Chapter 487: The Guest at the Window

The group walked slowly along the lake toward the city, with weeping willows swaying and a gentle breeze blowing along the way.

Baishajuan caught the cool breeze from the water, so the temperature was naturally lower than elsewhere, making it a famous summer resort far and near. Even in the height of summer in July, one wouldn't sweat through their clothes after walking by the lake for a quarter of an hour.

Afterward, they arrived at Tianxiang Tower.

This was also one of the top-tier large restaurants in Baishajuan, where the price of every signature dish was equivalent to two or three months' salary for an ordinary laborer.

Zhongsunmou climbed the stairs and, as expected, saw a familiar face at the best table by the window.

It was indeed Cen Boqing.

Cen Boqing stood up to offer greetings, and after some pleasantries, the two took their seats.

Delicacies were served like a flowing stream.

Zhongsunmou had no love for human cuisine, so his expression was somewhat indifferent. However, what was served on the table were all precious fish sashimi, and they had even transported emerald crabs from the seaside thousands of miles away, marinated in yellow rice wine. When the diner lifted the lid and took a slurp, the trembling crab paste was like bean curd, yet carried the fishy fragrance of the sea.

Zhongsunmou loved this flavor best, and he didn't stop until he had eaten two. "Not bad. I didn't expect the Chiyan Kingdom to have such delicacies."

"Where is there no delicious food? It's nothing more than a matter of price."

The two discussed court affairs for a while, and then Zhongsunmou asked Cen Boqing, "Your subordinates didn't just happen to find me by chance, did they?" Baishajuan was not a small place; how could there be such a thing as a casual encounter?

He guessed it still had to do with the case he was investigating; after all, the clues were slowly pointing to the northwest of the city.

Zhongsunmou felt a bit of regret.

He had only intervened when he heard that the messenger disappearance case had been transferred to Fu Shanyue, partly because he wanted to make a great contribution, and partly because he wanted to see Fu Shanyue make a fool of himself.

But he didn't expect that this time, he had gotten himself involved as well.

Cen Boqing put down his chopsticks and gave a hollow laugh. "I wonder how your father is doing lately? I heard that the old gentleman's complexion has been getting better day by day these past two years."

A flash of displeasure crossed Zhongsunmou's eyes. These humans loved to beat around the bush when they spoke.

Clearly, Cen Boqing was reminding him.

"Brother Cen, please speak plainly if you have something to say."

Cen Boqing sighed. "It's like this..."

￥￥￥￥￥

Three days later, He Lingchuan finally arrived at Baishajuan.

Along the way, there were chains of lakes and vast seas of grass; when a hundred thousand gulls and egrets took flight, they blotted out the sky and sun. No matter where he looked, the scenery was beautiful, but unfortunately, he had no time to stop and look closely.

Just after arriving at Baishajuan, He Lingchuan went to the county government office with Jiao Yu to notify the local county magistrate.

Being in an unfamiliar place, one had to borrow strength wherever they could; he was not the type of person who liked to rely solely on himself.

After walking into the county office and sitting down, just as the servant served tea, He Lingchuan wanted to find the latrine.

No one could stop him from that.

He walked alone through the shadows of the high walls, and a tiny figure leaped down from the top of the wall and landed on his shoulder.

The Eyeball Spider, which had been on an errand for several days, had finally returned.

"Why are you here?" He Lingchuan discovered as soon as he entered the county office that he could share the vision of the Eyeball Spider, so he came to a quiet place to pick it up.

Shouldn't this thing be following Zhongsunmou?

"What, you were discovered?"

"He even wanted to kill you? Oh, oh, right, that guy deserves to die!"

"Then did you gain anything in the first three days you followed him?" He Lingchuan couldn't help but dig at his ear. The Eyeball Spider was bitterly complaining about its encounter, and it was about to make a racket in his ear. "No, no, it's not that I don't care about you; I will definitely vent this anger for you later!"

The Eyeball Spider was furious, but it still dutifully passed on the intelligence.

When He Lingchuan returned to the hall, the Baishajuan county magistrate had already arrived and was chatting with Jiao Yu. Seeing He Lingchuan, he immediately stepped forward to salute.

This guy's etiquette was even more thorough than that of the Bai Shi county magistrate in Zitian Township; that long bow almost touched the floor with his fingertips.

His waist was quite flexible.

The Baishajuan county magistrate was surnamed Tian, fair and plump, with a pentagonal face; his eyes disappeared whenever he smiled.

He Lingchuan was very curious: with such a big belly, how could he still touch the ground when bending over?

However, he now put on the airs of an official, looking calm and composed, only responding with monosyllabic sounds like "mm" or "ah" to all his greetings and questions.

Once the posture was set, he looked like an old hand in officialdom.

It wasn't until the Baishajuan county magistrate asked that soul-searching question: "Did the Special Envoy come for the case of the murdered Lingxu City messenger?"

He Lingchuan felt slightly surprised. "How did you know?"

But he immediately realized. "Oh, have you already met Zhongsunmou?"

"Yes, yes, I met him a few days ago."

He Lingchuan secretly felt disdain. Shouldn't an inspection envoy travel incognito to observe the local conditions? Zhongsunmou flashed his credentials diligently everywhere he went; what kind of inspection was that? Wasn't it just throwing his weight around on the basis of sightseeing? And on public funds, too.

The Baishajuan county magistrate smiled, revealing his nasolabial folds. "Lord Zhongsun has already solved the case, and the suspect has been apprehended and will be escorted to Lingxu City in a few days."

He was a county magistrate of a vassal state, while the other party was an inspection envoy of Lingxu City, specifically tasked with inspecting officials of various countries; that wasn't just a matter of being one rank higher.

Even when mentioning him, the Baishajuan county magistrate had to be extremely respectful.

He Lingchuan was truly shocked this time. "What did you say? He caught the mastermind?"

After the Eyeball Spider was kicked out, Zhongsunmou actually solved the case at lightning speed and even took down the mastermind?

So capable?

The fierce tiger Jiao Yu also stood up, its tail twisting like a snake; clearly, it was equally surprised.

Once He Lingchuan regained his composure, his questions came like a barrage. "When? Is the mastermind the superior of Mr. Mai? What is his status, where does he live, and how was he caught?"

"This official did not participate in the investigation and arrest operations; I only know that the Inspection Envoy followed clues to the northwest of the city, grasped the suspect's whereabouts, and thus captured him in one fell swoop yesterday." The Baishajuan county magistrate exclaimed in admiration, "The arrest process was very smooth, causing no damage and harming no one else."

He Lingchuan didn't respond, only asking Jiao Yu, "What do you think?"

Jiao Yu shook its head. "Too strange."

"Don't look down on the Inspection Envoy; perhaps he really caught the true culprit with lightning speed." He Lingchuan asked the magistrate again, "Who exactly is this mastermind?"

"After an overnight interrogation last night, this person used the alias Fu Hua in Baishajuan, and his real name is Fu Songhua. On the surface, he is a merchant, but in reality, he has several human lives on his hands and is a fugitive who has been wanted by Lingxu City for many years." The Baishajuan county magistrate weighed his words carefully. "This official does not know anything more."

He Lingchuan's face dropped, his voice turned cold, and his aura suddenly became sharp. "A murder demon and a long-time fugitive appeared in your county, and you actually push it off by saying you don't know?"

The Baishajuan county magistrate's expression stiffened. "This case is being handled by Lord Zhongsun; I really couldn't intervene..."

The Inspection Envoy of Lingxu City could remain neither humble nor pushy when meeting the demon kings of various countries; how could he dare to act presumptuously?

"He is from Lingxu City, not an official of the Chiyan Kingdom, and certainly not your superior. How can you let him overstep his authority and still have excuses?" He Lingchuan said coldly. "Or is it that you view him as a superior, but view the laws and responsibilities of the Chiyan Kingdom as nothing?"

The Baishajuan county magistrate was terrified. "This official wouldn't dare, Special Envoy, you are exaggerating!"

He was also a clever person and immediately threw the difficult problem to the other party. "This official has also inquired twice, but the Inspection Envoy refused to hand over the suspect to me, and I couldn't even touch the case files, and it wouldn't be good to use force. You, you see?"

You see how to solve this; don't just come to make things difficult for me.

He Lingchuan stared at him fixedly. The Baishajuan county magistrate felt his gaze like a sword, as if it could pierce directly to the bottom of his heart; this pressure rose bit by bit, making him feel like he was sitting on pins and needles.

"You've had a very comfortable time as the Baishajuan county magistrate, usually only worrying about welcoming and sending off guests, offending no one."

The magistrate didn't dare to respond.

Baishajuan was a place with pleasant scenery, warm in winter and cool in summer, and dignitaries often came here for recuperation and short stays. As a small county magistrate, he had to face the powerful and influential of various countries every few days; if his posture wasn't soft, could he have sat in this position all along?

"Where is Zhongsunmou?"

The Baishajuan county magistrate looked at the sky; it was just past noon. "He should be resting at the Bai Lu Inn."

"Then what about the prisoner?"

The Baishajuan county magistrate pointed back. "Also at the Bai Lu Inn."

"He actually keeps the suspect with him?" He Lingchuan sneered slightly. "How much does he distrust you?"

There was something fishy.

The Baishajuan county magistrate could only accompany him with a smile.

"He didn't just catch one person, did he? What about the other accomplices?" He Lingchuan asked him. "Could it be that Zhongsunmou took them all to the inn?"

"There are also several guards and servants of the Fu family, one housekeeper, one concubine, two managers, and three merchants who had close dealings with him. Lord Zhongsun didn't take them to the inn; they are all temporarily kept in the county jail."

"That's more like it." He Lingchuan patted his clothes and stood up. "Lead the way, I want to interrogate them."

"Ah?" The Baishajuan county magistrate was startled, but upon meeting He Lingchuan's gaze, he immediately changed his tune. "Yes."

This was his direct superior; He Lingchuan's reprimand was still ringing in his ears.

Besides, the prisoner was in his county jail; what could a local official not interrogate? The Baishajuan county jail was just as dark and damp as jails elsewhere, with insects and rats lining up to come and go.

The magistrate led He Lingchuan and Jiao Yu inside, pointing to a whole row of cells. "These are all accomplices in the Fu Songhua case. Which one do you want to interrogate?"

He Lingchuan took a look; several female family members and servants were locked in one room, and the remaining men were locked in three rooms.

"Start with the women. Didn't you say he has a concubine?"

The concubine was surnamed Li.

When Li was interrogated separately, she kept crying injustice to He Lingchuan. She was about seventeen or eighteen years old, and even with tears streaming down her face, she couldn't hide her beautiful appearance.

"I was only fourteen when I was sold to the master, ah, sold to Fu Songhua, and I didn't know anything." Li cried. "I didn't know he was a fugitive, and I didn't know he had killed people!"

He Lingchuan leaned back. "Has anyone interrogated you before?"

"Yes, yes, once. Several officials came to ask questions, but they didn't look like government people."

The Baishajuan county magistrate added from the side, "The Inspection Envoy's guards once came to interrogate Li."

"Were you there the whole time?"

"Uh..."

The Baishajuan county magistrate's back broke out in a sweat again; it was really hot in this jail.

He Lingchuan sneered, ignored him, and turned to ask Li, "What did they ask?"

From Li's answers, he knew that the other party only asked some generic questions, such as how long she had been with Fu, who she usually saw him associating with, and where they went.

It sounded like routine business.

(End of chapter)