Where Immortals Once Walked

The heavenly gods were using the light to locate the Generous Pot.

Whether the pot and the lid could become whole again was secondary. He Lingchuan had to eliminate this hidden danger. Otherwise, the gods’ attention would follow him like a shadow. No matter where he went in the world, he would never be safe. Nor would he dare use the Generous Pot freely, assuming he ever figured out how to use it.

Second, he had to complete Zhu Erniang’s commission and find her largest molted shell.

That thing had most likely been stuffed into the array eye of Mount Xu’s Grand Spirit-Gathering Array, so he first had to locate that constantly moving array eye.

Lastly, he had to make sure State Preceptor Shuang Ye’s handwritten order in Nian Zanli’s hands failed to take effect. In other words, he had to stop him from actually borrowing troops.

Of these three matters, the last was the easiest.

As for the first two, they would probably have to be handled together. Whatever commotion he caused on Mount Xu would certainly be enormous, and he might not get a second chance to go there.

Of course, the difficulty was five stars.

From now on, he also had to consider how to escape once the matter was done, and that was the fourth task.

None of them would be easy, especially with so many enemies watching hungrily from the side. He Lingchuan let out a long sigh and said, “I need a midnight snack!”

* * *

The next day, He Lingchuan still did not go out. Instead, he took a fishing rod to the rear mountain lake.

He had barely stepped out the door when the little squirrel jumped onto his shoulder and said, “The master of Songyang Mansion sent word. The 180 kilograms of frost-veined iron you wanted will only be ready two days from now.”

Two days? He Lingchuan calculated the timing. It would still be soon enough.

Frost-veined iron was a rare metal, and it was inconvenient for him to collect it himself, so he had asked Li Qingge to gather it for him. Songyang Mansion was a major artifact refining sect and had its own supply channels for metals and ores.

The Marquis of Songyang is reliable indeed.

And she even allowed me to put it on credit.

The little squirrel also handed him a note.

Once its errand was done, it collected its nuts and sprang away.

The mountains and wilds were quiet, the lake clear and rippling. Two long-tailed tits landed on the boat roof and chirped away.

The fierce tiger also wanted to lie on the boat, but He Lingchuan mercilessly refused.

He needed to think carefully about his next move.

He opened the note. On it was Li Qingge’s elegant handwriting. In summary, glazed gold had too many uses, and when combined with different metals, it could produce different properties. It was hard to generalize. If he absolutely wanted a simple, violent way to break it, he could try extreme cold or rapid freezing, since the material was naturally vulnerable to freezing.

Once frozen, it would become brittle, and the difficulty of shattering it would drop sharply.

Of course, glazed gold was still a supreme treasure. A mere minus thirty or forty degrees Celsius was nothing to it.

Moreover, the so-called “rapid freezing” had to happen within two breaths.

A small number of magical treasures in the world could create extremely low temperatures in a short time, but Li Qingge did not currently have even one on hand.

She was a grandmaster artisan herself and excelled at solving problems, so after thinking hard, she had also pointed He Lingchuan toward a possible route.

If they could not create a magical artifact of that level, they could try making a single-use talisman.

Some cultivators liked using talisman arrays and talismans. Some were single-use, some could be used repeatedly. There were paper talismans, copper talismans, jade talismans... all kinds existed.

Talismans were the easiest to make, consumed the least materials, had decent effects, and were very flexible to use. Their greatest drawback was their poor durability.

Songyang Mansion could make He Lingchuan a “cold jade talisman.” Nearly all the other materials were ready; only one was missing: a frost pellet.

Only a cold jade talisman made with a frost pellet as its base could freeze glazed gold in an instant.

There was no substitute.

And Songyang Mansion’s supply channels could not obtain it, because it was a specialty of the Fu Realm and existed in extremely small quantities.

“The Fu Realm?” He Lingchuan sighed. The Fu Realm was connected to the Grass Sea. He had originally not wanted to go.

Now it seemed that he had no choice but to make a trip. After all, the array eye of Mount Xu’s Grand Spirit-Gathering Array was made from glazed gold.

He Lingchuan leaned back and let the breeze brush his face as he began considering the next problem.

Whether he wanted to approach the Grand Spirit-Gathering Array’s eye or take the divine artifact from Star-Plucking Tower, there was one obstacle he could not avoid: Juju.

This powerful rock-fire aberrant creature was Mount Xu’s guardian spirit. It could be said to have fused with the entire mountain range. When it was awake, it would know even if one stone went missing from Mount Xu.

If He Lingchuan intruded illegally, there was no way he could escape its senses.

And besides, He Lingchuan had improper thoughts toward it—no, that was wrong; he had other designs.

Faced with a colossus like the Heavenly Palace, he alone could never seize the divine artifact from Star-Plucking Tower. So could he perhaps borrow Juju’s power?

Then his most urgent task was to find a way to contact this rock-fire aberrant creature.

He had originally wanted to seek a method through the Ke Family, since they were the closest to Juju.

However, Lingxu City forbade private offerings to Juju, and the Ke Family flatly denied the allegations, insisting they were innocent.

In other words, publicly, this guardian spirit had no statues or avatars anywhere outside Mount Xu.

So the path of finding Juju through private worship was blocked.

Then... what if I go directly to Star-Plucking Tower to look for it?

Star-Plucking Tower’s open to all tourists during the day, so can’t I just enter openly?

However, Juju usually slept beneath the great mountain. Why would it come out to meet him?

Moreover, this aberrant creature had very high intelligence. It was entirely possible it had picked up some unpleasant habits from clever people, such as double-dealing or selling out teammates behind their backs.

What if it appeared to negotiate with He Lingchuan, then turned around and sold him and his whole plan to the gods?

Human nature was untrustworthy, and this rock-fire aberrant creature... was equally untrustworthy.

So, should he try to contact it or not?

The float suddenly moved. Another fish had taken the bait.

He Lingchuan reeled in the line and quickly caught a bighead carp that glinted silver in the sunlight, weighing more than three kilos.

Fleeting Thoughts Manor had been deserted for several years. And because monsters like the weasels had been guarding the place, very few anglers had slipped into the rear mountain.

Now the fish in the lake were both stupid and fat. He Lingchuan only had to use a lump of dough as bait to teach them how sinister the human heart could be.

That round, plump head... Isn’t it perfect for steamed fish head with chopped chili[1]?

He Lingchuan was holding the fat fish and examining it when laughter came from the shore. “Young Master He, excellent fishing!”

He turned his head and saw that Fang Canran had arrived.

He hurriedly rowed the boat back to the pier and asked, “What wind has blown Mr. Fang here?”

Fang Canran pointed to the servant beside him. “I came to discuss a business deal with His Highness and was just about to return.”

The servant was one of Fleeting Thoughts Manor’s own.

In terms of status, Fang Canran was the Golden Horn Clan’s chief steward and did not qualify for a crown prince to personally escort him to the gate.

Lingxu City was exactly that sort of place, with ranks clearly divided and walls rigidly drawn.

“How is the harvest?”

“Not bad. Want to try your hand?” Deep waters raised big fish, and this deep lake had not been disturbed for a long time.

In the past two hours, He Lingchuan had caught three large fish and more than ten small ones.

In truth, he had been casting bait frequently, but most of it had been stolen by little fish.

Too many fry in the lake was also a problem.

“Alright, I’ll try.”

Fang Canran leaped onto the pleasure barge with crisp, decisive movement.

He poled the boat to the middle of the lake himself, took the fishing rod He Lingchuan handed him, and skillfully baited the hook and cast the line.

“So Mr. Fang is also a fellow enthusiast.” This man was clearly an experienced angler, unlike He Lingchuan, who was only making a guest appearance.

Fang Canran glanced at him. “Like Young Master He, I’m waiting for the willing to bite.”

Both of them laughed.

The laughter was quiet, so as not to scare away the fish.

He Lingchuan set a kettle over the small stove, lit the fire, and boiled water for tea.

“The scenery here is truly fine. The flowers and grasses haven’t been over-pruned either. It’s well-suited for cultivating one’s mind and temperament.”

He Lingchuan smiled and said, “Yes. Unfortunately, there are too many miscellaneous matters. I can’t lose myself in the mountains and waters.”

Fang Canran suddenly lifted the rod. A little fish no longer than a pinky finger sprang and wriggled in the air.

“So quick? Mr. Fang is impressive. These little fish love stealing bait and are the easiest to slip off the hook.”

Fang Canran gave a soft scoff. “When you’ve fished enough, how could you let them escape the rod?”

He simply used that little fish as bait, skewering it on the hook before casting the line back into the water. “Fortune is found in danger, but rushing forward greedily for food can bring fatal disaster. Unfortunately, these little things don’t understand even when they die.”

The mirror in He Lingchuan’s chest clicked its tongue twice. “What riddles are you two playing at?”

He Lingchuan smiled and said, “It seems that Mr. Fang understands this art deeply.”

Fang Canran smiled faintly. “After seeing enough, one naturally gains some insight.”

Before long, a fish bit the line.

Seeing the fishing rod bend, He Lingchuan gave a soft exclamation. “Looks like a big one.”

Fang Canran was in no hurry to pull it in. He let it charge about through the water for dozens of breaths. Only when it could no longer swim did he yank the rod back.

The fish drew an arc through the air, twisting its head and thrashing its tail, still fiercely lively.

“What a large snakehead!” It had to weigh at least five kilograms, and the patterns on its body were very beautiful.

“With this sort of thing around, there won’t be many fish in the lake.” Fang Canran tossed the snakehead into the water bucket. “They say big fish eat little fish, but few eat as ferociously as this. With it here, all the little fish in the lake will suffer.”

The mirror was dissatisfied. “What are you talking about? Aren’t there still two fish kings in this lake?”

“Well, this lake still has two fish kings that have become monsters.” He Lingchuan smiled. “It isn’t the snakehead’s turn to make trouble.”

“That’s good, then.” Fang Canran glanced at him. “If there are fish monsters to eat the snakehead, the little fish at the bottom will actually have a chance to live.”

He rebaited the hook and cast the line. Then both men fell silent.

Only the charcoal in the stove crackled and popped.

The mirror knew both of them were waiting for the other to speak first.

In the end, Fang Canran spoke first. “Young Master He, have we truly never met before?”

“I believe not.”

Fang Canran shook the signet ring on his hand. “And this? Have you remembered anything?”

He Lingchuan smiled. “Perhaps I remembered wrongly.”

Fang Canran let out a leisurely sigh. “What a pity.”

He Lingchuan looked at him. “Mr. Fang, why not stay for dinner? Last time we had clearly agreed, but it didn’t happen.”

Last time, Fang Canran had readily agreed, only to leave early.

Fang Canran smiled. “Actually, I still need to go to Pleasant Enjoyment Manor to taste some dishes. They’ve recently hired a new chef from Wujing. Mm, people say food belongs to Lingxu, but flavor belongs to Wujing. At least thirty percent of Lingxu City’s good chefs come from Wujing. This new chef at Pleasant Enjoyment Manor is said to be the best at making land-and-water roast.”

“Why don’t you come taste the food with me, He Xiao?” He pointed to the fish bucket. “We can use the fish you caught here to test my new chef.”

1. This stuff is delicious. The original term here is 剁椒鱼头. I’ll add a picture in the notes/thoughts section. ☜