Emperor's Flowing Dew had a greater effect on demons than on humans, possessing even the power to enlighten animal minds. Many wild beasts, transformed overnight, suddenly gained sapience and took on demon bodies—the very "new demons" and "lesser demons" Fu Liushan had spoken of.
Yet such new demons had no understanding of human rules, nor did they know how to rein in their feral nature. Consequently, after the fall of Emperor's Flowing Dew, incidents of demons harming people were frequent.
Back when He Lingchuan served as a patrol guard on the Chipa Plateau, he had dealt with—or rather, executed—dozens of such man-eating new demons.
The demons of Baitou Ridge had likely turned vicious for this very reason.
What drew his attention was a different question: "In the past, why did Three-Tails forbid the fox demons from eating Yao people?"
"How should I know?" Fu Liushan chuckled. "I can only guess that it didn't want to court trouble."
Dong Rui chimed in, "We've heard that the Yao Kingdom is quite powerful, too."
Compared to the other nations on the Shanjin Plain, that was.
Fu Liushan grunted in agreement. "Its realm is the most stable and its people the most prosperous; it hardly seems like a nation on the Shanjin Plain at all. What's more, by its own strength alone, it could thrash all its neighbors. But as for Yao itself... sigh, it's a long story."
"How so?"
"It just loves stirring up trouble everywhere. We don't like it; nobody likes it. Out of ten troubles on the Shanjin Plain, at least five or six are tied to it." Here, Fu Liushan changed the subject. "By the way, your horses look pretty ordinary."
After four hours on the road, He Lingchuan's mount had nearly stumbled and sprained its ankle twice.
They had bought the horses on a whim in the last town. The price had not been low, but the quality was poor.
"We'll pass by Chigu shortly. You can swap them for two fine mounts!" Fu Liushan said with a grin. "Not expensive either!"
An hour later, they arrived at Chigu.
The place took its name from the abundance of ochre sandstone across the terrain, but in truth, water and grass were lush, with long slopes and sprawling valleys.
Having served as a pasture director for the better part of a year, He Lingchuan could tell at a glance that this was indeed prime grazing land. The horses raised here were plump, sturdy, and sleekly groomed.
Fu Liushan had not exaggerated. He led them down toward the valley floor.
There were over a hundred low cottages here, clearly a human settlement.
Fu Liushan seemed well-acquainted with the locals. When he mentioned wanting to buy horses, a youth of seventeen or eighteen came over and led He Lingchuan and Dong Rui to pick out their mounts.
Wildflowers blanketed the hillsides, and horses ambled leisurely by the water in carefree ease.
He Lingchuan casually picked out two: one black and one piebald. Both were tall, long-legged steeds with taut sinews and sharp ears shaped like bamboo leaves.
Though lacking the bloodline of a bo beast, these two were genuinely fine specimens.
The somewhat shy pastoral youth immediately gave him a thumbs-up. "You really know your horses."
Fine horses naturally did not come cheap.
He Lingchuan paid without hesitation. Watching the youth fit saddles and pads to the mounts, he asked, "Your horses here are all excellent. There must be over a thousand of them?"
"Aye, there are."
"Would you be willing to sell in bulk? I'd want a shipment every year." The Yangshan Archipelago needed cavalry and fine mounts, a matter He Lingchuan was always turning over in his mind. "Shipping them from here to Julu Port wouldn't be too far, either."
The youth hadn't expected such a request. Stunned for a moment, he shook his head. "Buying a few now and then is fine, but not in large numbers."
"Why is that?"
"All the fine horses here sold in batches must go to the Yao Kingdom." The youth looked toward the hillsides. "The Yao Kingdom sends people periodically to collect them. If we sell them to anyone else without authorization, we'll get into huge trouble."
Fu Liushan chimed in from the side, "Their horses can only be sold to the Yao Kingdom, and the Yao Kingdom redistributes them outward."
Dong Rui let out an amused grunt. "Pretty overbearing, isn't it, this Yao Kingdom?"
Wasn't this a monopoly? It smelled a bit like Beijia.
"I see." He Lingchuan had only asked in passing and did not press the matter.
The Yao Kingdom's monopoly on the neighboring horse trade offered several obvious benefits:
Most directly, flipping them at marked-up prices—wasn't that pure profit rolling in?
That was the windfall of a monopoly: minimal effort, handsome returns, and effortless wealth.
Second, Chigu's horses were visibly suited for use as cavalry steeds—strong bones, long legs, and explosive power. Common folk didn't usually use such horses for plowing or hauling cargo; they couldn't afford them, nor were the horses suited for it. Nag horses and pack beasts were far more appropriate.
Thus, those purchasing Chigu horses in large quantities were usually various military forces.
By controlling the cavalry horse trade, the Yao Kingdom held neighboring nations' military strength in check to a certain degree—a pragmatic, strategic consideration.
Most importantly, the Yao Kingdom had the power to pull it off!
This country was truly no simple matter.
Having bought their horses, He Lingchuan and Dong Rui rode off. The youth watched their departing figures for a good while before walking back.
Fu Liushan asked He Lingchuan with a smile, "You do business in horses as well?"
"As long as it's business, we're willing to try our hand at it." He Lingchuan wasn't merely giving an evasive brush-off; a competent merchant ought to keep their eyes wide open and seize opportunities before they slipped away. "Who knows which venture might bloom and make a fortune?"
They traveled several more li until the flat ground ended. Looking around, the three saw mountains winding upward like dragons, and the trees grew increasingly dense.
They had entered the mountain region.
Ahead lay a fork in the road, where Fu Liushan was to part ways with the two.
"We've had such a delightful talk along the way; I only regret we met so late..."
Before his words had fully landed, two figures suddenly burst out from the green woods ahead.
Perched on Dong Rui's shoulder, the ghost ape was eating apricots and had already accumulated two pits in its hand. If these two dared try highway robbery, it would embed the pits right into their skulls.
Yet as soon as the two rushed onto the mountain road, one tripped and fell flat on his face.
Their faces were sheer masks of terror. They didn't greet He Lingchuan and his companions, nor did they pull out blades to extort or threaten them. Instead, they bolted without looking back, as if chased by ghosts.
Dong Rui called out to them, but they were deaf to it, quickly vanishing behind the mountain hollow.
"What was that about?"
"Probably being chased by ghosts." Fu Liushan seemed completely unfazed. "There's no shortage of demons and ghosts in these deep mountains."
He resumed what he had been saying before: "Gentlemen, until fate brings us together again."
Though strangers brought together by chance who hit it off, they would ultimately part ways and drift back into the world.
Why worry that the road ahead would lack kindred spirits?
Seeing how easygoing he was, He Lingchuan and Dong Rui cupped their hands in farewell as well: "Until next time!"
To the clopping of horse hooves, Fu Liushan soon vanished at the end of the mountain trail.
He had headed southeast.
Dong Rui called out, "Isn't he heading for Mount Jing?"
"Yeah." Fu Liushan had warned them not to stray into Mount Jing, yet he had gone straight toward it himself.
"Is he searching for the Luosheng Armor too?" Fu Liushan himself had said just last night that entering the mountains to find the armor was an idle fancy. "Could it be that he warned us off just to eliminate a competitor?"
"Even if the precious armor is there, it probably won't be easy to claim." He Lingchuan pointed toward the hollow. "Didn't those two just flee in panic?"
If the Luosheng Armor was truly so sinister, escaping with one's life was already good luck.
Dong Rui rubbed his hands together eagerly. "Shall we go take a look too?"
Digging graves and hunting for treasure were what he did best.
"Let's attend to the task at hand first and come back later." If the Luosheng Armor were truly here, countless people had failed to retrieve it over the years, so what was there to worry about?
"Fair enough."
Next stop: Baitou Ridge.
Chapter 1149