Chapter 567: Extreme Pretending

Did this guy back down? Fu Shanyue glanced at He Lingchuan, then burst out laughing, "Better to obey than to be polite." The three men strolled into Qianjin Teahouse. The establishment had a modest facade but exquisite interior details; even the tea served to guests was a premium lotus-scented blend.

Since the inn housed many envoys, there were always some high-class restaurants nearby, convenient for their lunch and dinner gatherings.

This restaurant specialized in "Qinghong" wine, a type of rice wine. Its color was a rich, bright red like amber, and its taste was mellow and smooth, making it perfect for a leisurely drink with friends.

Each dish was small and exquisitely prepared. Bai Ziqi picked up a crispy "pangqi" (a small crab) and put it in his mouth, chewing with a crunch. "This place specializes in red lees dishes," he said. "Try it, it has a unique flavor." The lees from brewing Qinghong wine could, of course, be used in cooking. These small freshwater crabs, called "pangqi," were hard and had little meat, but after being deep-fried and then cooked with red lees, they became an excellent snack to accompany drinks. Each bite was crispy, and crunching through twenty or thirty was easy.

Other dishes included red lees conch slices and red lees eel, each with distinct flavors that needn't be detailed. Fu Shanyue directly asked, "What's the latest on the Elixir of Immortality case?" He knew that although Bai Ziqi had only recently arrived in Lingxu City, the details of his investigation in Baishajue must have already been sent back here via carrier birds. Such a large bureaucratic system wouldn't rely solely on Bai Ziqi for an investigation.

"We're currently digging deeper following the clues from that actor. You might not know this, but during our return journey, two more fires broke out in the Xidui District of Lingxu City, and a witness we uncovered died suddenly before even being imprisoned," Bai Ziqi said slowly.

"The mastermind is clearly following this case very closely," He Lingchuan commented. "This means the mastermind is indeed hidden in Lingxu City. Otherwise, their reactions wouldn't be so swift, cutting off all leads in time."

Fu Shanyue sensed something amiss: "Can the investigation still proceed?"

"Yes," Bai Ziqi took a sip of his wine.

"And we have another lead that our opponent simply cannot erase. Do you remember me saying that the giant shell carried by the snail toad might be an ancient demonic immortal's artifact?" Fu Shanyue's memory was excellent: "Mud Palace? Or was it called Snail's Dwelling?"

"That's right. And the portrait He Xiao found in Mai Xuewen's study," Bai Ziqi continued. "Both these items are connected to Qing Palace."

He Lingchuan spoke neutrally and objectively: "Considering Mai Xuewen's past methods, this might be his deliberate attempt to point us toward Qing Palace." Back then, to guide him and Zhongsun Mou to investigate Cen Boqing, Mai Xuewen frequently wore clothes from Baishajue and cooked Baishajue specialties in his home in Shuanglu Town. Not only was this person profoundly cunning, but he could also maintain such an act for years, demonstrating terrifying patience.

"Whether deliberate or not, it indicates his connection to Qing Palace, making it a valuable lead worth investigating," Bai Ziqi said with a smile. "Besides, what does it matter if we're guided by him, as long as we can uncover the mastermind?"

Fu Shanyue took a bite of eel. "I recall that about a decade ago, a batch of treasures was stolen from Qing Palace. It was a huge scandal in Lingxu City at the time, with rumors of theft by insiders, but in the end, only a few items were recovered, and the case was dropped."

"Indeed. I plan to review the old case files," Bai Ziqi sighed lightly. "It won't be easy; Qing Palace handled its own investigation of that case back then."

"The 'Mud Palace' artifact is highly recognizable. An old resident of Lingxu City like you, Commander Bai, would know it instantly. Mai Xuewen might deliberately be using it to link to that old case from over a decade ago. Could he hold a grudge against Qing Palace?"

Bai Ziqi nodded. "Several people died in that old case, all of them Qing Palace disciples. I've already begun investigating their lives and backgrounds." He turned to He Lingchuan, changing the subject. "My main reason for seeking He Xiao today is still to resolve a lingering question in the case. I had intended for Cheng Yu to assist with another case, but he died suddenly after his arrest. Therefore, I must seriously ask you: how exactly did you escape Cheng Yu's ambush and even manage to turn the tables on him?"

When he'd asked this question in Baishajue, He Lingchuan had always evaded it. But this was Lingxu City, the territory of the Heavenly Palace and the Metropolitan Envoy! Even with Fu Shanyue present, if He Lingchuan refused to answer, Bai Ziqi could accuse him of "non-cooperation with the investigation"!

He Lingchuan exhaled and gave a wry smile. He knew he couldn't avoid it. "Commander Bai, do you really want to get to the bottom of this?" Bai Ziqi said earnestly, "I want an answer." Although there was no direct evidence, he felt an inexplicable unease about the matter. After years of handling cases, he had learned to trust his intuition, which was sometimes more useful than evidence.

"Cheng Yu, at Cen Boqing's behest, dispatched a Yin God to take my life."

"Yin God?" Bai Ziqi asked him, "You mean, a Shikigami?" It wasn't uncommon for sorcerers to summon ghosts to kill people. However, a Yin Ghost, having been a powerful individual, a renowned general, or even a mighty demon in life, possessed a resilient soul and mastery of supernatural abilities, meaning it wouldn't necessarily dissipate immediately after death. If a sorcerer managed to capture and refine such a spirit using secret methods, there was a small chance of creating a powerful Yin God. But such Yin Gods, being powerful in life, were often arrogant after death and possessed strong independent wills. They might not obey a sorcerer and might even require careful veneration to perform tasks. Fundamentally, of course, they were still spirits. He Lingchuan had previously mentioned that Cheng Yu worshipped a gilded statue in that inn. These two accounts now matched.

"Yes," He Lingchuan said, pointing to his eyes. "But he didn't know I possess innate Yin-Yang Eyes, which allow me to see ghosts and malevolent spirits. With such a massive Yin God lunging at me, how could I possibly ignore it?" He did indeed have Yin-Yang Eyes, but they weren't bestowed by nature; they were a benefit granted to the wearer by the divine bone necklace.

Bai Ziqi listened intently: "What kind of Yin God was it?" "It had dozens of faces all over its body—men, women, old, young. Whenever it screamed at me, my head would spin," He Lingchuan said, stroking his chin. "Oh, and it could also create several clones."

"Dozens of faces? Did it consume other ghosts?"

"Perhaps."

"And how did you repel it?" He Lingchuan hesitated for a moment. Fu Shanyue, displeased, said from the side, "What are you afraid of with me here?" He didn't say "with Commander Bai here." Bai Ziqi glanced at him and smiled, "Don't worry, I just want to understand the truth; I have no other intentions." He Lingchuan looked at Bai Ziqi, then at Fu Shanyue, and finally took an item from his storage ring, placing it on the table. "With this," he said. It landed with a dull thud, clearly weighing a lot.

The two men peered closely, discovering it was a purple-gold vajra pestle. At its tip was carved a monstrous beast with bulging eyes and a large mouth, trampling four hanging rings. Its entire body pulsed with a radiant glow. Seeing this precious pestle, Fu Shanyue nearly lost his composure. *Good heavens, this young man carries such a treasure?* He couldn't resist patting the beast carved onto the pestle's tip. The object suddenly let out a furious roar, a sound like a tiger and an ox combined, making their eardrums ache. Not only were Fu Shanyue and Bai Ziqi startled, but even other guests outside the private room exchanged bewildered glances, wondering which monster had erupted. Fortunately, Fu Shanyue's composure was exceptional, preventing him from retracting his hand immediately. Bai Ziqi didn't need to hide his surprise, his face alight with astonishment. "A divine artifact? No, it's a quasi-divine artifact!"

What He Lingchuan had produced was none other than Sun Fuping's purple-gold vajra pestle. Grand Preceptor Sun had fallen in the Panlong Desert, unable to defeat the valiant spirits of Panlong City, and this treasure had become He Lingchuan's spoils of war. He had then traded it to Songyang Prefecture for materials to mend his sword. This was a quasi-divine artifact, and He Lingchuan had also discerned some connection between Li Qingge and Sun Fuping, so Songyang Prefecture likely wouldn't sell the purple-gold pestle easily. He had tentatively tried to borrow it, and surprisingly, he had succeeded. Why hadn't he tried to deflect with the Soul-Capturing Mirror instead? Because the mirror spirit itself had revealed that it was originally a well-known treasure belonging to a dignitary of the Beijia Kingdom, later stolen. If Bai Ziqi had heard of it, He Lingchuan would then be labeled a treasure thief, a label much harder to shake off.

"Exactly," He Lingchuan said, pointing to the beast head on the pestle. "This is Ya Zi, an entity that detests evil and malevolent spirits, driving them away upon sight. Other sword hilts and blade rings often featured Ya Zi carvings as well, simply for their auspicious meaning. But this precious staff is different. It truly incorporates a wisp of the ancient great demon Ya Zi's divine soul and has been refined into a spirit artifact." When he was in Heishui City, he hadn't known much; when Sun Fuping used this pestle to summon wind and rain, He Lingchuan only thought it was incredibly powerful. Later, as his experience grew and his understanding of artifacts and demonic beasts deepened, he truly grasped how formidable this pestle was. No wonder his initial attempt to have it appraised at Songyang Prefecture had alerted Li Qingge.

Sun Fuping had brought this precious pestle to seek the Grand Cauldron because the Panlong Desert was filled with vengeful spirits, and the pestle was their natural bane. Otherwise, how could He Chunhua's mere hundred-plus soldiers have formed a formation against the Great Wind Army's valiant spirits in the Panlong ruins? The purple-gold pestle had played a significant role. Such a formidable treasure was beyond the scope of ordinary artifacts and could not be simply valued in gold and silver. He Lingchuan had originally traded it for Yu Jin to repair his broken sword, a hundred thousand taels of silver, and three months of free sword forging by a master craftsman, thinking he had made a huge profit. In reality, Li Qingge, working behind the scenes, probably saw him as a naive fool. No wonder she always smiled so broadly every time she saw him afterward. Who wouldn't be happy laughing at a fool?

"This pestle is supremely rigid and positive, having once belonged to a national grand preceptor and been thoroughly imbued with elemental energy, making it the bane of ghosts and malevolent spirits," He Lingchuan explained with a sigh. "That Yin God didn't know I could see it. It swaggered up, thinking it could harm me with ease, but instead, I ambushed and wounded it. That battle was truly arduous, but in the end, it retreated dejectedly."

Fu Shanyue stared at him, and He Lingchuan interpreted his gaze as: *You never took this out before; were you afraid I'd try to get my hands on it?*

Bai Ziqi made a gesture to reach out. "May I?" He Lingchuan replied, "Please, feel free." Bai Ziqi gently stroked the beast's head. Ya Zi seemed to enjoy it, not making a sound, and the runes on the pestle itself seemed to shimmer, as if ready to float into the air. *Didn't this thing despise being touched by strangers?* He Lingchuan shot it a contemptuous look. *So, this precious pestle welcomes anyone who opposes me?* The artifact had always looked down on him, and it still did. With a single touch, Bai Ziqi knew it was a genuine quasi-divine artifact and was moved. "What a treasure! These runes on the pestle are powerful demon-subduing spells! It's truly an ancient artifact," he marvelled, his expertise momentarily struggling to fully comprehend it. "I never expected you would use such a formidable treasure to repel a Yin God."