He Lingchuan's face darkened. The He family had kept quiet about how his former self and the leopard had plunged off the cliff together. The Sand Leopard had later been secretly brought back to the city for examination, and they had discovered it had already been severely wounded before it attacked He Lingchuan.
Now these two outsiders had suddenly come asking about the Sand Leopard's whereabouts. They had to be connected to the people who had hunted the Leopard Demon and nearly killed He Lingchuan!
He couldn't let this lead slip away.
"What about those two?"
"They're still at the tavern. Our altar master is waiting for your word."
"Keep them here."
"Good." The messenger grinned. "Those two were so full of themselves, they practically looked down their noses at everyone. First they complained that the country wine was sour, then that the room stank. The brothers were already fed up with them. It'd be great if we could teach them a lesson."
He Lingchuan hesitated briefly, then stood. "Lead the way."
He'd known that coming to this world wouldn't mean enjoying all the perks without taking any hits or putting in any effort.
In that case, he might as well take the initiative.
Uncle Hao said, "I'll go first. The young master can come later." Then he left with the messenger.
As for why the Red and White Path had come to give them a heads-up, Altar Master Jin had once invited He Lingchuan to drink and listen to music, and He Lingchuan had helped him make connections and get things done. They had some history. In a small place, connections were everywhere, after all. Besides, the Red and White Path wanted to curry favor with Governor He while they were at it.
When He Chunhua had first taken office, he'd discovered that Blackwater City was a chaotic mix of all sorts, and the most profitable businesses had already been carved up. As governor, he naturally wanted lasting peace and stability throughout his jurisdiction. On top of that, Blackwater City's location was strategically important, and even some unsavory groups had to be brought under control. So he hadn't cut off their livelihoods and risked provoking conflict. Instead, he'd adapted to local conditions and issued Liquor Permits, requiring merchants to hold one before they could sell alcohol.
In other words, from then on, anyone selling alcohol in Blackwater City needed a license.
Everyone had to obtain a Liquor Permit from the government. Otherwise, they would be dealt with according to the law.
The common people didn't fight the authorities. An organization like the Red and White Path couldn't openly defy the government, and He Chunhua knew how to handle things. With a mix of pressure and concessions, he used the Liquor Permit to bring these rough-edged powers under control, gradually turning Blackwater City into his own territory.
Any stir in the city would reach the He family in no time.
That was the power of a local strongman.
The two outsiders stepped out of a teahouse just as a fierce gust of wind hit them. They hadn't had time to put on their veils, and the sand caught up in the wind stung their eyes shut.
Cursing, the two hurried back to the inn, ordered a hot meal, then went down to the communal bathhouse.
They washed for a while. For some reason, they began yawning uncontrollably, growing sleepier and sleepier, until they fell asleep in the wooden tubs.
"Splash!" Cold water struck their faces.
The two woke at once and found themselves tied to chairs, facing a gray wall.
When He Lingchuan entered the inn's back courtyard, Uncle Hao came out too, water still on his hands and a grave look on his face. "We questioned them. They confessed."
"Are they still alive?" Uncle Hao was already a stern-looking man. When he put on a grim face, He Lingchuan's heart sank with it.
"...They're alive." Shouldn't the young master ask what they'd confessed first? "They claim to be second-rank guards from Donglai Manor, sent to Blackwater City on the Grand Marshal's orders."
"Donglai Manor?" The name seemed familiar. He would have to search his former self's memories for it.
That guy had been an expert at eating, drinking, and having fun. He'd also enjoyed martial arts and cultivation, but hadn't cared much about anything else.
But the three words that followed—"Grand Marshal"—hit He Lingchuan like a thunderbolt!
He remembered.
How many Grand Marshals could there be in the Yuan Kingdom?
"The residence of Dong Haoming, Pillar of State and Grand Marshal, was personally named 'Donglai Manor' by the king!" Uncle Hao said, each word deliberate. "He's the father of the Eastern Queen, the king's father-in-law!"
"These two are really under the Pillar of State?" He Lingchuan's face changed dramatically, but then something struck him as wrong. "If so, why didn't they say that earlier? Why did they wait until they couldn't take any more torture to confess? Were they born to be beaten?"
They called themselves guards, but in truth they were more like private soldiers of Donglai Manor. The royal nobles in the capital weren't allowed to maintain armies, but many high-ranking officials secretly kept private troops under various pretexts.
The laws and order were in disarray, and loopholes in policy were growing ever wider. Everyone knew it, but no one spoke of it.
"The assignment was confidential. The manor ordered them not to tell anyone." Uncle Hao held out his hand. Two bloodstained plaques lay in his palm. "These are Dongming Tokens. We found them on the men."
Each token was only the size of a mahjong tile, with the same rounded corners, but was as thin as a leaf. He Lingchuan took one and weighed it in his hand. It was very light. The words "Dongming" were engraved on it, along with a golden seal.
A token served to prove its bearer's identity, but it also had to be impossible to counterfeit. These two were made of a peculiar material, neither gold nor copper, iron nor wood. They looked like jade, but didn't feel like it; they even gave slightly when pressed.
"These should be genuine," Uncle Hao said gravely. "I've seen Dongming Manor's tokens before. They're identical. The Pillar of State's fief produces a strange kind of wood. Once the bark is stripped, it oozes a colorless, odorless, translucent resin that hardens when heated. No one elsewhere can imitate objects made from it."
"Are these two really from Donglai Manor?" In other words, had he picked a fight with Donglai Manor?
No. Donglai Manor had picked a fight with him.
He was a thousand miles away, and somehow he'd managed to offend the emperor's father-in-law?
Even He Lingchuan's former self would have realized by now that things were very much not good. His thoughts were a mess. "Why would tracking down an injured Sand Leopard become a top-secret mission?"
His original self had spent sixteen years tearing around Blackwater City, living a life of absolute comfort. How had He Lingchuan barely been in the driver's seat for two months before he'd landed in such a mess?
"These two were assigned to Blackwater City to look for clues. They know nothing beyond that. More than ten others were sent out at the same time, heading separately to the area around the Red Cliff trade route." Uncle Hao added, "Oh, right. They'd already been stationed at Wuzhao Ridge, so this time they set out from Wuzhao Ridge, not Donglai Manor."
Wuzhao Ridge lay across the provincial border from Blackwater City, less than two hundred miles away—far closer than the capital.
He Lingchuan gave a noncommittal "Oh" and didn't think much of it.
The current king was weak, while Dong Haoming was a powerful figure with followers across the land. What was strange about him having people stationed at Wuzhao Ridge?
"Will anyone else from Donglai Manor come?"
"They don't know." Uncle Hao glanced into the room. "We've finished questioning them. What should we do with the two of them?"
The best option was to chop off their heads and dispose of the bodies.
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