Taozi whispered, "After drinking that bowl of blood broth, I only got hungrier and hungrier, so I wanted to come out for a walk. But as soon as I stepped outside, I caught the scent of living humans. It smelled so fragrant... so I, I just followed it."
"You're fine." Fu Shanyue drew a soft breath, the corners of his mouth curling upward. "It actually worked! Hahaha, it really worked! You're not an earth fiend child anymore!"
"Then what is she?" He Lingchuan asked on Taozi's behalf. "Did she turn into a ba?"
Fu Shanyue ruffled Taozi's hair. "That's right!"
He had merely conducted an offhand experiment; he never expected to hit the mark on the first try!
He was overjoyed.
He Lingchuan gave a startled laugh. "I thought ba only arose from the corpse transformations of the dead."
The world was vast, and full of wonders.
"There are exceptions, like me." Fu Shanyue scratched his chin. "Except I was born a ba, whereas Taozi was a living human who absorbed earth fiend yin energy and then consumed the essence blood of a ba, forcing a transformation."
"A living ba?"
"You could say that." Fu Shanyue stroked Taozi's hair. "I actually managed to make a little companion. This trip was worth it—well worth it."
"Is it because of our trip through the Thousand Stars Ruins?"
"Most likely." Fu Shanyue pondered for a moment. "She is a descendant of the Yuan people to begin with, but she absorbed far too much earth fiend yin energy. Without drinking human blood, she couldn't suppress it at all. My blood provided further guidance, allowing her to rapidly transform with the aid of that fiendish energy. Frankly speaking, it was a stroke of good luck."
He had merely given it a tentative try, never imagining it would actually succeed.
The two searched the corpse but found nothing useful, only a few miscellaneous items.
Pocketing them casually, He Lingchuan patted the rock sheep's great horns. "Did they want to steal you?"
The rock sheep walked over to the edge of the cliff and peered downward.
He Lingchuan frowned. "They wanted to push you down?"
Indeed.
Taozi reminded him once more, "They wanted to push me down too."
"Strange. If their attempt to steal the sheep failed, why not just flee? Why murder?" He Lingchuan looked at the rock sheep. "Would you honestly just let them steal you?"
This fellow dared to butt heads with bear demons and was remarkably agile; how could two humans catch it so easily?
The rock sheep let out a few sheepish bleats.
He Lingchuan couldn't understand it.
Fortunately, the soul-snatching mirror in his robes served as an impromptu translator: "It says the other side lured it with sweet red grass."
So that was why.
The rock sheep kept sniffing at the corpse's soles.
That wasn't a spot they would normally check. He Lingchuan leaned in close to look and discovered that the dead thief's soles were caked in mud and grass, along with some light-red powder.
"Is there something special about this?"
The rock sheep couldn't say, but it had a strong urge to lick it.
He Lingchuan simply took off the shoe and said to Fu Shanyue, "Why don't you give it a sniff?"
"Get lost!" Fu Shanyue snapped in outrage. "What do you take me for?"
He Lingchuan shrugged, took out an empty bottle, and scraped the residue off the sole into it.
Fu Shanyue had long grown impatient. With a kick, he sent the corpse tumbling down the cliff. "Dawn is breaking soon. Let's head back."
***
The next morning, when the Shimen Merchant Guild's clerks went out to buy breakfast, they overheard other caravans complaining that several traveling demons who had hitched a ride with them had yet to return, forcing everyone to wait in place for two days.
"Hitching a ride" meant paying a fee to travel alongside a caravan. Not only human travelers did this; some smaller demons or those ill-suited for long-distance migrations also favored this arrangement.
When the owner of a flatbread roll shop heard this, he told them that demons had vanished around here in the past as well, also on rainy nights.
Didn't the authorities investigate?
Of course they did, but after repeated searches turned up nothing, they simply let the matter drop. Besides, the disappearing demons were few and far between; far more than that perished every year fighting amongst themselves in the wilderness. Who could say what was truly going on?
When He Lingchuan heard the news, he remarked, "It seems my sheep wasn't the only victim targeted last night."
The bighorn rock sheep had simply been luckier.
Yet why would they specifically target demons rather than humans?
Just then, Fu Shanyue walked over and requested that the caravan slow its pace.
"For what?" Before Second Master Shi or Li Qingge could respond, He Lingchuan said displeasedly, "If you delay their cargo delivery, are you going to pay for the losses?"
Second Master Shi secretly praised his thoughtfulness, thinking that young master He had truly learned the ropes after traveling with the guild for so long.
The word "money" was the last thing Fu Shanyue wanted to hear right now. He had no choice but to say, "Then lend me your rock sheep for a few days. It's fast, so I can catch up with the caravan later."
He Lingchuan whistled, and the bighorn sheep came trotting and bounding over from nearby.
After the ordeal the previous night, He Lingchuan had wanted to soothe its nerves. For breakfast, it had been treated to alfalfa mixed with oats, along with a large bucket of pea soup. Its master had even tossed in some dried jerky as an extra treat, and bought it a full grooming package—wash, rubdown, and brush—at the relay station, complete with a meticulous trim of the beard beneath its chin.
It felt thoroughly refreshed from head to hoof, having long tossed the unpleasantness of last night to the back of its mind.
"Carry this guy to handle some business," He Lingchuan said, pointing at Fu Shanyue. "And come back to find me in a few days. Got it?"
The rock sheep nodded.
Fu Shanyue mounted the sheep's back, then suddenly remembered something and pointed at Taozi. "You guys take care of this little imp. Remember, one bowl of pure blood every day."
With that, he turned the sheep around and galloped off, vanishing from sight in no time.
Second Master Shi asked in surprise, "Where is he going?"
He Lingchuan shrugged. "He went to attend to some personal business. Don't worry about him; he'll catch up in a few days."
Li Qingge waved, and Taozi obediently walked over to her side, offering her a sweet, adorable smile.
"Huh?" Li Qingge leaned down to inspect her. "Open your mouth again. Let me see."
Taozi complied and opened her mouth.
Li Qingge marveled, "Your teeth grew back? So fast?"
She had seen with her own eyes that Taozi was missing several teeth yesterday, but now they had all grown back.
A mouthful of neat little white teeth, though the canines on either side were slender, pointed, and exceptionally long—distinctly different from ordinary humans.
"Anywhere else feeling uncomfortable?"
Taozi shook her head. "Sometimes it itches a bit." She wanted to grind her teeth, but the urge to drink blood had already been suppressed.
He Lingchuan took out that tree branch and examined it in the daylight.
The mucus had already dried, turning somewhat hard and brittle while gleaming with reflections like a soap bubble.
Just what was lurking beneath the cliff last night?
***
A few days later, the group arrived at the capital of the Chiyan Kingdom.
The remainder of the journey was smooth and completely uneventful. In fact, this was the norm for the trade routes in Beijia, yet both He Lingchuan and Second Master Shi could sense a gathering storm in the air.
How could such drastic upheaval in the family of the Ruler of Chiyan fail to affect the country?
They had also traveled a stretch by water and disembarked at Baigong Landing. There, four or five people were already waiting at the ferry pier, their piercing gazes scrutinizing every disembarking traveler.
Even after several boats had finished unloading their passengers, those people remained standing there with outstretched necks, clearly having failed to meet their distinguished guest.
He Lingchuan and the others paid it no mind and continued on their way.
Yet when they reached the next relay station, they found the exact same situation.
Judging by their attire and bearing, those waiting were all figures of consequence, split into two or three distinct groups that kept strictly to themselves.
They were all waiting for someone.
Even by the time He Lingchuan and Li Qingge departed, those people still had not met their target.
Even upon entering the capital of Chiyan, it was the same:
Those who were themselves high officials and nobles had either dispatched retainers or were waiting by the roadside in person.
He Lingchuan said to Second Master Shi, "Five taels says they're waiting for Fu Shanyue."
Overhearing them from the side, Li Qingge chimed in, "Five taels says the Ruler of Chiyan doesn't have long to live."
Second Master Shi was taken aback. "Why do you say that?"
Li Qingge gave a leisurely smile. "If the Ruler of Chiyan were in robust health, would they dare openly curry favor with Fu Shanyue right now unless they were tired of living?"
He Lingchuan's mind stirred. "The Ruler of Chiyan is a formidable ba. Why would you think his lifespan is nearing its end?" Li Qingge clearly possessed insider knowledge.
"His martial prowess is naturally beyond question; how else could he have founded the Chiyan Kingdom? But his health has declined, and rumors of this have long circulated through the capital." Li Qingge thought for a moment. "I've heard that over a hundred years ago, in both the Battle of Thousand Stars City and the Battle of Panlong City, this ruler rendered immense meritorious service. Otherwise, why would Lingxu City have carved out a portion of the former territory of the Yuan Kingdom for him to establish a new nation?"
He Lingchuan's expression changed. "What? The Battle of Panlong City?"
Never in his wildest dreams did he imagine that the Ruler of Chiyan could be connected to Panlong City.
They were separated by tens of thousands of li.
Yet he suddenly recalled the history of Panlong City that he had read.
In that final war of annihilation, the northern demon kingdom, answering the requests of Baling and Xianyou, had directly dispatched formidable demon armies and generals.
Could the Ruler of Chiyan have been one of them?
Unfortunately, Li Qingge said, "That is all I know. In that battle back then, Panlong City was completely wiped out, of course, and the other participating parties have remained tight-lipped ever since. Even the historical records only contain brief mentions."
He Lingchuan took a deep breath.
Having grown accustomed to staying in the Panlong dreamscape, he subconsciously tended to overlook its eventual doomed fate.
Li Qingge smiled. "You seem very interested in Panlong City, don't you?"
"Of course," He Lingchuan smiled back. "I come from Blackwater City and was a neighbor to the Panlong Desert for over a decade."
"Right, your treasured saber is a relic left behind by Zhong Shengguang. No wonder it is so extraordinary."
His treasured saber was far more than just a relic of Zhong Shengguang.
The next time they encountered people waiting, He Lingchuan simply walked up and asked them point-blank, "Excuse me, whom are you waiting for?"
The man shot him a glance. "That is none of your concern, sir."
"Not Fu Shanyue?" He Lingchuan muttered. "Then indeed it's none of my concern." He turned to leave.
The man immediately called out, "Hey, wait! Hold on! You know the Eldest Young Master?"
"I do. I've been traveling with him the whole way."
The man looked skeptical. "Then pray tell, where is the Eldest Young Master?"
"He went back to attend to some personal business, but he'll catch up sooner or later." He Lingchuan looked at him. "And you are?"
"My surname is Qian. My father is the Junior Minister of Justice in the current court."
He Lingchuan smiled. "He should arrive in another three to five days. If you're patient enough, feel free to wait here a bit longer." Regardless of whether the man believed him or not, he turned and walked away.
***
Five days later, Fu Shanyue indeed arrived at the capital and knocked on the door of He Lingchuan's guest room.
"I brought your sheep back. It's in the rear stables."
He Lingchuan looked down and noticed a small dark stain on the corner of his robes, resembling dried blood.
"You went back to kill people?"
Fu Shanyue grinned, flashing a mouthful of white teeth. "Couldn't let it go to waste."
He Lingchuan had known that with Fu Shanyue's relentlessly aggressive nature, there was no way he would just swallow his anger and let it slide.
"Those constables who caused trouble for you and me—I killed every last one of them." Fu Shanyue cracked his knuckles with a crisp pop.
"You really do have enemies everywhere under the sun."
"Only the mediocre evoke no envy."
Chapter 437