"Perhaps they recognize nightmares. Isn't Cheng Yu like that?" the strange head explained. "Besides, rarity makes things valuable. Sealed dreamscapes are exceptionally hard to collect, so they sound like high-end luxury items. Furthermore—"
It gave a few dry chuckles. "You humans always harbor desires you can't bring to light. Isn't it wonderful to indulge them in a dream? So much freedom!"
"Huh?"
"Pretty girls dream, too," the head cackled. "Intimacy in a dream leaves no mess upon waking. As the saying goes, a grand dream leaves no trace."
He Lingchuan understood. No wonder Fang Canran had gone out of his way to emphasize that the small town at the core of this sealed dreamscape was home to quite a few beauties.
"All right, that sealed dreamscape will be your nest from now on." Getting the nightmare out of Panlong City was simple enough. He grabbed the strange head and hurled it straight into the river. "Off you go."
To the residents of Panlong City, he had merely skipped a stone into the water.
The strange head sank straight to the bottom and vanished.
Humans needed houses, dogs needed kennels, and a nightmare had to rest within a sealed dreamscape to replenish its vitality. Staying in Panlong City long term offered it no sustenance; on its last few outings, it had barely possessed the strength to move.
Only for that reason had He Lingchuan spent a small fortune to purchase a nest for it.
After all, dispatching a nightmare to run errands was immensely convenient, as it could ignore many of the rules and restrictions of the waking world. For instance, just a few days ago, the nightmare had slipped into Zaifu Kua's dreams and extracted a vast trove of intelligence concerning Mount Xu's spirit gathering formation.
Given that the magma monster Juju had a foul temper and a scheming mind, why had the celestial gods insisted on designating Mount Xu as their earthly retreat? Wasn't that like building a bonfire right beneath one's own backside?
Only from Zaifu Kua had He Lingchuan found the answer.
First, Mount Xu's predecessor, Mount Shou'an, was the former site of the Dahuan Sect. This had been one of the longest-surviving immortal sects and Daoist orders, renowned across the realm for producing extraordinary luminaries, and naturally, it had served as a primary bulwark against the gods in antiquity. Building a celestial palace here held profound symbolic significance for the gods, effectively grinding their ancient nemesis beneath their heels.
More importantly, Mount Xu was the source of Lingxu City's earth veins. The Spirit Gathering Grand Formation had to be constructed here in order to continuously channel richer, more abundant spiritual energy into Lingxu City.
This concerned the welfare of every cultivator in Lingxu City and could not be neglected.
However, Mount Xu's geographic conditions were ill-suited for this version of the spirit gathering grand formation. It was only because the celestial gods and the Demon Emperor compelled Juju to alter the terrain and shift mountain peaks that the project was barely brought to completion.
When superiors handed down orders, they usually cared only for a satisfactory outcome, indifferent to the hardships of the process. Officials, including Zaifu Kua, revised proposal after proposal; even if building it seemed impossible, conditions had to be engineered to make it happen.
In the end, the spirit gathering formation began operating on schedule, once again demonstrating the omnipotence of the celestial gods.
Yet the cost did not vanish.
The completed spirit gathering formation possessed inherent weak points that could never be eliminated, only patched over. Consequently, countless overhauls—both large and small—were required each year, consuming immense amounts of labor, time, effort, and money.
Of course, with Lingxu City's boundless wealth and power, it could easily afford such costs.
***
Commerce thrived in Lingxu City, where taverns, teahouses, and theaters all served as venues for doing business. Teahouses in particular saw an influx of patrons seeking hot tea to warm themselves as the weather cooled. With a renowned storyteller scheduled for the afternoon, the hall was at least seventy percent occupied, if not bustling to the brim.
Fortunately, such establishments always offered private booths.
This teahouse boasted an elegant, tranquil atmosphere. Outside the booth lay a tiny, courtyard-like atrium only a few square yards in size, yet laid with white sand and planted with varied shrubs, evoking a quiet, detached aesthetic.
Upon He Lingchuan's inquiry at the entrance, a server led the way. "Private booth upstairs!"
Ascending to the second floor, he stepped into the elegant room. Seated across from him was a person fair as fine jade.
Li Qingge.
Today, she was dressed in men's attire, wearing a white robe beneath a cyan outer jacket, her hair bound in a jade crown.
Before her rested a small red-clay brazier, the cast-iron kettle atop it already puffing white steam.
At the sight of her, He Lingchuan chuckled. "My Lord Marquis is truly in step with the latest trends."
Over the past year, it had become fashionable for young women in Lingxu City to go out dressed as men. This trend had drifted down from the Floating Isle; thus, cross-dressing did not involve darkening one's skin or deliberately looking unsightly, but rather adding a touch of dashing valiance to a woman's natural grace.
There was even makeup designed specifically for this style.
Having seen plenty of it on the streets in recent days, He Lingchuan could not help but marvel at how inventive the young women of the imperial capital were.
Li Qingge had also applied light makeup today, and anyone could tell she was a woman.
No man had skin so fair.
No man possessed eyes so alluring.
Nor did any man have skin so supple and delicate that it seemed fragile to the touch.
Yet styled this way, she looked striking.
Looking striking was all that mattered.
Li Qingge lifted the kettle and poured He Lingchuan a cup of hot tea. "Does it look good?"
"Of course it does." There was nothing to deny.
The two sat by the window. Looking left, they could observe the activity on the street; turning right, they could hear the storytelling on the first floor. The hubbub from both inside and outside was fully within earshot.
"Why are your clothes damp?" Li Qingge asked with concern. "Shall I have someone buy a clean change of clothes for you?"
"No need." He Lingchuan waved a hand. "I'll dry them with my true power in a moment."
Before leaving today, the persistent shadows stalking Pianxiang Villa had still been clinging to him.
He had rowed out toward the center of the lake again, only for the tiger to warn him that there might be eyes in the sky this time.
The Tongxin Guard had reacted swiftly. Suffering a setback yesterday, they had plugged their blind spot today. Fan Long was taking his surveillance quite seriously.
Unfortunately, the goshawk had not yet returned, leaving He Lingchuan no choice but to dive headfirst into the water.
Mount Qilin's lake connected to underground caverns. He had held onto the gill covers of the giant-mouthed catfish monster and let it pull him into the caves.
When a paying client made a request, the catfish would gladly pull him around, even if asked to dance in the lake draped in aquatic weeds.
After that, He Lingchuan emerged on the opposite side of Mount Qilin.
With its picturesque mountains and waters, he was growing increasingly fond of Pianxiang Villa's geographic location. Truly a splendid spot!
Li Qingge did not press the matter. "I heard Panshan Residence was burned. You came out unharmed, I trust?"
"Neither Fu Shan nor I were there, but the servants in the manor suffered heavy casualties." He Lingchuan's expression darkened slightly. "Unable to find us, Crown Prince Huan vented his fury on the servants."
"A monster will always be a monster." Li Qingge was not about to excuse him with 'he's just a child.' "The residents of the Floating Isle ought to know Crown Prince Huan's temperament all too well. Have you found the instigator behind him?"
He Lingchuan shook his head. "Like the embassy explosion, this will probably end up as an unsolved case."
"Frankly, I thought that in a legendary place like Lingxu City, investigations would be handled far more efficiently." Reality had surprised him somewhat.
Were men like Bai Ziqi truly so rare in Lingxu City?
"Do you think the Emperor hasn't given the order, or hasn't assigned officials to oversee it?" Li Qingge shook her head. "In my view, it's just very difficult to investigate."
She did not say it was impossible to solve, but rather 'difficult to investigate.'
He Lingchuan gave a soft chuckle, not disappointed in the least.
If his future was destined to stand in opposition to Lingxu City, then the more chaotic and inefficient his enemy was, the happier he ought to be.
Just then, someone passed along the hallway. Li Qingge waited until the footsteps faded before asking, "You sent word through your little companion to arrange this meeting for...?"
Last night, the message she received from He Lingchuan had not come through Old Shan, but via a little monster.
By all rights, she should have remained composed.
Yet with her vital interests at stake, Li Qingge could finally contain herself no longer.
"The Tongxin Guard has moved into Pianxiang Villa, and they're watching me very closely. I was afraid Old Shan wouldn't easily shake them off," He Lingchuan said softly. "I've found a way that might get Nian Zanli to hand over the bamboo cylinder willingly."
Li Qingge's beautiful eyes slowly widened. "Eldest Young Master, please tell me the details!"
He Lingchuan held nothing back, explaining the entire sequence of events to her.
Excited though she was, Li Qingge held back and dared not interrupt.
Only when He Lingchuan finished in one breath and picked up his tea to moisten his throat did she say, still in disbelief, "Y-You mean, you can borrow troops from National Preceptor Shuangye for Nian Zanli?"
"Correct."
"How did you manage that?" The way Li Qingge looked at him shifted once more. This youth had come to Lingxu City for the very first time less than a month ago, during which he had faced numerous crises and troubles of his own. How had he managed to establish ties with one of the most powerful figures in all of Beijia?
Carrying the prestige of Songyang Mansion, she had operated here for years, yet had only met National Preceptor Shuangye twice, possessing no rapport to speak of.
In this six-hundred-year-old imperial capital, how rigid were the boundaries of status and hierarchy?
Furthermore, He Lingchuan was talking about borrowing troops.
Could an army be lent out so casually? Even if the soldiers were drawn from Baling, National Preceptor Shuangye would still need to deploy his personal networks and shoulder a fair share of risk.
After all, this matter would eventually reach the ears of the Demon Emperor.
What method had this young man before her used to persuade National Preceptor Shuangye to grant such a massive favor?
Li Qingge had originally understood He Lingchuan's background quite clearly. He was merely the son of a commandery prefect from the northwestern border of Yuan Kingdom, and his father was currently only the Governor-General of Xiazhou. In Lingxu City, that amounted to next to nothing.
She had previously asked him to make contact with Nian Zanli only because the youth was clever and had the backing of the Chiyan Crown Prince, thinking he might manage to secure some troops for Nian Zanli through roundabout means.
It had been nothing more than casting a net on a whim, a tentative attempt.
Yet now she realized she could not read him at all!
How had he formed a connection with National Preceptor Shuangye? In Lingxu City, the Chiyan Crown Prince's influence wasn't remotely on the same level as that of the National Preceptor!
Could he possess some other background?
He Lingchuan smiled. "My apologies, but that is my private affair."
He was simply playing both sides for his own benefit.
"I overstepped." Li Qingge considered it for a moment. "All Nian Zanli wants is to borrow troops to fight his way back. As long as he can retake Xiazhou, that's enough. Where the soldiers come from shouldn't matter to him."
He Lingchuan nodded. "Baling's infantry and cavalry are formidable, and they're close to Xunzhou and northern Xiazhou. That alone will save a massive fortune on grain, provisions, and baggage trains. Otherwise, even if troops were deployed from Xuluo Kingdom, the distance would be more than doubled. In military campaigns, feeding men and horses is paramount. Before the fighting even began, the burden would already be crushing."
"Besides, even if the Demon Emperor agreed, how many troops could Beijia actually lend to Nian Zanli? I expect they would be the old, the weak, the sick, and the disabled. Furthermore, would Beijia's army truly obey his commands?"
Having thirty thousand troops and several generals placed entirely at his disposal was a tremendous advantage.
Historically, so-called 'borrowed troops' sounded noble on paper, but in practice, they were almost always allied forces where each side exercised independent command.
When one side held the power, the manpower, and the martial might, why would they ever take orders from the weaker party?
Chapter 611