"I think we can go back and take a look," He Chunhua said in a low voice. "I hear many factions are rushing toward the Panlong Desert, each hoping to seize treasures and try their luck. Given how well we know the Panlong Desert, going there might yield even greater gains."
Before Nailuotian could speak, he continued, "Ever since I left the Panlong Ruins last time, I've felt that something wasn't right, though I couldn't put my finger on it."
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
"If the Dafang Pot truly appears, I will need your divine aid. Surely you wish to obtain such a treasure as well?" Any celestial god seemed intrigued at the mention of the Dafang Pot.
"And so?"
"Within a short period, you cannot descend twice, can you? Why don't you leave Chuan'er alone for now and hold off on the divine descent?" He Chunhua said urgently. "Good steel should be used for the blade's edge. We can revisit it once we reach the Panlong Desert."
"Are you no longer heading south to quell the rebellion?"
"They don't conflict." He Chunhua's mind worked at top speed. "I will make proper arrangements."
Nailuotian let out a cold chuckle. "You wish to delay the divine descent, don't you?"
Mortals were ever dilatory, fond of petty schemes.
"It brings you no harm!" Steeling himself, He Chunhua said, "Whether for public duty or private interest, is my proposal not sound?"
Nailuotian gave a noncommittal grunt.
It fell silent for a long time. Not knowing whether it was divining or calculating, He Chunhua felt his heart in his throat.
Only then did Nailuotian slowly speak: "This journey to the Panlong Ruins may involve major variables."
As a warning from the God of Fate, He Chunhua had to take it seriously. "Venerable God, where do these variables lie?"
"It is unknowable." Nailuotian uttered those three words in a solemn tone. "I discovered long ago that any divination concerning a divine object like the Dafang Pot yields only the unknowable."
It immediately added, "However, looking at your fate, your fortune is actually improving, and the chance of impending disaster is minuscule. Therefore, it does no harm for you to go."
In simple terms, not only was He Chunhua not fated to perish, but he might also profit from this journey to Panlong.
He Chunhua was overjoyed. "Your wisdom is profound, Venerable God!"
He breathed a secret sigh of relief. Stalling for another month was a month gained.
Nailuotian added, "For this divine descent, I must also make some preparations." Its experience after Nian Songyu's invocation last time had already put it on guard.
The Dafang Pot was perilous.
Although it could not divine its own destiny, it still sensed an ominous undercurrent in the unseen—a warning from "fate" itself.
Yet high returns inevitably came with high risks. How could one hope to claim the Dafang Pot without taking the slightest risk?
Other figures and other deities, despite facing an unknown destiny, still threw themselves into the fray one after another for the Dafang Pot. Were they afraid?
Besides, in the worst-case scenario, what it lost would merely be an avatar, not its true self.
He Chunhua asked, "What does the Venerable God intend to do? How may I assist?"
"The supreme treasure lost from the Heavenly Palace is connected to the Dafang Pot. As it happens, I know a bit of inside information." Nailuotian smiled coldly. "If anyone dares to plot against me, they will meet with utter ruin!"
Those last words were spoken with such sinister chill that He Chunhua involuntarily shuddered.
Nailuotian added, "You need only proceed according to plan."
How could it reveal its backup plans to a mortal?
He Chunhua waited for a long time, but Nailuotian said nothing more.
It had already departed.
He Chunhua breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Only then did he put away all the items and open the doors and windows for ventilation.
The hour had arrived. Straightening his clothes and cap, he set out for the palace to lobby the sovereign.
...
Since the evaluation work did not require his personal attention and would be handled by specialists, He Lingchuan simply wandered around the Yuan capital until dusk before unhurriedly returning to the manor.
From his stroll, he discovered that while the busiest main thoroughfare in the Yuan capital was still reasonably bustling, just one street over, two out of every ten shops stood empty, and grass grew between the cracks in the flagstones.
This place was not even as prosperous as the Shihuan City in his memories.
Of course, whether Shihuan City still retained that appearance was hard to say now.
There were many reasons for a nation's decline, but war was unquestionably one of the greatest roots of disaster for the Yuan Kingdom.
Fortunately, local specialties were still sold here. He Lingchuan bought a generous amount of souvenirs and gifts, presenting them to Madam Ying and He Yue as soon as he returned home.
Before dinner, Shan Youjun came looking for him.
"Eldest Young Master, I've made inquiries. Second Steward Zhao, who is in charge of household procurement, said Sun Hongye questioned him seven days ago."
"What did he ask?"
"He asked about food procurement."
That answer was rather unexpected. "Lead the way."
With the eldest young master suddenly coming to question him, Second Steward Zhao was utterly respectful.
"Mister Sun? Seven or eight days ago, he came asking where the manor bought its mutton, saying it tasted exceptionally delicious. He wanted to buy some for himself to eat. I said I could report to the Madam and ask the kitchen to prepare extra for him, but Mister Sun insisted against it."
"And then?"
"And then I introduced him to the mutton vendor," Second Steward Zhao said. "I don't know if he ever contacted him."
That was Sun Hongye's own business; he couldn't be bothered to pry.
"Nothing else?"
"That was all. From Xiazhou all the way here, Mister Sun hasn't spoken more than twenty sentences to me in total."
"All right, you're dismissed." He Lingchuan thought for a moment, then turned and walked out.
Shan Youjun hurried to follow.
Qiu Hu came over to check He Lingchuan's expression, but seeing him shake his head, held back.
Dinner would be served soon. Going out of the manor at this hour, He Lingchuan didn't want to get caught and scolded by Madam Ying, so he simply vaulted over the back wall.
Ignoring the strange looks from passersby, he and Shan Youjun headed to Cattle and Sheep Manor to look for the man.
Cattle and Sheep Manor was a specialized slaughterhouse and also the meat wholesale distribution hub of the Yuan capital. Lingxu City had such places as well, but regulations in the Yuan capital were looser than in Lingxu City; many privately butchered meats from commoners were traded here without official crackdowns.
The place reeked heavily of blood and raw meat, and the wretched cries of livestock echoed frequently from the inner rows. Following Second Steward Zhao's directions, He Lingchuan found Butcher Wang in the outer rows.
The outer rows were where meat was sold and weighed.
People usually imagined butchers as having faces full of ferocious fat, but this man was tall and thin, with a somewhat dazed expression whenever he wasn't holding a cleaver.
"A customer surnamed Sun?" He shook his head as he chopped meat. "No recollection. People come and go around here, and I don't remember faces well."
He Lingchuan had no choice but to rephrase his question: "He should have asked about the mutton you supply to the He Manor of General Changning."
"General Changning?" Butcher Wang pondered for a long time before letting out a drawn-out "Oh." "Now that you mention it, there was someone. That man you mentioned came to chat with me and bought a few jin of mutton. Heh."
He operated a wholesale business here where meat was sold by at least half a carcass, so a few jin was exceptionally little, leaving an impression.
He Lingchuan glanced at Shan Youjun, who handed over an ingot of broken silver. "What did you chat about?"
"Just idle banter. I told him my reputation here is solid, and the renowned He Manor indeed ordered meat from me—pigs, cattle, and sheep every month, bled, skinned, gutted, cleaned, and delivered."
"Nothing else?"
"Nothing else, that was it." He was a butcher; what else would a customer talk to him about in a place like this?
"What were your exact words at the time?"
Chapter 788