Chapter 3: Chapter 3: The Identity of the Pursuers

Hee Lingchuan’s expression darkened. The Hee Mansion had suppressed the news of his predecessor falling from the cliff with the leopard. That Sand Leopard was later secretly transported back to the city for an autopsy, which revealed it had been seriously injured before it attacked Hee Lingchuan.

For these two outsiders to suddenly show up asking about the Sand Leopard’s whereabouts, it had to be connected to the people who had hunted the Leopard Demon and caused the original Hee Lingchuan’s death!

’I can’t let this lead slip away.’

"What about those two?"

"They’re still at the tavern. Our Temple Master is awaiting your instructions."

"Detain them."

"Alright." The messenger chuckled. "Those two are as arrogant as they come, looking down their noses at everyone. One minute they’re complaining the local wine is sour, the next they’re griping about how the room stinks. The brothers were already pissed off just looking at them. It’d be great if we could teach them a lesson."

After a moment’s hesitation, Hee Lingchuan stood up. "Lead the way."

’I knew it. It’s impossible to come to this world and only reap the rewards without any risk or effort.’

’In that case, I might as well be proactive.’

Uncle Hao, however, said, "I’ll go first. Eldest Young Master, you can come later." With that, he left with the man.

As for why the Red and White Dao had tipped them off, Jinn Altar Master had treated Hee Lingchuan to drinks and music in the past, and Hee Lingchuan, in turn, had pulled some strings and done favors for him. They had a decent rapport. In a small place like this, you could never escape the web of connections. And of course, the Red and White Dao also wanted to curry favor with Hee Prefect.

When Hee Chunhua first came to power, he found Black Water City to be a place with a motley crew, where all the most profitable businesses had already been carved up. As Prefect, he naturally wanted long-term peace and stability in his jurisdiction. Furthermore, given Black Water City’s critical geographical location, even some of the shadier powers had to be brought under control. Therefore, instead of cutting off their livelihoods, which could have escalated tensions, he issued a "Wine Permit Decree" tailored to the local situation. Only merchants who held a permit were allowed to sell alcohol.

In other words, from then on, selling wine in Black Water City required a license.

No matter who it was, they had to obtain a wine permit from the Government Office, or they would be dealt with according to the law.

The common folk don’t fight with officials. After all, an organization like the Red and White Dao couldn’t openly defy the Official Family. Hee Chunhua, a man of shrewd methods, used a combination of pressure and incentives. He finally managed to rein in these rough factions with the "Wine Permit Decree," gradually turning Black Water City into his own domain.

Thanks to this, the Hee Mansion quickly learned of any disturbance in the city.

This was the power of a Local Bully.

￥￥￥￥￥

The two outsiders walked out of a teahouse just as a gust of wind hit them. Before they could put on their Veil Hats, the sand carried by the wind stung their eyes, forcing them shut.

Cursing, the two hurried back to their inn, ordered a hot meal, and then went down to the public bathing area.

They bathed for a while, but for some reason, they couldn’t stop yawning. They grew sleepier and sleepier, and actually fell asleep in their wooden tubs.

...

SPLASH! Cold water hit them in the face.

The two men woke up instantly, only to find themselves tied to chairs, facing a gray wall.

...

By the time Hee Lingchuan walked into the inn’s backyard, Uncle Hao was already coming out. His hands were wet and his expression was grim. "They’ve been interrogated. The two of them confessed."

"Are they still alive?" Uncle Hao already looked severe, but when his face grew even sterner, Hee Lingchuan’s heart sank.

"...They’re alive." ’Doesn’t the Eldest Young Master want to ask about the confession first?’ "They claim to be Second-class Guards from Donglai Prefecture, here in Black Water City on orders from the Grand Commandant."

"Donglai Prefecture?" The name sounded vaguely familiar. He had to search his predecessor’s memories.

That guy had been an expert in wining, dining, and pleasure-seeking. He also enjoyed practicing martial arts and Magic, but didn’t care much for anything else.

But the two words that followed, "Grand Commandant," struck Hee Lingchuan like a bolt of lightning!

He remembered.

’In the entire Yuan Kingdom, how many Grand Commandants could there be?’

"The residence of the National Pillar General and Grand Commandant, Dongg Haoming, was personally named ’Donglai Prefecture’ by the Imperial Brush!" Uncle Hao said, enunciating every word. "He is Queen Dongg’s father, His Majesty the King’s father-in-law!"

"These two are actually subordinates of the Upper Pillar Kingdom?" Hee Lingchuan’s face changed drastically, but then he felt something was wrong. "If so, why didn’t they say so earlier? Why wait until they couldn’t endure the torture anymore to confess? Are they just masochists?"

Although they were called guards, they were essentially the private soldiers of Donglai Prefecture. The nobles of the Capital City weren’t allowed to maintain armies, but many high-ranking officials secretly kept private soldiers under various pretexts.

Nowadays, law and order were in disarray, and many policy loopholes were growing wider. Everyone knew it, but no one spoke of it.

"The assignment was confidential. The prefecture issued a gag order, forbidding them from speaking about it," Uncle Hao said, holding out his hand. Two tokens lay in his palm, still stained with blood. "These are Dongming Tokens. We found them on their bodies."

Each token was about the size of a mahjong tile, even having similarly rounded corners, but was as thin as a leaf. Hee Lingchuan took them and weighed them in his hand. They were very light. Engraved on them was the word "Dongming" and a Golden Seal.

The purpose of a token was to prove one’s identity while also being difficult to forge. The material of these two tokens was peculiar—not gold, not bronze, not iron, not wood. They looked like jade but didn’t feel like it, because they were slightly elastic when pressed.

"These should be genuine," Uncle Hao said in a low voice. "I’ve seen tokens from Dongming Prefecture before, and they were identical to these. The Upper Pillar Kingdom’s fief produces a strange type of tree. After stripping the bark, it secretes a colorless, odorless, translucent resin that solidifies when baked. Items made from it cannot be replicated elsewhere."

"So these two really are from Donglai Prefecture?" ’Does that mean I’m now at odds with Donglai Prefecture?’

’No, it’s Donglai Prefecture that’s at odds with me.’

’Thousands of miles apart, and I’ve somehow offended the King’s father-in-law?’

Even the original Hee Lingchuan would have realized how dire the situation was. Hee Lingchuan’s mind was in turmoil. "Why would tracking an injured Sand Leopard become a top-secret mission?"

The original Hee Lingchuan had run rampant in Black Water City for sixteen years, living a life of utter comfort. How was it that he, the replacement, had been on the job for less than two months and already stumbled into such a mess?

"These two were assigned to find clues in Black Water City, but they know nothing beyond that. About a dozen others were sent out at the same time, splitting up to head near the Red Cliff Trade Road." Uncle Hao added, "Oh, and they were originally stationed at Wuzhao Ridge, so they departed from there this time, not from Donglai Prefecture."

Wuzhao Ridge and Black Water City were in adjacent prefectures, less than two hundred li apart—much closer than the National Capital.

Hee Lingchuan just said, "Oh," not paying it much mind.

The current ruler was weak, and as the leader of a powerful faction, Dongg Haoming had supporters all over the kingdom. What was so strange about him placing a few men in Wuzhao Ridge?

"Will more people be coming from Donglai Prefecture?"

"They don’t know either." Uncle Hao glanced toward the room. "We’ve finished the questioning. What should we do with these two?"

The best option was a swift death, followed by the destruction of their bodies to eliminate all evidence.