Chapter 3: The Identity of the Pursuers

He Lingshuang’s expression darkened. The news that his original self and the leopard had fallen off the cliff together had been kept under wraps by the He estate. That sand leopard was later secretly transported back to the city for an autopsy, where it was discovered that it had already been severely wounded before it attacked He Lingshuang.

Now that these two outsiders had suddenly come asking about the whereabouts of the sand leopard, they must be connected to the people who hunted the leopard demon and caused He Lingshuang such misery!

This lead could not be allowed to slip away.

"Where are those two?"

"Still at the tavern. Our altar master is waiting for your instructions."

"Keep them there."

"Understood." The messenger smiled. "Those two guys are acting like they’re the kings of the world, looking down their noses at everyone. One moment they’re complaining that the local wine is sour, the next they’re whining that the room smells. The brothers are already annoyed with them; it would be best if we could teach them a lesson."

He Lingshuang hesitated for a moment before standing up. "Lead the way."

He knew that coming to this world, he couldn't just enjoy the perks without suffering any losses or putting in any effort.

Since that was the case, he might as well take the initiative.

Uncle Hao, however, said, "Let me go first; you can come along in a while, Young Master." With that, he left with the man.

As for why the Red-White Path came to tip them off, Altar Master Jin had previously invited He Lingshuang to drink and listen to music, and He Lingshuang had also acted as a go-between for him on certain matters, so they had a bit of a rapport. In a small place, networks were everywhere, and of course, the Red-White Path also wanted to use this opportunity to do a favor for Governor He.

When He Chunhua first took office, he discovered that Blackwater City was a melting pot of all sorts of people, and the most profitable trades had already been carved up. As governor, he naturally wanted his jurisdiction to be peaceful and stable. Furthermore, given Blackwater City's critical geographical location, some of the shadier forces had to be brought under control. Therefore, he didn't cut off their livelihoods to avoid escalating conflicts, but instead issued the "Liquor Permit" based on local conditions, requiring merchants and citizens to hold a permit to sell alcohol.

In other words, from then on, selling alcohol in Blackwater City required a license.

No matter who you were, you had to obtain a permit from the government, or else you would be dealt with according to the law.

The common people do not fight the officials. Organizations like the Red-White Path could not openly defy the government, and He Chunhua had his methods. Through a mix of soft and hard tactics, he finally managed to bring these rough, unruly forces into line using the "Liquor Permit," slowly turning Blackwater City into his own territory.

If there was any movement in the city, the He estate would know about it soon enough.

This was the power of a local hegemon.

￥￥￥￥￥

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

The two cursed, hurried back to the inn to order hot food and dishes, and then went down to the public bathhouse.

They washed for a while, but for some reason, they began to yawn incessantly, growing sleepier and sleepier, until they actually fell asleep in the wooden tubs.

...

*Splash.* Cold water hit their faces.

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

...

By the time He Lingshuang walked into the backyard of the inn, Uncle Hao had already come out. His hands were wet, and his expression was grave. "Interrogated. The two of them confessed."

"Are they still alive?" Uncle Hao was naturally stern, and seeing him pull such a long face made He Lingshuang’s heart sink.

"...They are alive." *Doesn't the Young Master want to ask about the content of the confession first?* "They claim to be second-rank guards of the Donglai Mansion, sent to Blackwater City by order of the Grand Marshal."

"Donglai Mansion?" Why did those words sound so familiar? He had to search the memories of his original self.

That guy was very good at eating, drinking, and having fun, and he was also fond of martial arts, but he didn't pay much attention to anything else.

But the title "Grand Marshal" that followed hit He Lingshuang with a heavy shock!

He remembered.

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

"The mansion of the Pillar of State, Grand Marshal Dong Haoming, was personally named 'Donglai Mansion' by the Imperial brush!" Uncle Hao said, enunciating every word. "He is the father of the Eastern Queen, the father-in-law of the King!"

"These two are actually subordinates of the Pillar of State?" He Lingshuang’s expression changed drastically, but then he felt something was wrong. "If so, why didn't they say so earlier? Why wait until they couldn't take the torture to confess? Are they masochists by nature?"

Though they called themselves guards, they were essentially private soldiers of the Donglai Mansion. Nobles and aristocrats in the capital were not allowed to maintain armies, but many high-ranking officials secretly kept private soldiers under various guises.

Nowadays, discipline was lax, and many policy loopholes were widening. Everyone knew it, but no one mentioned it.

"The mission was confidential; the mansion issued a gag order, forbidding them from leaking it." Uncle Hao reached out. In his palm lay two tokens, still stained with blood. "These are Dongming tokens, found on them."

Each token was only the size of a mahjong tile, with the same rounded corners, but as thin as a leaf. He Lingshuang took them and weighed them; they were very light. The characters "Dongming" were engraved on them, along with a gold seal.

The purpose of the tokens was to verify identity while preventing forgery. These two tokens were made of a special material—neither gold, nor bronze, nor iron, nor wood. They looked like jade, but they didn't feel like it, as they had a slight elasticity when pressed.

"These should be genuine," Uncle Hao said in a low voice. "I have seen tokens from the Dongming Mansion before; these are identical. The Pillar of State’s fief produces a strange wood. After the bark is removed, it secretes a colorless, odorless, translucent gel that sets after being baked. Items made from it cannot be imitated elsewhere."

"These two are really from the Donglai Mansion?" In other words, he was at odds with the Donglai Mansion?

No, the Donglai Mansion was at odds with him.

Separated by a thousand miles, he had inexplicably offended the King’s father-in-law?

Even the original He Lingshuang would have felt that things were looking very bad right now. He Lingshuang felt a bit flustered. "Why would tracking a wounded sand leopard become a confidential mission?"

The real He Lingshuang had run wild in Blackwater City for sixteen years, living a life of luxury. How was it that less than two months after he took over, he had run into such a troublesome mess?

"These two were assigned to Blackwater City to find clues; they know nothing beyond that. More than a dozen others were sent out at the same time, splitting up to head toward the vicinity of the Red Cliff trade route." Uncle Hao added, "By the way, they were originally stationed at Wuzhao Ridge, so they set out from Wuzhao Ridge this time, not the Donglai Mansion."

Wuzhao Ridge was separated from Blackwater City by a province, less than two hundred miles away—much closer than the capital.

He Lingshuang gave an "oh," not paying much attention.

The current ruler was weak, and Dong Haoming, as a member of the powerful faction, had cronies all over the world. What was strange about him planting some people in Wuzhao Ridge?

"Are more people from the Donglai Mansion coming?"

"They don't know either." Uncle Hao glanced back into the room. "The questioning is done. How should we deal with these two?"

The best way was to chop them down and destroy the evidence.