Where Immortals Once Walked

Chapter 545: Bai Ziqi’s Request

So it was a gu? “It really was fast. From beginning to end, it took less than thirty breaths.”

Bai Ziqi signaled for the physician to proceed with the autopsy, then said to the two of them, “I’ve traveled all across Beijia. Twenty years ago, in the State of Xuluo, I saw a case like this and later made a point of studying it. The dead man in that case was the attendant of a high-ranking official. After poisoning his master to death, he himself also died. People killed by a Shared-Life Gu almost always die looking like this.”

“Shared-Life Gu come as twin worms from a single egg. One larva is planted in the victim’s heart, where it feeds on the blood in the heart and true energy. Only after three hundred days does it mature enough to threaten the host. But by then, the gu host is also completely under the gu master’s control, because the master can activate the gu at any time and take their life.”

He Lingchuan cut in, “And the ‘shared’ part means?”

“The two gu worms are twins from the same egg. One lodges in the target’s heart, and that’s called the yang worm, also known as the affliction worm. Naturally, the yin worm remains in the gu master’s possession. This thing can go without food for years, but the container used to keep it is extremely important. It can’t be stored in metal, porcelain, jade, or the like. It can’t touch earth, and it also has to be kept away from water.”

Fushan Yue asked casually, “Then what can hold it? Bamboo?”

“Exactly. Bamboo tubes are most commonly used.” Bai Ziqi seemed to find the irony amusing. “The bamboo tubes Beijia uses for chewing tobacco happen to be quite suitable.”

A bamboo tube?

A gu worm kept inside a bamboo tube?

He Lingchuan’s gaze sharpened.

Other than the chewing-tobacco tubes used in various kingdoms, he vaguely remembered hearing someone mention bamboo tubes elsewhere too, though he could not quite place it for the moment.

“Killing with it is also very simple. Through special refining methods, the two worms become one in heart and life, living and dying together. So long as the yin worm is crushed, the yang worm will go berserk and die within several dozen breaths as well. Before it dies, it ravages the host’s body and may even release toxins to attack the meridians. That’s why Wu Kai died in this condition.”

The physician under Fushan Yue’s command was actually quite competent. While the three of them were talking, he had already removed the dead man’s heart, drained away the blood, and now held it up for the lords to inspect.

Wu Kai’s heart was riddled with tiny holes, practically turned into a sieve. No one could possibly survive with such an injury.

Bai Ziqi let out a long sigh. “Cut it open and take a look.”

The physician obeyed at once.

Wu Kai’s heart was split open. The three men present all had sharp eyes, yet for a moment none of them could spot anything unusual.

It was the physician who, after observing for a long while, finally used the tip of his knife to lift out a long, slender purple-black strip from the heart muscle. At first glance, it looked like a clot of congealed blood.

“Deputy Cloud Envoy Bai, is this the affliction worm you were talking about?”

Wu Kai had suffered terribly before dying, and his heart had seized up. A dark clot would not have been strange at all. But once the physician tugged it free, everyone saw that it really was a worm, though its abdominal legs were barely visible.

Fushan Yue scratched the back of his head in irritation. “What’s the use of knowing he died from a Peach-Heart Gu? The dead can’t talk!”

Wu Kai’s mouth had now been sealed shut for good. Some secrets were fated to go with him into the coffin. If they couldn’t dig any deeper, then the elixir of youth case would end with Cen Boqing as the principal culprit.

That would pin every crime squarely on him.

“A Shared-Life Gu is planted in the human heart, and just raising it takes a full year. Once activated, no formation or divine technique can block it, and even substitution methods won’t work. Even if the injuries are transferred elsewhere, the gu worm remains in the original host’s heart. You could say that if the person holding the gu wants you dead, then you have no choice but to die.” Bai Ziqi spoke as he thought it through. “But I’ve heard that Shared-Life Gu are extremely difficult to refine. Not only is the success rate very low, but the number of people truly skilled in it is vanishingly small. If they weren’t afraid Wu Kai would leak secrets, they probably wouldn’t have rushed to kill him.”

Fushan Yue looked up at him, hope written all over his face. “Can we pursue the case from that angle?”

Bai Ziqi had investigated cases involving this sort of thing before. Maybe he had the right resources to draw on.

“Perhaps. I’ll have to write a few letters and ask some old friends to look into it.”

Fushan Yue let out a breath. “That’s good. As long as the trail hasn’t gone completely cold.”

The three men headed back upstairs. By the time they stepped into the inn courtyard, the eastern sky was already paling with the first light of dawn.

Bai Ziqi glanced at He Lingchuan and gave a bitter smile. “Day’s about to break. Looks like Heaven doesn’t want us getting any rest.”

He had gone to considerable lengths to set things up around Cheng Yu too.

Fushan Yue invited him, “Come to my courtyard and have some tea while you rest a bit. What do you say?”

Bai Ziqi did not put on airs. He immediately nodded and said, “Sure. I’ve heard that Chiyan has quite a few fine teas.”

He had seen plenty of storms in his life, but there were very few cases that could trigger this many accidents in a single day.

The three of them went to Fushan Yue’s quarters. Guards at once cleared away the remains of the prince’s earlier meal and brought out tea and pastries.

“Cen Boqing’s trail can probably only be pursued this far for now,” Fushan Yue said with some regret. “Mai Xuewen is still nowhere to be found too. How troublesome. Oh, right, my father says that creature that Mai Xuewen raised may actually have a background.”

The snail toad? He Lingchuan’s heart gave a jump, though on the surface, he calmly kept cracking melon seeds. Fushan Yue had not mentioned this before. Had they already learned that the snail toad was one of Dong Rui’s creations?

Bai Ziqi said, “Oh?”

“Mai Xuewen’s subordinates relied entirely on that aberrant creature to burrow underground and catch monsters. It came and went without a trace, and it worked with extreme secrecy. But that aberrant creature’s real trick lies in the hard shell on its back. He Xiao once set a trap in Zhitian Township to capture it, but its shell was a hundred times tougher than a turtle’s. Over a hundred soldiers, all with origin energy, still couldn’t stop it from escaping.” Fushan Yue added unhurriedly, “After the matter was reported upward, my father said that the shell resembled a certain magical artifact he’d heard of long ago.”

“Hm?” Not only had He Lingchuan become fully alert, Bai Ziqi had also arched a brow. “What was it?”

“One of the treasures once kept in the Spring Palace: Snail Dwelling.” Fushan Yue went on, “It was the life-bound magical artifact of an ancient snail immortal, supposedly polished and refined over a thousand years. Not only was it incomparably hard, it also contained a palace inside, a self-contained space large enough to house a hundred people. But the snail immortal died before the war that destroyed the world, and afterward, no other monster was ever able to wield the shell. Somehow it later ended up in Beijia and entered the Spring Palace’s collection.”

Bai Ziqi remained silent. He Lingchuan, doing his part, asked, “But if it was a treasure from the Spring Palace, how did it end up connected to Mai Xuewen?”

Bai Ziqi immediately said, “He Xiao, watch your tongue!”

He Lingchuan gave a light cough. “What I meant was, is there some hidden story behind this?”

Bai Ziqi hesitated for a moment before saying, “More than ten years ago, a batch of treasures was stolen from the Spring Palace. Snail Dwelling was among them.”

“Even the Spring Palace lost things?” He Lingchuan said in astonishment. “Who had that kind of ability? An insider?”

“...Yes.” This brat really did hit the nail on the head. “It was indeed an inside job. Although the thief was later killed, many of the stolen treasures were never recovered and disappeared without a trace.”

He Lingchuan did not understand. “If something like that happened, how could Cen Boqing, living in Lingxu City, not know about it?”

If Cen Boqing had known, Wu Kai most likely would have known as well. If so, how would Mai Xuewen ever have dared to use Snail Dwelling so openly?

Bai Ziqi did not answer. Fushan Yue laughed instead. “Because the vast majority of people in Lingxu City don’t know. The Spring Palace buried the matter. Even if the Minister of Finance knew, that doesn’t mean he’d tell his son-in-law.”

“But the Lord Emperor... Hm, I mean, the people who ought to know, know?”

“Of course.” Fushan Yue pointed at his own nose. “Didn’t my family know?”

“And the missing magical artifacts were simply let go?”

Fushan Yue’s tone turned mocking. “Do you know how many ancient treasures turn into useless junk every year now that the heaven-and-earth spirit qi is so thin, so worthless they can only be sold as antiques?”

He Lingchuan shook his head without hesitation, like a complete country bumpkin.

And in this matter, he truly was a country bumpkin. In terms of origins, ancient artifacts, and wealth, how could Yuan possibly compare to Beijia?

Beijia was vast, rich, and overflowing with relics. There were so many antiques here that people could afford to let them break without feeling pain. If Yuan had one or two, they would practically put them on an altar and offer them up to the heavens. They simply did not have that kind of stockpile to squander.

“Most of the lost treasures and resold antiques were probably reported as damaged or deteriorated, and that was the end of it. You could even just say someone carelessly broke them, and no one would bother pursuing the matter. These things were stored in the deep palace to begin with. Commoners neither know nor care, so what would be the point of telling them?” Fushan Yue smiled at Bai Ziqi. “Deputy Cloud Envoy Bai surely knows this sort of half-open secret as well as anyone.”

Bai Ziqi coughed lightly, but did not deny it.

He Lingchuan said in realization, “So that’s how it is!”

“The thief who stole treasures from the palace back then is already dead, yet Snail Dwelling ended up in Mai Xuewen’s hands and was used to stir up trouble.” Bai Ziqi said slowly, “When I return to the Spring Palace, I’ll need to pay a visit to State Preceptor Qing Yang and look for more clues.”

That was basically another way of admitting that, for the time being, he had no means of dealing with Mai Xuewen.

He Lingchuan summed it up in his head. Mai Xuewen, the fugitive who abducted and killed Zhongsun Mou, was still at large and temporarily beyond reach. Wu Kai, the major criminal witness, had died suddenly. The only real result was that Cen Boqing had already confessed, and the evidence against him was solid and unquestionable.

Madame Cen, Yao Xingning, had delivered an important witness to Bai Ziqi, namely the actor from Listening Lotus Garden who served as Wu Kai’s contact. But whatever clues might be drawn from that person would also have to be pursued back in Lingxu City.

In other words, as far as Baishajue was concerned, the elixir of youth case had already been investigated to the limit. Bai Ziqi had no reason to remain here any longer.

Unless, of course, the other task he was handling was also connected to this place.

So what would he do next?

Fushan Yue had already asked, “Then does Deputy Cloud Envoy Bai intend to return to Lingxu City and continue the investigation there?”

If he wanted to keep track of how the case would develop, he naturally had to ask where Bai Ziqi planned to go next.

Bai Ziqi did not seem to have completely settled on it until that moment. He turned the teacup in his hand several times before finally nodding. “Yes. I’ll be escorting Cen Boqing back there. He Xiao—” He looked at He Lingchuan and said, “You’ve had direct dealings with Cen Boqing, Zhongsun Mou, Mai Xuewen, and the others. As a witness, you’ll need to come with me as well.”

“Huh?” He Lingchuan pointed at himself, looking openly startled. “I have to go too?”

Heh, sure enough, Bai Ziqi made the request.

He wants to question me on the road, eh?

Bai Ziqi smiled and nodded. “The Crown Prince won’t be reluctant to part with you, will he?”

“Why would I?” Fushan Yue raised a hand and poured him a fresh cup of tea, then said to He Lingchuan, “Setting aside the city’s splendor and drifting glory, Lingxu City is a place of outstanding people and spiritual brilliance, unmatched under Heaven. If we travel there by sightseeing and enjoying the mountains and rivers along the way, wouldn’t that be delightful?”

Bai Ziqi’s gaze sharpened slightly. “We?”

“That’s right.” Fushan Yue grinned, baring a mouthful of gleaming white teeth. “I’m going too. Monsterfolk of Chiyan were killed, and my father keeps insisting that I investigate the matter thoroughly to the very end. With that being the case, how could I not go along and take a look?”