After the Immortal Disappeared

The old man let out a bloodcurdling scream and passed out.

His eyeball had been brutally gouged out and was now rolling around in Zhongsun Mou’s scoop, perfectly intact.

Zhongsun Mou casually grabbed a cup, poured some water to wash the eyeball, and held it up to the light for a closer look.

“Just as I thought.” He plucked a small, red, worm-like creature from the eyeball. It fell onto the tabletop and began to wriggle. “An Eye Mite.”

The mite was harmless; the old man hadn’t even known it had been implanted in him. It was a medium, allowing its user to share the host’s field of vision.

Since the Eye Mite was a parasite, the Guards had found no trace of Divine Techniques or Spells when they’d inspected the old man earlier. However, the mite adjusted its color in response to sudden changes in light—a tiny flaw that Zhongsun Mou had managed to spot.

Without a doubt, Mr. Mai was the one who had tampered with the old man’s eye.

This meant that whatever the old gatekeeper saw, Mr. Mai saw as well, without ever needing to appear in person.

Seeing the Eye Mite, Zhongsun Mou was startled, but his surprise quickly turned to delight. ‘An Eye Mite can’t be too far from its master, or it becomes useless.’ He ordered a Guard, “Get more men and intensify the search! The scoundrel is likely still hiding in town!”

His men hurried to obey, dragging the old man away and rinsing the bloodstains from the floor with fresh water.

Zhongsun Mou went to the window and took a long, deep breath.

The target was cunning. These preparations couldn’t have been improvised, especially the Eye Mite gambit.

This meant that as soon as the old gatekeeper entered the courtyard, Mr. Mai had a crystal-clear view of everything inside through the man’s eyes.

The number of his pursuers, their appearances, their relationships with one another—the other party had easily acquired all this intelligence.

…

An hour later, a Guard returned to report:

The local Government Office was fully cooperating. Wanted posters with Mr. Mai’s portrait had been plastered throughout the streets and alleys of Frost and Dew Town, with criers loudly proclaiming the bounty. Anyone who reported Mr. Mai’s whereabouts would receive fifteen taels of silver, a hefty sum that attracted crowds of curious townspeople.

Some people tsked in amazement, remarking that Mr. Mai had seemed like a good person and they never would have guessed he was a wanted Imperial Criminal. It just went to show you could know a man’s face, but never his heart.

Zhongsun Mou’s men quickly made inquiries. The townspeople all confirmed the portrait was an accurate likeness and that several local merchants purchased their stock from him.

So, the old gatekeeper’s description had been quite precise.

Of course, those merchants had now been taken in for questioning.

Zhongsun Mou listened to the report with his eyes half-closed, then suddenly asked, “By the way, what about Hee and his people?”

“They’ve left Mr. Mai’s house and returned to their inn.”

“Nowhere else?”

“No, they went straight back to the inn without stopping anywhere else.”

Zhongsun Mou chuckled softly. “And here I thought they had some real skills.” ‘So that’s all they amount to.’

“But they lingered at Mr. Mai’s house for over half an hour after you left.”

“Doing what?”

“It’s unclear. Two Wind-Drilling Beasts were guarding the door, so we couldn’t get in. We only know they gathered in the study and were talking. It looked like they were examining something together.”

Zhongsun Mou’s expression soured for a moment, but he quickly put the pieces together. ‘They arrived before me and must have found something, but they’re refusing to share.’

“Also, what’s the deal with this Hee character? Any word from the White Stone County Magistrate?”

“The White Stone County Magistrate was also meeting him for the first time. He only heard from Jiao Guard that the Special Envoy isn’t a citizen of the Chiyan Kingdom, and that the Crown Prince treats him with considerable respect.”

“Not from Chiyan?” Zhongsun Mou was astonished. “Fushan Yue actually appointed a foreigner as his Special Envoy?”

The Guard had no answer to that.

The title “Special Envoy” was more than just a name; it came with corresponding privileges.

‘Entrusting such power to a foreigner… is Fushan Yue simply audacious, or does he have extraordinary trust in this man?’

Zhongsun Mou knew more about Chiyan’s Eldest Prince than most. For someone as arrogant and fierce as Fushan Yue to show another person respect, that person had to be remarkably capable.

But his dislike for the master had extended to the man, and he had treated Hee with disdain.

Just then, another man reported:

“Sir, the analysis of the Chewing Tobacco is back. It’s confirmed to be from Qii State in the Chiyan Kingdom.”

They had found half a tube of Chewing Tobacco hidden in Mr. Mai’s desk and brought it back for analysis.

Zhongsun Mou scoffed. “As if I needed them to identify it. Only Chewing Tobacco from Qii State is packaged in white-bark bamboo tubes. Those tubes exude a citrus-like aroma.”

It wasn’t just that each of Beiga’s Vassal Demon Kingdoms had its own tobacco; even within a single Demon Kingdom, the Chewing Tobacco varied by region.

Just as the land and water shape the people, so too do people become accustomed to their local Chewing Tobacco.

Zhongsun Mou knew that many nobles and wealthy merchants brought their local Chewing Tobacco with them when they traveled, finding it hard to get used to other brands.

“A-and there are the clothes we retrieved from the chests in Mr. Mai’s bedroom.”

“And?”

“We brought back twelve articles of clothing. Two of them are made of ‘Yanghu Bai’ fabric,” the man said. “‘Yanghu Bai’ is a time-honored brand from Qii State, a specialty of Baisha Jue, and very popular with the locals. Both pieces have been worn for some time; they aren’t brand new.”

‘If he wore them regularly, they weren’t planted there as a misdirection.’

Zhongsun Mou said slowly, “Qii State… Baisha Jue?”

That place was already near the Northern Realm of the Chiyan Kingdom. A little over a hundred li further north and one would reach the territory of Lingxu City.

A moment later, another Guard reported:

“Sir, the analysis of Mr. Mai’s ledgers is complete.”

They had practically emptied Mr. Mai’s study, taking every last Document and not leaving so much as a scrap of paper for Hee Lingchuan.

Even though the Documents might just be a smokescreen set up by Mr. Mai, Zhongsun Mou still believed they held some value.

Because the businesses themselves were real.

Anything that exists leaves a trace.

He had plenty of men, so the analysis was produced quickly:

Mr. Mai primarily dealt in medicinal herbs and oils, but it was all small-scale trade. In Frost and Dew Town, his operation was, at best, a modest, lower-end business that didn’t attract much attention.

But he couldn’t have managed such a piecemeal business all by himself, especially since he only visited Frost and Dew Town three or four times a year.

Business required liaising and face-to-face meetings, unless…

“He has a local warehouse in Frost and Dew Town. He doesn’t have to worry about shipments; customers who want to buy something just go there, sign for it, and take it.”

“In that case, he’s just a distributor?” Zhongsun Mou’s expression grew grim. “He has a supplier!”

“Yes, and we’ve traced his supply source. It’s most likely at—”

Zhongsun Mou cut him off. “Near Baisha Jue in Qii State?”

“Ah, no. It’s in Qii State, but at Hive Mountain,” the man said quickly. “Probably twenty to thirty li from Baisha Jue.”

Zhongsun Mou nodded. “A cunning rabbit doesn’t eat the grass near its burrow. He wouldn’t expose his own nest so directly.”

Just then, a soft knock came from the door.

A Guard opened the door to find an old posthouse guard holding up an oil-paper-wrapped package.

“Someone outside delivered this and asked us to pass it to the gentleman in this room.”

The Guard didn’t dare hand the package directly to Zhongsun Mou, unwrapping it by the door instead.

Inside was a book.

Zhongsun Mou glanced over and let out a surprised, “Huh? Who sent this?”

…

After returning to the inn, Hee Lingchuan first ate his fill, then went back to his room to regulate his breathing.

Others saw him as perfectly composed; even the impatient General Antelope didn’t approach him with questions.

In reality, he had been watching everything unfold at Zhongsun Mou’s location through the eyes of his eyeball spider.

‘My companions are all powerful Demon Beasts, but reading documents and analyzing data is a job for humans. We’re short-handed, so it’s better to just let Zhongsun Mou’s team do the work and reap the benefits.’

That was why he had let Zhongsun Mou take all the Documents—it wasn’t like he could have snatched many of them himself anyway.

‘So, all the clues point to the area around Baisha Jue in Qii State? Mr. Mai seems like a sharp character. Would he really leave such an obvious trail?’

Just then, a crisp knock sounded at his door.

Hee Lingchuan opened the door to find an inn attendant holding out an oil-paper-wrapped package.

“Sir, someone asked for this to be delivered to you.”

The great tiger, which had been licking its fur on the soft couch, lifted its head at the sound.

Hee Lingchuan snatched the package. “What did they look like? Which way did they go?”

“I-it was brought by the lame beggar from the back alley.”

Without waiting to hear more, Hee Lingchuan leaped to the floor below and, in two strides, caught up with the beggar outside the inn.

A lame man couldn’t move quickly.

He produced two copper coins and flashed them in the beggar’s face. “The person who gave you this—which way did they go?”

The beggar pointed west.

Jiao Yu had come out at the commotion. Hee Lingchuan held out the oil-paper package for it to sniff. “Track it!”

He was using the great tiger like a hound. Jiao Yu had no time to complain, simply catching the faint scent and dashing off in pursuit.

Only then did Hee Lingchuan calmly ask the beggar, “What did the person look like?”

“Tall, wearing a gray cloak. The fabric was fine, but the brim of their hat covered their face. I couldn’t get a good look.”

Hee Lingchuan tossed the copper coins to him and headed back upstairs.

About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the great tiger returned.

Seeing it had returned empty-handed, Hee Lingchuan consoled it, “Don’t worry about it. It took that lame beggar a long time just to get to the inn. That was more than enough time for Mr. Mai to make a leisurely escape.”

‘Why else use a lame man?’

“The scent vanished midway,” Jiao Yu said, shaking its head. “He used some Spells to conceal himself. What’s in the package?”

Just as it finished speaking, a clatter of footsteps sounded on the floorboards outside, followed by a knock.

The knock was distinctive; Hee Lingchuan knew at once that it was General Antelope.

He opened the door to see the old goat had shrunk to the size of an ordinary sheep and was staring up at him eagerly. “I heard a commotion!”

“You sure have long legs.” Hee Lingchuan knew General Antelope probably kept one ear perpetually trained on this room, not missing the slightest disturbance.

‘Honestly,’ he thought, ‘whether human or Demon, such dedication to one’s people deserves respect.’

He let the goat in, took out the oil-paper package, and opened it in front of the two Demons.

Inside was a book—or, more accurately, a notebook. It was only seventy or eighty pages long, but its cover was crisp and it looked brand new.

Jiao Yu was astonished. “Huh? Is this… the *Record of God Worship*?”

This great work was a collection of personal notes written by Beiga’s former Demon Emperor, Wuchen, in his later years. The nobles of Lingxu City and all the Vassal Demon Kings possessed a copy.

Of course, some commoners in Lingxu City and the capitals of the various Demon Kingdoms might have copies in their collections as well.

Jiao Yu and General Antelope had, of course, both read the book. “Who would send you this?”