Chapter 521: External Reinforcements Arrive

Chapter 518: Reinforcements Have Arrived

Zhongsun Mou took the mirror and examined it repeatedly, getting egg fluid on his hands and thereby being marked as a target for the Snail Toad.

He Lingchuan was also marked, of course, but after leaving the tower, he quickly washed his hands and the mirror, then slipped away in a small boat.

So, it's very important to wash your hands diligently afterward.

As a double precaution, He Lingchuan had already contacted Mai Xuewen yesterday.

He presented the Snail Toad eggs in front of Mai Xuewen's puppet, and both parties confirmed one thing:

He Lingchuan confirmed that Mai Xuewen and the Snail Toad were still in Baishajue.

And Mai Xuewen confirmed that He Lingchuan clearly understood the consequences of crushing the Snail Toad eggs, as the Special Envoy must have interrogated Wan Song.

So, if the Snail Toad made any unusual moves this morning, Mai Xuewen would likely guess who was summoning it.

Under his deliberate control, the Snail Toad wouldn't target the wrong person.

It could be said that Zhongsun Mou's fate was largely sealed after their meeting last night.

He Lingchuan was very happy to exchange Zhongsun Mou's life for regaining control in this case. Having spent so much time with He Chunhua, he had long understood a principle:

Evidence presented to others must be fair and open, capable of standing up to scrutiny.

However, the process and methods of acquiring that evidence might not be.

As for killing Zhongsun Mou just to vent anger, he would certainly never admit it.

How could Young Master He, being so broad-minded and generous, hold a grudge over such a minor incident?

The only trouble here was that he might also be suspected, as Zhongsun Mou's death was to his advantage.

But He Lingchuan had an alibi, and among his witnesses was even Fan Sheng, the Deputy Commander of the Tongxin Guard.

This was the strongest human witness.

Furthermore, He Lingchuan's inducement of Fan Sheng to the Lotus Palace had another intention: to draw away this incredibly powerful individual, thereby increasing the Snail Toad's success rate in carrying out the task.

Otherwise, with Fan Sheng present, could the Snail Toad have escaped successfully? He Lingchuan couldn't know for sure, but Fan Sheng's absence from the scene was always a good thing.

It should be noted that the Snail Toad had been severely injured by He Lingchuan's earlier explosion, and only a few days had passed, so its injuries had most likely not yet recovered.

Therefore, the biggest challenge in this plan lay with Fan Sheng.

He Lingchuan had to survive Fan Sheng's axe first, or everything that followed would be in vain.

For this battle lasting only a dozen breaths, he truly racked his brain, rehearsing it for two days and two nights.

Fan Sheng's martial power was immense, and he was aided by spiritual energy. The key to He Lingchuan's strategy in this battle was to avoid direct confrontation as much as possible.

The three spiders just now were Bloodfang Guards summoned using the essence blood gifted by Zhu Erniang, integrating offense, defense, and healing.

In this environment, they were perfect cannon fodder, serving as meat shields to attract Fan Sheng's attention and restrict his movements.

Moreover, he had secretly learned from Xiang Yan that Fan Sheng's swimming ability seemed quite ordinary. Two years ago, when a woman fell into the water, Fan Sheng went in to save her, but after getting ashore, he himself spat up water for a long time, nearly choking to death.

Therefore, the Lotus Palace was indeed a good place to confront Fan Sheng.

He believed that when Fan Sheng jumped down from the Tidal Lake Tower to pursue him, he had certainly not calculated so much.

He Lingchuan had even prepared several plans and multiple contingencies. But Fan Sheng never used any magical artifacts from beginning to end, and once he was entangled in the spiderweb, he couldn't use them at all. Who was to blame for that?

About half an hour later, there was a knock on the door.

"Carriages are lined up and boxes are piled at the back gate of the Cen Residence," Commander Lu stated bluntly as soon as he arrived. "Cen Boqing is trying to escape!"

"Can't you stop him?"

"I've already dispatched men to surround them, but Cen Boqing, with over a dozen guards, charged on horseback, drawing swords and wielding whips. My men dared not intervene."

After all, the other party was an official from Lingxu City. If anything went wrong during a confrontation, no ordinary soldier from Chiyan Kingdom would dare take responsibility.

As He Lingchuan pondered, there was a flutter at the window sill.

They turned to look and saw a hawk landing, breathing rapidly with its beak open, apparently having flown very fast and urgently.

"They're here, they're here!" it told He Lingchuan. "They've passed the center of the street, go quickly to greet them!"

"Perfect timing, but no need for a greeting!" He Lingchuan's heart finally settled, and he burst out laughing. "Tell him to hurry to the back gate of the Cen Residence and meet me there!"

The hawk couldn't help but roll its eyes. It hadn't even caught its breath or had a sip of water, and now it had to rush off again to deliver another message.

The soldiers brought by Commander Lu surrounded the Cen Residence, making it impenetrable.

Cen Boqing led his men to clear a path, while the Chiyan soldiers, fearing to act, could only form a human wall to block them.

The Cen Residence guards and servants desperately pushed and shoved, seizing opportunities to strike, finally almost squeezing through the human wall.

Once he left Baishajue, no one would be able to hold him accountable.

Cen Boqing was sneering inwardly, planning how to deal with these people once he returned to Lingxu City. He would certainly not spare anyone named He, nor the uncooperative Commander Lu, nor Magistrate Tian who feigned obedience but acted against him.

Just then, over a hundred riders burst from the street corner, galloping down the street toward the Cen Residence.

They shouted all the way, as if no one else was around.

Civilians who couldn't get out of the way fast enough were flung aside by invisible force, and those with bad luck would hit a wall face-first.

Even the wealthy young masters from high-ranking official families in Lingxu City rarely displayed such an arrogant demeanor in Baishajue.

The one at the very front, whose voice arrived before he did, let out a long laugh:

"Cen Boqing, where are you going?!"

Cen Boqing also recognized him, and in his shock, his heart immediately sank.

Fu Shanyue, the newly appointed Crown Prince of Chiyan Kingdom!

Shouldn't he be in the capital of Chiyan Kingdom, rallying support? Why would he suddenly appear in Baishajue?

However, this question lasted only a brief moment. Seeing He Xiao, also riding alongside Fu Shanyue, he immediately understood.

This was bad.

Fu Shanyue reined in his horse, and it reared up on its hind legs.

"You owed me a drink last year. Now I've come to collect, and you want to renege?"

Cen Boqing said with a grim face, "I have urgent business in Lingxu City. Why don't you come back with me to Baiyu Pavilion for a drink?" Baiyu Pavilion was a famous large restaurant in Lingxu City.

"What urgent business is so pressing that you can't even stay for the Lotus Fragrance Festival and must rush back overnight?" Fu Shanyue's face held a smile, but his eyes gleamed coldly. "Could it be that you're trying to dispose of stolen goods and eliminate witnesses?"

"Crown Prince, watch your words!" Cen Boqing snapped. "Your subordinates are desperately slandering me, yet they can't produce a single piece of concrete evidence."

"Can't produce concrete evidence?" Fu Shanyue wanted exactly that response. "Come, bring him out!"

A subordinate immediately pushed forward a man with a square face, thick eyebrows, and in his early thirties.

He was tightly bound and his face was bruised and swollen, clearly having suffered greatly, and his expression was somewhat timid.

"Who is this?" Cen Boqing didn't recognize him.

Commander Lu pushed the man. "He's asking you, speak!"

"This humble one, this humble one..."

Commander Lu slapped him on the forehead with the back of his hand. "Louder! Didn't you eat lunch?"

"Yes, yes... My name is Pang Denian, and I've worked for Wu Kai at the Cen Residence for seven years." The man lowered his head, not daring to look at Cen Boqing, and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Ten days ago, Wu Kai ordered me to take a prepared confession to the county jail and collude with Fu Songhua, forcing him to admit he was the main culprit in the Courier Case!"

The commotion at the Cen Residence had grown too large, long attracting countless passersby and residents to gawk. When Pang Denian shouted this, the crowd buzzed, erupting in discussion.

Really? Is that possible?

Because both the Lingxu City Inspector and the Crown Prince's Special Envoy were investigating cases in Baishajue, the White-Shouldered Eagle Courier Case had long been a hot topic locally, with countless versions of conspiracy theories circulating.

Now, with the Crown Prince personally present, a servant from the Cen Residence was pointing out his master as the true mastermind?

Oh, wow, all the big shots are here. This is quite a scandal, and it's full of juicy details!

Pang Denian continued to shout, "When the Crown Prince's Special Envoy came to investigate the case..."

Cen Boqing, enraged, laughed instead. "Slander! How could my residence harbor such filth!"

Commander Lu nudged Pang Denian with his elbow, and he immediately cried out again, "I bribed the jailer, Pi Linhai, with fifteen taels of silver, and he let me in. Later, when the Crown Prince's Special Envoy came to investigate, Pi Linhai disappeared."

Fu Shanyue glanced sideways at Cen Boqing and said, "When the bribed jailer died, you thought the trail was broken. Pang Denian was then sent by Wu Kai to Houjia Village, in the southwest of Baishajue, to lay low."

Cen Boqing said coldly, "You randomly find some villager and dare to slander me like this? Go around Baishajue and ask, who can say this man has any connection to my residence!"

"Where is Wu Kai? Make him come out and confront this," Fu Shanyue said with a smile. "Four years ago, his grandson fell into the water. In the dead of winter, Pang Denian jumped into the icy hole to help him retrieve his grandson. Afterwards, Wu Kai gave him two small gold bars. This incident has long been widely known in Pang Denian's hometown, Baixiang; anyone you ask there will know about it."

Cen Boqing maintained a stern face. "I've never heard of such a thing. I can't control what rumors the people of Baixiang spread."

He Lingchuan suddenly asked, "Where exactly is Wu Kai?"

He scanned the conflict scene but didn't find Wu Kai. This man was Cen Boqing's confidant, always by his side. How could he be missing at such a crucial moment?

Furthermore, whenever Fu Shanyue asked about Wu Kai, Cen Boqing either changed the subject or avoided answering.

Cen Boqing sneered, "He's just an old servant, no need for the Crown Prince to trouble himself."

Fu Shanyue cleared his throat and said, "Now, Lord Zhongsun has also been abducted. The two cases, combined, have become a major, critical, and serious case! I, the Crown Prince, will personally oversee the investigation to uncover the truth, and I hope Lord Cen will cooperate fully. Come on, help Lord Cen move his bedding back into his residence!"

This was a clear refusal to let Cen Boqing leave. While the two sides were talking, troop after troop of fully armed soldiers arrived, surrounding the Cen Residence in three layers, making it impenetrable.

Magistrate Tian also arrived. When Fu Shanyue beckoned, he quickly stepped forward, nodding as he listened to instructions.

With the Crown Prince present, what further reservations could the soldiers have? They stepped forward to lead the carriages and move the boxes, acting completely differently from their previous hesitation.

Those who had been disadvantaged earlier while forming the human wall now dared to secretly stomp on their opponents' feet a couple of times to vent their frustration.

Anyone could see that the Crown Prince was determined to deal with the Cen family this time.

Cen Boqing's face turned ashen. He flicked his sleeve, intending to return to his residence. In the end, he was one step too slow and failed to escape Baishajue.

Commander Lu, Magistrate Tian, and others were hesitant to act, unable to stop him, but Fu Shanyue was different. This fellow was famously unyielding, caring little even if a heavenly king descended; he would dare to take someone down first and then talk.

At this moment, Magistrate Tian stepped half a pace forward, coughed, and said, "Detain Wu Kai, and hold him for interrogation."