Ascending Mount Xu Again

"I'm not alone, either." He had never been alone. The might of Lingxu City and the celestial gods was enough to make any individual feel dwarfed and humbled by their own insignificance. If he didn't have Panlong City backing him, he would never have dared to act as boldly as he did now. Panlong City was one of his pillars. Even if it was unseen and intangible, it gave him the resolve to press forward, free from fear and hesitation. Wasn't that what faith was? The mirror grumbled, "That sounds a bit forced, don't you think?" "Then think about it. With all the places Fang Canran could have made a living, why did he have to come to Lingxu City?" He Lingchuan smiled. "People everywhere yearn for Lingxu City, but he shouldn't. For a descendant of Shao Jian, the danger here far outweighs any opportunity. Just look at me. If I had nothing to pursue, I would want to stay as far away from Lingxu City and the celestial gods as possible." It was a psychological distance, an instinctive choice. "Are you saying the organization behind him stationed him here in Lingxu City?" "Is there any identity more convenient for gathering intelligence and conducting operations than the chief business manager of a prominent clan?" He Lingchuan jutted his chin toward the distance. "A colossal capital of seven million people—how many foreign factions are lurking here? You probably couldn't even count them all." The lights below the mountain blazed brighter than the river of stars in the night sky. "Besides, when he snagged me with the Earth Immortal Rope, his first question was what organization I belonged to," He Lingchuan chuckled. "In other words, his subconscious assumed I was working for some faction as well." This was Lingxu City, the heart of the empire. Who would be insane enough to come here and cause trouble entirely on their own? Heh. The mirror sighed. "Fair point." "I might look like I'm handling everything with ease in Lingxu City, but in reality, I'm shorthanded. Having to do so many things myself is exhausting." The Tongxin Guard was constantly watching him, keeping his hands tied. If he had reliable allies to divide the labor, carrying out his plans would become significantly easier. The mirror reminded him, "Even if Fang Canran really belongs to another faction, he might not be willing to help you." "The enemy of my enemy is worth approaching." No matter how difficult things were, they had to be done one step at a time. Right then, a dark silhouette swept across the sky, following the light toward the spire. He Lingchuan gave a whistle, and the silhouette folded its wings, landing on his arm. The goshawk was finally back. The timing couldn't have been more perfect. A smile broke across He Lingchuan's face. Having completed such a long journey, the bird opened its beak, panting heavily. He Lingchuan fished out a small wine bowl from his robes, poured some fresh water from his canteen, and the goshawk buried its head in the bowl, drinking greedily. Only after it slowed down did He Lingchuan ask, "How did it go?" "You were right. That fellow really is still alive." The goshawk pulled a wax-sealed document from the storage ring on its talon and handed it over. "This is the registry certificate from Yangshui County." "Good work. Go rest." He Lingchuan stroked its back feathers. "You've accomplished a great feat. Tomorrow I'll claim a reward on your behalf from the crown prince." He turned the sealed document over and over in his hands, examining it carefully, lost in thought for a long while. The mirror grew worried. "Is something wrong with the document?" "The document is fine, but the situation isn't." "Huh?" It really didn't want to ask "why" anymore! "Since Xi Yunhe dared let me investigate, this person was supposed to be alive," He Lingchuan murmured. "The fact that he's alive is precisely what's wrong." The mirror was confused. "Is it bad for us?" He Lingchuan smiled. "It has nothing to do with us." *** The following day, He Lingchuan slipped out of Pianxiang Villa once again. The donkey cart sent by the gibbon Old Ge was already waiting on the mountain path behind the villa. The moment He Lingchuan boarded, it set off toward Dun Garden. Fang Canran was already prepared. Shortly after the servants went inside to announce the visitor, he hurried out and personally handed two storage bracelets to He Lingchuan. "All three hundred jin of Shaoling ore are here. The purity is very high, so the recipient should like it. There are also five Soul-Shocking Bombs. The Heart-Piercing Mirror isn't fixed yet; I'll give it to you in a few days." He Lingchuan extended his divine sense inside to verify the contents, then clasped his fists. "Thank you, Brother Fang." He didn't know much about ores, but this batch of Shaoling ore gleamed brightly and looked of fine quality. The seven thousand-plus taels he spent had been for raw ore rather than refined ore, yet Fang Canran had upgraded the grade without charging anything extra. Fang Canran smiled. "Safe travels." He Lingchuan gave his thanks and departed. Instead of heading straight north, he took the donkey cart on a winding tour through the main city. The little spider informed him that there were tails behind him. He had already shaken off the Tongxin Guard, and he had just visited Dun Garden. It was almost certainly Fang Canran's scouts, sent to see if he was heading straight up Mount Xu. The two of them had a pact not to harm one another, but to Fang Canran, keeping an eye on him was merely a way to gain better understanding—it didn't violate the terms. He Lingchuan wasn't in any hurry. He stepped out of the cart and entered a bathhouse. Inside, naked men were everywhere, and one had to take a wooden locker tag before going in. Tailing him inside would be far too inconvenient, so the scouts chose to wait outside the front and back entrances. Little did they expect that two full shichen would pass while they waited. Realizing something was wrong, they went inside to search, only to find that He Lingchuan was already gone. The scouts had no choice but to dejectedly report back to Fang Canran. When Fang Canran heard the news, he showed no irritation, simply waving them away. By this time, He Lingchuan had already reached his destination. This was his third time ascending Mount Xu. The scenery along the way hadn't changed at all, and crowds of tourists bustled about, numbering at least tens of thousands by a rough estimate. For a scenic destination like this, there was only a busy season and an even busier season. He Lingchuan didn't linger on the way, heading straight for his goal: Tianji Peak. Just like last time, the path up the peak was packed shoulder to shoulder. The long queue advanced barely seven zhang every quarter of an hour. The massive cavern was a sea of heads, and the deep pool beneath the tree roots was completely mobbed. Two guards stood expressionless on either side of the pool, intervening to stop any uncivilized behavior. Waiting in line was dull and dragging, so the tourists spent their time chatting. With his sharp hearing, He Lingchuan couldn't help but overhear heaps of domestic gossip. Over here, someone complained that their good-for-nothing husband had sneaked out to gamble again; over there, someone snickered about the little mistress next door running off with another man two days ago. What he hadn't anticipated was that the topic he heard most frequently was scandalous rumors about National Preceptor Qingyang! Behind him seemed to be a tour group of twenty to thirty people, and He Lingchuan could hear several of them whispering among themselves, gossiping that National Preceptor Qingyang had affairs with multiple prized disciples of hers! "Just think about it. Over the past century, how many handsome young talents has the Azure Palace taken in? If National Preceptor Qingyang wants someone to serve her, who could possibly refuse?" "She's nearly two hundred years old, yet she still looks youthful. Who's to say she isn't an expert at dual-cultivation harvesting?" Toward the end, the group burst into snickers and chuckles. Someone nearby couldn't stand it and cut in, "Mind your tongues! You didn't see anything with your own eyes!" "Didn't National Preceptor Qingyang admit it herself? She said the disciple she kicked out—the one named Mai-something who hunted demons for pearls in the elixir of immortality case—harbored improper designs on her in the past!" "Right! It was only because he couldn't have her that this Mai fellow betrayed the sect," another guest laughed. "When the sect's atmosphere is like that, you can imagine what goes on inside the Azure Palace." The person who spoke up earlier was left speechless. "Among the wealthy and noble clans of Lingxu City, who doesn't have their share of romantic scandals and bizarre habits? I heard Attendant Liu inside the port specially hired a nest of bee demons. Whenever his concubines serve him or his guests, he has the bee demons sting them." The crowd was shocked and clamored for details, completely steering the conversation away. He Lingchuan scratched his head. No wonder the Azure Palace's efforts hadn't succeeded in diverting the city residents' attention—it turned out wild rumors and erotic anecdotes about National Preceptor Qingyang were spreading everywhere. Scandals about famous figures spread fast and lasted long. Passing through countless embellishments along the way, they immediately attacked beneath the belt. They certainly grabbed eyes. He Lingchuan hadn't expected National Preceptor Shuangye to resort to this kind of trick. The two great national preceptors had contended for over a century. Now that National Preceptor Shuangye finally had a chance to claim total victory, he was pulling out every stop. When it came down to kill or be killed, things like lofty virtue and dignified pride were cast straight out the window. After a great deal of effort, He Lingchuan finally queued his way into the cavern. Instead of touching the tree roots, he squeezed through to the spot directly in front of the pool, came to a halt, turned back toward the cave entrance, and pointed outward. In the jam-packed cavern, nobody paid any mind to his gesture. Yet He Lingchuan clearly remembered that before Venerable Muling passed away all those years ago, he had stood right at this spot, pointed forward just like this, and said a single sentence: *I will wait for him here.* Who was this "him"? Was it Master Dongli, or was it He Lingchuan? And where exactly did "here" refer to? That was why He Lingchuan had to come up the peak in person to verify it with his own eyes. He looked along the direction of his finger. Toward the front-right, outside the cave? What was out there? He Lingchuan started walking toward the cavern entrance. Moving against the flow of the crowd made it an arduous squeeze. Once outside, however, the space opened up considerably. To the front-right, there was virtually no road at all—only a narrow stone ridge, five zhang long, half-hidden among the tall grass. This kind of path had never been paved. It was commonly known as a carp-back ridge, uneven, narrow, and treacherous. The biting mountain winds could easily blow someone right down into the valley. No sensible tourist would gamble with their own life. Seeing him stand before the carp-back ridge, a passerby called out kindly, "Hey there! Don't stand out there, it's too dangerous—" Before the words finished, He Lingchuan took two bounds onto the stone ridge and nimbly skipped across the natural hazard. Winding further in, jagged, towering boulders blocked the sightline of the tourists on Tianji Peak. In just a few dozen paces, the surroundings suddenly grew dead quiet, save for the howling mountain wind. A single natural carp-back ridge had completely cut him off from the noisy scenic spot and bustling crowds. Behind the giant boulders, there was no path either. Frost and snow covered the rocks, making every step treacherous, and the slightest misstep would twist an ankle. He Lingchuan leapt atop a massive rock to get his bearings. Viewing it from a distance, the Dao-Seeking Tree appeared even more magnificent. From his current vantage point looking downward, he could see that the tree's thick roots actually extended down into the stone, winding throughout the rocks across the entire peak, and even faintly surfacing beneath the base of the stone ridge he had just crossed. He had still underestimated this tree. The Dao-Seeking Tree on Tianji Peak was far more than a mere wonder of a "tree embracing a cave." Its ridiculously sprawling root system actually enveloped the entire mountain peak, from top to bottom! Even where he stood right now was still within the scope of Tianji Peak, and the roots of the Dao-Seeking Tree had reached all the way out here as well!