Chapter 497: New Clues

The two were silent, one grumbling, neither willing to speak. Jiao Yu sniffed the air, walked over to the guard with the dislocated shoulder, and said, "This one has wet his pants."

The soldiers burst into laughter; the man's face was pale and tinged with blue, looking both embarrassed and terrified.

This was likely the lowest point of his life.

He He Lingchuan also walked up to the captive with the dislocated shoulder and slapped him on the shoulder—

The man let out an "ow" of pain, his eyes lifting just in time to meet the mirror surface He He Lingchuan had manifested.

"Look!"

The man wanted to look away, but it was already too late. His gaze fell instinctively onto the mirror surface, and he felt nothing unusual.

Until the reflection in the mirror smiled slightly at him...

The tall sorghum stalks blocked the slanting afternoon sun, and as everyone stood in the shadows, they saw a wisp of white smoke being pulled from the captive's mouth, instantly drawn into the mirror.

The captive's gaze immediately turned vacant.

This man was injured and weak-willed, making him more susceptible to external evil than his companions.

He He Lingchuan repeated the question: "Who are you chasing?"

The captive answered blankly: "The person currently wanted by the whole city, the one surnamed Mai."

After losing his soul, even his alertness had vanished.

"Have you had any dealings with him?"

The man shook his head. They were just following orders.

"What were your orders?"

"Bring him back. If you can't bring him back, kill him on the spot."

It was just as he had expected: "Who sent you?"

"Wu Bo."

Finally, a new name to investigate: "And who is Wu Bo?"

"Wu Bo is an old hand at the Cen residence; he has been by Master Cen's side for over ten years and handles many things."

"Master Chen? Master Cen?" He He Lingchuan asked him, "What is his full name?"

"Cen..." A look of struggle appeared in the man's eyes again.

Even after losing his soul, he was instinctively unwilling to speak? He He Lingchuan said, "Don't worry, tell me and I guarantee you'll be fine."

The man shook his head repeatedly.

He He Lingchuan had to change his line of questioning: "Does he live in the northwest corner of Bai Sha Shoal?"

"Yes."

"Does he live east of Blue Lake?"

"Yes."

"Are there any identifying marks?"

"A pair of white jade Mount Qilin over a zhang tall guard the main gate, and there is a three-hundred-year-old parasol tree."

He He Lingchuan thought for a moment: "What does Wu Bo look like?"

"About fifty, square-faced, slightly chubby, not very tall, and his eyes squint when he smiles."

These features sounded familiar. "Was he wearing a jujube-red silk outfit today, tied with a black gold-plated belt, and wearing a black hat?"

The man recalled for a moment: "Yes."

He He Lingchuan sneered slightly.

Wu Bo had been on the tower just now!

He was the elderly wealthy merchant who had been haggling with someone at the Chaohu Teahouse.

Whether it was because he was skilled and bold or confident he wouldn't be exposed, Wu Bo had gone in person.

Fortunately, He He Lingchuan had also put on a good show on the tower, not letting the other party see through him at a glance.

"Is Wu Bo the steward of the Cen residence? What kind of things does he handle?"

"No, the Cen residence has a different steward." The man shook his head, "Wu Bo only follows Master Cen; we don't know what he does."

"Is Wu Bo a confidant of Master Cen?"

"Yes."

"Good, take him away." He He Lingchuan felt relieved and said to the soldier leader, "Tell your Commandant to immediately escort this captive with the dislocated shoulder to the capital as a key witness to report to the Crown Prince; lock the other one up, and be careful he isn't silenced."

The soldier took the order and left.

He He Lingchuan stood up, stretched, and whistled.

The goshawk flew over from somewhere, its beak still stained with a few magpie feathers.

"Why did you eat it?" He He Lingchuan was between laughter and tears, "The one who turned back to report also needed to be tailed."

The goshawk stood on the horse's back and flapped its wings: "I've already sent out scouts."

Time was tight, so the group packed up and headed back.

It wasn't until the Chaohu Tower came back into view that two blue magpies flew from ahead, landed in front of the goshawk, and chirped a few times.

The goshawk raised its wings in anger, and the two bird demons flew off in fright.

"What happened?"

"They lost him." The goshawk was displeased, "They said the third person who turned back entered a small house opposite the Chaohu Tower and never came out. They waited a while, felt something was wrong, and climbed through the window to check, only to find it empty."

"Hmm, so he already slipped away, either through a secret passage or a formation." He He Lingchuan sighed; he knew it wouldn't be that easy to find the opponent's lair, "Take me to see it."

The two blue magpies led the way.

They had been temporarily recruited by the goshawk, who was an official demon of Chiyan and had the authority to temporarily requisition these bird demons for his own tasks.

He He Lingchuan followed them to a single-story house, right across from the Chaohu Tower.

It wasn't in the first row facing the street, but in a loft at the back. This was equivalent to the second and a half floor; He He Lingchuan went up and saw that, sure enough, one could monitor the main entrance of the Chaohu Tower through the window.

Houses like this stood all around the Chaohu Tower, very inconspicuous. The people coming and going were a mixed bag, and many outsiders rented rooms here to save money.

After all, it was near a scenic area, not as closed off as a regular residential neighborhood, where a strange face would be recognized immediately.

He He Lingchuan and Jiao Yu searched the room a few times, moved the low table, and found a formation drawn underneath.

Jiao Yu took one look and said: "This is a Lesser Mountain-Moving Formation; it can only move people two zhang away."

The cost was low, of course.

No need to look; the other end of the formation must open in a neighboring house, and the third target had already slipped away.

The blue magpies' tailing mission was a complete failure.

"Guard the existing captive well; they are a key witness." He He Lingchuan straightened up, "Fortunately, we have already found a new clue."

A large mansion east of Blue Lake, with white jade Mount Qilin at the gate and a three-hundred-year-old parasol tree.

This was practically naming names.

In fact, He He Lingchuan had already felt secure the moment those three chased after him.

The goal of this setup had been achieved: first, he had to clarify whether Mr. Mai had actually made contact with the true mastermind.

This was the crux of the entire case.

Now the answer was very clear:

No.

Since escaping from Shuanglu Town, Mr. Mai had disappeared without a trace; neither He He Lingchuan nor his direct superiors had been able to find his tracks.

Otherwise, these people wouldn't have needed to risk scouting the Chaohu Tower.

Mr. Mai's disappearance was itself an intriguing signal. Did he flee because he sensed a murderous intent and intended to protect himself, or did he have a scheme from the start? If the latter, what was the purpose?

Secondly, fishing.

He He Lingchuan didn't expect to catch a big fish right away; to be honest, he felt the water here was very deep, and the one who took the bait might not be the true mastermind.

But if he was given a vine, he could follow it to the melon and find a flaw in the opponent's tight defenses.

Now, hadn't the clue delivered itself to his door?...

After stepping out of the Lesser Mountain-Moving Formation, the third guard saw Wu Bo.

The moment Wu Bo saw him return empty-handed, he knew something was wrong: "What happened?"

Before he could report, Wu Bo's expression changed: "Enough, let's go! Talk while we walk!"

Before the guard could even open his mouth, Wu Bo had already ruined the formation on the wall and hurried away with his men.

Half an hour later.

Wu Bo stood before his master, covered in cold sweat: "Those two idiots never returned. This old servant was foolish and fell into the opponent's trap!"

"They may have already confessed." Cen Boqing paced the room twice, "These two alone cannot implicate the Cen residence, but this man surnamed He keeps digging deeper; he cannot be left alive."

"Please give your instructions."

"He is a special envoy of the Crown Prince of Chiyan; it is not appropriate to execute him publicly." Cen Boqing paused, "Then find a curse master and send him on his way."

"You mean, Cheng?"

Cen Boqing nodded: "He should be prepared."

"If we can get that person to act, it should be foolproof." Wu Bo breathed a sigh of relief, "Even the former monarch of Mang was killed by his hand; this man surnamed He should be a piece of cake."

"Go and see what else needs to be prepared, and tell him not to be careless."

Wu Bo acknowledged the order and was about to leave when Cen Boqing suddenly added: "By the way, have you verified the background of this person, Mai Xuewen?"

"I have already sent people to re-examine it; his hometown is a bit far, so I estimate we will get results in three to five days."

"I just heard that he uses a very special method to kill demons with his subordinates?"

"This..." Wu Bo's face turned slightly pale.

"You aren't sure either?"

"When Mai Xuewen first started doing this, I followed along and observed for over two months. The methods he used to lead men to kill demons were very ordinary; they were nothing like, nothing like they are now." Wu Bo swallowed his saliva. "Later, Mai Xuewen always delivered the pulp pearls on schedule, sometimes even exceeding the quota. He was the most low-profile among the agents, and he never had any issues, so this old servant rarely, very rarely, questioned his methods anymore."

He had many subordinates and many things to worry about, and since Mai Xuewen never made mistakes, how could he have kept his eyes on Mai Xuewen alone? Cen Boqing said softly, "You have many agents under your command; it's impossible to interrogate every single one of them about these things. I know."

Wu Bo kept his head lowered. He knew Cen Boqing very well; this matter would not be settled easily.

"But this is the second major mistake you have made!"

With a crisp clatter, Cen Boqing flung a teacup, which smashed against the wall right beside Wu Bo.

Shards flew and scratched the back of his hand, but Wu Bo did not move, letting the blood drip onto the floor.

"Was the trap that the one surnamed He set at Chaohu Tower so clever? How could you step right into it!" Cen Boqing slammed the table and cursed, "How did you train your subordinates? They are either as stupid as pigs and dogs, or they flee in the face of battle!"

Wu Bo took the scolding without a word.

The biggest mistake he made at Chaohu Tower was not staying in the attic to keep watch himself. As a result, the three guards rushed out to catch the person but were unable to adapt to the situation.

At this moment, someone requested an audience at the back door, claiming to be an old friend from Lingxu.

These four words were a code.

Cen Boqing immediately reined in his temper and took a deep breath. Wu Bo also hurriedly cleaned up the broken porcelain shards on the floor.

A servant brought in a person dressed in commoner's attire.

A Cen Manor as large as this usually required over a hundred people to maintain operations, so people coming and going was the norm.

Cen Boqing had assumed this was a disguise used by Lord Zhongsun Mou's guard, but when the person lifted their hat, they revealed light blue skin.

"Brother Lord Zhongsun?" Cen Boqing's surprise was not feigned. "Why have you come in person?"

(End of chapter)