Where Immortals Once Walked

Wu Jinsong startled. “You...” But seeing that He Lingchuan was sitting here right in front of him just fine, he realized that nothing serious should have happened. “Did you get hurt?”

“I alerted the constables, then they ran.”

“I need to report back.” Wu Jinsong stood up. “The government office is drafting a wanted notice right now, and the posters will be up soon. Come with me and describe the envoy-killer to the sketch artist.”

“How much is the reward?”

“For an urgent diplomatic incident like this, if we catch the killer, at least a hundred taels.” Wu Jinsong could only estimate. “If it’s just providing a lead, then maybe twenty taels.”

Hoh, twenty taels of gold is equivalent to two hundred taels of silver. As expected of Fufeng City, even the reward for just providing them with a lead is already plenty. He Lingchuan extended his chopsticks toward him. “Well then, twenty gold. Pay up.”

“You—” Wu Jinsong’s face lit up. “You know where they are?”

“They don’t know for sure I witnessed anything. At most, they’re guessing.”

The other party had been planning to kill him based merely on speculation. After all, in cases like these, it was better to kill the wrong one than let the right one go. Nevertheless, it did not change the fact that the black-clad youth was vicious.

“Since they’re so invested in me, how could I disappoint their kindness?” He Lingchuan said with a smile. “So I quietly tailed them, all the way to where they’re currently staying, which is the Xilao Inn. It’s behind the temple in the south of the city.”

Of course, by “tailed,” he really meant stuck an eyeball spider onto one of them.

Wu Jinsong excitedly said, “Well done!”

He rummaged through his clothes. “I’ll put the twenty taels on your tab for now! I’ll get it for you later! Come on, come on, let’s go!”

He Lingchuan smiled, drained the last of his wine, and followed him out.

Why take revenge with your own hands when you could borrow a blade? This was Fufeng City, and it was right under the Baoshu King’s feet. Official power here reigned supreme.

He pulled up the eyeball spider’s view again. The fellow it was riding had already returned to Fushan’s side, and the group was meeting behind closed doors.

Unfortunately, the fellow he had stuck the eyeball spider on seemed too low-ranked. He had been posted outside as a doorman. The eyeball spider tried to slip inside to eavesdrop, but the doors and windows were all warded. The moment it got close, it was bounced away.

Luckily, it was tiny and light, or the barrier would have probably immediately notified those inside that there was an intruder.

He Lingchuan shook his head. He was not Zhu Erniang herself, so he could not control the eyeball spider remotely. It was a real pity.

In the night, Fufeng City felt as if an undercurrent ran beneath the surface.

* * *

The black-clad youth’s discussion with his men was nearing its end.

They had no choice. The mission target was still alive and kicking, and time was tight. They had to improvise a new plan.

Two guards patrolling the corridor were bored out of their minds. One yawned; the other caught it and reflexively opened his mouth as well.

Right at that moment, an arrowhead punched straight into the first guard’s mouth, piercing straight through his skull.

The second guard’s reaction was slightly delayed as he was just yawning himself, but when he was about to shout to alert the others, something batlike and birdlike all at once sprang down from the eaves with its wings spread wide and smothered his face.

His scream became two muffled sounds that hardly anyone heard.

The creature seemed to carry some numbing agent. In the panic, the man failed to hold his breath, and dizziness hit him hard. Before he could tear the thing off his face, he collapsed.

The thing hopped away on its own, revealing what it really was: a flying squirrel.

It could glide by spreading the skin between its limbs. This one was four times the size of a normal flying squirrel, and it looked far less harmless.

At the same time, dozens of official soldiers rushed in and surrounded the rooms. They did not bother with manners, charging in with their spears and blades raised, hacking doors and windows to splinters. The innkeeper had already confessed, informing the authorities of the group of ten-odd people who had taken a full row of three connected rooms.

Everyone braced for a fight as they approached the row of connected rooms.

But inside, it was silent. No curses, no one came bursting out.

The rooms were empty.

“There’s an array on the wall!”

A guard looked up and found an array drawn on the gray wall. The array was made up of intricate lines, with a strange symbol at the center.

“This is...?”

A deputy officer rushed in from behind. He saw the array and, without even thinking it through, barked, “Spread out and search! Search the area!”

Before the words finished leaving his mouth, he felt the ground under his boot go soft, as if he had stepped on something.

BOOM!

The room blew apart. Beams flew sixteen meters away and slammed into a neighboring shop’s door with a heavy bang.

Black smoke curled upward.

In the middle of a busy district, an explosion like that sent panicked screams rippling outward.

* * *

The black-clad youth and his people were in a civilian house only about thirty meters away, watching the smoke rise.

Behind him, one burly man who had been full of vigor just moments ago was now deathly pale and swaying. Even several strands of his hair had turned white.

He had sacrificed five years of his lifespan to barely activate the Great Mountain-Moving Array, teleporting them here.

Facing official soldiers head-on in Fufeng City was not a smart move. The other party had numbers and endless reinforcements, and if they really did choose to face them, then the other party could grind them to death.

Seeing the youth staring at the smoke as if lost in thought, the man could not help but remind him, “Young Master, we should go. This isn’t a place to linger.” The city’s troops will sweep this way soon.

A murderous light flickered in the black-clad youth’s eyes.

It was fortunate that he was cautious and had made preparations everywhere he stayed, and it was a good thing that his spiritual sense was sharp enough to notice something wrong. Otherwise, fighting his way out of the encirclement would have cost him dearly.

Just from this, it was obvious that their lodgings had been surrounded three layers deep.

The government office had deployed at least three to four hundred people. From the sheer headcount, they had shown their group a lot of respect.

“Young Master?”

“Fufeng City should’ve received word of the Mount Yin Python’s death. But if no one told on us, the authorities wouldn’t have found us so precisely.” His eyes narrowed. “Good, very good!”

That kid really does have one face in public and another in private.

He turned and stared at his men. A chill swept over them as they felt as if they were being examined by something unseen. The sensation only lasted for a moment, then it was gone.

In truth, the black-clad youth had expanded his spiritual sense and swept every one of them.

“Take off all your clothes and immediately change into new ones.”

Here?

But his men were disciplined. They did not ask any questions and simply obeyed. They shed their old garments and pulled on fresh ones.

“We must’ve had a tracking spell or powder planted on us. Otherwise, the city shouldn’t have been able to lock onto us like that.” His spiritual sense found nothing, which only made him click his tongue.

He Lingchuan had pulled off this after-the-fact trick three times now: once at the Mount Yin Python’s death, once with the night raid at the inn, and now a third time.

There was no need to even bother considering something like third time’s the charm. It was clear to the black-clad youth that the other party had done something to them.

What he did not know was that the eyeball spider, which had been originally attached to the low-ranking doorman outside, had not been teleported with them.

“Move up the withdrawal plan. Split up into groups and scatter.” The black-clad youth spoke fast. “Too many of us together stands out.”

“So we’re retreating and leaving?”

The black-clad youth looked like he had just heard the funniest joke in the world. He dug a finger in his ear and said, “Would you like to say that again?”

The man went deathly silent.

The youth grinned, yet there was no warmth in his eyes. “The objective doesn’t change. We snatch the object... and we kill the man.”

* * *

The next morning, the sun still rose in the east.

He Lingchuan stretched, clear-headed and refreshed as he sat up.

With a second dantian opened, not only did his true energy circulate faster, but his stamina was fuller too. Sleeping only two hours left him bright-eyed and energized.

Before, if he did not sleep at least four hours, he would worry about dark circles.

A black cat hopped in through the window, did a long downward-dog stretch, then went to town scratching at the wooden frame, leaving pale gouges.

“Hey, don’t claw that. If you damage the door and windows, I’m the one who’ll have to pay for the damage.” He had hired this black cat several times for miscellaneous missions. He did not recall having a mission for it today, yet it had shown up playing.

He had no idea where the little ones were off playing, but the big cat rubbed against him, then asked, “When you go to Mountain Baiyun, can you give me a lift? I want to go watch the ceremony too, but it’s way too far on my own.”

It had short legs.

He Lingchuan had no reason to refuse.

Just then, someone knocked. It was Second Boss Shi.

He had changed into fresh clothes and was beaming. “Time to head up the mountain and watch the festivities!”

“You’re not busy with business today?” The Baoshu King’s birthday ceremony was also a merchant’s carnival. Traders from all over Beijia and beyond hauled in rare treasures, exotic herbs, and strange flowers, and auctions ran nonstop. According to official figures, nearly a hundred auctions were held every day. For dealers in valuables, it was a windfall.

“Everything that needed selling is already sold.” Their caravan mainly did wholesale. “I heard the official road toward Lingxu City has been cleared, and the authorities added more patrols. So after we watch the ceremony today, we hit the road immediately. The more people there are, the safer it is.”

The sudden imperial nectar eruption had thrown their schedule off. They had already been delayed in Fufeng City long enough. After today’s festivities, they needed to move.

“Oh, and this is the book you wanted.” Second Boss Shi handed He Lingchuan a thin book. “It turns out that Fufeng City really does have it. My guy checked two bookshops and found it. They even had it displayed somewhere super obvious.”

“A deluxe hand-copied edition?” He Lingchuan took it, flipped it open, and a cloud of dust burst out. “Phew, that’s a lot of dust!”

Second Boss Shi looked confused. “Brother He, what do you even want this for? I don’t think anyone buys it. That shop only stocked two copies, and they both sat on the high shelf collecting dust. They say it gets recopied every twenty or thirty years just so that it doesn’t go extinct. But as for people actually reading it, I’d bet that nobody really does.”

“I’m afraid I can’t tell you.” He Lingchuan patted the cover, shaking loose another sheet of book-dust. “It’s not meant for reading anyway. And it’s thin? Even better!”

“Tch.” Second Boss Shi rolled his eyes and hurried him along.

He Lingchuan had nothing to pack. The two led their mounts out, and the black cat hopped onto He Lingchuan’s cliff ram, ready to ride for free.

This cliff ram had carried him back from Three-Heart Lake. It was steady, fast, and surprisingly patient. It was no wonder someone had kept it as a mount.

Compared to horses and bo beasts, a cliff ram’s jumping ability was ridiculous. An easy hop cleared over three meters, and it was light and quick, making it perfect for mountain travel. Seeing how useful it was, He Lingchuan simply kept it as his new ride.

Of course, its load capacity was mediocre. Load it with just a bit over two hundred kilograms, and it would go wobbly.

It was barely dawn, and the streets were already packed shoulder-to-shoulder with everyone flowing north.

In that crowd, riding was impossible. They could only lead their mounts and drift with the human tide.

As for donkey carts and carriages, they could not even move an inch.

Passing two temples, He Lingchuan saw that the stages out front were already in use for performances. Strings and pipes squealed and sang; the crowd below grinned ear to ear; children chased vendors selling candied skewers. It was louder than New Year’s.