“So in the end, it’s still made in Beijia. It just takes a trip abroad first, and suddenly it becomes legal?”

Mai Xuewen spread his hands.Spring “Other than Beijia, where else is hunting monsters this easy?”

This was, after all, the northern monster state. There were countless races of monsters here. In the human states elsewhere, monsters hid in deep mountains and vast marshes. They were scattered, hard to find, and troublesome to track down.

For reasons of efficiency and cost, hunting monsters in Beijia was naturally the most economical option.

He Lingchuan thought for a moment. “You said some of the beads are sent off to make medicine... So Cen Boqing isn’t the one refining it himself?”

Mai Xuewen let out a quiet laugh. “You’re sharp. Someone else is making it. But first, you need to survive the crisis right before you. Once you do, I can tell you more.”

“Why?”

“If you can’t even take down Cen Boqing, then there’s no point talking about what comes after.”

He Lingchuan looked at him. “The one you have a grudge against isn’t Cen Boqing, is it?”

Mai Xuewen only smiled and said nothing.

“If you want to work together, then show some sincerity.” He Lingchuan folded his arms. “How exactly are you going to help me?”

“I can give you two leads.” Mai Xuewen raised one finger. “First, the man who fed Fu Songhua a prepared story in the county jail is named Pang Denian. He’s one of Wu Kai’s men too. Once the bribed jailer died, Pang Denian was in the clear. They sent him off to Hou Family Village in the southwest of Baishajue to lie low and do odd jobs under the false name Chen Erhei. No one there knows who he really is. On the surface, Hou Family Village has nothing to do with the Cen household, but in truth, it’s controlled by one of Cen Boqing’s cousins.”

He paused, then added, “Wu Kai didn’t silence Pang Denian, probably because Pang Denian once saved his grandson from drowning. The two became fairly close after that.”

“And second, I’ve learned that another bead-hunting group is operating out of Little Gourd Town in Baiting County. The one leading it is named Yang Song, and he should have five or six men under him.”

Fierce Tiger Jiao Yu cut in, “Wait, Baiting County isn’t in the State of Chiyan.”

“The groups under Wu Kai are scattered across different vassal monster states.” Mai Xuewen gave it a sidelong glance. “Baiting County is actually considered close. It’s only forty or so kilometers from Chiyan’s northern border.”

“So now I have to cross a state border to arrest people?” He Lingchuan frowned. “What about the other groups?”

“I suspect there are another three or four, but they don’t know about one another and don’t contact each other. Wu Kai is the only middleman.” He looked at He Lingchuan. “Both of these leads tie directly back to Wu Kai. If you can get your hands on them, you may be able to squeeze more details out of them.”

“That’s it? That’s not much to work with.”

“If they hadn’t covered their tracks so cleanly, this case wouldn’t still be under investigation now.” Mai Xuewen sighed. “Fine, then I’ll give you one more lead. Wu Kai lost both his wife and son years ago, but he has a grandson. These past few days, his daughter-in-law has brought the boy to Baishajue for a visit.”

He Lingchuan looked dissatisfied. “I was under the impression you’d just tie up Wu Kai and deliver him straight to me.”

“The entire Cen Residence is covered with arrays that block escape techniques. Even the snail toad can’t get in.” Clearly, Mai Xuewen had already tried. “Besides, Wu Kai and Cen Boqing are practically inseparable, and both of them have hidden guards protecting them.”

The snail toad was only suited for surprise attacks, after all.

He Lingchuan thought for a moment. “What kind of person is Cen Boqing?”

“Don’t be fooled by how overbearing he acts toward outsiders. Deep down, he’s suspicious and weak. He gives in easily, but sometimes he can also go all out and stop at nothing. You could say he has a complicated, unpredictable temperament. Oh, and one more thing, he absolutely hates trouble.”

He Lingchuan fell into thought.

Blustering on the outside, weak on the inside, yet liable to go to extremes when cornered? There are plenty of people like that.

“How did Uncle Wu come to serve Cen Boqing in the first place?”

“Wu Kai used to be the personal attendant of Cen Boqing’s father, Cen Dan. After Cen Dan died, he stayed by Cen Boqing’s side. It’s been over ten years now.”

“Then by that logic, Wu Kai must be someone Cen Boqing trusts deeply.”

“Naturally. Otherwise, how could he have entrusted something as important as this monster-hunting and bead-collecting operation to Wu Kai?” Mai Xuewen then added, “Let me offer you one more piece of advice.”

“Oh?” This man seriously speaks as if he’s awfully superior.

“This case goes deeper the more you dig. You won’t be able to handle it on your own. Ask the Crown Prince for reinforcements, and quickly.”

“I have a question for you too.” He Lingchuan suddenly threw out something completely unrelated. “There’s a painting in your study. A woman in the picture is playing a bone flute. Where did that painting come from, and who is the woman?”

Why bring that up all of a sudden?

Not only Mai Xuewen, but even Jiao Yu beside him forgot to keep licking its fur.

Mai Xuewen immediately said, “The painting is with you?”

He Lingchuan took the scroll out of his storage ring and waved it at him.

“I picked it up at the market. I only kept it because the workmanship was so good.”

He Lingchuan’s expression hardened. “If you keep feeding me nonsense, I’m dropping this case entirely.”

Mai Xuewen went silent for a moment before finally saying, “That painting was made twenty years ago. The woman in it is the current master of the Spring Palace, State Preceptor Qing Yang.”

What? The painting is of State Preceptor Qing Yang?

The answer completely caught He Lingchuan off guard. “One of Beijia’s Four State Preceptors?”

“Exactly.”

“And the instrument in her hands, what’s the story behind it?”

“That flute?” Mai Xuewen sounded puzzled. “Why are you asking about that?”

What kind of stupid question is that? If not for the bone flute, why would I have gone to all this trouble in the first place? “I think I may have seen that flute before.”

“It may be part of the Spring Palace’s collection.” A flicker passed through Mai Xuewen’s eyes. “State Preceptor Qing Yang has always loved rare curios, and she’s held her position longer than the other three state preceptors. The Spring Palace houses more rare treasures and oddities than any of the others.”

He Lingchuan stared at him. Unfortunately, the attendant’s face was stiff and unnatural, giving nothing away. “You really don’t know where the flute came from?”

“I only know that it seems to have been in State Preceptor Qing Yang’s possession for a very long time.”

“And what’s your connection to State Preceptor Qing Yang?”

Mai Xuewen answered smoothly, “None.”

Heh, sure. He Lingchuan did not believe him for a second, but the man clearly had no intention of saying more. He let out a soft breath before continuing, “Given the evidence and leads we have right now, it wouldn’t be convenient for the Crown Prince to step in. More importantly, I don’t have a suitable reason to stop Zhongsun Mou from taking Fu Songhua back to Lingxu City.”

He had no hard evidence in hand. Even if Fushan Yue came in person, he would still be at a disadvantage.

“You could say that the moment Zhongsun Mou finds Fu Songhua, this case is over.” He enunciated every word. “And when that happens, you’ll have no chance left.”

That was why, over the past several days, their opponents had been searching all over the city for Fu Songhua. Even the Fan brothers had stopped coming to trouble He Lingchuan.

As soon as they secured the wanted criminal for Lingxu City, the contest would be over.

All of Mai Xuewen’s long-laid plans would go straight down the drain.

That was a result Mai Xuewen clearly could not accept under any circumstances. After thinking for a moment, he said, “Then let me help you one more time. Tomorrow just so happens to be the Lotus Festival—”

“Enough!” He Lingchuan suddenly slapped the table and barked, “You’re a suspect, and I’m a special envoy. I neither need your help nor will I make any kind of deal with you!”

Mai Xuewen: “...”

Jiao Yu: “...”

He’s not going to make any kind of deal with me? Is this guy just messing with me now?

“I’m only baiting a suspect into talking.” As He Lingchuan spoke, he took out a small box and opened it. Inside were several damp little round beads.

He picked one up, rolled it between his fingers a couple of times, and casually moved as if to crush it flat.

Mai Xuewen stared at it so intently that his eyes seemed nailed to it. At the sight, he could not help but blurt out, “Don’t!”

He Lingchuan did not crush it in the end. He only glanced at him, smiled faintly, and slowly put the bead back into the box. “Looks like you’re very close to me.”

“You won’t catch me. Not in weather like this.”

The rain outside had never stopped. Even with the windows shut, the room was thick with dampness.

“Don’t get any crooked ideas, and don’t even think about disrupting other people’s festival celebrations.” He Lingchuan gave him a stern warning. “Turn yourself in while you still can. Otherwise, when I catch you, I’ll make sure you’re punished to the fullest extent!”

Mai Xuewen looked at him deeply. “You’re an interesting man. I just hope you’re still alive when this case is over.”

“I have no need for your concern.”

The words had barely left his mouth when the attendant staggered back two steps and nearly fell.

He gave a start, caught his balance, and then looked around in confusion. “Huh?”

What just happened? How had I ended up sneaking into a guest’s room?

He turned and saw the doors and windows shut tight, the large bathing tub still steaming with hot water, and shivered at once. C-could it be...?

Fortunately, the guest only pointed behind him. “Out.”

It seemed Mai Xuewen had withdrawn his divine technique, and the attendant had become himself again.

The man bolted out in a flash, though he still remembered to pull the door shut behind him. It looked like Mai Xuewen’s spell had done him no real harm.

He Lingchuan looked at the big tub of hot water.

Who sends someone hot bathwater in the middle of summer? Lunatic. Still, now that it’s here, letting it go to waste would be a shame.

But before he could even start undressing, Jiao Yu splashed into the tub with a plop and rested its huge head on the rim.

“You never bathe in your room anyway.” It narrowed its eyes, looking for all the world like an old man luxuriating in a soak.

“...You really do know how to enjoy yourself.”

As it soaked, Jiao Yu asked him, “What were the two of you insinuating just now?”

It had the distinct sense that there was something hidden in that last exchange, in their actions and their words. Both of them seemed to have understood something, while it alone had failed to grasp it.

Humans. Hah. A hundred schemes in every sentence.

“Insinuating?” He Lingchuan smiled. He fished a towel out of the hot water, folded it into a square, and laid it over the tiger’s forehead. “You’re overthinking it.”

Amid the rising steam, his smile looked a little blurred.

“A storm’s coming.”

Jiao Yu blinked. “Huh?”

It turned its head, only to see He Lingchuan flop down onto the couch, hands tucked behind his head, looking perfectly relaxed, as if he had not been the one to say that just now.

* * *

In the building across the street, the two watchers were staring blankly at the wooden window opposite them when a Cen Residence guard suddenly appeared behind them. “Any movement?”

The pair nearly jumped out of their skins.

“No, everything’s normal.” Their job was only to watch the Crown Prince’s special envoy at the inn. They had been keeping watch for days now, and the man had been perfectly well-behaved the whole time, eating, sleeping, and chatting as any ordinary person would.

The guard took one look and saw that He Lingchuan’s window was shut. “What’s he doing?”

“Bathing,” the two men answered. “The attendants brought in a whole big tub of hot water.”

The guard gave a distracted grunt and was about to turn away when something struck him as wrong.

“Wait, doesn’t he always go to the public bathhouse?”

“Yeah, but...” What’s so strange about a man suddenly feeling like bathing in his room?

The guard raised a hand and smacked each of them on the back of the head. “He used bathing as an excuse to shut the window. That’s unusual. Why didn’t you report it?”

With that, he hurried downstairs, leaving the two watchers in the building’s loft thoroughly uneasy.

Unfortunately, he was too late. By the time he reached the inn, He Lingchuan’s door was already open, and several attendants were carrying the tub back out.

The water was a little dirty, with some singed yellowish-red hairs floating on the surface.