Chapter 456 - 455: An Invitation to a Banquet

Chapter 456: Chapter 455: An Invitation to a Banquet

Such exceptional mobility seems like something only a Flying Expert could achieve.

Cangying immediately refuted this. "There are, but they wouldn’t do something like this."

"Oh?" Hee Lingchuan’s interest was piqued. "Are you referring to a specific Demon King?"

"The Monarch of the Shanyu Kingdom is a Red-crowned Giant Eagle who once devoured an entire elephant, though not in a single gulp. Also, National Preceptor Mianbing, who oversees the Winter Palace, is a Snow Phoenix rumored to be able to assume a colossal form," Cangying said. "Beyond those two, I can’t think of a third."

Although both were capable, their status and standing make it highly unlikely they would travel to the Chiyan Kingdom to commit such acts.

Cangying added, "With how thin the Spiritual Qi is, it’s difficult for the Feather Race to produce Giants anymore."

The larger a Demon Beast’s body, the denser the Spiritual Qi required to sustain it. Current conditions are inadequate; this is no longer the age of Giant Demons like it was in Ancient Times and the early Middle Ages.

Even the Monarch of Shanyu and National Preceptor Mianbing rely on the nourishment of immense Primordial Power to maintain their forms.

"Then it must be a land-based Demon."

Jiao Yu chimed in with his analysis, "It might not be just one."

"True," Hee Lingchuan mused. "They committed their crimes on Niutou Mountain, so why come all the way out here to dump the... cargo?"

"Remains found deep in the mountains and old forests are not easily noticed," Jiao Yu replied. "Besides, this is already within the borders of White Stone County. Even if the bodies are discovered, the county has no reports of missing persons, so they probably won’t bother investigating thoroughly."

Outsiders and traveling demons who die in the wilderness are no one’s concern.

This isn’t unique to Beiga; it’s the same in every kingdom.

Aside from local officials not wanting to be bothered, such cases are also objectively difficult to pursue. Communication between prefectures and counties is poor; how could they easily coordinate an investigation?

The culprits are well aware of this, which is why they exploited the loophole by crossing county lines to dump the bodies.

"Is that all there is to it?" Hee Lingchuan agreed with his reasoning but still had doubts. "This spot is quite far from the county border, though. It’s all deep forests and old mountains around here. Why come this deep just to dump the bodies?"

"What’s your take on it?"

Hee Lingchuan stood up and surveyed the surroundings. "This place is sunless, the air is damp, and water drips from the rocks. It’s likely an environment the culprit enjoys. Let’s not forget its previous appearances were all on rainy nights."

"Even if this thing commits crimes all over, it must have a regular habitat, right?"

"You’re saying its lair is nearby?"

"Otherwise, why would it ’excrete’ here?" Hee Lingchuan said. "If you lived in the east side of the county, would you run all the way to the west side just to take a dump?"

"...Can’t say I have that hobby." Jiao Yu looked up and around. "The stench of death is mixed with a faint, foul odor."

"It’s a shame you weren’t here the day the thief came for the Rock Sheep." Hee Lingchuan leaped back to level ground, took out his Water Bag to wash his hands, and scrubbed them several times with scented soap to get rid of the lingering stench of death. "By the way, between you and Fushan Yue, who has the sharper nose?"

Jiao Yu paused, then said after a moment of thought, "The Young Master would still have the edge."

Hee Lingchuan took the mucus-covered branch from his Storage Ring. "Here, smell this. Is this the scent?"

The great tiger leaned in for a deep sniff, his nose nearly touching the branch.

’This posture alone shows a Ba’s sense of smell is far more sensitive than mine.’ Hee Lingchuan thought, believing him.

Finally, the great tiger declared, "Yes, that’s it!"

Hee Lingchuan took a deep breath.

’Well, what do you know. So this murderer is the real sheep thief. It looks like I can settle official business and a private grudge at the same time. Fushan Yue certainly didn’t pick the wrong man for the job.’

After a moment of thought, he said, "Since we’re already here, I’d like to go see the Porcupine Den."

"Yulun Mountain?" Jiao Yu had been present during the interrogation of Wangg Mazi, so he knew what Hee Lingchuan meant. "That’s on the other side of Zhitian Village. It’s getting dark. Should we find lodging in the village for the night?"

"Yes." They had gathered a good deal of information so far, but Hee Lingchuan knew the investigation was missing its most crucial component:

A breakthrough.

The perpetrator acted covertly. While they left behind a few clues, it wasn’t enough to track them.

’Why is this Demon devouring both humans and other demons all over Chiyan?’

’Is it simply to sate its hunger?’

...

The revenue from Zhitian Village alone accounted for two-thirds of the entire White Stone County’s income.

For this reason, the White Stone County Yamen was established directly in Youtian Town, within Zhitian Village, to facilitate the handling of various affairs.

Dusk had already fallen by the time Hee Lingchuan entered the town.

The streets of Youtian Town were noticeably more orderly than those of Shuangyi Town. Streetlamps hung from the trees lining the roads, making it easy for pedestrians to walk at night.

Lights shone from every home, and as Hee Lingchuan walked the streets, he could smell the aroma of cooking and hear the murmur of voices from the alleyways.

There were many large manors here, some covering considerable ground, with smooth outer walls and delicate roof tiles, clearly the homes of wealthy families.

Jiao Hu explained, "Most of the townsfolk grow medicinal herbs. A few prominent families run the herb trade, and once they make their fortune, they buy land and build manors."

The town’s economy was simple: some people grew, some collected, and others shipped the goods out. This was how wealth circulated.

But Hee Lingchuan asked a different question:

"Where do the Demons live?"

"Most of them reside in the mountain forests at the edge of town," Jiao Yu answered. "But the Demons who cooperate with humans to grow herbs also live in these manors."

There were several inns in town. Now that Hee Lingchuan’s travel expenses were reimbursable, he naturally chose to stay at the largest and most expensive one.

The accommodations were unique: a private courtyard with its own entrance. Inside the courtyard, an old tree stump was covered in Purple Lingzhi and White Spirit Mushrooms.

The crow didn’t dare compete with Cangying for the stump, so it had to settle for a tree in the courtyard.

After checking in, Hee Lingchuan said to Jiao Yu, "I’ll have to trouble Lord Jiao to make a trip to the County Yamen and inform the Government Office about the case we’re handling."

Jiao Yu nodded. "You’re right. These cases are thorny; the cooperation of local officials will be essential."

He was gone for half a double-hour.

When Jiao Yu reappeared, he brought back an invitation:

The White Stone County Magistrate was hosting a banquet for the Special Envoy and General Antelope and requested the honor of their presence.

Hee Lingchuan immediately rubbed his stomach, stood up, and agreed without a second thought. "Excellent. I was just about to have dinner."

It had been dark for a long time, and he still hadn’t ordered food. Jiao Yu suspected he’d been waiting for this invitation all along.

The banquet was held at the West Hong Building, the finest restaurant in town.

The White Stone County Magistrate was waiting at the entrance with seven or eight others. Seeing Hee Lingchuan’s party arrive, he immediately stepped forward to greet them. "You must be the Crown Prince Envoy! Welcome, General Antelope! Welcome, Lord Jiao! Welcome, Lord Wu!"

Lord Wu was Cangying.

Hee Lingchuan was also adept at such pleasantries. The two parties met like old friends, exchanging a round of greetings before heading upstairs to their seats.

After toasting Hee Lingchuan, the White Stone County Magistrate introduced the men beside him. "These are the village worthies of Zhitian Village. When they heard the Special Envoy and General Antelope had graced us with their presence, they all wished to meet you."

He made sure to mention General Antelope whenever he addressed the Special Envoy, showing his respect for the old ram.

General Antelope just grunted, lowered his head to his drink, and paid little mind to anyone else.

The human-sized cups were too small for him; he had specifically requested a large bowl, from which he could drain half the wine with a single tip of his head.

The Magistrate didn’t seem fazed by his attitude and simply introduced the guests to Hee Lingchuan one by one, each man raising his cup in turn.

These so-called "village worthies" were, in reality, the wealthy, prominent families of Zhitian Village. Needless to say, they were the ones footing the bill for this banquet.

They represented the pinnacle of Zhitian Village’s wealth.

Hee Lingchuan noted that they were all human.

After a round of toasts, the dishes were served in a continuous stream.

The restaurants here shared Zhitian Village’s specialty, being famous for their medicinal cuisine. There was Bloodvine-Stewed Old Crab, Eucommia-Fried Lamb Kidneys, Fo-ti Flash-Fried Liver Slices, and Fragrant Fried Ground Ginseng...

Hee Lingchuan suspected that any normal person who ate this entire spread of medicinal dishes would get a nosebleed.

Fortunately, the drink served was a sweet and fragrant rice wine rather than a medicinal one. It was warm and mellow, going down smoothly and counteracting the "heat" of the food.

Jiao Yu had already briefed the White Stone County Magistrate on the case, so the Magistrate now addressed Hee Lingchuan, "Special Envoy, this subordinate has already ordered my men to record the Wind-Drilling Beast case and compare it with past records to see if any new leads emerge."

The local worthies all murmured, "To think something like this could happen in Zhitian Village."

"That Demon is truly audacious! So arrogant!"

Hee Lingchuan asked the men, "Has Zhitian Village had any reports of disappearances?"

They all shook their heads. "Not in recent years."

"And nothing else out of the ordinary?"

The men glanced at each other before shaking their heads again. "All the work in the fields and surrounding countryside has been proceeding as normal. No problems to report."

Hee Lingchuan then said to the White Stone County Magistrate, "Tomorrow, I’d like to take a look at the Porcupine Den at the foot of Yulun Mountain."

"The Porcupine Den?" The White Stone County Magistrate was surprised. "No one has been there in a long time. Surely this matter isn’t connected to the case of the missing Messenger?"

"If there were no connection, I wouldn’t be here," Hee Lingchuan said, a single sentence that sent a chill through the Magistrate.

"I heard that an entire den of Porcupines died in their burrow last year. Quite a strange incident," General Antelope said, his tone blunt. "Wasn’t it investigated thoroughly?"

"At the time, heavy snows had sealed off the mountain. The villagers didn’t discover them until the following spring. The Demon Nest was crushed by a massive boulder from above, which was likely the cause of death," the White Stone County Magistrate said. "It’s all on record. The Special Envoy is welcome to review the files."

"What do you mean, ’likely’?" General Antelope asked, displeased. "Either it was or it wasn’t. Didn’t you send a forensic doctor at the time?"

"I did, I did! I sent the county’s best forensic doctor," the White Stone County Magistrate said, eager to shed responsibility. "But a full winter and spring had passed. The remains were already badly decomposed. There was truly nothing else to be found."

He sighed at this point. "A den of Porcupines... how could they possibly be connected to Lingxu City?"

Instead of answering, Hee Lingchuan asked, "I hear those Porcupines were very unpopular among the villagers?"

"Yes, that’s right. They weren’t well-liked," one of the worthies spoke up. "Both of Zhitian Village’s water sources flow through their territory before reaching our fields. Those Porcupines were always finding excuses to cut off our water supply."

"Did it ever come to blows?"

The men exchanged another round of glances before one of the worthies said slowly, "They were the local bullies. They injured a number of people and were even taken to court. They ended up paying compensation, but none of us could do anything about them. The County Precinct Officer mediated for us many times, but in the end, we were the ones who had to make concessions."

General Antelope sneered. "Concessions? I bet the ones who got the short end of the stick were those Porcupines. You humans are much craftier than Hou’Er."

The wealthy man opened his mouth to argue, but was silenced when the person next to him tugged on his sleeve.

’Why argue with a Great Demon?’

Hee Lingchuan asked again, "What was the root of the conflict?"

This time, the worthies remained silent. The White Stone County Magistrate coughed. "The water source."