Instructions of the Celestial Book

He Lingchuan heard people murmuring beside him: "I wonder what Ke Yanming plans to do with that boundless gold once he takes it back." "Is it to make an offering to the mountain spirit of Mount Xu?" "Why would anyone waste such a treasure on that!" another scoffed. "Offering boundless gold is no different from hurling hundreds of thousands of taels of silver into magma!" "Boundless gold ought to be used on divine artifacts! Putting it into any ordinary magic artifact is a sheer waste of heaven's gifts." "You and I may think so, but that is the Ke family! The Ke family's ways are never like ordinary people's." An onlooker smiled wryly. "Remember the Flowing Fire Pearl unearthed when the Flowing Cloud Immortal Cave opened? It was a relic of an immortal that hadn't lost its vitality. The Ke clan bought it for the staggering sum of a hundred and fifty thousand taels. And what happened?" "What happened?" the others asked, thoroughly engrossed. "They threw it into a lake to raise fish! All because those dozens of large fish would only keep their brilliant colors in a constant-temperature environment!" The onlooker clicked his tongue twice. "Something that could have been done with a few simple formations, yet they used an ancient relic like the Flowing Fire Pearl!" "And two years ago, for the fifth young miss's hairpin ceremony, that rainbow feather robe..." "And then..." He Lingchuan scratched his head as he listened. What a damned world. The rich died of excess, while the poor starved to death. Even though he hadn't bought anything at today's Dun Garden auction, he had gained plenty. It had not been a wasted trip. It was worth mentioning that at the subsequent auctions he visited, three more treasures caught the covetous eye of the divine bone necklace, which transmitted sensations of *I want to eat it so badly*. But remembering that bizarre ox horn, He Lingchuan felt a lingering unease, so he firmly refrained from bidding. Naturally, the ridiculous prices were another reason he didn't even entertain the thought. Everything here was exorbitantly expensive; money hardly seemed like money anymore. Just a moment ago, he had watched a golden comb inlaid with seven kinds of gems get sold on the block. Yet the gems weren't the reason it was valuable—regularly using the comb allegedly made one's hair thick and lustrous. The starting bid was a hundred taels, and what was the final hammer price? Three thousand taels—in other words, three million coins. Most of the bidders were female guests, but in the end, it was won by a lion king. He Lingchuan touched his head. Fortunately, he had a thick head of hair. That just saved him three thousand taels of silver, meaning he could eat something nice after heading home. *** In the afternoon, once Fu Shanyue had seen enough, he and He Lingchuan left early. Fang Canran, head manager of the Golden Horn clan, warmly saw them off. Seeing He Lingchuan returning empty-handed, he couldn't help saying, "Did Young Master He truly find nothing to his liking? That is a failure on my part!" He Lingchuan smiled. "I only accompanied the crown prince to join in the excitement." It wasn't that there were no good items, nor that nothing caught his eye—it was simply that the lots at Dun Garden were far too expensive! Back out in the world, his net worth was considered substantial, but here, he couldn't even afford two decent trinkets. He had better keep a tight grip on his coin pouch, lest scattering money left him with nothing in a flash. "How could that be?" Fang Canran said cordially. "Any guest visiting our Dun Garden is bound to find something of interest. If Young Master He is looking for anything specific, I can have our people keep an eye out." "Is that so?" Subconsciously, He Lingchuan glanced again at the signet ring on his hand. "Then I'd trouble Manager Fang to look out for a sealed dreamscape for me." "Hm?" Fang Canran followed his gaze down to his own hand. "A dreamscape?" "Indeed," He Lingchuan said with a smile. "While investigating a case in Baishaqu, I encountered a curse master holding an artifact—a sealed dreamscape contained within a conch shell. I found it quite intriguing and hope to obtain one myself." Fang Canran let out an "Oh." "Now that you mention it, I do recall something. Yes, indeed, Dun Garden has sold such magic artifacts before." He Lingchuan had only asked casually and hadn't expected him to pick up the thread so easily. Fang Canran explained, "Six years ago, at the autumn auction, a dreamscape artifact was auctioned off. It contained the dreamscape of a small island city on the Eastern Sea. The distinguished guest who bought it did so as a plaything for his children; since the children had never visited the sea, it was meant to let them experience island life." "Uh, that works too?" "Of course." Fang Canran smiled. "This is Lingxu City, after all." In Lingxu City, nothing was too strange. "Then I shall trouble Manager Fang." "As soon as one is found, I will send word to Young Master He." "Splendid, many thanks!" He Lingchuan took his leave and departed alongside Fu Shanyue. The gibbon stood behind with several mantises, cheerfully flashing a "stay in touch" gesture. Yet He Lingchuan felt a chill run down his back. Turning around, he saw that aside from Fang Canran's beaming face, both Zhongsun Ce and Hong Chenglüe were glaring at him with sullen, venomous expressions. Their hostile gazes trailed him all the way until he exited the grounds. Those two were like ticking time bombs; he had to find a way to deal with them. *** That night, Mount Xu. Someone arrived to report to Bai Ziqi: "Lord Emissary, the celestial relic at Dun Garden was bought by an idle spectator at the opening bid of three taels of silver. Neither the Chiyan Crown Prince nor He Xiao made an offer." Bai Ziqi, who had just returned after running about all day, was lying on a couch with a hot towel over his face to unwind. "Did they take notice of the celestial relic?" "The Chiyan Crown Prince didn't spare it a glance. He Xiao lingered by the curio display case for a short while, but he only looked at other items and paid no attention to the celestial relic." "Were they present when the treasure was put up for auction?" "Both were present and heard it, but neither showed the slightest interest. He Xiao was yawning repeatedly," the subordinate said. "From beginning to end, they never raised their paddle." "Were there any unexpected turns midway?" "The relic was originally scheduled to be sold at Tianyu Tower, but later they went to Hanxiang Hall, so we coordinated with Dun Garden to change the venue. Someone also went looking for He Xiao, and we waited until he returned and sat down before opening the bidding on the relic." Bai Ziqi sat bolt upright and pulled off the towel. "With it being so deliberate, he would be a fool not to suspect something!" The subordinate shrank back, not daring to speak. Bai Ziqi also knew that conditions at the auction were complex, filled with unforeseen events and wealthy patrons with money to burn. Slipping in a treasure that He Xiao could afford while ensuring other rich fools paid it no mind had not been an easy task. After all, how could anything coveted by the Dafang Pot be an ordinary item? Bai Ziqi rubbed his face. "Does the person who bought the celestial relic have any connection to the Chiyan people?" Could it have been bought through a proxy? "They are currently under surveillance." "The celestial relic must not be left circulating outside. If the buyer truly has no ties to the Chiyan people, go retrieve the relic. Make no disturbance." Just like the others, those two seemed utterly uninterested in celestial treasures. Ah well, what was missed was missed. The simplest method had been attempted and failed; did he need to change tactics? Bai Ziqi straightened his robes and cap, then set out for Zhaixing Tower. After he knelt before the divine altar and finished his report, the flame of the temple's Everlasting Lamp—unshaken by any breeze—suddenly flickered twice. Words slowly materialized on the Celestial Book: *Probe further.* Indeed, whenever the Dafang Pot was involved, the gods could never rest easy. And when the gods could not rest easy, they began tormenting their subordinates. Bai Ziqi said with utmost deference, "I await the Holy Sovereign's decree." Whenever the celestial gods handed down an oracle, the Demon Emperor's presence was not strictly required. Most of the time, they communicated solely with the lamp wardens or the Duyun Emissary. These were their true "confidants." Thus, in the Demon Emperor's absence, the text appearing on the Celestial Book was plain and unadorned: *Check the threads of fate of these two individuals to see if they have been twisted! Fate interfered with by the Dafang Pot cannot remain as it was!* Bai Ziqi watched quietly without uttering a sound. He knew very well that it was not yet his turn to speak. Sure enough, another line immediately flashed onto the Celestial Book: *Impossible! Mitian's forte was glossing over reality. Even though Mitian has fallen, the Dafang Pot is likely still influenced by that power.* It seemed this was a debate among them. Bai Ziqi kept his eyes fixed downward, maintaining his composed silence. The Celestial Book went blank once more. After quite a long while, writing reappeared: *During the second anomalous flare of the Tianluo Star, what occurred in northern Chiyan?* Only now was it Bai Ziqi's turn to answer. He pondered briefly and recounted the events of that night: "Nothing of major significance occurred in those six counties that night, aside from Cheng Yu suffering backlash after failing to assassinate He Xiao, and He Xiao pursuing him to Tongfu Inn to fight a fierce battle against the Fan Sheng and Fan Bao brothers who were stationed there." "He Xiao recently explained that Cheng Yu sent a yin deity to assassinate him, only for it to be struck back by his purple-gold pestle," Bai Ziqi continued. "This claim is very likely true. I interrogated the guards from the Cen Manor who looked after Cheng Yu afterward, and I inspected the dreamscape where Cheng Yu had concealed his soul; he was clearly not fleeing an ordinary spectral nuisance." The Celestial Book responded: *We suspect the Dafang Pot is hiding within the Azure Void.* "The Azure Void?" Bai Ziqi mused. "The Holy Sovereign says it is neither in the divine realm nor in the mortal world, but concealed within the Azure Void? But... does the Dafang Pot possess the power to flee into the void?" This time, more words appeared on the Celestial Book, turning a page: *During the period Mitian controlled it, the Dafang Pot seemed to develop new abilities. It merged into one with Panlong City, consuming the wandering spirits of the desert for over a century, and releasing the undead spirits of the Gale Army and the Three Corpse Worms during the wild sand season. How could it lack the power to escape into the void?* "Your disciple stands enlightened," Bai Ziqi said at once. "Which is to say, the second anomalous flare of the Tianluo Star might have occurred because He Xiao suffered an attack by a yin deity, causing the Dafang Pot—originally concealed within the Azure Void—to automatically protect him, releasing energy that was sensed by the divine artifact." The Celestial Book: *Precisely. There is no harm in doing it again.* "You wish to subject He Xiao to such an attack once more? If it triggers another reaction from the divine artifact, or if the Dafang Pot directly protects its master, we can confirm that the Dafang Pot is upon him!" Bai Ziqi understood. "This is indeed a brilliant plan. It will cause little commotion and will not draw attention from various factions." The Celestial Book remained blank for a long time. The evening breeze rustled the draperies, and a biting chill permeated the grand hall. Bai Ziqi knew the celestial gods were contemplating. After about a quarter of an hour, two words finally appeared on the Celestial Book: *Judgment.* Bai Ziqi was greatly shocked. "Holy Sovereign, to conduct a soul judgment for the sake of a mere mortal? The price for this..." No voice spoke within the temple; only the flame of the Everlasting Lamp flared brightly twice. "Yes, we shall make preparations at once." Bai Ziqi strongly disapproved, yet at this moment, he could only reply solemnly, "It can be carried out ten days from now." *** South of the city, at the Tongxin Guard garrison camp. There was no one else in the spacious room. Fan Sheng and Fan Bao stood upright, while the person behind the desk sat with his legs propped high on the tabletop. Fan Sheng held his back pin-straight, but kept his head bowed in silence. "Weren't you full of confidence before heading south?" the man scoffed. "Why are you looking like eggplants hit by frost now?"