After the Immortal Disappeared

Chapter 381: Chapter 380: Marking Territory, Choosing a Location

He had even seen drunkards in Dunyu climb onto the aqueducts to take a piss.

The drawback of underground culverts was that they were labor-intensive to build, but the Beiga Kingdom had plenty of burrowing Demons. In Fufeng City, this wasn’t an issue.

What surprised him even more was that they even had running water here.

Hollowed-out bamboo stalks were linked together to form pipes, delivering spring water from White Cloud Mountain in the north directly to homes. This eliminated the hassle of queuing up or buying water.

Of course, only prominent households were qualified to use the White Cloud Spring Water.

The Stone Gate Merchant Team did group buys in addition to wholesale, so it was time for them to set up shop in the marketplace. Hee Lingchuan knew their main products were sandalwood and a balsam called ”Lover’s Tears.” The latter was an amber-like resin collected from a special aromatic wood unique to the Fu Kingdom. With the addition of just two more natural spices, it could be mixed to create a profound, lingering fragrance. Crucially, it was long-lasting, making it perfect for sachets and pendants.

The market sold all sorts of bizarre things, not to mention the many shops and stalls run by Demons.

Demons running shops was a rare sight elsewhere. In Shihuan, Hee Lingchuan had found it unusual just to see the Chishin School’s monkeys performing. But in a Demon Kingdom, it was perfectly logical.

He saw a weasel selling insect-repellent packets, claiming they could kill all the mosquitoes, bugs, rats, and ants in a home in one go, while being harmless to humans. But the note, in large, bold writing, said:

Seal doors and windows, then leave immediately after puncturing.

The package was a bulging, gas-filled pig’s bladder.

’Heh.’ Hee Lingchuan knew what was inside the moment he saw the familiar packaging.

The market also had a labor market, and the job seekers included many Demons.

Bear Demons and Giant Apes were common laborers. Their ability to carry heavy objects was several times greater than that of humans, so many merchant caravans hired them for short-term jobs. Hee Lingchuan even saw two elephants here...

Many Little Demons were also waiting to be hired. For instance, Hee Lingchuan saw two Cat Demon couples with their children looking for work. Their specialties were catching rats, repelling snakes, and guarding the home. The minimum employment term was at least one year.

To hire long-term or permanent workers here, one had to use a standard-format employment contract provided by Fufeng City. It stipulated things like food, work content, and hours, and became effective once stamped with a palm (or paw) print.

Hee Lingchuan clicked his tongue in wonder, which made him miss his Medicinal Ape even more.

On his way back, he also saw that several Divine Temples had brand-new, bright red couplets pasted on them. Stages were being erected at their entrances, also for performances celebrating the King of Treasure Tree’s birthday.

Hee Lingchuan was curious. With so many stages putting on operas, how many could the King of Treasure Tree possibly watch?

The large, old trees along the road were also hung with many strips of red cloth for a festive touch.

Finally, he got down to business, purchasing the refining ingredients for the God-slaying Pill at a large apothecary next to the inn.

Following the Great Alchemist Helian Chen’s advice, he would first refine these auxiliary ingredients into a semi-finished product. After obtaining the Emperor’s Liquid, he could simply fuse and process them, which would result in a higher success rate.

Fewer steps meant fewer accidents.

He didn’t bother to hide his movements, swaggering right into the apothecary.

Less than half a day later, a copy of his list of purchased medicinal ingredients was delivered to the Grand Tutor’s Mansion. Because its contents were so bizarre, it was presented all the way to Grand Tutor Sha.

Grand Tutor Sha, despite his busy schedule, took a moment to glance at it, and his brow furrowed.

”Why is there arsenic?”

This recipe only had a few ingredients in common with the one he had Wu Jingsong give to Hee Lingchuan; the rest had been replaced. The most ridiculous part was that over thirty percent of them were highly toxic, with arsenic being prominently listed.

’Is this a recipe for the Emperor’s Liquid, or is he planning to poison everyone in the inn?’

Moreover, the list of ingredients Hee Lingchuan bought was exceptionally long, and it even included—”He even wants skunk glands?”

’What’s the meaning of this?’

Of course, Grand Tutor Sha had his own Pharmacist. The latter took the list, glanced at it, and chuckled. ”This person is probably refining several types of medicine and just bought all the ingredients at once, right? Nothing else aside, these skunk glands are absolutely not for consumption.”

Grand Tutor Sha shot him a glare. Did he really need to state the obvious?

”Besides, many of these ingredients have conflicting medicinal properties; they could never be used in the same recipe,” the Pharmacist added. ”If he’s not planning to refine many different medicines at once, then he’s using this list to confuse us.”

Grand Tutor Sha grunted. ”He’s on his guard?” ’Has that kid, Hee, discovered he’s being watched?’

”Regardless of what medicine he’s trying to make, the recipe we gave him isn’t in here,” the Pharmacist reminded him. ”The formula you gave him was a common recipe for the Emperor’s Liquid, wasn’t it? That should at least include Earth Screw and Bitter Lotus, but neither is on this list.”

Grand Tutor Sha grunted in surprise. ”He can create his own?”

Without absolute confidence, no sane person would mess with the formula for the Emperor’s Liquid. That would be playing with their own life.

The Pharmacist spread his hands. ”That, I don’t know.”

Grand Tutor Sha mused for a moment, then asked Wu Jingsong, ”You told him there are no spots to collect the Emperor’s Liquid in the immediate suburbs, right?”

”Yes!”

Grand Tutor Sha then said, ”That kid’s ambition is not small.”

”Grand Tutor?” ’Why do you say that?’

”All the territory in Fufeng City’s immediate suburbs has been claimed. If Hee Xiao were only planning to stay in the city to receive the Emperor’s Liquid, he wouldn’t need to go to so much trouble,” Grand Tutor Sha said with a smile. ”He intends to travel far, which is why he’s making so many preparations.”

In that case, they would just have to wait and see.

He was an extremely busy man, and this minor matter was forgotten in an instant.

For the rest of the day, Hee Lingchuan remained secluded in the inn, focused on refining the auxiliary ingredients and taking care of other miscellaneous tasks.

Alchemy wasn’t his strong suit. Using a small furnace he bought from the apothecary, he had to ruin four or five batches of raw materials before he got the hang of it and produced a satisfactory semi-finished product.

Fortunately, the refining process itself wasn’t very difficult, or he would have had to find another way.

Shi the Second claimed to know the area around Fufeng City like the back of his hand. Hee Lingchuan discussed it with him for a double-hour or so, then mentioned he was about to leave the city for a trip and would be back in three days.

Fufeng City was a crucial stop for any merchant caravan. The Stone Gate Commerce Association had to unload, sell, and deliver goods here, which required a stay of some time. Fufeng City had many specialty products that were in demand in the Fu Kingdom. However, since the Stone Gate Merchant Team was continuing northwest, they wouldn’t buy stock on the spot. Instead, they had to place orders now so the other party could prepare the goods. On their return trip from Lingxu City, they would pay the balance and take the merchandise back to their country, similar to futures contracts.

Now, with the King of Treasure Tree’s birthday celebration on top of everything, Shi the Second had been running around in circles for days. How could he possibly pay attention to where Hee Lingchuan was going?

Soon, he received some wonderful news:

A major business deal, originally handled by the Gan Family Commerce Association, had been transferred to the Stone Gate Commerce Association. The Grand Tutor’s Mansion had done this out of gratitude for Hee Xiao’s kindness.

The scale of the deal itself wasn’t important, nor was how much money he and his brother could make from it. What mattered was that the Stone Gate Commerce Association had connected with the Grand Tutor’s Mansion and earned their trust!

What an honor! What a boon!

This was the turning point in their careers that the Shi Brothers had long hoped for.

’Big Brother’s judgment was spot on! There are great benefits to being associated with Hee Xiao.’

Shi the Second was ecstatic when he received the news and wanted to find Hee Lingchuan for a drink. But the man just gave a wry chuckle and said, ”I’m busy,” not even letting him in the door.

Shi the Second craned his neck to peek and saw that his room was full of women of almost all ages. He had no idea what Hee Lingchuan was up to.

Hee Lingchuan was busy until that afternoon, when he finally rode out of the city alone, heading northeast.

According to the Grand Tutor’s Mansion’s forecast, the earliest the Emperor’s Liquid would appear was tomorrow night.

Fufeng City truly lived up to its name as the Treasure Tree Kingdom Capital City. The suburban towns were prosperous, filled with farmland, orchards, lumberyards, and workshops. The figures of Demons and humans working could be seen everywhere; it was nearly impossible to find a deserted place.

Hee Lingchuan traveled farther and farther, paying close attention to his surroundings along the way.

Finally, the signs of civilization grew sparse, and desolate forests became more frequent.

He tried to ride his horse toward a small mountain. It looked like an ownerless, Desolate Mountain, with no traces of human activity.

However, before Hee Lingchuan could even reach the foot of the mountain, a RUSTLE came from the woods. Several enormous Black Water Deer emerged to block his path, speaking in human tongue:

”By the Prime Minister’s Decree: This area has been temporarily designated as the Black Horn Clan’s territory. No living person may approach for the next three days.”

The large deer looked down at him, as if ready to start kicking at the slightest disagreement.

Hee Lingchuan didn’t linger. He turned and left.

He then tried several other locations, but all were taken, sometimes by the Demon Race, sometimes by humans. It was clear Wu Jingsong’s information had been accurate.

As a newcomer, he, an outsider, naturally didn’t want to clash with the local bullies. So, Hee Lingchuan continued northeast, spending the night in the wilderness. The next day, he walked from dawn until afternoon.

Then, he finally reached his destination.

This place was over two hundred li from Fufeng City—an open space by a lake.

In fact, he had already left the suburbs of Fufeng City the previous night, leaving the strongholds of the various factions behind. But to be safe, he had walked an extra half-day, even veering far from the Official Road.

This place was remote and rarely visited, more than forty li from the nearest human settlement. There were almost no signs of human activity nearby. As for whether there were Demons, this was the territory of the Demon Kingdom—who could say for sure?

But the Demon factions in the mountains and wilderness had limited power, unlike in Fufeng City.

Of course, Second Madam Zhu and the other Great Demons in the Demon Nest Swamp were exceptions.

Hee Lingchuan had chosen this spot for a reason. The shimmering great lake before him was named ”Three-Heart Lake,” signifying its three sections—one large and two small—whose waters were normally interconnected.

The largest section spanned several hundred hectares, while the smallest was only about four mu. The difference was immense.

Shi the Second knew of this place because on one of his trade journeys, he had pushed on through the night to make better time, got lost, and ended up stumbling upon it. It took him two days to find his way back to Fufeng City, leaving a deep impression on him.

Hee Lingchuan stood by the small lake and took a look. ’Heaven is helping me,’ he thought.

It turned out that it hadn’t rained here in a long time. The water level had dropped significantly, and the channel connecting it to the large lake was almost completely blocked by silt and sand, forming a natural low dam.

Unless there was a downpour, the fish from the large lake couldn’t swim over.

As the saying goes, ”deep waters breed big fish, and deep pools produce Flood Dragons.” What kind of powerful Demon would like to stay in a tiny four-mu lake?

Furthermore, the small lake was surrounded by a ring of mud so soft that a single step would sink you to your knees. The forest, meanwhile, was more than a hundred feet away.

No one, no matter who they were, would be willing to receive the Emperor’s Liquid here.