Where Immortals Once Walked

Seeing that Fushan Yue still looked somewhat gloomy, He Lingchuan asked, “You’re the victim here. What else is there to worry about?”

“This involves the Lingxu Crown Prince.”

With just those few words, He Lingchuan understood what he meant. “You’re worried that because of Crown Prince Huan, this farce will be reduced from a major matter into a minor one, then simply fade away?”

Fushan Yue said nothing.

He had not yet gone to Heaven-Reaching Palace, but he already knew what the Lord Emperor would think.

Those in power did not need to keep every bowl of water level, but they had to know how to soothe people’s hearts and shrink great matters into small ones. In the process of weighing benefits and losses, certain people’s interests would inevitably be sacrificed.

“That’s easy enough.”

Fushan Yue’s eyes shifted. “What nasty scheme do you have this time?”

“Just bite down hard on the mastermind.”

“The mastermind... who?”

“Whoever you think is the most likely culprit. Grab hold of him and refuse to let go. Attack him fiercely before the Lord Emperor and say he’s the one who did it.” He Lingchuan smiled. “As for the truth, well that really isn’t all that important.”

“The most likely culprit...” Fushan Yue thought it over, then smiled as well, his grin especially vicious. “You’re right. If I only ask the Lord Emperor for an explanation, then eight times out of ten, I’ll be brushed off. But if I cling to that person and refuse to let go, that person will have to find a way to prove his innocence, then this matter can’t be casually dismissed.” He stood up and stretched. “Alright, I know what to do.”

* * *

The cleanup at the Mount Pan Residence and the compensation for the dead were still underway, and He Lingchuan did not need to trouble himself with it. Still, he took out three hundred taels of silver and had the guards divide it among the families of the dead.

The cook at the Mount Pan Residence had made especially delicious pastries, particularly yam, walnut, and date cakes.

The servant in the rear garden had known He Lingchuan liked to practice martial arts or meditate beneath the tallest pear tree, so twice each day, he had swept and sprinkled water beneath it until not a speck of dust remained.

He had also made two straw dummies for He Lingchuan’s spear practice.

They had all been perfectly ordinary people, yet calamity had fallen upon them for no reason at all.

He Lingchuan had just entered the inn courtyard when Old Shan returned and handed him a slip of paper.

“Young Master, these are Zaifu Kua’s birth date and hour.”

“Excellent.” Li Qingge’s efficiency is high indeed.

Old Shan had passed the Mount Pan Residence along the way and seen its miserable state. He had only found this place through Fushan Yue’s guards.

“Such a beautiful estate. What a pity.” Old Shan sighed. “Her Lordship asked me to tell Young Master that if you need anything, you need only say the word.”

He Lingchuan shook his head. “Thank her for me, but we should each handle our own affairs.”

“Her Lorship also asked me to inform you that Zaifu Kua will come to the Lower City two days from now.”

He Lingchuan was genuinely surprised. “Has her intelligence network already become that formidable?”

Although Zaifu Kua was retired, he still lived on the floating islands. The gap between upper and lower cities was like a heavenly chasm. Li Qingge was an outside Daoist sect leader, yet in a single day, she could grasp Zaifu Kua’s specific movements for the next few days?

If she had that ability, why could she not deal with Nian Zanli?

A faint suspicion stirred in He Lingchuan’s heart.

Old Shan waved a hand and smiled. “Her Lordship isn’t an immortal, nor did she plant eyes in the Zaifu household. How could she know everything? She merely sent Zaifu Kua an invitation, asking him to attend Songyang Mansion’s appreciation gathering three days from now.”

“Hoh, brilliant!” With one move, Li Qingge had turned passivity into initiative. Even He Lingchuan raised a thumb. “And Zaifu Kua agreed?”

“Her Lordship also invited quite a few notable figures, as well as several of Zaifu Kua’s friends. She also said Songyang Mansion’s new products could be taken home for trial, and if they were unsatisfactory, returns would be guaranteed. With all that, Lord Zaifu accepted happily.” Old Shan asked him, “Her Lorship merely asked how she should cooperate with Young Master’s actions when the time comes.”

“Me?” He Lingchuan took a large mouthful of strong tea, rinsed with force, then spat it out. “I’m not going.”

“...” Old Shan froze. The young master made a single request, and Her Lordship went to the trouble of holding an appreciation gathering and inviting the person he wanted, yet he’s actually not going?

“I need to avoid suspicion. I can’t appear there,” said He Lingchuan seriously. “Ask her to help collect Zaifu Kua’s hair, blood, or the cup he drinks from. In short, something from his body. Then have it delivered to me as quickly as possible.”

Old Shan noted it down. “I’ll go pass on the message right away.”

“Be careful when leaving the inn,” He Lingchuan reminded him. “Who knows how many eyes are watching this place right now?”

* * *

Old Shan had only just left when Fushan Yue hurried over with a serious expression. “The Lord Emperor has issued an edict. You and I are to go to the Heavenly Palace immediately!”

He Lingchuan’s heart gave a heavy thud. He pointed at his own nose. “The Lord Emperor called for me too?”

“Was I unclear?” Fushan Yue urged him, “Hurry and change. Put on something proper. Quickly!”

“Why would he summon me too?”

Fushan Yue said irritably, “Ask the Lord Emperor yourself. Why ask me?”

As He Lingchuan changed his outer robe, he asked, “When you usually meet the Lord Emperor, do you go to the Heavenly Palace too?”

“Usually, I go to Heaven-Reaching Peak. That’s the Lord Emperor’s palace. It’s both where he handles official business and where he rests.” Fushan Yue also frowned. “Crown Prince Huan killed people and set fires. What does that have to do with the Heavenly Palace?”

Why did the Lord Emperor want to receive them at the Heavenly Palace?

Forget it, thinking about it too much is useless. Even if the Lord Emperor wanted to summon us at the grass sea, we’d have no choice but to rush there obediently.

The first thought that surfaced in He Lingchuan’s mind was that the gods had set their eyes on him.

At the thought of countless malicious eyes watching him from the void, his heart sank into an ice pit, and cold sweat seeped from his palms.

Should I run now?

Should I find some excuse to go to the latrine, then mount the bighorn cliff ram and flee the city?

The moment the thought appeared, it grew wildly, almost impossible to restrain.

Lingxu City was huge. Even if the Heavenly Palace realized he had fled, as long as he moved quickly enough, he still had a high chance of escaping before the city was sealed.

And then?

What then?

His heart pounded wildly. All he wanted was to turn and run. This was his instinct when facing great terror.

“He Xiao?” Fushan Yue saw him stop in the middle of dressing, not even fastening his belt, and called out again. “He Xiao! Hey, what are you thinking about?”

He Lingchuan jolted and suddenly came back to himself.

No. If the Heavenly Palace has already confirmed that the Generous Pot is on me, they would’ve send people to arrest me directly. That would be faster, more convenient, and more in line with the gods’ style.

Otherwise, why would they have the Monster Emperor issue an edict and have Fushan Yue bring me up to Mount Xu?

This must still be them probing me.

Or perhaps it’s simply a gesture of appeasement?

“A team of guards from the Heavenly Palace is already waiting outside. There are more than two hundred of them. They say it’s an escort, but it looks more like a detention convoy to me.” Fushan Yue urged him again, “Hurry up. There aren’t many people in the world who dare keep them waiting too long.”

He Lingchuan’s hands slowed.

The Heavenly Palace even sent guards?

Is that to prevent us from fleeing?

In that case, the inn’s probably already surrounded. Even if I wanted to leave, I wouldn’t be able to.

“It’s fine.” He Lingchuan lifted his face into a smile. “I’ve long wanted to broaden my horizons at Star-Plucking Tower.”

If he fled now, would that not directly confirm their suspicions?

When that happened, the Lord Emperor’s anger and the gods’ might would all fall on him alone.

Besides, could he really escape?

That was a net cast over heaven and earth!

Taking ten thousand steps back, even if he could leave Lingxu City now, Beijia was vast, and watching eyes were everywhere, above and below. How far could he flee? And for how long?

Unless he became like Xi Yunhe...

But Xi Yunhe had someone secretly helping him. If He Lingchuan fled now, he could probably rely on no one but himself.

He Lingchuan once again reviewed what he had said before Bai Ziqi.

How many flaws could there have been?

“Let’s go.” He Lingchuan straightened his clothes and flicked a speck of dust from his lapel. “Don’t keep the Lord Emperor waiting.”

Does this count as walking into the net of my own accord?

But if he turned and fled, not only were his odds of escaping Beijia too small, but all his previous efforts would also be lost.

All the many clues he wanted to investigate in Lingxu City would be cut off here.

Did he still remember his original purpose in coming all this way to Lingxu City?

Things had already reached this point.

He Lingchuan clenched his fist and silently told himself that as long as he got through this, the path ahead would surely open.

* * *

The autumn wind north of Lingxu City remained as cold and hard as ever.

This time, He Lingchuan’s journey north was completely different from his previous sightseeing trip. Somehow, the road seemed much shorter too. Mount Xu, which had looked so distant, seemed to arrive with just a few steps.

Since the Lord Emperor had summoned them, they naturally did not need to climb the mountain on foot. They enjoyed the honor of transport by array.

Specifically, they took a special path forbidden to ordinary visitors, heading directly to the foot of Mount Xu’s main peak, Tianshu Peak, where the Heavenly Palace stood.

There were checkpoints here, as well as a garrison camp. It was practically a fully equipped military town where idlers were strictly forbidden.

Most importantly, inside one of the most unremarkable buildings here was a teleportation array.

This was He Lingchuan’s first time using such an array, making him like a maiden entering a bridal sedan for the first time. The moment he entered, he looked left and right.

The room was only a little over ten square meters. In each of the four corners, and also in the center, stood a hexagonal pillar half a person tall. He could not tell what material they were made from. They were pitch-black, and intricate runes floated free from their surfaces, glowing as they slowly circled the pillars.

The array on the ground was perfectly round. Every line shimmered with faint blue light. He Lingchuan had seen similar array diagrams in his Panlong City lessons, though those were far more complex.

The array beneath Tianshu Peak actually appeared simpler.

Yet when He Lingchuan tried to memorize it carefully, he could not retain the pattern of its lines no matter what.

It was a classic case of forgetting the moment one looked away.

This was not because his memory was poor, but because the array had protective measures that prevented people from fully observing it.

Fushan Yue pointed at the array and said, “This is a small one. It can only send a few people through.”

“There’s a large one?”

Before Fushan Yue could answer, a guard beside them snapped, “Military secrets are not to be casually discussed!”

Fushan Yue clicked his tongue with a chuckle and said nothing.

He Lingchuan knew what he had wanted to say. Tianshu Peak had such frequent personnel movement and goods transport that it obviously needed large teleportation arrays too.

There might even be more than one.

It was just that these guards had spent too long brushing against divine and heavenly authority on Tianshu Peak. Though they merely managed the “lift”, their tone was grand enough.

Naturally, Fushan Yue would not lower himself by arguing with gatekeepers.

The two stepped into the array and stood around the central stone pillar. Fushan Yue reached out and pressed the pillar. Blue light flared beneath their feet, and the scene before their eyes suddenly blurred.

Even He Lingchuan felt slightly dizzy.

Of course, the change lasted less than two breaths before everything around them was replaced.