Where Immortals Once Walked

Chapter 553: As Long as You’re Alive, Everything Is Still Possible

She smiled faintly. “Of course, if used properly, this thing can also divert the heavenly gods’ attention.”

Shao Jian committed that to memory with great care.

He Lingchuan, meanwhile, noticed the word “some.”[1]

Turned around, that meant only a minority of these Dragon Punishment Pillars would alert the gods, while most would leave no trace at all.

Mitian’s thinking was vicious indeed.

Once she had finished her instructions, she rose and left.

By then, Zhong Shengguang’s eyebrows had already relaxed. He slung an arm over Shao Jian’s shoulder and said, “I have to head out right now, and I won’t be back for a few days. When I return, come to my house for drinks. We won’t stop until we’re dead drunk!”

“Done. I’ll wander around the city first.” Shao Jian was not polite with him at all. “I also came to Panlong City on important business this time. There are some things I need to discuss with you, but that can wait a few days.”

The two men laughed heartily and walked out of the Hall of War side by side.

Zhong Shengguang was, after all, terribly busy. After only a few more words, he took his leave and returned to the government office.

He Lingchuan had been assigned as Shao Jian’s personal guard, so from this moment on, he had to remain at his side every step of the way. That suited him perfectly. After all, there were still plenty of mysteries behind the State of Yuān, and He Lingchuan very much hoped to probe them out of Shao Jian little by little.

Even in Panlong City, Shao Jian dressed like an ordinary merchant. His clothing was neither luxurious nor shabby, his inn neither grand nor cheap. Everything about him was moderate and unremarkable. If he stood on Wanglin Avenue, he disappeared completely into the ceaseless flow of passersby.

Shao Jian gazed at the bustling streets, full of wonder. “This place is far more prosperous than before. Three years ago, Wanglin Avenue didn’t even have half this much foot traffic. See that ready-made clothing shop? It used to sell steamed buns.”

He Lingchuan said, “Panlong City opened both internal and external trade five years ago. Once money and goods began circulating, things slowly came alive.”

“That’s exactly it.” Shao Jian nodded repeatedly. “I told Zhong Liyao long ago that Panlong City had to open communication with the outside world, or else it would become stagnant water without a source. In those first ten-odd years, Panlong City fought wars while also trying to take care of its people. Everyone suffered terribly, precisely because the city had sealed itself off.”

But He Lingchuan actually understood Zhong Shengguang’s earlier decisions. Before the rite of divine recompense, he had been terrified that Panlong City would be infiltrated by spies and rebels, so he had no choice but to keep the gates tightly shut.

As the lord of a city surrounded on all sides by enemies, there were simply too many long-term factors he had to consider.

It was not until the Generous Pot became capable of releasing Three Corpses Worms that Panlong City finally dared to throw its gates open and take its first step toward outside trade.

And from opening the gates to actively encouraging trade, it actually had not taken very long.

Even while strolling through the streets, Shao Jian did not forget to buy gifts for his business partners far away. He not only asked He Lingchuan’s opinion but even provided price ranges for the presents.

Watching from the side, He Lingchuan understood that this man had lived inside his disguise for so long that it had become part of his life.

In addition to a large pile of local specialties, He Lingchuan also recommended glowspores from the Guizhen Stone Forest and aphid sugar from Zhu Erniang’s ranch.

There was no need to explain the glowspores. They were portable cold light sources, and even the Kingdom of Baoshu was using them by now.

As for aphid sugar, it was actually honeydew produced by the aphid cattle raised by the burrow spiders. Its sugar content was astonishingly high, and its purity was almost unbelievable. Shao Jian looked startled. “Honeydew? Then doesn’t that mean, doesn’t that mean...?”

He Lingchuan coughed lightly. “Yes. Best not to dwell on those details.”

Not only did the burrow spiders love aphid sugar, but Panlong City’s residents had also praised it lavishly after tasting it. They said it was no less sweet than honey, while possessing a flavor all its own.

Adults and children alike loved it.

“This one has a slight caramelized fragrance.” Shao Jian sampled another variety of aphid sugar. “Hm? This one’s even stranger. Why is it sweet, but with a bit of heat to it?”

“The flavor changes depending on what feed the aphid cattle are given,” He Lingchuan said with a smile. “Zhu Erniang has been experimenting with ratios.”

“That ancient monster?” Shao Jian clicked his tongue in amazement. A spider monster that savage was somehow producing something this sweet.

Outside of Beijia, honey was a luxury everywhere. Now that aphid sugar had become a viable substitute, merchants from other regions had smelled the opportunity, and sales had soared over the past few months.

Of course, Panlong City had already secured exclusive rights to Zhu Erniang’s products. What came out of her ranch had now become one of the city’s signature goods.

After tasting the aphid sugar, Shao Jian grew very interested in it and started thinking about how to introduce it elsewhere. After all, the last time he had visited the Panlong Wasteland, Zhu Erniang had still been the unruly ruler of the Guizhen Stone Forest. None of these products had entered Panlong’s markets yet.

However, Panlong City now even had all sorts of sweet soups and pastries made from aphid sugar.

The two of them settled into a sweet shop by the river. Through the wooden window, they could see little boats drifting along the water. The lotus blossoms of late autumn had already withered, but the seedpods were still full and plump. Local fishermen rowed over to harvest them, tidying away the dead lotus leaves and repairing the river scenery as they worked.

In the past, Panlong City would never have had the leisure to worry about such things.

Refined tastes and leisurely pursuits only came after one had enough to eat. Shao Jian sighed from the heart. “This is wonderful. Truly, Panlong City today is far beyond what I ever expected.”

His motherland had already been destroyed, yet the seed of hope had taken root in a foreign land and was visibly thriving. Only He Lingchuan, who had seen his conversation with the King of Yuān, could truly understand the subtlety of that emotion.

When Shao Jian said “far beyond what I expected,” it likely meant that he had originally disapproved of Zhong Shengguang using the Generous Pot to invite down Heavenly God Mitian, and had never believed that move would bring Panlong City anything good.

After all, “the rite of divine recompense never ends well, except for Beijia” was practically a creed for the Shao Family, with the King of Yuān foremost among them.

That was why He Lingchuan could sense that, mixed into Shao Jian’s delight, there was also a thread of confusion.

Seeing how animated he was, He Lingchuan seized the chance to broach another topic. “Mr. Wu, since you’re an old friend of Lord Zhong, do you happen to know the origin of the black flood dragon reliefs on the walls?”

“Black flood dragon?” Shao Jian came back to himself just in time to see the relief of a flood dragon’s head set into the high temple wall across from Wanglin Avenue. It was about 1.6 meters across and hung 3 meters above the ground, with its eyes specially picked out in red paint.

An offering table sat beneath the flood dragon head as well, bearing three-colored fruits, while incense drifted upward from the burner.

Except at night, worship here almost never ceased.

He Lingchuan knew full well that in Qianxing City, the old capital of the State of Yuān, similar flood dragon designs had once been visible in many places. From the King of Yuān to Zhong Shengguang, their ideals ran in one line, and both cities had worshiped the black flood dragon. “There’s an even bigger one behind the southern gate, a full-body black flood dragon relief. I’ve asked a lot of people about it, and everyone worships it vaguely, assuming it’s some kind of divine guardian beast of the city.”

Shao Jian smiled. “And how do you know it isn’t a divine guardian beast?”

“In the State of West Luo, they have the Golden Bull. That’s a genuine greater monster, and the people of the capital often hear its roars,” said He Lingchuan. “But no one in Panlong City has ever seen the black flood dragon, never heard its cries, and no one can even say where it lives.”

Shao Jian then asked, “Do you know what a flood dragon is?”

He Lingchuan thought for a moment. “A lesser dragon?”

“Correct. Flood dragons cultivate while submerged in deep lakes and abysses, and if they are fortunate, they may transform into true dragons amid wind and rain,” said Shao Jian. “Before humans, true dragons were the most favored by heaven. They were even called ‘children of heaven,’ meaning heaven’s cherished children. But creatures like dragons were born from spirit qi itself. Even if they didn’t fall in the wars of the Ancient Era, they still vanished in the Middle Era. There are no true dragons left in the world today, only flood dragons remain.”

He Lingchuan was still puzzled. “Then what about this symbol?”

“Creatures of the flood dragon and dragon line are the most sensitive to changes in heaven-and-earth spirit qi. So by observing this flood dragon head, one can judge how thin or dense spirit qi has become.” Shao Jian smiled. “The day that flood dragon head grows into a true dragon head, then the splendid age of the Ancient Era will truly have returned.”

He Lingchuan stared blankly. “So this is for observing changes in spirit qi? That’s it?”

If that were all, why had Zhong Shengguang gone to the trouble of building an enormous relief at the southern gate?

“All of these flood dragon heads face east.” He Lingchuan was not giving up that easily. “There’s no deeper meaning to that?”

He had noticed long ago that every flood dragon design in Panlong City and in Qianxing City of the State of Yuān was built facing east, toward the direction of sunrise.

Shao Jian asked, “And what do you think it means?”

A glint flashed in He Lingchuan’s eyes. “Could it be the symbol of some immortal sect?”

Shao Jian smiled. “Why would you think that?”

“Three thousand years ago, it took a war among immortals to drive the so-called gods out of the mortal realm. I’ve always thought that at least some immortals must have survived to this day and still be watching over the mortal realm.” That was by no means only He Lingchuan’s personal guess.

Even Zhu Erniang had survived until now by shedding her shell. In a world this vast, who could say for sure that no immortals still remained?

“Even if some immortals are still hanging on, what could they do?” Shao Jian gave a light laugh. “This is no longer the world of immortals. Even if they reappeared, what could they possibly accomplish?”

His expression turned complicated, perhaps because he was thinking of his lost homeland.

The State of Yuān had resisted for three years without yielding, only to perish in the end. If immortals truly existed in the world, where had they been then?

“And besides, with spirit qi in the world having declined to this state, don’t the immortals bear responsibility too?”

Seeing the bitterness in him, He Lingchuan quickly raised half a bowl of sweet soup in place of wine and offered it to him, then changed the subject at once. “So aside from marking the density of spirit qi, that black flood dragon design has no other use?”

Shao Jian cast him a glance. “You’re awfully utilitarian for someone so young.”

“Pragmatic,” He Lingchuan corrected solemnly. “Panlong City has survived while hemmed in by powerful enemies precisely because it’s pragmatic.”

“That much is true. As long as you’re alive, everything is still possible.” Shao Jian set down his bowl. “Actually, the black flood dragon designs don’t exist only in Panlong City. But their secret has always been held by those in power. I can only speculate that every city or state that worships them receives some benefit. Otherwise, how could they endure setback after setback without breaking? And this black flood dragon design isn’t the sort of thing that works just because anyone paints it on a wall.”

He Lingchuan let out a small sound of surprise. “What, does it have to be consecrated first?”

“What a coincidence. Many years ago, I asked Zhong Liyao that exact same question.”

“And what did the commander say?” He Lingchuan listened eagerly.

“He said that first, one must establish the heart for heaven and earth.”

After saying that, Shao Jian rose to settle the bill with the shopkeeper. Their conversation ended there.

Even though He Lingchuan had been personally assigned by Zhong Shengguang as his guard, Shao Jian had not fully let down his guard. He had not told the whole truth. And why would he? Only a fool would bare his heart to a stranger on the very first day.

Besides, after the fall of the State of Yuān, he had managed to remain in exile for more than twenty years without being captured by Beijia. That meant he was certainly cautious to the bone, with a survival code all his own.

He Lingchuan was not discouraged. Step for step, he stayed close beside the honored guest.

Now that he would be seeing Shao Jian constantly, day in and day out, over the next several days, perhaps with enough careful ingratiating, he could pry even more information about Beijia out of him.

What he had seen and heard in the Hall of War earlier had been explosive enough already, and He Lingchuan was still working hard to digest it all.

1. This is referring to that line in the last chapter about some of the Dragon Punishment Pillars being tainted with the Generous Pot’s aura. ☜