Where Immortals Once Walked

Chapter 539: Interrogation Through the Night

Every profession has its own specialization. An ordinary cultivator might very well be left completely helpless in this situation. Besides, this young man looks like he walks the path of martial cultivation.

After taking the cloth doll, He Lingchuan did nothing else with it. Very casually, he tucked it into his lapel, as if what Bai Ziqi had tossed over was silver and he was simply pocketing it. He even gave his chest two light pats.

Then Bai Ziqi saw the stag beetles on the ground all freeze in place.

Every single one of them stood as still as a carved statue. Even their antennae did not twitch.

“Please undo the restraint on them,” said He Lingchuan. He also wanted to know what method Bai Ziqi had used to keep these unruly insects under control.

Bai Ziqi took out a horsetail whisk from his robe and gave the beetle swarm below a gentle flick.

A gust of wind swept through. He Lingchuan had the distinct sense that something had been blown off the stag beetles and carried away.

Only then did they begin lifting off in twos and threes, circling around He Lingchuan.

He still could not tell what method Bai Ziqi had used.

Fortunately, Bai Ziqi probably had not figured out his method either.

He Lingchuan took the cloth doll back out of his robe and waved it at the swarm. “Go home. There’s nothing fun outside.”

With a loud whoosh, the swarm rushed at him.

More accurately, they rushed at the doll.

Their bodies were huge, yet somehow they all squeezed into that tiny opening. In any case, after only several dozen breaths, not a single stag beetle remained at the scene. Every one of them had gone back to the nest.

Bai Ziqi could not help but applaud him. “Excellent, excellent! How did you do that?”

“Cheng Yu never actually tamed the beetle king either. He just found a shortcut.”

“Oh?”

“He used an evil ghost he had raised to control the beetle king,” He Lingchuan said with a smile. “Otherwise, trying to build a close bond with an insect king... Well, that doesn’t seem especially easy.”

Back in his squad in Panlong City, there was a beast tamer named Old Yu. He had once said that beasts that stood between ordinary wild animals and monsters were the hardest to tame. Their intelligence had already begun to awaken, so they were somewhat sly, but they still did not know how to read the situation.

And among them, insects were the hardest of all.

It was incredibly difficult to communicate with them effectively.

Cheng Yu had probably run into exactly that problem, so he had simply taken the fastest route.

The reason He Lingchuan had been able to tame the beetle king so quickly was that he had borrowed Cheng Yu’s method.

After all, he had the Soul-Stealing Mirror. And inside the Soul-Stealing Mirror, he happened to be raising two evil ghosts.

The mirror had taken the evil ghost off the beetle king and replaced it with one of its own obedient lackeys. The stag beetle king was simple-minded, not particularly capable of thought, with only a touch of proud temper.

As far as the ghost inside the mirror was concerned, controlling this kind of possessed host was no great difficulty. The stag beetle king was quickly soothed and brought to heel.

He Lingchuan calmly put the doll away. “Many thanks for the generous gift, Deputy Cloud Envoy Bai.”

Bai Ziqi studied him carefully for two moments before saying, “For Cheng Yu to lose to you, he truly was not wronged.”

He Lingchuan could only answer with an awkward chuckle.

He could tell that Bai Ziqi had dealt with both men with complete ease, without expending much effort.

In truth, He Lingchuan would have preferred to trade the beetle-nest doll for the white-and-gold candle. That thing looked much more useful.

But he felt Bai Ziqi would never agree. It was, after all, a treasure of Star-Plucking Tower. He should not ask for trouble.

By then, the constables finally caught up from behind and put talismanic cangues on both fugitives.

This manhunt, which had thrown the whole city into an uproar, had at last come to an end.

Bai Ziqi let out a breath and dusted off his sleeves. A constable led the spirit deer over for the envoy to ride.

Only as He Lingchuan watched Bai Ziqi’s retreating figure surrounded and escorted away by the crowd did the corner of his mouth lift, just a little.

The giant serpents formed by the lamp spirit had truly been difficult to handle.

Bai Ziqi’s divine technique was indeed far stronger than he had expected.

But Bai Ziqi had also failed to see through the method He Lingchuan had just used!

The real show was still to come.

* * *

By the time He Lingchuan returned to Baishajue, another half an hour had passed before Fushan Yue came back from the northern route.

“Good thing Deputy Cloud Envoy Bai went with you on the western path!” When Fushan Yue heard that Cen Boqing had been captured, he let out a long sigh of relief. “If that bastard had slipped away, he’d definitely have fled far from Beijia and never returned to the state! Hm? Where is he?”

“Deputy Cloud Envoy Bai took him back to the county yamen, along with Cheng Yu.” The moment Cheng Yu came up, He Lingchuan felt an unease he could not shake. “The interrogation hasn’t started yet. Commander Lu has also sent men over to guard them. Deputy Cloud Envoy Bai said he’d wait until morning to interrogate them together with you.”

“Heh, so he still remembers.” Before they split up to pursue the fugitives, Fushan Yue and Bai Ziqi had made an agreement that no matter who caught Cen Boqing, the interrogation would be conducted together.

It was the middle of the night, and everyone was dusty and disheveled after the chase. They all needed to go back, wash up, and change clothes. Fushan Yue even called out for He Lingchuan to join him for a late-night meal.

At that moment, however, one of Commander Lu’s personal guards suddenly rushed over to report, “Deputy Cloud Envoy Bai has gone to the county yamen. Also, that Cheng Yu you captured has woken up.”

He Lingchuan’s heart sank.

Could it be that Bai Ziqi means to interrogate Cheng Yu? What connection could a mere curse master possibly have to the monster-hunting and bead-harvesting case? Why can’t Bai Ziqi even wait a few hours? Why is he insisting on questioning him right now, in the middle of the night?

The method He Lingchuan had used last time to defeat Cheng Yu was not something that could be made public. So now he felt guilty and uneasy.

“Cheng Yu’s awake?” When they brought Cheng Yu back, he had still been unconscious. That strike from the lamp spirit in the form of a white fireball had been devastatingly fierce, and that true fire on the candle also seemed to have some restraining effect on Cheng Yu’s curse arts.

“He’s awake. He’s barely hanging on, but he can still speak.”

He Lingchuan glanced at Fushan Yue. “Is that appropriate?”

Fushan Yue thought it over. “He’s interrogating that curse master, not Cen Boqing. That doesn’t really count as breaking the agreement.”

He had no interest in Cheng Yu.

He Lingchuan immediately said, “Cen Boqing is the key figure in this case, yet Bai Ziqi wants to interrogate Cheng Yu through the night. Don’t you find that strange?”

“Mm, it is a little strange.” Fushan Yue stroked his chin. “I’ve dealt with people from Star-Plucking Tower a few times before. Usually, they’re only enthusiastic about bathing, changing clothes, burning incense, and worshiping the gods. They’re never this eager about anything else.”

Cheng Yu was already a prisoner. They could question him anytime. Why did it have to be tonight?

“Does he not want us to know what he’s asking Cheng Yu?” Fushan Yue’s eyes shifted.

He Lingchuan knew Fushan Yue was rebellious by nature, so he pressed further, “Didn’t you say this Deputy Cloud Envoy Bai might have some other objective?”

Fushan Yue stiffened.

He had long suspected that Bai Ziqi had come south for another purpose, and now the man wanted to secretly interrogate the curse master behind his back. Could Bai Ziqi be targeting my father and me all along, trying to dig up some compromising evidence?

In recent years, the State of Chiyan and Lingxu City had not exactly been on friendly terms. And Fushan Yue’s royal father had recently submitted memorial after memorial, openly exposing the secret private refining of the elixir of youth. The matter had even alarmed the gods. The Lord Emperor was likely furious beyond measure.

Just then, an owl dropped from the night sky. It folded its wings and bowed to Fushan Yue.

He Lingchuan guessed this was probably one of the owls from Uncle Da’s team, specifically from the same group that had once gone to Golden Spring Elegant Baths to capture Fushan Yue. But to human eyes, owls all looked more or less alike, so he was not certain.

“Your Highness, Yao Xingning, the eldest daughter of the Minister of Finance, has suddenly gone to the Cen Residence. She beat up two of Commander Lu’s soldiers and forced her way inside. No one dared stop her.”

“What?” Fushan Yue jumped. “That hellcat Yao is here?”

He Lingchuan remembered that when he had gone to visit Xiang Yan, the old man had said that it was fortunate Cen Boqing’s wife had not come, or this case would have been even harder to handle. And now, just as the case was nearly wrapped up, she had arrived.

Fushan Yue had just returned from outside the city, and his mount had not even had its saddle removed. He immediately hauled it out and got on. “Come on, to the county yamen! I want to see exactly what kind of medicine Bai Ziqi is selling in that gourd of his!”

Once Fushan Yue became stubborn, he never cared whether it was day or night. In any case, all of Baishajue had already been thrown into chaos tonight. What was one more mad ride through the dark?

He Lingchuan also mounted his cliff ram and followed. Watching Fushan Yue charge ahead alone, he had the distinct feeling the prince was not merely going to question Bai Ziqi.

He was also avoiding someone.

The streets were clear at this hour, so several riders sped unimpeded all the way to the county yamen.

He Lingchuan’s face had tightened as well. He had to know what answers Bai Ziqi had dug out of Cheng Yu.

* * *

But when the two men arrived at the entrance to the county yamen, Commander Lu just happened to be stepping out. He looked up, saw Fushan Yue, and nearly jumped before hastily bowing.

Is it already over? He Lingchuan’s heart tightened. “How did Deputy Cloud Envoy Bai’s interrogation go?”

Commander Lu sighed. “The moment Deputy Cloud Envoy Bai went in, he drove me back out.”

Fushan Yue strode in, acting as if no one else existed.

Private interrogations like this were always held in side rooms, not the main court. Fushan Yue headed straight for the brightest room lit by lamplight, and the attendants outside did not dare stop him.

Inside, there was only a large bed and a single chair.

A sickly-looking patient lay on the bed. Sitting in the chair was none other than Bai Ziqi.

Fan Sheng stood behind him.

At the four corners of the room stood four white candles burning steadily. Their flames rose straight upward, utterly motionless.

“Oh my, Deputy Cloud Envoy Bai works hard indeed, capturing the criminals and then hurrying straight into interrogation without pause!” Fushan Yue stepped inside in one stride, smiling broadly. “And who is this fellow?”

At a glance, he could tell Bai Ziqi had not even changed clothes.

Is he really this pressed for time?

“Curse Master Cheng Yu.” Bai Ziqi glanced at him and said mildly, “Your Highness, please sit.”

Though his expression was gentle, when the Crown Prince of Chiyan entered, Bai Ziqi did not so much as shift his backside. He remained seated, perfectly steady.

He did not even rise.

He Lingchuan watched coldly from the side, gaining a more direct sense of just how high the status of a cloud envoy truly was. And Fushan Yue seemed not to mind either. Once two chairs were brought over, he sat down casually, directly below Bai Ziqi.

The side room was not large to begin with. With two more people crammed in, even the guards now had to turn sideways to enter and leave.

The moment he sat down, Fushan Yue asked, “What is so special about this man that Deputy Cloud Envoy Bai must question him personally?”

Given Bai Ziqi’s status, even a sick man could have been made to kneel before him. Yet Bai Ziqi had come personally to question Cheng Yu and was acting almost solicitous. At a glance, Fushan Yue could tell this did not look like the treatment of an ordinary prisoner.

“I have not yet interrogated Cen Boqing. I thought that by the time Your Highness returned to the city, you would also need your rest.”

Bai Ziqi deliberately pointed out their agreement, and at the same time glanced at Commander Lu. The place was full of Fushan Yue’s eyes and ears. He had barely begun questioning Cheng Yu. He had not even gotten through two preliminary questions before the crown prince had rushed over.

From the inn to here, if the crown prince had not been riding at full speed, how could he have arrived this quickly?

“Deputy Cloud Envoy Bai is indeed a man of integrity, but I couldn’t very well let an imperial envoy labor alone while I slept soundly in bed.” Fushan Yue rubbed his nose. “Besides, this man cursed and attempted to kill my special envoy. I came to hear him testify against Cen Boqing!” The moment he opened his mouth, he tied Cheng Yu and Cen Boqing together. He then immediately pointed at He Lingchuan, turned to Cheng Yu, and asked, “Do you know who he is?”