To the Island

"Hardly likely. You might be mistaken, sir," Fang Canran replied with an unruffled smile. He Lingchuan felt a flicker of realization. Of course. Fu Shanyue and Fang Canran had crossed paths in Lingxu City. Back then, as the grand steward of the Jinjiao clan, Fang Canran had visited Pianxiang Villa on several occasions specifically to pay his respects. It would be strange if Fu Shanyue had no impression of him at all. After pulling off that earth-shattering deed, Fang Canran had fled Lingxu City and altered both his appearance and voice. Yet Fu Shanyue did not identify people solely by their faces; his sense of smell was extraordinarily sharp! If he managed to recognize which "old acquaintance" this was purely from scent, things would turn quite awkward. He Lingchuan made introductions for the two, and both Fang Canran and Fu Shanyue treated each other with lukewarm detachment. Between them, one was an envoy dispatched by Lingshan, while the other was a commissioner stationed in the Yangshan Archipelago by Beijia. In terms of their allegiances, they ought to be considered bitter rivals. He Lingchuan quickly said to Fang Canran, "Brother Songyuan has come a long way. Go rest for half a day. I'll take this fellow out for a stroll." Fang Canran displayed his usual grace. "Go ahead as you wish; pay me no mind." And so, He Lingchuan led Fu Shanyue and little Taozi toward the pier on Suoding Island. This jetty was reserved for small boats. He Lingchuan asked Fu Shanyue, "Know how to punt a boat?" "Piece of cake. I'm versatile in everything." Fu Shanyue gazed into the distance. "I used to drift across rivers and lakes all by myself in the past." "Fine." He Lingchuan then summoned two boatmen, each poling a small skiff as they set out toward Longji Island. Once out at sea, Fu Shanyue stretched against the wind. "The island scenery here really never gets old." Little Taozi leaned over the gunwale as well, marveling at the crystal-clear sea beneath the hull. Today the waters were calm and peaceful. The skiff floated atop the placid sea as though suspended in midair, empty and adrift between sky and deep. Ten feet beneath the surface, crabs and small shrimp scuffling in sandy hollows were plainly visible. Taozi watched in fascination. Seeing a crab chase off a shrimp and raise its claws in triumph, she could not resist reaching out to trail her fingers across the water. He Lingchuan was casually chatting with Fu Shanyue when out of the corner of his eye he seemed to catch a flash of something beneath the boat. He turned his head, only to see a crab suddenly held in Taozi's hand. The crab was completely stunned, unable to recover its wits for a long time. Only after Taozi poked it a few times did it remember to raise its pincers in defense. "How did you do that?" Taozi offered him a sweet smile and raised her right hand. He Lingchuan saw that she wore a ruby ring on her middle finger. Its red hue was deep as blood, impenetrable to sunlight. Then Taozi dipped her hand into the water again. This time He Lingchuan finally caught sight of it: the "gem" on her ring transformed into an exceptionally fine ray of red light, swept up the crab, and thrust it back to the seabed. The movement was astonishingly fast—to an ordinary person, it would take no more than the blink of an eye. Only thanks to his extraordinary dynamic vision was He Lingchuan able to see it clearly. By the time Taozi pulled her hand back and sat up straight, the ruby had returned to its ring setting, as if nothing had ever happened. He Lingchuan patted her head. "Impressive, Taozi. You know how to use a magic artifact at such a young age?" "That's her lifebound magic artifact, refined from a drop of blood essence from her heart. It's called a 'blood pellet.' It can be hard as a gemstone or soft as silk, and it can dart out over short distances to strike foes," Fu Shanyue said lazily. "She's no good at physical combat, but she's quite gifted in this sort of thing." "A blood pellet?" He Lingchuan was thoroughly intrigued. "Isn't that just like the sword pellets of the ancient immortals?" "Something like that, though it still needs further refinement. Its power has yet to reach its full potential." Before long, the boat reached the outer perimeter of Longji Island, and Taozi let out an awed gasp. "How magnificent!" This was the largest island in the Yangshan Archipelago. From a distance, it appeared no different from the mainland, boasting a varied terrain of mountains, rivers, valleys, plains, and lakes. He Lingchuan ordered the skiffs to approach the waters southwest of Longji Island and halt. He then pointed to an islet directly ahead. "Up ahead is Gusheng Island. You and Taozi can draw on the fiend energy there to cultivate." The islet spanned about half a qing in area, featuring cliff caves, lush trees, and, rarest of all, fresh water. Taozi spotted a thicket of wild roses in full bloom, their massive blossoms drooping almost to the water's surface. Fu Shanyue shaded his eyes to gaze at the island. "Is this the source of the fiend energy?" "No." "Eh?" Fu Shanyue glanced sideways at him. "Why didn't you take me there?" "That place already has masters, and they aren't fond of foreign guests." "The yin hui?" Fu Shanyue had done his research before coming. He Lingchuan grunted in assent. "Gusheng Island was originally marked out as part of their territory too, but I've already spoken with the yin hui. They've agreed to lend it to the two of you for your cultivation for the time being." Fu Shanyue pressed, "Where is the source of the fiend energy?" "Longji Island—the largest island in the Yangshan Archipelago." He Lingchuan warned him repeatedly, "Don't go over there. The yin hui have foul tempers." "Got it, got it." Fu Shanyue waved his hand impatiently. He rowed a small boat of his own, carrying Taozi along toward the islet. Taozi politely waved goodbye to He Lingchuan. Before setting out, the pair had already packed dry rations to last seven or eight days. Fu Shanyue wanted to experience firsthand what it felt like to cultivate within the fiend energy. He Lingchuan then ordered the boatmen to row back. "Hey," the soul-snatching mirror asked him, "is Fu Shanyue really not going to stir up trouble?" That guy was a bona fide troublemaker, every bit a match for He Lingchuan! "How could that be?" He Lingchuan massaged his temples. "Words are useless with him. He won't stop until he rams his head against a brick wall." ... Back on Suoding Island, He Lingchuan first went to see Fang Canran. The latter was somewhat surprised by Fu Shanyue's arrival. "Why did he come?" "Sent by National Preceptor Shuangye," He Lingchuan sighed. "On one hand, to cultivate in a land of yin fiend energy; on the other, to act as Beijia's resident special envoy in Yangshan. Furthermore... National Preceptor Shuangye wants to keep tabs on what I'm doing." Fang Canran grew tense as well. "National Preceptor Shuangye has his eyes on you again?" "I shielded the spider demon sisters, and I beat Yu Zecheng so badly he had to scurry back in shame. It'd be stranger if National Preceptor Shuangye didn't keep an eye on me." He Lingchuan offered a wry smile. "This is the karma I have to bear." He suddenly recalled something. "By the way, will Fu Shanyue recognize you?" Fu Shanyue's nose was sharper than a hound's. That was no exaggeration, but plain fact. If he discerned Fang Canran's true identity through his scent, the game would turn dangerous. "Most likely not." Fang Canran shook his head. "When I altered my appearance, Lingshan took that into account as well. They implanted a huluo gland in my body, which alters my scent. Even someone with a sense of smell as keen as Fu Shanyue will only feel a vague familiarity." In this world, ba were not the only demons endowed with an acute sense of smell. If Fang Canran wished to hide in plain sight among the masses, altering his appearance alone was far from sufficient. "Good. You're as meticulous as ever." He Lingchuan patted his shoulder and set up a sound-isolation ward. "Right, where were we earlier?" Fang Canran had been on the verge of bringing something up before Fu Shanyue's sudden intrusion cut him off. "A verbal message from National Preceptor Wang." It turned out that Emperor Mou had already learned of the Yangshan Archipelago aiding the Bailie people and the Bailong tribe in evacuating Storm Bay, as well as the defeat of the Ya Kingdom's general, Wulu—and His Imperial Majesty was immensely pleased.