"Can you handle it?"
"Yes." Thereupon, Fu Shanyue drew out a portion of the baleful aura from her body, then placed her into Fu Shanji's carriage.
Inside the carriage was a long box—or rather, a casket—fitted with an array. With just a slight adjustment, it could essentially seal the girl off from the outside world.
Seeing that he had a new master, that base slave attentively poured tea and fetched water, attending to Fu Shanyue and Taozi with utmost care.
He Lingchuan saw him crouching in a corner far from the firelight, eating something that looked like a bowl of mush. Everyone else was seated, but he could only squat or kneel.
"Hey." He Lingchuan called out to the man and tossed him an apple.
Upon catching the apple, the base slave did not take a bite right away. He first checked the expressions of the Chiyan people. Seeing them look on with indifferent disregard, he bowed to He Lingchuan three times, picked up the apple, retreated into the shadows, and began to gnaw at it with crunching sounds.
The noise sounded very much like a rat.
One of the Chiyan men noticed and gave He Lingchuan a chuckle. "Don't be fooled by his pitiful appearance. Back home, this bastard beat his wife and a daughter to death with his own hands."
After the caravan settled in, the moon had already tilted west. Everyone seized the opportunity to rest, for tomorrow's journey was still long.
Naturally, sentries were posted as before.
He Lingchuan did not intend to sleep either, closing his eyes to regulate his breath.
Who knew how much time had passed when a soft clink sounded—remarkably, it was his precious saber chiming low in its sheath.
Then came a sentry's startled, soft cry nearby.
He Lingchuan snapped his eyes open.
The illusion had actually appeared again!
The current moonlight was just as abundant as two hours earlier. Right before He Lingchuan's eyes, that ancient city from over two hundred years ago materialized once more.
Yet unlike the last time, it was utterly quiet and still.
Shadowy figures bustled atop the city walls, spearmen patrolling to and fro as they observed the countryside, but there was no desperate fighting. Below the city gates, all was peaceful and serene; there was no vast army of Lingxu covering the mountains and plains.
No smoke, no weeping or shouting, no forest of spears or rain of arrows, and no towering flames.
Just like the living of today, the ancient Thousand Stars City bathed peacefully beneath this wheel of moonlight.
What was going on?
The curtain of the opposite carriage was lifted, and Fu Shanyue tiptoed down. He asked He Lingchuan in a whisper, "Hey, want to go take another look?"
With so much having transpired tonight, he couldn't possibly sleep soundly without a care in the world. His newly subdued subordinates had originally been Fu Shanji's men; who knew if some loyal devotee might act foolishly and try to assassinate him?
"Let's go," He Lingchuan agreed readily. In any case, the eyeball spider responsible for keeping watch over the camp hadn't been recalled yet, so it might as well keep serving.
At this point, Second Master Shi also heard the sentry's cry and sat up rubbing his eyes. Gazing outside, he was dumbfounded. "Wh-what is going on? Why is the illusion different from before?"
"You haven't seen this scene before?"
Second Master Shi rubbed the back of his head. "I've only heard of one scene in this illusion—the slaughtering and fighting we just saw. But this... such a quiet Thousand Stars City, I don't think I've ever heard anyone mention it."
Had a new scenario unlocked? He Lingchuan grew even more intrigued.
Second Master Shi, however, was dead tired and had no desire to venture out exploring; he only wanted to collapse and sleep.
Thus, the two who were still full of energy called out to the camp sentries, then lithely headed deep into the illusion.
The city in the illusion was extraordinarily tranquil, as though it were deep in the night here as well, with scarcely a soul on the deserted streets. He Lingchuan even heard the chirping of crickets, unsure whether it came from the illusion or reality.
It was truly hard to tell fact from illusion.
Ever since acquiring the fragment of the Jeweled Tree King's branch, the soul-snatching mirror had recently been in seclusion. Having gone without food or drink for hundreds of years, it had suddenly gorged itself on Emperor's Flowing Dew and Juluo tree branches within half a month—each an extraordinary tonic. Stuffed to the brim, it needed to digest.
Otherwise, He Lingchuan would have had to listen to its gasps of amazement countlessly tonight.
This city was far too vast and thoroughly quiet; in which direction should they explore?
Fu Shanyue pondered and said, "The scenes in such natural illusions depend on the coincidental alignment of time and weather. There might not be any significant cause or effect behind it. Perhaps this was just an ordinary, unremarkable day in Thousand Stars City."
He pointed to the damp ground. "Look, rain just fell in the city too, and there's a bright moon in the sky, exactly matching the weather we encountered tonight."
He Lingchuan, however, let out a soft exclamation. "The moonlight is blazing, so why is that star in the east so bright?"
Normally, when the moon is bright, stars are scarce. Tonight's moonlight shone across mountains and rivers, illuminating the mortal realm like day, leaving the myriad stars dimmed and eclipsed.
Except for one bright star in the east, glittering with purple light.
It did not vie for brilliance with the moon, yet the moonlight could not conceal its presence either.
He Lingchuan had never studied astrology, but this star truly shone with unusual brightness.
Prompted by his words, Fu Shanyue also looked up. "How did the Tianluo Star light up?"
"That's called the Tianluo Star?"
"You didn't know?" Fu Shanyue expressed astonishment at his ignorance. "The Tianluo Star is the tenth star of the Northern Dipper. Usually dim and lusterless, it is difficult to spot with the naked eye, shining only on rare occasions."
"Rare occasions?"
"Around every autumn onward, I think, lasting until early spring of the following year." Fu Shanyue gazed up at the stars. "It's not even the eighth month yet. Why is it lit? And did it shine during the first half of tonight?"
He Lingchuan shrugged. "No impression of it."
With so many things to look at, why would he stare at the night sky for no reason?
Like the thing right in front of him—"Hey?"
He Lingchuan briskly walked up to a tall wall and reached out to trace a pattern on it.
This pattern was all too familiar. He had seen it countless times on the south gate wall of Panlong City in his dreams. It was—
A black flood dragon!
Although behind the south gate of Panlong City stood an entire massive sculpture, and here was only a diagram resembling a magic array—with the flood dragon's head drawn somewhat stylized and rounded—He Lingchuan was certain: this was indeed a black flood dragon!
The sudden appearance of this design shocked He Lingchuan even more than the illusion itself. For it meant that some connection existed between Thousand Stars City and Panlong City.
One of these two cities was in Beijia, the other in the Xiluo Kingdom, tens of thousands of li apart. Why did both possess the black flood dragon totem?
Generally speaking, carvings and paintings displayed along such prominent avenues and official walls depicted guardian spirit beasts of the realm.
For instance, the Xiluo Kingdom's guardian spirit beast was the Golden Bull. One had originally been placed at Panlong City's south gate as well, until Zhong Shengguang ordered it replaced with the black flood dragon.
The issue, however, was that Xiluo's Golden Bull truly existed—tangible, touchable, usually guarding the capital and deployable in war to repel enemies.
But what about the black flood dragon?
He Lingchuan had entered and left the Panlong dreamscape so many times, yet why had he never seen the actual black flood dragon show itself?
The black flood dragon in the ruins illusion didn't count; that was Zhong Shengguang's remnant soul borrowing its form to manifest.
He Lingchuan had even asked many people, including Hu Min and Xiao Maoliang, and none had ever seen the black flood dragon with their own eyes.
If that was the case, why had Panlong City erected a statue in its honor?
Even more absurdly, Thousand Stars City, tens of thousands of li away, had done the exact same thing!
As one of the original twelve demon kingdoms, the Yuan Kingdom did not establish guardian spirit beasts like human realms did.
Monsters and demons roamed everywhere here, and the powerful among them served as high-ranking officials. Who would stoop to becoming some spirit beast? That was degrading one's own status!
Even prefixing it with 'guardian of the realm' wouldn't make it acceptable.
Therefore, Thousand Stars City painting the black flood dragon on a wall was an eccentric act in itself.
He Lingchuan turned to look at Fu Shanyue, who wore an equally baffled expression.
Evidently, this fellow's knowledge of the Yuan Kingdom from two hundred years ago wasn't much richer than He Lingchuan's.
Next, the two continued their search and sure enough found another black flood dragon pattern outside an official residence. This time it was a brick carving, the dragon head protruding outward with exquisite craftsmanship.
Beneath the brick carving lay a brick supporting an incense burner, within which were two leftover incense sticks.
The common folk were actually worshiping it.
The last time they entered Thousand Stars City's illusion, the surroundings had been consumed by raging fire and scorched earth. Who would have noticed patterns on the walls? Or perhaps they had long since been destroyed in the flames of war.
This time, he finally saw it with complete clarity.
Fu Shanyue also stared fixedly at it, murmuring, "Where have I seen this?"
"You've seen it?" He Lingchuan pressed immediately. "Where?"
"I saw it in Father's study when I was a child. In some books, probably?" Fu Shanyue gave a soft hiss. "It was ages ago, I can't remember clearly."
"Tsk. Completely unreliable."
"In any case, it was a banned book... no, a secret archive."
"Oh?" He Lingchuan finally felt a spark of interest. "How old were you then?"
"Seven or eight?"
"How did you know it was a banned book?" Quite precocious, wasn't he?
"Father's study was divided into inner and outer chambers. Never mind the outer one; the items collected in the inner chamber were never shown to anyone—books, dossiers, letters, and all sorts of miscellaneous objects." Fu Shanyue recalled, "I remember an attendant bumped two books off a shelf while cleaning the royal study, accidentally flipped through two pages while picking them up, and lost his head for it."
The Ruler of Chiyan was widely knowledgeable and long-lived; that his study held secrets was hardly surprising.
He Lingchuan looked at the dragon head before him. "A taboo in your father's hands, yet displayed openly in the streets and alleys here?" The King of Yuan's stance was truly resolute, leaving himself no retreat whatsoever.
Yet another mystery.
"Further ahead is the palace quarter." Straightening up, he looked toward the tall palace walls and the pointed roofs of buildings visible not far away, murmuring, "In the end, we still ended up heading toward the palace."
He couldn't explain how it happened either, feeling as though guided by an unseen hand.
"Since we're already here, let's take a look."
The two walked several dozen zhang more. Just as they were about to enter the palace gates guarded by soldiers, a carriage rounded the street corner, its carriage lantern casting a faint yellow glow in the night.
The carriage was modest, but the horses were fine steeds.
The carriage pulled to a halt before the dismounting stele at the palace gates. A scholar in a long robe stepped down, a young man of about twenty with delicate, clean features and a mole between his brows.
He did not wear official robes, yet the guards recognized him. "By His Majesty's order, Official Shao is requested to proceed to the corner tower of the West Second Gate." Pausing, the guard added, "You are specially permitted to travel by carriage."
With only this single carriage seen in the dead of night, He Lingchuan and Fu Shanyue naturally followed.
Inside the palace, the carriage did not dare move swiftly, driving westward along the base of the wall before stopping roughly half a quarter of an hour later.
This was the corner of the palace walls. By the moonlight, He Lingchuan and Fu Shanyue saw a corner tower indeed standing atop the ramparts, three stories tall.
That Official Shao stepped down from the carriage here and mounted the wall, walking up the steps.
He Lingchuan glanced around, noticing a tree inside the high wall, about four zhang tall.
Chapter 419