Chapter 594: Again Meeting an Old Friend

"Old Shan, are you very familiar with Lingxu City?"

"Yes, very. I've been in Lingxu City for over twenty years. In my early days, I managed two or three households for high-ranking officials," Old Shan said, pointing a finger upwards. "Later, I engaged in commerce and worked as an assistant and an errand runner. Although Lingxu City is vast, I know it inside out."

"Hmm..." He Lingchuan had too many urgent matters to attend to at the moment and no time for stories of the past. Old Shan, perceptive as he was, wasn't long-winded. "Then let me ask you, among the retired officials in Lingxu City, is there anyone with the double surname Zaifu?"

"Zaifu?" Old Shan blinked twice. "Yes, you must be referring to Lord Zaifu Kua, who served as Junior Supervisor of the Imperial Manufactory. When I was managing my first master's household, he lived half a street away, practically diagonally across from us."

"The Imperial Manufactory?"

Knowing He Lingchuan was unfamiliar with Lingxu's official system, Old Shan explained, "The Imperial Manufactory oversees the construction of palaces, the crafting of various imperial artifacts, and the production of silk and embroidery for the court. Lord Zaifu specialized in supervising the construction of palaces and temples. He was involved in the extensive building projects on Floating Island and Mount Xu back then."

No wonder Xiang Yan knew him; they were indeed old colleagues who had worked together.

He Lingchuan nodded. "Is Lord Zaifu doing well now?"

"He's been retired for less than two years, but he's healthy, energetic, and frequently active," Old Shan quickly replied. "The Zaifu residence still sees a constant stream of visitors."

"Why do so many people still seek out a retired old official? It's usually 'out of sight, out of mind.'"

"Lord Zaifu served as an official for decades, and twelve or thirteen years of that were in the Imperial Manufactory. Consider the influence of that position: with so many treasure merchants, river transport merchants, and construction material suppliers in Beiga, who gets chosen and who doesn't, besides the Emperor's direct appointments? It was all decided by the Imperial Manufactory. Lord Zaifu mastered this art, cultivated extensive connections, and even after retirement, he still has old acquaintances throughout the Royal Court and can speak with many high-ranking officials."

He Lingchuan chuckled. "A seasoned bureaucrat, then."

Old Shan also chuckled. "You could say that."

"Lord Zaifu is living very comfortably. That's good."

Old Shan continued, "Next month is his sixty-fifth birthday. Your Lordship has already received an invitation from his family."

"Next month?" He Lingchuan raised an eyebrow. "Can you get his birth date and time?"

Old Shan thought for a moment, then nodded. "I heard Lord Zaifu consulted a diviner years ago who said he would face a great calamity at sixty-four. With his sixty-fifth birthday approaching, he's holding a banquet to celebrate successfully getting through that year."

He paused, then added, "On Floating Island, various families often host banquets, finding any excuse to celebrate. If you timed it right and visited every household, you could attend feasts for a month and a half without repeating a meal."

"A few meals, even lavish ones, are mere pocket change to them."

Old Shan shook his head. "Actually, it's the constant entertaining and maintaining connections that's most expensive. The expenses flow like water; without mountains of gold and silver, it's impossible to sustain. Many officials can't bear these costs after retirement and are forced to leave Floating Island to reside in the Lower City."

That means falling from the clouds to the mundane world.

"For ordinary people, the Lower City is also expensive, but it's incomparable to Floating Island."

He Lingchuan recalled General Golden Horn's Dun Garden. He wondered what price such a vast, luxurious estate, occupying an entire hill, would fetch on Floating Island.

Oh, right, you couldn't get in just by having money; he almost forgot.

"Getting off topic. Is Zaifu Kua in the Upper City or the Lower City?"

"Upper City, Tianxiang Island," Old Shan added. "Retired officials who don't move to the Lower City often gather on Tianxiang Island."

"Will he come to the Lower City?"

"Occasionally," Old Shan thought for a moment. "He's someone who enjoys a grand display."

He Lingchuan nodded. "Then please help me find out if he's coming to the Lower City anytime soon."

"Yes."

Just then, a servant brought breakfast to the outer courtyard.

The gatekeeper attendant reached out to take it, but the servant pulled back and loudly declared, "Young Master instructed me to bring it inside."

After Panshan Estate came under He Lingchuan's ownership, the servants here all called him "Young Master."

The attendant's eyes widened. "I've been here since morning. When did the Young Master give you that order?"

"Last night," the voice grew even louder.

He Lingchuan heard the quarrel outside and yawned. "Both of you, come in. Stop arguing!"

Both the attendant and the servant entered, the latter still holding the breakfast.

Before He Lingchuan could ask, the servant placed the tray on the table. "Eat while it's hot."

It sounded more like a command than an attempt to curry favor.

Not only was the attendant dumbfounded, and Old Shan glanced sideways, but He Lingchuan also looked at the servant more closely.

Under the combined gaze of three people and six eyes, the servant added, "It's been half a month since we last met. After you eat, let's have a good chat."

He Lingchuan's gaze at him slowly became serious. "Who are you?"

"I warned you, if you value your life, don't come to Lingxu City," the servant sighed. "You didn't listen to me."

His expression was stiff, his movements somewhat wooden, like a marionette. Even his words seemed involuntary.

Hearing this, He Lingchuan told the other two, "You two, withdraw."

Old Shan whispered, "Young Master, are you...?"

"I'm perfectly safe," He Lingchuan waved his hand. "Go on."

The two quickly left the small courtyard, remembering to close the door behind them.

He Lingchuan looked at the tray on the table.

The breakfast was lavish: a steamer basket of hot glutinous rice siu mai, two fragrant pan-fried potato and radish cakes, a large bowl of scallion oil noodles tossed with three shredded ingredients, and the smoked pork hock and tripe He Lingchuan had specifically requested last night. The hock's skin was glistening red and oily, each slice cut exquisitely thin, and dipped in the special sauce—it was absolutely delicious whether eaten alone or inside a potato cake.

Oh, and a large bowl of sweet rice wine.

However, knowing who the person in front of him was, how could he dare to eat a bite?

Damn it, what a waste of food!

"You're quite daring, wandering around Lingxu City," he sighed and sat down. "Mai Xuewen... oh, should I call you Xi Yunhe?"

The servant remained expressionless, his tone betraying no fluctuation. "The Qingyang Imperial Advisor told you, didn't he?"

This was an admission. He Lingchuan crossed his legs. "Are you here to cause me trouble?"

Xi Yunhe had demonstrated this trick back in Baishaque, controlling the mind of an inn attendant to serve as his puppet, or rather, his mouthpiece.

But He Lingchuan knew such spells had minor drawbacks, for instance, Xi Yunhe himself couldn't be too far from the puppet.

Panshan Estate wasn't a true mansion, but it was much larger than the inn where he had stayed in Baishaque. This meant Xi Yunhe was likely operating just outside the walls of Panshan Estate.

Of course, the fact that this guy dared to appear before him also indicated his fearlessness.

"Why do you say that?"

"The entire Lingxu City is looking for you, and Commander Bai Ziqi wants to arrest you personally. At a time like this, you still show up, and you come right to me?" He Lingchuan's face lengthened. "Are you trying to drag me into this?"

"I didn't actually enter your residence, nor was I seen by your servants, so what's there to fear?" Xi Yunhe's voice was somewhat light. "Besides, Bai Ziqi's master is anxious to crack the Immortality Elixir case, so his main focus isn't me, but rather the mastermind behind the deaths of Wu Kai and the destruction of Qingfu Temple."

"My actions actually helped him. He can't be unaware of that."

He Lingchuan said blandly, "Helped him? Does the Emperor truly not know that someone is privately selling immortality elixirs within Lingxu City?"

Zhongsun Mou had gone to Qingfu Temple to buy the elixir of immortality on Shi Kai's recommendation.

The fact that he dared to buy it, and Old Man Zhongsun Chi dared to consume it without suspecting it was something else, indicated that the rumor of "immortality elixirs being available for purchase" had already spread among the upper echelons of Lingxu City.

Could the Emperor be completely ignorant of something his ministers already knew?

Not impossible, but...

"Does the Emperor truly want to deal with it?"

"You'd have to ask the Emperor then," Xi Yunhe chuckled. "How could I know what he's thinking?"

If this matter wasn't brought to light, if it wasn't exposed directly before the gods, would Beiga truly exert significant effort to investigate it thoroughly?

He Lingchuan was an outsider; he couldn't be sure.

"What exactly do you want from me?"

"I advised you to stay away from these troubled waters. Lingxu City's waters are much deeper than Baishaque's; get caught in the vortex and you'll be dead," Xi Yunhe chuckled lightly. "You didn't listen to me, so now you'll have to be dragged in."

He Lingchuan shifted into a more comfortable position. "Is it related to the Immortality Elixir case?"

"Smart."

"You painstakingly provided clues to Lingxu City," He Lingchuan said, referring to Xi Yunhe's rather aggressive methods. "But now all the leads are dead ends. Shi Kai is dead, and although the actor he contacted confessed, the person he implicated is also dead. Qingfu Temple was burned to the ground, reduced to ashes along with everyone inside. If this continues, the Emperor might have no choice but to conclude the case with Cen Boqing as the culprit."

"Exactly, we can't let the real culprit go free," Xi Yunhe took a step forward. "Help me pass another clue to Bai Ziqi."

"Hey, I barely managed to extricate myself from this. I'm just here in Lingxu City to watch the show now," He Lingchuan said with a reluctant expression. "Why should I get involved again?"

"Aren't Chiyan Country, Baoshu Country, and these four or five other vassal demon states the aggrieved parties? Doesn't Fu Shanyue want this case to be resolved and the true mastermind brought to justice?"

From that perspective, Chiyan and the other vassal demon kings indeed hoped for the truth to be revealed, using a righteous cause to stir up turmoil in the imperial capital. So, as Chiyan's special envoy, what reason did He Lingchuan have not to take on this task?

He Lingchuan, however, remained nonchalant. "Then go talk to Fu Shanyue about it."

Trying to pressure him with duty? Heh, he had no "duty" in Chiyan, so where would any duty come from? Morality was just air to him.

Want his help? It would take something tangible.

Thinking of this, a thought sparked in He Lingchuan's mind: why not...?

"If Bai Ziqi can't catch the true culprit, and once the heat on the case dies down, do you think the real culprit will let you go?" Xi Yunhe said blandly. "The retaliation will surely be fierce."

"Whatever, I might not even be in Lingxu City by then," He Lingchuan rubbed his nose. "I'm just a nobody. The world is big, where can't I go?"

"By then?" Xi Yunhe laughed. "Even these long-established powerful families in Lingxu City wouldn't want to offend the Qing Palace, the Minister of Agriculture, the Zhongsun family, and the Tongxin Guard all at once."