Chapter 524: Failed Attempt

If he disappears, the master and servant can both escape punishment. Although Cen Boqing was furious, on second thought, he probably had to thank him. Fu Shanyue was truly depressed. If the case couldn't be solved before the Special Envoy from Lingxu City arrived, what was the point of his personal presence as the Crown Prince? Was it just to keep Cen Boqing in check and prevent him from escaping Baishaju?

He Lingchuan comforted him, "Look on the bright side: the master and servant are at odds, far less close than they appear. Once we capture Wu Kai, it will be easier to get him to testify against Cen Boqing."

"We still need to catch Wu Kai first," Fu Shanyue grumbled. He Lingchuan thought for a moment and said, "It's not entirely hopeless to track Wu Kai; I have a clue."

Fu Shanyue was overjoyed. "I knew you had something! There's no time to waste; bring it out quickly!"

He Lingchuan then pulled an oiled paper package from his pocket. He opened it to reveal several strands of hair, some long, some short.

Fu Shanyue leaned in closer. "Are these Wu Kai's hairs?" He instinctively sniffed them again. "Hmm, no, there's the scent of pomade! These are women's hair."

Incredible. This uncanny sense of smell would even impress a dog.

Pomade was the hair gel or setting spray of that era, also used for hair care. Why would an elderly man like Wu Kai need hair care products?

He Lingchuan gave a thumbs-up. "You're amazing. These are the hairs of Wu Kai's daughter-in-law and grandson. Wu Kai should be with them now. You have capable people under you; you can handle the tracking."

Fu Shanyue was delighted. Jiao Yu had just gone to search Wu Kai's family's residence, but unfortunately, the place had been thoroughly cleaned, leaving no useful clues—not even hair or nails.

"How did you get them?" Without wasting time, Fu Shanyue turned to give an order, then looked at He Lingchuan with a strange expression. "Hey, isn't his daughter-in-law only in her early twenties? She's in her prime."

"I asked Old Master Xiang Yan to get them," He Lingchuan replied with a huff. "His servants hear everything and know all the gossip; finding Wu Kai's family's residence was a piece of cake. Old Master Xiang also has a pair of pearl birds that can retrieve human hair from combs for me."

Those two small bird-demons had more than just ornamental functions. "Why were you watching his family?"

"Just preparing for a rainy day. I always felt there was something off about Uncle Wu," He Lingchuan shrugged. "It's not just him and his wife; I also sent people to check his ancestral home. The Wu family's original registered place of origin is Yangshui, Chiyan. Haha, so they're all Chiyan people. Yangshui is a bit far, so the information probably won't arrive for a few days."

At this moment, a sorcerer under Fu Shanyue arrived. He first bowed to the prince, then listened to his leader's request.

It turned out he needed to track the whereabouts of the hair's owner. He took a crystal box from his pocket, explaining it contained "rootless water," then used true fire to burn a long strand of hair to ash and dissolved it in the water.

After that, he took out a half-inch long wooden carved fish, placed it in the box, and closed the lid.

Strangely, the dry wooden fish gradually expanded after entering the water; its belly swelled, and it could even wag its head and tail, almost indistinguishable from a real fish.

He Lingchuan initially thought this was some kind of animation spell, but after closer observation, he realized the fish might have been a real fish that had been dehydrated, which allowed it to retain its vitality longer.

In any case, the small fish swam very energetically in the box, looking quite healthy.

Fu Shanyue waited for a few breaths, seeing no anomaly, and couldn't help but ask, "Has the tracking started?"

"Please wait a little longer."

Waiting idly wouldn't do. He Lingchuan asked him, "By the way, have you investigated the other clues provided by Mai Xuewen?"

"You mean Wu Kai's other hunters?" Fu Shanyue said, "After receiving your message yesterday, I immediately dispatched my elite forces to Xiaohulu Town in Bating County to capture Yang Song and bring him here."

Yang Song was the leader of another demon-hunting squad, roughly equivalent in rank to Mai Xuewen, and also had five or six subordinates.

He Lingchuan had always wondered how Mai Xuewen, with his abilities, couldn't find complete information on the other groups. Now, seeing Wu Kai's arrangements for his family, he understood: the old man was indeed cautious and meticulous at all times.

"Even if they testify, Wu Kai is unlikely to care," He Lingchuan mused. "But you can obtain more physical evidence of the Baga demon people being killed for their pearls."

Fu Shanyue said solemnly, "All this evidence is very useful—Hey, what's wrong with the fish?"

They had waited for about a cup of tea's time. Was this person's method even working?

Sweat faintly appeared on the sorcerer's forehead. He muttered, "Strange, it should be pointing the way by now."

"Hmm?" Fu Shanyue questioned, and the sorcerer quickly explained, "The fish will swim towards the location of the hair's owner."

So, it's a living tracking compass? "Why isn't it working now?"

"Well..." The sorcerer thought for a moment. "Perhaps the target has set up a concealing array to avoid being tracked."

"A mere woman knows about this?" Fu Shanyue asked the mighty Jiao Yu beside him. "Is his daughter-in-law also a cultivator?"

"It doesn't seem so."

"Then it must be the effect of a magical artifact," Fu Shanyue stroked his chin. "Wu Kai, that old fox, is quite meticulous; he actually thought to have his daughter-in-law and grandson wear something like this."

"Useless! Demoted by one rank!" He waved the sorcerer away.

He Lingchuan put away the oiled paper package. He had an idea, but it would have to wait until night to implement it.

"One more thing."

Fu Shanyue perked up his ears. "Hmm, go on."

"Once Lingxu City dispatches a special representative to handle this, will you hand the case over to them?"

The missing messenger was from Lingxu City. The missing inspector was from Lingxu City.

With suspects and some physical evidence, it was entirely reasonable for a special envoy from Lingxu City to take over the case, given the current progress of Chiyan's investigation.

Besides, when did Lingxu City ever need to adhere strictly to legal principles in their dealings?

Fu Shanyue paused, then said, "Many of the victims are our own demon people. Our country should provide them justice. Therefore, I intend to see this case through from beginning to end."

So that's how it is.

He Lingchuan then took out a scroll from his pocket, unrolled it, and pointed to the woman holding a flute in the painting. "Do you recognize this person?"

"Huh? Isn't this Grand Preceptor Qingyang?" Fu Shanyue was very surprised. "Why do you have her portrait? Don't tell me you like this type?"

He Lingchuan rolled his eyes. "I don't like old women. She's only seventeen, okay? Seventeen!"

"Well, who can say... Oh!" Fu Shanyue suddenly remembered. "Is this the portrait you took from Mai Xuewen's study?"

"Yes," He Lingchuan replied, knowing that Jiao Yu would also report on the investigation's progress, so it wasn't strange that Fu Shanyue knew the details. "I asked him, but he wouldn't say. But there must be some connection between these two."

"Don't let her appearance fool you; Grand Preceptor Qingyang is actually the oldest among the Four Grand Preceptors. She just celebrated her 190th birthday last year, and even my father sent someone to Lingxu City to offer gifts and congratulations."

A person nearly two hundred years old, yet looking thirty? He Lingchuan drew a sharp breath. "Is she human?"

Two hundred years old, that far surpassed the current normal human lifespan.

"Yes," Fu Shanyue said. "I heard that Grand Preceptor Qingyang had a remarkable encounter when she was young and obtained a secret technique for retaining youth. She will remain eternally young until her death."

"I thought that was a technique of ancient immortals."

"Who's to say it isn't?" Fu Shanyue shrugged. "I'm just repeating what I've heard. The Grand Preceptor can manipulate 'origin power,' which is even better than spiritual energy. Who knows how many methods she possesses?"

"One hundred ninety years old..." So 160 years ago, she would have been less than thirty. He Lingchuan's heart quickened slightly. He deliberately asked, "In these nearly two hundred years, Grand Preceptor Qingyang must have fought in many battles, right?"

"Of course. I recall Grand Preceptor Qingyang accompanied the army on at least five campaigns and even suffered severe injuries herself. She is truly renowned for her achievements."

He Lingchuan was surprised. "As a Grand Preceptor, even on the battlefield, she should have been heavily protected. What kind of opponent could possibly injure her?"

"I heard it was the Battle of Panlong City."

"What?" He Lingchuan's heart pounded. It was just as he suspected!

"I heard that two countries requested Lingxu City's assistance in a joint operation, and the Emperor dispatched Grand Preceptor Qingyang with the army. The battle was said to be extremely brutal," Fu Shanyue recalled. "But it's a very old story, long before I was born, so I don't know the specific details."

At that moment, an official arrived to visit the Crown Prince. He Lingchuan took the opportunity to say, "I'll head back first and play with the bronze automaton."

He couldn't ask any more questions without raising suspicion.

"By the way, when are you reimbursing my travel expenses?"

"Is that really necessary? Didn't you just win fifty thousand taels?" Fu Shanyue had seen many talented individuals, some seeking power, others fame, but He Xiao was the first to be so obsessively stingy with money.

"One thing at a time. Talking about money hurts feelings," He Lingchuan shrugged. "Besides, all the money I have is 'dead money'—it's not generating any income. If I don't find new sources, I can only cut expenses."

Fu Shanyue, helpless, could only agree.

So, relying on public funds for reimbursement, He Lingchuan immediately moved to a top-tier room.

Here, everything—size, lighting, furnishings, bedding, and soundproofing—was far superior to his previous room. Of course, the price was also quite high, and he didn't hold back at all with Fu Shanyue.

With the arrival of Chiyan's Crown Prince, most of the pressure on his shoulders was relieved, allowing him to free up time to study the Golden Armored Bronze Automaton.

He Lingchuan had used this thing several times now and summarized his experience: besides his own lack of control, the automaton's "skin and bones" weren't sturdy enough. Its head was sliced off by Hong Chengluo in the Battle of Han River, its arm was pierced by an arrow while riding the luan bird in the Mirror World, and it was significantly damaged in the Battle of Helian Palace.

Of course, after all, it was still just a basic bronze automaton, like a raw, unadorned model. Its abilities should greatly improve once it's upgraded to a bronze guard.

To He Lingchuan's surprise, Fu Shanyue had even brought a dedicated smith from the Chiyan royal palace this time.

"Aren't you going to upgrade the bronze guard? An amateur isn't as skilled as a master," were Fu Shanyue's exact words. "He's heating the furnace now; take your materials and go find him."

This guy. He Lingchuan finally understood why Fu Shanyue, despite his arrogant and violent nature, still had so many followers.

When he was good to people, he truly gave a lot.