Chapter Fifty-Six: Prince of the Former Dynasty, the Old Taoist of Black Cloud

“Sir, whatever news you wish to inquire about, please ask freely. In this city of Yunzhou, there is nothing unknown to the Pavilion of Omniscience and Thousand Devices,” the woman in the veil said calmly.

“Well! Such confidence. I wish to know: the monsters in the nine counties of Yunzhou have incited the people to resist taxes and rebel—who is behind all this?”

A long silence followed.

“I’m afraid this question cannot be answered by our pavilion. Please leave,” her voice grew even colder.

“Well! I merely asked at random, yet you cannot reply. Where has all that confidence gone?”

After a moment, she spoke again. “In truth, our pavilion does know, but for the sake of your life, it is better not to ask further.”

“I have come all this way for this very question, regardless of life or death. If you can satisfy me with your answer, no price will be too high.”

“It is not a matter of price. The Pavilion of Omniscience and Thousand Devices has branches throughout the provinces of the Grand Feng Dynasty; I fear no ordinary power. But your question is too far-reaching, even our pavilion cannot bear the consequences. Please ask something else.”

Han Chong’s brow furrowed. He thought to himself that his question was indeed rather demanding; even if she named the mastermind, he could not easily believe it.

“Very well, I’ll change my question. Recently, the Prefect has obtained some miraculous elixirs. Does the master know their origin?”

“The Prince of Ying’s Residence.”

“The Prince of Ying’s Residence? I heard that the prince’s only daughter died of heart disease last month. Do you know what illness it was?”

Han Chong grew more confused. The Prince of Ying was dead, and his sole heir recently passed. The elixir that caused heart disease was left behind—what was the reason? If the prince’s daughter died after taking the elixir, the Prefect would not dare consume it.

“Do you know, sir, what the late Prince of Ying’s background was?” The veiled woman did not answer, but asked instead.

“I do not. Please enlighten me.”

“It is said that during the chaos of the previous dynasty, one prince was still an infant. The night the imperial city fell, the other princes either died or were injured and disappeared. Only this prince’s whereabouts could be traced. After many hardships, he ended up among the common folk, until an officer of our dynasty found him. The Emperor personally bestowed upon him the title Prince of Ying, granting him Yunzhou as his fief, to be inherited for generations. Six generations have passed.

In the current era, strange events happened at the Prince of Ying’s Residence. His three sons died one after another—one bitten by a venomous rat, one thrown from a horse, one lost in a fire. Eventually, the prince died in grief,” she recounted.

“So that’s how it is. The Prince of Ying truly met a tragic end,” Han Chong sighed. For three sons to die so mysteriously—one could imagine the prince’s pain and depression.

“It is said the Prince once invited a Taoist master from Black Cloud Mountain to examine the residence’s feng shui. The old Taoist then lived in the prince’s residence for years. Later, rumors spread that, with the prince’s support, the Taoist refined four immortal pills, said to prolong life for a hundred years. Yet before the pills were completed, the prince died of sorrow.

Last month, news came from the residence that the prince’s orphaned daughter, Lady Ling Yingzhuang, suddenly suffered heart disease. Every doctor in the city was consulted, but none could cure her.

The Prefect, Chen, brought his own physicians to the residence, but she still died.”

As the woman spoke, Han Chong shook his head. Misfortune truly did not come alone—an entire family wiped out.

“As for whether Prefect Chen obtained any elixir from the Prince of Ying’s Residence, that I do not know.”

“Very well, thank you for your guidance. How much silver is owed? I’ll pay everything now,” Han Chong said, bowing.

“It is enough. Just now, you must have won over two thousand taels at the gambling table—a stroke of luck indeed. However, as a newly appointed Inspector of the Demon-Slaying Division, if you continue to pursue this case, I fear your luck will soon run out.”

“Oh? Your words make me even more curious, Master. You even know my new position so well—it seems our division is not without your informants.”

“Haha, perhaps. What do you plan to do next, Inspector Han?” she asked with a slight laugh.

Though it sounded like idle conversation, Han Chong sensed genuine concern in her words.

“Well! To untie the bell, one must find the person who tied it. From what you’ve said, the Taoist from Black Cloud Mountain knows best what effects his elixirs have. I suppose I’ll have to make a trip to Black Cloud Mountain myself.”

“No! Absolutely not. It’s said that Black Cloud Mountain is home to the monstrous Shanxiao, fierce and strange beyond measure. Even a thousand troops would not return alive. The Prince of Ying, though a master at the Celestial Realm, barely survived reaching the mountain’s peak to find the Taoist. If you value your life, do not go.”

She seemed anxious, suddenly breaking her usual composure.

“Oh? You know even such details—your pavilion’s reputation is well deserved. But as for Black Cloud Mountain, I must go, farewell.”

After Han Chong left, a faint sigh echoed from the small pavilion.

Han Chong walked out of the Silver Fortune Gambling House, rounded two streets, then secretly doubled back, returning to the rear courtyard. There, the veiled woman still sat, holding a wine cup and drinking alone.

Facing her directly, Han Chong’s eyes widened, and he drew a sharp breath.

Her veil was gone. Though her face was shaped like that of a rare beauty, it was covered in scars, hideous beyond recognition.

Han Chong exhaled gently and turned to return to the division headquarters.

Who could be so cruel as to ruin the face of a living beauty? Surely the hatred ran deep.

“Inspector Han, you’re back. Did you find any important clues?” Inspector Wu asked, seeing Han Chong’s grim expression.

“There are some clues, but they’re tangled and elusive,” Han Chong replied.

The others exchanged wry smiles. If even Han Chong was baffled by the case, it seemed they could do little to help.

“Inspector Han, if there’s anything you need us to do, just say the word. We’ll do our utmost to assist,” Inspector Ning said, bowing.

“Yes. It seems I must visit Black Cloud Mountain. Whether it’s the Bronze Guards of the Shadowed Moon or the Taoist from the Prince of Ying’s Residence, everything points there. But the mountain is fraught with dangers, teeming with monsters and ghosts—you cannot enter. Yet there is one thing I need you all to investigate. Find out everything about the Prince of Ying’s Residence and report back to me. I have a feeling that place is far from simple.”

“The Prince of Ying’s Residence?”

The group looked at each other. Inspectors Ning and Wu, and Leng Yue, had all spent time in Yunzhou and had heard of the prince’s fief, but knew little about it.

“Understood!”

“Good. Everyone rest for now. Tomorrow morning, we begin. Be careful—there are spies from other factions in the division. Take care and stay safe.”

“Ah!” The group was shocked once more. To think that even the Demon-Slaying Division harbored informants from other powers—Yunzhou truly was shrouded in intrigue at every turn.