Chapter 3: The Identity of the Pursuers

He Lingchuan’s expression sank. The news that the original owner and the leopard had fallen off the cliff together had been suppressed by the He estate. That sand leopard was later secretly transported back to the city for an autopsy, where it was discovered that it had already been severely wounded before attacking He Lingchuan.

Now that these two out-of-towners had suddenly come running to inquire about the whereabouts of the sand leopard, it meant they were related to the people who had hunted the leopard demon and caused He Lingchuan such misery!

This lead could not be allowed to slip away.

"Where are those two?"

"Still at the tavern; our altar master is waiting for your instructions."

"Keep them there."

"Understood." The messenger laughed, "Those two fellows are so arrogant, looking down their noses at everyone. One moment they’re complaining that the local wine is sour, the next they’re complaining that the room stinks. The brothers were already annoyed with them, so it would be best to teach them a lesson."

He Lingchuan hesitated for a moment, then stood up: "Lead the way."

He knew that since he had come to this world, it was impossible to only enjoy the benefits without suffering losses or putting in the effort.

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

Uncle Hao, however, said: "I will go first; the Young Master can come later." With that, he left with the man.

As for why the Red and White Path came to tip them off, Altar Master Jin had previously invited He Lingchuan to drink and listen to music, and He Lingchuan had also acted as a go-between for him to get things done, so they had some rapport. In a small place, social networks were everywhere, and of course, the Red and White Path also wanted to take the opportunity to do a favor for the He Prefecture Governor.

When He Chunhua first took office, he discovered that Black Water City was a mix of good and bad, and the most profitable businesses had all been carved up. As the Governor, he naturally hoped for long-term stability in his jurisdiction. Furthermore, Black Water City’s geographical location was critical, so some unsavory forces had to be brought under management. Therefore, he did not cut off their livelihoods to avoid intensifying conflicts, and at the same time, he issued a "Liquor Permit" tailored to local conditions, requiring merchants to hold a permit to sell alcohol.

In other words, from then on, selling alcohol in Black Water City required a license.

No matter who they were, they had to obtain a Liquor Permit from the government, or else they would be dealt with according to the law.

The common people do not fight with officials. Organizations like the Red and White Path could not openly resist the government, and He Chunhua had his methods. By using a mix of soft and hard tactics, he finally managed to bring these rough forces into line through the "Liquor Permit," slowly turning Black Water City into his own territory.

Any movement in the city would soon be known to the He estate.

This was the capability of a local power.

￥￥￥￥￥

The two out-of-towners walked out of a teahouse, just in time to be hit by a strong gust of wind. Before they could put on their veils, the sand carried by the wind stung their eyes, making it impossible to keep them open.

The two cursed a few times, hurried back to the inn to order hot food, and then went down to the public bathhouse.

They washed for a while, and for some reason, they began to yawn incessantly, growing increasingly sleepy, until they actually fell asleep in the wooden tubs.

……

"Splash," cold water hit their faces.

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

……

By the time He Lingchuan walked into the backyard of the inn, Uncle Hao had also come out, his hands wet and his expression grave: "Interrogated. The two of them confessed."

"Are they still alive?" Uncle Hao was naturally stern, and when he pulled a long face, He Lingchuan’s heart sank as well.

"……Alive." Shouldn't the Young Master ask about the content of the confession first? "They claim to be second-rank guards of the Donglai Mansion, sent to Black Water City on orders from the Grand Marshal."

"Donglai Mansion?" Why did these words sound somewhat familiar? He had to search the original owner’s memories.

That fellow was very proficient in eating, drinking, and having fun, and also liked to practice martial arts, but he didn't pay much attention to anything else.

But the three words "Grand Marshal" that followed immediately after gave He Lingchuan a severe shock!

He remembered.

In the Yuan Kingdom, how many Grand Marshals could there be?

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

"These two are actually subordinates of the Pillar of State?" He Lingchuan’s face changed drastically, but then he felt something was wrong, "If so, why didn't they say so earlier? They only confessed after being unable to endure torture. Are they born with a penchant for suffering?"

They were called guards, but in reality, they were equivalent to the private soldiers of the Donglai Mansion. Nobles and aristocrats in the capital were not allowed to maintain armies, but many high-ranking officials secretly raised private soldiers under various guises.

Nowadays, discipline was chaotic, and many policy loopholes were becoming wider and wider. Everyone knew it, but no one mentioned it.

"The mission was confidential; the mansion issued a gag order, forbidding them from spreading it." Uncle Hao reached out, his palm holding two tokens, still stained with blood, "These are Dongming tokens, found on them."

Each token was only the size of a mahjong tile, and even the four corners were rounded, but the thickness was comparable to a leaf. He Lingchuan took them and weighed them; they were very light, with the two characters "Dongming" engraved on them, along with a gold seal.

The purpose of the token was to indicate identity while also preventing forgery. These two tokens were made of a special material—neither gold, copper, iron, nor wood. They looked like jade, but they didn't feel like it when handled, because they were elastic when pressed.

"These should be genuine." Uncle Hao said in a low voice, "I have seen the tokens of the Dongming Mansion before, and they are identical to these. The Pillar of State’s fief produces a strange wood; after the bark is removed, it secretes a gelatinous substance that is colorless, odorless, and translucent, which sets after being baked. Objects made from it cannot be imitated elsewhere."

"Are these two really from the Donglai Mansion?" That meant he was at odds with the Donglai Mansion?

No, it was the Donglai Mansion that was at odds with him.

Separated by a thousand miles, he had inexplicably offended the Emperor’s father-in-law?

Even the original owner of He Lingchuan would feel that things were looking very bad right now. He Lingchuan felt a bit flustered, "Why would tracking a wounded sand leopard turn into a confidential mission?"

The real He Lingchuan had been running wild in Black Water City for sixteen years, living a life of luxury. How could he end up with such a troublesome matter less than two months after taking over?

"These two were assigned to Black Water City to find clues, and they know nothing else. There were more than ten others sent out at the same time, heading in different directions toward 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 rather than the Donglai Mansion."

Wuzhaoling and Black Water City were separated by a province, less than two hundred miles apart, which was much closer than the national capital.

He Lingchuan gave an "oh," not paying much attention.

The current ruler was weak, and Dong Haoming, as a powerful faction, had followers all over the world. What was strange about him planting some people in Wuzhaoling?

"Will more people from the Donglai Mansion come later?"

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

The best way was to chop them down with a blade and destroy the evidence.