Where Immortals Once Walked

He Lingchuan whistled, and the cliff ram sprang out from the back, still chewing a few tender blades of grass.

The two raced off at full speed, as if no one else existed on the road.

“We’re heading to Startled Swan Crossing?”

“Hahahaha!” Fushan Yue threw his head back and laughed. “Hurry up and congratulate me. There’s been another major development in the elixir of youth case.”

He Lingchuan smiled. “What, did State Preceptor Qing Yang give someone up?”

“How did you...” Fushan Yue paused, then asked, “Why don’t you take a guess who?”

Looking at Fushan Yue’s beaming expression, He Lingchuan did not need to guess. “The Zhongsun Family must be one, right?”

Fushan Yue snapped his fingers. “Sharp!”

“As you wished.” This fellow had a grudge against the Zhongsun Family, so of course, he was happy to see them fall. Speaking of which, the Zhongsun Family had been involved in the elixir of youth case from the very beginning. Even if the old merman of the Zhongsun Family had flatly denied it, everyone up and down Beijia knew perfectly well that there was a ninety percent chance that Zhongsun Chi had taken the elixir of youth.

It could be said that the role the Zhongsun Family played in this case was far from glorious, and its impact was extremely vile. They had also been pushed right to the center of the storm.

Now that State Preceptor Qing Yang had been arrested, ordinary people no longer cared about the source of the divine blood. They only wanted to see powerful nobles who had defied divine will and secretly purchased the elixir of youth suffer for it.

Given that, the Zhongsun Family absolutely had to be on the list.

“Isn’t this venting your anger too?” Fushan Yue laughed and cursed. “Don’t put on that magnanimous and nonchalant act with me. The post station explosion and the poisoning, the Zhongsun Family must have been involved in at least one of them. You know that perfectly well, don’t you?”

“Mm, it’s exactly what I wished for.” He Lingchuan perfunctorily cupped his fists toward the north. “The Heavenly Palace is wise indeed, restoring the truth to all beneath heaven!”

He put extra weight on the word “truth.”

“The goshawk came to report that the Lord Emperor has just approved Zhongsun Chi’s arrest. The court commandant is about to go take him.” Fushan Yue’s eyebrows danced with delight. “They’re slow at doing things. If we hurry over now, we can still catch the show.”

The two crossed to the floating islands above through Startled Swan Crossing, then rushed toward the Zhongsun Family’s residence.

This was He Lingchuan’s first time coming here. The special feature of the island the residence was on was that the lake and the mountain scenery reflected into one another, creating the marvelous sight of lake within land and land within lake. In the past, the Zhongsun Family had bought two residences here and connected them, creating a one-of-a-kind grand underwater garden.

Even the Zhongsun Family’s main gate was unusual, placed on the shaded side. The trees and grasses were dark, dense, and lush, the air humid, and beautiful ferns grew everywhere. It had quite the feeling of a primeval marshland.

Standing here, He Lingchuan felt as though he were looking at an enormous tropical rainforest terrarium.

Several soldiers holding spears stood outside the Zhongsun Family’s gate, driving away idlers who crowded too close.

Contrary to what He Lingchuan had imagined, there were several hundred spectators here, but they had not surrounded the place in layer after layer until not even water could flow through.

Right, there’s only a little over thirty thousand people on this island.

Still, the waves of discussion were already quite loud.

Ordinarily, the gates of these aristocratic families’ homes were quiet and peaceful, or else bustling with carriages, horses, wealth, and rank coming and going. When had there ever been a strange sight like today?

Fushan Yue said curiously, “The court commandant got here this fast? That doesn’t make sense.”

As time passed, more and more onlookers gathered outside. Quite a few were dressed all in fine silk and brocade, clearly here to gather information for their own masters.

Fushan Yue actually recognized several of them, and they all came up to pay their respects.

Just as Fushan Yue was about to turn this place into a tea party, the crowd suddenly stirred. “They’re coming out! They’re coming out!”

The two focused and looked. A squad of soldiers walked out of the garden, followed by a large group of blue-skinned merfolk.

The merfolk walking at the front were old, his scales peeling away, and white patches growing over his skin. One look was enough for He Lingchuan to know that this was probably the family head, Zhongsun Chi.

Among the younger merfolk was a familiar face.

Zhongsun Ce, whom He Lingchuan had seen at the Dun Garden auction.

The merfolk all looked uneasy. Some were confused and unsettled, while others appeared as though they had lost their parents.

Fushan Yue whispered to He Lingchuan, “The man at the very front is Court Commandant Huo Ji’an.”

He Lingchuan studied him carefully and saw a square face and a full beard. The man looked rough in appearance, but his gaze was sharp as a blade. When his eyes swept over someone, they would lower their heads and avoid meeting them.

When the group reached the gate, Fushan Yue went forward and said, “Lord Huo!”

Court Commandant Huo Ji’an recognized him, and a slight smile appeared on his cold face as he asked, “Why has Your Highness come?”

“I just happened to be going to Lord Wu’s residence. Since I was passing by, I came to watch the excitement.”

He Lingchuan inwardly despised him. Happened to, my ass. This guy rushed here all the way from the Lower City and nearly run my mount’s legs off.

Huo Ji’an understood too, but some things need not be said. At this moment, he only said, “I have official business and still need to escort Lord Zhongsun for a stretch. Shall we talk later?”

Fushan Yue’s gaze fell on Zhongsun Chi, and he deliberately exclaimed in surprise, “Ah, what happened to Lord Zhongsun?”

Zhongsun Chi had blue skin, so He Lingchuan could not tell whether his complexion had changed, but the expression of deadened despair on his face could not fool anyone.

The old man’s eyelids drooped, and all his spirit had drained away. There was no sun today, yet he still felt the daylight was blinding.

When the court commandant had led soldiers to his door earlier and said in an official tone that “State Preceptor Qing Yang identified you as having privately purchased the elixir of youth,” Zhongsun Chi had felt the world around him collapse.

After worrying for so many days, the Zhongsun Family had ultimately failed to escape blame.

Faced with Fushan Yue’s provocation, the Zhongsun Family remained silent. No one responded. Only a few youths glared at him resentfully.

Zhongsun Chi suddenly raised his head and asked Fushan Yue, “Who else has been arrested?”

The law did not punish the masses. If the elixir of youth case implicated too many people, then perhaps he still had a chance...

He had already asked Huo Ji’an this question earlier, but the man had ignored him.

With the court commandant right beside them, how could Fushan Yue possibly answer?

Huo Ji’an said, “Lord Zhongsun must return with me to cooperate with the investigation. Your Highness will know the reason in a few days.”

Fushan Yue gave an “oh” and immediately stepped aside. “Lord Huo’s official business comes first!”

Zhongsun Chi had walked several meters when he suddenly turned to look at Fushan Yue. “You brat of the Fushan Family. You and your father won’t meet a good end either.”

It was as though he had come back to himself, and his eyes were full of hatred.

“Is that so?” Fushan Yue waved at him. “I’m afraid you won’t live to see that day. Safe travels.”

Watching Zhongsun Chi and Zhongsun Ce be taken away by the authorities, the other merfolk of the Zhongsun Family crowded at the gate, completely at a loss. They had lived at ease on this island for decades and had never imagined that they would one day face a situation like this.

Fushan Yue smiled without quite smiling and took a long breath. “The air on the island is excellent today.”

He Lingchuan played along. “The feng shui here is excellent.”

“In a year or two, this underwater garden should be up for sale.” Fushan Yue flicked his whip through the air with a crack. “When the time comes, it might not be bad to buy it and raise fish.”

Someone from the Zhongsun Family glared at him. “You’re spouting nonsense—”

Before he could finish, his family members pulled him back.

The merfolk soon retreated into the estate under everyone’s pointing and whispering. The main gate closed, blocking all eyes from view.

“There’s no more fun to watch. Let’s go back.” Having sent Old Zhongsun off on his final journey, Fushan Yue was already perfectly satisfied.

The two turned their mounts around and headed back. Fushan Yue then said coolly, “The Zhongsun Family is finished.”

“There are so many of them. Can they really not think of a way to fish the old man out?”

“His family is full of mediocrities. Do they have that kind of ability?” Fushan Yue scoffed. “Even if they did, there’s no reversing this. The Lord Emperor is determined to clean up their family this time. The old man’s expression looked terrible just now. He probably figured that out too.” He jerked his chin backward and added, “Believe it or not, if there are a few smart ones among those fishfolk, once they close the gate, they won’t be thinking about how to save the old man. They’ll be thinking about how to divide the family property and grab more money. Before the tree falls, the monkeys need to snatch more fruit and run. In two months at most, the treasures Old Zhongsun has collected over many years will appear in the ghost market. Maybe the next Dun Garden auction will have some.”

The Zhongsun Family was almost definitely done for this time. Two hundred years of glory could be blown away by wind and rain in the blink of an eye.

Money earned in the imperial capital was spent in the imperial capital; not a single coin would be taken home. No one could escape that rule.

“Apart from the merfolk, State Preceptor Qing Yang also gave up six other families,” Fushan Yue continued. “Some can summon wind and rain, while some are insignificant minor officials. Some have already retired, while others still hold office in the imperial court. I hear the court commandant is also sending people to invite them in.”

“Invite” was the polite way of saying it.

From the news He Lingchuan had heard, one of those families was in the Lower City, and it was already in complete chaos. The troops that the court commandant sent there were fierce as wolves and tigers, and the spectators crowding outside the gate to eat their melon and sunflower seeds were packed like sardines.

“Looks like the imperial prison will soon be rather packed.” He Lingchuan thought for a moment, then said, “In that case, only seven families purchased the elixir of youth?”

That obviously did not match the facts.

Fushan Yue coughed lightly and said, “Finding seven is already not bad. At least it gives us an explanation.”

Some things were understood without having to be said aloud.

How could there only be seven families that had secretly purchased the elixir of youth? But if every official involved in the case was dealt with, the shock to the imperial court would be no less than a tsunami.

When too many people were implicated, it was time to bring out that sonorous old saying—

The law does not punish the masses.

They only needed to catch a few typical examples, give the vassal monster kings an explanation, and block the mouths of the world. As for the rest, if they did not look too closely, they would not see them. Just widen the holes in the net a little.

When the water is too clear, there are no fish.

As for the people questioning why “too few” had been arrested, they were not the investigators, so what sort of concrete evidence could they even come up with?

Without evidence, they had no ground to question anything. If anything, they had better be careful not to be accused in turn.

“How will Lingxu City deal with these buyers?”

“It won’t be light.” Fushan Yue smiled and said, “Since they’ve been pushed out, they’ll have to bear the anger of both the gods and the vassal states.” A double burden.

He Lingchuan thought for a moment. “What about Cen Boqing?”

“With State Preceptor Qing Yang fallen, he’s an accomplice.” Fushan Yue stroked his chin. “It depends on how the Minister of Finance maneuvers. As for Yao Xingning, tsk, she’ll do everything she can too.”

“The Minister of Finance is fine?”

“Punishment is unavoidable.” Fushan Yue was not certain either. “Whether he’ll be convicted of a crime, that may not be certain.”

There were many subtleties here, and He Lingchuan did not understand Lingxu City’s laws at all.

“Then what about State Preceptor Qing Yang herself?”

“That’s the hardest to say.” When State Preceptor Qing Yang was mentioned, Fushan Yue’s expression turned serious. “State Preceptor Qing Yang has deep ties with two generations of emperors. To be honest, I’m very surprised she was truly taken down this time.”

“Perhaps because the Heavenly Palace’s stance was firm?” The struggle between the Lord Emperor and the Heavenly Palace was not something a mere Chiyan Crown Prince like him could know. “Now that this matter has settled, I’m returning to Chiyan. What about you? Will you go back with me?”