The advantages and disadvantages of this system were obvious at a glance, but the Beijia Kingdom had no better alternative. Its territory was simply too vast—so vast that governing it directly was nearly impossible.
The Yuan Kingdom was by no means small, ranking sixth in land area among all known nations aside from the Sea Kingdom and Lake Kingdom.
Yet the Beijia Kingdom was six times its size, ranking first in the world!
He Lingchuan had seen Beijia's territory on a sand table map. It was truly a magnificent expanse, bordering the ocean to the north and reaching straight to the Earth Sea in the east.
Put it this way: if He Lingchuan rode an azure bo beast from Beijia's easternmost edge straight west, covering four hundred li a day in a perfectly straight line, it would still take over thirty days to reach the westernmost border of the demon kingdom!
And that was assuming one ignored the crisscrossing mountains and rivers, the countless deserts, swamps, lakes, and high peaks in between. Otherwise, the journey would take many times longer.
This country had always been a peculiar entity, drawing both praise and censure. Countless people looked askance at its system and customs; after all, every other country that had tried to emulate Beijia had collapsed within a century or two.
Even today, it remained a subject of constant study by the courts, historians, and strategists of various nations.
Yet whatever others said, the Beijia Kingdom still stood, the Demon Emperor still reigned, and this colossal empire continued to function.
The Jeweled Tree Kingdom's domain was far larger than all of the Fu Kingdom, but its capital lay near the south, easily reached by the caravan soon after crossing the border.
Having traveled this far, He Lingchuan had grown accustomed to the sight of demons and humans living side by side.
The larger the town or city, the stranger the architectural styles became. Some defied He Lingchuan's very concept of a "house," for the residents were not just humans, but demons as well.
He had even seen a family of mole demons visit a carpenter to commission a home—less than five square meters in total area, designed simply to be nailed onto the outer wall of someone else's house.
Entering the northern demon kingdom felt like stepping into a bizarre, kaleidoscopic new world. It might appear chaotic at times, yet it operated according to an order of its own.
This was the outcome of six centuries of rubbing shoulders and finding balance—a spectacle one would never see in a lifetime in the Yuan Kingdom. He Lingchuan felt his eyes had truly been opened.
The caravan arrived at Fufeng City, the capital of the Jeweled Tree Kingdom, in the dead of night. Dark clouds blanketed the sky, yet the city was not plunged into darkness.
Every hundred feet along the main thoroughfares, two fluorescent spores hung suspended, illuminating the way for passing travelers.
These specialty goods from the Demon Nest Swamp shone brightly and steadily, unaffected by the wind. He Lingchuan smiled at the sight; no wonder the Gan Merchant Guild was rolling in wealth—here was their exclusive racket.
Still, once the Shimen caravan returned from Lingxu City, they would likely take over this cash cow.
Few people walked the streets at this hour, but lanterns glowed in taverns and inns, and approaching them closely might reveal the clatter of cups and lively conversation.
After entering the city, Wu Jinsong and his companion invited He Lingchuan to accompany them straight to the Grand Preceptor's residence, while the caravan headed off to find lodging at an inn.
As the three made their way through streets and alleys, they encountered a squad of "nightsoil men"—crews that came out in the dead of night to collect nightsoil and haul it outside the city.
In this case, however, they were dozens of giant scarab beetles—commonly known as dung beetles. They pulled carts, each bearing an enormous wooden vat. The procession went door to door collecting the nightsoil, pouring it into the large vats, to be hauled outside the city before dawn to compost.
In due course, this fertilizer would be spread on the fields.
Whether in Shihuan City or Blackwater City, municipal services handled this kind of work, but having demons manage the collection and transport—and using such a specialized demon species perfectly suited for the task—was something He Lingchuan had never seen before. He marveled at the sight.
Fufeng City had over a dozen such squads.
Wu Jinsong looked somewhat embarrassed at the sight of the dung beetles, quickly steering He Lingchuan onto the main thoroughfare.
The nightsoil squads did not appear on the main avenues.
Arriving at the Grand Preceptor's residence, their arrival was announced, and He Lingchuan was soon waiting in a side hall.
The Grand Preceptor's estate was vast, roughly four times the size of the He residence in Dunyu. On his way in, he had passed three gardens, each with a different theme. The one that left the deepest impression on him even contained a miniature waterfall. Flanking the rushing water were vines blooming with exotic flowers and lush green ferns, along with fan palms taller than a man. Standing there felt like being in a rainforest—a style completely distinct from garden landscaping in the Yuan Kingdom.
Another garden featured a massive pond holding astonishingly large fish. They were not koi, but their belly scales shone with brilliant colors. Measuring eight feet from head to tail, their mouths were so wide they seemed capable of swallowing an infant whole.
From the way the giant fish eyed the people walking past, He Lingchuan had good reason to believe they were fish demons.
He waited in the side hall for a full half-hour and drank three cups of hot tea before the master of the house finally arrived.
Sha Cong, Grand Preceptor of the Jeweled Tree Kingdom, had just passed sixty years of age, yet only a single streak of silver marked his temples. He was exceptionally robust and looked not even fifty.
Striding into the hall with bright, penetrating eyes, he was followed by a man of about thirty who wore an expressionless look.
Wu Jinsong, who had stayed by the Grand Preceptor's side, hurried to introduce the two parties.
As it turned out, the man behind Sha Cong was his second son, Sha Xinghai—the victim who had lost an ethereal soul and a corporeal soul.
It was worth noting that Wu Jinsong introduced He Lingchuan by the name "He Xiao," a distant relative of the two brothers running the Shimen Merchant Guild.
Sha Cong looked He Lingchuan up and down, scrutinizing him. "You brought my son's soul back. Do you ask for anything in return?"
Wu Jinsong had already given him a rough account of the journey.
He Lingchuan shook his head. "It was merely on my way."
"Very well. Then return his soul to its place."
Sha Cong stepped aside. He Lingchuan drew the soul-snatching mirror from his breast pocket, angled the glass toward Sha Xinghai, and tapped it twice.
A faint white light flew out from the mirror and circled Sha Xinghai once, as if verifying his identity, before entering through the seven apertures of his face.
Sha Xinghai shuddered violently and let out a long breath, the dull vacancy vanishing from his eyes.
He bowed deeply to Sha Cong. "Father, I have returned." Then he turned to He Lingchuan. "Thank you, Little Brother He."
"Be careful next time! Never allow petty scoundrels to take advantage of you again!" Sha Cong waved his hand, dismissing Sha Xinghai, and looked back at He Lingchuan. "You do not claim credit, but the merit remains. Ah, I hear you originally resided in the Fu Kingdom?"
"Yes."
"Wu Jinsong says you are brave and resourceful. I shall recommend you to the ruler to be a Honglin Captain. Would you be satisfied with that?"
A newcomer to these lands, He Lingchuan had no idea what kind of post this was, though he figured it could hardly be bad. He had done Sha Xinghai a major favor, so any reward Sha Cong offered had to be fitting; offering too little would demean that debt of gratitude.
Wu Jinsong blinked repeatedly at him, signaling for him to accept.
He Lingchuan gave it some thought. "I still have to travel to Lingxu City. Let us discuss it after I return."
Sha Cong was not surprised. "What are you going there for?"
"I wish to see the world-renowned capital of Beijia, and perhaps visit Mount Xu while I am there."
Zhu Erniang's largest molt lay at Mount Xu, which was also the mountain gate of the Dahuan Sect. He Lingchuan dared to speak the name openly because he had already learned from Wu Jinsong and Second Master Shi that Mount Xu was now one of Lingxu City's famous scenic spots, welcoming a steady stream of tourists every day.
For such an ancient ruin, Lingxu City concealed nothing and never declared it a forbidden area, showing off its magnanimity and grandeur.
For a hot-blooded youth like He Lingchuan to go there drawn by its fame, touring the mountains and visiting holy sites, was not the least bit out of the ordinary.
"A visit would do you good. The capital is magnificent, peerless in the world," Sha Cong remarked. "Go see the capital first, and return to take up your post afterward."
After releasing Sha Xinghai's soul, He Lingchuan had put the mirror away. Seeing that he had not refused the offer, Sha Cong added, "That mirror of yours—let me have a look."
"It has already recognized me as its master."
Sha Cong smiled. "Rest easy. I will not take it from you."
Only then did He Lingchuan produce the soul-snatching mirror.
Sha Cong rubbed it in his hands a few times, murmuring thoughtfully, "Quite a spiritual item."
With He Lingchuan by his side, the mirror naturally would not snatch his soul without cause; otherwise, merely looking into its face would have been perilous.
"Where did this mirror consume Emperor's Flowing Dew paste?"
"It doesn't know either," He Lingchuan answered. "When it awoke, it was inside a tree stump out in the wilderness. The mirror slave walked for five days and five nights before finding a human village, so it has no idea where it was before."
Sha Cong handed the mirror back to him. "By the way, in a few days it will be our King's eight-hundredth birthday. You might as well join the festivities before departing."
He Lingchuan nodded. "I would be honored to witness it."
"You have traveled far and must be weary from the journey. Go back and rest. I will have Xu Dongdong see you out."
Grand Preceptor Sha gave a call, and Xu Dongdong stepped inside from outside the door, escorting He Lingchuan all the way out of the estate and to the inn where Shi Congshan was staying.
When Shi Congshui heard that this brief trip had netted him an official post, he was overjoyed and insisted on ordering food and wine to celebrate.
He Lingchuan waved a hand. "Not a stroke of the character has been written yet."
He held a rank in the Yuan Kingdom, and generally speaking, one could not serve as an official in another nation without first resigning. Even if he forced himself to accept a State Token from the Beijia Kingdom, he would not be able to draw upon its origin power.
There was only one exception:
An envoy.
Only then could one legitimately hold office in two nations at once.
"Besides, he hasn't even looked into my background. How could he just hand me an office?" Could a Grand Preceptor really conduct affairs with such flippancy?
"I've heard that Beijia's standard for employing talent is unorthodox—merit alone is what counts. Many of the heavyweights active in Beijia's court are outsiders. Take Grand Preceptor Sha himself: his father hailed from a place called Tangye in the Dai Kingdom, not the Jeweled Tree Kingdom," Shi Congshui chuckled. "Perhaps he simply took a liking to your talent?"
He Lingchuan gave a rueful laugh. "Love and hate don't arise from nothing."
Shi Congshui assumed he was just being modest. "When fortune smiles upon you, enjoy life to the fullest!"
He Lingchuan downed a cup of wine with a laugh, replaying his visit to the Grand Preceptor's residence in his mind.
Even though he had saved Sha Xinghai, Grand Preceptor Sha's attitude toward him remained patronizing and aloof. Having held high rank for so long, answering only to the Jeweled Tree King and the Prime Minister in this country, reserve and haughtiness were etched into his very bones.
In his eyes, such a debt of gratitude could be wiped clean with a suitable reward.
He Lingchuan did not care in the slightest.
In the Beijia Kingdom, he was a nobody with no background, no provenance, and no status; he did not give a damn how others viewed him.
Fufeng City was merely a stop on his journey, one that would pass in the blink of an eye.
"Come, drink!"
After He Lingchuan departed, Sha Xinghai stepped out from the back hall, looking ashamed.
"Father, I botched this assignment."
"No one expected you would be ambushed before reaching Wuze County," Grand Preceptor Sha said with a dismissive wave. "Unmarked armor and weapons, deathsworn swallow poison upon capture... Heh, someone inside our estate leaked your whereabouts."
Chapter 366