Chapter 125: There Must Be Something Fishy Here

"So, what is your plan?" Ran Tinglan asked. "With these two mortal nations at war, everything has been wiped clean. Are you certain you can still find any clues?"

Inside the Sha County magistrate’s office, Ran Tinglan sat at the edge of the bed while Dan Tengzi sat at the table. Having traveled thousands of miles from the Wanfa Temple to Sha County, they were disappointed to discover that due to the war between the two nations, all traces of evidence had been obliterated.

In fact, this was precisely what Xu Wenshan had intended.

Before withdrawing from Sha County last time, Xu Wenshan had anticipated that cultivators might come to investigate. He had deliberately incited a war between the two countries, causing the entire region to be ravaged by conflict. Even if the Shadow Linglong had recorded every detail, there was no longer any physical evidence to be found.

In truth, members of the Immortal Alliance had indeed arrived to investigate before Dan Tengzi and his companion. Though they possessed complete records from the Shadow Linglong, neither the mortals seen in the footage nor the Mother Insect’s cave could be found.

Consequently, Ran Tinglan was quite pessimistic about this investigation. Had it not been for her master’s orders, she would never have accompanied Dan Tengzi on this fool’s errand.

Dan Tengzi spread a piece of paper on the table, muttering to himself as he wrote: "The Mother Insect’s cave has been filled in; no direct physical evidence remains."

After Xu Wenshan’s party had departed, the local mortals, gripped by the fear that monsters might crawl out to harm them, had followed the county lieutenant’s orders and filled the cave completely. This created significant difficulties for their investigation.

Dan Tengzi mused, "Have you ever wondered why they filled in the cave?"

Ran Tinglan rolled her eyes. "Isn't it just because the mortals were afraid?"

"No, that shouldn't be it. The cave was packed tight, which clearly shows the mortals must have hauled soil inside later. If they were so afraid, why would they dare to enter the cave? It doesn't make sense," Dan Tengzi argued.

Then, he opened his mouth as if to say something else. Ran Tinglan sighed, already knowing what was coming: "There must be something fishy about this!"

Dan Tengzi looked at her with a smile and said, "I suspect the filling of the cave was a plot by the enemy."

Ran Tinglan replied lazily, "Sure, sure, whatever you say is right."

In reality, filling the cave was indeed Xu Wenshan’s scheme. To further conceal the evidence, he had used an illusion to influence the county lieutenant, which was why the order had been given.

Dan Tengzi continued, "However, I have already questioned the farmers who filled the cave; they know nothing. As for the lieutenant who gave the order, he has vanished somewhere due to the war, so that lead has gone cold."

Ran Tinglan spread her hands. "So, all that analysis was for nothing?"

"Not at all," Dan Tengzi replied. "At the very least, we now know one thing: the enemy is extremely cunning and leaves no loose ends."

Ran Tinglan rolled her eyes again, admiring Dan Tengzi’s ability to conjure theories out of thin air.

"However, we can also observe that the enemy is overly cautious, which sometimes leads to mistakes and leaves behind flaws."

"For example?" Ran Tinglan raised an eyebrow.

"For example, this war," Dan Tengzi said. "I checked the date this war began; it was exactly the day our junior brother was murdered."

Ran Tinglan sighed again. "And?"

"There must be something fishy about this!"

"I knew it!" Ran Tinglan exclaimed in frustration.

"Later, I made inquiries and found more evidence. The war between the states of Chen and Cai was triggered because two Chen warships sank, and Cai seized the opportunity to invade and take Sha County—don't you think that is a bit too coincidental?"

"I don't."

Dan Tengzi seemed not to hear her and continued, "After questioning several soldiers, I discovered an even more shocking fact. Days before the Chen warships sank, there were rumors that Chen spies would scuttle their own ships that very day. Yet, no one could find where these rumors originated. Don't you think that is highly suspicious?"

This time, Ran Tinglan could not refute him. "That is indeed a bit strange."

"So..."

Ran Tinglan knew exactly what his next line would be and cut him off: "There must be something fishy about this!"

***

Meanwhile, Xu Wenshan had already arrived in Sha County.

The county looked vastly different from his last visit. Due to the invasion and occupation by the state of Cai, the defenses outside were strict, with patrolling soldiers lining the walls. Yet, the farmland outside the city remained intact, and the farmers’ lives seemed unchanged by the war, as they continued to tend their fields peacefully.

That was how farmers were during the age of warring states; changing kingdoms simply meant changing masters to whom they paid taxes.

"Since Sha County has been occupied, Luhe Ravine cannot be far now," Xu Wenshan remarked.

Lei Laohu, following behind him, said, "If these people dare to invade Luhe Ravine, we shall slaughter every last one of them!"

Lei Laohu’s words were met with cheers from the soldiers behind him, and Xu Wenshan was satisfied with their reaction.

Xu Wenshan was no longer the same man he had been during his first visit. This time, he had brought two squads of Luhe guards, led by Lei Laohu and Li Dazhuang.

In terms of strength, he was now a Grade Two Dark Refining stage demon cultivator, with signs of breaking through to the intermediate level. His individual strength surpassed all those in these two squads combined.

Yet, he had still brought this group along, and the purpose was truly to protect himself.

It was quite comical for a demon cultivator to require protection from a group of mortals. Or so it seemed.

During his previous visit, even in times of peace, he had been provoked by the Feijian Manor and was forced to defeat over twenty men. He had always viewed this as a grave error. If someone like Lü Wuji had valued mortal affairs enough to conduct a slight investigation, they could have discovered this "feat" and realized he was no mortal.

Ever since he transmigrated and learned of the existence of monsters, he had been cautious. After becoming a demon cultivator, he became even more timid. Because he had to be.

He also wanted to live freely and settle scores, but if he were ever discovered as a demon cultivator, he would inevitably face a siege by the world’s Daoist sects. In the novels he had read in his past life, the protagonist never met the final boss early on; they always started by grinding against smaller bosses. He had no doubt that if he were exposed, the final boss would appear without mercy to take his life, offering no chance to "level up."

That was why he followed his plan step-by-step: learning archery, training his private guards. This was not a novel, and he was no "Dragon Proud-Heaven" protagonist; it was better to be cautious.

When he reached the city of Sha County, someone was already waiting for him outside. This man was a minor official in Sha County, rumored to be in charge of matters regarding the slave trade. Before arriving, Xu Wenshan had sent Lu Ze to inform the man and offered a bribe, so the official had been waiting outside the city.

Xu Wenshan met with the official, and after the customary exchange of pleasantries, the official asked about his intentions. Upon learning that Xu Wenshan only wished to purchase a batch of slaves, the official chatted with him for a while. Everything went smoothly until the official suddenly asked:

"Young Master Xu, so you are from Luhe Ravine?"

"What about Luhe Ravine?" Xu Wenshan asked.

"Luhe Ravine has not yet paid the imperial tax and is not considered part of our state of Cai. According to the laws, you are not permitted to buy slaves," the official said.