Chapter 573: Not Moved

## Chapter 569: Unmoved

Hong Chengli’s face twitched. "Shut up!"

Though Wu Qing had given out the Cold Dove Powder at Ajin's request, and he had subsequently reported it to Hong Chengli, as He Lingchuan pointed out, Ajin knew nothing about poisons. Wu Qing could have easily given her a placebo pill, so why did he give her real, potent poison? Who wanted Ajin dead?

"When two armies clash, families should not be harmed. My father acted wrongly; he was too opportunistic," He Lingchuan said, taking a shallow breath. "I don't know what feud or entanglement exists between you and some powerful figure in Beijia, but grudges have their source, and debts have their owner. My father only kidnapped Ajin; he didn't kill her, nor did he ever intend to."

He Chunhua only wanted to use Ajin to force the enemy to retreat. If he had killed Ajin, gaining a powerful enemy for no reason, what benefit would that have brought? Morality aside, if He Chunhua's actions could have successfully forced Hong Chengli to retreat, many soldiers would have been spared in the Battle of Hanhe. Wasn't that the optimal solution he reached after weighing the pros and cons? Yet, someone didn't want to see that outcome.

"The fact that you haven't drawn your blade against me now means you know deep down that I am not the murderer who forced Ajin to her death," He Lingchuan continued. "It's just that the true culprit is too powerful, and even you are powerless to resist, so you can only direct all your resentment towards my father. In that respect, you're no different from the numb and weak commoners in Bailu Town."

You dare not resent the powerful, only bully the weak.

Hong Chengli's hand gripped his saber hilt, and a glint of cold light escaped. The other party's sarcasm fueled his rage even further.

However, He Lingchuan met Hong Chengli's gaze, completely fearless. "You can reveal my true name and identity as much as you wish. Every year, countless outsiders flee into Beijia—some are heinous criminals, others are citizens from enemy nations—but Beijia has never cared. They all live perfectly well here." He even smiled. "What makes you think Beijia would treat me any differently?"

He Lingchuan's confidence was not unfounded. People always yearn for powerful entities. Since Beijia is called the Nation Blessed by Gods, there's no telling how many humans and demons want to flock there. To He Lingchuan's knowledge, Beijia does not reject talented individuals, nor does it inquire much about their origins—even if they come from enemy nations. This was the self-assurance that came with power.

He Lingchuan had long known that Beijia was completely indifferent to the conflicts happening within the Yuan Kingdom. Even when Grand Master Frost Leaf allocated a portion of vital energy to support Nian Zanli, it met with domestic opposition. This meant Beijia didn't even consider the Yuan Kingdom an opponent. So, what was so surprising about He Lingchuan, merely the son of the Xia Province Governor of the Yuan Kingdom, entering Lingxu City?

Here, there were plenty of people with more extensive criminal records and more complex backgrounds than him, yet who lived more comfortably. What was so special about He Lingchuan that Beijia would even cast a glance his way?

"Look around you, who cares about the Yuan Kingdom in the west? Who cares about what you experienced in the Yuan Kingdom? And who would care that your enemies from the Yuan Kingdom are also here?"

Around them, guests laughed and chatted, a scene of peace and prosperity. This was Lingxu City, and its people, blessed by the gods, had the right to be indifferent to anyone.

Hong Chengli remained silent, staring intently at him. He Lingchuan met his gaze calmly, completely unfazed. "As the Chiyan special envoy, I've come to Lingxu City to assist in the investigation of the Elixir of Immortality case. If you attack me now, you'll only stir up unnecessary trouble."

Hong Chengli's eyes shifted slightly. This young man seemed different from a few months ago. "Oh? What trouble?" he scoffed with a sarcastic smile. "You certainly think highly of yourself."

"General Hong," He Lingchuan said earnestly, "though you've been reinstated to your former position, here in Lingxu City, you're merely a general at leisure. If you get involved in any messy affairs, you might find yourself excluded from the list of candidates sent to fight on the eastern front."

Just then, a young servant hurried over and addressed the two: "Gentlemen, the auction is about to begin. His Royal Highness, the Chiyan Crown Prince, requests your presence!" Fu Shanyue had noticed the situation unfolding here.

The murderous intent in Hong Chengli's eyes receded. He said coldly, "Our business isn't finished yet."

He Lingchuan smiled and raised a hand. "Please." Hong Chengli also reached for a cup of wine from the tray held by the small treant, then turned without looking back and walked ahead toward the venue.

He Lingchuan slowly strolled back, his expression calm, but his back was already drenched in sweat. Wasn't he afraid that Hong Chengli would expose his past? He was scared to death!

Bai Ziqi had been investigating his background, even possibly sending people far into Fu Nation to gather information. Once he heard He Lingchuan was from the Yuan Kingdom and hailed from the Panlong Desert, it would likely be easy for him to connect He Lingchuan with the Grand Cauldron. Given Lingxu City's emphasis on the Grand Cauldron, he certainly wouldn't have a pleasant outcome.

Fortunately, Hong Chengli didn't know any of this. He was unaware that He Lingchuan's life was essentially in his own hands.

He Lingchuan secretly let out a breath. Lingxu City truly was a place fraught with peril. How many enemies did he have in total? They were all here; perhaps they could even fill two mahjong tables. Damn it all.

Only then did he have the leisure to observe the small treant—it was indeed fake. It was actually a common puppet, theoretically no different from his Golden Armored Golem or Wu Shaoyi's Flying Pigeon, but this device required a controller. He Lingchuan walked behind it and was startled to discover that it was an unknown creature, wearing a small treant's skin, moving through the hall serving tea and wine, performing the duties of a servant.

Although it was a bit sluggish, it had indeed disrupted the expected clash between the two, which was a great help to He Lingchuan. So, he took out a silver ingot from his pocket and placed it on the small treant's tray: "Thank you."

The small treant immediately thanked him for the reward: "Generous customer!" But a shorter figure squeezed in beside it, unceremoniously snatching the silver from its tray, while scolding: "What's this 'generous customer' nonsense? Do you think you're still waiting tables in a restaurant? You should say 'Thank you for your patronage!'"

He Lingchuan looked down and saw a gibbon beside him, with white fur on its forehead. Oh, hadn't this fellow been the tour leader and guide for the Lingxu City outskirts day trip he took a few days ago? He thought his name was Old Ge. Why was he at Dunyuan now?

He Lingchuan frowned. "That was a tip for it."

Old Ge, the gibbon, grinned. "They all work for me, and the money they earn is for me to distribute! Don't worry, guest, it'll get its share!" The small treant landed on its shoulder, indeed looking completely unresentful.

"You don't just lead tours?"

"I do any work that makes money," Old Ge chuckled. "For the Dunyuan auction, Steward Fang said they needed a few more eye-catching gimmicks, so I brought my people."

"People?" The small treant lifted its cover, revealing its true appearance. It turned out to be a group of mantis-like monsters that could fly, but their dark, unappealing appearance was much improved after being fitted with the puppet shells.

He Lingchuan's heart stirred. "You really know your way around the Lower City." The Dunyuan auction might seem casual, but in reality, no one could enter without an invitation, only the influential, and not just anyone could attend. That ape demon hadn't been bragging during the tour; he indeed knew people from all walks of life, making him somewhat of a local insider.

Old Ge patted his chest. "Not just the Lower City? I'm well-connected in the Upper City too."

"Good," He Lingchuan said, exchanging contact information with him. "I'll look for you if I need anything." "Absolutely, absolutely."

He Lingchuan slowly walked back and sat beside Fu Shanyue. On the stage, another auction item had just been sold with a final hammer strike.

"Next up, lot number one thousand one hundred eleven, an unknown rare item, starting bid three taels of silver." He Lingchuan was surprised. "Why is it still this one?"

Before he was pulled aside by Hong Chengli for a private conversation, the auction was already bidding on this ox horn. How was it that after he finished talking with Hong Chengli, chatted with Old Ge the gibbon, and then walked back, this item still hadn't sold? The auctioneer on stage was indeed displaying that peculiar item resembling an ox horn, identical even in color. Such a small item wouldn't fetch much, and its auction time should have been very short. For a prominent auctioneer like the one on stage, giving it twenty breaths of time would be considered a privilege.

Fu Shanyue rolled his eyes, also a bit impatient. He was waiting to see the bidding for the boundless gold, but this small, broken item was wasting time. "Just now, as they were about to auction this, the auctioneer found an error in the description provided by the organizers, so they proceeded with other items first."

He Lingchuan raised an eyebrow, firmly restraining his hand, ignoring the constantly heating divine bone necklace. Too many strange things had happened around these unknown rare items: first, the display cabinet was being watched, then the ox horn was suddenly moved from Tianyu Tower to Hanxiang Hall for auction, and the first time it was put up, they claimed to have the wrong information... It was almost as if it was specifically waiting for him!

As soon as this thought occurred, He Lingchuan felt a chill down his spine. When he first arrived in Lingxu City, the Stargazing Tower had tried to apprehend him, and now he was filled with vigilance towards everything around him. Whatever the divine bone necklace wanted, it wasn't worth him risking it now.

So he completely ignored the ox horn's auction, simply ordered a cup of wine, and whispered with Fu Shanyue below the stage.

The unknown rare item wasn't actually that easy to sell. The auctioneer called out twice, but no one responded. Seeing that the item was about to go unsold, he was about to strike the gavel and announce 'Next item,' when someone below raised a paddle: "Me."

He Lingchuan caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye and saw, coincidentally, it was the complaining guest from earlier by the display cabinet. His square-faced, big-eared companion was still sitting beside him. "Hey, do you really want that thing?" "Yeah, why not? It's not expensive."

After he made his bid, the auctioneer restarted the countdown. Fortunately, no one else contended for the item, and the final hammer fell, selling it for three taels of silver! The complaining guest happily paid for and received the item.

The Soul-Capturing Mirror in He Lingchuan's pocket couldn't help but say, "You seemed to want this?" He grunted in response. "Why didn't you bid?"

He Lingchuan didn't answer; he was right next to Fu Shanyue, whose hearing was astonishing. How could he casually converse with the mirror? "Then let's knock out that chatterbox later and grab the item, shall we?"

He Lingchuan shook his head slightly. Never mind. Lingxu City was so vast, and there were so many treasures. The divine bone necklace didn't necessarily have to consume this ox horn, right? He could just find something more palatable for it next time, and that would be that.

By then, the guests below were already urging: "Alright, alright, next item, next item!"

(End of Chapter)