Chapter 588: Silencing the Witnesses

"Time of death?"

"The coroner sent by the government office believes they likely died the evening before last, which is the day after the post house explosion."

He He Lingchuan gave a hum: "Silencing them to cover up the truth."

As expected.

Old Ge asked for instructions: "What do you think, should we continue investigating?"

"If you keep investigating, at most you'll only be able to reach the middleman, right?"

"Perhaps." Old Ge did not deny it. "These noble figures above don't want to dirty their own hands, so they usually hire a middleman. Those people are very experienced."

He knew this routine inside out, because he was also a middleman.

"Then no need to investigate further; I have an idea now."

Among He He Lingchuan's adversaries, the Grand Minister of Agriculture should be a smart man and wouldn't go out of his way to trouble the Chiyan envoy for a son-in-law who had already been convicted; that would be purely a loss outweighing the gain. Although Lady Cen, Yao Yao Xingning, was willful, she was very clear that dealing with the Chiyan Crown Prince at this juncture would be of no benefit to securing a chance of survival for her husband. And poisoning someone to death didn't seem like something the Commander of the Concentric Guard would do.

Therefore, the remaining options were only the Cen family or the Lord Zhongsun family.

Given that Lord Zhongsun Ce had just been crazily mocked by Shan Yue at Dun Garden a few days ago, He He Lingchuan believed he was the prime suspect.

After the post house explosion, Lord Zhongsun Ce must have regretted it until his guts turned green. Since the Chen brothers had already been silenced, the Lord Zhongsun family likely wouldn't dare to make another move in the short term.

Everyone is afraid of bringing fire upon themselves.

However, He He Lingchuan did not intend to retaliate in kind right now.

As long as the true mastermind behind the anti-aging pill case could be uncovered, the Lord Zhongsun family would likely not be able to escape. So if there was an opportunity later, it would be best if he could provide an assist to Bai Bai Ziqi.

Having figured this out, He He Lingchuan felt clear-headed. As the donkey cart traveled along the road, he chatted with Old Ge off and on the entire way.

Old Ge's attitude toward him was so good that it was like he was a different ape compared to the last time he led a group; he answered any questions without the slightest impatience, and whenever he smiled, his eyes would disappear into his face.

He He Lingchuan had originally thought that only humans were arrogant at first and humble later. But this long-armed ape clearly also understood this way of doing things.

He understood that besides the halo of being a Chiyan envoy, the main reason was that he had become quite famous in Lingxu City.

Being friends with a famous person has plenty of benefits.

Through conversation, he learned that Old Ge was originally from the Shanyu Kingdom and had left his hometown twenty years ago to come to Lingxu, where he gradually made a name for himself. His main business was wholesale fish trading—in He He Lingchuan's understanding, he was likely the "fish tycoon" of this area—and as for his side business, well, he did a bit of everything.

If the Chen brothers hadn't died, as long as He He Lingchuan paid a little money, Old Ge would also be very happy to teach the other party a lesson.

According to a term He He Lingchuan learned in another world, it was perfect for describing Old Ge:

Monsters and demons.

While speaking, the donkey cart drove through a bustling street. The flow of people here was like weaving fabric, much more prosperous than the Nanli District, but He He Lingchuan saw a large area of scorched rubble by the roadside.

A building covering several hundred square meters had been burned down to nothing but broken tiles and ruined walls, with only a few blackened pillars still barely standing.

There weren't many people here either; those coming and going were all clearing the aftermath, but they were working listlessly.

"Where is this?" He He Lingchuan roughly guessed.

"Qingfu Temple." There was construction on the side of the road and the traffic ahead was congested, so the donkey cart slowed down. "It caught fire a few days ago. In just over an hour, the temple and the people inside were burned clean."

"This is Lingxu City; didn't anyone use magic to put out the fire?"

"It is said that fires started in several places in the temple at the same time, and that night there was a north wind, so the fire borrowed the wind's force and whooshed right up." Old Ge said, "Residents nearby told me that the flames were red with a hint of blue; one look and you knew it wasn't an ordinary fire. The government office sent water-dragon carts and found quite a few mages to cast spells, but it was useless!"

"So many buildings, all burned down within an hour?"

"Yes, all burned down." Old Ge shook his head. "By the time powerful figures arrived upon hearing the news, Qingfu Temple had already burned away."

"How many people died?" Heh, do the powerful figures of Lingxu City like silencing people so much? "I don't know the specifics, but there must have been seventy or eighty, right?" Old Ge scratched his head. "The incense used to be very popular here; tourists also liked to come and pay their respects."

"Which deity was worshipped?"

"True Lord Tongming."

"..." He He Lingchuan couldn't even describe how he felt hearing the name of this heavenly god. He He Chunhua was almost executed along with his entire clan precisely because the He family was reported for worshipping True Lord Tongming.

Look at Lingxu City; the temple was set up openly right next to the most prosperous street, worshipped by ten thousand people.

"This temple seems to have been implicated in the anti-aging pill case as well." He He Lingchuan asked him, "Have you heard?"

"Anti-aging pill?" Old Ge didn't even blink. "Never heard of it. Does this thing have anything to do with ordinary people?"

He He Lingchuan smiled: "Of course not."

Old Ge bared his teeth: "I only lead tourists over to offer incense; I don't know anything else, ha."

He was a smart ape, very clear about what matters he could get involved in and what matters he should stay as far away from as possible.

The donkey cart soon stopped at a small square.

He He Lingchuan needed to change vehicles here and ride a deer cart with other passengers to Xushan.

Xushan was the most important part of his trip to Lingxu City; no matter how many troubles he still had hanging over him, he had to go and investigate it in person.

The two moose had stuffed their bellies half-full with forage and were now holding their heads high, full of spirit. After more than a dozen guests boarded the cart, they trotted along while ruminating on their food.

This level of running was equivalent to a stroll for them, not hindering their meal.

Looking at the tourists' attire, they were from all over the world.

The two sturdy mountain spirits He He Lingchuan saw with the group last time were the last to board. Some guests looked at them and asked weakly: "Who are these two?"

With faces full of jowls, one look and they didn't seem like good monkeys.

"The guards accompanying the cart." Old Ge revealed a kind smile. "Paid a high price to invite them to protect you all."

The guests were instead anxious: "Is Xushan unsafe, or is the road unsafe?"

"Both are safe." Old Ge was generous and magnanimous. "You can't forgo security just because it's always been safe. In case someone slips while climbing the mountain, these two can come in handy!"

On the deer cart were two men in their early twenties, talking loudly as if no one else were around; one had a square face and big ears, the other had handsome features. He He Lingchuan saw them arrive together, their attire similar, so he figured they were from the same place.

Taking a closer look, they even seemed a bit familiar.

There weren't many empty seats on the cart, so He He Lingchuan sat with them.

The handsome man saw that He He Lingchuan had an imposing air, his gait and demeanor different from others, and immediately cupped his hands and smiled: "Oh my, it seems we met at the Dun Garden auction?"

He He Lingchuan returned the salute: "I thought you looked familiar; so it is you two."

These were the guests who had bought the unknown oddity that He He Lingchuan had set his sights on at the Dun Garden auction, the one that looked like a divine bone necklace.

"That horn-like object you bought back, did you have someone identify it?"

The two shook their heads: "Not yet, it was stolen."

"Stolen...?" "What happened? Did you report it?"

"The second day after we left Dun Garden, we were just about to find some experts in Lingxu City to identify it, but the object vanished into thin air. I remember clearly that I put it in my storage ring before going to sleep, and when I woke up the next day, it was gone." The handsome man said, "I have already gone to the local government office to report the case, but so many days have passed, and there has been no response."

He He Lingchuan gave an 'oh' sound: "You were probably targeted long ago." The item's asking price wasn't expensive, so why didn't the person who took a fancy to it bid on-site, but instead chose to steal it afterward?

"What is the point of this?"

He He Lingchuan's heart stirred. At the time, by the display case at the auction, the Soul-Consuming Mirror had warned him that several people were tailing him. But after he left the display case, those people didn't follow.

So were they actually targeting these unknown oddities? Could it be they wanted to see who the buyer was? "Forget it, forget it; it wasn't expensive anyway, just consider it a loss of wealth to avoid disaster." Guests who could be invited to Dun Garden were at least not commoners; the man was even more enthusiastic. "Come, let's reintroduce ourselves. My name is Jiang Tao, and he is Gao Gao Jilin; we are from the Zhi Kingdom. May I ask how to address you?"

"He." He He Lingchuan blinked. "With the given name Yun, from the Fu Kingdom."

He made up a pseudonym because he saw that this Jiang Tao was too talkative. If he gave his real name, he feared he wouldn't have a moment of peace along the way.

The Fu Kingdom was a small place. Jiang Tao gave a couple of 'ohs', and although he still had a smile on his face, that attentiveness was discounted.

"I remember the Fu Kingdom seems to produce a type of fragrant wood, aromatic and antiseptic; I keep it stocked at home."

He He Lingchuan gave a hum: "Cloud Fragrant Wood."

"Right, right. Where is Brother He employed?"

He He Lingchuan replied vaguely: "Nothing settled yet; I'll decide after this trip."

Jiang Tao gave two more 'ohs', and his enthusiasm decreased by another two points.

So he was just a wandering student; with a little family wealth and some connections, coming to Lingxu City to study and get a gilded resume would be enough. In a small place like the Fu Kingdom, one could find a very good public position just by pulling a few strings.

He He Lingchuan asked back, only to learn that these two were students sent by the Zhi Kingdom to Lingxu City to observe and learn; they were both children of high-ranking officials in their own country.

So they were government-sponsored international students.

There were a large number of foreign students residing in Lingxu City. They studied at the Academy, observing Lingxu City's customs, laws, and human sentiments, and the outstanding ones could even enter the Royal Court to serve as officials.

The Zhi Kingdom was a small country in the northeast of Between Beijia, with a population of less than five million, not even as many as Lingxu City, but it was on the edge of the Earth Sea and had two natural deep-water ports that didn't freeze in winter. Relying on the water, they could live quite well through trade and freight.

Jiang Tao was talkative, speaking endlessly about his experiences in Lingxu City; even if others didn't speak, he could perform a one-man show by himself.

He praised and admired Lingxu City endlessly, and could even cite endless examples to illustrate it.

The mountain spirit sitting in the back row kept picking its ears, a bit unable to take it.

Old Ge also rolled his eyes several times. This guy could talk too much; the whole way was filled with his voice, and he himself had intended to provide some explanations along the way, but now he was too lazy to open his mouth.

(End of chapter)