Chapter 419: Picking Up a Person

This private room was clearly innocent; the three of them searched it and left, treating He He Lingchuan, a living person, as if he were nothing. The owl followed them out as well. He He Lingchuan did not bother to argue with them, simply leaning against the doorframe to watch the show.

These few people searched door by door, room by room, causing a scene of chaos.

They were interfering with other people's legitimate business, so the security staff soon arrived.

The two sides disagreed, and a fight broke out.

For a time, it was utter chaos.

He He Lingchuan suddenly half-closed the door and, arms crossed, looked into the room:

"Come out."

No one made a sound.

He continued speaking to the air: "If you don't come out, I'll call those guys back."

Only then did a figure pace out from behind the screen, leaning against the wall to ask him: "How did you know someone came in?"

He He Lingchuan certainly wouldn't tell him that his eyeball spider had come out for air, happened to be perched on the beam, and had seen everything: "Why are you in such a sorry state?"

Yes, he recognized the person who had jumped through the window; it was none other than Fu Fu Shanyue, with whom he had fought just a few days ago! It was just that this fellow was now covered in blood, his left hand twisted at a strange angle, no longer possessing the heroic air of the previous days.

Fu Fu Shanyue slowly moved to a chair and took two breaths, looking completely exhausted: "Revenge is not easy."

"Did you kill the mastermind?"

"No, but it's close." Fu Fu Shanyue said to him, "Close the door."

He He Lingchuan didn't move: "Why should I help you?"

"They want to silence everyone who appeared with me," Fu Fu Shanyue said gloomily. "In the past three days, they've killed two restaurant waiters, a woman, and a mother and daughter who were in the same carriage as me. I suspect the order they received was to kill anyone who appeared with me."

"Killing you is a bit of a hassle, but you seem to have a caravan?"

He He Lingchuan frowned: "If I go to report them, will I be killed too?"

Fu Fu Shanyue grinned at him, his teeth stained with blood: "You can try."

At this moment, the outcome downstairs had been decided: the security staff were no match for those few.

They finished searching all the private rooms before heading out, looking like they were going to the Red Pavilion across the way.

Doing this was very dangerous; sooner or later, they would provoke the local powers.

He He Lingchuan did not call them back, but instead closed the door behind him.

It wasn't that he had the heart to help Fu Fu Shanyue, but that the gang downstairs was too arrogant and domineering.

"Your injury is a bit serious; will ordinary medicine work?" Even to He He Lingchuan's eyes, Fu Fu Shanyue's injuries were heavy; some were inconspicuous, but one look told him they were caused by an explosion.

Explosions usually damage the internal organs.

"Or does eating people make you heal faster?"

This fellow was a demon, so he should have a unique diet and self-healing method.

"Medicine is fine, I count as human; as for eating people, mortals have too much dross, I'd need to eat at least three or five." Fu Fu Shanyue looked at He He Lingchuan and subconsciously licked his lips. This one looked like a great supplement, but he couldn't handle the other's counterattack right now.

He raised his broken arm, "Can you do me a favor?"

He He Lingchuan ignored his covetous gaze, walked over, grabbed his forearm, and pressed it: "Hmm? A part of it has already grown back? When were you injured?"

"This morning."

This fellow's self-healing ability was quite remarkable. "Pity it grew crooked; I have to break it and reset it, bear with it."

"Can you... Ouch!"

With a "crack," He He Lingchuan snapped his arm again, then asked with an innocent face: "What did you say?"

Fu Fu Shanyue used all his strength to keep from screaming, his face pale with pain, unable to finish his sentence: "Anes..."

"Anesthetic?" He He Lingchuan said regretfully, "You should have said so earlier, I would have helped you numb it first." After saying this, he quickly helped him set the bone.

The splint was dismantled from the screen.

Fu Fu Shanyue took a long breath, knowing He He Lingchuan was taking the opportunity to retaliate and make things difficult for him, but he could only swallow his bitterness: "Do you have medicine? I'll take it."

He He Lingchuan found him a few types of medicine, both for internal and external use.

These were all high-quality elixirs that Ling Guang had made for him in the past; every time he used them, he would think of the monkey.

"They're very expensive, use them sparingly." He couldn't make such good medicine himself.

"Stingy." This kid had such great skills, why was he so penny-pinching? Fu Fu Shanyue gritted his teeth, "I'll pay you back tenfold later."

"Why later? Give it to me now." He He Lingchuan reached out, "I'll give you a 20% discount as a friend, thirty silver taels!"

"I don't have any now!" Fu Fu Shanyue said with difficulty, "Didn't all the money I had go to you?"

It was everything, including the silver and the land deeds; he didn't even have a hair left! A few days ago, when he went to do wood carving, he even pawned his black jade ring.

"You are a prince, how did you end up so poor?" He He Lingchuan had an even more vicious remark he didn't say out loud:

Didn't your father give you any? "I generally don't carry it myself." Fu Fu Shanyue glanced at him, "Besides, a few days ago in Fufeng City, I activated the Mountain-Moving Array and used up the most valuable profound crystals. I have to thank you for that!"

The two had agreed to a truce in Fufeng City, but this guy had turned around and reported him. The government came to raid the inn, and he had to spend both his life and money to escape unscathed.

Hehe, how did this man surnamed He have the face to ask him for money? "You're welcome. Then put it on credit, remember you owe me tenfold." He He Lingchuan stood up and stretched, "I'm going to order food, what do you want?"

"The same as you is fine."

He He Lingchuan stepped out of the room, asked the waiter for food, and asked in passing: "Someone broke in while I was bathing, is that just going to be let go?"

The aftermath of those people searching the Golden Spring Bathhouse had just passed, and the guests were all cursing; He He Lingchuan's tone was the friendliest, and he had ordered a lot of food, so the waiter quickly apologized with a smile: "Then how about I halve your bath fee and give you two extra snacks?"

"Fine. And those guys...?"

"Don't worry, someone will settle the score with them."

Before long, two large bowls of shredded chicken noodle soup, six baskets of pan-fried buns, and two refreshing side dishes were delivered. The waiter didn't break his word and included an extra plate of mung bean cakes and a portion of drunken pears.

The chicken soup was very fresh, the noodles were chewy, and the pan-fried buns were especially good because the filling included sand leeks. It was the season for sand leeks, which were fragrant, spicy, crisp, and tender with a hint of sweetness; He He Lingchuan couldn't stop eating once he started, finishing six in a row before taking a big bite of the drunken pear and letting out a long sigh of relief:

"Refreshing!"

The drunken pear was pear slices soaked in sweet wine, brown sugar, and plums, which helped clear the palate.

Fu Fu Shanyue had already changed into clean clothes and was now holding bamboo chopsticks to eat his noodles, as uninhibited as him.

Having been on the run for two or three days, he hadn't had a proper meal.

"Tell me, who is chasing you?"

"Uncle Da, the head of the secret guards around my father." Fu Fu Shanyue said, "I didn't expect my father to send him to the second brother, along with a guard unit of seven or eight people."

He He Lingchuan quickly grasped the thread: "Is it your father or your second brother who is hiding behind the scenes plotting against you?"

"Perhaps both, but it was the second brother who actually made the move, so I wasn't polite to him either."

It seemed he had gone to settle the score with his second younger brother a few days ago: "He didn't die?"

"Not yet." Fu Fu Shanyue chuckled, "I was just planning to deal with him slowly when Uncle Da arrived. But I did kill several of their guards these past few days."

So, this fellow was actually hunting and being hunted by the other side? "What about your group of subordinates?"

"They're all dead. Uncle Da is not easy to deal with. But I also managed to stab Fu Shanjie twice with the wood-transformation poison just now." The price was his current miserable state, "He shouldn't live until tomorrow morning."

No wonder he looked so relaxed; it turned out he had cleared away the biggest obstacle to inheriting the throne.

"Why did you brothers turn against each other?"

"My father prefers my younger brother, while the gods prefer me." Fu Fu Shanyue shrugged, "Brothers, aren't they just enemies? Oh, do you have any brothers?"

He He Lingchuan didn't answer but asked instead: "The gods prefer you?"

"That's right. An heir favored by the gods has a better chance of ascending to the throne." Fu Fu Shanyue smiled, "You're an outsider, you don't know this is an ironclad rule of the Demon Kingdom."

"When it comes to heirs, the Demon King himself has no autonomy?"

"Of course you can't say it like that. But this kind of thing is too complicated to explain in a few words." Fu Fu Shanyue slurped his noodles, "Are you going to Lingxu City?"

He He Lingchuan nodded.

"After passing the Twilight Plains and heading north, you'll reach the Chiyan Kingdom; give me a ride."

"I'm afraid of being implicated by you." The person the Chiyan King wants to kill is in this caravan; are they going to go against the local power? "Don't worry, they only dare to make moves outside the country." Fu Fu Shanyue said confidently, "I am the eldest son, and I have supporters both in the country and at the royal court; they absolutely cannot make a move openly."

"Why does your father care so much about who the heir is?" These great demons have long lifespans, far beyond that of human monarchs; the crown prince is often a mere formality, and some don't even appoint one to avoid many troubles, like the Treasure Tree King. But the Chiyan King has started to consider who will inherit the throne, which means... "Could it be that his lifespan is coming to an end?"

Fu Fu Shanyue chuckled twice: "Cannot be said."

Cannot be said, but he didn't deny it either.

Fu Fu Shanyue added: "My ascension is not to say it's a sure thing, but at least I have a 70-80% chance. If you are a visionary merchant, you should know this investment is very worthwhile."

He He Lingchuan smiled: "I have to discuss it with Shi Er. This caravan is his, and he is the one who has to take responsibility for these dozens of lives."

Fu Fu Shanyue shrugged, not objecting.

Given that the soundproofing here was poor and the light transmission was too good, He He Lingchuan had long since closed the doors and windows, and the two were only chatting in low voices. At this moment, light footsteps suddenly came from outside, followed by a tapping on the window; someone knocked three times, one long and two short.

He He Lingchuan had just put down his chopsticks when Fu Fu Shanyue said: "It's fine, open it."

As the window opened, a small head poked in.

It was a girl of six or seven years old, her skin slightly dark, her eyes very large, her hair very dirty, her body also very dirty, and she was so thin she was skin and bones. He He Lingchuan didn't have time to observe anything else, because her mouth was truly eye-catching:

Her upper and lower lips were actually sewn together with sewing thread, like a ragdoll that had been pranked.

She had been sewn with ten stitches, the stitches ugly, crawling on her lips like a centipede. The bloodstains had already turned black; this must have happened at least three days ago.

With her mouth sewn shut, she naturally couldn't eat, and even drinking water was extremely difficult. That was why her lips were cracked and bleeding, and she looked severely dehydrated.

(End of chapter)