“This is quite a mess, but if you peel the threads away one by one, it becomes clear that the crux of it all lies with Wu Kai.” He Lingchuan then added slowly, “And it’s not just us who see this, but even Cen Boqing himself.”

Before the eyeball spider died, it had heard Cen Boqing’s words with perfect clarity.

Though He Lingchuan already knew that Cen Boqing was the man behind everything, the difficulty in handling this case was that he still had no direct evidence linking the crimes to Cen Boqing himself.

Fu Songhua’s testimony, the guards’ confessions, even Mai Xuewen’s actions, Cen Boqing could deny every last bit of it.

In other words, what they lacked was that one crucial piece of evidence.

Only when He Lingchuan found ironclad proof that Cen Boqing could not wriggle out of denying would he truly have won.

And that was why his eyes had settled on Wu Kai.

That old man seemed to have little presence of his own, always just following behind Cen Boqing and attending to him completely, but the guards had already identified him as Cen Boqing’s trusted confidant, the man who handled Cen Boqing’s more important business.

Most importantly, the upper circles of power in all of Baishajue knew this too.

If they could find headway through Wu Kai, then he would become exactly the witness they had been hoping for all along.

Jiao Yu instinctively extended its claws. “That’s bad. What if Cen Boqing kills him to silence him?”

“Then we’d have a real problem.” He Lingchuan rubbed his chin. “But if he doesn’t, then that proves Wu Kai is important, important enough that Cen Boqing isn’t willing to give him up unless he has no other choice.”

Through the eyeball spider, he had already heard how Cen Boqing would rather accept the risk than kill Wu Kai.

That meant Uncle Wu’s work mattered, and that he could not easily be replaced.

And then, connecting that with the fact that it was Wu Kai who had gone to Chao Lake Tower that day to collect the jiang beads from Mr. Mai, He Lingchuan had every reason to suspect that Wu Kai was the one directly in charge of the monster-hunting and bead-collecting operation.

If his guess was correct, then whether Mai Xuewen himself was caught or not no longer mattered. As long as they seized Uncle Wu and got him to testify, Cen Boqing would never be able to wash the suspicion off himself!

Jiao Yu asked, “So how do we deal with him? Wait until he’s alone, then strike?”

“They’re already on guard now. Wu Kai won’t be alone. And even if he is, it’s probably a trap set specifically for us.”

“Then what do we do?”

“On the surface, we stay still for now.” He Lingchuan said lazily, “If we’re not in a hurry, then sooner or later the people who are in a hurry will make their move.”

“Someone else is in a hurry?” Jiao Yu thought for a long while, its tail swishing behind it. “You mean Mai Xuewen?”

Only then did it realize that He Lingchuan had been stroking its head for quite some time.

It actually found the feeling really addictive.

“Mai Xuewen really shouldn’t have sent that note.” He Lingchuan burned the slip of paper to ash. “He probably thinks I’m furious right now, and that the moment I get a lead, I’ll definitely act on it.”

Jiao Yu thought, Wouldn’t any normal person do exactly that?

Just then, someone else came looking for He Lingchuan.

This time, what arrived was an oiled-paper parcel. When he opened it, there was another note inside, and several strands of hair.

He Lingchuan looked surprised. “Old Xiang got it this quickly?”

He had thought that he would have to wait another day or two. He had not expected Xiang Yan to handle things so efficiently.

As expected of a man who managed to remain in official service for decades and retire safely in the end.

Later, when He Lingchuan went out to the latrine behind the inn, the other eyeball spider exploded in outrage in his ear.

“I never imagined that Cen Boqing would actually spot your companion.”

“Hm? Yes, he deserves ten thousand deaths.”

“Mm-hm, we won’t let him off. We’ll definitely make him pay for it sooner or later.”

“No, no, no. You just stay quietly by my side, alright? Don’t go spying on him.” He Lingchuan dug a finger into his ear. The spider’s shrill, furious screech was nearly bursting his eardrum, and only he could hear it. “He’s on guard now. I don’t want you getting killed too.”

Sigh, I only have one eyeball spider left now. I wonder if he can get more from Zhu Erniang in the future.

By dusk, a third visitor arrived.

The inn where He Lingchuan was staying was unusually lively today.

The visitor this time turned out to be the magistrate of Baishajue County himself.

“County Magistrate Tian?” He Lingchuan’s surprise was genuine. “What brings you here?”

“To deliver an invitation,” County Magistrate Tian said with a broad smile. “The Lotus Festival is the day after tomorrow. It’s Baishajue’s grandest summer celebration, and the entire city joins in the festivities. Would you be willing to grace it with your presence?”

“It sounds interesting. It would be rude to refuse.” He Lingchuan stroked his chin. “Who else important will be there? Zhongsun Mou?”

“L-Lord Zhongsun has already agreed to attend.” County Magistrate Tian hesitated before adding, “He’ll also be giving the opening address.”

“Oh? He’s in that relaxed a mood?”

“Yes, yes.” County Magistrate Tian set down the invitation, then stepped closer and lowered his voice as he added, “That bit of information you asked me to look into earlier...”

“Yes?”

“The word that Lord Zhongsun had arrived in Baishajue, it was the Cen household that let it out first.” County Magistrate Tian spoke softly. “It came up casually during a gathering among the women of the Cen household.”

“So it really was like that.” He Lingchuan nodded. “You’ve worked hard, County Magistrate Tian.”

“A small matter.” County Magistrate Tian added, “The Cen household is currently searching the whole city for Fu Songhua. Baishajue isn’t a large place, and the Cen Family knows it like the back of their hand, so I’m afraid...”

“That was to be expected.” He Lingchuan said, “You’ve been especially thoughtful, County Magistrate Tian.”

“Not at all, not at all.” County Magistrate Tian was a sensible man. Once he had said what he came to say, he promptly took his leave.

The tiger licked a paw beside him. “That information’s already stale.”

They had long known that the Cen household was behind it all.

“I never expected County Magistrate Tian to dig up anything truly useful.” He Lingchuan was perfectly clear on that. “As long as we can confirm that he hasn’t taken part in it, that’s one major obstacle removed.”

County Magistrate Tian himself was not important. The important part was that he had not ended up standing opposite He Lingchuan.

After all, he was still an official of the State of Chiyan.

* * *

A midsummer rain came as summer rains did, sudden and without warning, but once it arrived, it refused to leave, drizzling in a dense, lingering curtain for more than half the day.

And then several more waves of visitors came.

Even He Lingchuan had not expected to see that they were all officials from the State of Chiyan. Some were retired, some still in office, and several came together in groups.

All of them used the same excuse, saying that the special envoy had worked hard on the case and that they had come specially to pay him their respects, bearing humble gifts as a token of goodwill.

Every one of them arrived smiling, talked smiling, and left smiling.

He Lingchuan could not make sense of it. What tune are they all singing now?

Jiao Yu flicked its tail. It’s rare indeed for this special envoy to encounter something he couldn’t see through. “It means they’re all on our side. It looks like Cen Boqing and those Lingxu City grandees aren’t very popular here.”

He Lingchuan let out a long “Ohhh.”

After the visitors were gone, he could not even be bothered to move much. He either cultivated, or sat watching the rain strike the banana leaves, or else played the flute or the xun.

The flute was just an ordinary bamboo flute he had picked up casually at the market. The sound quality was mediocre. It was nowhere near as good as Sun Fuling’s bone flute.

Then again, his own skill was mediocre too.

Well, compared to a few days ago, he had improved a little. At least now he could play a complete tune.

Broken in places, yes, and with rhythm still not worth mentioning, but still, there was at least something now.

When it came to music, he truly had no gift for it at all.

Whenever he started playing, the tiger always found some excuse to leave.

Only the Soul-Stealing Mirror remained in silent misery, enduring it in despair. It had no legs, so it could not just walk away.

From the second floor, they could see a small lake some thirty meters away. The pink lotus buds had been washed by the rain into a kind of shy delicacy, only to be jostled by frogs until they trembled from stem to blossom.

At the sight of those frogs, who organized grand choruses at the slightest excuse, He Lingchuan could not help but think of the snail toad.

Mai Xuewen was probably hiding in some corner of Baishajue too, quietly watching the turmoil he himself had set in motion.

Just then, a small dark object flew in over the wall outside, slanting toward his window.

At first, He Lingchuan thought it was a bat, because it flapped its wings once. But when it got closer, he saw that it was not actually a bat. Instead, it turned out to be a mechanical bird.

It was only a little larger than a pigeon, and rather crudely made. Take it apart, and there were only a few components inside, plus a wind-guiding array.

At best, it could only fly a little over a hundred meters. It was nothing compared to the mechanical messenger pigeons in Wu Shaoyi’s hands, which could fly for many kilometers.

It could not even land properly. It struggled through the window and immediately tumbled headfirst to the floor.

He Lingchuan took two steps back, half-expecting it to explode.

But the mechanical bird merely lay on its side, flapped its wings twice, and stopped moving.

Jiao Yu, who had just been about to leave, whirled back and pounced over, batting it twice with a paw. “There’s a seam on the belly.”

He Lingchuan reached into the bird’s underside and, sure enough, found a hidden compartment. Inside was yet another note: Six hours from now, Rain-Resting Pavilion on the eastern shore of Luan Lake. Come alone.

The tiger saw it too and made a surprised noise. “Could this be him again?”

“Mm, probably Mai Xuewen.” He Lingchuan was already familiar with the handwriting; it did indeed resemble the writing in the account books. “We’ve barely stayed still for any length of time, and he’s already getting anxious.”

“Are you going?”

By all rights, He Lingchuan should not.

This was an extremely delicate moment. Zhongsun Mou, the Cen household, and the newly arrived Fan brothers were all watching him. Who knew how many eyes were still fixed on this inn from outside? If those people discovered he was secretly meeting with Mai Xuewen, the consequences would be hard to imagine.

He Lingchuan could practically picture Zhongsun Mou laughing wildly as he splashed mud all over his name.

But Mai Xuewen clearly knew more of the inside story, and that would help He Lingchuan break the current deadlock.

More importantly, there was one matter He Lingchuan kept thinking about, though he could not very well say it aloud: the painting in Mai Xuewen’s study, and the bone flute inside that painting.

He looked out at the rain beyond the window.

“You can sneak out in the rain, though not in the snow. This weather actually makes a fine opportunity to go out.” Everyone on the street had oil-paper umbrellas up, hiding their faces completely. “So... We’re not going.”

Jiao Yu understood him a little better by now, so this did not surprise it too much, though it still asked, “You’re really going? That’s far too dange—Wait, did you say we’re not going?”

“That’s right.”

“...”

“Mai Xuewen sees that I’ve gone quiet these past few days and doesn’t know what to make of it. Maybe he even thinks I’m scared now.” He Lingchuan sounded lazy and relaxed. “The more anxious he gets, the less anxious I need to be.”

What a large heart this man had.

The tip of the tiger’s tail twitched. Just as Xiang Yan had said, He Lingchuan was in real danger now. Zhongsun Mou and the others were doing everything they could to kill him.

After two attacks in a row, Jiao Yu had assumed He Lingchuan would strike back at once with full force.

The other side was probably expecting exactly that too.

And yet, here he was, appearing completely relaxed and showing no signs of retaliating.

He Lingchuan nodded to himself, as if remembering something. “Right, according to Fushan Yue’s reply, he should be...”

“Soon.”

“That’s good.”