Chapter 3: The identity of the pursuers

He Lingchuan's face sank. The news of the original body and the leopard falling off the cliff together was kept secret by the He Mansion. The sand leopard was later secretly transported back to the city for dissection, and it was discovered that it had been seriously injured before attacking He Lingchuan.

Now that these two outsiders suddenly ran over to inquire about the whereabouts of the sand leopard, it must be related to the people who hunted the leopard demon and harmed He Lingchuan!

This clue cannot be let go.

"What about those two?"

"Still in the tavern, our altar master is waiting for your decision."

"Keep them."

"Good." The messenger smiled, "Those two guys were acting like they were the best in the world, wishing they could look at people with their nostrils, complaining about the sour wine in the countryside one moment, and complaining about the smell in the room the next. The brothers were already angry with them, so it would be best to give them a lesson."

He Lingchuan hesitated for a moment before standing up: "Lead the way."

He knew that it was impossible for him to only enjoy blessings without suffering losses or putting in effort after coming to this world.

Since that's the case, he might as well take the initiative.

Uncle Hao said: "I'll go first, the Young Master can come later." After saying that, he left with this person.

As for why the Red and White Path came to tip them off, Altar Master Jin had invited He Lingchuan to drink and listen to music before, and He Lingchuan had also acted as a go-between for him to handle things, so they had some friendship. In a small place, the network of relationships is always everywhere, and of course, the Red and White Path also wanted to sell a favor to Prefect He.

When He Chunhua first took office, he discovered that Heishuicheng was a mix of fish and dragons, and the most profitable businesses were divided up. As a Prefect, he naturally hoped for long-term peace and stability in his jurisdiction, and because of the tight geographical location of Heishuicheng, some forces that were not visible had to be included in the management. Therefore, he did not cut off the livelihood of these people to avoid intensifying the conflict, and at the same time, he issued a "Wine Permit" according to local conditions, and only those who held the permit could sell alcohol.

That is to say, from now on, selling alcohol in Heishuicheng requires a license.

No matter who it is, they must get a Wine Permit from the government, otherwise they will be dealt with according to the law.

The people do not fight with the officials. After all, organizations like the Red and White Path cannot openly resist the government, and He Chunhua has the means, connecting and hitting, and finally brought these rough forces under control through the "Wine Permit," slowly turning Heishuicheng into his own territory.

Any movement in the city can be known by the He Mansion very quickly.

This is the ability of a local snake.

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The two outsiders walked out of a teahouse, just in time for a strong wind to hit their faces. Before they could put on their veils, they were stung by the sand in the wind and couldn't open their eyes.

The two cursed twice, hurried back to the inn to order hot food and dishes, and then went down to the public bathhouse.

They washed for a while, and for some reason, they yawned repeatedly, getting more and more sleepy, and actually fell asleep in the wooden barrel.

"Splash," cold water hit their faces.

The two woke up immediately, finding themselves tied to chairs, facing a gray wall.

By the time He Lingchuan walked into the backyard of this inn, Uncle Hao also came out, his hands wet, his face solemn: "Interrogated. Those two confessed."

"Are they still alive?" Uncle Hao was already strict, and when he put on a straight face, He Lingchuan's heart sank.

"... Alive." Doesn't the Young Master want to ask about the content of the confession first? "They claim to be second-class guards of the Donglai Mansion, ordered by the Grand Marshal to come to Heishuicheng to handle affairs."

"Donglai Mansion?" Why do these words sound familiar? He had to go to the original body's memory to find them.

That guy was very good at eating, drinking, and having fun, and also liked martial arts, but didn't pay much attention to other things.

But the words "Grand Marshal" that followed immediately shocked He Lingchuan!

Remembered.

How many Grand Marshals can there be in the Yuan Nation?

"The mansion of the Pillar of the Nation, Grand Marshal Dong Haoming, was personally inscribed by the Emperor as 'Donglai Mansion'!" Uncle Hao said word by word, "He is the father of Queen Dong, the father-in-law of the King!"

"These two are actually subordinates of the Pillar of the Nation?" He Lingchuan's face changed greatly, but then he felt something was wrong, "Since that's the case, why didn't they say so earlier, only confessing after being tortured? Are they born with cheap skin?"

They are called guards, but they are actually equivalent to the private soldiers of the Donglai Mansion. The nobles in the capital cannot keep armies, but many high-ranking officials will secretly keep private soldiers, establishing various names.

Nowadays, the discipline is chaotic, and many loopholes in policies are getting looser and looser. Everyone knows, but no one mentions it.

"The mission is confidential, and the mansion issued a gag order, forbidding them from spreading it." Uncle Hao reached out, and two plates lay in his palm, still stained with blood, "This is the Dongming Plate, searched from them."

Each plate is only the size of a mahjong tile, and the four corners are equally rounded, but the thickness is comparable to a leaf. He Lingchuan took it and weighed it; it was very light, with the words "Dongming" engraved on it, and a golden seal.

The function of the token is to indicate identity while also preventing counterfeiting. These two plates are made of special materials, neither gold, copper, iron, nor wood. They look like jade, but they don't feel like it when held, because they are elastic when pressed.

"This should be genuine." Uncle Hao said solemnly, "I have seen the tokens of the Dongming Mansion before, and they are exactly the same. The fief of the Pillar of the Nation produces strange wood, which will flow out of glue after the bark is removed. It is colorless, odorless, and translucent, and it sets after baking. Objects made of it cannot be imitated elsewhere."

"Are these two really from the Donglai Mansion?" In other words, he is at odds with the Donglai Mansion?

No, it's the Donglai Mansion that is at odds with him.

Thousands of miles away, he inexplicably offended the King's father-in-law?

Even the original He Lingchuan should feel very bad right now. He Lingchuan's heart was a bit chaotic, "Why would tracking an injured sand leopard become a confidential mission?"

He Lingchuan has been running wild in Heishuicheng for sixteen years, and his life has been very comfortable. How come he has encountered such a troublesome thing less than two months after he took over?

"They were assigned to Heishuicheng to find clues, and they know nothing else. There were more than a dozen others sent out at the same time, heading to the vicinity of the Red Cliff Trade Route." Uncle Hao added, "By the way, they were originally stationed at Wuzhaoling, so this time they set out from Wuzhaoling instead of the Donglai Mansion."

Wuzhaoling is separated from Heishuicheng by a state, less than two hundred miles away, much closer than the capital.

He Lingchuan said "Oh" and didn't pay much attention.

The current king is weak, and Dong Haoming, as a powerful faction, has party members all over the world. What's strange about him planting some people in Wuzhaoling?

"Will anyone else from the Donglai Mansion come later?"

"They don't know either." Uncle Hao looked into the room twice, "The questioning is over, how should these two be dealt with?"

The best way is to chop them with a knife and destroy the bodies. ===== CHAPTER 4 =====