Fang Canran smiled. "This sealed dreamscape is drawn from an actual small city ninety li northwest of Lingxu City. It still has two or three thousand residents today, so it won't fade away anytime soon. The landscape is lovely, the local customs simple and honest, and the women gentle and beautiful. You can savor the experience at your leisure in your dreams, Young Master He."
He Lingchuan looked visibly touched. "Thank you, Mr. Fang! This is precisely what I need right now."
The nightmare boarded back in Panlong City wailed and howled all day long; he desperately needed to find the creature a nest.
Then again, didn't Fang Canran's smile look a little strange?
After that, it was time for He Lingchuan to foot the bill.
Dun Garden dealt primarily in rare curios and precious treasures, making it one of the largest purveyors of fine goods in Lingxu City. Its regular auctions served to establish and maintain its reputation. When it came to an extraordinary rarity like a sealed dreamscape, as long as a buyer had the demand, Dun Garden would find a way to procure it.
Naturally, each item was individually priced, and it was certainly not cheap.
This miniature city dreamscape ate up nine thousand six hundred taels of silver in one go.
Eight thousand of that was the purchase price, to be forwarded to the seller, while Dun Garden took an additional twenty percent handling fee—another one thousand six hundred taels.
For all of Fang Canran's reserved smiles, he showed no hesitation whatsoever when pocketing the coin.
He Lingchuan felt a secret ache in his purse. Spending nearly ten thousand taels of silver—nearly ten million coppers—just to buy a toy genuinely cemented the playboy reputation he had held back in the day.
Of course, on the surface, his smile was breezy and indifferent. "Chief Manager Fang is a busy man, and it's rare that I catch you. Why not stay at Pianxiang Villa tonight for a casual dinner?"
He had only mentioned it in passing, but Fang Canran readily agreed. "Nothing could be better. I've already heard how delicious the mead at Pianxiang Villa is—even Commander Fan the Third was drooling over it."
The fellow's sources were remarkably well informed. "A trivial matter. There will be plenty to go around."
Of course, dusk had not yet fallen, and it wasn't yet time to drink. Fang Canran lifted his teacup and broached another topic. "Young Master He is such an outstanding young talent. Are you truly from Fu Kingdom?"
"Yes. My origins aren't worth mentioning."
"Heroes need not care where they come from. Lingxu City is full of prominent figures from petty kingdoms and remote hinterlands who now hold seats in the imperial court." Fang Canran waved a hand. "You see, my own ancestors weren't native to Lingxu City either. They simply arrived a few decades earlier than you, Young Master He."
"Lingxu City has stood for nearly six hundred years. For people like us, arriving a few decades earlier or later doesn't offer much of an advantage anymore—it all comes down to our own striving and hard work," He Lingchuan said with a chuckle. "May I ask where Chief Manager Fang's ancestral home is?"
"My ancestors drifted without a fixed abode, making their home wherever they went. However, I've heard they originally lived in Tabu, near what is now Chiyan's southern border. I wonder if Young Master He has any impression of the place?"
He Lingchuan let out a soft exclamation. "Oh, indeed I do! Very much so! In that case, Mr. Fang's ancestral roots lie in Chiyan, so fate has tied us closely together."
Tabu was right on the border between southern Chiyan and the Twilight Plains, where Fu Shanyue had clashed with Zhongsun Mou. It was also where He Lingchuan's bighorn rock sheep had been ambushed by Mai Xuewen's—Xi Yunhe's—subordinates, almost carried off by a snail-toad.
The reason He Lingchuan was surprised was that he knew Tabu had belonged to the former Yuan Kingdom before the founding of Chiyan Kingdom!
Strictly speaking, it was part of the Twilight Plains. It was only after the fall of Yuan Kingdom and the founding of Chiyan that the Demon Emperor demarcated it within Chiyan's borders.
Therefore, commoners born there, even though living upon the former lands of Yuan Kingdom, were legally recognized Chiyan citizens, not the outcastes of the Twilight Plains!
The subtleties behind this sent He Lingchuan's thoughts racing.
Had Fang Canran brought this up deliberately? Why?
Fang Canran smiled. "Indeed. The moment I first laid eyes on you, Young Master He, I felt a kindred spark."
"For that statement alone, we must drink a full toast." He Lingchuan rubbed his hands together. "Forget it, why wait for dinner? How about we head out onto the lake for a drink first?"
"Splendid!"
With that, the two strolled toward the back mountain. The fierce tiger dozing in a large tree outside the courtyard opened its eyes and let out a soft snort.
This was Jiao Yu asking if he should tag along. He Lingchuan waved a hand at him. "Go on sleeping. Brother Fang and I are just going out onto the boat for some wine."
The painted pleasure boat was rather cramped; once two people sat inside, there wouldn't even be room for the tiger to stretch out.
Hearing this, the tiger rested his massive head back onto the fork of the branches, four legs dangling, and closed his eyes to resume snoring.
Fang Canran remarked as they walked, "The ancient trees in the Crown Prince's gardens are true treasures, older even than the ones in Dun Garden."
"Under its previous owner, Pianxiang Garden must have seen its days of glory too, right?"
"Indeed. Twenty years ago, when a daughter of the Chunyu clan was wed, the banquet was held right here at Pianxiang Villa. My uncle brought me along back then to make a delivery, and I still remember how guests arrived like clouds; the scene was bustling and grand beyond measure. And now—" Fang Canran sighed softly. "Now that it has changed hands, it is far more tranquil."
"A single look from the Emperor, and two centuries of splendor and wealth vanished like smoke." The Chunyu clan had backed the wrong side, resulting in the confiscation of their entire estate. "It truly goes to show: prominent clans come and go, but Lingxu City stands forever."
Fang Canran and he exchanged a glance, and both burst into laughter. "Isn't that the truth?"
Beneath the laughter, each seemed to harbor his own private thoughts.
The two boarded the vessel via the newly built dock. A servant had already arranged the wine and dishes, and bowed before withdrawing.
He Lingchuan poled the boat himself, maneuvering the pleasure barge to the center of the lake.
A breeze was blowing today, and the boat bobbed and drifted along the gentle ripples, imparting a distinct charm to the moment.
Ripples disturbed the jade-green waters as autumn light danced across the surface. Fang Canran praised, "You have splendid scenery on this lake."
The sweet osmanthus mead was already warmed over a small red clay stove. He Lingchuan poured Fang Canran a cup, filling it to seventy percent. "Rumors on the street say General Jinjiao is easy to see, but Chief Manager Fang is hard to invite."
Fang Canran enjoyed General Jinjiao's deep trust and managed vast estates. As the saying went, even the gatekeeper of a prime minister ranked as a seventh-grade official; Fang Canran held real authority in his hands, was perpetually busy, and attending a banquet on invitation was considered an act of great condescension on his part.
"Does Young Master He not know how intensely sought-after he has become? I hear that even this pleasure boat was personally delivered to your door by Young Master Ke the Fifth. Why shouldn't I make the trip?" Fang Canran exchanged a toast with him. "Right now in Lingxu City, the Chiyan Crown Prince is the most talked-about person, and you rank second, Young Master He."
Oh? Had he gained such renown in Lingxu City already? He Lingchuan pointed his chopsticks toward the shore. "I haven't noticed any benefits, only all sorts of inconveniences."
As the two of them had walked over, shadows had been tailing them the entire way.
Fang Canran had sensed them as well, and looked back at the figures on the shore. "Those are the Tongxin Guard?"
"Indeed. Wherever I go, they follow—even standing right outside the latrine. It's a colossal nuisance."
"In all of Lingxu City, fewer than ten people could have the Tongxin Guard watching over their outhouse," Fang Canran said with a laugh. "Young Master He ought to feel proud. You should know that the young ladies and noble daughters of various prominent families are all asking about you. That's a good thing, you know."
"What's good about that?" He Lingchuan picked up a bite of peanuts in aged vinegar with his chopsticks. This was the cook's signature dish, sweet and sour; aside from honey and vinegar, who knew what else she put in it. The sourness wasn't harsh, the sweetness not cloying, the exterior soft and the interior crisp—an exceptional pairing with wine. "Will it bring a romantic encounter?"
"You never know." Fang Canran gave him a knowing look that every man understood.
He Lingchuan chuckled and took a swig of wine.
Fang Canran asked him again, "Once the elixir of immortality case concludes, where will you go, Young Master He?"
This was the very first outsider in Lingxu City to inquire about his future plans. He Lingchuan's expression shifted slightly. "My original intention was merely to broaden my horizons in Lingxu City. I never expected to be dragged into such turmoil. I don't even know if I can come away in one piece, so I haven't dared to think about what comes after."
"General Jinjiao is thirsting for talent and has heard of your reputation, Young Master He. If you are interested, I can act as an intermediary to recommend you."
He Lingchuan looked surprised. "I know nothing of business and only know how to cause trouble. I fear I wouldn't be able to earn any money for General Jinjiao."
"Every craft has its specialty," Fang Canran said. "Someone with fame as high as yours, Young Master He, is the envy of others in their wildest dreams. It would be a crying shame not to put it to good use."
He Lingchuan gently swirled his wine cup. "Mr. Fang, are you saying I should wait for the highest bidder, or find a worthy master to roost with?"
"Could it be that you have other ambitions, Young Master He?" Fang Canran said gently. "Looking back over the past several centuries, talents from every corner of the world have fought their way to Lingxu City, only to sell their civil and military talents to the imperial house." Or, selling them to princes, dukes, and high ministers was hardly an ignoble path either.
What right did the youth before him have to be an exception?
He Lingchuan laughed aloud. "My karmic fortune is slender. I fear I cannot bear the weight of Lingxu City's wealth and honor."
"If your fortune were slender, Young Master He, how could you maneuver so effortlessly back and forth among these great and prominent clans?" Fang Canran's lips curved upward. "Anyone else would have been dragged into the vortex long ago, their life or death hanging in the balance."
"Vortex?" He Lingchuan sighed. "I offended Commander Fan the Second, only for Young Master Ke the Fifth to send me such a grand pleasure boat, turning me into the center of attention that very day—and the Fan brothers saw it with their own eyes right here at Pianxiang Villa. Sigh, isn't that just putting me on a spit to roast over a fire?"
"Those two sides have bad blood. Whatever displeases the Fan brothers, the Ke family is eager to do. I reckon the Ke family probably calculated that the Fan brothers would appear at Pianxiang Villa that day, and did it deliberately." Fang Canran couldn't help smiling. "You were simply caught in the middle by circumstance, Young Master He; otherwise, they would have found some other pretext to bicker with one another."
He took a sip of wine. "I remember one year when Commander Fan Long took a liking to a pair of vambraces at Dun Garden, just the right fit for the third Fan brother. The moment the Ke family saw that, aha, here was their chance—they immediately went to bid it up! A pair of vambraces starting at nine thousand was driven straight up to one hundred and fifty thousand!"
"Commander Fan didn't get them?" He Lingchuan had fought the dire bear at Baishaqu and didn't recall it wearing any vambraces. Then again, if it had been wearing them, that blade stroke might not have severed its forearm. "He didn't seem like someone lacking money."
"Seeing how zealous the Ke family was, Commander Fan the Eldest could only give up." Fang Canran shook his head. "In a contest of brawn, the Ke family cannot match the Fans. But in a contest of wealth... competing with the Ke family's fortune in Lingxu City? Anyone would have to think twice."
"Wealth and honor surpass none like the Ke family; the reputation is well deserved." He Lingchuan shook his head. "I've heard the Ke family has enjoyed imperial favor for over a hundred years. Who wouldn't envy that?"
Fang Canran smiled. "Dun Garden and the Ke family have always conducted business together. When the Kes purchase treasures, they truly pay little heed to silver. However, the quantity of goods the Ke family places on standing orders with me has dropped significantly over the past decade."
"Oh?" He Lingchuan asked in curiosity. "May I ask what kind of goods?"
Chapter 608