Where Immortals Once Walked

All of the guards bowed to He Lingchuan, then mounted up one after another and chased after Fushan Yue.

Jiao Yu had no choice but to go with them, looking back every few steps.

On the ancient road, the setting sun was as red as blood, casting its glow over its burnt-red fur until it slowly disappeared at the end of the road. The hoofbeats of the party faded into the distance and soon could no longer be heard.

He Lingchuan watched their backs vanish. Compared to the upheaval that was about to happen at Mount Xu, everything the Chiyan people had done in Lingxu City could at most be considered the prelude.

Fushan Yue’s departure now was truly a wise move.

He let out a long sigh, then rode the cliff ram back for two days and found lodging in Bluestone Town, on the outskirts of Lingxu City.

The room at the inn was small, but fairly clean.

Dong Rui was already waiting for him there. The snail toad had seized the chance to devour quite a few self-heal herbs at Nian Zanli’s warehouse, so the time they had to prepare had been extended by another two days.

The two of them went out for a meal. They did not talk much and ate slowly and carefully. Afterward, they each returned to their rooms to rest.

* * *

Lingxu City, South Cotton Alley Patrol Office.

There was still about three hours before nightfall.

Hearing that the food tonight would be good, with chicken drumsticks added, the two patrol guards on the night shift had deliberately come in early. In the end, the drumsticks had yet to arrive when Mrs. Liu, the same woman whom the kids from before had addressed as Aunt Liu, came first.

Her face was tense as she reported, “Qinzi, I saw that wanted criminal again!”

The older patrol guard laughed and slapped his younger companion on the shoulder. “Oh-ho, looks like your sister-in-law is about to make a contribution!”

The younger patrol guard rolled his eyes, then asked Mrs. Liu, “Are you sure?”

Neither of them believed her.

“Show me the wanted posters again.”

Qinzi was reluctant, but the office meal hadn’t been served yet, so he had no choice but to get up. “Come with me.”

The two of them carried a glowspore to the old case room and dug out a stack of old wanted notices.

Dust rose into the air, and Qinzi could not help but sneeze.

Mrs. Liu flipped through them one by one, then pointed at one and said, “It’s this man!”

During the summer, the room had leaked, and dampness had seeped in. The portraits on the wanted posters had all grown moldy.

“This one again?” Qinzi pulled out the notice and glanced at it. “Wanted Notice—Ranked 87th on the Ranking of Man, Tu Yangzhi, disciple of White Spirit Valley. Seven years ago, he killed two divine envoys in the State of Xuluo and fled. Hm. He does have a fierce-looking face. Are you sure it’s him?”

“I’m sure! When the notice was posted years ago, I saw this portrait.” Mrs. Liu nodded again and again. “I noticed him three days ago. Back then, he was eating noodles at that clay-pot noodle stall by the west end of the street, sitting right under the awning. The mole on his forehead is exactly where it is in this portrait. I saw him again just now!”

“Where?”

“He just walked into Chunhe Cloth Shop, so I hurried over to report it to you.” Mrs. Liu asked, “Is there a reward if the report is confirmed to be true?”

“If it really is Tu Yangzhi, then the reward is fifty taels of silver.” Qinzi did not believe she had that kind of luck. “But every year, there are at least thirty or forty sightings of wanted criminals, and every single one turns out to be a false report. Sister-in-law, those major criminals rarely show themselves in public.”

“They don’t show themselves in public?” Mrs. Liu scoffed. “What, do they not eat or shit? Do they go around with their faces covered all day? Come with me. I’m earning that fifty taels of silver for sure!”

The two returned to the front. The older patrol guard asked his companion, “Well?”

He had been watching for amusement, but Qinzi was holding that wanted notice. “My sister-in-law insists that the man she saw is the fugitive Tu Yangzhi, and she’s determined to drag me over there.”

According to regulations, patrol guards had to move in pairs and, under normal circumstances, were not allowed to go alone.

The older patrol guard was also unwilling. What kind of eye could a common woman have? Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, she had seen wrong.

He had come early only because he wanted to gnaw on an extra chicken drumstick. Better to have one less matter than one more.

But Mrs. Liu kept swearing it was true, and her voice was especially loud. Everyone going in and out could hear her.

This woman really knows how to make trouble. Helpless, he said, “Fine, fine. Lower your voice. I’ll go with you.”

They reported their departure, then the two men and one woman headed toward Chunhe Cloth Shop.

On the way, Mrs. Liu introduced the place to them. “Chunhe Cloth Shop has been around for more than ten years. We neighbors used to go there often, but ever since the owner changed a month ago, business has gone down. Other shops all carry good-looking, fashionable patterns, but his shop has none of them! Hardly anyone goes there now. I bet he won’t last half a year before closing. My goodness, in this day and age, there are still people who dare run a business like that in Lingxu City!”

How expensive was rent in Lingxu City? Chunhe Cloth Shop was large, too. Running a business this way was a guaranteed loss.

The patrol guards yawned.

Chunhe Cloth Shop was just ahead. Qinzi muttered, “It’s even beside a public office.”

Right next to the cloth shop was a government office. What fugitive would deliberately come near a place like this?

When they entered the shop, it was just as Mrs. Liu had said. There were no customers inside. Only two shop assistants sat around idly, one cracking melon seeds, the other propping up his head and dozing.

The one eating melon seeds saw Qinzi and the others come in and immediately rose to greet them. “What brings you two officers here?”

Qinzi was just about to speak when Mrs. Liu smiled and said, “They’re coming to my house for dinner, and they’re accompanying me first to buy a bolt of cloth. Take down that begonia-red bolt and let me have a look.”

The assistant went to fetch the cloth, while the patrol guards looked around the shop. The other assistant nodded and bowed to them.

The shopfront was connected to a rear courtyard, with a wooden staircase in the middle leading up to the loft. This kind of layout was very common among shops in Lingxu City, and beneath the stairs, there was often a storeroom.

The passage before the stairs was blocked by a half-curtain.

At that moment, a faint creak came from behind the curtain. Someone walked out of the storeroom and was about to go upstairs.

Qinzi leaped over in one bound and lifted the curtain to look up.

The man had climbed two steps. Hearing movement, he turned his head, and their eyes met.

Qinzi’s heart lurched.

This man. This face!

There was no mistake. It looked almost identical to the portrait on the wanted notice. Even the mole on his forehead was the same!

The man asked him in a deep voice, “What are you doing?”

Seeing the fierce light in the man’s eyes, Qinzi’s heart thudded hard. Forcing himself to remain calm, he said, “I need to go to the toilet.”

The man pointed toward the rear courtyard.

At that moment, the shop assistant also walked over. “Officer, the back is the storeroom. Is something the matter?”

“I just need to go to the toilet.”

The older patrol guard came over as well. “Did you eat something bad?”

Tu Yangzhi had already gone up to the loft. Qinzi flicked his gaze toward the stairs and gave his companion a look. “My stomach doesn’t seem to hurt that much anymore. I can hold it.”

The older patrol guard froze, then understood. “Then let’s head back. Why are we still standing here?”

No way. Did we actually run into the criminal?

Tu Yangzhi had cultivation, so the two of them might not be able to handle him. In other words, they had to return and ask for backup.

The two men started to head out, but the assistant outside happened to block the doorway. “My lords, you’re not using the toilet?”

Qinzi waved a hand. “Move.”

The stairs suddenly creaked and cracked as someone came down.

The two patrol guards instinctively turned their heads and looked up. They did not expect a cold flash to strike from ahead. The assistant held a pair of twin water piercers, which stabbed straight through the older patrol guard’s throat.

The weapons went in from the front and came out through the back, leaving a gaping, bloody hole.

The killing blow came without the slightest warning, delivered in the middle of casual conversation. Qinzi stood behind his companion and suddenly saw a spike protrude from the back of the man’s neck. He could not help but shout as he drew his blade.

Wind stirred behind him. Qinzi slashed backward, only to be kicked hard in the leg. Pain dropped him halfway into a crouch.

At some point, a huge bird had appeared before him. It looked like a stork, with a tall crest. It was the one that had kicked Qinzi, breaking his leg bone.

Someone grabbed him from behind and locked an arm around his neck in a choke.

Qinzi watched with his own eyes as the fugitive Tu Yangzhi came down from upstairs and looked at him. “Don’t bother asking him questions. Just kill him.”

A crisp crack sounded as Qinzi’s neck snapped.

The patrol guard’s half-shout alarmed Mrs. Liu in the front shop. She was quite quick-witted, looking around twice before turning to run.

But before she could reach the door, someone lifted her by the collar. Her mouth had just opened when a wad of cloth was stuffed right into it.

She was carried to the back of the shop. One assistant even went to the doorway and looked outside. Seeing that no one had noticed this place, he was relieved.

Tu Yangzhi interrogated Mrs. Liu.

The woman saw the two corpses on the ground and trembled all over in fright. No one had to force her. She told them everything from beginning to end.

Everyone in the shop had gathered now. There were four sturdy men in total, and each wore a heavy expression. One of them said to Tu Yangzhi, “Old Tu, you’ve been exposed.”

“We’ve been exposed,” Tu Yangzhi said. He had never expected that, despite living so reclusively in Lingxu City, his tracks would be seen through by some woman from the street. “These two patrol guards had just taken over the night shift. If they don’t return by tomorrow morning, it will definitely arouse suspicion. Besides, before they came to Chunhe Cloth Shop, they had already reported it. Tomorrow, the patrol office will certainly come here first to check. Even if we empty the cellar, I’m afraid there will still be monsters able to smell the gunpowder barrels.”

Another man said, “Not long ago, there was an incident at the post station, so the Tongxin Guard has temporarily taken over the southern city patrols. The Tongxin Guard is far stricter than an ordinary patrol office. They dig to the bottom of even the smallest matter. The brothers at Jixin Ridge nearly got exposed a few days ago, too.”

“Then what do we do?”

Tu Yangzhi casually slapped Mrs. Liu, shattering her skull. “That isn’t our call to make. Ask the higher-ups.”

Before long, a bat flew out of Chunhe Cloth Shop and headed toward Dun Garden.

* * *

The sound of wings flapping came through the night.

Hearing it approach, He Lingchuan opened his eyes, got out of bed, and pushed the wooden window open.

A splendid figure hopped through the window and landed right on He Lingchuan’s shoulder.

It was a huge parrot with a red crest and blue back, its colors vivid and dazzling. From head to tail, it was as long as an arm.

Such a gorgeous bird monster was far too eye-catching. It really was not suited for delivering messages.

He Lingchuan held up this overly familiar bird. “You’re...?”

Fang Canran had mentioned to him that there was an almost two-hundred-year-old parrot in his family.

Years ago, it had been rescued by Fang Canran’s ancestor, Shao Jian. Later, it delivered the news of Shao Jian’s death to his daughter, Shao Yingying. In order to mooch a meal ticket—no, in order to repay the favor—the bird monster had stayed with the Shao Family. After Shao Yingying married into the Fang Family, it became the Fang Clan’s inherited bird.

The stories of Shao Jian that Fang Canran had heard had not been passed down through generations of ancestors. They had been personally experienced and narrated by this great parrot. It was only in this way that they were able to keep track of all the details and carry the same feelings as their ancestor.

“I’m Uncle Ling!” the parrot spoke in human language. “There’s an emergency!”

“Uncle Ling” was indeed the name of the Fang Family’s inherited parrot. He Lingchuan had insisted that it say so itself.

It leaned close to He Lingchuan’s ear and whispered, “One of the little arrangements we made was accidentally exposed tonight! The patrol guards who came snooping have already been silenced, but we can’t delay for long. Others outside may have heard the commotion. Over the past month or so, patrols in the southern city have been at their strictest. I’m afraid that after daybreak, Lingxu City will sense something wrong and begin searching!”