Borrowing People

"The volcano at Mount Xu erupted, Zhaixing Tower was destroyed, Lingxu City suffered widespread destruction, and casualties were piled high. The Lingxu Incident shook the world..." Elder Dao said slowly. "Do you happen to know who was behind all this?" He was asking what he already knew, and He Lingchuan answered without hesitation, "The destruction of Lingxu City was Fang Canran's doing." Elder Dao nodded, inwardly astonished. Elder Dao naturally knew very well what role Fang Canran had played in the upheaval. Furthermore, these people had come from Beijia, holding a token of trust Fang Canran had given them. Timeline-wise, it matched the Lingxu Incident perfectly. One had to read between the lines. The youth before him had pointed out straight away that Fang Canran had thrown only Lingxu City into chaos, not Mount Xu. The upheaval at Mount Xu had been initiated by someone else. Who could know such a detail? The Heavenly Palace did not know, nor did those within Elder Dao's organization. Only those who had actually taken part would know. Elder Dao murmured, "The Spirit Gathering Grand Formation?" Lingxu City's sudden overnight catastrophe had begun with the volcanic eruption at Mount Xu. Having his own channels of information, Elder Dao knew better than outsiders that the destruction of Mount Xu's Spirit Gathering Grand Formation and the great fire spirit Juju regaining his freedom were the true beginnings of it all. Had Mount Xu not fallen into crisis, how could Fang Canran have dared to trigger the riots in Lingxu City? They had strategized in Lingxu City for many years, only to wait for such an opportunity. He Lingchuan smiled. "What do you mean by that?" Beside him, Zhu Daniang and Dong Rui did not say a word either, leaving the stage to him. Elder Dao hesitated. Was this youth admitting it or denying it? Elder Dao was a seasoned veteran of the world, and after a moment's thought, he understood. To Lingxu City, this was the foremost crime of the era; once the perpetrators were identified, they would surely be hunted to the ends of the earth. Thus, these people would never admit to it. So had they truly been the ones who broke the Spirit Gathering Grand Formation? There was likely no definitive answer to be had. Elder Dao knew only that his own side had laid plans in Lingxu City for so many years and operated there for so long, yet they had never found an opening to break the formation. The Heavenly Palace's deployment and protection of the Spirit Gathering Grand Formation had been extraordinarily tight. The organization had poured in immense effort and even made grave sacrifices, yet had never succeeded. If these people lacked genuine ability, Fang Canran would never have given them such high praise. He collected himself. "May I ask which organization you belong to?" He could tell that the spider demon possessed profound cultivation, the youth held restrained inner power, and the other was the master of the ghost ape. Not one of the three was a pushover, yet relying solely on these three to upend Lingxu City seemed rather insufficient. They must have had other backing. An earth-shattering operation of this scale involved countless details and contingencies; it could not possibly be accomplished by a mere handful of people. He Lingchuan cleared his throat. "We are all unaffiliated wanderers—free spirits drifting like idle clouds and wild cranes." Elder Dao chuckled at once. "No matter, no matter. It's fine if you don't wish to say." He did not believe it in the slightest, assuming only that they wished to maintain secrecy. After all, they were meeting for the very first time; who would dare pour out their whole heart? Anyone capable of pulling off such a feat in Lingxu City had likely made "caution" their guiding motto long ago. He Lingchuan did not bother explaining further, merely pointing at the iron ring. "Afterward, Old Fang sent an avian demon to deliver this ring and passphrase, saying there were people here at my disposal." In truth, Fang Canran's slip of paper had listed contact methods for several people. Traveling west out of the Xuluo Kingdom, He Lingchuan had simply sought out the one closest to him. Namely, Mount Rong's Elder Dao. Elder Dao knew well how meticulous Fang Canran was; otherwise, Fang Canran could never have stayed undercover in Lingxu City for years without slipping up. Could this iron ring have been stolen and misused? The probability was minuscule. Tokens within the organization were varied and diverse; only by delivering the correct token to the right person along with the proper passphrase could everything match up. There were many types of passphrases as well. If the token or passphrase He Lingchuan presented right now had been wrong, Elder Dao would have turned hostile on the spot. He casually asked, "What kind of avian demon was it?" "A large parrot with gaudy, flashy colors." Elder Dao nodded. Indeed, Fang Canran's heirloom bird was a colorful, brilliantly feathered large parrot. He Lingchuan asked again, "We left early, so we don't know what happened to Old Fang afterward?" When chaos broke out in Lingxu City, the three of them had fled the scene of the crime almost immediately on their snail-toad. But Fang Canran was the architect behind the subsequent chain of events, and having stayed in the wilderness for months, He Lingchuan had no idea where he had gone. "He has already left Lingxu City. I haven't received further news yet." Lingxu City was simply too far from here; conveying a message from east to west was no easy task. He Lingchuan nodded, not surprised. Given his understanding of the celestial gods and the Demon Emperor, they would inevitably seek frenzied vengeance after suffering such unprecedented humiliation. The entire city of Lingxu was the eye of the storm; it was far too perilous for Fang Canran to remain there. A wise man does not stand beneath a crumbling wall. Besides, Fang Canran had organized forces to wreak havoc, and judging by the scale, quite a few had taken part. If one or two were captured, wouldn't they confess his involvement? Elder Dao waved a hand. "He knows how to act according to the circumstances. There is no need for us to worry." Right now, his attention was entirely fixed on He Lingchuan's words: "at my disposal." Fang Canran not only trusted this youth, but also instructed Elder Dao to fulfill his request for manpower? If these people had single-handedly triggered the upheaval in Lingxu City and Mount Xu, their contribution was truly remarkable—certainly worthy of being held in such high regard by Fang Canran and the organization. Factoring in that He Lingchuan was an outsider to the organization, Fang Canran's choice of the passphrase "peerless in the world" meant this person was of extraordinary value and shared their united front—Elder Dao had to spare no effort to win him over! The organization was not short of people; what it lacked was talent and prodigies. Therefore, if they wanted people, give them people; if they wanted money, give them money; if they wanted convenience, give them all the accommodation they needed. Thus, Elder Dao pondered for a moment before asking, "Young Master He, where are you headed?" "South first, and later a trip to the Yuan Kingdom." "And you require manpower for...?" His tone had grown respectful. He Lingchuan smiled. "To travel in style." "..." "Just a little joke, Elder, don't take offense." He Lingchuan curbed his smile. "I have several operations planned down the line, but we're short on hands and in need of all sorts of talent." Elder Dao nodded. "The moon has passed its zenith. Honored guests, please rest for the night, and tomorrow we can discuss this in detail." He Lingchuan knew he needed time to calculate and plan, so he stood up to take his leave. Elder Dao grabbed a handful of peanuts and offered them to the ghost ape. The little monkey naturally accepted them with both hands, happily munching away. Elder Dao asked Dong Rui, "So this monkey belongs to you?" "Yes. The rascal doesn't listen to me and runs off everywhere." Dong Rui glared fiercely at the ghost ape, who bowed its head guiltily. On the way here, the ghost ape had already communicated with him. A Mount Rong disciple then led the group to the guest lodge to rest. Soaking in a hot bath when exhausted refreshed the entire body, washing away the fatigue of days spent trekking through the wilderness. So long as the sudden downpour outside the window did not fall on oneself, it made for a lovely, tranquil scene.