After the Immortal Disappeared

Chapter 471: Chapter 470: Wan Song and Prunella

Jiao Yu flicked his tail. ”The title of Inspector has been just a hollow one for a long time now.”

General Antelope was taken aback. ”He represents Lingxu City. Does that mean Lingxu City knows these murderers are killing my people for their pearls?”

Running all this way didn’t stop the Demons from talking. Jiao Yu shook his head. ”Lingxu City’s factions are a tangled mess. You can’t sum it up in one simple sentence.”

Hee Lingchuan continued, ”There’s a paradox here. Zhongsun Mou said the Demon Emperor... uh, the Emperor, believes the White-shouldered Eagle Messengers were killed by spies, which is why he was sent to investigate. But Zhongsun Mou also clearly knows about the Demon-Hunting and Pearl Collection.”

Hee Lingchuan sighed. ”The water runs deep here. I’m afraid this matter isn’t so simple.”

He smelled the scent of a conspiracy.

Jiao Yu couldn’t help but say, ”If Zhongsun Mou knew you’d analyzed so much from him missing just one sentence, he’d regret it until his guts turned green.”

Hee Lingchuan smiled. ”I doubt he’s the type who knows how to regret anything.”

”I hate it when these things get tied up with Lingxu City.” Jiao Yu seemed a bit agitated. ”It never ends well.”

...

News that the Chiyan Kingdom’s Crown Prince Envoy had left Frost and Dew Town overnight quickly reached Zhongsun Mou.

Zhongsun Mou was stunned. ”What? Where did you say they went?”

”East.”

’What’s to the east? They just came from the east. Are they retracing their steps now?’

’And overnight, at that.’

’What kind of important clue could that guy, Hee, have found?’

But all the clues Zhongsun Mou had pointed north.

He pondered for a moment before saying, ”Send someone to follow them and see.”

As for himself, he held his position, preparing to set out for Qii State the next morning.

...

The return trip wasn’t as urgent as the journey there, and they had to slow down while traveling at night. As a result, it took Hee Lingchuan an extra double-hour to reach Youtian Town.

It was now the latter half of the night. The town was deathly quiet, without a soul in sight. Not even a dog was barking.

With so many chaotic things happening in town, the White Stone County Magistrate had spent the entire day expending a great deal of effort to handle them. He felt completely drained, and the moment his head hit the pillow that night, he was fast asleep, snoring like thunder.

Fortunately, he continued the dream from the previous night. After the feast celebrating his promotion, he went through the standard sequence: get promoted, get rich, wife dies.

After his old hag of a wife quickly sickened and died, he remarried a new wife as beautiful as a flower and as pliant as if she had no bones. They reveled in pleasure night after night after night...

Just as he was reveling in his good fortune, his shoulder was shaken forcefully. ”Wake up, wake up!”

He opened his eyes to see his own old hag glaring at him, her brows knitted in anger. ”What were you dreaming about, smiling so lecherously?”

”Nothing...” ’Wait, I was woken up!’ The County Magistrate’s courage surged. ”What are you doing, waking me up in the middle of the night!”

”Someone from your County Yamen came to report. They said the Crown Prince Envoy is back and is interrogating a prisoner in the main jail right now.”

”Ah?”

At that moment, Hee Lingchuan, using his authority as the Special Envoy, was already re-interrogating Wan the Wealthy in the main jail.

Wan the Wealthy was now disheveled and exhausted, none of his morning vigor left. Hee Lingchuan saw that the fingers on both his hands were swollen and purple, clear signs he had been tortured and made to suffer. This man was used to a life of comfort and privilege. After a day of hardship, he had become much more obedient, basically answering any question he was asked.

Hee Lingchuan asked to see the written confession.

Although he, Jiao Yu, and the others had left town in a hurry, the County Yamen still had its own procedures to follow. Thus, they had subsequently arrested Wan the Wealthy for interrogation.

The confession contained a new piece of information:

The address of Wan the Wealthy’s nephew, Wan Song.

In his early years, the fellow hadn’t done too well. Although Wan the Wealthy found him some work, it was only enough to keep him fed and clothed. But the year before last, he had bought a residence in town. While not a mansion, it was at least a comfortable place to live.

Additionally, Wan Song had also purchased several acres of paddy fields, truly becoming a landowner and achieving a jump in social class.

”It’s true that crooked paths are the fastest way to make money,” Hee Lingchuan remarked as he read. ”How much has he earned from Demon-Hunting and Pearl Collection over the past few years?”

”I-I’m not too sure,” Wan the Wealthy said in a small voice. ”He never tells me about that.”

Just then, the White Stone County Magistrate also rushed over and said to Hee Lingchuan, ”Lord Special Envoy, we have already sent men to stake out Wan Song’s residence. Also, the county has put out a unified public statement, saying only that Wan Xianneng was being investigated for serious tax evasion. We did this to avoid tipping anyone off.”

”Well done.” Hee Lingchuan then asked Wan the Wealthy, ”He’s not married and has no children?”

”Er, no.”

”Does he have a lover, then?” ’When a man gets money, how many things can he possibly be thinking about?’

”Yes, yes, I know he often goes to the Emerald Gathering Ward. His regular lover there is called Qinggu.”

Hee Lingchuan glanced at the written confession. There was no record of this.

”When does Wan Song usually come home?”

”He comes and goes as he pleases, with no pattern. Sometimes he disappears for months and then suddenly reappears,” Wan the Wealthy said weakly. ”My lord, that’s all I know.”

”Since Wan Song is usually away, it must be difficult for him to manage these properties.” Hee Lingchuan looked at him. ”Did he entrust them all to you?”

”...Yes.”

”Then why didn’t I see a list?”

Wan the Wealthy indicated that he would write it down immediately.

But his hands were swollen like carrots, and he couldn’t even hold the brush steady. The White Stone County Magistrate immediately took the paper and brush, dipped it in ink himself, and said, ”Let me do it!”

What followed was Wan the Wealthy dictating while the White Stone County Magistrate wrote.

Wan Song’s properties weren’t that numerous: one residence, seven acres of paddy fields, five acres of medicinal herb fields, two storefronts, and a warehouse near the herb fields, which was therefore very cheap.

”A warehouse?” Hee Lingchuan pointed to that entry and asked, ”He’s not a merchant. What would he need a warehouse for?”

”For the medicinal herbs harvested from the fields.” Wan the Wealthy swallowed. ”He also had me regularly help him purchase herbs to hoard in the warehouse. Every so often, he would come back to resell the herbs and clear out the warehouse.”

The White Stone County Magistrate was annoyed. ”Why didn’t you mention something so important before?” ’When I was interrogating him, why didn’t this Wan fellow say any of this?’

”Th-these are all minor things,” Wan the Wealthy stammered. ”I didn’t think they were worth mentioning.”

Hee Lingchuan stared at him. ”Your nephew only has a talent for killing people; he doesn’t know the first thing about business. You didn’t find it strange that he was reselling medicinal herbs himself?”

After meeting Hong Chenglu, he had learned that there really were people in the world who were incapable of doing business—they would lose money on nine out of ten ventures, and on the last one, they’d have to pawn their own underwear.

”I, I...” Of course, Wan the Wealthy knew his nephew was just making a casual excuse; he just hadn’t bothered with it.

”Remember our agreement?” Hee Lingchuan yawned. He had been running around for over a dozen double-hours and was feeling a little sleepy. ”If you’re not honest, the agreement is off!”

”I don’t know where he sold the herbs, and I’ve never seen the buyer!” Wan the Wealthy said quickly. ”But the warehouse was empty every time, that’s the truth!”

”What kind of herbs does he procure?”

Wan the Wealthy recited a string of herb names.

They were all common medicinal ingredients, incredibly easy to gather in Zhitian Village.

Seeing that Wan the Wealthy had been squeezed dry and had no more valuable information to give, Hee Lingchuan stood up, satisfied. ”Not bad. This has been very fruitful.”

Afterward, he gave a few instructions to the White Stone County Magistrate and then took the Demons, who had been listening in the whole time, to check into an inn.

’Sleep is a must. Investigating cases is draining.’

...

One and a half double-hours later, just as the sky was beginning to lighten at dawn, Hee Lingchuan woke up.

He woke up the old goat who was sleeping soundly downstairs, and the group went off to unlock a new location:

Wan Song’s residence.

The fellow had a decent eye for location, choosing a spot by a lake on the west side of town—a quiet spot amidst the hustle and bustle. The estate was surprisingly larger than Mr. Mai’s, at least seven or eight hundred square meters. Nearly every room received sunlight, and the windows were bright and the furniture clean.

Before entering, Hee Lingchuan saw a white-faced owl in a large tree by the house. The creature was steady as a rock standing on one leg, watching them with a blank expression.

The White Stone County Magistrate had said that there were specialists staking out the Wan Residence who wouldn’t have to worry about being discovered.

It wasn’t actually a person, but this owl Demon.

But apparently, Wan Song hadn’t returned home yet. At least, the owl hadn’t seen him; otherwise, it would have flown to the county to sound the alarm.

Hee Lingchuan and Jiao Yu walked back and forth through the residence a few times but didn’t find any useful clues.

They could tell Wan Song didn’t live here often, as there were only a few sets of clothes in the chests and cabinets, and only two or three dirty, unwashed bowls were left in the kitchen.

Hee Lingchuan suddenly said, ”This guy is far less meticulous than Mr. Mai.”

In Mr. Mai’s home, everything was in its proper place, impeccably arranged. But in Wan Song’s home, things were placed much more casually. A storybook was tossed in the kitchen, and a few dried-out pomelo peels were scattered in the courtyard.

Jiao Yu went into the backyard, his tiger nose close to the ground, sniffing everywhere and occasionally letting out a snort like a sneeze.

”Smell something?”

”Yeah.” Jiao Yu was still circling. ”The stench of that monster is everywhere! It must have stayed here for a very long time.”

Wan Song’s backyard was also a patch of bare earth, but unlike Mr. Mai, who had planted it with vegetation, this one was completely neglected and littered with junk.

Hee Lingchuan picked up a bit of soil and rubbed it between his fingers. ”It’s very damp, almost dripping wet. Looks like we’ve found its lair.”

The damp smell was so strong that even he could smell it.

”The lake is right outside.” General Antelope pawed at the muddy ground a few times with his hoof. ”What should we be looking for?”

Hee Lingchuan’s gaze scanned the muddy ground. When he saw something General Antelope had dug up, he suddenly walked over, picked it up, and spread it on his palm to examine it closely.

It was a small flower spike with a few small purple flowers on it.

He asked General Antelope, ”Do you know what this is?”

General Antelope leaned in, sniffed it, and moved his mouth a few times. ”Oh, this is Prunella. I’ve eaten it before.”

He was a herd leader, after all.

Hee Lingchuan said, ”Mr. Mai grows Prunella in his backyard.”

”That herb is extremely common in Zhitian Village. You can find it in the fields and on the roadsides. I’ve seen farmers cut it to feed to their pigs and rabbits. It doesn’t even need to be specially planted,” General Antelope said. ”Maybe Mr. Mai didn’t plant it; it just grew there on its own.”

”Have you seen any Prunella growing on its own in this patch of mud?”

The weeds in this patch of ground were all flattened, as if crushed by something heavy. But as General Antelope looked closer, he saw that the few stalks of Prunella had their roots exposed and weren’t even planted in the soil.

It was as if someone had just sprinkled them on the ground.

General Antelope didn’t understand. ”What’s so important about this Prunella?”

’Isn’t it just a common herb you can find anywhere?’

”Prunella, Prunella...” Hee Lingchuan, however, vaguely remembered hearing about this medicinal herb from someone.