After the Immortal Disappeared

Chapter 477: Chapter 476: A Mason Has No Good House

Seeing that Wan Song had no regard for his own life, Hee Lingchuan leaned in closer and asked, ”Do you remember Qinggu?”

”The woman from the Red Hall.” Wan Song sneered. ”Are you planning to use her to threaten me?”

”Even Wan Xianneng is irrelevant now. She’s nothing.” Hee Lingchuan chuckled. ”I’m talking about the baby in her belly—”

Wan Song’s expression flickered as he heard Hee Lingchuan draw out the words: ”—your child.”

Wan Song was stunned for a moment, then couldn’t help but burst out laughing. ”AHAHAHA... OUCH!”

The movement tore at his wounds, and the pain was excruciating.

But the more it hurt, the more he wanted to laugh.

”You’re saying... you’re saying Qinggu is carrying my child?” He was laughing so hard he was almost in tears. ”Could you at least come up with a more believable lie?”

Hee Lingchuan sighed. ”You’re about to die. Why are you still keeping secrets for Mr. Mai?”

”I just love watching you people grasping at straws!” Wan Song panted. ”If I die, you won’t be able to complete your task, and you’ll be in for some serious trouble!”

A flush of color had returned to his cheeks, and he even seemed much more energetic. Hee Lingchuan knew it was the final flicker of life before death.

Hee Lingchuan waited patiently for Wan Song to finish laughing before speaking slowly. ”Alright, you brought this on yourself. The doctor said the dates line up perfectly. Qinggu had no other clients but you during that period. Have you forgotten? About a hundred days ago, you came into a lot of money and generously booked her for an entire month.”

”I just saw her a few days ago, and she didn’t even mention this!”

”Of course. She didn’t know herself. Some women don’t show at all, even at three months pregnant,” Hee Lingchuan said. ”It wasn’t until we took her into custody that she suddenly fainted. Only then did a doctor come to check her pulse.”

”Your words are meaningless. Keep making things up!” Wan Song snarled. ”A woman like Qinggu takes precautions. She couldn’t possibly be pregnant!”

”Suit yourself.” Hee Lingchuan pointed to his broken leg. ”I’ve already had my men cut a piece of your flesh. Qinggu is waiting right outside. If you don’t believe me, we can cut the baby out of her right now and test if it’s your flesh and blood.”

Wan Song scoffed. ”Do what you want.”

Hee Lingchuan nodded to the Official at his side. The latter immediately went out and quickly came back in carrying a woman, placing her on another bed next to Wan Song.

The woman was unconscious. It was Qinggu.

Wan Song frowned. ”What’s wrong with her?”

”Time is precious, so I had to knock her out first.” Hee Lingchuan spread his hands. ”You didn’t think I’d cut her open while she was awake, did you? I’m not that cruel.”

He turned to the doctor beside him. ”I’ve never cut out such a small Purple River Carrot before. How big is a three-month-old fetus?”

The doctor held up a finger. ”About a finger long.”

”Can you tell if it’s a boy or a girl?”

”Yes, it’s already taken shape.”

Hee Lingchuan pointed at Qinggu. ”Alright, do it.”

The doctor hesitated. ”This...” ’I’m a healer, not a killer.’

”You can’t do it?”

”Sir, this...”

”Fine, I’ll do it myself.” Hee Lingchuan pulled a dagger from his boot, casually grabbed a cloth from the tray next to Wan Song to wipe it, then gave it a deft flick.

Wan Song sneered. He didn’t buy it.

’This guy is bluffing. Even if she is pregnant, and even if it is my child, what good would it do him to cut it out? He thinks I’ll cooperate with him after he kills my child?’

”You block my path, so I’ll end your bloodline. It might not benefit me, but it’ll make me feel a hell of a lot better.” Hee Lingchuan patted Wan Song’s cheek with the back of his dagger, a vicious smile spreading across his face. ”Come on. Tit for tat.”

Wan Song glared at him fiercely.

Hee Lingchuan walked over to Qinggu’s side. With a sudden slash of his dagger, he tore through her inner and outer robes. The doctor helped him pull aside the ruined clothes, exposing the woman’s abdomen.

His blade was so fast it left an afterimage, yet the movement seemed exceptionally casual.

Wan Song was caught off guard, and his brow twitched as he watched.

Hee Lingchuan had already extended his Divine Thought. Without even looking up, he could see every detail of Wan Song’s expression and knew he had him.

”Last chance.” Hee Lingchuan poked Qinggu’s belly. Wan Song’s gaze sharpened as he realized Hee Lingchuan had used the handle of the dagger. ”Your crimes are enough to get your entire clan executed. There’s no escape. But my superiors don’t know there’s an unborn child with the surname Wan. As long as I don’t say anything, and the doctor here keeps his mouth shut, you can still leave a descendant in this world. So, are you going to cooperate?”

Wan Song sneered but said nothing. Hee Lingchuan, however, noticed his jaw clench as he gritted his teeth.

The doctor at the side couldn’t help but say, ”Sir, just a half-inch cut to start...”

”What, are you afraid of hurting the fetus?” Hee Lingchuan said to Wan Song with a smirk. ”Open your eyes wide and see if your little bastard is a boy or a girl.”

With that, he pressed the dagger below Qinggu’s navel and sliced.

Wan Song saw the tip of the dagger pierce the skin with his own eyes. Convinced that the man was truly ruthless enough to cut the baby out, he finally roared, ”Stop!”

Blood trickled down Qinggu’s belly, but not much. Hee Lingchuan’s hand, holding the dagger, paused. He tilted his head and asked him, ”Going to talk?”

”I’ll talk.” Wan Song took a deep breath. ”Just don’t hurt it.”

Even for a man as cold-hearted as he was, on the verge of death, he desperately hoped to leave a descendant behind.

”Now you’re talking. Mr. Mai is just your Master, not your real father. Why would you protect him at the cost of your own son’s life?” Hee Lingchuan thought for a moment. ”Oh, he’s not actually, is he?”

”He’s not.”

Only then did Hee Lingchuan withdraw the dagger. He wiped the blood from its tip and said to the doctor, ”Take her away and stop the bleeding.”

At this point, Wan Song was no longer afraid of showing weakness. He urgently asked the doctor, ”Is my child alright?”

The doctor carefully checked her pulse, then shook his head. ”It’s fine.”

Then, they carried Qinggu out.

Hee Lingchuan sat down again. ”Alright, let’s be straight with each other. I’ve spared your child’s life. What will you give me in return?”

Wan Song closed his eyes, defeated. ”What do you want to know?”

”What are Pulp Pearls used for?” Hee Lingchuan started firing off questions. ”Why is the demand so high?”

”You swear an oath first.” Wan Song wasn’t stupid. ”Swear that my child will be safe.”

”Fine. I swear to the heavens I will never harm a descendant of Wan Song. Happy now?”

Only then did Wan Song speak. ”It’s one of the main ingredients for refining the Lifespan Extension Pill, which is also known as the Fountain of Youth. As for how to refine it, or what other ingredients are needed, I have no idea.”

”Fountain of Youth?” Hee Lingchuan’s interest was piqued. The name sounded familiar; he seemed to recall the late King Yuanl mentioning it in the Illusion at the ruins of Thousand Star City. ”What does it do when consumed?”

”It’s... said to extend the lifespan of the one who takes it.” Wan Song coughed a few times, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. ”It was originally called the Lifespan Extension Pill, but later people just started using the name of the Ancient Immortal Pill, ’Fountain of Youth.’ But I’ve never used it, so I don’t know for sure.”

”You hunt for Pulp Pearls for Mr. Mai all day. Why haven’t you gotten a dose of the Fountain of Youth for yourself?”

”Easier said than done,” Wan Song said coldly. ”As if something like that is for the likes of me to consume.”

He glanced at Hee Lingchuan. ”No need to beat around the bush. I’ve never seen the finished product, nor will I ever. The tiler has no good house, the carpenter has no good bed. I’ve accepted my lot.”

”Then who is it for?”

”I don’t know. I’m only responsible for turning in Pulp Pearls in exchange for silver coins.” Wan Song rolled his eyes. ”Who else could use something like this? The rich and powerful, obviously.”

”Tell me about the Lingxu City Messenger.” With demons in his party, Hee Lingchuan had to raise their biggest concern. ”Why did you kill it?”

”I didn’t know beforehand,” Wan Song said, a hint of resignation in his voice. ”If I’d known, why would I have gone after it? Did I want to get myself killed?”

”How did you find it?” Hee Lingchuan found it strange. ”The White-shouldered Eagle flies high in the sky. How did you know when it would land?”

”There’s a small lake outside Shuangyi Town. The water is clear and full of fish and shrimp, so many migratory birds stop there, including quite a few Bird Demons,” Wan Song recalled. ”We hadn’t found a suitable Demon in the wild for days, so Mr. Mai ordered us to go to the lake near Shuangyi City to try our luck. After we got there, we saw the White-shouldered Eagle... It was drinking water, and it was the largest and most conspicuous. The other birds all kept their distance. A Demon like that produces the most Pulp Pearls, so we set our sights on it.”

He licked his lips. ”It was already evening. We figured the White-shouldered Eagle would spend the night there, so we waited until dark to make our move. The process was smooth, no hitches.”

”So you killed the White-shouldered Eagle in its sleep?” Hee Lingchuan knew that for these flying Messengers, unless the message was long, it was usually delivered verbally.

Not having it on paper made the information more secure.

But on the other hand, it was precisely because there was no written message that the White-shouldered Eagle’s death was so pointless.

”...Yes.”

”So, you’re saying you chose the White-shouldered Eagle as a target by chance, not as part of a preconceived plan?”

”We can’t predict the future.” Wan Song paused to catch his breath.

Hee Lingchuan waited a few breaths. Seeing that he had actually started to drift off, he had no choice but to reach out and push him. ”Stay with me. If you fall asleep now, you won’t wake up.”

Only then did Wan Song slowly come to.

”Tell me more about Mr. Mai. How did he show up?”

This time, Wan Song thought for a long while before recalling the memory. ”Originally, my handler’s surname was Bai. A few years ago, he was replaced by Mr. Mai. His temper was much better than Bai’s, and he was quite kind. He even negotiated higher pay for us. Twice, during the New Year, he even sent us gifts.”

”How do you know he took over from Bai and didn’t just kill him and take his place?”

”The Token Command and the password all matched,” Wan Song said indifferently. ”As long as I get paid regularly, I couldn’t care less about the rest.”

”Who is Mr. Mai’s superior?” Since Wan Song’s handler could be replaced, it meant Mr. Mai wasn’t the one at the very top.

”No idea. Never met them.” Seeing Hee Lingchuan’s brow furrow, Wan Song feared he was unsatisfied and added, ”But that person should live in the north. The two times Mr. Mai brought us New Year’s gifts, they were both local specialties from Baisha Jue. And one time...”

”Hm?”

”One time, Mr. Mai suddenly requested the Snail Toad be dispatched, but not to hunt Demons. It was to transport people.”

”Oh?” Hee Lingchuan’s interest was piqued. ”Who?”

”There were four people in total, all wearing masks, so I don’t know their origins. But the leader was a woman. You could tell from her figure, and she also thanked Mr. Mai. Mr. Mai said there was no need, that he was just repaying a favor, and he made the woman swear an oath to never reveal the existence of the Snail Toad to outsiders.”