Where Immortals Once Walked

The slap was neither too hard nor too light. It was just strong enough to startle the goldfish that had been lazily drifting in the water, sending them darting away in a flash.

It was at that moment when He Lingchuan’s net slipped into the jar, landing precisely to the side of one fish. Then, with a gentle scoop, he slapped the black-patterned goldfish clean out of the water, catching it neatly in the jar that he was now holding in his other hand.

Got it!

Of course, the paper net tore apart in the process.

Still, trading one flimsy net for a lively, beautiful goldfish was well worth it.

Sun Fuling gave a soft round of applause. “Nice!”

That move had been far too fast for most people to follow, but she had seen it clearly. Quite apart from anything else, the net was so poorly made that it could never withstand the goldfish’s sudden burst of strength if it charged straight into it. That meant the net could not be placed directly in front of the fish’s escape path.

In that split second, He Lingchuan had accurately predicted the fish’s direction and scooped in from the side, using the angle to dissipate its force.

In actuality, the fish had been bounced out rather than truly scooped out.

But in this case, catching the fish was actually the easy part. What mattered was his eyesight and his precise judgment.

Even the vendor looked surprised. “Impressive.”

Seeing He Lingchuan reach for the last remaining net, the vendor quickly added, “Hey, no more slapping the jar to scare them! My fish can’t take that kind of fright.”

“Alright.” He Lingchuan already had a feel for it now. He turned to Sun Fuling. “Which one next?”

“I want that Lionhead Dragon-Eye[1] one,” Sun Fuling said, pointing. “The pure black one.”

“Okay.” What a peculiar preference. The fish is pitch-black, with a swollen head and bulging eyes. What is there even to like about it?

He Lingchuan casually took two grains of rice from the vendor and tossed them into the jar. When the fish rose to the surface to feed, he cast the net again.

This time, he lowered it vertically, letting the wooden ring slice straight down through the water to reduce the strain on the paper net.

With a twist and flick of his wrist, the Lionhead Dragon-Eye goldfish that Sun Fuling wanted was shaken right out.

Along with it flew another white fish that had rushed over to grab food at the same time.

Buy one, get one free.

The children watching nearby stared in utter bafflement. They were dumbfounded as they wondered how someone’s hands could even be that nimble.

He Lingchuan was on a roll now. He paid another five wen[2], and wherever Sun Fuling pointed, he scooped, never missing once.

Sun Fuling watched his movements, clapping cheerfully.

In just the time it took for a few dozen breaths, their jar came to hold nine trophies.

There were plenty of passersby at the entrance to the market street. Seeing this, many stopped to watch. The vendor, sharp as could be, immediately started calling out louder to draw in customers. “Take a look, take a look! See? It can be done! Is this really a problem with my nets?”

One little girl, eyes shining, tugged at He Lingchuan’s sleeve. “Big Brother, can you help me catch one too?”

The vendor’s face darkened at once. “No, no, no! No helping!”

This fellow had paid ten wen and caught nine goldfish, picking out only the best-looking ones. The vendor was already taking a huge loss!

He Lingchuan asked Sun Fuling, “Is that enough?”

Sun Fuling smiled at the jar. “That’s enough for now. We can come again in a few days.”

The vendor visibly relaxed. “Would you like some fish food? I’ve got special feed here. The feed I have here makes them prettier and livelier than rice. Rice fouls the water, too.”

His fish really were more vibrant than most stalls’, so He Lingchuan had no objections. “Sure, one packet.”

The vendor stood up and turned to fetch an oil-paper packet.

Only then did He Lingchuan notice that he limped badly. He could not help but think that it must have been fairly taxing on him to have carried those jars all the way to the market.

The little girl who had earlier asked for help pointed at his ankle and asked innocently, “What happened to your leg?”

The vendor’s face instantly turned black. “None of your business. Someone broke it!”

The little girl shrank back, too scared to say anything more. Her mother glared and snapped, “You black-hearted cripple, scaring my daughter like that!”

“I broke it at Rong Mountain, so what?” The vendor pocketed the copper coins He Lingchuan handed over, then slapped the jar lid with a loud bang. “If I hadn’t fought those West Ji dogs and wrecked my leg, I’d be living it up right now instead of wasting breath arguing with a fat woman like you in the market!”

The moment he said that, the woman’s bluster shrank by half. She muttered a couple more curses before dragging her daughter away.

He Lingchuan and Sun Fuling paid and quickly made themselves scarce, distancing themselves from the marketplace squabble.

Still, he caught a few snatches of the argument behind them.

“Is Mount Rong that famous? Doesn’t sound like it’s in the Panlong Wasteland.”

Sun Fuling’s smile faded slightly. “It’s inside West Ji’s borders.”

“That state east of the Panlong Wasteland?” The wasteland was an enclave; beyond it to the east lay several small states, West Ji among them, and beyond those was West Luo.

“West Ji used to belong to West Luo. More than ten years ago, the Huyan Family took advantage of chaos in the mother state, split off, and declared themselves kings,” she said, shaking her head. “Those small states all came into being that way.”

“West Ji’s locals were already xenophobic. After founding their state, a lot of people from central West Luo and the Panlong Wasteland were stranded there, unable to leave. The locals squeezed them dry and harassed them relentlessly.” Sun Fuling sighed. “Four years ago, during the Mount Rong uprising, West Ji people stormed into the stockades built by our residents, burning, killing, looting, and abducting women and children. Over two thousand were killed or injured. When word reached Panlong City, everyone was furious. Mount Rong isn’t that far from the wasteland, and many victims had relatives here.”

“How arrogant. They were just taking advantage of the motherland’s weakness.” No wonder the plump woman had shut up after hearing that. It was a thorn lodged in everyone’s heart.

“Panlong City tried repeatedly to negotiate for the return of some wasteland residents, but West Ji flatly refused. They’re always stirring up trouble at the border, and because they control a key trade route to the southeast, they extort and intimidate our merchants at will.” Sun Fuling glanced sideways at his expression. “You’re wondering why Panlong City hasn’t taught West Ji a lesson, aren’t you?”

He Lingchuan did not bother denying it. “More or less. But thinking it over, doesn’t that mean they’ve got someone backing them?” Without support, how would a tiny state bordering the Panlong Wasteland dare jump around so brazenly?

“Calls to punish West Ji have grown louder over the years, but Panlong City has its own difficulties.” Sun Fuling said slowly, “West Ji has always been close to Baling. A few years back, they even welcomed envoys from the northern monster state and received generous rewards. They’ve gotten carried away. But every time they provoke the border, they pick moments when we’re already engaged with Baling or Xianyou, when we can’t spare attention. And the trouble they stir up is usually small-scale, never anything as outrageous as the Mount Rong incident.”

After all, Mount Rong lay inside West Ji. They could do as they pleased there. On the Panlong Wasteland, things were much different.

“So they’re like a toad hopping onto your foot.”

Sun Fuling froze, imagining it, and shuddered. “Exactly!”

He Lingchuan caught her deeper meaning.

Panlong City itself was struggling. For more than a decade, Zhong Shengguang’s entire focus had been on holding the Panlong Wasteland. Four years ago, during the internal migration, West Luo recalled forty thousand of Panlong City’s elite troops to the interior, severely weakening the city.

These past four years, Panlong City has been forced to recuperate. It truly had no spare strength to meddle elsewhere.

If you wanted to uphold justice, you first needed fists hard enough to back it up.

Crisis was the land’s constant refrain.

“One day,” He Lingchuan said with a shrug.

Sun Fuling nodded. “A state that knows no awe will meet its downfall one day.”

They let the topic drop. After buying some hot food, they hired a donkey cart and headed home.

He Lingchuan wanted to carry the fish jar to Sun Fuling’s house, but she insisted on pouring the fish into his water vat instead.

“Your vat’s just sitting there anyway. It would be better if it were used to raise fish than mosquitoes.”

The ceramic vat in his small courtyard took up a lot of space and was usually only used to collect rainwater. It really was just a waste of space most of the time.

“I’m often away on missions. I’m afraid I’d starve them.” In truth, he had noticed that his comings and goings from the dreamscape were erratic; sometimes days passed in between.

Sun Fuling smiled faintly. “What’s there to worry about? I’m here.”

You? He Lingchuan thought her schedule was even more unpredictable than his. Those fish would probably be living from meal to meal and would not last long.

But seeing her leaning eagerly over the vat, feeding the goldfish, how could he bear to say anything?

Worst case, he would just buy her another batch in a few days.

* * *

The next morning, He Lingchuan first took a stroll around Fufeng City.

The inn that Second Boss Shi had chosen was near the goods market. As soon as you stepped outside, you were met with a bustling sight. They had arrived in Fufeng City in the middle of the night, so only this morning did He Lingchuan truly witness the prosperity of one of Beijia’s major cities.

The main streets could honestly be described as spotless, swept twice daily by specialized monster laborers. All of the streets and alleys were paved with stone; main roads and avenues with large bluestone slabs; side streets with long stone strips or black flagstones. Despite constant traffic, they were remarkably even, indicating that they were well-maintained.

Of course, the slums were another matter entirely. Every city had its dark corners, and Fufeng City made no effort to hide them.

Having watched his father govern, and having heard He Chunhua and He Yue discuss state affairs at home, He Lingchuan knew that streets and roads reflected a city’s administration and finances.

Fufeng City clearly lacked neither.

That likely also had something to do with the Baoshu King’s birthday approaching. The whole city was being spruced up to present a fresh face.

Following the Stone Gate Merchant Caravan’s wagons outward, he saw thriving markets everywhere, goods from north and south all present. Some cities strictly separated commerce and residence, but Fufeng City had no such rules. There were cases of shops in front and living quarters behind everywhere. He often saw entire families inside shops with customers coming and going, meals eaten right there.

Unlike other places, Fufeng City was full of trees. Two or even three-hundred-year-old ancient trees grew casually along the roadsides, trunks so thick they would take two or three adults to spread their arms wide to fully embrace.

There were also flowers of all kinds shyly spilling over walls, resulting in bursts of red, yellow, white, and purple in every direction.

In the breeze of the fifth month of the year, green trees and fragrant blossoms filled the air.

He Lingchuan had never seen such a clean, beautiful city before. Even Shihuan fell far short.

Walking beneath the leafy shade, the comfort was indescribable.

Seven or eight artificial lakes were scattered through the city, linked by inner waterways that eventually connected to rivers outside the walls. Yet he rarely saw open ditches or small canals, which made him wonder how residents accessed water.

After all, such a large city could not lack proper drainage.

Only when he asked did he learn that most of Fufeng City’s canals were underground, tightly sealed with covers, sparing them from open-channel pollution.

1. This should just be a mix between a Lionhead goldfish and a Dragon Eye goldfish. ☜

2. Just a reminder that this is exactly the same as a copper coin. I’m guessing the author just felt like using copper coin last chapter and then wen here. ☜