Where Immortals Once Walked

Chapter 470: Traces of Mr. Mai

The old caretaker let out one single, terrible scream, and then his body went slack, fainting dead away.

His eyeball had been gouged out alive. It rolled in Zhongsun Mou’s spoon, intact and whole.

Zhongsun Mou casually picked up a cup, poured water over the eyeball to rinse it clean, and only then held it up to the light for a closer look.

“As expected, it’s this.” With the tip of the spoon, he pried out a tiny creature from the eyeball, something like a little red worm. The moment it hit the tabletop, it began to wriggle. “An eye mite.”

The parasite itself posed no danger to humans. The old man likely had not even known it had been planted in him. However, it was a medium that allowed the user to share the host’s field of vision.

Because the eye mite was a living parasite rather than a divine technique or magical spell, the earlier inspection had turned up nothing. The only reason Zhongsun Mou caught it was that the mite adjusted its coloration when the lighting changed abruptly. That tiny reaction had given it away.

There was no question as to who had tampered with the caretaker’s eyes.

It was Mr. Mai.

This meant that Mr. Mai could see whatever the caretaker saw without needing to show his face at all.

Zhongsun Mou stared at the eye mite and, instead of anger, felt a surge of excitement. “An eye mite can’t maintain its link if the host is too far from its owner.” He then ordered a guard, “Send more people and tighten the search. That bastard is very likely still hiding in town!”

His subordinates hurried to obey. They dragged the old man away, then fetched clean water and washed the blood from the floor until it was gone.

Zhongsun Mou went to the window and drew a long, controlled breath.

The target was slippery. None of this could have been improvised on the spot, especially the eye mite.

In other words, the moment the caretaker stepped into that little courtyard, Mr. Mai had been watching through his eyes, taking in every detail.

Whether it be how many pursuers there were, what they looked like, or their relationships to one another, all of it had been handed to Mr. Mai for free.

* * *

About an hour later, a guard returned with a report.

The local government office had been extremely cooperative. Reward notices were already plastered across Shuanglu Town’s streets and alleys. Mr. Mai’s portrait was up everywhere, and people were even shouting the notice aloud beside the postings.

Anyone who could report Mr. Mai’s whereabouts would receive fifteen taels of silver.

A fortune like that drew crowds instantly.

Some townsfolk clicked their tongues in amazement. To them, Mr. Mai looked like a decent man. They simply would not have pinned him as a criminal.

Zhongsun Mou’s men questioned the onlookers, and the townspeople all confirmed that Mr. Mai really did look like that. In fact, several merchants in town had bought goods from him and done business with him.

The caretaker’s description had been accurate.

Of course, those merchants were now all detained for questioning.

Zhongsun Mou listened with his eyes half-closed. Then he asked abruptly, “And that group led by the one surnamed He?”

“They’ve already left Mr. Mai’s residence and returned to the inn.”

“They didn’t go anywhere else?”

“No. They went straight back to the inn. They didn’t stop anywhere on the way.”

Zhongsun Mou gave a low, amused chuckle. “I thought they had other tricks up their sleeves.” So they’re nothing special after all.

The guard added, “But after you left, they stayed at Mr. Mai’s house for more than half an hour.”

“What were they doing?”

“Unclear. Two drillwind beasts were guarding the gate, so we couldn’t enter. We only know they gathered in the study and talked. It looked like they were examining something together.”

Zhongsun Mou’s expression darkened slightly, but he quickly reasoned it through. “They arrived before me. They probably found something but refused to share. Anyway, who exactly is that He fellow? Any news from the Baishi County magistrate?”

“The magistrate said it was his first time meeting him. He only heard from Royal Guard Jiao that the envoy isn’t from the State of Chiyan, and that the Crown Prince treats him with considerable respect.”

“Not from Chiyan?” Zhongsun Mou’s eyebrows rose in genuine surprise. “Fushan Yue actually found a foreigner to serve as his envoy?”

This question was naturally not one that the guard could answer.

Envoy isn’t some casual title. It comes with real privileges and authority. Handing that kind of power to someone from another state, is Fushan Yue simply reckless, or does he trust this man that much?

Zhongsun Mou understood the Crown Prince of Chiyan better than most. Fushan Yue was arrogant and ruthless. He was someone who commanded respect by force of will alone. If even he treated the man surnamed He with respect, then the man probably had real ability.

But earlier, Zhongsun Mou had let his hatred of Fushan Yue spill over, and he had shown the envoy surnamed He no warmth at all.

At that moment, another subordinate stepped forward and said, “My lord, the chewing tobacco has been identified. It’s definitely produced in the Qi Province of Chiyan.”

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

Zhongsun Mou snorted. “Did they really need to identify that? Only Qi Province’s chewing tobacco comes in white-skinned bamboo tubes. Those bamboo tubes naturally seep a citrus-like fragrance.”

In Beijia, each vassal monster state had its own tobacco production. Even within a single monster state, chewing tobacco varied by region.

The land nurtured its people, and they formed habits tied to it. The same went for tobacco.

Zhongsun Mou knew many nobles and merchants carried their local chewing tobacco with them when they traveled. They just found themselves unable to get used to other brands.

“Also, we recovered clothing from Mr. Mai’s bedroom and cabinets.”

“And?”

“We brought back twelve pieces of clothing. Two of them are made of Yanghu White fabric,” answered the man. “Yanghu White is a long-established brand in Qi Province, produced in Baishajue. The locals love it. And these two items have been worn for some time.”

If they were everyday clothes, then they were not props placed to mislead investigators.

Zhongsun Mou’s eyes narrowed. “Baishajue in Qi Province?”

That area lay close to the State of Chiyan’s northern border. Go another fifty kilometers or so farther north, and you would already be in Lingxu City territory.

A little while later, another report arrived.

“My lord, the analysis of Mr. Mai’s account books is complete.”

They had practically moved Mr. Mai’s entire study, paying particular care to carry away the papers. They took every document. He Lingchuan had not even been left a scrap.

Even if those documents were just part of Mr. Mai’s cover, Zhongsun Mou still believed they mattered.

Because the businesses recorded there were real.

And anything real leaves traces.

With manpower on his side, Zhongsun Mou’s people produced the results quickly:

Mr. Mai primarily dealt in medicinal herbs and edible oils, but they were all small-scale trades. In Shuanglu Town, he was, at best, a lower-mid-level merchant, making him unremarkable and easy to overlook.

But such scattered, tedious business could not possibly be handled by him alone, especially when he only visited Shuanglu Town three or four times a year.

Business required negotiation, face-to-face meetings, and the handling of inventory.

An exception would be...

“He has a local warehouse in Shuanglu Town. Incoming and outgoing goods don’t require his involvement. Customers buy by going there to sign and collect.”

“So he’s only a distributor?” Zhongsun Mou’s face then turned grave as he said slowly, “Which means he has an upstream supplier.”

“Yes.” The subordinate nodded. “And we found his supply source. It’s likely in—”

Zhongsun Mou cut him off. “Near Baishajue in Qi Province?”

“Ah, no. It’s in Qi Province, but at Mount Fengchao.” The man hurried to correct himself. “Maybe ten to fifteen kilometers from Baishajue.”

Zhongsun Mou nodded once. “A clever rabbit doesn’t eat grass by its own burrow. He wouldn’t expose his real nest directly.”

Just then, a soft knock came from outside the room.

The guard opened the door and found an old post-station attendant holding up an oiled-paper bundle. “Someone outside delivered a message. They asked us to pass it on to the lord staying here.”

The guard did not dare hand the bundle directly to Zhongsun Mou. He opened it at the doorway instead, and he found a book inside.

Zhongsun Mou’s eyes flickered. He let out a sound of curiosity and then asked, “Who sent this?”

* * *

Back at the inn, He Lingchuan first filled his stomach, then returned to his room to regulate his breathing and steady his qi.

To outsiders, he looked relaxed, so relaxed that even the impatient General Ling did not press him with questions.

In truth, He Lingchuan had been watching everything that happened on Zhongsun Mou’s side through the eyeball spider’s viewpoint.

His own team was full of powerful monsters, but when it came to reading documents and analyzing data, humans were still better. Their manpower was limited, so why not take advantage of what Zhongsun Mou’s people were already doing?

That was why He Lingchuan had allowed Zhongsun Mou to cart off all the papers earlier. He alone could not have seized much anyway.

“So all the clues point toward the area near Baishajue in Qi Province?” He Lingchuan sat and thought, frowning. “Mr. Mai seems like a careful man. Would he really leave such obvious traces?”

Just then, someone knocked on his door.

He opened it to find an inn attendant holding an oiled-paper bundle.

“Sir, someone specifically asked us to deliver this to you.”

Inside the room, the tiger that had been lounging on a soft couch and licking its fur lifted its head.

He Lingchuan snatched the bundle. “What did the messenger look like? Which way did he go?”

“It, it was the lame beggar from the back alley,” the attendant stammered.

He Lingchuan did not wait for more. He sprang down the stairs, hit the ground running, and within moments caught up to a beggar outside.

If he were lame, he could not move fast.

He Lingchuan flicked two copper coins in front of the beggar’s face. “The one who told you to deliver this, what direction did he go?”

The beggar pointed west.

Jiao Yu had also emerged at the sound. He Lingchuan held the oiled-paper bundle toward it and said, “Track them!”

Even though it was being treated like a dog, Jiao Yu did not bother complaining. It took one sniff of the bundle and bolted down the street, its nose leading the way.

Only then did He Lingchuan return his attention to the beggar. “What did the man look like?”

“Tall, gray cloak, fine fabric, but his hat brim covered his face. I couldn’t see his features.”

He Lingchuan tossed him a few more copper coins and went back upstairs.

After about the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Jiao Yu returned.

He Lingchuan immediately noticed that it came back empty-handed. He then said, as if he had expected it, “No matter. It took that cripple a long time just to reach the inn. That gave Mr. Mai plenty of time to withdraw calmly.”

Otherwise, why choose a lame beggar as the courier?

“The scent vanished halfway,” Jiao Yu said, shaking its head. “He used some technique to hide himself. What’s in the bundle?”

Before He Lingchuan could answer, hoofbeats clattered on the wooden floor outside, followed by a knock with a very distinctive rhythm.

He Lingchuan did not even need to guess who it was.

That knock belonged to General Ling.

When he opened the door, the old ram had shrunk down to the size of an ordinary sheep. It stared up at him with wide, anxious eyes. “I heard movement in here!”

“Your legs are long,” He Lingchuan said dryly. He had the feeling General Ling had been listening the whole time and had not missed a single rustle of wind or grass.

To be honest, whether human or monster, that level of devotion to one’s clan deserved respect.

He let the ram in, set the oiled-paper bundle on the table, and opened it in front of both monsters.

Inside was a book, or more precisely, a handwritten booklet, perhaps seventy or eighty pages. The cover was stiff and new, unmistakably unused.

Jiao Yu’s eyes widened. “Huh, isn’t this... Records on Worshipping the Gods?”

That work was a set of notes written in the late years of Beijia’s previous monster emperor, Wu Chen. Every aristocratic family and clan in Lingxu City possessed a copy, as did every vassal monster king.

And of course, households in Lingxu City and the various monster state capitals might also have copies tucked away.

Jiao Yu and General Ling had certainly read it before. “Who would send you this?”