Many shops and restaurants were shuttered. The footsteps of pedestrians hurrying back and forth were no longer as relaxed as before, and even the laughter of children had grown sparse.
When He Lingchuan appeared at the inn, Second Master Shi visibly breathed a sigh of relief. "You're finally back! With the sudden burst of Emperor's Flowing Dew, we were terrified you'd run into big trouble out there!"
He Lingchuan looked up and noticed a gaping hole in the roof of the inn's second floor, which carpenters were halfway through repairing. "What happened here?"
"When the Emperor's Flowing Dew broke out a few days ago, two monsters got into a brawl and punched a hole right through the roof." Second Master Shi looked up as well. "There was so much damage across the city that craftsmen were in short supply. They only got around to fixing it today."
"Was anyone hurt?"
"One of the inn hands took a hit. He's still laid up at the medicine hall." Second Master Shi shook his head. "Fufeng City gave half a day's advance warning for the Emperor's Flowing Dew, ordering all commoners to stay indoors under pain of facing the consequences alone. The demon troops even patrolled that night, yet the city still erupted into total chaos—countless smash-and-grabs, looting, and killings. The air reeked of blood."
The authorities had only given half a day's notice? He Lingchuan's heart stirred. It seemed the Grand Tutor's Manor had done him a massive favor by informing him three days in advance.
"It's about the same everywhere. On my way back, I saw the towns and villages cleaning up the aftermath as well."
"Our entire caravan stayed huddled together with the doors and windows barred shut. In the middle of it, a few of the lads couldn't resist the fragrance of the Emperor's Flowing Dew and tried to rush outside time and again, so we had to knock them out cold." Second Master Shi still had lingering fear in his eyes. "Outside, it was an endless chorus of wails and howls. We clutched our weapons and didn't sleep a wink all night. At dawn, we went out to count our goods. Luckily, almost everything was intact. Good thing we were in Fufeng City; if we'd been caught out in the wilderness or lodging in some rural village, we might have been in serious trouble."
"Plenty of people couldn't hold back and rushed out to catch the Emperor's Flowing Dew, only to lose their lives. Sigh."
He looked at He Lingchuan, sensing something was different about the youth, though he couldn't put a finger on it. Finally, he said, "You need a bath. Did you spend the last few days rolling in the mud?"
He Lingchuan grinned. "Sorry I'm back late."
"No harm done." Second Master Shi waved a hand. "The original plan changed. We're staying in Fufeng City for a few more days until things quiet down out there before hitting the road."
The Emperor's Flowing Dew had just passed, giving rise to hordes of newly awakened monsters; traveling right now was far too dangerous.
"By the way, that Wu Jinsong came looking for you once."
He Lingchuan nodded, returned to his guest room, and ordered two large tubs of hot water before finally scrubbing off all the mycelium and powder clinging to him. He dried his hair, changed into clean clothes, and headed downstairs to slurp down a steaming bowl of tomato-and-egg gravy noodles, along with two sesame oil flatbreads.
The cook was surprisingly skilled; he had baked a plain oil flatbread into multiple flaky layers.
He Lingchuan was eating with gusto when a dozen or so people walked in—and every one of them looked somewhat familiar.
They sat down to eat, and He Lingchuan glanced over casually.
The leader happened to look over at that very moment. Their eyes met, and the other man offered a faint, remarkably friendly smile.
He Lingchuan smiled back, though inwardly he was startled.
What a coincidence.
These dozen people were none other than the black-clad youth and his men, though their leader had now changed into light cyan brocade robes, looking quite the refined gentleman.
Judging by how they had entered, it didn't seem as though they had tracked him here deliberately.
Fufeng City was so vast; how had they ended up walking into this exact inn?
Fu Jiu was saying to the youth, "Young Master, don't you love donkey meat? Don't let the fact that this is just an inn fool you—their cook's flatbreads and braised donkey meat are superb!"
"Is that so?" the youth replied casually. "Bring a plate for us to try."
The waiter had just stepped away when a crow flew in through the window and landed on the back of the leader's chair.
The crow's tail feathers were somewhat singed. He Lingchuan found it familiar.
Without looking up, the leader said, "Why are you still following me? You lost the person you were tracking."
The crow perked up its tail and said, "I have a new lead!"
"Oh?"
"The scent of the Three Hearts Plain mountain spirit is very potent—it can't be washed off with plain water!" the crow declared proudly. "I can smell it right inside this inn!"
He Lingchuan's brow furrowed.
The leader exchanged a glance with his men.
The Three Hearts Plain mountain spirit had exploded, showering mycelium and fungal powder everywhere. Any human or monster who emerged from there would reek of that scent.
The crow circled halfway around the dining hall as if pinpointing the source of the smell, then tucked its wings and landed on He Lingchuan's table.
"You! You have the scent too!"
He Lingchuan shooed it with his chopsticks, hissing a "Shoo!" as if chasing off an ordinary bird.
The indicator couldn't have been clearer. The leader walked over and asked He Lingchuan with a smile, "May I sit here?"
He Lingchuan refused. "No."
As if he hadn't heard, the man pulled out a chair and sat down anyway. "Thanks."
"Why did you linger on the Three Hearts Plain the day after the Emperor's Flowing Dew erupted?"
He Lingchuan took a sip of soup. "Speak plainly."
"Humans usually don't stay there for long," the man chuckled. "What worries do you have?"
"I don't know what you're talking about, and I don't care to know," He Lingchuan said lazily. "From the looks of you, you're not from Fufeng City, are you?"
"How can you tell?"
"If you were from Fufeng City, you'd be in the Detention Hall right now instead of running around out here." He Lingchuan tapped his temple. "Anyone with problems up here gets sent to the Detention Hall to spend the rest of their days in peace."
It was the place Fufeng City used to house the mentally ill, something he had only learned a few days ago.
A burly man stood up abruptly and started over, but the leader pressed his wrist down, signaling him not to act.
Leaning in, he whispered to He Lingchuan, "I recognize your scent. That stunt at the wild boar's cave was nicely done!"
He Lingchuan slurped up a noodle with a loud hiss.
"Heavenly treasures belong to the capable," the youth smiled at him. "How about making friends?"
During the earlier chase, he had assumed the fellow merely had quick feet. Meeting him face-to-face today, he realized He Lingchuan was no easy customer.
He wasn't sure where the impression came from, given that the youth was doing nothing more than eating noodles at an unhurried pace.
When those words left his mouth, the men behind the youth were taken aback. Their young master had killed people in the street over minor disagreements countless times, always walking away unscathed. Why had he suddenly changed his temperament today?
He Lingchuan set down his wooden chopsticks, looked slowly at the youth, and suddenly broke into a broad smile. "Sure. What's your family name?"
Both knew full well that the Emperor's Flowing Dew they had fought over days ago had already been converted into cultivation within their bodies. Starting a massive brawl now served no purpose.
"I'm Fu Shan." The youth crossed his arms. "And you?"
"He."
Fu Shan smiled. "So we're good?"
He Lingchuan returned a smile just as free of malice. "We're good."
Fu Shan extended a warm invitation. "Why not dine together?"
He Lingchuan waved his chopsticks dismissively. "No, no need. I'm almost finished here."
The sudden friendliness between the two was so abrupt that the burly men behind Fu Shan were dazed. They had assumed their young master was about to flip the table.
Fu Shan continued, "Now that I've found you, there's another thing I wanted to ask..."
Just then, the doorway of the inn darkened as another figure stepped inside. Looking around, he spotted He Lingchuan immediately and walked over.
It was none other than Wu Jinsong.
"Brother He, you're finally back! Oh, meeting friends?" Sharp-eyed, he instantly sensed something off about the scene.
Why did those standing men look so murderously menacing?
He Lingchuan said lazily, "Yeah, made their acquaintance out in the countryside a few days ago. There was a little misunderstanding between us."
"Oh?" Wu Jinsong caught on immediately. "Is that misunderstanding still there?"
A few days ago, out in the countryside? Weren't these "friends" made while fighting over the Emperor's Flowing Dew?
He crossed his arms, looking down at Fu Shan. "Is that so? Where are you folks from?"
His tone was one of interrogation. Across from him, a full-bearded bruiser glared, ready to snap back, but Fu Shan raised a hand to cut him off. Putting on a sincere smile, Fu Shan said, "We won't spoil your good mood, then. We'll take our leave." With that, he cupped his hands and led his men away briskly, not forgetting to take the freshly sliced braised donkey meat on the way out.
Once they reached an empty alleyway, Fu Jiu asked in a low voice, "Young Master, what about that guy?"
"Keep a close eye on him." Fu Shan's face darkened slightly. "On the morning after the Emperor's Flowing Dew erupted, that fellow named He was the first to leave the lake shore, yet he knew I was pursuing him. I suspect he must have left behind some means of surveillance by the lake. It's quite possible he knows who we killed."
"Who didn't get blood on their hands that night?"
"Who cares if wild mountain beasts die? The trouble is that utterly foolish python demon!"
They had killed an envoy of the Eling Kingdom. That was a serious problem, especially for their upcoming mission.
...
The moment they left, He Lingchuan flicked a chopstick straight at the crow.
The bird was thoroughly traumatized by this move; it let out a terrified screech and fluttered wings out of the inn.
With this spy out of the way, He Lingchuan pointed after the group. An eyeball spider crawled out of his sleeve, scuttled on eight tiny legs, leaped into the belt of the last departing brute, and quietly tucked itself away.
Wu Jinsong hadn't stopped them either. Shaking his head, he said, "Daring to pick a fight here? Tired of living."
Over the past two days, chaos had reigned both inside and outside the city, and he had no desire to invite trouble; scaring them off was enough.
He Lingchuan gave him a thumbs-up. "As expected of Lord Wu. You resolved my trouble without even lifting a finger."
Wu Jinsong was a guard from the Grand Tutor's Manor, making him a local heavyweight in Fufeng City. If he could leverage the prestige of the Grand Tutor's Manor, why would He Lingchuan handle it on his own?
"Quit teasing me, Brother He." Wu Jinsong knew what He Lingchuan was capable of. Looking at him closely, he suddenly paused in surprise. "Wait, did you have a breakthrough?"
He was a martial artist himself; one look at He Lingchuan's bright, spirited eyes and vigorous aura told him that the youth's bearing was entirely different from before.
The noodles had grown a bit cold. He Lingchuan laid down his chopsticks. "Fortunately, I've cleared the Ren and Du meridians."
"Congratulations! Congratulations!" Wu Jinsong was astonished. The two most difficult channels among the eight extraordinary meridians, and this youth had vaulted right over them so effortlessly? The rest would pose no problem, requiring only steady, patient cultivation. The kid wasn't even twenty yet; achieving this at his age was truly remarkable. "It seems Brother He had quite the fortuitous encounter."
He Lingchuan asked him, "You didn't go out the day the Emperor's Flowing Dew fell?"
"I was on duty. Orders came from above to remain on high alert." Wu Jinsong's resentment and envy practically overflowed. "If Fufeng City fell into chaos, the consequences would be unthinkable."
Chapter 383