Chapter 1126

Dong Rui understood and took out a bag of meat jerky from his arms and handed it to it.

These were small pieces of meat dried to be half-dry and half-wet, just right for a bird of prey to eat one by one.

He Lingchuan knew as soon as he saw it that this was the ration for the bat demon puppet.

The eagle owl couldn't help but take a bite to taste it.

Hmm, unsalted, chewy, elastic, not bad, not bad.

It was very satisfied and immediately said: "The slip for purchasing Bright Lamp Grass hung on the notice board for too long and was blown away by the wind. I remember the slip said the purchaser lived in Beard Inn!"

What He Lingchuan was concerned about wasn't where the purchaser lived, but the fact that someone was purchasing Bright Lamp Grass.

This showed that the purchaser knew there would be Bright Lamp Grass nearby.

Besides the Carefree Sect, who else could supply Bright Lamp Grass?

"You wouldn't happen to have seen what the purchaser looked like, would you?"

"All covered their faces, couldn't see," the eagle owl said lazily. "Honestly, even if they didn't cover their faces, I couldn't tell you; that's the rule of the trade."

Dong Rui wouldn't give up: "Height, appearance, fat or thin, can't tell?"

The eagle owl turned its head and ignored him.

If it broke the rules, how would it earn rations in the future? Other monsters had to go outside to find food, but it only had to stand here and have food delivered to its door every day.

"Then, what about the one purchasing Du Yun Stone?"

"There, it's still here," the eagle owl pointed down with its wing. "Hasn't been torn off."

The three looked, and sure enough, a slip was pasted on the top left corner of the notice board, which read:

Purchase five pieces of Du Yun Stone, sit in the guest hall of Willow Inn, turn two cups upside down.

The first sentence was the purchase requirement.

The second and third sentences were the code for meeting.

The purchaser asked the seller of Du Yun Stone to sit in the hall of Willow Inn and turn two wine cups upside down on the table, and naturally, someone would come out to negotiate.

"No one tore off the slip," Dong Rui asked He Lingchuan. "Do you want to go to Willow Inn to try your luck?"

He Lingchuan was very straightforward: "No need, it's a wasted trip."

"Ah? How do you know?"

"Do you think Jin Bai and the others haven't tried?" He Lingchuan turned to ask the eagle owl. "Besides us, has anyone else come to ask about these two pieces of news recently?"

"Yes, a few big guys came to ask me half a month ago, and even gave me a bag of raw beef."

He Lingchuan knew it was the Shadow Tooth Guard as soon as he heard it. The size of Jin Bai and the others was indeed outstanding among the locals.

Jin Bai had also come to inquire about this news, so he must have gone to Willow Inn to try his luck.

He didn't mention it when talking to He Lingchuan just now, which meant his luck wasn't good.

"He wasn't unlucky, but—" He Lingchuan looked at the slip, his gaze flickering. "I think this slip is just a bait."

"Bait? Used to fish for whom?" The Soul-Absorbing Mirror in his arms couldn't help but ask. "People without Bright Lamp Grass or Du Yun Stone information, why would they care about these two slips?"

"Most people are indifferent and won't go to Willow Inn to find the purchaser, so their tricks won't be exposed."

Dong Rui wondered: "You mean, these people don't want to purchase at all, they just want to convey information to the outside?"

"Didn't Jin Bai take the bait? He saw someone purchasing Du Yun Stone here; as long as he goes back to consult the Carefree Sect Sect Master, he can deduce that the thief's intent is to refine the Heart Lamp."

Others came to check the notice board, and He Lingchuan's group of three turned and left the Ghost Market.

Walking on the dirt road, Dong Rui suddenly realized: "Then once Jin Bai hears that the Bo state's second prince's insanity has improved, he will conclude that the Bright Lamp Cup was stolen by the Bo state."

"It's just a deduction," He Lingchuan said modestly. "Just a deduction. Who dares to say that the person purchasing Du Yun Stone definitely isn't the Bo state royal family?"

The two talked, and A-Hao listened with his mouth agape on the side:

Insanity? Theft? And the Bo state royal family! Oh my god, what did he hear? What exactly are these two people doing?

Today's outing was truly unlucky!

He Lingchuan turned to him and smiled slightly: "Just right, I have something to ask you."

This smile looked like the Grim Reaper had come in A-Hao's eyes. He couldn't help but shiver: "Y-y-you, I, I don't know anything, don't kill me!"

"Answer honestly, not only will you have your life, but you'll also have money." After speaking, He Lingchuan flipped out a large silver ingot.

This was such a large silver ingot, and the moonlight it reflected lit up A-Hao's eyes.

He calculated immediately: it could be exchanged for two full months of meat, more than a dozen sets of new clothes, and going to Xiangxuefang in the east of the street to let people serve him comfortably for a few nights.

Or, keep it as capital to sell more chewing tobacco.

This beautiful longing for the future miraculously soothed A-Hao's mood, making him gradually calm down: "Y-y-you, what do you want to know?"

"We are newcomers to the Bo state and don't know much about this place. Can you, a local, tell us about it?"

Next, He Lingchuan asked questions, and A-Hao answered.

He Lingchuan also collected information on the Flash Gold Plain before setting off, but firstly, the time was tight, and secondly, there were many small countries here, and the king changed every three days, so the intelligence was either incomplete or outdated—just like the Yuan state was next to Beijia, but most people in Beijia didn't know or care how many prefectures the Yuan state had, what products it had, or who the monarch was.

Even Fang Canran couldn't recite the names of all the small countries on the Flash Gold Plain.

For the Bo state, where the incident occurred, He Lingchuan only knew a little bit, and had to ask the local natives for the specific situation.

A-Hao was less than twenty-five years old this year, but he was older than the Bo state, because this country had only been established for thirteen years.

The area of the Bo state was about the same as the Fu state, and it was also a tiny country; although it sat against the mountains and faced the sea and had a natural good port, its innate resource endowment was far better than the Fu state, but its fate was very bumpy.

Within eighty years, seven kingdoms had been replaced here.

The shortest one was the former monarch, who was on the throne for only thirty-five days before being usurped by the current one, and died silently after being imprisoned for half a year; it is said that he died of depression.

The Bo King was originally a high official of the previous dynasty, and he was exactly at the age of knowing destiny when he usurped power; now he is over sixty.

Since he took power, he has fought three wars with other countries, and during this period, he also suppressed domestic rebels twice—he started by usurping power, so others naturally wanted to follow suit.

These rebel leaders were all generals of the previous dynasty, with soldiers and land, and were very hard to fight.

The Bo state had only been established for a short thirteen years, and seven of them were spent in great military conflict, so the domestic environment was turbulent; but it borrowed a large amount of debt to fight, and until now, it still owed creditors a large sum of money, and for the past few years, it could barely pay the interest.

This money couldn't not be repaid, so it had to increase taxes on the people, which led to the abandonment of farmland and the flight of people and merchants.

Ordinary people like A-Hao couldn't survive in their hometowns, so they fled to the port to find a meal.

He Lingchuan asked about the situation of the Bo state royal family again.

After A-Hao finished speaking, he knew why the Bo King was anxious:

The Bo King had four sons in total; the eldest son was killed by his own hands six years ago;

The second son had extraordinary talent and was most favored by the Bo King, but went into qi deviation while practicing a year ago and became insane;

The third son died of drowning before he reached adulthood;

The fourth son was only seven years old and young.

Actually, this old man could give birth, but he just couldn't produce a male heir, having thirteen princesses in total, and the male heir he longed for just wouldn't come out.

Dong Rui interjected: "How old is this second prince?"

A-Hao thought for a while: "Seems to be twenty-five or twenty-six?"

"How is the Bo King's health?"

A-Hao looked left and right, no one was there: "I don't know."

Dong Rui laughed: "No wonder he must get the Bright Lamp Cup, he's afraid of having no successor."

The Bo King was already over sixty, and the fourth son was only seven, so he couldn't count on him. If something happened to him, this Bo state, which had only been established for thirteen years, would probably change its surname again.

If the second prince's sanity returned to normal, it would solve the Bo King's heart-worry.

He Lingchuan pondered: "Regarding the fact that the second prince's sanity is gradually recovering, how much do you know?"

A-Hao shook his head blankly: "This, I just know there is such a thing."

It was only announced to the whole country in the last two days.

Dong Rui looked at him sideways: "Then you are useless."

A-Hao shivered and immediately said: "No, no, no, I can go inquire!"

Dong Rui sneered: "You, a small thug at the pier, can inquire about what inside information?"

"Can, I can!" A-Hao hurriedly said, "The godfather of our gang leader works in the palace and is the Vice Guard Commander of the Imperial Feather Guard! He often sends two subordinates to the pier to collect filial piety. I am very familiar with these two guards, and their news is very well-informed, especially about things in the palace! From what dishes Concubine Mei ate for breakfast, to which palace servant lost how much money, they are all clear."

He swallowed his saliva: "According to the date, these two are coming to collect money tomorrow, or at the latest the day after tomorrow. I, I can inquire about news for you two! Not to mention here, I can even get intelligence from the Bo capital!"

"Good." He Lingchuan raised his hand and threw the large silver ingot to him. "To get what you want, you have to spend money."

A-Hao caught it and was about to thank him, when the Ghost Ape on his shoulder pinched his chin and pried his mouth open, and Dong Rui threw a pill into his mouth, and pressed his throat.

A-Hao felt the "pill" twist twice in his throat, and then it was swallowed by him.

The aftertaste in his throat was a bit bitter and a bit fishy. He said fearfully: "This, what is this?"

"A gut-piercing insect that will attack in five days," Dong Rui smiled. "Within five days, you must bring news to exchange for the antidote, and you must keep it secret for us, otherwise the insect will turn into a moth, bite through your intestines, and break out of your abdomen. This is my exclusive secret technique, no doctor you find will be able to solve it! If you don't believe it, just go and ask for a diagnosis."

Where would a small thug who steals and pickpockets have any credibility? Dong Rui had to add a layer of insurance.

A-Hao was scared out of his wits.

Dong Rui added: "Press your Qihai acupoint, which is your lower abdomen."

A-Hao followed the instructions and pressed it; his abdomen suddenly spasmed, and he was caught off guard, immediately squatting on the ground in pain, almost crying.

"If you don't get the antidote in five days, the pain will be ten times more intense than it is now."

He Lingchuan also squatted down and said to A-Hao: "You must focus on finding out two things: what exactly the second prince used to recover his sanity, and where this thing came from. If you get the answer, you won't have to die."

A-Hao caught his breath and nodded desperately: "Yes, yes, I will definitely ask clearly and thoroughly for you two!"

(End of chapter)