SLLBTT Chapter 53
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
⋇⊶⊰Chapter 53⊱⊷⋇
Liu Jiao froze in place.
Bai Lingling saw Liu Jiao standing still. The more Bai Lingling stared at the large tail behind Liu Jiao, the more he wanted to pet it. Bai Lingling took out a pouch of cat food from his pocket, opened it, and said, "Here."
Liu Jiao wanted to say that he wasn't a cat at all, but as soon as the strong salty scent of the cat food hit his nose, he couldn't help but approach.
"Smells so good..." Liu Jiao walked over to the cat food.
The Snow Wolf King, however, pulled Liu Jiao, patting his head. Only then did Liu Jiao turn his head to look at the Snow Wolf King, showing a puzzled expression.
Bai Lingling looked at the Snow Wolf King and Liu Jiao's expressions, then said to the Snow Wolf King, "Is it your cat?"
The Snow Wolf King nodded. "Yes, it's mine."
Bai Lingling took a breath. "In that case, I don't want it. Petting a cat of yours is dirty." After saying that, Bai Lingling casually tossed the pouch of cat food over to Liu Jiao. Liu Jiao caught the pouch and asked in confusion, "Is this for me?"
Bai Lingling answered, "Since I've already opened it, I'll give it to you."
However, the Snow Wolf King took the cat food away. "It has many additives. Don't eat it. It's not healthy."
Liu Jiao looked at the cat food being taken away, licked his lips, but hesitated to speak up.
At this moment, the steward rushed in from the door, hastily saying, "Reporting to Lord Bai..."
"What's wrong?" Bai Lingling asked, "Why so flustered?"
The steward glanced at Hong Huli and the others, not speaking much.
Hong Huli sneered, "Does Lord Bai have some secrets?"
Bai Lingling, however, said, "There's nothing that can't be shared. Steward, go ahead."
The steward could only say, "Lord Bai, a large snake was found in the backyard!"
Hong Huli and Liu Jiao's faces changed, both looking at the Snow Wolf King. "Could it be that...?"
Bai Lingling rolled up his sleeves and said, "Let's go have a look."
Hong Huli, Liu Jiao, the Snow Wolf King, and Bai Lingling, led by the steward, walked to the backyard of the viscount's manor. There, they saw a lifeless snake on the big grassy area — yes, it was the dead giant snake assassin. The snake lay rigid, sprawled on the vibrant green lawn, looking oddly creepy and giving chills to onlookers.
Hong Huli took in a sharp breath. "Is it dead?"
"Indeed," the steward nodded, "It seems extraordinarily fierce when alive. If it hadn't died, I might not have survived to report this news!"
Hong Huli, uncertain how to respond, received a signal from the Snow Wolf King. Understanding, he spoke sharply, shouting, "Nonsense! Audacious! Shameless! This is the poisonous snake that attempted to assassinate the Great King! Are you harboring criminals? Is there some conspiracy? I'll thoroughly investigate! Starting with you, steward!"
"Investigate me? Investigate me? Assassin? Assassin?" The steward's face turned pale with fear, unable to articulate clearly, frantically waving his hands. "I don't know it! What assassin? I've never heard of such a thing!"
Hong Huli questioned again, "Could it be that your household is not clean?"
The steward vehemently denied, "This is baseless talk! Our Bai manor is very clean. Lord Bai is virtuous, and everyone here are united. The entire manor would never be associated with assassins!"
"Where did this assassin come from?" Bai Lingling raised an eyebrow. "Speaking of it, such a large assassin managed to run all the way here. The guards protecting the Great King are truly useless! It would be cleaner to die and thank the Heaven, rather than being a burden."
Liu Jiao, as the commander of the guards, took those words to heart and felt quite ashamed. The Snow Wolf King, however, gently pulled Liu Jiao's hand, giving him a reassuring smile.
"How could such a big assassin enter your backyard? Your guards are either useless, or perhaps, they're familiar faces?" Hong Huli retorted, with a mocking question thrown in.
Bai Lingling frowned. "I also don't know how it got in."
The Snow Wolf King spoke, "Have you seen him before? Do you know him?"
"Never seen him, don't know him."
The Snow Wolf King nodded. "I believe you."
Bai Lingling snorted, "I'm telling the truth. You're a fool if you don't believe me."
The Snow Wolf King lowered his head and whispered in Hong Huli's ear, "Don't move the body. Inform the forensic expert to come and take a look."
Hong Huli nodded and then announced loudly, "Don't move the body. Inform the forensic expert to come and take a look."
In no time, the backyard was sealed off, with a sign that read "No trespassing." The forensic expert, with a small team, quickly arrived and began the on-site investigation.
The Snow Wolf King led Liu Jiao away but stayed in the viscount's manor. They sat in a small courtyard, by a pavilion next to a small bridge, enjoying the cool breeze and eating watermelon. Liu Jiao, however, didn't eat watermelon, just gazed at the Snow Wolf King and said, "Great King, I want meat."
The Snow Wolf King chuckled. "Watermelon flesh is also meat. Want a taste?"
"Watermelon flesh is meat?" Liu Jiao, half-believing, half-doubting, opened his mouth.
The Snow Wolf King scooped a spoonful of watermelon flesh and fed it to Liu Jiao. After tasting, Liu Jiao found it surprisingly delicious and eagerly opened his mouth for more. The Snow Wolf King then scooped out the watermelon seeds before feeding him.
"Don't give too much watermelon to the cat," Bai Lingling said as she walked out from the corner gate, "It's not good for them."
The Snow Wolf King glanced at Bai Lingling. "If you like cats so much, why not keep one?"
Bai Lingling, displeased, responded, "Who told you I like cats?"
Liu Jiao was a bit surprised. "What? Lord Bai doesn't have a cat? Then why is there catnip planted in the northeast corner of the garden?"
Bai Lingling, upon hearing this, was taken aback. "How do you know there's catnip planted there?"
"I saw it when I passed by."
The Snow Wolf King joked, "Shall I pick a couple for you later?"
"Don't touch my catnip," Bai Lingling said sternly.
Liu Jiao felt puzzled. "If you don't have a cat, why plant catnip?"
Bai Lingling ignored Liu Jiao but turned to the Snow Wolf King. "What's the deal with that snake?"
"Didn't you hear what Master Hong said? It's an assassin. After attempting to assassinate me, it ran into your yard. Looks like you're highly suspicious."
"You can arrest me," Bai Lingling replied, "I have a clear conscience."
The Snow Wolf King chuckled. "Guilty or not is secondary. If I arrest you and administer fifty lashes for show of authority, can you handle it?"
"How could I not handle it? Forget fifty lashes, even if the top ten tortures were applied to me, I'd just hmph and not call myself Bai."
"Unfortunately, you are Bai. Can't easily lay a hand on you."
"Is it for the sake of royal dignity?" Bai Lingling, indifferent to the threat, couldn't help but be curious. "How could such a big snake infiltrate the Temple of the Heavenly Emperor for an assassination attempt?"
The Snow Wolf King explained, "It starts with the abbot."
Bai Lingling coughed. "The abbot? Is it the one who recently died at the Temple of the Heavenly Emperor?"
"Yes," the Snow Wolf King said, "He embezzled a considerable sum and, knowing that I've been auditing these matters recently, felt uneasy. The venomous snake was used to coerce him, forcing his cooperation."
"The security at the Temple of the Heavenly Emperor is strict. How did a venomous snake threaten the abbot?"
"It didn't need to come to him. The abbot went out himself," the Snow Wolf King explained. "The abbot regularly went out to handle embezzled funds. It was during one of these outings that the venomous snake seized the opportunity."
"Is the abbot out of his mind, daring to attempt the assassination of the Great King?"
"Considering the embezzlement figures, it's already a capital offense," the Snow Wolf King said. "Whether he acts or not, he was doomed, so he took a desperate gamble. I believe the snake and the abbot had a good relationship at some point. The hair tonic the abbot used was probably a gift from the snake during that time. The snake likely calculated the dosage, causing the abbot to succumb to chronic poisoning after the assassination, effectively concealing the truth."
Liu Jiao, hearing this, was extremely shocked. "So the abbot conspired with the venomous snake?"
"The snake could hide at the bottom of a spirit tower, spreading rumors detrimental to my birth father. Each incident is closely tied to the abbot's manipulation," the Snow Wolf King analyzed, "The possibility of collusion between the abbot and the snake is highest. Of course, now that both the abbot and the snake are dead, it's impossible to verify."
Bai Lingling, upon hearing this, said, "That makes me a suspect too."
"Why's that?" Liu Jiao asked.
Bai Lingling explained, "After the snake succeeded, it came to my manor and died here. Doesn't it seem more like it carried out the assassination of the Great King under my orders and was silenced by me after completing the mission?"
"Indeed." The Snow Wolf King nodded.
Liu Jiao, however, exclaimed, "No way! You're supposed to be brothers!"
Bai Lingling retorted, "Pah."
The Snow Wolf King stood up and said, "Let's see what the forensic expert has to say."
At this moment, the forensic expert had walked to the door and entered with a respectful greeting.
The Snow Wolf King asked, "How did the snake die?"
"Suicide," the forensic expert said, "At least, it looks like suicide. No external injuries, appears to have ingested a scorpion venom for self-destruction."
"A venomous snake committing suicide?" The Snow Wolf King raised an eyebrow, then looked at Bai Lingling. "What's your take on this?"
Bai Lingling pondered for a moment and said, "There's a local gang here that recruits snakes, insects, rodents, and ants as their underlings. It might be related to this incident, but it's not certain."
The Snow Wolf King was somewhat surprised. "You have such a gang here?"
"There are many different gangs. Although I'm officially in charge of this area, I'm not interested in micromanaging," Bai Lingling spoke indifferently, "As long as there's no major chaos, I don't get too involved in gang matters."
"Isn't that neglect of duty? When I go back, I might have to charge you with negligence."
"Right now, there are people plotting to kill you. Probably more than one assassin." Bai Lingling said, "You can discuss my negligence after you survive."
Liu Jiao, feeling anxious, exclaimed, "Who would want to kill the Great King? This sounds too dangerous. Why don't you go back to the palace first?"
The Snow Wolf King replied, "We'll discuss it after going back."
With that, the Snow Wolf King took Liu Jiao's hand and started to leave.
Bai Lingling stood up to see them off. When they reached the door, he bid farewell ceremoniously. When saying goodbye to Liu Jiao, Bai Lingling discreetly slipped a small bag of cat treats into Liu Jiao's possession.
Liu Jiao secretly took it back to the Temple of the Heavenly Emperor. In the middle of the night, he crawled out of bed, squatted in a corner, tore open the bag, and licked and enjoyed the treats, finding them irresistibly delicious.
Turns out, cat treats are so tasty!
After licking the cat treats clean and tossing away the packaging, Liu Jiao, feeling a bit guilty, rinsed his mouth and face before crawling back into bed. He sneakily glanced at the Snow Wolf King, who seemed to be sleeping soundly, thinking that the Snow Wolf King probably didn't know about his "midnight snack."
The next morning, when Liu Jiao walked into the hall, he found a pile of fresh cat food in cans neatly arranged on the dining table.
Little did he know, at that moment, Bai Lingling was watering the catnip in the mansion when he received a secret decree. Puzzled but obliged to comply, Bai Lingling accepted the decree without the usual ritual of offering incense to the heavens. Kneeling alone, he received the decree, and Hong Huli, reading the royal edict, proclaimed, "The Great King decrees: feeding my cat is prohibited. Heed this command."