Chapter 103: Fengtian County

If Young Master Li did not bear the identity of being the heir of Li Si, I am afraid that, given the pride of that little girl Linger, she would not deign to pay you any heed, Young Master. Do not blame this humble one for speaking bluntly, but Linger’s mind is as crafty as a demon's. Even many of the veterans within the Three Flavors Pavilion have been manipulated by her on numerous occasions. Although Young Master Li is a dragon among men, you must still exercise extreme caution regarding this girl, lest you fall victim to her schemes.

Yanhong issued this solemn warning to Li Zisheng.

Li Zisheng understood the underlying implication, which was simply that Yanhong wanted him to help her. To be frank, it mattered little to Li Zisheng which side he chose, but one thing he needed to ascertain was whose assistance would actually prove useful to him. His primary task at present was to swiftly track down the murderers of his revered mentor.

He had been away from his hometown for some time now, and the elders at home would undoubtedly be deeply worried about him. He longed to return home and pay his respects.

"Many thanks for the Hall Master's counsel, but Grand Tutor Zhang is not someone who can be easily manipulated by others; there is always a price to pay."

Li Zisheng looked at Yanhong with a smile, especially the unfathomable expression in his eyes, which for the first time made Yanhong feel as though she could not quite see through him.

Yanhong knew that the words she had spoken were hardly worth mentioning to someone of Grand Tutor Zhang's stature. Still, speaking was better than remaining silent. On matters like this, she understood the stakes clearer than anyone.

Loyal advice jars the ear. For a person of that level, sweet words and flattery were no longer valued; they only cared for genuinely useful substance. Only by demonstrating true utility could one ever catch the eye of someone in such a position.

"Young Master Li, our White Tiger Hall is not like that little girl Linger, who only knows how to use you. The intentions of our White Tiger Hall are utterly sincere, and this is the deposit."

With that, Yanhong produced a small pouch from her bosom, still gazing at Li Zisheng with an amiable smile.

Li Zisheng returned the smile.

"Young Master Li, to demonstrate the sincerity of our White Tiger Hall, this humble one shall reveal a piece of information to you as well."

"What information?"

Li Zisheng looked at Yanhong intently.

"Where your mentor, Cheng Zhongliang, was last seen."

"What did you say? The place where my mentor was last seen? Speak, where is it?"

Li Zisheng's expression suddenly turned stern and solemn. Especially when Yanhong uttered the name Cheng Zhongliang, a trace of bloodshot fury directly surfaced in his eyes.

At this moment, Li Zisheng had been entirely clueless regarding the assassination of his mentor. Yanhong providing him with this intelligence would grant him a thread to follow, saving him from wandering blindly everywhere like a headless fly.

Clues were of paramount importance to him right now, allowing him to formulate subsequent plans. Although his nominal purpose as the Inspectorate Envoy of the twenty-two prefectures of Guandao was to investigate the death of his mentor, he had constantly found himself blocked at every turn, unable to unearth even the slightest trace, and instead constantly entangled in all sorts of messy trivialities from which he could not break free. This was why he so desperately desired to build a faction entirely under his control—only thus could he avoid being stretched so thin and placed in such a passive position.

"Hall Master, may I ask where precisely this last sighting took place?"

Disregarding any shift in his own demeanor, Li Zisheng simply stared anxiously at Yanhong.

Knowing the immense significance of this information to Li Zisheng, Yanhong felt no resentment whatsoever regarding his sudden change in attitude, finding it entirely understandable.

She smiled faintly in response to his reaction.

"Young Master Li, are you aware of Fengtian County in Jingzhao Prefecture, Jingji Dao? That is where your mentor, Cheng Zhongliang, was last seen, and right after that final sighting, he vanished completely."

"Fengtian County, Jingzhao Prefecture, Jingji Dao."

Li Zisheng silently repeated the location to himself.

Jngzhao was the heart of the Great Tang. His mentor had indeed mentioned it; his mentor had told him that he was heading first to Jingzhao Prefecture in Jingji Dao, specifically stating that he was going to have an audience with the Emperor. Since the Emperor's seat was in Chang'an, Li Zisheng had naturally deduced that his mentor's destination should have been Chang'an. Yet the place Yanhong named as his mentor's final known location was Fengtian County in Jingzhao Prefecture.

Could there be some hidden conspiracy behind this? His mentor would never have gone to such a place without reason, nor would his mentor ever deceive him. This mention of Fengtian must be a hint left behind by his mentor—this was Li Zisheng's most immediate intuition.

Furthermore, upon hearing this location from Yanhong, Li Zisheng harbored a persistent intuition that his mentor might not actually be dead. Of course, this was merely a gut feeling, as he had already heard far too many reports confirming the death of his mentor.

In particular, the news of his mentor's death had been delivered to him by Military Governor Zhang. Military Governor Zhang was a towering figure. Although Li Zisheng did not blindly worship authority, the Military Governor simply had no reason to deceive him. Nonetheless, this intuitive glimmer stubbornly refused to be rooted out from the depths of Li Zisheng's heart.

"Might I ask why my mentor went to Fengtian County in Jingzhao Prefecture?"

Li Zisheng voiced his lingering doubts, though his demeanor had softened somewhat, and his tone returned to normal.

"Young Master Li, please forgive this humble one for not knowing the inner workings of that matter. However, I am quite certain of what Fengtian is known for."

"What is it known for?"

Li Zisheng pressed on immediately.

"Young Master Li, the geographical location of Fengtian is quite unique. Although it is not very close to Chang'an, Fengtian directly supplies salt to the entire city of Chang'an—or rather, to the entire Jingzhao Prefecture. Therefore, Young Master Li..."

Yanhong left the sentence half-spoken, leaving Li Zisheng to ponder the rest.

"Salt?"

According to Yanhong, Fengtian was a major salt-producing county that directly supplied salt to the entire Jingzhao Prefecture. Since the discussion involved salt, it inevitably tied back to the Salt Guild.

And once linked to the Salt Guild, it would inevitably connect to the Eye Beyond the Heavens. The Eye Beyond the Heavens, in turn, was connected to the heir of Li Si. With one link chaining into the next like this, he could at least lock down several interconnected clues: the Salt Guild, the Eye Beyond the Heavens, his mentor, Fengtian, the heir of Li Si, the Yishan Stone Inscriptions, and the Heavenly Destiny Sacrifice. Stringing them all together in this manner, he could now roughly deduce that the mystery surrounding his mentor's death—or disappearance—should be investigated through the Salt Guild. And right now, the exact opportunity to do so presented itself in the form of the Three Flavors Pavilion's White Tiger Hall before him.

Yanhong's intentions were unmistakably aimed at cooperating with him to jointly track down the Eye Beyond the Heavens. If that were the case, he might well be able to unearth far more vital clues.