Mutual Speculation

Fang Canran said thoughtfully, "Still, why did he go to Chiyan Kingdom so quietly before?" "When a Duyun Emissary from the Heavenly Palace goes abroad, it's certainly on business for the celestial gods." "Which means something happened within Chiyan that drew the attention of the celestial gods, and Bai Ziqi went there to investigate." Fang Canran stroked its crest feathers. "Didn't you receive word that the Tianluo Star showed abnormalities several dozen days ago? Calculating the timing, it seems to match up." "The Tianluo Star flashed in Chiyan, and the elixir of immortality case originated in Chiyan." The parrot bobbed its head. "Are you saying the Chiyan Demon King and his son are stirring up trouble, and that's why they sent this fellow He to find you?" "At least that's how it looks on the surface. Lately, Fu Shanyue has been very active in Lingxu City. He's showing up at all sorts of occasions and has negotiated several partnerships, including with the Jinjiao clan and Dun Garden." "Could the Fu Shan father and son know your family affairs?" The parrot's questions could hit the nail on the head at times. Fang Canran sighed. "Ordinarily, they shouldn't. But in any case, I haven't found any reason for He Xiao to expose me. If he came specifically to make trouble for me, there was no need to antagonize so many powerful nobles at the same time." Wouldn't that just be making things needlessly difficult for himself? "He's with the Chiyan Crown Prince, and Chiyan is using the elixir of immortality case to butt heads with Lingxu City. Ah, here in Lingxu City, that bunch from Chiyan is like a powder keg; one wrong move and it blows. So I think it's best for us to stay on peaceful terms with him. Besides, plenty of people already want his life. If he mishandles even one thing, he won't survive anyway. There's no need for me to lift a finger. "In any case, since the celestial gods sent Bai Ziqi to Chiyan, the matter to be investigated was already momentous. Then it got tangled up with the elixir of immortality case—initiated by Chiyan and backed by a joint memorial from six kingdoms including the Jeweled Tree Kingdom. Yet now the investigation is dragging on with no results, and vassal demon kingdoms take turns submitting petitions of concern. I hear the Demon Emperor has already lost his temper several times." The parrot asked curiously, "Do you think the mastermind behind the elixir of immortality case really is the Azure Palace?" "Qingfu Temple was secretly selling the elixir of immortality, and quite a few nobles bought it. Do you think the ones at the very top could not have known?" Fang Canran deduced, "This is an exclusive trade. To this day, I haven't heard of anyone else being able to do it—discounting that incident several centuries ago, which is too far in the past. That's why the backing behind Qingfu Temple is simply too solid. If not for a stroke of luck this time, the elixir case could never have seen the light of day. Demon kings like the Jeweled Tree King also recognized this rare opportunity, which was why they launched a joint offensive. "Now that the case has been dragged into the open, if Lingxu City fails to find the true culprit and address everyone's concerns, the prestige of the Demon Emperor and the celestial gods will inevitably take a hit. But pushing the investigation deeper meets tremendous resistance. You can see the case has been stalled for a long time. Bai Ziqi's opponents cleaned up the clues very thoroughly. Everyone suspects, but no one has proof." "So you think it's the Azure Palace?" Fang Canran nodded. "Extremely likely." The parrot asked him, "And what if they simply can't find anything?" "Then they stall," Fang Canran replied without hesitation. "Lingxu City is so vast, and Beijia is so vast. How many things happen every single day? People won't fixate only on the elixir case." It was human nature to seek novelty and tire of the old. "As long as they drag the case out until everyone grows tired of it and forgets, major matters will naturally become minor, and minor matters will dissolve into nothing. Well, isn't there still a war in the east? That's very useful for diverting everyone's attention." He paused. "So many earth-shattering events happened in the past. For instance, when Juju caused the great Lingxu earthquake, criticism rained down from all quarters. But didn't it end the same way in the end?" He let out a long sigh. "Right now, undercurrents are surging through Lingxu City. I really wish we could add some fuel to the fire." "Safety first!" The parrot flapped its wings in warning. "Safety first! Did you hear that? Safety first!" "I know, I know." Fang Canran hurriedly fished out a few peanuts and handed them over. The parrot instinctively caught them with its claw and cracked the shells open with its pincer-like beak. Once it started eating peanuts, it had no time to talk. ... Watching Fang Canran depart in his carriage, the soul-snatching mirror finally asked from within He Lingchuan's robes: "What did that word 'torture' mean?" It could not enter Panlong City, so it did not know the origin of the Dragon-Torture Pillar. "Nothing." He Lingchuan had no intention of explaining it. The three words "Dragon-Torture Pillar" should not even be uttered in Lingxu City. "Hey, something not even I know, and you told him?" The soul-snatching mirror was quite sorrowful. Did this master not know the difference between who was close and who was distant? "Aren't you afraid he'll find a way to report you?" Some people just loved reporting others. "The Chain of Oaths is in effect. Even if he wanted to report me now, his hands are tied." He Lingchuan walked back slowly, greeted by the servants along the way. "If he weren't afraid, he could have reported me long ago. Why would he have bothered to come meet with me?" He simply strolled toward Mingguang Tower on the western side of the garden. This was the highest point on Mount Qilin. Once night fell, a massive colored-glass lotus lantern would light up atop the tower in red, blue, and yellow, making for a magnificent night view. This was also where "Mingguang" got its name. But the servants had slacked off today and hadn't come to light it. He Lingchuan casually lit it, then sat on the tower's window ledge. Mingguang Tower was very narrow, fitting only one person going up at a time; turning around on the stairs was difficult. The mirror asked again, "That Shao Jian you two were talking in riddles about—is he really an ancestor of this fellow Fang?" "Ninety percent sure." He Lingchuan had considered this long ago. "I only know Shao Jian had a daughter named Shao Yingying. If she married out, then Shao Jian's grandson naturally wouldn't have the surname Shao." "What did this Shao fellow actually do?" the mirror asked in confusion. "To make you admire him so much?" Most of the time, this master hardly seemed like an ordinary person. Did he actually have someone he admired? He Lingchuan said calmly, "That's a secret. Even today, not many dare mention it." Fine then. The mirror felt that its master did make distinctions between close and distant—it was just treated as distant! "Then will Fang Canran believe you?" "For now, we're just testing each other. Even with the power of the Chain of Oaths, neither of us dares to bare our heart completely." Each had their own little secrets. A rustle stirred in the nearby woods, sounding like birds fighting. He Lingchuan casually tossed a few nut shells over, startling a flock of night birds into cawing and scattering. "...Then why did you reveal so many secrets just now?" "If it were just Fang Canran alone, even if I was certain he was Shao Jian's descendant, I might not have told him all that, or even sought him out," He Lingchuan thought through clearly. "No matter how fearless and steadfast Shao Jian was, that was Shao Jian himself; it has nothing to do with his descendants." In other words, Shao Jian could stand firm against the celestial gods, but his descendants might not. The father being a dragon while the son turned out a worm—wasn't that a common sight? And that could happen in just two generations. What if it stretched across eight or ten? Never overlook individual autonomy and individuality. "And so?" The mirror noticed that lately it had been asking these two words more and more often. "Yet Fang Canran not only understands what his ancestor did over a hundred years ago, he fully agrees with it..." "Hey, hey, how can you tell he agrees with it?" the mirror exclaimed. "Why couldn't I see that?" "The signet ring he wears is the leader's signet ring of the Red Conch Merchant Guild, which Shao Jian founded. It has five spiral ridges. I remember it clearly; I wouldn't mistake it." "Oh, and then?" "Shao Jian spent his life fighting for national and personal vengeance, defying the celestial gods right up to his death. Fang Canran knows his life and past, yet still wears his spiral ring on his hand. That is an endorsement of his ancestor's ideals and actions, as well as a veiled provocation against the celestial gods." He Lingchuan said solemnly, "Don't forget, this is Lingxu City, right under the noses of the celestial gods! And what Shao Jian did would be enough for the gods to exterminate eighteen generations of his line. If Fang Canran hadn't inherited his ancestor's conviction—or even if he merely knew about it without approving—how would he dare wear that ring?" In life and deed, one must first establish one's resolve. Fang Canran's insistence on wearing this signet ring was perhaps his way of declaring his resolve to himself, a constant reminder. "Wearing that ring really won't get him into trouble?" He Lingchuan shook his head. "Shao Jian disbanded the Red Conch Merchant Guild several years before his death. I worked out the timeline—it was probably not long after Panlong City fell. Later, he left home on his own, likely knowing the celestial gods were closing in, thereby severing his last ties with his family. He had enough time to wrap up loose ends calmly. I doubt the celestial gods even know about this ring. Besides, more than a hundred years have passed." He smiled. "Fang Canran isn't stupid either. If there were real danger, he wouldn't wear it." "We're getting off track." He Lingchuan steered the conversation back. "I'm already busy enough to make my head spin, so why take the risk of approaching him? Aside from needing outside help, it's also because this man's persistence is very strange." "Strange?" "I already said: no matter how steadfast a father's conviction is, passing it to his son is quite an achievement. But passing it down ten generations later?" He Lingchuan chuckled. "People today don't even know the names of their ancestors three generations back, yet carry on their legacy? What a joke! "To say that Shao Jian's legacy could be passed down generation after generation for over a hundred and sixty years without fading by the time it reached Fang Canran—that's virtually impossible." The mirror said with an "Oh," "You mean he's an imposter? He's faking it?" "That's your assumption." He Lingchuan rolled his eyes. "What I'm saying is, he's not alone. Behind him, there's very likely a tight, efficient organization." "Ah?" The mirror was stunned. "Wh-why?" "For an individual to keep a conviction steadfast and unchanging is exceedingly difficult. Do you know how fragile the human heart is?" Looking down from the top of the tower, one could glimpse the myriad lights at the foot of Mount Qilin. How much ordinary happiness was nestled within them? Even for residents of Lingxu City, living well was no simple task. "The wide world dazzles the eyes, and this path is fraught with hardships that thwart great ambitions. Short of a saint, even an iron will cannot withstand the constant grinding of time. But having an organization, a team, is a different story. Like-minded comrades can encourage each other and walk shoulder to shoulder." He Lingchuan thought of Panlong City. Hadn't the Gale Army been just such a group? "Conviction also requires nurturing and maintenance." What a precious thing conviction was; like a spark of fire, it was far easier for a group to keep alive than a solitary individual. The mirror cast a sidelong glance at him. "Then what about you?" Wasn't its master fighting all on his own?