Chapter 532: Captured and Brought Back

It turned its head and let out a sharp syllable, like a whistle. A finless porpoise behind it instantly sank into the water; it had likely gone to issue a notice to the aquatic clans of the Liu River. The rest remained, as He He Lingchuan had requisitioned six more fishing boats at Lower River Bend. To keep them light and fast, there were only two passengers per boat.

The fishermen untied the mooring ropes and tossed them into the water. The lively finless porpoises bit down on them and dragged the boats toward the center of the river.

Two porpoises pulling one boat was effortless. Once they started, the speed increased steadily.

Even though the river surface was only lightly breezy, the boats were being pulled with the sensation of riding the wind and breaking the waves.

The fishermen standing at the bows felt a bit awkward; it made no difference whether they extended their oars into the water or not.

All six boats headed downstream at a speed of at least fifty miles per hour.

The current of the Liu River was sometimes rapid and sometimes slow, and the center of the river was filled with reefs and small islands. If they were rowing by human power, they would have to be careful to avoid them, which was far less swift than the finless porpoises.

Moreover, He He Lingchuan knew that beneath the seemingly calm water, the aquatic clans of the Liu River in this stretch had already been mobilized, faithfully executing the Demon Kingdom Crown Prince's order to find someone.

Finding a single boat on the vast Liu River was like looking for a needle in a haystack, but that was only for humans.

No matter how meticulous Wu Kai's escape was, he was, after all, only a human with limited means and limited abilities.

He He Lingchuan felt a sense of awe. This method of tracking was simply a dimensionality-reduction strike.

……

Three days later, far away in Lingxu City.

People gathered beneath the Star-Plucking Tower, waiting from sunset until the moon rose, yet they never found an opportunity to enter.

The number of people waiting grew, and they exchanged pleasantries, even chatting about the sudden fire at the Qingfu Temple, which was usually bustling with incense offerings in Lingxu City.

Upon asking, they had all come for the same matter.

Another hour later, the crowd gradually thinned.

If they couldn't get in, they couldn't get in; the people above clearly intended to leave them hanging, and there was no point in waiting any longer.

Finally, only three people remained, occupying the spot and refusing to leave.

This time, it wasn't until the moon reached the center of the sky that the Lamp-Guarding Envoy inside the Star-Plucking Tower stepped out, walking through the dancing tree shadows, and bowed to them:

"Are you Elders here regarding the case of the Inspection Envoy?"

"Indeed. This matter is of great importance; we must see the Emperor!"

"The Emperor is currently communicating the divine will with the Heavenly Gods and will not return to the palace tonight."

Which meant he wouldn't be leaving this Star-Plucking Tower, and no matter how long they waited, they wouldn't see him.

"But this case, this case... must be discussed and deliberated, and a specialist must be sent as soon as possible."

The Lamp-Guarding Envoy said respectfully, "The Emperor says that the special envoy previously sent to Bai Sha will investigate this matter as well. He should have already arrived at Bai Sha; please, Elders, do not concern yourselves."

"The special envoy sent to Chiyan?" The three were startled, as they hadn't heard of this before. "Who is it?"

The meaning of "do not concern yourselves" was that they were forbidden from interfering. They all understood.

"It is Lord Bai from our Star-Plucking Tower."

The three looked at each other, and sure enough, they all shut their mouths, though their expressions were complex.

……

The next day.

As the east grew bright with the dawn, the residents of Bai Sha were once again awakened by the rumbling of horse hooves.

Some early risers witnessed the Crown Prince's special envoy returning in triumph, bringing back a carriage and a prisoner bound hand and foot.

This news, of course, would accelerate its spread outward, fueled by those with ulterior motives.

Wu Kai, the key witness in the series of cases in Bai Sha, had failed in his escape and been captured by the Crown Prince's special envoy! Within three to five hours at most, the whole city would know.

He He Lingchuan returned to the inn, and Fushan greeted him enthusiastically, slapping his palm against his in a firm high-five:

"You're truly capable!"

He had also been on edge these past few days; seeing He He Lingchuan bring Wu Kai back to the city, he truly let out a long sigh of relief.

It was settled!

He He Lingchuan patted his arm in return and smiled: "Has Cen Boqing been behaving himself these past few days?"

Fushan Yue spat on the ground: "Behaving... my foot!"

It turned out that during the few days He He Lingchuan was away from the city, Cen Boqing hadn't been idle either, attempting to escape time and again, even trying to disguise himself to sneak out of the manor, but all had been blocked by Fushan Yue.

When the two clashed, no one dared to get close. In the end, Cen Boqing was no match, suffering a broken shoulder before retreating sullenly back into the manor.

Fushan Yue's temper had also been ignited; seeing that this man wouldn't accept a polite offer, he simply ordered Commander Lu to lead men to wall up the front and back gates of the Cen manor. If the people inside lacked food or drink, the soldiers would buy it and throw it over the wall; not a single person inside was getting out.

If they dared to jump out, they would get a beating.

In any case, the commoners of Bai Sha had enjoyed the spectacle these past few days.

Fushan Yue even rented the large mansion next to the Cen manor, sitting on the attic to keep watch personally.

He was a Ba, after all; he could stay energetic without sleeping for days and nights.

In this deadly game, Cen Boqing's several attempts had all ended in failure, and Fushan Yue had seen him smashing things in the manor in a fit of rage several times. Bai Sha was the hurdle in his life; as long as he could cross it, he could escape back to Lingxu City, where his chances of winning would increase greatly.

What a pity, he just couldn't get out! Fushan Yue felt quite proud when mentioning this; after all, Cen Boqing had been beaten black and blue when he tried to sneak out, which could be considered revenge for the past in Lingxu City.

He clapped his hands and said: "Let's go, let's interrogate Wu Kai."

Wu Kai was not held in the county jail but was instead locked alone in the inn's wine cellar.

Now he enjoyed the same treatment as Fu Fu Songhua, wearing a set of shackles inscribed with runes. This thing could suppress spiritual power, preventing prisoners from using their supernatural abilities.

Once the Crown Prince arrived, everyone's work efficiency instantly increased. The wine cellar had been cleared out, with only two chairs placed inside, while Wu Kai sat on the ground wearing the shackles.

At the four corners of the cellar floor, a formation that prohibited escape arts was running, so as to prevent the prisoner from being rescued by someone using an escape art to enter.

Needless to say, there were guards stationed both inside and outside the cellar.

Fushan Yue and He He Lingchuan walked into the cellar and saw Wu Kai sitting on the ground with his eyes closed.

Even though people had arrived, he didn't open his eyes.

The guard in charge said that ever since Wu Kai arrived, he had been in this state—not speaking, not moving, and not opening his eyes.

"Wu Kai." Fushan Yue pulled He He Lingchuan to sit down. "What would you like to eat or drink?"

Wu Kai remained like an old monk in meditation.

The chase on the Liu River had actually had its twists and turns, exceeding He He Lingchuan's expectations—Wu Kai had changed boats midway.

Everyone had spent a great deal of effort and had almost lost the trail.

Fortunately, the Water Spirit displayed powerful control over the aquatic clans of this region, and within half a day, they had managed to track down the whereabouts of Wu Kai's new boat.

After changing boats, the four of them continued downstream for nearly a hundred miles, coming ashore at a small pier. The coachman and Wu Kai's daughter-in-law and grandson disguised themselves as a family of three, while Wu Kai went north alone.

The reason it took three or four days was that He He Lingchuan hoped to use Wu Kai as bait to catch other big fish. Moreover, seeing Wu Kai come ashore here, He He Lingchuan realized he wanted to take his family out of the Chiyan Kingdom.

Once they entered the territory of Lingxu, it wouldn't be so easy for pursuers to catch them.

Everyone's monitoring of Wu Kai was also very strict, in case Cen Boqing tried to harm this witness remotely, in which case they would have to rush in to save him.

Fortunately, Wu Kai did not suddenly collapse.

And during the two days of monitoring, Wu Kai had not made contact with anyone from start to finish.

Either he couldn't find anyone to help, or he didn't dare to find anyone to help.

He He Lingchuan then rounded them all up at the border checkpoint.

However, Wu Kai's caution had left a deep impression on He He Lingchuan.

As a reward, starting from the second half of the year, the primordial power gained by that finless porpoise as the Liu River Water Spirit would increase significantly.

But the old man had been passively resisting since the day he was captured. His grandson cried and his daughter-in-law wept, yet he remained unmoved.

It seemed he had thought things through very clearly.

"Aren't you just holding out for a better price? Alright, alright, stop putting on an act for me." Fushan Yue sneered at Wu Kai's behavior. "Otherwise, I'll bring your grandson down here and suck him into a dried husk right in front of you."

Tough methods plus a noble status—such opponents were the most troublesome.

Only then did Wu Kai open his eyes and say sternly: "If you dare to harm him, I will never open my mouth even if I die."

"If you confess honestly, your grandson might still have a chance at life."

Wu Kai closed his mouth again and said nothing.

No matter what Fushan Yue said afterward, he simply wouldn't take the bait.

Walking back to the surface, Fushan Yue was full of frustration and waved his hand at the guards: "Use torture, pry his mouth open!"

This method was still the simplest and crudest.

He He Lingchuan, however, said: "I'm afraid it won't be of much use."

Sure enough, half a day later, the guards reported that Wu Kai had fainted twice under torture but had gritted his teeth and refused to confess.

"He also knows that he is the most critical witness. If he doesn't confess, he and Cen Boqing might not necessarily be convicted." He He Lingchuan said indifferently, "If he confesses, he won't escape death either. If it were you, would you confess?"

"You can't make that comparison!" Fushan Yue looked righteous and awe-inspiring. "Do I look like someone who would knowingly break the law?"

He He Lingchuan acted as if he hadn't heard this sentence: "In a few more days, Lingxu City might send a special envoy down, and there might be a turning point. So whether it's him or Cen Boqing, what they want to use most right now is the 'delaying' tactic."

Fushan Yue pondered, "They have already developed mutual suspicion; we just need to add a little more effort."

It would only be disadvantageous to them if those two were working in concert.

"Hasn't that already started?" He He Lingchuan had entered the city so flamboyantly this morning precisely with this thought in mind.

Now, the news of Wu Kai's capture had probably already reached Cen Boqing, right? He He Lingchuan thought for a moment, then entered the cellar again.

Wu Kai was still sitting there, his eyes half-closed, but he was bruised and swollen, and there were bloodstains on his clothes.

He didn't know how Fushan Yue's guards had treated him.

He He Lingchuan pulled a chair and sat down beside him; the sound of the chair legs scraping against the floor was creaky and piercingly harsh.

When the first sound rang out, he noticed Wu Kai's eyelids twitch.

Pretending to be calm, yet still listening to everything? He sneered inwardly, then said to Wu Kai: "You still think you and Cen Boqing are grasshoppers on the same line, but in fact, him killing you to silence you is the safest move. After all, the secrets of the Pulp Pearls and the Immortality Elixir are all in your hands, and he has done so many filthy things that you handled. As long as you, this key witness, are dead, he can escape guilt and be at ease."

Wu Kai remained motionless, his breathing steady.

"Of course, you have probably already thought of these things. I see that several of your protective talismans are broken; was that from these past two days of fleeing?"

Wu Kai stared at him steadily.

He He Lingchuan observed his expression and let out a long "Oh": "So that's how it is, Cen Boqing has been cursing you in secret these past few days!"

(End of chapter)