His old man had spent twenty years honing his blade in secret—would it all truly end up as water drawn with a wicker basket?
He Lingchuan felt his father was not so easily broken.
"It isn't clear how far they've pushed. Nian Zanli seems to have fallen ill."
"There's another rumor," the other official said. "While Hong Chenglüe was reinforcing Nian Zanli, he urged him to deploy a lost supreme treasure of the Qingyang Palace called the Verdant Flask. Only then did they turn the tide in one stroke. It's said that some people in Lingxu City are quite displeased with this action."
*Here it comes.* He Lingchuan had always suspected Nian Zanli must have used a strategic-grade magic artifact; otherwise, how could he have pulled off such a reversal against the wind? So that magic artifact was called the Verdant Flask?
"What does the Verdant Flask do?"
"I don't know that. In any case, it must be extraordinarily formidable." After all, he wasn't an official from Lingxu City and knew little about the finer details of the war. To have caught wind of the name "Verdant Flask" had already exhausted his gossiping abilities.
The other man asked, "They won the battle, so what is there to be displeased about?"
"That treasure isn't something a single army's origin power can activate. I heard that National Preceptor Shuangye made a grand gesture and allocated a massive amount of our Beijia's origin power to Nian Zanli. Otherwise, he could have strained himself to death without being able to unleash it!"
He Lingchuan let out a soft hiss. "If so much was given away, wouldn't that leave us with less in reserve?"
"Precisely! That's why the elders in Lingxu City raised an uproar, calling it a waste of strategic reserves. We have conflicts of our own in the east—how can we casually squander vast amounts of origin power on an irrelevant war?"
He Lingchuan murmured, "An irrelevant war?"
Indeed. The one pushing south with reckless abandon was Nian Zanli, the Governor of Xunzhou; the northern demon kingdom hadn't deployed its own troops. To the people of Beijia, wasn't it entirely irrelevant?
Yet if they hadn't intervened, how could the Yuan Kingdom's war have become such an excruciating struggle?
"Besides, why bestow so much origin power upon a turncoat general? He hasn't made the slightest contribution to Beijia," the official continued. "Because of this, the Sovereign Emperor instructed National Preceptor Shuangye to slash the origin power quota allocated to Nian Zanli's army and recalled Hong Chenglüe back into the country."
Originally, officials could refer to the Demon Emperor as "His Majesty." However, Lingxu City venerated "Holy Venerable Lingxu," so using "His Majesty" was considered an encroaching lack of deference. Thus, they addressed him instead as "Sovereign Emperor."
In ancient times, "Sovereign Emperor" was the revered title of transcendent immortals who held sway over entire realms, which went to show how exceedingly high the Demon Emperor held himself.
He Lingchuan asked, "With his origin power slashed, will Nian Zanli's southward invasion slow down?"
"Perhaps. That also depends on the Yuan Kingdom's resistance. If they collapse at the first blow, Nian Zanli might just march all the way to the Yuan capital."
The other official chuckled. "The Yuan Kingdom is hardly small. Though feeble and exhausted now, even an emaciated camel still has a few hundred jin of meat on its bones."
"Now that Hong Chenglüe has been recalled to Lingxu City, what post will he hold?"
"Haven't heard yet. Perhaps he hasn't even reached Lingxu City?" The official shook his head. "For news to travel back and forth takes a month or so."
The distance from the Jeweled Tree Kingdom to Lingxu City was indeed vast.
Having gathered what intelligence he could, He Lingchuan cupped his hands to the two. "My thanks to you both."
Just then, the herald ahead called out again: "The envoy from Lingxu City has arrived—!"
With a rustle, the entire assembly stood.
He Lingchuan glanced sideways. The delegation consisted of only seven or eight people. Those behind carried gifts, while the leader was a middle-aged man around forty. Touching his imperial tally-staff lightly to the ground, he announced in a clear voice, "By the decree of the Sovereign Emperor, let the Jeweled Tree King receive these gifts!"
The ground trembled slightly. Only then did He Lingchuan notice a colossal figure striding out from the depths of the main hall, step by deliberate step. Like a golden mountain toppling or a pillar of jade collapsing, it knelt before the Lingxu envoy's tally-staff.
It was an immense treant, standing over two zhang tall when upright. Tangled boughs and vines coiled across its body, and the tips of some branches even bore tender leaves and blooming white blossoms.
At a single glance, one could tell this was the Jeweled Tree King's avatar, representing it as it walked upon the earth.
The moment it knelt, everyone followed suit.
He Lingchuan merely lifted his knees slightly, keeping them from actually touching the ground. Looking down the long slope, every person and demon had dropped to their knees—not a single human or demon remained standing.
Across the hills and plains, every living creature knelt in submission before the might of Beijia's Demon Emperor.
The Lingxu envoy's voice rang out crisp and clear as he read the imperial proclamation. Its contents were nothing more than praising the Jeweled Tree King for its past contributions to Beijia, wishing it well on its eight-hundredth birthday, conferring celebratory gifts, and encouraging it to keep up the good work guarding Beijia's southern threshold.
*Guard the threshold...* He Lingchuan thought to himself. *If your demon empire doesn't venture out to bully others, other nations would already thank heaven and earth.*
Once the envoy finished reciting, the crowd rose. Following protocol, the Jeweled Tree King's chancellor stepped forward to accept the gifts on its behalf and guided the envoy to his seat.
He Lingchuan had long heard that the Jeweled Tree King's chancellor had little presence, with Grand Preceptor Sha wielding far more influence in domestic governance. Looking now at this Chancellor Tang, he was somewhat short and plump, with narrow brows and eyes. When he smiled, he looked remarkably genial, reminding He Lingchuan of Maitreya.
They said he was a thoroughly harmless good-natured fellow; whether he was the same on the inside as on the outside was another matter.
By this time, the treant had slowly ambled out of Baiyun Residence. Sweeping its gaze across the surroundings, it released a long, deep sigh.
The sound resonated directly within everyone's minds, like an evening drum or a morning bell.
"We have walked this world for eight hundred years, witnessing natural disasters and treading through wars. By the grace of heaven and the blessing of the gods, We still abide here..."
The moment the old treant spoke, the commoners and demons on the hillside knelt once more, clearly moved with exceptional sincerity. Some wept silently upon hearing it bare its heart, murmuring alongside its words.
Every branch and leaf of the colossal tree in the lake began radiating a pale golden glow.
The more devoutly the citizens of Fufeng City chanted, the brighter its radiance grew, until it seemed like a second sun.
He Lingchuan clicked his tongue.
He had truly never witnessed origin power of such density and purity before.
The depth of the Jeweled Tree King's hold over the people's hearts was plain to see.
Then the golden light burst forth, and everyone closed their eyes together.
When people slowly opened them again, they discovered white flowers blossoming within the dense canopy of the great tree in the lake—from dozens, to hundreds, to thousands, tens of thousands, and hundreds of thousands...
The entire tree was blanketed in immaculate white.
The mountain wind rose again, sweeping up the white blossoms and sending them fluttering toward the shore like heavy snowfall.
Every person and demon cupped a white flower in their hands and, following the Jeweled Tree King's earlier instructions, gently placed it against their forehead.
A wave of lucidity washed over their minds, brushing away sorrow and vexation in an instant.
Afterward, the flower could be eaten.
He Lingchuan followed suit, then popped the entire blossom into his mouth in one bite.
It tasted delicate and sweet, somewhat like a lily, with a scoop of fragrant nectar nestled in its center that refreshed his very soul.
This was the Jeweled Tree King's grace. Eating a blossom condensed from the great tree's life essence could cure chronic ailments and heal wounds without medicine, while those free of illness would find their bodies strengthened. However, it had to be consumed on the spot; its potency vanished after fifteen minutes.
The atmosphere reached its absolute peak as countless people bowed from afar toward the Jeweled Tree King, offering thanks for its generous bounty.
He Lingchuan also bowed deeply toward the tree in the lake. Sincere or not, he had received the benefit, so it was only proper to offer his thanks.
Suddenly, a warmth bloomed against his chest.
Looking down, he found the divine bone necklace glowing once more—though this red light was visible only to him.
*What did this thing set its sights on now?*
He Lingchuan raised his head to look around and abruptly noticed that the golden light that had washed over the grounds earlier had shrunk into the old treant's hands, condensing into a thick orb of light.
Eventually, the golden light slowly dissipated, leaving the old treant cradling a golden fruit.
It was slightly larger than a lemon, dark gold all over, and strikingly beautiful.
*The divine bone necklace can't be after that thing, can it?* He Lingchuan took two large strides toward the old treant, and the heat from the divine bone indeed lessened.
A guard at his side stopped him, warning sternly, "Please step back!"
Order was strictly kept; even honored guests could not wander as they pleased.
He Lingchuan stepped back two paces, and the necklace scalded him again.
Sure enough, the divine bone's taste—or rather, its appetite—had always been quite ambitious.
He Lingchuan let out a long sigh. *Brother, are you trying to get me killed?*
Though he did not know what wondrous use this seed possessed, seeing the old treant, Chancellor Tang, and Grand Preceptor Sha clustered around it as though it were their very lifeline was enough to tell him that anyone who dared touch it would die. No matter how benevolent the Jeweled Tree King appeared, it would not show mercy.
Stealing the discarded husk from Zhu Erniang last time had been risky enough, relying seventy percent on luck. But trying to steal a seed right beneath the Jeweled Tree King's nose? Was that even possible?
He Lingchuan patted the divine bone necklace. *Don't be so greedy. Some things aren't meant for you to eat.*
The heart-protecting mirror let out a drawn-out "Whoa": "That seed really is a treasure! Even I can feel the power contained within it!"
It wanted it badly too, but knew it was out of its reach. "Forget it, forget it. I'll just settle for a tree branch!"
Hearing He Lingchuan's sigh, Second Master Shi asked, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. This flower tastes wonderful. Can we get another?"
The guard beside them answered, "The spiritual efficacy works only once. Taking more serves no purpose."
He Lingchuan shrugged with regret and turned his gaze back to the old treant in the main hall.
The seed was passed into Chancellor Tang's hands. Facing the populace, he proclaimed in a ringing voice, "To the twenty-six lands of the northern border, another guardian is added!"
A cluster of people on the slope immediately broke into cheers.
"Excuse me, what does that mean?" Since the guard beside him was human and easy to converse with, He Lingchuan asked, "What does a guardian have to do with this seed?"
"Every guardian is an avatar of our King, capable of repelling raiders and vanquishing foes to ensure the peace of a region," the guard said. "Those cheering now are all residents from the northern border. After waiting all these years, their turn has finally arrived."
"They hadn't received one yet and had to wait?" He Lingchuan found this curious. "After eight hundred years, shouldn't our King's avatars be everywhere across the realm?"
The guard shook his head. "I'm new to this shift; I don't know the details."
The heart-protecting mirror chimed in—audible only to He Lingchuan, of course: "In this current era's environment, it isn't easy for the Jeweled Tree King to produce a spirit seed. Do you think it's laying eggs, able to pop out countless ones over eight hundred years? Look at how grand today's ceremony is, and yet it only brought forth a single one."
He Lingchuan asked again, "Does the northern border of the Jeweled Tree Kingdom border the Chiyan Kingdom?"
Second Master Shi picked up the conversation: "The northern border of the Jeweled Tree Kingdom is quite long. To the northwest lies Zhuolu Commandery, and due north are the Twilight Plains. Cross those great plains, and you reach the Chiyan Kingdom."
"The Twilight Plains?"
"That is one of the commanderies and prefectures under direct central control."
"Then this seed is being sent to...?"
The guard replied, "It should be sent due north."
Meaning the border region adjacent to the Chiyan Kingdom to the north?
North of the Jeweled Tree Kingdom lay the Twilight Plains governed by Lingxu City, as well as the Chiyan Kingdom. Moreover, the Chiyan Kingdom was also one of the Thirteen Demon Kingdoms—it was not an external border of Beijia.
Chapter 389