Where Immortals Once Walked

With that many clues linked together, if He Lingchuan still could not understand what was going on, then all those years beside He Chunhua would have been for nothing.

Tracing it further back, Wen Daolun’s son was gone, killed by ferry-crossing spawn.

Zhong Shengguang’s only beloved daughter was gone as well, sent up onto the Divine Descent Pillar by Zhong Shengguang’s own hand.

Sister Ji’s two sons, Sun Fuling’s brother, and the children of countless commoners in Panlong City—all of them now gone, swallowed by the battlefield.

Beneath the wrapping of ideals, legends, and supposed fairness, there was always blood, cruelty, and compromise.

Hu Min had said the first mission after being promoted into the Gale Army was always difficult.

He Lingchuan could tell that Willow and Doorboard had not wanted to kill someone unarmed, someone who could not fight back.

So he took it upon himself.

Since it was a mission, someone had to carry it out.

But now he could not help but ask himself, why would the dreamscape arrange a mission like this for him?

Each of the three carried their own thoughts as they returned to Panlong City. Doorboard and Willow peeled off, while He Lingchuan, as squad captain, went to the Bureau of Bright Prospects to file the completion report.

Because it had been a secret execution, even Merits Clerk Liu did not know what the mission entailed. He simply took out the ledger, marked it down as “Completed,” then smiled at He Lingchuan and said, “Your first mission after promotion into the Gale Army, and you finished it in half a day. You truly aren’t simple.”

“We got lucky,” He Lingchuan said with a polite smile. “It wasn’t difficult.”

After that, he went home first to bathe and change.

But the moment he stepped through his gate, he saw a note wedged into the crack of the door. He pulled it free and opened it, and he immediately noticed that it was A’Luo’s handwriting.

The note said: If you want the formula, find me at the Bureau of Medicine.

So the bastard finally dragged himself out of bed and went to work?

He Lingchuan took a quick cold shower, splashing water everywhere until the little courtyard stones were soaked through. He had barely finished pulling on his clothes when he heard movement next door and someone calling him.

“Hey, He Lingchuan.”

He looked up and saw Sun Fuling leaning over the wall, smiling at him.

Her smile was bright and warm. After not seeing her for so long, he realized that he had missed it more than he had expected.

But how long has she been up there?

And somehow, the smile on her face looked awfully satisfied.

“Ms. Sun?” He Lingchuan was not about to be polite. “I don’t seem to have seen you for quite some time. You couldn’t have been hiding from me, could you?”

“Huh? Am I supposed to be afraid of you or something?” One of Sun Fuling’s eyebrows rose as she spoke, almost daring him. “Why would I need to hide from you?”

He Lingchuan tapped his own cheek. “I beat Meng Shan. Shouldn’t you be making good on your promise? If you keep dragging it out, I’ll start charging interest.”

Sun Fuling stopped pretending. With one hand on the wall, she vaulted over.

He Lingchuan saw nothing but a blur, then felt his cheek warm slightly. Before he could even react, Sun Fuling had already given him a quick peck on the cheek.

It was like a butterfly’s wing brushing past—soft, light, and barely there.

His instincts kicked in, and he snatched back with his hand, but Sun Fuling was already about two meters away, smiling sweetly back at him. “Promise fulfilled!”

“That’s it?” He Lingchuan stared. Her speed could only be described as graceful as a startled swan, and it still made a Gale Army soldier like him jump.

“I got beaten half to death by Meng Shan for that?!” he wailed like he had been grievously wronged, yet a chill ran through him at the same time.

Sun Fuling had been so fast that he had failed to even react in time.

He had been through countless brutal fights in the dreamscape and in the waking world alike. His awareness and reflexes were far sharper than most.

And it still had not been enough.

If she had not been kissing him, but stabbing him instead, he would have had no chance of dodging.

This woman really isn’t someone the average person could afford to offend.

Sun Fuling laughed and said, “I’m pretty sure it was Meng Shan who got beaten half to death by you... Fine, I’ll treat you to a meal too.”

“Today?” She was so open and unbothered, displaying neither shyness nor coyness, that his sense of accomplishment took a direct hit.

Sigh.

“Mm, today.” Sun Fuling glanced down at herself. “Hm, but I need to change first. Wait for me.”

And with that, she flipped back over the wall and vanished.

So once you’re close enough, you just stop using doors? He Lingchuan rolled his eyes. Apparently, their friendship really was the kind where they hopped over walls.

Fortunately, Sun Fuling changed faster than most women, nothing like Madame Ying with her hairpinning, eyebrow-painting, makeup-setting, outfit selection, and perfuming, where an entire hour would disappear in a blink.

In about the time it took to finish one cup of tea, her voice came from next door again, “Alright. Let’s go.”

He Lingchuan pushed open his door and stepped out.

Today’s companion had changed into a spring outfit in lakewater green. Pale, scattered gold patterns traced the collar and sleeves. The outfit was far from her usual understated simplicity. Her hair was pinned up, adorned with that candy-snail hair ornament, and a long, slender shell hairpin besides.

It was like he was seeing a completely different side of Sun Fuling, one that was lively, bright, and delicately playful.

When she caught him staring without blinking, she reflexively smoothed her hair at the temple. “What, does it look bad?”

“No, no, it looks great.” He Lingchuan grinned, teeth flashing. “It’s as if you crawled straight out of a lake.”

“...”

“Ahem.” He Lingchuan pivoted at lightning speed. “I mean that you look like a lake immortal.”

As they walked, he asked, “Where’ve you been these past few days?”

They hired a cart—an honest-to-goodness donkey cart—and headed toward the Literature Pavilion.

“A female instructor at Shumin State Academy took seven consecutive days off. I went to substitute for her. Unfortunately, my own schedule has been packed lately, too. Going back and forth for four hours every day was a hassle, so I just stayed at the academy,” Sun Fuling explained with a sigh. “That instructor’s surname is Wen. Her youngest brother passed away recently.”

“Wen?” He Lingchuan’s heart gave a small jolt. “Don’t tell me...”

“Mm-hm, she’s Wen Daolun’s daughter.” Sun Fuling walked at his side. “The old madame of the Wen Family lost her grandson and fell ill. They say her pillow’s never been dry these days. Instructor Wen took leave to go home and tend her, brewing medicine and caring for her.”

He Lingchuan remembered Wen Xing clearly. A boy so full of vigor and light in his eyes. He had not even had the chance to repay Panlong City before dying so suddenly.

This unreasonable world really did let good people die young.

“And Master Wen? Is he alright?”

“Not really. Instructor Wen said he looks worn and haggard. He also took a few days off, claiming he needed to rest at home, but he’s locked himself in the study and won’t see anyone.”

He Lingchuan fell silent.

Perhaps only he understood that Wen Daolun’s suffering was worse than the old madame. After all, Wen Daolun still had to endure the interrogation of bloodline, the lash of conscience.

Not saving his own son might well have been a decision Wen Daolun made with his own hands.

He Lingchuan gazed toward a distant tower spire. The pagoda stood beside the Temple of Lady Mitian, a seven-tiered stupa.

Under the blue sky and white clouds, there was a vast secret buried within this city, one that Wen Daolun would rather sacrifice his son for, and rather endure day after day of future torment, than ever let slip.

“It can’t be easy for him.”

Sun Fuling had promised to treat him, but He Lingchuan originally planned to stop by the Literature Pavilion first to look something up.

Sun Fuling asked, “What are you trying to check?”

Right, I’m walking right beside a living history teacher. “I wanted to look up the history of the State of Pu. I heard a grand general of theirs called You Shanming was a fearsome warrior, as well as the disciple of an immortal sect. Apparently, a few of his campaigns were spectacular.”

“You Shanming?” Sun Fuling murmured, thinking. “There were actually two States of Pu, if I remember correctly. But since you mentioned You Shanming, you must be referring to the earliest one, Former Pu.”

“So the two States of Pu are just differentiated by referring to one as Former Pu and the other as Latter Pu?”

“Yep.”

How lazy.

“It might seem lazy, but for later generations, convenient naming is simply what matters most,” Sun Fuling said with a smile. “Former Pu was an ancient state from about 2,600 years ago. It lasted a bit over a hundred years, which isn’t too long nor too short. But it was one of the earliest states to appear, and it pioneered a number of systems that later realms adopted. For example, the military system Panlong City uses was originally derived from Pu’s.”

“Right, in the Ancient Era, there were families but no states, only immortal sects and monster clans, each occupying their own territories. What people refer to as states only appeared in the Middle Era.”

“Exactly.” Sun Fuling nodded. “In the Middle Era, people discovered origin energy. That became the solid foundation for the founding of states. Only after several hundred years had passed since the great catastrophe could humans rely on the strength of states to stand as equals against immortals and monsters. Some immortal sects had foresight and tried to curb their arrogance, sending talent down into the mortal realm.”

He Lingchuan gave a dry chuckle. “Calling an entire state the ‘mortal court’ and saying they’re not arrogant?”

“That depends on who you’re comparing them to.” Sun Fuling said slowly, “Compared to old, established immortal sects like the Grand Return Sect, the Heavenly Evolution Sect was already considered quite open-minded. You Shanming was sent to Former Pu that way. He later became a pillar-general, which basically just means that he was a key figure in allowing the state to remain standing, and that, in turn, proved the Heavenly Evolution Sect’s strategy was the correct one. In an era where heaven and earth spirit qi was steadily thinning, the distance between immortal sects and the mortal world was destined to shrink.”

Keeping pace with the times, huh?

“Mm?” Sun Fuling noticed He Lingchuan instructing the donkey cart to take a side road, noting that it was not the route to the Literature Pavilion. “Aren’t you going to the pavilion?”

“Not anymore. I’ve got you, the walking encyclopedia.” He fell back into his usual lazy habits. “I’m going to the Bureau of Medicine to find A’Luo. He promised to handle something for me.”

“Anwyay, how did You Shanming die?” Back then, the Soul-Stealing Mirror had only been a heart-protecting mirror on You Shanming’s body.

“I remember that at the time, human states and immortal sects were still on good terms, but grudges with the monster clans ran deeper and deeper. In the end, both You Shanming and Former Pu were wiped out by monsters. However, the monster immortal who led the attack on Pu... Hm, what was it called again? Anyway, it was also seriously injured.”

He Lingchuan noticed that whenever she was thinking hard, she unconsciously pursed her lips a little.

“Crimson Luan?”

“Yes, the Crimson Luan!” Sun Fuling looked surprised. “How did you know?”

“I just skimmed a bit of unofficial history.”

“Which book?”

“Uh. I don’t remember.” No wonder the Soul-Stealing Mirror’s illusion had fixed on that scene. So it was You Shanming’s final battle.

“You Shanming and Pu must’ve been strong,” He Lingchuan said. “Even a monster immortal was wounded so badly it died afterward.” To the people of the time of Panlong City, the word immortal was already impossibly distant.

“When it went to war with Pu, even the monster immortal wasn’t at its peak anymore,” Sun Fuling said, shaking her head. “Several hundred years had passed since the great catastrophe. The tide of spirit qi rose and fell, but overall, it had been declining for centuries. Any human immortals or monster immortals still active in the world at that point were living off old capital. If you only spend and never gain, you only grow weaker. Calling them immortals at that stage is honestly a bit forced.”

He Lingchuan immediately thought of Zhu Erniang. She, too, had said her true body could not adapt to the continuously thinning spirit qi environment, so she had shed and degraded herself to survive.

His brow furrowed, and he asked, “If they were all weakening, why were they still waging war on human states?”

Sun Fuling shrugged. “Spirit qi keeps shrinking. Too many wolves, too little meat. When it comes down to the last scraps, fights would naturally arise, and death was simply a part of that.”

“Wait, are you saying spirit qi never recovered at all?”