After the Immortal Disappeared

Chapter 391: Chapter 390: Hired Helpers

”Have they caught a lot of Demons and people in the city these past few days?”

”Plenty who lost their minds and caused chaos, and plenty who took the opportunity to loot. There were even some who used the chaos to commit murder.” Wu Jingsong asked the waiter for a bowl of tea. ”The Government Office is about to burst with people filing reports, and the constables are run off their feet. Can you believe this? A young boy was eaten by his own family’s pig. By the time the Officials arrived, only half his body was left.”

”By the way, where did you go to receive the Emperor’s Liquid?”

”I went northeast out of the city, far from the outskirts.” Hee Lingchuan cupped his fists. ”Speaking of which, I must thank the Grand Tutor for his guidance.” ’If Grand Tutor Sha hadn’t informed me in advance, my haul wouldn’t have been nearly this big.’

Wu Jingsong smiled. ”I’ll pass it on. By the way, did you happen to go to Three-Heart Plateau? There are three connected lakes at its center.”

’Three-Heart Plateau?’ Hee Lingchuan’s heart skipped a beat. The place where he’d collected the Emperor’s Liquid was Three-Heart Plateau!

”I rushed over a hundred li to the northeast. I’m not sure exactly where I was, only that it was a vast, open area. But there was indeed a large lake,” Hee Lingchuan said with a serious expression. ”Did something happen?”

”The Marsh Warden of Three-Heart Plateau is dead,” Wu Jingsong said. ”The Grand Tutor received news that the turmoil among the Demon Groups on Three-Heart Plateau didn’t stop after the Emperor’s Liquid. In fact, it escalated. Not only were foreign envoys injured, but even nearby villages and towns were affected, with over two hundred casualties and trampled farmland.”

”With all this chaos, Fufeng City sent people to investigate. The first report just came in, saying the local Marsh Warden is already dead. The Demons and beast packs are running wild, their savagery provoked by the Emperor’s Liquid, and that’s why they’re wreaking havoc everywhere.”

”The Marsh Warden is dead?” Hee Lingchuan was slightly taken aback. ’It seems the fight on the night of the Emperor’s Liquid was exceptionally fierce. Even the Marsh Warden was taken out.’

’Could one of the Demons that died by Three-Heart Lake have been the local Marsh Warden?’

”The strange thing is, it died on the second night after the Emperor’s Liquid appeared,” Wu Jingsong said, taking a sip of tea. ”Even the Grand Tutor finds it incredible that the Marsh Warden of Three-Heart Plateau could be killed by a person or a Demon.”

”What was so special about it?”

”It had an exceptional number of Clones,” Wu Jingsong said. ”The Marsh Warden of Three-Heart Plateau was very unusual. It wasn’t a common tiger, wolf, lion, or Tree Demon, but a type of Cannibal Mushroom!”

Hee Lingchuan’s hand, which was raising his cup, froze. ”Fungus? You mean like... mushrooms?”

’It can’t be that much of a coincidence, can it?’

”Something like that. I haven’t seen it myself, but I know it had many Clones scattered throughout every corner of the forest, making it very difficult to kill. The authorities granted it the position of Marsh Warden precisely because of its unique gifts. It’s said that on Three-Heart Plateau, not even the fiercest Demons dared to provoke it, fearing it would settle the score with them later.”

”Then how can they be sure it’s dead?”

”I heard that on that night, all several dozen of the Cannibal Mushroom’s Clones exploded at once. I guess you could call that being obliterated without a trace, right?” Wu Jingsong said seriously. ”An entity capable of wiping it out in one fell swoop is only a hundred li from Fufeng City, yet we have no idea of its origins. The Government Office is a little uneasy.”

Wu Jingsong sighed. ”For this Emperor’s Liquid to appear right before His Majesty’s birthday is both a blessing and a curse. After the Marsh Warden of Three-Heart Plateau died, the Demon Groups there ran riot. I heard that out of the dozen or so envoy delegations coming to Fufeng City to offer congratulations, four were injured during those two nights. The Grand Tutor has been tearing his hair out these past few days dealing with it all.”

The ”entity of unknown origin” chuckled. ”The competition was indeed fierce. All sorts of ghouls and Ghosts crawled out of the woodwork. But how did the envoys get involved?”

”What’s wrong with envoys? There are Demons in the delegations too.” Wu Jingsong shrugged. ”Demons just have less resistance to the Emperor’s Liquid than we humans do.”

Hee Lingchuan shook his head. ”It seems I was lucky to make it back alive.”

”Surviving a great disaster brings good fortune.” Wu Jingsong stood up. ”I just came by to see if you were back. I have other things to attend to now, so I’ll come find you for a drink tomorrow night.”

”Thank you for your concern.”

After Wu Jingsong left, Hee Lingchuan raised his hand and ordered a plate of braised donkey meat.

’Isn’t the braised donkey meat here supposed to be famous? I should try some.’

’So the Demon that ambushed me in the cave a few days ago was the Marsh Warden of Three-Heart Plateau?’

’A dignified Marsh Warden, showing no martial virtue.’

But Hee Lingchuan knew perfectly well that the Marsh Warden was a Demon itself. It had to hunt for food and didn’t abide by human morality.

The Cannibal Mushroom had accepted Fufeng City’s appointment, but that only meant it would restrain the Mountain Demons and wild beasts on a normal day. On the big day when the Emperor’s Liquid arrived, it had to look out for number one.

That also explained how it was able to find Hee Lingchuan and ambush him with such precision.

After becoming the Marsh Warden, it could learn about many things happening in its territory. Perhaps it had noticed Hee Lingchuan’s great haul at Three-Heart Lake and couldn’t resist the temptation, which is why it struck.

’Who says a Fungal Mat has to have morals?’

The spies sent out by Fufeng City thought some Great Power had intervened to destroy all dozens of the Marsh Warden’s Clones at once.

In reality, it had simply failed to withstand the might of the Emperor’s Liquid.

Not one of the Marsh Warden’s dozens of Clones had survived. Thinking of this, a wave of fear washed over Hee Lingchuan.

He was starting to piece things together now. He feared that the piece of Emperor’s Liquid he had taken to refine was too large and too pure, and that it had almost cost him his life.

Emperor’s Liquid was so rare these days. When Helian Chen wrote him the prescription, he surely never expected Hee Lingchuan to get his hands on such a top-grade specimen.

If the Marsh Warden hadn’t been such a ”good samaritan,” his joy would have turned to sorrow long ago.

However, although the Cannibal Mushroom had absorbed most of the Emperor’s Liquid’s power, the substance itself had slow-release properties. Over the next few months, the gentle power of the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi would continue to seep out and be released, aiding Hee Lingchuan’s Cultivation.

After this lesson, he wouldn’t dare be so greedy again.

’Besides, why are those people looking for me?’

He half-believed what Fushan had said. Four or five days had already passed since the Emperor’s Liquid appeared. Anyone who obtained such a Spiritual Object would refine and consume it as quickly as possible. It would be meaningless for others to come looking for it now.

Recipes like the Hundred Virtues Pill, which could refine Emperor’s Liquid into a supplementary medicine for long-term use, were rare in this world. Helian Chen had already confirmed this.

So, if this group was pursuing him so relentlessly, it wasn’t for the Emperor’s Liquid.

’What do they want, then?’

Hee Lingchuan left the inn, and as soon as he turned his head, he saw the crow perched on the opposite roof.

’That thing still hasn’t given up.’

A surge of hostility rose in his heart:

’If a tiger doesn’t show its claws, people will mistake it for a sick cat.’

Hee Lingchuan thought for a moment, then headed for the market again.

The crow remained in the sky, following him the whole way.

But the market was full of low-built workshops and winding corridors. Its view was blocked by the buildings, so it only knew that Hee Lingchuan had entered a low-roofed house. It had no idea what he was doing inside.

It didn’t dare get closer for a better look.

He wasn’t the only human active at Three-Heart Plateau that night, and the robber who stole the Emperor’s Liquid Paste had been wearing a mask. But the more the crow looked at his silhouette, the more familiar it seemed. It was sure it hadn’t followed the wrong person.

’I have to keep a close eye on this guy!’

Before long, Hee Lingchuan came out carrying a basket. The basket was covered with a cloth, so the crow couldn’t see what was inside.

After that, Hee Lingchuan returned to the inn where he was staying, closed the doors and windows, and didn’t show himself again.

Fearing he might sneak away, the crow landed on the inn’s roof so it could watch the front door and the rear courtyard at the same time for any suspicious figures leaving.

...

The crow kept watch for two double-hours, until nightfall.

Hee Lingchuan’s door remained tightly shut, as if he were asleep inside.

The crow silently counted the time. ’Once it gets a little darker, those people should make their move.’

A harsh ”CREAK” suddenly came from the edge of the courtyard, startling the crow.

It turned out to be two guests who had pushed open their door. They walked out with their arms around each other’s shoulders, laughing loudly.

The crow ruffled its feathers in annoyance.

Its attention was drawn by this small incident, and the sound of the door opening masked a faint, unusual noise from behind.

A black shadow that had been lying in ambush for a long time took advantage of its distraction, rushing out and pinning down its wings.

The crow squawked in alarm as the black shadow lunged forward and precisely bit its nape!

FLAP FLAP FLAP! The crow thrashed its wings desperately, trying to break free.

But then two more shadows rushed out from behind it on the roof and attacked it as a group. One bit its leg, the other bit a wing. In short, they pinned it firmly to the roof tiles.

Only then did the crow see clearly that its attackers were three cats!

One large and two small, with black bodies and white paws, looking as if they were cast from the same mold.

The large cat was a Demon, nearly the size of a common dog. Against the crow, its strength was overwhelming.

The crow, frantic, squawked, ”Let go, let go! Whatever that man is paying you, I’ll double it!”

The Cat Demon, however, was very professional. It paid no attention and snapped the crow’s windpipe in a couple of quick moves.

When it came to catching birds, they were the professionals.

The two kittens eyed the body greedily, but the big cat wouldn’t let them eat it. It leaped onto Hee Lingchuan’s windowsill with the prey in its mouth and scratched twice with its paw.

Hearing this signal, the window opened at once.

Seeing the crow’s corpse, Hee Lingchuan couldn’t help but give the Cat Demon a thumbs-up. ”Impressive!”

’It got rid of the eyes on the roof so easily. Truly, for everything, there is a counter.’

The cat placed its prey on the windowsill and let out a meow.

’Mission accomplished. Where’s the reward?’

The other two kittens immediately followed, indicating that they had also contributed and demanded equal pay for equal work.

Hee Lingchuan immediately took out a large, bulging bag of small dried fish from the room and first showed it to the Cat Demon. ”They’re all finger-long creek fish from the river in the East City, sun-dried without any salt.”

Next to the dried fish, there was also an ingot of gold.

’Not bad. This employer is quite generous.’ The Cat Demon nodded in satisfaction. Hee Lingchuan hung the bundle around its neck and gave them the crow’s corpse as well.

With a leap, the three black cats jumped onto the roof and vanished into the night.

But Hee Lingchuan knew they hadn’t left yet; their employment agreement included more than just this. He closed the door and windows again, walked around the corridor to the room opposite, and pushed the door open to enter.

He had rented this room as well, but under the name of a caravan attendant. From here, he could perfectly monitor his old room.

He poked a small hole in the window paper, moved a chair to the window, and sat down with his saber in his hands.

The Eye Spider had already scouted out that he might have another wave of guests tonight.

The night grew deeper, the moon hung low, and all was quiet.

Only the katydids in the grass pile below were chirping.

Dawn would break in another half a double-hour.

This was, conversely, the time when everyone slept most deeply.

Hee Lingchuan’s ears twitched. He suddenly heard two short crow calls from outside the inn.