Wu Jinsong said, "Your subordinate initially thought the Second Young Master's soul was lost during that battle, so I pursued that lead for a long time. Who would have guessed that a merchant from the Gan family in Wuze County had the gall to do such a thing?"
Sha Xinghai had been ambushed during his travels, but had suffered only minor injuries before continuing on to Wuze County on his mission.
To think he hadn't fallen to his enemies, only to fall victim to an ordinary human's trickery.
Sha Xinghai sighed softly. "In Wuze County, I concealed my true identity, claiming only to be a wealthy merchant from Lingxu City seeking to purchase a large quantity of trauma medicine, as well as unmarked light armor and weapons."
Wu Jinsong came to a realization. "No wonder the Gans made their move. If they had known the Second Young Master's true identity, they wouldn't have dared even if given ten times the courage, would they?"
With his hands clasped behind his back, Grand Preceptor Sha asked, "You say the Gan merchant is already dead?"
"Yes, killed by bandits. With his death, the Gan family fell into chaos. By the time we left Wuze County, they were already being forced to liquidate assets to repay debts."
"The Gan merchant is dead, but it is only right and proper that a younger brother pay an elder brother's debts!" Grand Preceptor Sha said indifferently. "Go see to it."
"Yes, sir."
"The Gans are finished, but the mission must still be carried out. He Xiao did you a great service, so hand this order over to his merchant caravan. Ah, and be sure to remind them that the arms and equipment must bear no markings whatsoever."
Wu Jinsong acknowledged the order. Grand Preceptor Sha pondered for a moment and added, "Did that mirror acknowledge He Xiao as its master on its own?"
"He subdued the mirror."
"Did you see it with your own eyes?"
Wu Jinsong shook his head. "To my shame, I was entranced by the illusion of Third Master Gan produced by the mirror at the time. By the time I rushed back to Mochou Lake, he had already struck through the mirror. However, his performance within the mirror world was indeed extraordinary."
Sha Xinghai chimed in, "He returned my soul, so I assumed Father would reward him handsomely with wealth. I didn't expect you to offer him an official post. We haven't even gotten to the bottom of his background yet."
Wu Jinsong added, "I questioned the people in his caravan. They all said He Xiao is a distant relative of the two caravan leaders, and this was their first time meeting him as well. They know nothing else."
Yet Grand Preceptor Sha said, "His appearance in Wuze County might very well have been specifically for the mirror."
"The mirror?" The other two were perplexed.
"Father, do you mean the Gan merchant ambushed me with the mirror, while this man targeted the Gan family to seize his mirror?"
The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind?
"That mirror is an antiquity. The bronze-rimmed patterns looked quite familiar to me, though I cannot recall where I have seen them before. It must be of great age. Mmh, Jinsong, what was the name of that general you encountered in the mirror's illusion?"
"The Great General of Puguo, You Shanming." Wu Jinsong had also overheard the exchange between He Lingchuan and the hongluan.
"Puguo..." Stroking his beard, Grand Preceptor Sha pondered for a long time. "I seem to have some impression of it. It was an ancient kingdom that vanished long ago, at least two thousand five or six hundred years before the present day. Mmh, I will need to look into it later."
Sha Xinghai was visibly moved. "Then... wouldn't that be merely a few hundred years after the Great Cataclysm that ended the world? The early Middle Ancient Era?"
"Indeed. In those days, human kingdoms rose to contend with great demons for supremacy. The immortal sects had not yet declined, and frequently dispatched their disciples down the mountains to lend the human realms a hand." Grand Preceptor Sha stroked his beard. "It was truly a turbulent and momentous era."
Wu Jinsong also remarked, "The practitioners in the illusion could all fly by riding artifacts, and the hongluan's demonic power was astounding—it could practically destroy an entire city single-handedly." Earlier, he had only given Grand Preceptor Sha a general report of what had happened; the latter had been in a rush to recover Sha Xinghai's soul, leaving Wu Jinsong without the chance to explain many details. "Even among the great demons alive today, very few possess such power."
"Then this mirror has existed for at least two thousand five hundred years, or it would not contain such illusions. Mmh, an authentic relic of the Middle Ancient Era through and through."
Sha Xinghai looked at Grand Preceptor Sha. "Father, do you suspect...?"
Grand Preceptor Sha waved his hand. "A little over a year ago, the White Elephant King's Linlang Treasure Pavilion was burgled, losing several Middle Ancient relics. I hear he executed over a hundred people in his fury, yet the thief and the stolen goods remain unaccounted for to this day. And over a decade before that, the Azure Palace also lost a batch of precious collections. Among both batches of stolen treasures, there were mirror-type magic artifacts."
"Do you believe this man named He is connected to the thefts?" Sha Xinghai was all the more bewildered. "If so, why grant him an official post?"
"From Wu Jinsong's description, this man possesses both wit and courage, making him a capable talent. If we merely give him money and goods, he will turn around and leave; if we grant him an official post, we can observe him at our leisure. Furthermore, he might not truly be the thief. And as for the White Elephant King and the Azure Palace losing things, I couldn't care less."
Grand Preceptor Sha sighed. "Besides, he did return your soul, after all. That is an enormous favor. Otherwise, consumed as I already am by the preparations for our King's birthday celebrations and other affairs, I would have been run completely ragged."
Sha Xinghai lowered his head.
Grand Preceptor Sha gave it some thought. "The post I promised him cannot be assumed until he returns from Lingxu City. Wu Jinsong, deliver a valuable piece of intelligence to him on my behalf, lest he think I offer only empty promises."
Wu Jinsong listened intently. He was visibly startled at first, but then bowed and took his leave.
No one noticed that high on the roof beam, a tiny spider scampered on eight legs toward the outside, descended on a thread of silk, and landed onto Wu Jinsong, catching a free ride.
...
He Lingchuan returned to his room flushed and warm from drinking. He seemed unable to hold his liquor, but in truth, after taking a sobering pill and washing his face with cold water, most of the drunkenness had dissipated.
The sobering pills had been concocted by Lingguang the medicine ape, and their potency was exceptional.
At this moment, He Lingchuan found himself thinking of it and Lu Xin the rock wolf, wondering how those two fellows were faring right now.
Half an hour later, there was a knock at the door.
Wu Jinsong had arrived to deliver another token of gratitude from Grand Preceptor Sha.
Naturally, before speaking, he glanced left and right to ensure no one was loitering nearby, then entered the room and whispered to He Lingchuan:
"The Grand Preceptor instructed me to tell you that another descent of Emperor's Flowing Dew will occur in three to four days, with a margin of error of no more than five days."
He Lingchuan had already eavesdropped on this news through the eyeball spider, but now he had to put on an expression of wide-eyed shock and blurted, "What? Truly?!"
"The Grand Preceptor has always been a serious man; he doesn't make such jokes." Wu Jinsong's face was solemn. "The last time Emperor's Flowing Dew descended, the information was equally precise, with an error of less than two days."
"This can actually be predicted?" He Lingchuan asked in disbelief. "Brother Wu, may I ask where the Grand Preceptor obtained this intelligence?"
"It was passed down from Lingxu City. I don't know the specifics either."
So it wasn't divined by the Jeweled Tree King or Grand Preceptor Sha himself? He Lingchuan committed this detail to memory and asked further, "I recall the previous eruption of Emperor's Flowing Dew occurred after a gap of fifty or sixty years. It's only been half a year since then—why is it erupting again?"
Wu Jinsong spread his hands. "You're asking me, but who am I supposed to ask? If you don't believe it, I won't force you."
"I believe you, I believe you!" He Lingchuan grabbed hold of his sleeve. "The Grand Preceptor handles thousands of state affairs every day—why would he make such a pointless joke?" What Grand Preceptor Sha predicted wasn't the end of the world, but something that could be verified in three or four days; there was no reason to fabricate it.
"Furthermore, in three days, Fufeng City will impose a curfew to prevent riots triggered by Emperor's Flowing Dew. Commoners and traveling merchants will be required to remain indoors and not step outside, or face the consequences."
He Lingchuan understood completely. He had witnessed how fragile human nature became in the face of Emperor's Flowing Dew; Panlong City had taken similar precautions to nip trouble in the bud.
He pondered for a moment. "In other words, I'll have to leave the city to collect Emperor's Flowing Dew." The city was packed with people; each person would only have the palm-sized patch of sky above their dwelling—how much Emperor's Flowing Dew could one possibly snatch?
When the last eruption took place, he happened to be marching with the army and had no way to make preparations in advance, managing to secure only a tiny bit.
Now that he had obtained insider information beforehand, shouldn't he prepare properly?
"Smart people all do that." Wu Jinsong gave a knowing wink. "If I were you, I would go even farther out. Last time, the immediate outskirts were all carved up into parcels claimed by various factions. What's more, our King's birthday is right around the corner; envoys and merchants from various nations are flocking here, so the competition in the countryside will likely be even fiercer. Also, watch out for avian demons in the sky."
He Lingchuan let out a long "Ah" and cupped his fists. "Thank you for the advice!"
Indeed, this was Fufeng City, the gathering place of the Jeweled Tree Kingdom's dignitaries and nobility. They would likewise receive word in advance and venture outside the city to harvest Emperor's Flowing Dew. The simplest method was naturally to demarcate a large tract of land for their own exclusive gathering.
As an outsider, He Lingchuan could hardly meddle in their claims.
These were all hard-won lessons from others' experience, capable of sparing him a great deal of trouble.
Wu Jinsong asked again, "The Emperor's Flowing Dew you gathered last time—how did you consume it?"
"Just swallowed it down." He Lingchuan wore a bewildered expression. "Is there another way to take it?"
Only then did Wu Jinsong hand over a slip of paper.
"This is a recipe for refining Emperor's Flowing Dew. Prepare the ingredients in advance, lest you scramble when the time comes and waste such a heavenly treasure."
He paused, then added, "You can rest assured about this formula. We used it last time as well."
He Lingchuan accepted it as if receiving the greatest treasure. "Gaining this advantage means gaining cultivation and opportunity! Brother Wu, please convey my deepest gratitude to the Grand Preceptor!"
Wu Jinsong smiled. "The Grand Preceptor cherishes talent and holds you in special regard. Once you return from Lingxu City, come take up your post as soon as possible, so as not to disappoint the old gentleman's good intentions."
He Lingchuan nodded repeatedly. "Of course, of course!"
He offered to invite Wu Jinsong to stay for a drink, but the latter had business to attend to and took his leave.
The eyeball spider quietly leaped back onto He Lingchuan.
Once he heard the footsteps fade away downstairs, He Lingchuan unfolded the slip of paper to examine the so-called "Emperor's Flowing Dew recipe."
Over the past five or six months, whenever he had free time, he would read in Panlong City's Wenxuan Pavilion—perusing all sorts of subjects across every walk of life. He had even read a fair share of medical and herbal texts. While he wouldn't claim to be an expert, a dog's belly had at least stored a couple ounces of fragrant oil; he was no longer the novice of last year who looked upon medicinal formulas as if they were written in celestial script.
A brief glance revealed that several medicinal herbs in the formula matched the Emperor's Flowing Dew paste recipe A'luo had prepared for him.
Still, he had no intention of using such generic, common fare; the formula tailored specifically for him by A'luo was the best.
The most valuable gift Grand Preceptor Sha had sent was actually the news of Emperor's Flowing Dew's imminent return, allowing him to prepare in advance and make the most of such a godsent opportunity.
Here was the question: how did Lingxu City know the Emperor's Flowing Dew was going to erupt?
Not just Lingxu City, but even Panlong City had known in advance.
Could an eruption of heaven and earth's spiritual energy truly be predicted? He couldn't shake the feeling that there was far more to this than met the eye.
Whatever the case, he truly needed to prepare well for such a generous boon from heaven.
The soul-snatching mirror suddenly spoke up: "Hey, what are you zoning out for? Are you communicating with that city of the dead?"
Chapter 367