Where Immortals Once Walked

If this truly succeeded, then it would prove that He Lingchuan was already able to think from the perspectives of the Heavenly Palace, the Monster Emperor, and State Preceptor Qing Yang.

The more closely his thoughts aligned with theirs, the better he could understand them.

“Wait, isn’t there still a major flaw in all this?” The mirror thought of a flaw. “How long has it been since Nian Zanli surrendered to Beijia? State Preceptor Qing Yang’s elixir of youth business has been running for many years. If they say he’s the source of the divine blood, the timing doesn’t match. If they push Nian Zanli out as a scapegoat, won’t anyone with eyes be able to see it?”

“Anyone with eyes?” He Lingchuan asked it. “Who are these people with eyes you’re talking about?”

“Uh...” The mirror froze. “Aren’t all those people outside watching with their eyes wide open?”

“Though the elixir of youth case is raging and spreading like wildfire, do common people know the true formula of the elixir?”

“Well, probably not.” The mirror had heard all kinds of versions of the elixir of youth’s formula circulating outside. The most exaggerated one claimed that apart from jiang beads extracted from monster bodies, the elixir of youth also required ten-thousand-year-old lingzhi mushrooms, ten-thousand-year-old hollies[1], the pure-yang blood of a virgin boy, and the fingernails and urine of an ancient great immortal before it could be refined.

Were there versions that mentioned divine blood? Of course there were. But mixed among so many horrifying versions, it sounded unimpressive and attracted no one, so public acceptance was low.

He Lingchuan went to pour water. “Have you ever seen them focus on the source of the divine blood?”

To the people, “divine blood” was too distant. They had no concept of it at all, and the authorities would never guide or explain it to them. Their attention and fury were all on “jiang beads,” because jiang beads were taken alive from ordinary monsterfolk, a cruel and deranged practice that everyone could understand, and that everyone could be outraged by.

“Those who are certain divine blood is an ingredient already count as insiders,” He Lingchuan said lightly. “Lingxu City’s high officials and nobles know. The great aristocratic families know. Some Imperial Academy students might know too. Do you think any of them will go to the Heavenly Palace and protest, saying Nian Zanli has been wronged and that there is another source for the divine blood? What good would that do them?”

“...”

Nian Zanli was only a surrendered general. In Lingxu City, he had no deep ties with anyone. He really was the best sacrifice.

“Those only watching the excitement won’t speak, and those involved in the matter are even less likely to speak.” He Lingchuan shrugged. “Didn’t I already explain it? Whether the crime is placed on Dong Rui or Nian Zanli, it’s all nonsense. Which of them do you think doesn’t know Nian Zanli is innocent?”

“Well... even if they don’t care about Nian Zanli, can’t State Preceptor Shuang Ye’s faction come out and object?”

“If the crime isn’t placed on Nian Zanli, then to investigate the source of the divine blood, they’ll have to keep pursuing Dong Rui. Do you think State Preceptor Shuang Ye would agree to that?” With Dong Rui’s snail toad involved, State Preceptor Shuang Ye was not exactly clean in this case either.

This was precisely why he absolutely did not want to be dragged into it.

In order to have Bai Ziqi find the important witness Kong Jiaxiang, State Preceptor Shuang Ye had even borrowed soldiers from a foreign state and asked He Lingchuan to step forward.

“Then will the god behind State Preceptor Shuang Ye just let it go?”

“Since the Monster Emperor personally escorted State Preceptor Qing Yang up Mount Xu, that means the Monster Emperor and the heavenly gods with Lingxu each took a step back and compromised.” He Lingchuan shook his head. “I don’t know the exact details, but it’s probably all about the divine blood. Hunting monsters for beads alone can’t bring down State Preceptor Qing Yang.” He then paused for a few moments before continuing, “You also have to keep in mind that there’s another force in this, namely the vassal monster states. Still, when it comes to them, as long as they can drag State Preceptor Qing Yang out and embarrass Lingxu City, that’s enough. As for what kind of person Nian Zanli is, will they care? These people at the top understand very well the art of grasping the big and letting go of the small.”

The main players in this case no longer wanted to pursue it. Each had achieved their own goal. Was the truth still important?

“You see, in such a sensational event that has shaken Beijia, the attacking side wants to achieve its goal, the participants want to preserve their interests, and only ordinary people want to know the truth,” He Lingchuan said leisurely. “Unfortunately, the more someone wants to know the truth, the farther they usually end up from it.”

There were always secrets outsiders could not touch.

The mirror sighed. “What if you’re wrong? What if there really is an upright official who speaks out for justice and insists on investigating everything thoroughly?”

“Then why don’t we wait and see?” He Lingchuan smiled. “Man proposes, Heaven disposes. What plan has a hundred percent chance of success? Taking a few steps back, even if Nian Zanli doesn’t become the scapegoat, he’s already been tied to the elixir of youth case and divine blood. With Lingxu City’s efficiency, do you think they can release him back to Xun Province within half a year?”

“Mm...” He’s right, he’s most likely going to be stuck here for quite a while.

“Even if he can eventually leave Lingxu City, it’ll be more than half a year later, and he’ll lose a layer of skin even if he doesn’t die. With that much time, won’t his enemies be able to plan carefully and think of a few more ways?” He Lingchuan grinned, revealing white teeth that seemed almost chilling. “I won’t be done with him until he’s dead.”

The mirror no longer had anything else to say.

He Lingchuan finished drinking his water and tossed the cup onto the table. “Heh, a six-hundred-year-old ancient capital.”

Even someone like Nian Zanli, a man who had thrown all of Yuan into unease, could not keep his footing in Lingxu City and had fallen into its whirlpool. What about him, a mere commoner?

The thought of leaving had long since arisen in He Lingchuan’s heart.

After finishing his business, how was he supposed to withdraw intact?

* * *

Starting the next day, all kinds of news arrived piecemeal at He Lingchuan’s side. Some came from Old Ge, some from Fang Canran, and there was even information dug up by those Lingxu Imperial Academy students. After all, some among them were already serving in the imperial court or under high-ranking officials.

But Li Qingge’s side remained completely quiet.

He Lingchuan knew this was to avoid suspicion. After Nian Zanli’s arrest, even without evidence, he still wanted to bite onto her. Because Li Qingge had little connection to the elixir of youth case, Lingxu City had not taken her in for questioning, but they might well have sent people to secretly keep a close eye on Songyang Mansion.

At a time like this, the farther He Lingchuan stayed from her, the better.

Fortunately, he had already obtained everything he had commissioned Songyang Mansion to make. Old Shan had also delivered one more thing.

The Dragon Punishment Pillar.

The Dragon Punishment Pillar that Li Qingge had sent out had already made a round trip to Wan’ge Swamp and was now back in the hands of its original owner, He Lingchuan.

The Dragon Punishment Pillar looked no different from before, except that there was now some dark red liquid or gas inside it.

He had asked Old Shan. In Old Shan’s eyes, the glazed tube of the Dragon Punishment Pillar was very empty and transparent.

So nightmare qi really is invisible to ordinary people.

He Lingchuan had made the Dragon Punishment Pillar and had Li Qingge send it to Wan’ge Swamp only because he wanted to shift the attention of the Heavenly Palace and Lingxu City. He had not expected it to collect quite a bit of nightmare qi and return.

“What happened in Wan’ge Swamp?” Only if a large number of living beings died could the Dragon Punishment Pillar collect so much nightmare qi in such a short time.

“Ah, I heard Wan’ge Forest has been overrun with insects. They eat people, trees, and livestock. When it’s severe, even entire villages and towns are not spared. The State of Jū has been driven half mad over it,” said Old Shan. “The people that Her Lordship sent only stayed for one night and didn’t dare get too close. They hurried back right away.”

“Insects?” This world truly has no shortage of strange things. So there was an insect plague directly consuming people?

But he was currently weighed down by urgent matters and had no time to think too much about it. The Dragon Punishment Pillar’s return could be considered an unexpected gain.

Now, because State Preceptor Qing Yang had been arrested, all of Lingxu City had once again become a huge vortex of public opinion.

The common people were filled with excitement. Conspiracy essays were produced one after another, and among the people, they began to predict and look forward to which powerful nobles would fall in this terrifying storm.

They did not know the truth, but they wanted to see tall towers and grand mansions collapse overnight.

Compared with the Lower City’s stool-dragging eagerness to watch the excitement, all of Upper Lingxu City was shrouded in an atmosphere of unease and fear, people’s hearts unsettled.

First, certain nobles quietly sent their families out of the capital.

This was probably a lingering effect of State Preceptor Qing Yang’s arrest. Some feared she would confess their names, while others had originally taken State Preceptor Qing Yang’s side and now feared retaliation from her opponents.

The message Fang Canran sent was concise and definite:

The Provincial Governor of Xun Province, Nian Zanli, was suddenly taken from his residence by a court commandant and a cloud envoy. He has now been transferred to the Molten Palace on Mount Xu.

Yet again, it was but a few words, yet these words carried a grave matter.

He Lingchuan instantly sniffed out the deeper meaning.

Only criminals who had offended the gods would be sent to the Molten Palace. Moreover, Fang Canran had used the wording “transferred,” which meant that Nian Zanli had been moved after his arrest. It was very likely that the gods had directly demanded that he be taken to the Molten Palace.

He was not like State Preceptor Qing Yang, who had the Lord Emperor’s protection. As for what he would encounter in the Molten Palace, He Lingchuan almost did not dare imagine.

After hearing this, the Soul-Stealing Mirror was shocked. “State Preceptor Qing Yang really testified against him?”

“Otherwise, he should be locked in the imperial prison. Why would he be escorted to the Molten Palace so quickly? Even if someone wanted to help him now, they wouldn’t have the chance.” Heh, the officialdom of a six-hundred-year-old capital. “Safe travels, scapegoat.”

Nian Zanli had borrowed soldiers but would be unable to deploy them. Yuan should be temporarily safe, and Xia Province under He Chunhua’s management could also avoid a military disaster.

Though this matter had been complicated, and though some hiccups had appeared along the way, it could be considered completed according to plan in the end.

To Li Qingge, to Yuan, and even to himself, he had given an explanation.

He Lingchuan would not forget that the reason he and his father had entered the Panlong Desert and experienced that life-and-death calamity was that Nian Zanli had sent his son to deliver a false royal order.

Now, this private grudge was finally settled.

A gentleman could wait ten years for revenge, after all.

And since Nian Zanli could not return to Xun Province, he could not coordinate with Ducal Minister of War Dong Haoming’s rebels in western Yuan. With that, Yuan’s pressure was greatly reduced.

He Lingchuan had gained more experience now. Though he looked down on the conduct of the Royal Court of Yuan, he did not wish to see the state fall into the flames of war.

When people fought back and forth, those who suffered most were still the ordinary people.

Now, he had to busy himself with his own proper business. Dong Rui had already been watched. Every extra day he remained here meant another bit of risk that he would be discovered.

When He Lingchuan returned to Fleeting Thoughts Manor at dusk, he ran straight into Fushan Yue, who was hurrying out.

This fellow had not even noticed that his hat was crooked, and a servant had to stand on tiptoe to straighten it for him.

He Lingchuan asked curiously, “What’s so urgent?”

Fushan Yue grabbed him at once. “Perfect timing. Hurry, come with me to watch the excitement!”

He Lingchuan looked at his face, full of restless eagerness. “What excitement?” What could make the Chiyan Crown Prince lose his composure this much? Though I guess Fushan Yue had never had the slightest connection to the word “composed” in the first place.

“I’ll tell you on the road!” His mount was already outside the door. Fushan Yue jumped onto it. “If we get there late and miss it, that’d be a real pity!”

1. This is referring to the plant, by the way. ☜