Chapter 527: From Illusion to Reality The Pursuit

**Chapter 524: The Pursuit from Illusion to Reality**

After an unknown period, He Lingchuan suddenly felt something and opened his eyes.

As expected, the Nightmare had silently returned and was drifting around him, seemingly watching him. He Lingchuan never took this entity lightly. Without changing his expression, he asked, "Found any clues?"

"See for yourself."

With that, the Nightmare transformed into a cloud of smoke. As the smoke slowly dispersed, a scene emerged in its center. First, there was a blue sky, followed by distant mountains, as clear as a slide projection.

The scene shifted again to a wide road with several horse-drawn carriages ahead. At that moment, a woman's voice joined in:

"Kang'er, don't lean out; be careful someone bumps into you!" The view then zoomed into a carriage, where a young woman in plain clothes sat opposite.

He Lingchuan knew the Nightmare was showing him fragments from Wu Kai's grandson's memories, likely things he had seen during the day. After all, what one sees by day, one dreams by night.

The woman added, "No making noise! Once we arrive, Grandpa will buy you something delicious."

Arrive? Arrive where? The mountain in the background of the previous scene appeared to be north of the city, though not directly north from that angle.

The scene changed, and everyone disembarked. It was now evening; the sun had set, but night hadn't fully descended. The surroundings were wild, with overgrown weeds by the roadside and reeds taller than adults. He Lingchuan, however, heard the sound of water.

The coachman walked ahead, holding a lantern, while the mother and son followed behind. After walking a dozen steps, an old man approached them. His hair was half black, half white, and the corners of his eyes drooped.

It was Wu Kai!

This was the target of the city's military pursuit. Immediately after Zhongsun Mou's death, he had ordered his grandson to be taken out of the city, successfully evading capture by Fu Shanyue and Cen Boqing. He himself had escaped amidst the chaos when Commander Lu besieged Cen Mansion, and the family had reunited at a ferry crossing in the wilderness.

Wu Kai embraced his grandson and offered a few comforting words. The four of them actually walked to a ferry crossing.

Baishajue was a watery place, with lakes, marshes, and rivers. This particular spot was in the middle section of a river bend, where the wind was gentle. Twenty or thirty fishing boats were moored there, with light emanating from their cabins. The fishermen lived and ate on their boats. A sturdy young man went to the boats to inquire and found a boatman willing to take passengers after asking only two vessels. Silver was indeed a good thing.

The scene ended there, dissolving back into gray mist.

"That's all; I only found this much," the Nightmare said helplessly. "A child's mind is empty; it doesn't hold much." It was like a clever housewife who cannot cook without rice.

He Lingchuan pointed to the Juluo branch: "Alright, go in."

The gray smoke swirled twice inside the room, clearly displeased. But a small arm couldn't contend with a big thigh, so it grudgingly entered. Strictly speaking, the Juluo branch wasn't its permanent dwelling but a fast passage between the ancient city of Panlong and reality.

"Either release me or find me a place to stay, quickly! Otherwise, I won't be able to return to reality later and won't be able to help you." Having made its demand, the Nightmare vanished.

He Lingchuan immediately went to knock on Fu Shanyue's door. Just as he knocked once, a guard at the door blocked him: "Please wait while we go inside to announce your presence..."

"What is it?" A gentle breeze swept past him, and Fu Shanyue himself emerged, still in the same casual attire from the afternoon, his hair meticulously neat. This guy hadn't rested either.

"I've discovered Wu Kai's whereabouts," He Lingchuan stated directly, without pretense. "After dark, he boarded a boat at the river bend north of the city."

"How did you..." Fu Shanyue was startled but quickly asked, "Is it reliable?"

"As if I saw it myself."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" He knew He Lingchuan was capable.

"Wait!" He Lingchuan stretched out an arm to block him. "You can't go. What if Cen Boqing takes the opportunity to escape again?" If Fu Shanyue left the city and Cen Boqing gathered his forces to break out like last time, who would dare truly stop him? Could they rely on Commander Lu, or Magistrate Tian? Before his conviction, Cen Boqing was still a superior official in Lingxu City.

At this reminder, Fu Shanyue quickly calmed down. "Alright, I'll keep a close eye on him. The task of apprehending Wu Kai is yours. You must—" He emphasized each word: "You must bring him back!"

He Lingchuan nodded. Now, he and Fu Shanyue were in the same boat. If they failed to capture Wu Kai and convict him, Cen Boqing and even the Grand Minister of Agriculture would surely retaliate afterward.

Without further delay, He Lingchuan set out in the middle of the night. Fu Shanyue assigned him dozens of soldiers and a guide named Lu to accompany him. This "guide" was essentially a local expert. Baishajue was full of tourist attractions, and wealthy visitors were numerous, which had given rise to a specialized guiding business. Guides would arrange everything from lodging and transport to scenic tours, satisfying virtually any request from their clients.

This Mr. Lu had been found by Magistrate Tian for the Crown Prince earlier that day, boasting a thorough knowledge of the entire county. He also knew the location of the river bend, so Fu Shanyue ordered him to accompany He Lingchuan. Dozens of magnificent horses thundered through the empty streets, their hooves disturbing the peaceful slumber of the night.

North of the city, there was only one large river, winding along the mountains, with gentle terrain on both banks. But the only ferry crossing extremely close to the docks was the Lower River Bend.

"The target has already boarded a boat. Where would they go?"

Guide Lu said, "Naturally, they'd go downstream; it's less effort, and the boat travels faster."

"Could they go upstream instead?"

"Upstream is all wilderness; it's a hundred li before you reach any signs of human habitation. Going that way would be exhausting," Guide Lu shook his head. "Boats crossing there almost always go downstream. There's been no wind for the past few nights, so they won't be traveling fast."

He Lingchuan worried, "What if they disembark midway?"

"That's possible, but going downstream is both safe and convenient, and it's not easy to be intercepted," Guide Lu grinned. "Normally, they also transport some illicit goods downstream... Uh!" He had a habit of bragging to clients, speaking without thinking, but as the words left his mouth, he remembered that the person before him was no ordinary individual! What nonsense was he spouting about smuggling in front of the Crown Prince's special envoy?

He Lingchuan didn't even twitch an eyebrow, disinclined to argue with him. Guide Lu quickly offered, "Does His Excellency need to charter a boat? I can find the fastest and best one!"

"No need."

Thanks to his familiarity with the routes, he chose a shortcut out of the city. Unofficial paths were not as smooth as official roads, and nighttime travel was inherently prone to bumps and jolts, but Guide Lu remembered every ditch and every bump ahead, allowing them to maintain a rapid pace in the dark. His expertise was so refined that even He Lingchuan complimented him: "You're an excellent guide." Guide Lu immediately beamed with joy. With a single word of praise from the Crown Prince's special envoy, his future was secure.

The wild path, overgrown with desolate grass, led to its end at the Lower River Bend. In earlier years, all boat traffic in Baishajue, both for fish and passengers, passed through here. However, after the Upper River Bend was developed, the shipping capacity shifted there, and the Lower River Bend ferry crossing became deserted, used only for passenger transport.

When He Lingchuan and his group arrived, it was late at night, and only two fishing lights were still burning. A guard asked him, "Sir, how many boats should we split into?"

He Lingchuan ignored the question and instead asked Guide Lu, "What river is this?"

"The Glimmering River," Guide Lu chuckled. "Years ago, someone panned gold from it, so people gave it that name."

The night was so deep that the opposite bank was invisible, and the river bend was a quiet backwater. They could only occasionally hear waves lapping against the shore. Wu Kai's family had boarded the boat in the evening and were traveling downstream, an unknown distance ahead of them. Was it still possible to catch up now?

More than one person harbored this doubt. But He Lingchuan clearly had no intention of explaining thoroughly. He simply pulled a black cloud-shaped token from his pocket and handed it to the attendant following behind him: "You do it."

The token began to glow in the attendant's hand, radiating a dazzling golden-red light. Other than during the march in Panlong City, this was the first time He Lingchuan had seen such abundant primal energy. Undoubtedly, this was one of the symbols of Fu Shanyue's status as a future monarch.

Immediately afterward, the attendant crouched down, pressed the token into the river water, stirring it vigorously, while simultaneously letting out a low cry:

"Glimmering River Water Spirits, appear quickly!"

Others suddenly realized He Lingchuan's plan. However, his method of summoning water spirits using Fu Shanyue's token was unlike the troublesome rituals Grand Preceptor Sun Fuping or Magistrate Kuzhu of Yancheng had to perform to summon local mountain and marsh spirits. Perhaps because this was a demon country, its mountain and water spirits were more diligent and dared not slack off compared to those in other nations?

After the attendant stood up, the stirred-up water not only failed to calm down but became increasingly turbulent, with waves crashing against the shore, each one more urgent than the last. The normally tranquil Lower River Bend now presented the strange phenomenon of waves rising without wind. The fishing boats resting in the bend were inevitably affected, and the sleeping fishermen were roused, climbing up to investigate.

Soon, a boatman cried out:

"Water spirits! The water spirits are here!"

Fishing lights flared up again, and He Lingchuan saw thirteen or fourteen figures rapidly approaching the shore beneath the illuminated water. The longest was less than two *zhang*, and the shortest was only six *chi*; none of them were particularly large among the water spirits he had encountered. Yet, their speed was like torpedoes. And their bodies were... quite similar.

Before he could think further, he heard a splash, and water exploded from the river surface at the ferry crossing. These figures actually leaped out, spun in mid-air, and then re-entered the water. They even knew how to execute a controlled re-entry.

Of course, everyone also clearly saw the true forms of the water spirits: Round heads, round bodies, bottle-nosed, with sleek, silvery-gray bodies. Weren't these finless porpoises?

The leading finless porpoise was one and a half times larger than its kin, its skin a grayish-green. As it poked its head out of the water, a gentle female voice echoed in everyone's minds: "The Glimmering River Water Clan is ready to serve the Crown Prince!"

"I am the Crown Prince's special envoy." He Lingchuan couldn't resist reaching out to touch its long, slippery nose. "A major fugitive escaped by boat, going downstream from here. Please help me find him."

"Please tell us, Your Excellency, how many fugitives are there, what are their characteristics, and what kind of boat are they on?"

He Lingchuan pointed to the boats in the Lower River Bend: "Two men, one woman, plus a seven-year-old boy. The boat was hired from here. Its lamp is off-white, with the character 'Liu' written on it. The left side of the hull has a large gap, and the canopy roof has been patched with blue and white scraps of cloth." This information came from a scene in Wu Kai's grandson's memory; the child's curious glances at the boat caught He Lingchuan's attention.

He had clearly described the most important features of the boat. The water spirit nodded: "We will attend to it immediately. We have many kin in the river; I don't think it will be difficult to find them."

(End of Chapter)