After the Immortal Disappeared

Chapter 457: Chapter 456: Informing on Each Other

He explained that as the medicinal herb trade spread across the country, Zhitian Village’s water consumption grew larger and larger. They hoped the upstream source would be opened up to increase the flow. The Porcupine Demons refused, however, because building a dam to open the source would destroy their territory.

”Isn’t that something that can be handled through coordination and compensation?” Hee Lingchuan had done mediation work in Dunyu as well.

One of the village gentry couldn’t help but sneer, ”They may be pigs, but they sure like to make exorbitant demands.”

It seemed the Porcupines wanted to jack up the price, which was why the negotiations fell through.

Hee Lingchuan took a sip of fine wine. ”So, tell me, who benefits most from the entire Porcupine Den being wiped out?”

Hearing the change in his tone, the crowd hurriedly clarified, ”Sir, it has nothing to do with us!”

”We just collect some medicinal herbs here to sell elsewhere. All we earn is errand money. How could we have the mind or the means to harm anyone!”

Hee Lingchuan smiled. ”Generally speaking, whoever stands to gain the most is the most suspect.”

One of the wealthy men said indignantly, ”Sir, you can’t put it like that! We’ve worked conscientiously to make Zhitian Village prosperous. How can we be the prime suspects? Without us, those medicinal farmers, tenant farmers, and those...”

He had been about to say ”demons,” but a companion nudged him in the ribs, and he quickly changed his tune. ”...how would they be living such good lives now?”

”That’s right, that’s right! Zhitian Village is far more prosperous than other villages, and we all did our part.”

The White Stone County Magistrate quickly chimed in, ”Sir, didn’t you say this might be the work of a demon? And that the victims are spread all across Chiyan? How could that be connected to these village worthies?”

Hee Lingchuan’s gaze swept across their faces. ”Which of you has dealt directly with the Porcupine Demons?”

The crowd fell silent.

Jiao Yu looked at the White Stone County Magistrate. ”You must know, right?”

The White Stone County Magistrate had no choice but to bite the bullet and point them out to Hee Lingchuan one by one.

Three of the wealthy men here had dealt with the Porcupine Demons, and even had feuds with them. Their surnames were Wang, Li, and Tu.

The three men all defended themselves, claiming they had no intention of harming anyone.

General Antelope pawed a hoof impatiently.

Hee Lingchuan sized them up for a long while, staring until the three men felt their skin crawl, before finally sighing. ”I was just asking as a matter of routine. Don’t take it to heart.”

Li the Wealthy asked cautiously, ”If the culprit is truly caught, what crime will they be charged with?”

”Murdering a Lingxu Messenger. At the very least, it’s a crime punishable by beheading.”

General Antelope added from the side, ”And the extermination of three generations of their clan.”

His words were so bloodthirsty that everyone choked, not knowing how to respond.

The meal ended quickly after that.

Back at the inn, Hee Lingchuan washed his hands and face.

It was the height of summer in the seventh month. The nights weren’t necessarily cool, and even the cicadas were still chirping nonstop.

General Antelope had brought his own guards and taken a room next door.

There was a large water vat in the courtyard, filled to the brim. The great tiger simply leaped into the water to cool off, asking Hee Lingchuan, ”Do you really think the case is related to those wealthy men?”

The White Stone County Magistrate had a point. The culprit was active all over the country; what did that have to do with local magnates?

These wealthy men were all ordinary humans, without a single Cultivator among them.

”According to the files we got from Fushan Ji, most cases only had two or three victims—one or two humans, or one or two demons. Even those sheep thieves who came for my Rock Sheep only targeted that single goal,” Hee Lingchuan said. ”It’s a smart approach, less likely to draw attention.”

”But the Wind-Drilling Beast case broke the pattern, with over twenty victims at once.”

”If we can confirm tomorrow that the Porcupine clan was also wiped out by our culprit, then its appetite was even bigger a year ago, when it killed over a hundred victims in one go.”

Hee Lingchuan said slowly, ”These two anomalies occurred only thirty to forty li apart. It might just be a coincidence, but if I’m not mistaken, what was the reason for the culprit’s killing spree?”

Jiao Yu didn’t know how to answer.

Killing one or two people, or two or three demons, could be explained away as hunting for food.

But over a hundred at once?

The motive for that didn’t seem so simple.

”It was never simple,” Hee Lingchuan said seriously. ”Don’t forget, the special Messengers from Lingxu City died at their hands. Normally, no one would dare to touch a Messenger, right?”

Jiao Yu was stirred. ”By that logic, are you saying Zhitian Village is hiding a foreign spy?”

”We’ll have to find the culprit to be sure.” Hee Lingchuan suddenly said something unrelated, ”I used to think Beiga was a true paradise for demons. Now, it seems that might not be the case.”

Jiao Yu didn’t respond.

It wasn’t raining tonight, and Hee Lingchuan didn’t feel sleepy, so he drew his Soaring Dragon Spear and practiced his Spear Technique for an hour.

He had been practicing diligently ever since he redeemed the Spear Technique from the Panlong Dream Realm, spending more time on it than his Sword Technique.

This Spear Technique had only a sixteen-line mantra, making it even more concise than the Sword Technique.

The spear is the king of a hundred weapons, and much harder to master than the sword. Fortunately, in Martial Arts, mastering one path opens a hundred others. Since his own level of Cultivation had risen, his spear practice wouldn’t be too shabby.

Besides, he had seen Red General, Xiao Maoliang, and Hong Chenglu in action. Their moves could all be described as Thunderbolt strikes, and by constantly analyzing them in his mind, he had gained some insights.

The hour passed in the blink of an eye. He was in the zone and felt no fatigue. A slight buzz from the wine welled up, and he couldn’t help but let out a long cry as the tip of his spear swayed and struck the side of a tree trunk.

The crape myrtle tree was instantly showered in a flurry of falling blossoms.

Hee Lingchuan expanded his Divine Thought. His spear shot out like a needle, piercing the flower petals and collecting them on its tip.

The spear weighed thirty-nine jin and was seven chi long. He was holding it with one hand, so the slightest movement of the butt made the tip tremble wildly, making it very difficult to control. Piercing through the fine, soft petals, which offered no resistance, was exceedingly difficult.

A crow in the tree saw only the grim shadow of the spear, radiating a murderous aura. It was so frightened its feathers stood on end, and it hastily flapped its wings and flew away.

’It’s the middle of the night! Can’t a bird get some rest?’

What Hee Lingchuan was practicing was a killing technique, yet the scene was one of gentle beauty.

When the shower of blossoms ended, only a few scattered petals lay on the ground.

The rest were all threaded onto the tip of his spear.

Jiao Yu had been dozing on the steps, but the murderous aura startled him awake.

Seeing him withdraw his spear at the end as if taming a tiger, a cheer came from the side: ”Bravo!”

It turned out to be General Antelope, who had perched himself on the courtyard wall at some point to watch the show. When he half-stood, he was over a zhang tall, the top of his head higher than the wall.

He too was a veteran of many battles. Although the youth’s Spear Technique couldn’t compare to the Old Monarch of Chiyan, it struck out like a frenzied snake flicking its tongue and retracted like a crafty rabbit returning to its burrow. To be so resolute and courageous, yet know when to conserve strength, already put him above the average Military General.

’This kid really has some skills.’

Hee Lingchuan let out a long breath and wiped the light sweat from his forehead.

He had finally achieved initial mastery of this move, the Plum Blossom Stab.

Just then, two sharp raps came from the courtyard gate.

Hee Lingchuan had already heard footsteps approaching and then retreating outside. He opened the gate to find only a letter left on the ground.

It was a letter of denunciation, exposing the feud between Tu the Wealthy and the Porcupine Demons.

It turned out that the two sides had long reached an irreconcilable point. Tu the Wealthy’s grandson had even been injured in the calf by a Porcupine Quill, the wound festering down to the bone. He had nearly needed an amputation and only gradually recovered after more than three months of treatment.

An hour later, there was another stir outside.

Someone was approaching stealthily, but how could their footsteps escape Hee Lingchuan’s notice?

The person bent down, about to slide a note under the door, when the gate opened with a CREAK. Hee Lingchuan was standing right in the doorway, smiling at him.

”Since you’re already here, why not just say it to my face? Who is your master, and who do you want to expose?”

”Ah...” The man, caught in the act, turned green.

Hee Lingchuan snatched the note from his hand and read it on the spot. Then he said, ”Oh, so you want to report the Li Family. Is your master named Wang or Tu?”

The man didn’t dare make a sound. The note was unsigned.

”I hope your master’s name isn’t Tu.” Hee Lingchuan took out a letter and waved it in front of him. ”Someone already came to report him.”

”Huh?”

...

「In a large residence in Frost and Dew Town, Zhitian Village, fifteen li away.」

A Night Owl landed on a large tree next to the main house with a FLUTTER of wings and hooted a few times.

A window opened, allowing the Night Owl to fly inside.

The person in the room closed the window again, leaving only a man and a bird inside.

He casually set up a Barrier to prevent eavesdropping, then said to the Night Owl, ”What message is there from the National Capital?”

”The case of the missing Lingxu City Messenger has been handed over to Fushan Yue by the Monarch.”

The man grunted. ”Fushan Ji couldn’t even solve it. That brute Fushan Yue...”

He stood up, paced a few steps, and added, ”However, Fushan Yue needs to curry favor with the Monarch right now, so he should put in a great deal of effort. Hmm, he does have a few capable people under him. Who did he send to investigate?”

”It is not yet clear.”

The man stopped in his tracks. ”Not clear?”

”His subordinate officials all have other assignments,” the Night Owl said. ”Only the Hundred Mountains Middle Lang General, Jiao Yu, left the National Capital a few days ago. His whereabouts are unknown.”

”Jiao Da’s son?” the man asked, surprised. ”Would Fushan Yue send him to handle this alone?”

The Night Owl could not answer that question.

It ate some meat and drank some water, then closed one eye and went to sleep.

In the latter half of the night, a man who looked like a Steward came to the door.

”My master sent me to report overnight,” the Steward said, having entered through the back door. ”The Crown Prince has dispatched a Special Envoy to Youtian Town to investigate the Lingxu City Messenger case.”

”Oh?” the man asked urgently. ”Who did he send?”

”The Special Envoy’s name is Hee Xiao. He carries the Crown Prince’s token. He’s accompanied by a great tiger named Jiao Yu, who seems to be the Hundred-something...”

”Hundred Mountains Middle Lang General?”

”Yes, yes!” The Steward nodded repeatedly. ”There’s also a Cangying, said to be a palace Guard as well.”

”Hee Xiao?” The man thought for a long time. ”Never heard of him.”

”The county officials treated him to a meal, and what does he do? He goes and suspects the village worthies of killing that den of Porcupines on Yulun Mountain.”

The man immediately sat up straight. ”Is there evidence?”

”No, he hasn’t even gone to see the site. He’s just talking nonsense.”

”It might not be nonsense. He’s probably trying to bluff you,” the man said. ”What else?”

”He’s going to the Porcupine Den tomorrow.”

”What about an item the man surnamed Hee has used?”

The Steward took a cloth-wrapped package from his robes and opened it, revealing a wine cup.

”They ate at the West Hong Building, and Hee Xiao used this cup.”

”Alright. Go back and tell your master to rest easy.” The man took the wine cup. ”They won’t be able to trace it back to him!”

”Yes, sir.”

After the Steward left, the man sat in the room, lost in thought for a long while, before suddenly getting up and walking into the courtyard.

The shadows of the trees danced, and in the courtyard was a corner that even the moonlight could not penetrate.

The man seemed to crush something in his hand, then drew a ladle of clear water and poured it onto that corner.

Soon, something stirred within the shadows of the corner.

”I have a new target for you: Hee Xiao.” The man lowered his voice, placing the cup on the ground. ”He’s in Youtian Town right now and will go to the Porcupine Den on Yulun Mountain tomorrow. You know what to do.”