After the Immortal Disappeared

Chapter 392: Chapter 391: Drinking Only, No Official Business

After two knocks, there was a pause, followed by two more.

Naturally, there was no reply from inside the inn.

And then, all was quiet outside.

’These guys are pretty cautious.’ Hee Lingchuan let out a soft breath. He knew they would most likely retreat. The crow hadn’t flown out, indicating an unexpected variable within the inn. They probably wouldn’t make a move now.

’Smart of them. Otherwise, they would have been served by my Floating Life Blade.’

Hee Lingchuan didn’t give chase. The King of Treasure Tree’s birthday celebration was imminent, and Fufeng City had imposed a temporary curfew for the past couple of days.

It wasn’t worth getting into trouble at a time like this.

Sure enough, about a dozen breaths later, the sound of sharp whistles echoed from the street. It was likely a constable shouting, ”Who goes there? Halt!”

The shouting was accompanied by the roars of wild beasts.

It seemed the constables weren’t all human. That would be more than enough to give those guys a hard time.

The commotion grew fainter and fainter as both the pursuers and the pursued moved off into the distance.

The street was quiet once more.

...

After daybreak, at another inn two hundred zhang away.

Someone tiptoed into a guest room where a lamp was still lit. Fushan was sitting by the window.

”Any news?”

”Yes. The target is staying at Liuu’s House, the official residence Fufeng City provides for foreign envoys.”

The subordinate stammered, ”The others are all set.”

”Call everyone back. Security in Fufeng City is too tight. We won’t make our move here.” Fushan changed the plan. ”But first, we need to confirm the whereabouts of the item.”

￥￥￥￥￥

In just a few days, the chaos that had erupted in Fufeng City due to the Emperor’s Liquid was brought under control, and order was gradually restored.

Shops that had been shuttered began to reopen one by one, and more pedestrians appeared on the streets.

All trades and industries regained their vitality, and the bustling scenes of busy streets returned.

The demons and humans who had paid the price would never speak again, and so they were gradually forgotten. No matter what had happened, life had to go on.

Besides, the people of the Beiga Kingdom knew very well that compared to the common folk of smaller nations suffering from upheaval and war, their lives were already quite fortunate.

At this moment, Sha Xinghai had just led his team back to Fufeng City. Without even taking the time to change, he went to report to his father.

”We’ve found the missing deputy envoy from the Waling Kingdom. His body was under a large tree on the western shore of Three-Heart Lake. The local Demons claim they didn’t see the killer.”

Grand Tutor Sha’s brow furrowed so deeply it almost tied into a knot. ”The Waling Kingdom has been peaceful for over a decade, a friendly neighbor. I’ve heard of no recent conflicts.”

”Could it be a personal vendetta rather than a national feud?” Sha Xinghai asked, his face etched with worry. ”I hear this deputy envoy was General Silver Mountain’s son. His own Cultivation was considerable, and he had a large retinue. General Silver Mountain is a cruel man. Once this news reaches him, he’ll never let it go.”

”Trouble always brews whenever the Emperor’s Liquid appears. Over a dozen Demons from the various delegations have been injured or gone missing. It’s not just General Silver Mountain’s son,” Grand Tutor Sha said, his head aching. ”I just reported to His Majesty. On the night the Emperor’s Liquid erupted, he used his Divine Techniques to monitor all events, large and small, within the city and its immediate surroundings. In several cases, the delegations themselves were active participants. What a mess!”

No matter how powerful the King of Treasure Tree’s Divine Techniques were, they had a limited range. He could only monitor the immediate vicinity, with no way to extend his senses as far as Three-Heart Lake.

That was a feat only Ancient Demon Immortals were capable of. Modern cultivators could only dream of such power.

”His Majesty’s birthday celebration is tomorrow. The curfew will remain in effect tonight. Double the patrols throughout the city.”

After Sha Xinghai withdrew, Grand Tutor Sha thought for a moment before turning to Wu Jingsong, who was standing nearby.

”You reported yesterday that Hee Xiao was absorbing the Emperor’s Liquid over a hundred li northeast of the city?”

”Yes.” Wu Jingsong had always admired how the Grand Tutor could manage countless affairs yet still remember such minor details with perfect clarity.

”That’s not far from the Three-Heart Plateau. He returned late, so perhaps he saw something. Go and see what you can find out.”

￥￥￥￥￥

Wu Jingsong picked up some snacks to go with wine on his way to find Hee Lingchuan.

He entered the inn and knocked on the door, but there was no answer. Instead, a cat’s head appeared, looking down from the roof.

”Who are you looking for?”

”Hee Xiao.”

The black cat asked him again, ”What’s your surname?”

”Wu. I’m from the Grand Tutor’s Mansion.”

The black cat leaped onto his shoulder and whispered in his ear, ”The Master said you should go find him at the Songhe Restaurant.”

Wu Jingsong understood. He left the inn and retraced his steps, heading for the Songhe Restaurant on East Street.

The restaurant was just over four hundred paces from the Grand Tutor’s Mansion—not too close, not too far. As such, its prices were perfectly moderate.

Wu Jingsong and the other Guards often came here for drinks.

He walked in with familiarity, saying he was looking for a guest with the surname Hee. The attendant didn’t lead him to a private dining room, but instead took him to the guest rooms at the back and knocked on one of the doors.

”Sir, you have a visitor.”

Hee Lingchuan was sitting inside, with wine on the table.

Wu Jingsong entered and sat right down. ”Why did you move here?” he asked.

”I moved here to make it easier for us to drink all night, Brother Wu.”

The Songhe Restaurant had guest rooms out back. Even with the curfew, residents could still come to the main building for a drink. As long as they didn’t wander the streets, the Officials wouldn’t bother them. The only thing was, the rooms here were a ”little” more expensive than Hee Lingchuan’s previous inn—about double the price.

Wu Jingsong set down the food he was carrying. ”Brought a few more dishes for your table.”

He never paid any mind to the curfew; he could run all over town any night he pleased.

Wu Jingsong acted as if this was perfectly normal, and Hee Lingchuan found nothing strange about it, so neither of them mentioned it.

Hee Lingchuan asked the attendant for a few plates and personally arranged the snacks Wu Jingsong had brought. After they toasted each other, Hee Lingchuan’s eyes lit up at the sight of one particular item. He reached for one and began to peel it.

Wu Jingsong gave him a thumbs-up. ”Brother Hee, you know what’s good! I’ve introduced this to lots of people, but most of them won’t even touch it.”

Among the snacks he’d brought was soy-braised beef, fragrant and a rich, deep red, sliced so perfectly that each piece was attached to a thin, glistening tendon. There were also river snails, stir-fried until they shone with oil, their spicy aroma hitting the nose. But the first thing Hee Lingchuan reached for was a pickled and braised balut.

It was one of those things: you either loved it or you were terrified of it.

”So, what brings you here, Brother Wu?” Hee Lingchuan asked as he ate.

”Didn’t I say yesterday I’d come find you for a drink today?” Wu Jingsong thought. ’This kid knew I was coming. He even had a feline security guard relaying messages.’

Hee Lingchuan refilled his cup. ”Nothing else? We agreed to drink tonight, but you’re here before noon.”

”What else could there be?”

”Then tonight, it’s just drinks, no shop talk.”

Wu Jingsong was taken aback and cleared his throat. ”Cultivation doesn’t count as official business, does it?”

Hee Lingchuan looked sagely. ”Fine, ask what you want to ask. But first, you tell me what’s happened now.”

’This kid.’ Wu Jingsong was exasperated. He’d come to probe for information, not expecting to be probed first. ”It’s about the incident at the Three-Heart Plateau on the night the Emperor’s Liquid appeared.”

”Oh?” Hee Lingchuan asked. ”Who died this time?”

’There’s a curfew tonight, and the King of Treasure Tree’s birthday celebration is just around the corner. Would Wu Jingsong really pick this time to visit without a good reason?’

’Even though I saved his life, I’m well aware of the substance—or lack thereof—of our friendship.’

”The deputy envoy from the Waling Kingdom,” Wu Jingsong said. ”The Waling delegation reported it two days ago. They were passing through the Three-Heart Plateau when the Emperor’s Liquid appeared, and their deputy envoy got separated and went missing. Young Master Sha led a search party to the plateau and eventually found the body by Three-Heart Lake. Although it had been partially devoured by wild animals, he was still identifiable.”

Hee Lingchuan already had a good idea of what was going on. ”What kind of Demon was this deputy envoy?”

’So Fufeng City has found the body of the Waling Kingdom’s deputy envoy. That simplifies things.’

”An Yin Mountain Python.” Wu Jingsong shook his head. ”He was also the son of General Silver Mountain of the Waling Kingdom. He was forty this year, just about to reach adulthood. I heard General Silver Mountain had him tag along with the delegation to gain some experience, never expecting this tragedy. The envoy has asked the Grand Tutor to investigate, to see if any of General Silver Mountain’s enemies are also in Fufeng City.”

”Oh? So the Grand Tutor also believes it was a revenge killing?”

”We can’t say for sure yet. We only know his body was drained of all blood and flesh. If it wasn’t for revenge, who would be so vicious?” Wu Jingsong said seriously. ”Fufeng City’s internal and external affairs are a complete mess right now. If you’ve found anything, Brother Hee, I’d appreciate you letting me know.”

Hee Lingchuan pondered for a moment before asking, ”This Yin Mountain Python you mentioned, was it a large, grayish-white snake with fine black markings on its scales?”

Wu Jingsong jolted. ”Yes, yes, that’s the one! You saw it?”

”That night, a crow reported a large amount of Emperor’s Liquid appearing by the lake. When I rushed over, countless Demons and Martial Artists were fighting to the death on the shore. The battle was horrific. The two victorious ’Laozhi’ were about to collect their spoils when they were scared off by a group of about ten people. The Waling Kingdom deputy envoy you mentioned, that Yin Mountain Python, tried to sneak up on the leader of that group to launch a surprise attack. But the leader exposed its true form instantly, and his men surrounded and slaughtered it.”

Wu Jingsong was stunned. ”What? The Waling Kingdom’s deputy envoy was killed trying to steal the Emperor’s Liquid?”

’Was the cause of death really that simple? Did he die for the Emperor’s Liquid just like all the other Demons?’

”Didn’t you say several delegations lost members after getting involved in disputes over the Emperor’s Liquid?” A demon is a demon, after all; their status as an envoy didn’t make them any more restrained.

Hee Lingchuan shrugged. ”I also heard them say they’d killed the wrong one.”

”Killed...” Wu Jingsong was dumbstruck. ”The wrong one? Who were they trying to kill?”

’So the Yin Mountain Python died for nothing?’

”I don’t know.”

A chill ran through Wu Jingsong’s heart.

’They killed the wrong target? That means they’ll strike again!’

Hee Lingchuan added, ”The Yin Mountain Python must have looked very similar to their actual target to have been mistaken.”

’In other words, their target is also some kind of serpent?’

”As for the ones who killed the envoy, you saw them yesterday.”

”Huh?” Wu Jingsong started, his mind reeling. ”You mean those people at the inn last night? Curses, why didn’t you say so sooner!”

Hee Lingchuan picked up a slice of the soy-braised beef and chewed it slowly.

’Mmm, chewy and flavorful. As expected of snacks from a time-honored shop.’

”On the night the Emperor’s Liquid appeared, Demons and Martial Artists were dying by the dozen at Three-Heart Lake. It was nothing unusual. If you hadn’t mentioned this Yin Mountain Python, how would I have known he had such a prominent identity?” That night, forget human lives being treated as worthless—even Demons died like dust. Who would care after the fact?

”Their leader calls himself Fushan. He was the one who snuck near the inn last night, probably to kill me and silence a witness.”