Chapter 529: Attack the Heart is Best

However, it was blocked by a protective amulet prepared by Wu Kai.

"He truly cares deeply for you," He Lingchuan said with a smile. "I wonder if he acted personally or hired a few incompetent spellcasters?"

Wu Kai remained indifferent to his sarcasm.

"However, don't assume you're safe," He Lingchuan continued. "Cen Boqing still has a powerful spellcaster, Cheng Yu, and it wouldn't be difficult for him to kill you remotely."

Wu Kai suddenly asked, "How do you know Cheng Yu hasn't made a move?"

He Lingchuan thought to himself that Cheng Yu's soul was hiding, and the nightmare couldn't find him anywhere. This suggested he was in an abnormal state; it would be a miracle if he could cast spells. But he showed a look as if he were talking to an idiot: "Nonsense! If Cheng Yu had made a move, would you still be alive? Count yourself lucky."

He dangled a satchel by Wu Kai's ear, shaking it to make a sound. "These are all the amulets, defensive artifacts, and anti-evil spells found on you... good and bad, a dazzling array. How many wrongdoings must a person commit to need so many talismans and protective formations?"

He used a knife to open Wu Kai's collar, revealing a large tattoo over his heart. This had been discovered earlier when the guards searched him.

"You even have an array for warding off evil spirits tattooed on your body," He Lingchuan said with a laugh. "What are you afraid of?"

"But since you're wearing rune shackles, you can't use your true power, and thus can't activate the array tattoo." He took two steps around Wu Kai. "In other words, it would be effortless for Cen Boqing to kill you right now."

"How long you live depends on when he casts another spell to take your life. You don't want to betray him, but his trust in you has long since vanished. After all, you abandoned your master and fled, leaving him in a lurch." He Lingchuan leaned close to Wu Kai's ear, enunciating each word: "He already knows."

As the last words were spoken, a muscle twitched in Wu Kai's eye. This expression was subtle but did not escape He Lingchuan's notice. "If you confess and identify him sooner, we might still be able to save your life."

Wu Kai remained as quiet as a statue.

He Lingchuan stood there for a moment before slowly leaving the cellar.

"Were those few words useful?" Fu Shanyue had been standing at the cellar entrance, listening to everything. Earlier, he had pleaded earnestly, but Wu Kai had turned a deaf ear.

"What's the use? Empty words, Wu Kai doesn't fall for that."

"Just a reminder. This man's character is stronger than Cen Boqing's; he won't shed a tear until he sees the coffin."

In the cellar.

Wu Kai was resigned to his fate. When the officers brought him food, he ate; when they brought him water, he drank. Other than that, he remained silent.

Neither Fu Shanyue nor He Lingchuan appeared. When an officer fed him, he said, "Another team under your command was captured in Xiaohulu Town, Baiti County. Five people, including Yang Song, were taken prisoner, and the remaining two who resisted were killed."

Wu Kai paused slightly in his chewing. *Yang Song was caught?*

"This news will soon reach Cen Manor," the officer continued, following He Lingchuan's instructions. "Based on your understanding of Cen Boqing, what do you think he'll conclude?"

Wu Kai remained expressionless, his gaze fixed on the opposite cellar wall.

Cen Boqing was drenched in sweat after hearing the guard's report. He hadn't fled Cen Manor, hoping Wu Kai could escape successfully. Although the old servant had acted disloyally by abandoning his master, it had at least resolved the immediate trouble for both master and servant.

But despite Wu Kai's caution and meticulousness, he still hadn't escaped Fu Shanyue's grasp. This was too strange. The Prince of Chiyan he had known before didn't seem that shrewd.

Not only that, Fu Shanyue had even ordered Commander Lu to cross the border and arrest Yang Song, then publicly dragged him to the county yamen for a public trial by Magistrate Tian!

Hearing that his old superior Wu Kai had been arrested, Yang couldn't hold out and quickly confessed. Where the crimes were committed, how they were committed, how many demons were killed, how many pearls were taken, how they were submitted to Wu Kai... the entire process was confessed! All under the watchful eyes of the city's residents.

It was said that the demons in the city were so enraged they nearly rioted. If not for the authorities sending additional personnel to restrain them, Yang Song would probably have been torn to shreds on the spot. Even worse, some demons began to turn their wrath toward Cen Manor. If it weren't true, how could Yang Song have described it in such detail?

The guards inside the manor had already intercepted several groups of demons, all attempting to sneak in to kill and set fires. These creatures were inherently wild and fierce; given any pretext, they disregarded the law, caring little that he was a nobleman from Lingxu City and not yet convicted. Some demons even threw filth into Cen Manor. But how could Fu Shanyue have caught Yang Song?

Wu Kai was the sole contact for all six teams. If he didn't speak, who could have found Yang Song?

Yang Song was arrested today, but what about tomorrow? Thinking of this, Cen Boqing's heart pounded with fear. Had Wu Kai truly implicated him, his master? If everything had been confessed, Fu Shanyue should now be triumphantly storming Cen Manor to arrest people. So, he was temporarily safe? Then who betrayed Yang Song? Most importantly, how much longer could Wu Kai hold out?

Normally, Cen Boqing always consulted with Uncle Wu, but now Wu Kai was gone, and most of his trusted confidants had been left behind in Lingxu City. He felt extremely agitated. He had thought his trip to Baisha Jue would be routine, never imagining he would be relentlessly pursued by Fu Shanyue, truly caught off guard.

At the Fan brothers' lodging.

Fan Sheng was usually arrogant, but facing the newcomer, he respectfully lowered his gaze, not daring to act presumptuously. The giant bear, Fan Bao, lay quietly on the couch, not making a sound, as docile as a large dog.

The person sitting opposite him, sipping tea, was of medium height and build, appearing to be over thirty. He had wide-set, sloping eyes and a protruding jaw, typical of an underbite. Fan Sheng, with his head bowed, meticulously reported his and his brother's activities in Baisha Jue. His vitality was strong; the wounds on his back had already scabbed over. The expressions of the two men were like those of a parent and a misbehaving child. The man listened very carefully, occasionally interrupting him.

"You came to Baisha Jue just to repay Zhongsun Mou's favor?" he asked Fan Sheng expressionlessly. "Your elder brother owes the Zhongsun family a favor? You weren't involved in any of Zhongsun Mou's other affairs?"

"Absolutely true, Commander Bai, please believe me!" Fan Sheng nodded, pointing a finger to the sky. "This subordinate can swear an oath to the Lingxu Sage!"

The person before him was none other than Bai Ziqi, the special envoy dispatched from Lingxu City.

"What exactly did Zhongsun Mou ask you to do?"

"To protect the spellcaster, Cheng Yu, whom he invited," Fan Sheng replied. "He said this spellcaster could perform a ritual to find Fu Songhua's whereabouts. But after midnight, Cheng Yu vomited blood, claiming his spell was broken and that the enemy might be pursuing him, and then he slipped away."

"I stayed behind and fought against He Xiao, the special envoy of the Chiyan Prince."

"He Xiao broke Cheng Yu's spell? And he broke it completely, otherwise Cheng Yu wouldn't have suffered a backlash and vomited blood." Commander Bai rotated his teacup. "How was it broken?"

Fan Sheng shook his head: "I don't know." "Do you know who Cheng Yu is?"

Fan Sheng honestly replied, "I've heard of him, but I'm not very clear on the details."

"His secret techniques can even curse the King of Mang to death. This He Xiao could counter him even when ambushed; he's at a very high level," Commander Bai mused. "Only seventeen, hmm, too young."

"You still wanted to bet against such a person in the Lotus Palace?" Fan Sheng looked embarrassed when the battle was mentioned. "He and that tiger teamed up, but they couldn't defeat me. I thought I'd definitely beat him once inside the Lotus Palace."

"But you didn't," Commander Bai said. He knew that Fan Sheng wasn't truly someone who lacked discretion or understanding of his opponents' strengths and weaknesses; otherwise, even with his brother's protection, he wouldn't have lasted long in the Tongxin Guards. He said sternly, "You initiated a sneak attack, but he defeated you. I want you to carefully recall the battle in the Lotus Palace: was his preparation more thorough than yours?"

Fan Sheng had been repeatedly analyzing that battle, so he nodded without needing to review it again: "Yes!"

"Now that I think about it, his tactics in the Lotus Palace surpassed those of the inn skirmish a few days ago," Fan Sheng said after a moment's hesitation. "It might also be because I didn't try to kill him in the inn, and he didn't show his full capabilities either."

"But he likely anticipated your attack," Commander Bai's gaze shifted. "Before that, was the bet between him and Zhongsun Mou initiated by him?"

"Yes!" Fan Sheng replied without hesitation. "He was the one who proposed it to Zhongsun Mou."

"Describe the process in detail."

After hearing Fan Sheng's account, Bai Ziqi pondered, "They changed the stakes once..."

Fan Sheng whispered, "Commander Bai, are you suspecting this person secretly harmed Zhongsun Mou?"

Bai Ziqi looked up and asked him, "What about you?"

"I suspected it too, after all, he had a grudge against Zhongsun Mou, and at that time, Zhongsun Mou was close to finding Fu Songhua. As a result, when Zhongsun Mou died, Fu Songhua was openly kept in Baisha Jue. But—"

"But when Zhongsun Mou was killed, he and you were both in the Lotus Palace. You are a witness."

"Yes, that's right." Fan Sheng felt a little dejected.

"Unless he could foresee when Mai Xuewen would ambush Zhongsun Mou," Bai Ziqi said slowly. "I saw in Prince Yue's case report that Mai Xuewen had given both He Xiao and Zhongsun Mou a copy of the former Emperor's personal notes, 'Records of Reverence to the Gods.'"

Fan Sheng's eyes lit up: "Could they have connected with Mai Xuewen at that time?"

"Based on the existing evidence, Mai Xuewen went to great lengths to set up a network, guiding He Xiao and Zhongsun Mou to deal with their superiors, even at the cost of exposing himself. It's just that He Xiao followed his clues, while Zhongsun Mou didn't fall for his scheme," Bai Ziqi analyzed. "So, it's not impossible that Mai Xuewen continued to provide He Xiao with more clues later on, and then turned to deal with Zhongsun Mou."

"Because, as long as Zhongsun Mou sent Fu Songhua back to Lingxu City, the final resolution of the case might not be what Mai Xuewen wanted." He shook his head. "Mai Xuewen had planned for so long, he would never want his efforts to be in vain."

"So, could He and even the Chiyan Prince be involved?"

Bai Ziqi asked him, "You just said that Fu Shanyue arrived on the same day Zhongsun Mou was killed?"

"Precisely, within a few hours," Fan Sheng said gravely. "As soon as Cen Boqing returned to his manor from Chaohu Tower, he began packing, intending to leave, but Fu Shanyue personally led men to block his exit."

"He arrived so promptly," Bai Ziqi smiled. "After several years, Prince Yue has made progress."

Fan Sheng's eyes flickered: "Commander Bai, just tell me what to do, and I'll do it!"