Chapter 1939: Purple Wu Meeting

Chapter 1920: The Purple Dock Estate

Weng Xing burst out laughing. "Mr. Fang hasn't spent much time in the military, has he?"

Fang Canran replied honestly, "About sixteen or seventeen years ago, I was in the Mou military for three or four months. It wasn't long, indeed."

"I've heard of Mou as well; I've always wanted to go," Weng Xing mused with longing before asking, "Is there a lot of infighting among the Mou troops?"

Fang Canran wondered why Weng Xing was trying to extract information from him, but he still answered, "It was late autumn, during combined military exercises. Two of the units started fighting, resulting in over a hundred casualties. They simply couldn't get along. The incident even alarmed the Emperor, who penalized both military commanders."

"The Mou military sounds quite lively," Weng Xing chuckled. "Mass brawls like that reportedly happened when our army was first unified, but they were quickly suppressed. The Great Emperor doesn't allow unauthorized fighting within the military. If there's a feud or grievance, it's to be settled on the training arena. Whether someone is killed or crippled, it doesn't matter; there's no punishment."

"Oh, a training arena," Fang Canran nodded. "The Yangshan Archipelago has those too."

"Besides," Weng Xing grinned, "they're all surrendered soldiers. How could their arrogance be so rampant? This is under the Dragon God's jurisdiction! I can't speak for the future, but for now, they all have to behave themselves."

Causing trouble in the Dragon God's army would truly be suicidal.

Fang Canran understood. "I see. Brother He has always been skilled at managing his troops."

No sooner had he spoken than a commotion erupted in the nearby camp.

"A fight! A fight!" several soldiers cried, running toward the tents ahead.

They had just talked about no fighting in the army, and now it was being contradicted. Weng Xing's face showed some embarrassment. "Mr. Fang, please wait a moment. I'll be right back."

Without waiting for Fang Canran's reply, he lifted his hand, leaped over the military fence, and was gone.

"..." He Xiao's army, from officers to soldiers, seemed quite spirited.

After about a quarter of an hour, Weng Xing rushed back, still leaping over the fence, looking refreshed. "It's resolved."

He shook his fist, flicking off a few drops of blood.

"Just greenhorns, no common sense at all."

Fang Canran looked at the perfectly standard gate ten meters away, momentarily speechless.

"Please take me to see the Great Emperor of the Nine Nether."

"Alright, alright, this way! A quick stoop and we'll be there!"

That "quick stoop" ended up covering several miles.

This legendary leader didn't reside within the city walls but lived in the Purple Dock Estate on the outskirts. This estate was a former shell acquired by the Yangshan Chamber of Commerce, used specifically for purchasing mineral resources. It was here that He Lingchuan last received the Imperial Nectar.

As Fang Canran approached the estate, he noticed a layer of faint black smoke hovering outside. Upon closer inspection, he realized it wasn't smoke, but wisps of ghostly figures swirling in the air, their faces indistinct, their features and expressions unreadable. Yet, Fang Canran could feel their anger and agitation.

"Is this a barrier?" he wondered. Aside from ghost immortals, what kind of spirits could appear in broad daylight?

"Something like that," Weng Xing explained. "The Great Emperor calls it a 'wall of karma.' It's not easy for spies and infiltrators to get in."

The power of karma? As a cultivator, Fang Canran certainly knew the dread of karma, but it was his first time witnessing such a tangible manifestation of its power.

Who could accumulate so much karmic debt? Fang Canran scratched his head. Truly worthy of being the Great Emperor of the Nine Nether.

To outsiders, the estate appeared sinister and eerie, like a place from the underworld. Who would dare approach?

Weng Xing handed him a green leaf. "Hold this, and you can enter."

The leaf was unremarkable, seemingly easy to find anywhere in Duo City. Fang Canran clutched the leaf as he stepped into the wall of karma, unable to suppress a shiver.

It felt as though something malevolent was trying to attach itself to him, but the leaf in his hand warded it off.

Without this leaf...

"Please follow me," Weng Xing led the way.

Once inside the estate, Weng Xing became very serious.

Fang Canran asked him, "Have you seen the true face of the Great Emperor of the Nine Nether?"

On the way, he had heard that the Great Emperor of the Nine Nether usually appeared in black armor and a mask, never revealing his true face.

"Yes, twice, both times here in this estate," Weng Xing said, tapping the ground. "Once he steps out of this barrier, he becomes the Great Emperor of the Nine Nether."

He remembered being shocked the first time he saw the Great Emperor's true face.

So young!

But since he was the reincarnation of the Dragon God, any appearance made sense.

Ancient immortals, it was said, also had techniques for preserving youth and achieving immortality.

Fang Canran looked around and noticed that the estate itself was also enveloped by a karmic barrier, preventing external bird-demons from spying on the Purple Dock Estate's affairs.

To outsiders and the army, this layer of black smoke barrier added an even more mysterious and imposing aura to the Great Emperor of the Nine Nether.

The Purple Dock Estate served as a mineral warehouse and a transit point for supplies, so there were flat grounds and storehouses everywhere. Fang Canran even saw large water tanks standing on an open area, some over three meters tall.

"Are these for collecting Imperial Nectar?" The arrangement of the water tanks seemed to align with some kind of formation.

"They were reportedly used during the last Imperial Nectar outbreak," Weng Xing explained meticulously. "I wasn't here at the time, so I didn't witness it myself."

He led Fang Canran to the most impressive building on the estate, where a person leisurely approached them. "Brother Fang, you've finally arrived."

He wore robes with both civilian and military sleeves, black armor, a red cloak, and his hair was tied back with a crimson jade, giving him an open and valiant appearance.

Even the boisterous wind seemed to quiet in his presence.

It was indeed He Lingchuan.

Weng Xing, having brought Fang Canran, immediately bowed out.

Fang Canran noticed that the boorish man stood ramrod straight when facing He Lingchuan. He bowed his head and retreated three large steps before turning to leave.

"You have long legs; you've made it in time for lunch," He Lingchuan gestured for him to enter. "Please take a seat inside."

Fang Canran didn't stand on ceremony and followed him behind the building.

In the open area, there were several uncleared piles of timber and a few large wild osmanthus trees. Their blossoms were half-open, as if sealed, but their fragrance couldn't be contained; the wind carried it, perfectly balanced in intensity.

The Purple Dock Estate's original owner at least had a touch of refined taste, having built a small, unadorned pavilion by the wild osmanthus trees. It was constructed from solid materials and named "Unknowing Pavilion."

A corner of the pavilion was stained yellow, dotted with osmanthus petals, hinting at the encroaching autumn.

Fang Canran looked at the characters and felt they perfectly matched his current state of mind.

After knowing him for so long, looking at He Lingchuan now, he suddenly felt he was a stranger.

The words "Unknowing" were indeed well-chosen.

"There's really not much good food in this poor place," He Lingchuan said, personally carrying over a food basket and pulling out two bamboo tubes, one with a dish and one with soup. "These are just some simple things dug up from the mountains and waters. Brother Fang, will you make do?"

Duo City was adjacent to mining mountains, where the land was uneven and the soil infertile, unsuitable for growing good crops. However, there were large bamboo forests.

The bamboo rice He Lingchuan produced consisted of dried mushrooms, onions, dried small fish, and raw rice, all steamed together in a bamboo tube.

As the lid was lifted, the fresh aroma of mountain provisions filled the air.