After the Immortal Disappeared

Chapter 408: Chapter 407: One Big, One Small

Sure enough, the Stone Gate Merchant Team loaded the remains of the Guard Team and the envoys onto their carriages without issue. After traveling for more than a mile, they encountered the Guard Team’s returning scouts.

The two parties met, and the scouts led the Stone Gate Merchant Team to the Guard Team’s vice-captain, Xiang Yunhuan.

With the leader dead, the vice-captain had automatically become the new leader.

The team that had seemed so invincible just a few double-hours ago was now resting in the Stone Forest, their morale at rock bottom. Hee Lingchuan glanced over and saw that most of them were wounded.

Shi the Second tried to hand the bodies over to Xiang Yunhuan, but after a moment’s hesitation, the latter unexpectedly asked the Stone Gate Merchant Team to continue transporting his comrades’ remains to Baiyang Town up ahead. The Guard Team would receive them there.

Although carrying the dead was considered bad luck, Shi the Second readily agreed this time. Xiang Yunhuan had promised, ”I will report your contribution to my superiors.”

Shi the Second could also see that the Guard Team had lost most of their horses and carriages. With so many dead and wounded, they didn’t even have the capacity to transport their own fallen comrades and had to rely on the help of civilian merchant teams like his.

For the entire Guard Team, it had been an utterly miserable day.

The Wind Demon, which had vanished for centuries, had suddenly reappeared. The Chiyan Envoy was abducted, the Guard Team had suffered heavy losses, and even the Spirit Seed entrusted to them by the King of Treasure Tree was gone.

What was even more frustrating was that they had no idea who the mastermind was.

Fortunately, the envoys from the White Elephant Kingdom and Xuluo Kingdom were still alive, and the captain himself had died in the line of duty. Xiang Yunhuan could at least give a report when he returned.

Regardless, the mission had to continue. The team had to be led, and over a hundred men were looking to him for guidance.

Forcing himself to rally, Xiang Yunhuan waved down a large bird of prey and ordered it to fly ahead to Fufeng City with a message. He himself would continue his unfinished mission, escorting the two remaining envoys to the northern border before returning to Fufeng City to accept his punishment.

As the bird of prey descended, Hee Lingchuan realized that several Bird Demons had been secretly following the Guard Team. They hadn’t shown themselves during the battle, likely because the winds had been too strong for them to get near the Wind Demon.

Hee Lingchuan couldn’t help but marvel once again at how useful these high-altitude scouts were as lookouts and messengers.

He heard Shi the Second comforting Xiang Yunhuan, ”This road has been peaceful for centuries. Who could have predicted the Wind Demon would launch a sneak attack? This isn’t your fault, Lord Xiang. Your superiors won’t be too harsh.”

Xiang Yunhuan frowned.

Hee Lingchuan chimed in, ”The real question is how the Wind Demon was revived. That’s what’s worth investigating. If you can figure that out, Lord Xiang, you’ll have eliminated a hidden threat from this vital passage.”

Wind Demon Rock and Black Stone Stronghold were key points on the main north-south route through the Treasure Tree Kingdom; all traffic had to pass through them. If the Wind Demon was truly back, it would pose a major threat to anyone traveling across the tundra.

Hee Lingchuan’s words were no exaggeration. Shi the Second sighed as well. ”That’s right. Didn’t our King deal with the Wind Demon long ago? Is it possible that in four hundred years, this place has nurtured a second one?”

Wind Demon Rock was home to the bizarre Meridian Divine Wind. If it could birth the first Wind Demon countless years ago, who was to say it couldn’t create another?

Hee Lingchuan waved his hand dismissively. ”The chances of natural elements like earth, water, fire, and wind developing sentience are less than one in a million compared to other types of demons.” ’Of course, that’s only true in the current environment,’ he thought.

The Ancient Era was another matter entirely. In a world overflowing with Spiritual Qi, every bizarre thing imaginable could run rampant; nothing was off the table.

”Even if a second Wind Demon did appear naturally, how could it be such a coincidence that it’s at the old site of the Piaomiao Sect?”

Having spent over a month with him, Shi the Second had begun to understand his character. ”Don’t keep us in suspense, Brother Hee. You clearly know something.”

”We’ve all visited the old site of the Piaomiao Sect. At the exit of the stone cave, there are three large words carved into the cliff in the Ancient Immortal Language: ’Wind Master Rock.’”

”So, in Ancient Times, the Piaomiao Sect and the locals actually called the Wind Demon ’Elder Feng,’” Hee Lingchuan said calmly. ”To them, it was likely a Spiritual Object that guarded the Immortal Sect and the entire tundra, not a monster. That means the Wind Lion Lord statues were created in its image.”

People erect statues of Deities, Saints, Marsh Wardens, and Water Spirits in the belief that these beings will bless and protect them.

It’s not surprising, then, that the ancient people would also erect statues for the Wind Demon—or as they called it, Elder Feng.

”But have you noticed? The Wind Lion Lord statues almost always appear in pairs, one large and one small.” Hee Lingchuan retrieved a pair of Wind Lion Lord statues from his Storage Ring. The larger one was as tall as a person, while the smaller one was less than three feet tall.

Shi the Second recalled what he’d seen in the cave and couldn’t help but nod. ”That’s right, it’s true! The Wind Lion Lord statues in the fields and in the caves all came in pairs. I heard the locals say it’s to distinguish between male and female.”

”How can a Wind Demon be male or female?” Xiang Yunhuan had heard those legends, too. He looked at Hee Lingchuan. ”Are you saying the Piaomiao Sect actually had two Wind Demons?”

”Yes, one large and one small.” Hee Lingchuan patted the stone statues. ”Just like these two.”

Art always imitates reality. If there weren’t two Wind Demons, why would the Piaomiao Sect have created such statues?

”Are you saying our King subdued one Wind Demon but missed the other?”

That was a dangerous thing to suggest, and Hee Lingchuan wasn’t about to take the bait. ”Those are your words, not mine.”

Xiang Yunhuan was speechless.

Hee Lingchuan patted the smaller Wind Lion Lord. ”They might not be male and female, but they could be father and son. Perhaps the smaller one was born from the larger one. Or, you could call it ’dividing’?”

The King of Treasure Tree itself was neither male nor female, but the Spirit Seeds it produced were equivalent to its Clones.

So why couldn’t the Wind Demon do the same?

Xiang Yunhuan’s voice was strained. ”Even if a smaller Wind Demon survived, why would it attack us now, after four hundred years of peace? Was it awakened?” At this, his eyes suddenly sharpened. ”Could it... have something to do with the Chiyan Envoy?”

His main task on this trip was to escort three envoys back to the Northern Realm.

The Wind Demon’s attack created chaos, and someone had taken the opportunity to abduct the Chiyan Envoy, jumping straight off the cliff with them.

At the time, the winds were too powerful for the Bird Demons to get near the battle. After the fighting ended, Xiang Yunhuan had sent them down the cliff to search, but he knew in his heart that it was a long shot.

Did the mastermind create such a huge spectacle, even risking the wrath of the King of Treasure Tree, just to abduct the Chiyan Envoy?

What was so special about a mere envoy—an ordinary human who had just come to offer birthday congratulations?

”Lord Xiang, are you aware that before the King of Treasure Tree’s grand celebration—on the very night the Emperor’s Liquid appeared—the vice-envoy from Waling Kingdom was murdered? The investigation revealed that the culprit had been targeting the envoy from Shanyu Kingdom but attacked the wrong person.”

”I knew the vice-envoy from Waling Kingdom had been murdered.” Xiang Yunhuan gave Hee Lingchuan a strange look. ”Who are you?”

Although the young man had a remarkable bearing, Xiang Yunhuan had been so dejected earlier that he hadn’t even had the presence of mind to ask his name.

Hee Lingchuan presented a Silver Token from the Grand Tutor’s Mansion. ”I have some connection to Young Master Sha, Sha Xinghai of the Grand Tutor’s Mansion, and was invited to observe the celebration.”

On the Treasure Tree Kingdom’s turf, this thing was truly useful.

Shi the Second chimed in with a grin, ”Young Master Hee has already promised Grand Tutor Sha that after he finishes his business in Lingxu City, he will return to Fufeng City to serve as an official.”

He phrased it quite artfully, making it sound as if Grand Tutor Sha was begging Hee Lingchuan to return and take up a post.

”I see.” Xiang Yunhuan relaxed his guard slightly. It wasn’t unusual for talented individuals to serve in a Demon Kingdom, and they often moved between the various kingdoms. ”Are you saying this series of plots was directed at the envoys?”

Hee Lingchuan spread his hands. ”It’s just a guess.”

”No, no, your theory makes sense,” Xiang Yunhuan countered. ”I was previously in charge of part of the security detail at the Post House, Liuu’s House. The envoys from the Shanyu Kingdom and the Chiyan Kingdom were staying in the same courtyard.”

The enemy first targeted the Shanyu envoy, then later abducted the Chiyan envoy. And as it happens, the two were living right across from each other in Fufeng City.

That couldn’t be a coincidence, could it?

A glint appeared in Hee Lingchuan’s eyes. ”That would make it very convenient for the two envoys to exchange things. Could there have been some kind of handover?”

Xiang Yunhuan nodded. ”That makes sense. If the two of them were conspiring, meeting during our King’s birthday celebration would be the perfect cover.”

He thought for a moment, then added, ”The Shanyu delegation arrived in Fufeng City two days later than scheduled. I heard from one of their servants that along the way, a petty thief stole the Special Envoy’s Brocade Bag. It contained silver coins, miscellaneous items, and their travel Documents. They spent some time recovering it.”

”Did they lose anything?”

”No, they said they recovered everything.”

Hee Lingchuan had a flash of insight. ”No wonder the Shanyu delegation didn’t pass through Three-Heart Plateau on schedule. So they were delayed on the road.”

Fushan Yue had waited for his prey there in vain, and the envoy from Waling Kingdom ended up taking the fall instead.

At that moment, the Bird Demon the Guard Team had dispatched earlier returned. It reported that the Chiyan Envoy’s body had been found on the mountainside of Wind Demon Cliff. He had been killed by a broken neck.

Hearing this news, Xiang Yunhuan couldn’t help but press his temples. The last shred of hope he’d been clinging to was gone. It seemed the mastermind had already gotten what they wanted.

He was about to be very busy again and had no more time to talk with the two of them.

He had a mountain of problems to deal with.

And Hee Lingchuan, for his part, had finally connected all the dots.

The Shanyu Kingdom wanted to give a gift to the King of Chiyan, but instead of using the conventional method of presenting it in person, they took advantage of the King of Treasure Tree’s eight-hundredth birthday celebration. The Shanyu Envoy brought the treasure to Liuu’s House, the post house in Fufeng City, and handed it over to the Chiyan Envoy to take back to his own kingdom.

In other words, this was a private transaction between the two Monarchs, not meant for public knowledge.

But Fushan Yue had somehow obtained this intelligence and planned to intercept the treasure en route. He first set an ambush at Three-Heart Plateau, a place the Shanyu Envoy was sure to pass. But then the Emperor’s Liquid appeared, and he ended up killing the Waling Kingdom’s envoy instead. Meanwhile, his intended target, the Shanyu Envoy, was delayed by the theft of his Brocade Bag and never walked into Fushan Yue’s trap. He arrived safely in Fufeng City and completed the handover with the Chiyan Envoy.

The ”treasure” was now in the possession of the Chiyan Envoy.

Fushan Yue had no choice but to follow him to Fufeng City.

He planned to go after the Chiyan Envoy, but who could have known that Hee Lingchuan, seeking revenge for the chase at Three-Heart Plateau, would report him, leading the Government Office right to his door?

Fushan Yue’s plan was foiled once again.

Fortunately for him, the guy was tenacious and had a Plan C: use the Wind Demon to ambush the Guard Team and snatch the Chiyan Envoy in the ensuing chaos.