Where Immortals Once Walked

Chapter 533: Schemes on Every Side

Yet the killer was his own son, and his only remaining blood relative.

That father-son relationship, tsk!

It somehow seemed even more twisted and complicated than the one between him and He Chunhua.

Bai Ziqi shook his head and sighed as well. “Who can say? It’s a thoroughly tangled account.”

As they spoke, the two men drew near the Cen Residence.

It was still surrounded by Commander Lu’s subordinates, but now soldiers were openly escorting people and goods in and out. Compared to the earlier siege-without-attack, this was out in the open, brazen, and unconcealed.

Among the rich and powerful families of Lingxu City currently staying in Baishajue, there were only a few whose status outranked Cen Boqing’s. Now that the Cen household’s downfall had arrived, the neighbors on every side had all come out to watch. The street was packed with people pointing and gossiping.

It was livelier than New Year’s, just a few strings of firecrackers short.

The moment Bai Ziqi arrived, Commander Lu strode over at speed. “My lords, we’ve already taken the Cen Residence. At the moment, we’re searching for Cen Boqing.”

He Lingchuan frowned, but Bai Ziqi cut straight to the point. “Searching? Cen Boqing still hasn’t been captured?”

“The Cen Residence is too large, but we’ve almost searched it end to end and still haven’t found any trace of him.”

At this point, the servants of the Cen household had all been brought out and detained, from the young pages to the kitchen maids. What surprised people somewhat was that the one bustling around, directing all this in person, was actually County Magistrate Tian.

In the flickering firelight of the constables’ torches, County Magistrate Tian held his head high and chest out. Even the rise and fall of his voice as he directed people now carried authority. He looked every bit the part.

The moment he saw Bai Ziqi and He Lingchuan, he immediately put on a smiling face. “His Highness is in the rear garden. My lords—”

Bai Ziqi waved away the rest of the pleasantries. “Have you questioned the servants about Cen Boqing’s whereabouts?”

“Ah, we’re in the middle of doing so, but everyone questioned so far claims not to know.”

This was He Lingchuan’s first time entering the Cen Residence. There was no need to mention the exquisite architecture and carefully arranged scenery. Lotuses and plum blossoms flourished everywhere. A natural spring wound through four gardens, and the koi it raised had grown to nearly two meters long, radiating wealth and grandeur. In the spring itself drifted jellyfish of various sizes, the smaller ones no bigger than fists, while the larger ones were nearly the size of pumpkins, and whenever they touched anything, they glowed red, yellow, blue, green, and other colors. At night, the effect must be spectacular.

He did not know what species they were. He had always thought jellyfish only lived in the sea.

It was now midsummer, the eighth month, and the weather was hot. After only a few steps, one would start sweating.

Yet the entire vast Cen Residence was maintained at a constant twenty-three or twenty-four degrees Celsius. Indoors and outdoors alike, cool breezes stirred gently. Clearly, the heat-averting arrays were functioning perfectly.

Such arrays consumed no small amount of energy. At the very least, the Governor-General of Xia Province in Yuan could never have afforded to run one.

Here, even the farthest toilet got to enjoy the same cooling.

Bai Ziqi asked again, “And Deputy Commander Fan?”

“He was charging around with axes in hand like a gust of wind. No one knows where exactly he is right now.”

He Lingchuan interjected, “Is Deputy Cloud Envoy Bai having him capture someone in particular?”

Bai Ziqi did not hide it. “Mm, Cheng Yu.”

A thud sounded in He Lingchuan’s heart. This special envoy from Lingxu City had only just arrived in Baishajue. Why had he immediately fixed his eyes on Cheng Yu in particular?

“That curse master?” He put on a curious expression. “What’s special about him?”

“His spells are unusual. I may need this man’s assistance in my next case.”

“So Deputy Cloud Envoy Bai already has his next case lined up? Truly a busy man.”

Bai Ziqi once again wore that smiling expression of a godly functionary. “Relieving the burdens of His Divine Majesty and the Lord Emperor is a responsibility I cannot shirk.”

The three of them had only just reached the rear garden when they heard Fushan Yue’s full-throated voice, “Tear apart that rockery and see if there’s a hidden passage underneath!”

The rockery there rose and fell in uneven peaks like a maze. An ordinary person could get lost wandering inside it. Seventeen or eighteen soldiers had looped ropes around its highest peak and were straining with all their might, but the thing had not budged an inch.

Fushan Yue’s sudden suspicion was not groundless. Many grand estates liked to place secret passages beneath rockeries. After all, rear gardens were usually set in more secluded corners, often separated from the street by only one or two walls, and any digging could easily be concealed under the pretext of landscaping work.

In estates this deep and sprawling, gardens were always meticulously crafted. Taking two or three years to complete one was normal; some even took up to twelve or thirteen.

Another dozen or so constables joined in. At last, the jagged artificial mountain nearly seven meters tall came crashing down in pieces like a toppled golden mountain and a shattered jade pillar.

The soldiers swarmed in like wolves and tigers, trampling all through the wreckage, but found no sign of any hidden passage.

Bai Ziqi’s expression darkened. “When was the last time any servant saw Cen Boqing?”

Commander Lu came over to answer. “A page from the second courtyard said that about two hours ago, Cen Boqing had ordered the servants to gather all sorts of odd items, materials for curse spells, by the sound of it. But since the estate was under siege and they couldn’t get hold of any quail, he came up to the rockery himself to catch two magpies instead... That was probably the last time anyone saw Cen Boqing. After that, his lordship went to see Cheng Yu in the side courtyard, and the two of them dismissed every servant while they spoke.”

At that moment, County Magistrate Tian came hurrying over in great strides to report that the entire Cen Residence had already been searched, and there was still no sign of Cen Boqing.

Fushan Yue said coldly, “Search again. Search more! Search more carefully!”

County Magistrate Tian could only accept the order and leave.

“The Cen Residence is completely surrounded, watched by hundreds of eyes, not to mention all the passersby...” Bai Ziqi glanced at Fushan Yue. There was one thing he left unsaid, namely that the Crown Prince himself had also been sitting here in person. “In theory, a living man like Cen Boqing should have had no chance at all to escape.”

Fan Sheng emerged from somewhere and added, “And Cheng Yu.”

Two living men, simply gone without a trace?

The fury radiating from Fushan Yue was almost visible to the naked eye. The delicious duck he had practically gotten into his mouth had suddenly grown wings and flown off?

Then what were all those times he had blocked Cen Boqing’s escape attempts supposed to amount to? Had the man just been playing with him?

“Could it be a mountain-moving array?” Fan Sheng added. “That could teleport someone out.”

Fushan Yue said coldly, “We set up a full prohibition against escape methods. A mountain-moving array should not have been able to function either.”

He Lingchuan thought of something, and his heart thumped. “Right, on the night I chased Cheng Yu, his aura abruptly vanished once it reached Fu Songhua’s house. No matter how I searched, I couldn’t find him.”

Fushan Yue immediately said, “The man has some tricks. There’s no use standing around wasting time here. Go question Wu Kai!”

Wu Kai was Cen Boqing’s confidant. If Cen Boqing had such methods, Wu Kai should know better than anyone.

So Bai Ziqi returned to the inn to interrogate Wu Kai again.

Fushan Yue, meanwhile, called He Lingchuan into the waterside pavilion in the Cen Residence’s garden, dismissed all attendants nearby, and casually laid down a soundproof barrier as well.

Seeing him go through those motions, He Lingchuan could not help but grow serious too. “What is it that makes you this cautious?”

“Bai Ziqi’s arrival is a little strange. For the next few days, help me keep an eye on him.”

“Strange?” He Lingchuan was mildly surprised. “Wasn’t he sent by imperial order to investigate the courier case?”

“Bai Ziqi says he came from the Twilight Plains. Hah. I don’t believe he only reached the plains.”

“You think he entered Chiyan?”

“I’m about ninety percent certain,” said Fushan Yue. “Ordinarily, when an imperial envoy from Lingxu City enters a monster state, he reports first to the local authorities. Only then does someone receive him, and only then does someone cooperate with his work.”

They were all officials, after all. Did doing business not require at least a show of coordination between upper and lower offices?

“But this time, Bai Ziqi snuck in quietly. No one knew he had entered Chiyan, and no one knew his destination either. If Zhongsun Mou hadn’t met with disaster and the Lord Emperor hadn’t urgently reassigned him, I wouldn’t even know he’d come.” Fushan Yue said slowly, “So what is he trying to do?”

He Lingchuan answered him with only two words, “Official business.”

“Rubbish. Of course, it’s official business. Did you think he came because he felt like it?” Fushan Yue gave a cold laugh. “Don’t be fooled by how approachable he seems. Those Lingxu City people believe they are noble by birth. Deep down, they look down on everyone. Unless they’re coming to recuperate in some place like Baishajue, with its lovely scenery, they wouldn’t willingly set foot in a vassal monster state even once.”

He Lingchuan’s face practically said, “I understand. Isn’t this just another rung in the contempt ladder?”

Beijia people looked down on the people of Fu and Yuān. Lingxu City people, in turn, looked down on those of the vassal monster states.

“This Deputy Cloud Envoy Bai does seem formidable.” Bai Ziqi treated people affably, unlike Cen Boqing and Zhongsun Mou, who seemed to look at everyone through their nostrils.

But He Lingchuan could sense that Bai Ziqi’s affability only existed on the surface. It was there to lower other people’s guard.

Bai Ziqi had been carefully observing every person and every thing around him.

Every time the man’s gaze swept over him, He Lingchuan felt uncomfortable, as if Bai Ziqi were probing for secrets hidden in his heart.

And unfortunately, He Lingchuan really was someone who had secrets.

“A cloud envoy stands above ordinary ranks. He answers only to the gods and to the Lord Emperor, and can ignore even the State Preceptors if he wishes. Is that really a position an ordinary man could hold?” Fushan Yue paced a few steps. “Bai Ziqi keeps a low profile and doesn’t show off, and most of the tasks he handles are secret ones, so even I haven’t heard of many of them. But ten years ago, the State of Baixiang nearly fell into internal chaos, and the Lord Emperor sent Bai Ziqi there to mediate. In the end, both sides made peace. Five years ago, something happened in the capital too, and again it was Bai Ziqi who stepped forward to resolve it.”

“He sounds like someone who solves problems.” Every kingdom or organization, after all, had figures like that.

“Mm. By varied means.” Fushan Yue’s brow furrowed. “But under normal circumstances, the errands he handles all have something to do with the gods. So why has he come to Chiyan this time?”

He Lingchuan smiled. “If he needs to get something done in Chiyan, he may end up asking for your help eventually.”

Even as he said it, something jolted in He Lingchuan’s mind.

Bai Ziqi had quietly slipped into Chiyan. What official business had he originally been ordered to perform?

If it had anything to do with the gods, this was Beijia, the land most famous for divine worship. On their own turf, why would the gods still require their envoy to act in secret?

“At least for now, only Deputy Cloud Envoy Bai has reached Baishajue. The Zhongsun Family, the Minister of Finance, and the others still haven’t arrived.” Fushan Yue lowered his voice and added, “I’d say the real show is still to come!”

All the way out of the Cen Residence, He Lingchuan carefully reviewed everything he had done since beginning the investigation.

As far as he could tell, he had not shown any obvious flaw.

“Does that Lord Emperor of Lingxu City truly want the case investigated impartially?” the mirror suddenly asked him. “Wouldn’t that be a good thing for you? If you’re acting in line with the emperor’s will, wouldn’t the pressure on you drop all at once?”

“How is this impartial?”

“He sent over the one person with the fewest ties to any of it.” The Soul-Stealing Mirror said, “Otherwise the Zhongsun Family would want to complain, the Minister of Finance would want to defend himself, and perhaps some other forces would want to meddle with the selection of the special envoy too.”

“Impartial? The person with the fewest ties? Do you really think that?” He Lingchuan smiled faintly. “You’ve followed two generals and a few great powers around, and now you think you understand all the feelings and calculations of human hearts?”