Dou Wuxing, on the other hand, was a man of few words. Over an hour or two of drinking, he hardly managed thirty sentences, twenty of which were about farming.
Indeed, he made a deep study of flora, especially crops, soil, terrestrial qi, and climate.
He also told He Lingchuan that Lingxu City would soon see several "curtain-call rains." Once those bouts of freezing rain passed, mid-northern Beijia would officially enter winter, leaving the skies to the snow.
He Lingchuan listened with special attentiveness. "You mean it will rain across all of mid-northern Beijia?"
"Yes, from east to west." Few outsiders ever cared to listen to such talk, so Dou Wuxing brightened up. "Rolling all the way from northern Chiyan to the Xuluo Kingdom."
"Starting from Lingxu?"
"No, no. It begins in the Eling Kingdom, sweeps past Lingxu City, and keeps heading west."
"I see. Can it arrive early or be delayed?" He Lingchuan stroked his chin. Back in his original world, this was known as a rain belt; it had its seasons and regular patterns.
"Naturally it can," Dou Wuxing chuckled. "Still, it's fairly consistent. Once it begins raining in Lingxu City, the cities to the west won't be far behind—only a few days apart at most."
He Lingchuan let out a long "oh." Picking up vital intelligence at the drinking table—his luck truly was something.
With a few cups of wine down, everyone loosened up and began talking freely.
He Lingchuan possessed great renown and an open, cheerful disposition, making people eager to befriend him. Seizing the opportunity, he asked, "Pardon my asking, but I hear Beijia's eastern front is at war with the Mou Kingdom. Brother Dou, won't you run into trouble here in Lingxu City?"
As far as he knew, whenever the Yuan Kingdom went to war with another state, it expelled all subjects of its adversary outright. Even foreign emissaries and remaining personnel were placed under rigorous surveillance.
The Dou brothers exchanged glances and shook their heads. "Lingxu City is renowned for its openness, and we are merely scholars who hold no positions in vital institutions, so we aren't restricted. As long as we don't loiter around core sectors, likely no one will bother to question us."
Dou Wuxing added, "Even so, with relations between our nations turning sour, seeking employment in Lingxu City will be far harder than before. We probably wouldn't even pass the initial background screening."
Dou Wenguan sighed as well. "My brother spent years preparing for this trip to Lingxu City and finally managed to come here to study abroad, only for war to break out first. Ah, unpredictable are the ways of the world."
Dou Wuxing had originally hoped to enter officialdom or secure an appointment in Lingxu City to establish a foothold, only for the difficulty to multiply several times over without warning.
A single move by a great empire could instantly rewrite the fate of minor figures. Truly, all things are bound to fate, beyond a mortal's say.
He Lingchuan offered a few kindly comforting words.
He had done his homework and knew that the Mou Kingdom did not directly border Beijia; between them lay the vast Earth Sea and two smaller states.
It was more than twice the size of the Yuan Kingdom and quite bountiful in resources. Having suffered few disasters in recent decades, it ought to have been reasonably prosperous, yet sadly it had been plagued by several wars across the years.
Like the Yuan Kingdom, the Mou Kingdom strictly prohibited deity blood sacrifice, and Daoist orders flourished there—it was the realm east of the Earth Sea with the greatest number of Daoist orders.
Beijia and the Mou Kingdom had always despised one another, but sovereign-venerating kingdoms were plentiful; Beijia would not ordinarily have thrown punches over that alone.
Yet the Dou brothers informed him that the two empires had actually been clashing indirectly all along.
Two small nations sat wedged between Beijia and the Mou Kingdom: the Peng Kingdom and Ouzeng.
The Peng Kingdom was firmly under Beijia's control, while Ouzeng was closely allied with the Mou Kingdom.
These two small states shared a border but harbored deep blood feuds. The Peng Kingdom had once captured Ouzeng's monarch and subjected him to every humiliation; in retaliation, Ouzeng slaughtered two hundred thousand Peng civilians in a single stroke...
Such atrocities would have been shocking even if committed by Beijia or the Yuan Kingdom, let alone tiny states.
Hearing this, He Lingchuan could not help clicking his tongue. "These small states are even more ruthless than the great powers."
"Aren't they just?" Dou Wenguan sighed.
The two small states fought like gamecocks. Out of every ten years, they spent at least six or seven brawling, and the remaining time preparing to brawl. One day you won, the next day I won, and before long they had dragged Beijia and the Mou Kingdom into the fray without breaking a sweat.
Neither empire could stand by and watch its junior ally get bullied. Back and forth it went, escalating from coaching from the sidelines into entering the ring to tear into each other.
Many things unfolded along the way, causing relations between the two empires to deteriorate rapidly until the Mou Kingdom openly challenged Beijia. Yet until half a year ago, the fighting remained confined to the two small states, with Beijia and the Mou Kingdom testing their strength on someone else's soil.
Hearing this, He Lingchuan sensed trouble brewing. "And then?"
"Two towns behind the Mou Kingdom's western border were attacked, and over three thousand townsfolk were massacred by Beijia's army. It was triggered when the beloved son of a high-ranking general from the Shanyu Kingdom was killed in battle, prompting the general to lead his men behind enemy lines for vengeance." Dou Wenguan shook his head. "From then on, the war escalated."
Beijia tore off its mask, ceased all pretense, and entered the fray directly.
He Lingchuan recalled that just a month ago, General Ling had led his troops eastward to the front.
He pondered for a moment. "Beijia hasn't fought a major war in years, has it?"
Gao Jilin mused, "At most there were sporadic local skirmishes. A proper war like this one against the Mou Kingdom hasn't occurred in at least..."
"Forty years," Du Shan chimed in. "Beijia hasn't fought a grinding war like this in at least forty years. In contrast, the Mou Kingdom concluded a protracted war just five years ago. It is said to have brilliant generals in abundance and battle-hardened, formidable troops."
Jiang Tao scoffed slightly. "Are you implying Beijia can't beat the Mou Kingdom?"
"War involves far too many variables. Besides, as outsiders ignorant of the insider details, we have no basis to judge. Thus, I will not argue with you." Du Shan didn't even spare him a glance. "I merely believe Beijia won't find it so easy to bring the Mou Kingdom to its knees."
He Lingchuan thought about it. "Beijia hasn't fought a war in decades, yet suddenly clashes with the Mou Kingdom. How strange."
"They didn't wage war before, but frictions and clashes were never scarce." Du Shan took a sip of wine. "Besides, the sparks of great wars are often small matters."
Right at that moment, a raptor suddenly swooped in through the window.
Before the others could react, it tucked its wings and landed on the back of He Lingchuan's chair, letting out a sharp cry:
"Lord Special Envoy! His Highness requests your immediate presence at the Azure Palace!"
The goshawk had arrived. Setting down his wine cup, He Lingchuan asked, "What happened?"
"Emissary Bai has returned to the city and headed straight for the Azure Palace to arrest people!"
Those words struck like a thunderclap, shocking the listeners into a drawn-out collective gasp. The revelation was packed with so much significance that He Lingchuan's first thought was:
The storm has finally arrived.
He stood up at once and said solemnly to his friends, "Official business calls. I must take my leave—we'll catch up another day!"
Gao Jilin and the others urged him along, telling him not to worry about them.
He Lingchuan tossed down an ingot of silver, stepped outside, and leaped onto his rock sheep. Flapping its wings, the goshawk flew onto the sheep's great horns, hitching a free ride.
This was its personal perch, and it was well accustomed to it.
Man, sheep, and hawk vanished into the distance in the blink of an eye.
Du Shan and the others nudged their companions toward the door. "Quick, quick! The Azure Palace isn't far from here. Let's go see the commotion!"
From the tavern to the Azure Palace, the rock sheep needed only a quarter of an hour—just enough time for He Lingchuan to get to the bottom of things.
From Lingxu City to Yangshui, the distance was neither short nor far, yet Bai Ziqi had made the round trip in mere days. That was swift and resolute indeed; heaven knew how many fine steeds he had ridden to death.
The goshawk was already an old partner of He Lingchuan's and laid out the facts in a few words.
Bai Ziqi had returned to the city roughly two hours ago.
Upon entering Lingxu City, his first move was not returning to the Heavenly Palace to report as custom dictated, but carrying a celestial god's edict and leading the palace guard in a direct strike against the Azure Palace to make arrests!
He Lingchuan was startled.
Evidently, Bai Ziqi had successfully captured Kong Jiaxiang, the crucial witness from Qingfu Temple, in Yangshui, interrogated the names of those involved from the Azure Palace on the journey back, and wasted not a single second launching the raid the moment he reached Lingxu City!
Why was he in such a hurry that he didn't even return to headquarters? Did he fear that reporting up through the bureaucratic channels would waste time and allow someone to tip off the Azure Palace?
A long night breeds many dreams. Bai Ziqi had clearly kept his southern expedition under absolute secrecy, leaving his adversaries entirely unaware that he had gone to Yangshui.
Having finally seized the initiative, he certainly could not afford to let it slip.
Furthermore, He Lingchuan noted that Bai Ziqi had mobilized the palace guard rather than the Tongxin Guards. Deploying the Tongxin Guards in the southern part of the city would have been both more convenient and more in line with protocol.
As meticulous and prudent as Bai Ziqi was, how could he have made such an amateur mistake?
Taking everything into account, the palace guard were obviously his own trusted men—far easier to wield like an extension of his own arm, and far safer to rely upon.
"And then?"
"The Azure Palace barred their gates and refused them entry," said the goshawk. "After that, His Highness dispatched me to fetch you, My Lord. I don't know what happened next."
Bai Ziqi held a celestial god's edict in his hands, yet the Azure Palace dared shut him out? "What pretext did the Azure Palace give to bar his entry?"
"The disciples of the Azure Palace claimed the National Preceptor is taming a dangerous divine artifact, and outsiders entering might be harmed by the fallout."
He Lingchuan clapped his hands, musing on the amusement of it. The excuse showed little sincerity, clearly proving Bai Ziqi's surprise assault had caught the Azure Palace off guard.
A quarter of an hour's ride passed in a flash.
This was his first time approaching the Azure Palace. It was a sprawling complex built into the mountainside, antique and elegant. At a glance, it looked little different from the estates of prominent noble clans, except for having more towering pagodas and far sturdier outer walls.
He Lingchuan was stopped halfway up the mountain. Wooden caltrops and barricades had been erected as roadblocks, with palace guards in gleaming armor and carrying halberds planted across the mountain path—any fool could see that bystanders were forbidden from approaching.
Yet before the roadblocks, a dense throng of onlookers had packed the area, most of them bewildered townspeople hoping to witness the spectacle.
The Heavenly Palace and the Azure Palace—these were the two greatest powers in Lingxu City. Why were they suddenly clawing at each other's throats today?
He Lingchuan knew there were bound to be informants of unknown origins lurking in the crowd.
He even wondered whether, at such a historic moment, Xi Yunhe might be hiding in some nearby corner, watching in secret.
Once he and his attendant flashed their waist tallies, the palace guards let them through.
The crucial lead had been provided by the Chiyan contingent; Bai Ziqi had to accord the Chiyan Crown Prince some courtesy.
The mountain pavilion before the Azure Palace's main gates had been requisitioned, and several tents had been pitched around it.
When He Lingchuan arrived, Fu Shanyue happened to walk out alongside Bai Ziqi. Spotting him, Fu Shanyue grinned. "He Xiao, come witness the Azure Palace's desperate resistance!"
Puzzled, He Lingchuan asked, "What is the situation right now?"
Bai Ziqi nudged his chin toward the front. "The gates of the Azure Palace are locked tight. Our first assault just concluded. Their array is truly difficult to breach."
Chapter 659