He Lingchuan could not help but laugh. "Talk about a divine assist."
Panlong City was cutting taxes for its citizens, while the Xiluo Kingdom demanded more tribute from Panlong City. From top to bottom, no one here would be pleased.
After finishing their meal, He Lingchuan set his doubts aside for the moment. Returning after being away on assignment for more than half a year, he needed to find a place to live.
Residences in Panlong City were divided into nine grades. When he first arrived, he had stayed in a wood-grade house, the second lowest tier, cramped and suffocating. He had never changed quarters since.
Now, however, he was qualified to live in a luxury manor. Panlong City maintained a strict system of military merit, and through his own capability, he had finally climbed to his current position.
Luxury manors in Panlong City were divided into four ranks. The lowest was a "Golden House," which was also the highest tier of luxury residence wealthy merchants without military exploits could purchase.
The three ranks above that could not be bought with money alone.
Since He Lingchuan had earned his power and wealth through his own sweat and blood, why shouldn't he enjoy them?
Sun Fuling, however, gently declined. Her financial means fell short of purchasing a Golden House, yet she was unwilling to lodge under his roof.
So He Lingchuan dropped down two tiers and chose a copper-grade house—
The only reason he did not take a silver-grade house was that only one remained vacant.
Sun Fuling had overseen Yuheng Academy for two years, teaching all without discrimination, earning the deep affection of teachers and students alike. She had also fostered harmony between the native Xiji folk and the people of Panlong City, successfully fulfilling the mission entrusted to her. With the merits she had earned, combined with her past military contributions, she was entitled to a copper-grade house of her own.
After careful selection, their two copper-grade houses ended up sharing a common wall.
With that, the two became neighbors once again in Panlong City.
Though neither residence was as expansive or serene as her estate back in Yuheng City, a copper-grade house nonetheless possessed its own courtyard open to the sky and earth. The courtyard spanned about twenty square meters, flanked by a wing that could serve as a guest room, a spacious kitchen, and a woodshed for storage.
Sun Fuling was thoroughly satisfied.
At the foot of the wall in one of the houses grew a half-dead star jasmine, droopy and despondent, its flowers and leaves withered. Sun Fuling immediately said, "I'll take this one!"
He Lingchuan naturally had no objections. He had neither the leisure nor the patience to tend flowers and shrubs; once Master Sun finished planting her own yard, she would surely extend her clutches into his.
Outside his courtyard stood a maple tree, half its canopy spilling over his wall. In this season, its leaves were half green and half red. It would take another month before it erupted into the fiery brilliance of sunset clouds.
Sun Fuling was already daydreaming about peaceful days sipping tea and nibbling pastries beneath the blazing red foliage.
After inspecting the houses, He Lingchuan accompanied the lady to the market for a long stroll, happily selecting furniture and daily essentials.
The entire afternoon was filled with laughter and cheerful chatter.
Watching the bright bloom of her smile, He Lingchuan occasionally drifted into thought.
"What are you thinking about?" Sun Fuling asked, an osmanthus fuling cake tucked between her lips.
Delicate and graceful, she always drew lingering looks from passersby. Yet she carried no airs whatsoever, happily munching snacks as she walked.
"Oh, I was just thinking that a good life and peaceful days can turn a ghost back into a human."
Sun Fuling paused, nudging him lightly with her elbow. "Make yourself clear—who's the ghost here!"
"I wouldn't dare! Certainly not our teacher!" He Lingchuan snatched the pastry from her hand and popped it into his mouth. "Even if you were, I'd turn you back into a human!"
Sun Fuling spat playfully at him. "Talking nonsense again."
In truth, for a fleeting moment just then, He Lingchuan had thought of Consort Mei.
The world she lived in could drive a living person into becoming a vicious phantom. If she was not crueler and more ruthless than the ghosts around her, she would have had no way to survive.
And that was the real world where He Lingchuan truly belonged.
If he failed to prepare for danger in times of peace and plan far ahead, the prosperity and tranquility of the Yangshan Archipelago would likewise vanish into history like a fragile bubble.
Just like the Julu Kingdom, which had once possessed so much hope.
While the two were furnishing their new homes, a kestrel flapped its wings and descended upon the maple tree, shedding the first hawk feather into He Lingchuan's new courtyard.
"Commander Zhong has returned."
He Lingchuan tossed it a strip of dried meat. "Much obliged."
***
Inside Zhong Shengguang's study.
The Bright Lantern Cup rested securely in a wooden case as He Lingchuan handed it over.
Catching sight of that distinct, warm red glow, Zhong Shengguang received it with both hands. "You've worked hard."
He did not let his joy spill too openly across his features, but He Lingchuan could sense that a massive weight had been lifted from his chest. Seeing the commander in such fine spirits, He Lingchuan took the opportunity to ask, "Over this past half-year, how have General Red and Mitian been doing?"
"Times are different now. The environment of the Panlong Wasteland has drastically improved, so there is no need for Mitian to descend frequently." Zhong Shengguang's expression grew solemn. "Regarding this, she is actually rather dissatisfied."
Clever as He Lingchuan was, he grasped the underlying implication instantly:
Now that Panlong City had overcome its existential crisis, General Red no longer wished for Mitian to descend so often.
Yet how could a mere vessel defy a celestial god?
Naturally, Mitian was displeased.
Even so, He Lingchuan could now see that a rift existed between Mitian and Panlong City; they were hardly of one mind.
Those not of our kind are bound to harbor different thoughts. If the relationship between a celestial god and mortals was one of cooperation rather than absolute dominion, friction was inevitable. How could there ever be genuine harmony?
"Retrieving the Bright Lantern Cup at this moment puts my heart entirely at ease!" Zhong Shengguang carefully stowed the relic away, a smile finally gracing his face.
Seeing his cheer, He Lingchuan probed once more. "Does the Bright Lantern Cup truly possess such tremendous significance?"
Zhong Shengguang gave him a sidelong glance. "This is a secret unknown even to General Red. I can reveal only a sliver to you—"
A rare trace of mystique tinged his smile.
"Do you truly believe the Dafang Pot has no spirit?"
With that, he fell silent.
What did that mean? He Lingchuan was completely baffled. Was Zhong Shengguang telling him that the Dafang Pot had an artifact spirit?
On second thought, even his own soul-snatching mirror possessed a talkative spirit. Could a supreme, miraculous treasure as boundless as the Dafang Pot truly lack an autonomous will?
Why had Master Sanshui never mentioned it in the past, and why was even General Red kept in the dark about this secret?
Furthermore, what connection did this have to the Bright Lantern Cup?
He Lingchuan had investigated so much, yet he could not tell whether he was drawing closer to the truth or drifting further away.
Zhong Shengguang asked, "Did you run into any setbacks during your journey east?"
He Lingchuan recounted all that had transpired along the way before concluding, "The Shanjin Plain isn't entirely a hopeless quagmire. At least the King of Julu was ambitious and capable. If there were more figures like him, there would be hope for the Shanjin Plain."
"I only hope his ambition did not outstrip his ability," Zhong Shengguang remarked with cautious optimism. "Over the past thousands of years, the world has never lacked such men. Why, then, has the Shanjin Plain failed to rise to this day?"
There had to be a fundamental flaw at its very roots.
He Lingchuan had no reply to that, for later history proved Zhong Shengguang entirely correct.
He could only change the subject. "After half a year away, the Panlong Wasteland has undergone dramatic changes again. On my way back, I actually saw wasteland elephants."
Giant war elephants were high-end military assets that made other nations drool with envy. Even in the demon kingdom of Beijia, the Baoxiang Kingdom held a prominent standing, and the Demon Emperor treated its ruler with great respect precisely because of their massive herds of war elephants.
"I sent men to recruit them from the Bolang Kingdom to the south. Though the Emperor's Flowing Dew descended over a dozen times, the livelihoods of the people in Bolang showed no visible improvement; instead, warfare broke out again. Those great demons found it pointless and simply came to join Panlong City," Zhong Shengguang said with a laugh. "Others came on their own, drawn by our reputation."
A person's fame was like the shadow cast by a tree; now that Panlong City had made a name for itself, attracting outside talent came naturally.
At this stage, Panlong City needed high-level experts and mighty beings to anchor its defenses—the more, the better.
Just as Beijia was renowned not merely for its armies, but for its countless great demons.
"In addition, Lingshan has dispatched over a hundred cultivators to assist Panlong City."
Understanding dawned on He Lingchuan. "Seeing that Panlong City is thriving, Lingshan is increasing its investment here as well."
In the real world, after dealing with Lingshan for some time, he had discovered that the sect operated essentially through investment; until they saw tangible potential, they would never lift a finger.
Only then did He Lingchuan broach the core matter. "I heard the Xiluo Kingdom is stirring up trouble again?"
The smile on Zhong Shengguang's face slowly faded.
"Indeed. But it is not Xiluo making moves; it is Beijia."
He Lingchuan's heart sank slightly. Panlong City had enjoyed good days for barely over a year, and Beijia was already stepping in to cause trouble?
"The new monarch of Xiluo took the throne with Beijia's backing. Otherwise, with mere ambition and the least favor among the claimants, he never could have succeeded. Following his usurpation, two commanding generals refused to yield and launched an uprising. The new king appealed to Beijia for aid, and Beijia actually marched troops across the border to crush the rebellion!"
"Borrowing foreign troops?" Xiluo had ultimately walked this path after all. He Lingchuan was immediately reminded of Nian Zanli. The difference was that Nian Zanli had shamelessly thrown himself at Beijia of his own accord, whereas Xiluo had been trapped by Beijia's calculated maneuver. "Was it crushed?"
"When Beijia makes a move, how could they fail? Within barely a month, both rebellions were suppressed, and the ringleaders' severed heads were put on public display," Zhong Shengguang said evenly. "Heh, backed by Beijia, the new king quickly cemented his throne."
He walked over to the window, gazing out at the blue sky and white clouds. "Under ordinary circumstances, how could Beijia care about a weakling like Xiluo? Their sudden intervention in court politics naturally came with attached conditions."
Xiluo was so feeble that Beijia had previously not even bothered to annex it.
The northern demon kingdom's borders had long ceased expanding, and they rarely paid heed to the ephemeral little states around them that sprouted at dawn and perished at dusk.
He Lingchuan understood in an instant. "The clandestine bargain between Beijia and the new king is aimed directly at Panlong City, isn't it?"
"Most likely." Zhong Shengguang shook his head. "They knew full well we would never accept those two decrees, yet they insisted on issuing them anyway."
It was a deliberate move to disgust and provoke them.
No matter how prosperous Panlong City grew, in name it remained a territory of the Xiluo Kingdom.
By all rights, as a local military governor, Zhong Shengguang was obligated to obey Xiluo's imperial edicts.
He had obeyed them in the past—and what good end had that brought?
Now that Xiluo had issued decrees once again, Zhong Shengguang's refusal to comply constituted outright rebellion against sovereign command!
Judging strictly by the moral codes of lord and vassal, Zhong Shengguang had no choice but to swallow this bitter grievance.
"As soon as I entered the city, I heard the chatter. It seems the news spread remarkably fast."
"Indeed." A faint trace of mockery laced Zhong Shengguang's voice. "Having played this hand, Beijia was bound to broadcast our defiance across the entire realm. After all, many of the old folk in Panlong City still yearn for their ancestral homeland and have always wanted to return. If they can drive a wedge between those people and Panlong City, even if it merely sows a tiny seed of discontent, it serves their purpose all too well."
Chapter 1142