Chapter 689: Nian Zanli's Final Journey

The leader looked at the wooden board and saw sweat on his palms, hurriedly turning his head to issue orders:

"Let the warlock set up an escape prohibition, hurry, hurry!"

Wasn't this the legendary Snail Toad that plagued Chi Yan? It actually appeared in Lingxu; this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! As long as it was caught, promotion and wealth would follow! They specially brought several warlocks over, and upon hearing the order, they scattered to bury magic treasures in the four corners outside the cargo station.

I heard this big monster was good at escaping underground, so ruin its signature skill and turn it into a turtle in a jar! There were seven or eight versions of the Snail Toad in Lingxu City, but unfortunately, none could encompass all its skills, such as the unique one of frogs and chameleons—

Long tongue roll!

The head of the officials shouted a few words at his subordinates, and just as he finished setting up the task, a sound of breaking through the air came from behind.

He didn't have time to react before he was rolled back.

The Snail Toad found him too noisy, and in full view of everyone, it flicked its tongue and rolled him back, swallowing him in one gulp! The distance between the two was a full two zhang away, and the toad tongue even smashed two wooden boards when it flicked out.

This speed broke people's stereotype of snails being slow.

Seeing that this thing actually had long-range attack skills, the crowd around screamed and fled in all directions.

The Snail Toad smacked its lips, as if savoring it, before plunging into the ground and disappearing without a trace.

The warlock's anti-escape array wasn't even set up before the prey slipped away.

One person died in the line of duty.

After nightfall, Nanxinzhuang was still brightly lit.

The murderer who killed the monster in White Sand Qu actually appeared in Lingxu City; such sensational news was spreading, and the Nancheng Office immediately mobilized all its forces to question every eyewitness.

The children had long since run away without a trace, and Auntie Liu, as the first discoverer, was questioned repeatedly.

"My lord, I've said it several times!" From her initial obedient cooperation to her dry mouth, to some impatience, "I don't know when the monster came; anyway, when I saw it, it was lying in the cargo warehouse. I accidentally touched the board, it turned its head, and it was still holding something in its mouth! It seemed to be grass, or herbs."

The official took out herbs for her to see: "Is it this kind of herb, are you sure?"

"Should be?" Auntie Liu scratched her head, "I'm not a doctor, how can I recognize it so carefully? Isn't it everywhere in the cargo warehouse?"

"What kind of goods does this White Pine Cargo Station usually load?"

"I don't know. Usually, carts come and go, who cares about this?" Auntie Liu was confused, "It didn't invite me to go in and guard the house."

That made sense, so the official took the few clerks who guarded the courtyard back for strict interrogation.

These clerks were scared to the point of peeing, saying they had never seen the Snail Toad. When it rained heavily, they were all sleeping soundly in the house, not knowing such a giant monster had entered the courtyard.

"Then what's the matter with the summer-withered grass in the cargo warehouse, where did it come from?"

"That is... goods." They only managed loading and unloading, guarding the house, how could they manage where the master's family imported goods from? Finally, the manager of White Pine Cargo Station was also found.

He flatly denied that the cargo station stored summer-withered grass, but the list found by the official in the cargo warehouse clearly wrote:

"Summer-withered grass, one thousand three hundred jin,... into storage."

The date of storage and the source of the herbs were soaked by water, and the ink was blurred into a ball, unclear.

Involving the immortality medicine case, the Nancheng Office didn't dare to delay and reported it quickly.

For such a major case, the efficiency of handling it was considerable.

Soon, the behind-the-scenes owner of White Pine Cargo Station was also found out, and it was actually the surrendered general of Yuan Nation, the Shepherd of Xunzhou, General Nian Zanli!...

Before dawn, Nian Mansion welcomed uninvited guests: Tingwei Huo Ji'an, Douyun Envoy Bai Ziqi, and their fully armed team.

Nian Zanli always had the habit of getting up early, and just after washing up, he received the news that two high-ranking officials had come to the door, and his heart couldn't help but thump.

Why were these two?

Tingwei coming forward was never a good thing, not to mention the Douyun Envoy.

Nian Zanli didn't dare to neglect and went out to welcome them: "Dou Envoy Bai, Lord Huo, what wind blew you two here?"

Huo Ji'an asked him: "Is the White Pine Cargo Station in Nanxinzhuang yours?"

"... I bought it at the beginning of the year." Nian Zanli's heart sank. The house on Xiangmai Street had an incident a few days ago, and the government had already come to find him once, and he felt abnormal at that time, but no one came to find him later, and now this was? He asked cautiously: "What happened to White Pine Cargo Station?"

"Lord Nian, please come with us." Bai Ziqi smiled, "We'll talk slowly on the way."

"Ah? This?"

The silent Tiangong guard team immediately surrounded them.

There were few people in the early morning, but with such a big formation outside Nian Mansion, pedestrians still stopped one after another.

There were restaurants and inns in the street outside Nian Mansion, and business hours were around the clock.

He Lingchuan sat by the window on the second floor, drinking small wine and eating small dishes, taking in the scene below.

He came in the middle of the night to get an excellent viewing position, just to watch this first wave of excitement.

Although the light was dim, with his eyesight, he could clearly see Nian Zanli surrounded by the Tiangong guard team, his expression turning from confusion to shock, and from shock to helplessness.

Bai Ziqi still gave him some face and found a carriage for him to sit in.

Nian Zanli seemed a bit excited, but Tingwei stepped forward and said a few words to him, and Nian Zanli was like a deflated ball, boarding the carriage while looking back at every step.

Afterward, the carriage moved slowly toward the northeast.

The guards surrounded it in the middle, with great momentum.

He Lingchuan shook his cup and toasted it: "General Nian, have a safe journey."

He came to see Nian Zanli off, and as he wished, he saw the carriage wheels turning, taking away all of Nian Zanli's ambitions.

In another hour, it would be sunrise, and he hoped Nian Zanli would hurry to appreciate it.

Perhaps, Nian Zanli wouldn't see many sunrises in the rest of his life.

Whether it was the Heavenly Prison or the prison of the Tiangong, it seemed they didn't see the sun.

"The big trouble of Yuan Nation is solved, congratulations." The Soul-Stealing Mirror in his bosom laughed, "Can he still get out?"

"Should not be able to." He Lingchuan's mood also relaxed.

Once targeted by the Tiangong, Nian Zanli would lose a layer of skin even if he didn't die. Want to attack Yuan Nation? Heh, he'd better worry about his own life first.

"Since he is determined to recognize Beijia as his master, then thunder and rain are all heavenly grace, and he has to accept it."

The Soul-Stealing Mirror sighed: "You cleaning up Nian Zanli is blocking a great disaster for Yuan Nation. It's a pity, Yuan Nation knows nothing about this!"

Nian Zanli's borrowing troops failed, and Yuan Nation was thus spared more than one war.

For this weak country, it might be able to survive for a few more years.

"This trouble started because of me and ended because of me, which is fair. Besides, whether Yuan Nation knows or not, I don't care." He Lingchuan raised his head and swallowed the wine in the cup, threw down a tael of silver, and stood up to leave.

He had completed two of his four tasks in Lingxu City on time and as wished.

Next, he would go all out for the Xushan plan!

Tourists who have been to the Tiangong will hear the tour guide mention that there is a prison on Mount Tianchu, where evil people who offend the gods are imprisoned, called Yang Palace.

Its location is behind the Star-Plucking Tower, idlers are not allowed to approach, and it is actually a cave-style prison made by hollowing out the mountain belly, with only one passage in and out.

Of course, the definition of "offense" by the gods of Beijia is relatively broad; ordinary people say a few disrespectful words on their mouths, and they turn a deaf ear, after all, Lingxu City focuses on a free atmosphere. But if you take actual action, you may be held accountable.

When Yang Palace was first established, it was said that all living beings were equal in the eyes of the Heavenly God, so there was no distinction between levels, and all prisoners were treated equally.

But as time passed, gaps appeared among the prisoners; after all, some crimes were heavier, some secrets were more, and some... were actually higher in status.

So after so many years, the prison of Yang Palace was actually divided into several levels.

The highest-level prison was in the deepest part of Yang Palace, and it was actually possible to see the sky, but not through air windows. After all, the supernatural powers of this world were strange, and escaping through a window the size of a palm was not a rarity.

Here, a large piece of glazed glass separated it from the outside world, and the sky light could easily penetrate, and the prisoner sitting behind the window could even see the magnificent mountain scenery behind Mount Tianchu.

Of course, this kind of treatment was not something ordinary prisoners could enjoy.

The person living in this prison now was the Qingyang State Preceptor.

She was a top-level serious criminal and enjoyed a 30-square-meter single-person landscape prison. Although this was the deepest part of Yang Palace, with the unique fishy smell of the cave, the ground was not damp at all. The prison was cleaned before she came in, and there was no trace of rats or fleas.

For whatever reason, even in prison, the Qingyang State Preceptor's treatment was different.

After being sent here by Lingxiao Palace, the Qingyang State Preceptor followed the statement she discussed with the Demon Emperor and confessed to the Tiangong one by one.

How she hunted demons, how she refined immortality medicine, and how she relied on Qingfu Temple to sell it over the years, she confessed truthfully.

What the Tiangong wanted to know was nothing more than two points: first, the source of divine blood, which she pushed onto Dong Rui.

Second, the customers who bought immortality medicine, the Qingyang State Preceptor only said that the name list account book had been destroyed in the fire of Qingfu Temple, and no one had a backup.

Besides that, she didn't say a word.

She was sent here by the Emperor personally, and the Tiangong knew very well that there must have been full communication between the two. The Qingyang State Preceptor said the account book was gone, so it was gone, and it couldn't be found.

Due to her truly special status and her weight with the Emperor, the Tiangong didn't torture her.

No matter how treacherous the outside was, the inside of Yang Palace was always dead and isolated from the world.

In the afternoon, the Tiangong attendant came to deliver food.

He could only send it to the door, and the food box had to be collected by the jailer for inspection to ensure that no private goods or notes were carried, before it would be given to the prisoner.

"Qingyang State Preceptor, time to eat."

The jailer checked it was correct, then opened the small door and pushed the food box in.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 690 =====