Where Immortals Once Walked

Chapter 523: The Failed Attempt

Once he vanished, master and servant could both escape guilt.

Though Cen Boqing was furious, on second thought, he would probably end up feeling grateful to him.

Fushan Yue was genuinely a little frustrated. If the case could not be solved before Lingxu City’s special envoy arrived, then what exactly would the point of the Crown Prince coming here in person amount to?

Just keeping Cen Boqing pinned down and preventing him from fleeing Baishajue?

He Lingchuan consoled him, “Look on the bright side. Since master and servant are divided in heart, they’re nowhere near as tightly bound as they appear. Once we catch Wu Kai and bring him back, getting him to open his mouth and testify against Cen Boqing will be much easier.”

Fushan Yue said irritably, “That’s assuming we catch Wu Kai first.”

He Lingchuan thought for a moment. “Well, when it comes to tracking Wu Kai down, we’re not completely out of options. I still have one clue.”

Fushan Yue was overjoyed. “I knew you had something up your sleeve. At a time like this, we can’t afford delays. Hurry up and show me!”

Only then did He Lingchuan pull out a small oiled-paper packet from his robe.

When he opened it, there were several strands of hair inside, some long, some short.

Fushan Yue leaned closer to look. “Could these be Wu Kai’s hair?” Then, out of long habit, he gave them a sniff. “Mm, no. There’s the scent of camellia oil. This is a woman’s hair.”

Unbelievable. With a sense of smell like that, even a dog would have to concede defeat.

Camellia oil at this time was basically hair gel or styling lotion, and it also had the effect of nourishing the hair. With Wu Kai already being an old man, what need did he have to care for his hair?

He Lingchuan raised a thumb. “You’re something else. This is hair from Wu Kai’s daughter-in-law and grandson. Wu Kai should be with them right now. Since you’ve got capable people under you, you handle the tracking.”

Fushan Yue was delighted. When Jiao Yu had gone to search Wu Kai’s family earlier, the rented house had already been thoroughly cleaned. They had found no useful clues at all, not even hair or nail clippings remained.

“How did you get this?” Fushan Yue did not waste words. After barking an order over his shoulder, he turned back to He Lingchuan with a strange look in his eyes. “Say, isn’t his daughter-in-law only a little over twenty?” That’s basically right at the height of her youth.

“I asked Xiang Yan to get it for me,” He Lingchuan said crossly. “His household maids hear everything under heaven. There’s no gossip they don’t know. Asking around for the whereabouts of Wu Kai’s family was child’s play. And the old man happens to keep a pair of zebra finches. They helped me pick the hair off her comb.”

That pair of tiny avian monsters was useful for far more than just ornament.

“And why were you watching his family in the first place?”

“Just preparing for the worst. I always felt this Uncle Wu was a bit off.” He Lingchuan shrugged. “And not just those two either, I also sent people to investigate his hometown. It turns out that the Wu Family originally comes from Yangshui in Chiyan. Heh, so they were all people of Chiyan to begin with. It’s just that Yangshui is a bit far away, so the intelligence probably won’t get back for a few more days.”

At that point, one of Fushan Yue’s spellcasters arrived. After bowing to him, the man listened to what was required.

So it’s to track down the owner of the hair.

He took out a crystal box from his robes and explained that it contained rootless water. Then he used true fire to burn one long strand of hair into ash and dissolved the ash into the water.

After that, he took out a tiny carved wooden fish about five centimeters long and placed it inside the box, then sealed the lid.

Strangely enough, once the dry wooden fish entered the water, it gradually swelled up. Its belly puffed out, and it even began wagging its head and tail, hardly different from a real fish.

He Lingchuan had first thought this was some kind of animation-type divine technique, but after watching more closely, he felt the fish might originally have been a real one, merely dried into a preserved specimen so that its vitality could last longer...

In any case, the little fish was now swimming merrily inside the box, looking perfectly healthy.

Fushan Yue waited several breaths and, seeing nothing strange happen, could not help asking, “Has the tracking started yet or not?”

“Please wait a bit longer.”

Standing around waiting was not much use, so He Lingchuan asked him, “Right, did you check the other leads Mai Xuewen provided?”

“You mean Wu Kai’s other hunters?” Fushan Yue said, “After receiving your message yesterday, I already sent elite men to Little Gourd Town in Baiting County and had them seize Yang Song and escort him here.”

Yang Song was the leader of another monster-hunting squad. By rank, he was roughly equivalent to Mai Xuewen and also had five or six subordinates under him.

He Lingchuan had always found it odd that someone with Mai Xuewen’s abilities had failed to gather complete information on the other groups. Now that he had seen how Wu Kai arranged things for his family, he understood. The old man really was cautious at all times, in all matters.

“Even if they identify him, Wu Kai still won’t acknowledge anything.” He Lingchuan considered. “But you’ll at least be able to secure more physical evidence that demonfolk of Beijia were killed for their beads.”

Fushan Yue said gravely, “All of that evidence will be useful. But hey, what’s wrong with this fish?”

They had already waited the time it took to drink a cup of tea. Was this method even going to work?

The spellcaster now had a faint sheen of sweat on his forehead. Muttering to himself, he said, “Strange. By all logic, it should be showing the direction by now.”

“Hm?” At that one sound from Fushan Yue, the spellcaster hastily explained, “The fish is supposed to swim toward the direction where the owner of the hair is located.”

So it’s basically an animated divining compass? “Then why’s it failing now?”

“Well...” The spellcaster thought for a moment before answering, “It’s possible that the other side has set up a concealment array to prevent themselves from being tracked.”

“Would a young married woman know how to use something like that?” Fushan Yue turned to Jiao Yu nearby. “Is Wu Kai’s daughter-in-law a cultivator too?”

“She doesn’t seem to be.”

“Then it must be the effect of a magical artifact.” Fushan Yue stroked his chin. “That old bastard Wu Kai really is meticulous. He actually thought of giving his daughter-in-law and grandson something like that to wear.”

With that, he dismissed the spellcaster with a casual wave. “Useless. Your pay is docked by one grade!”

He Lingchuan put the oiled-paper packet away again. He had an idea, but he would have to wait until nightfall to try it.

“There’s one more thing—”

Fushan Yue immediately perked up. “Hm? Go on.”

“If Lingxu City sends someone over specifically to handle this case, will you hand it over?”

The missing courier belonged to Lingxu City.

The missing Touring Commissioner belonged to Lingxu City.

There were suspects, and there was already some physical evidence. At the current stage of investigation by the State of Chiyan, it would be entirely reasonable for a special envoy sent from Lingxu City to take over.

After all, when had Lingxu City ever felt the need to concern itself with complete legal propriety in the first place?

Fushan Yue was taken aback, then said, “Among the victims are many monsters of our own state. We owe them an explanation. So I intend to see this case through from beginning to end.”

I see.

He Lingchuan then took out a scroll from his robe and opened it, pointing to the woman in the painting holding a flute. “Do you recognize her?”

“Huh? Isn’t this State Preceptor Qing Yang?” Fushan Yue sounded greatly surprised. “Why have you got a portrait of her? Don’t tell me this is your type?”

He Lingchuan rolled his eyes. “I don’t like old women.”

I’m only seventeen, alright? Seventeen!

“Well, who knows... Oh!” Fushan Yue remembered. “This is the portrait you took from Mai Xuewen’s study?”

“Yeah.” He Lingchuan knew Jiao Yu would also have reported the progress of the case, so it was no surprise that Fushan Yue knew the details. “I asked him about it, but he refused to say. There’s definitely some connection between those two.”

“Don’t be fooled by how she looks. Among the four Great State Preceptors, State Preceptor Qing Yang is actually the oldest. She celebrated her 190th birthday last year. Even my royal father sent people to Lingxu City with gifts to congratulate her.”

A person nearly two hundred years old, yet with the appearance of someone in her thirties? He Lingchuan quietly drew in a breath. “She’s human?” Two hundred years, that already exceeds the lifespan limit of any normal human alive today.

“Yes.” Fushan Yue said, “They say that when State Preceptor Qing Yang was young, she had a strange encounter and obtained a secret art for preserving youth. Until the day she dies, her appearance won’t age.”

“I thought that was the kind of thing only ancient immortals could do.”

“Who says it isn’t?” Fushan Yue shrugged. “That’s only what I’ve heard, anyway. A state preceptor can manipulate origin energy. That stuff is even better than spirit qi. Who knows how many methods she has?”

“One hundred and ninety years old...” That means 160 years ago, she would have been less than thirty. He Lingchuan’s heartbeat quickened a little, but he still spoke with a casual tone, “In nearly two hundred years, State Preceptor Qing Yang must have fought in a lot of wars, right?”

“Of course. If I remember correctly, State Preceptor Qing Yang accompanied armies into battle at least five times, and she herself was seriously wounded on more than one occasion. Her military merits are extraordinary.”

He Lingchuan sounded surprised. “Someone as exalted as a state preceptor, even if she went to war, should have been under layers of heavy protection, right? What kind of opponent could have injured her?”

“I heard it was the Battle of Panlong City.”

“What?” He Lingchuan’s heart jolted. So it really was that!

“I heard two states requested Lingxu City’s cooperation in a joint campaign, and the Lord Emperor sent State Preceptor Qing Yang along with the army. But that battle was said to have been unimaginably brutal.” Fushan Yue recalled. “It’s a very old story, though. It was long before I was born. I don’t know the specific details.”

Just then, an official came calling on the Crown Prince. He Lingchuan seized the opportunity to say, “I’ll head back first and go play around with the copper man.”

He could not ask any more questions. If he did, it might arouse suspicion.

“Oh, right, when are you reimbursing my travel expenses?”

“Seriously? Didn’t you just win fifty thousand taels?” Among the talented people Fushan Yue had met, some sought power, others sought fame, but someone this pathologically tightfisted about money was the first.

“That’s a separate matter. Talking money hurts friendship.” He Lingchuan shrugged. “Besides, everything in my hands is dead money. If I don’t open new sources of income, all I can do is cut spending.”

Fushan Yue had no choice but to agree.

So, taking full advantage of expenses being covered by public funds, He Lingchuan immediately switched to one of the finest upper rooms in the inn.

In terms of size, lighting, furnishings, bedding, and soundproofing, it was far superior to his previous room. Naturally, the price was lovely too, and he showed not the slightest politeness to Fushan Yue over it.

With the Crown Prince of the State of Chiyan now present, most of the pressure on He Lingchuan’s shoulders had been lifted, leaving him free to devote some attention to researching the golden-armored copper man.

He had already used the thing several times now, and after summing up his experience, aside from his own lack of skill in controlling it, the copper man’s skin and frame were also not sturdy enough. During the battle at Han River, Hong Chenglue had lopped off its head. In the mirror realm, while riding the luan bird, an arrowhead had pierced straight through its arm. And in the battle of the Lotus Palace, it had been damaged quite badly again.

Of course, at present, it was still only a plain copper man, as bare as a bachelor. Once upgraded into a copper guard, all its capabilities ought to improve substantially.

What surprised He Lingchuan was that this time, Fushan Yue had actually brought along one of the royal smiths from the Chiyan Royal Palace.

“Didn’t you want to upgrade it into a copper guard? How can an amateur be more practiced than an expert?” Those had been Fushan Yue’s exact words. “He’s heating the furnace right now. Take the materials and go find him.”

This guy... He Lingchuan finally understood why, despite Fushan Yue’s overbearing and violent temperament, he still had so many followers.

When he treated people well, he really did give generously.