Where Immortals Once Walked

Wu Jinsong said, “I originally thought Second Young Master’s souls had been lost in that battle, so I chased that lead for quite a while. Who would’ve thought the real culprit would be the Gan merchant in Wuze County. That man truly was someone with the nerve of a bear and the guts of a leopard.”

When Sha Xinghai had been attacked while traveling, he had only suffered minor injuries. He continued on to Wuze County to carry out his mission as planned.

In the end, he had not fallen into enemy hands at all. Instead, he had been taken down by an ordinary human.

Sha Xinghai let out a soft sigh. “When I arrived in Wuze County, I concealed my true identity and claimed to be a wealthy merchant from Lingxu City. I said I wanted to purchase large quantities of trauma medicine, as well as unmarked light armor and weapons.”

Wu Jinsong suddenly understood. “No wonder the Gan Family made their move. If they’d known your real identity, even with ten times the courage, they wouldn’t have dared!”

Grand Tutor Sha clasped his hands behind his back and asked calmly, “You said the Gan merchant is already dead?”

“Yes. He was killed by mountain bandits. Once he died, the Gan Family fell apart. By the time we left Wuze County, they were already selling off assets to pay their debts.”

“The Gan merchant may be dead, but a brother pays a brother’s debts, such is the natural order,” Grand Tutor Sha said evenly. “Go take care of it.”

“Yes.”

“The Gan Family may be finished, but the mission still needs to be carried out. He Xiao has shown you kindness, so hand this order over to his merchant guild, and make sure to remind them again: no identifying marks on the weapons or equipment.”

Wu Jinsong acknowledged the order. After a moment’s thought, Grand Tutor Sha added, “That mirror, did it choose He Xiao as its master on its own?”

“He subdued it.”

“You saw it yourself?”

Wu Jinsong shook his head. “This subordinate is ashamed to say it, but I was ensnared by the illusion of Gan Laosan released from the mirror. By the time I rushed back to Mochou Lake, He Xiao had already pierced the mirror. Still, his performance inside the mirror realm was indeed outstanding.”

Sha Xinghai also said, “When he returned my soul, I thought Father would reward him with some wealth. I never expected you to offer him an official post instead. We haven’t even verified his background yet.”

Wu Jinsong added, “I asked around his merchant guild. Everyone said He Xiao is a distant relative of the two heads. They’d only just met him themselves and knew nothing else.”

Grand Tutor Sha, however, said, “That this man appeared in Wuze County, he may well have been there for the mirror.”

“The mirror?” The other two were puzzled.

Sha Xinghai asked, “Father, are you saying the Gan merchant used the mirror to ambush me, and this man in turn ambushed the Gan Family to seize it?” Could this be a situation where mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind?

“That mirror is an ancient object. The bronze edging and patterns look very familiar, though I can’t immediately recall where I’ve seen them. It must be extremely old. Jinsong, what was the name of the general you encountered in the mirror realm?”

“General You Shanming of the State of Pu,” replied Wu Jinsong. He had overheard the conversation between He Lingchuan and the Crimson Luan.

“The State of Pu...” Grand Tutor Sha stroked his beard, thinking for a long while. “I seem to remember it. It should be a long-vanished ancient state from at least 2,500 to 2,600 years ago. I’ll need to look into it further.”

Sha Xinghai was visibly shaken. “Then wouldn’t that place it only a few hundred years after the Great Catastrophe of Heaven and Earth? The early Middle Era?”

Grand Tutor Sha nodded and said, “Exactly. That was when the human states rose to challenge the greater monsters. Immortal sects had not yet declined, and they often sent disciples down the mountain to assist human states. That was a truly turbulent age.”

Wu Jinsong added, “Even the spellcasters in the illusion could fly on artifacts, and the Crimson Luan’s monster energy was terrifying. That Crimson Luan alone could easily level an entire city. Even today’s greater monsters probably couldn’t manage that.” He had only given Grand Tutor Sha a broad overview earlier; many details had yet to be shared.

“Then that mirror must be at least 2,500 years old. Otherwise, it couldn’t preserve such illusions. It’s a genuine relic from the Middle Era.”

Sha Xinghai looked at his father. “Father, what are you thinking?”

“A little over a year ago, the Baixiang King’s[1] Linlang Treasure Pavilion was robbed, and several Middle Era relics were stolen. In his rage, he killed over a hundred people, but the thief and the stolen items are still missing. And more than ten years before that, the Azure Palace lost a batch of its collection. Both thefts included mirror magical artifacts.”

“You think He Xiao is connected to those thefts?” Sha Xinghai asked, more confused than ever. “If that’s the case, why offer him an official post?”

“From Wu Jinsong’s account, this man is both intelligent and brave. He is a talent worth using,” Grand Tutor Sha said. “If I only rewarded him with money, he’d turn around and leave. By offering him an office, we can observe him over time. Besides, he may not be the thief at all. As for the Baixiong King and the Azure Palace losing treasures, I frankly don’t care.”

Grand Tutor Sha sighed and said, “More importantly, he returned your souls. That’s an enormous favor. Otherwise, with my king’s birthday approaching and all these other affairs, I’d already be stretched to the breaking point.”

Sha Xinghai lowered his head.

After some thought, Grand Tutor Sha said, “I promised him an office, but only after he returns from Lingxu City. Jinsong, deliver him a piece of valuable information on my behalf. I don’t want him thinking I only offer empty words.”

Wu Jinsong listened intently, first startled, then nodded and withdrew.

No one noticed a small spider creeping along the roof beam. It scuttled away on eight legs, lowered itself on a thread, and landed on Wu Jinsong’s shoulder, catching a free ride.

* * *

He Lingchuan drank until his face was flushed and his ears burned, then returned to his room, appearing thoroughly drunk. In truth, he swallowed a sobering pill, splashed his face with cold water, and the alcohol faded by seventy or eighty percent.

The sobering pill had been refined by the medicine ape Ling Guang, and its effects were excellent.

At that moment, He Lingchuan thought again of Ling Guang and the rock wolf Lu Xin, wondering how the two of them were doing now.

About half an hour later, there was a knock at his door.

Wu Jinsong arrived, bearing another thank-you gift from Grand Tutor Sha.

Before speaking, he looked around carefully to make sure there were no idle listeners. Only then did he step inside and lower his voice. “The Grand Tutor asked me to pass this on to you: in three to four days, imperial nectar will descend again. The margin of error is no more than five days.”

He Lingchuan had already learned this through the eyeball spider, but he still had to feign shock, his pupils widening as he blurted out, “What? Really?!”

“The Grand Tutor is a serious man. He doesn’t joke about things like this,” Wu Jinsong said solemnly. “The last time imperial nectar appeared, the timing was just as accurate, off by no more than two days.”

“Something like that can actually be predicted?” He Lingchuan said in disbelief. “Brother Wu, may I ask where the Grand Tutor got this information?”

“From Lingxu City. But as for the specifics, I don’t know.”

So it isn’t something the Baoshu King or Grand Tutor Sha had divined themselves? He Lingchuan noted this silently, then asked, “I recall hearing that there’s usually fifty to sixty years between appearances of imperial nectar. It’s only been half a year, so why is it appearing again so soon?”

Wu Jinsong spread his hands. “You ask me, but who do I ask? If you don’t believe it, I won’t force you.”

“I believe it, I believe it!” He Lingchuan grabbed his sleeve. “The Grand Tutor is far too busy to joke about something like this.” After all, this was not a doomsday prophecy, and it would be proven true in just a few days. There was no reason for him to fabricate it.

“One more thing, in three days, Fufeng City will impose a curfew to prevent unrest caused by the imperial nectar. Civilians and merchants will be required to stay indoors. Anyone who violates it will bear the consequences.”

He Lingchuan understood perfectly. He had seen how fragile human nature became in the face of imperial nectar. Panlong City had taken the same precautions.

He thought for a moment. “Which means I’ll need to leave the city to collect it.” Inside the city, with so many people, each person only had the patch of sky above their residence, so how much nectar could they possibly gather?

The last time, he had been with the army and unable to prepare in advance, managing to snatch only a tiny amount.

This time, with insider information in hand, how could he not prepare properly?

“Smart people all do the same,” Wu Jinsong winked. “If I were you, I’d go a bit farther out. Last time, even the outskirts were divided up and claimed. And with my king’s birthday approaching, envoys and merchants from all states are pouring in. The competition in the countryside will be even fiercer. Also, watch out for avian monsters in the sky.”

He Lingchuan let out a long “Oh,” then cupped his hands and said, “Many thanks for the advice!”

Indeed, this was Fufeng City, the gathering place of Baoshu’s elite. They would receive the news early as well and head out to collect imperial nectar. The simplest method was to cordon off vast tracts of land for private harvesting.

As an outsider, He Lingchuan would do well not to intrude.

These hard-earned lessons would save him a great deal of trouble.

Wu Jinsong asked again, “How did you consume the imperial nectar last time?”

“I swallowed it,” He Lingchuan said blankly. “Is there another way?”

Only then did Wu Jinsong hand him a slip of paper. “This is a refinement method for imperial nectar. Prepare the ingredients in advance so you’re not scrambling and wasting such a heavenly treasure.”

After a pause, he added, “You can trust this formula. We used it last time as well.”

He Lingchuan accepted it as though it were priceless. “Having this head start is like gaining cultivation and opportunity itself. Please convey my thanks to the Grand Tutor!”

Wu Jinsong smiled. “The Grand Tutor values talent and has taken a special interest in you. Once you return from Lingxu City, you should assume your post as soon as possible, lest you disappoint his good intentions.”

He Lingchuan nodded vigorously. “Of course, of course!”

He tried to persuade Wu Jinsong to stay and drink some more, but the latter still had business to attend to and took his leave.

The eyeball spider quietly hopped back onto He Lingchuan.

Only after Wu Jinsong’s footsteps faded downstairs did He Lingchuan unfold the note and carefully read the so-called imperial nectar formula.

Over the past half year, he had often browsed the Literature Pavilion in Panlong City, reading everything under the sun, including some pharmacology texts. He would not claim mastery, but at least he had stuffed a few ounces of oil into his belly, no longer staring at prescriptions as though they were heavenly script.

At a glance, several of the ingredients matched the imperial nectar powder formula A’Luo had given him.

That generic formula, however, was not something he intended to use. A’Luo’s personalized concoction was far superior.

The most valuable reward Grand Tutor Sha had given him was not the formula at all, but the intelligence that imperial nectar would descend again, allowing him to prepare in advance and truly make use of this gift from the heavens.

This then raised the real question: how did Lingxu City know imperial nectar was about to descend?

And this was the case not just for Lingxu City, even Panlong City had known before an eruption was to occur.

Can the surge of heaven-and-earth spirit qi actually be predicted?

The more he thought about it, the less simple it seemed.

Still, no matter what, this was a gift from the heavens, and he would be foolish not to prepare thoroughly.

The Soul-Stealing Mirror suddenly spoke up, “Hey, what are you spacing out for? Talking to the City of the Dead again?”

1. Note that Baixiang is literally white elephant, so the king is probably a white elephant. ☜