Tian quickly consulted He Lingchuan, and upon hearing the answer, he was taken aback. He immediately dispatched people into the maze to rescue Fan Sheng.

Another quarter of an hour passed in the blink of an eye.

Just as Magistrate Tian began to fear that Fan Sheng had also perished, a solitary small boat finally appeared in everyone's view.

Besides the boatman, wasn't the person sitting in the back, scowling, Fan Sheng himself?

He was dripping water from head to toe, and his hands and face were covered in wounds just like He Lingchuan's, clearly having received an enthusiastic reception from piranhas.

Magistrate Tian went up to offer his greetings and inquire about his condition before asking, "Why did the Lotus Palace explode?"

"The Baishajue water spirit rebelled!" Fan Sheng spat on the ground. "It actually tried to strangle me to death!"

How embarrassing that the lotus spirit hadn't been able to strangle him for so long, and it was actually thanks to He Lingchuan's net… The net was extremely resilient, stretching rigid around his neck, so even as the lotus stems desperately tightened, they couldn't constrict Fan Sheng's throat.

Otherwise, he probably would have died.

Magistrate Tian was aghast.

He Lingchuan, who had walked over, said, "Who told you to chop through the lotus wall, even cutting off half of the Overlord Lotus? The water spirit is a lotus demon, and that place is its lair. It would be strange if it didn't give you a taste of its power. So, what about the explosion?"

Seeing Fan Sheng's miserable state, knowing he had suffered quite a bit, He Lingchuan felt relieved.

"I still had some defensive measures, and I gave them to it," Fan Sheng said, giving He Lingchuan a cold look. Seeing He Lingchuan's nonchalant demeanor infuriated him. "Consider yourself lucky; it should have been you."

He Lingchuan was now back in plain sight, so Fan Sheng couldn't make a move on him again.

The opportunity was gone.

He Lingchuan raised an eyebrow. Only then did he notice Fan Sheng's back, a bloody mess.

He thought to himself, how could this guy not have some hidden tricks up his sleeve? Luckily, he hadn't pushed him to a point of no return.

What He Lingchuan didn't know was that Fan Sheng's tactic had been given to him by his elder brother. It was a one-time ability with a considerable cost, and to think it was used against a mere lotus spirit—it was like using a jade carving to hold down a pickle jar, and it pained Fan Sheng deeply.

"What about that lotus spirit?"

"Probably dead," Fan Sheng replied indifferently.

Magistrate Tian let out a long "Ah!" If the lotus spirit, the water spirit, was dead, how would Baishajue's signature Lotus Fragrance Festival be held in the future?

A tradition of many years, destroyed in an instant. And without the lotus spirit's support, how could Baishajue's aquatic resources remain so prosperous?

Magistrate Tian felt an unspeakable bitterness in his heart.

He Lingchuan stroked his chin and clicked his tongue. "What exactly did it do to you, to force you to unleash such a powerful move?"

Fan Sheng had lost to him without even resorting to his ultimate trump card, yet a tiny lotus spirit could…

It seemed the lotus spirit's methods were even more formidable.

He Lingchuan was genuinely curious.