Chapter 379: Delineating Territory and Choosing a Location

He had even seen a drunk climb onto an aqueduct to urinate in Dunyu.

The problem with hidden conduits was that they were labor-intensive and difficult to build. However, Beijia Kingdom had plenty of monsters capable of digging tunnels, so this wasn't an issue in Fufeng City.

What surprised him even more was that there was even running water here.

By connecting bamboo poles with their inner nodes removed to create pipelines, they could transport spring water directly from Baiyun Mountain, north of the city, to homes, eliminating the trouble of queuing for water or buying it.

Naturally, only more affluent families, not ordinary ones, would qualify for Baiyun spring water.

The Shimen Caravan engaged in both wholesale and group-buying business and was about to set up shop in the market. He Lingchuan knew their main products were sandalwood and an aromatic balm called "Lover's Tears." This balm was an amber-like resin collected from a unique fragrant wood found in Fu Nation. With just two additional natural spices, it could be blended into a deep and profound fragrance. Crucially, it was long-lasting and very suitable for sachets and pendants.

Besides the incredibly diverse goods for sale in the market, there were also many shops and stalls run by monsters.

It was rare to see monsters running businesses elsewhere; He Lingchuan had found it unusual when he encountered the Dry Heart Stream's performing monkeys in Shihu. But in a demon nation, it was perfectly natural.

He saw a weasel selling insect repellent sachets, claiming they could eliminate all mosquitoes, insects, rodents, and ants in a home in one go, and were non-toxic and harmless to humans. However, the note, enlarged and bolded, read:

"Close all doors and windows, then break it open and leave immediately."

The packaging was bulging, revealing a pig's bladder filled with gas.

Good heavens, as soon as He Lingchuan saw the familiar packaging, he knew exactly what was inside.

The market also had a labor exchange, where job seekers included numerous monsters.

Bear demons and giant apes were common laborers, capable of moving heavy objects many times more efficiently than humans. Many caravans would hire them for temporary work; He Lingchuan even saw two elephants here...

Many smaller monsters were also available for hire. For example, He Lingchuan saw two pairs of cat demon couples seeking employment with their children. Their specialties included catching mice, driving away snakes, and guarding homes; the employment period was for at least one year.

Hiring long-term and permanent workers here required an employment contract provided by Fufeng City. The standard format specified provisions for meals, work content, hours, and so on, and became effective with a palm (or paw) print.

He Lingchuan clicked his tongue in wonder, missing his own medicine ape even more.

On his way back, he also saw brand new large red couplets posted on several temples. Stages were being erected at their entrances, specifically for performances celebrating the Precious Tree King's birthday.

He Lingchuan wondered how many of these plays the Precious Tree King would actually be able to see, with so many stages performing simultaneously.

Ancient trees by the roadside were also adorned with numerous large red ribbons, adding to the festive atmosphere.

Finally, he attended to his main task: purchasing ingredients for refining the God-Piercing Elixir at the large pharmacy next to the inn.

Following Grand Alchemist Helian Chen's advice, he could first refine these auxiliary ingredients into semi-finished products. After obtaining the Emperor's Dew, a simple fusion and processing would yield a higher success rate.

Simplifying the process meant fewer unforeseen issues.

He didn't hide his tracks, confidently entering the pharmacy.

A few hours later, his list of purchased medicinal ingredients was copied and sent to the Grand Tutor's mansion. Due to its peculiar contents, it was presented directly to Grand Tutor Sha.

Grand Tutor Sha, taking a moment from his busy schedule, glanced at it and frowned:

"Why is there arsenic?"

This formula, which he had instructed Wu Jinsong to give He Lingchuan, only had a few identical ingredients; the rest had been replaced. Most outrageously, over thirty percent of the ingredients were highly poisonous, with arsenic prominently listed.

"Is this a formula for the Emperor's Dew, or is he planning to poison everyone in the inn?"

Furthermore, He Lingchuan's shopping list was unusually long. It even included— "Skunk glands too?"

"What does this mean?"

Grand Tutor Sha, of course, had his own alchemist. The alchemist took the list, glanced at it, and chuckled, "This person probably intends to refine several different medicines and bought all the ingredients at once, didn't he? Putting everything else aside, skunk glands absolutely cannot be ingested."

Grand Tutor Sha glared at him. Did he really need to be told that?

"Moreover, many of these ingredients have conflicting properties and cannot be used in the same formula," the alchemist added. He continued, "Unless he's refining many different medicines at once..."

"...or he's using this list to mislead us."

Grand Tutor Sha grunted. "He's become cautious? Has this young man named He discovered he's being secretly watched?"

"Regardless of what medicine he's preparing, our formula isn't on this list," the alchemist reminded him. "The formula you gave him was the common one for the Emperor's Dew, wasn't it? That one includes, at minimum, ground snails, bitter eye lotus, and so on. None of those are on this list."

Only then did Grand Tutor Sha utter a surprised "Oh?" "He can formulate another one himself?"

No sane person would tamper with the Emperor's Dew formula without certainty; that would be akin to risking their own life.

The alchemist spread his hands. "That, I don't know."

Grand Tutor Sha pondered, then asked Wu Jinsong, "Did you tell him that there are no suitable locations in the near suburbs to receive the Emperor's Dew?"

"Yes!"

Grand Tutor Sha then said, "This young man has considerable ambition."

"Grand Tutor? Why do you say that?"

"The territories in Fufeng City's near suburbs are all allocated. If He Xiao only intended to receive the Emperor's Dew within the city, he wouldn't need to put in so much effort," Grand Tutor Sha said with a smile. "He's made all these preparations because he intends to go far away."

"In that case, let's wait and see."

Being preoccupied with a myriad of daily affairs, he quickly cast this minor matter aside.

For the rest of the day, He Lingchuan remained in his inn room, diligently refining the auxiliary ingredients and attending to various other tasks.

Alchemy was not his strong suit. He could only use the small furnace he bought from the pharmacy, and it took refining four or five batches of raw materials into waste before he gained enough proficiency to produce a satisfactory semi-finished product.

Fortunately, the refining difficulty itself wasn't high; otherwise, he would have needed to find another solution.

Second Boss Shi claimed to know the Fufeng City surroundings like the back of his hand. He Lingchuan discussed with him for about an hour, then stated that he would be going out of the city to explore and would return in three days.

Fufeng City was one of the important stops for any caravan. The Shimen Caravan was already planning to unload, sell, and deliver goods here, requiring a period of stay. Fufeng City had many specialties that Fu Nation needed. However, the Shimen Caravan still had to continue northwest, so they wouldn't buy ready stock for now. Instead, they would place orders now for goods to be prepared, paying the final balance and taking the goods back to their country when the Shimen Caravan returned from Lingxu City, much like a futures contract.

Now, with the Precious Tree King's birthday approaching, Second Boss Shi had been incredibly busy these past few days. How could he possibly pay attention to where He Lingchuan was going?

A large business deal was originally handled by the Gan Family Association. However, the Grand Tutor's mansion, feeling indebted to He Xiao, transferred this deal to the Shimen Caravan.

The size of the deal itself was not important, nor was how much money the brothers could earn from it. What mattered was that the Shimen Caravan had connected with the Grand Tutor's mansion and gained their trust!

What honor, what a boon this was!

This was the long-awaited turning point in the Shi brothers' careers.

Big Brother's foresight was indeed correct; forging a connection with He Xiao brought immense benefits.

Second Boss Shi was ecstatic upon receiving this news and wanted to find He Lingchuan for a drink. However, He Lingchuan merely chuckled, "I'm busy," and didn't even let him in.

Second Boss Shi peered curiously inside, seeing that He Lingchuan's room was full of women, almost of all ages. He had no idea what He Lingchuan was up to.

He Lingchuan was busy until that afternoon, when he finally rode out of the city alone, heading northeast.

The Emperor's Dew, as announced by the Grand Tutor's mansion, was expected to appear as early as tomorrow evening.

Fufeng City truly lived up to its reputation as the capital of Baoshu Kingdom. The towns and villages in its near suburbs were very prosperous, with farmlands, orchards, forestries, and workshops everywhere. The figures of both monsters and humans toiling were ubiquitous; it was almost impossible to find an uninhabited spot.

He Lingchuan traveled further and further, observing carefully along the way.

Finally, human settlements thinned out, and wilderness forests grew denser.

He tried riding closer to a small mountain. It appeared to be an unclaimed wilderness mountain, with no signs of human activity.

However, before He Lingchuan reached the foot of the mountain, he heard two rustling sounds in the woods. Several huge black water deer emerged and blocked his path, speaking in human language:

"By order of the Prime Minister: This area is temporarily designated as the territory of the Black Horn Clan. Humans are forbidden from entering for three days."

The large deer looked down at him, as if ready to kick if he didn't comply.

He Lingchuan did not linger, turning to leave immediately.

Next, he tried several other locations, all of which were already occupied, sometimes by demon tribes, sometimes by humans. This showed that Wu Jinsong's information was accurate.

Being a newcomer, he, a stranger, naturally didn't want to conflict with local powers. He Lingchuan therefore continued northeast, spending the night in the wilderness, and walking from early morning until afternoon on the second day.

Then, he finally arrived at his destination.

This place was over two hundred li from Fufeng City, an open area beside a lake.

In fact, he had already left Fufeng City's suburbs and the strongholds of various factions last night. But to be safe, he traveled another half-day further, even staying away from the main road.

This place was rarely visited, over forty li from the nearest human settlement, with almost no trace of human activity nearby. As for whether there were monsters, this was demon territory—who could say for sure?

However, monster groups in the wilderness had limited power, unlike those in Fufeng City.

Of course, Mother Zhu and the other great demons in the Demon Nest Marsh were exceptions.

He Lingchuan chose this location for a reason. The shimmering large lake before him was named "Three Hearts Lake," implying it had three interconnected sections: one large and two small.

The largest section covered several hundred hectares, while the smallest was only about four mu, a vast difference.

Second Boss Shi knew this place because once, while traveling for business, he rushed through the night to make progress, strayed off course, and ended up here. It took him two days to find his way back to Fufeng City, leaving a deep impression.

He Lingchuan stood by the small lake, took a look, and silently thought, "Heaven helps me."

It turned out that there hadn't been rain here for a long time, and the water level had dropped significantly. The channel connecting it to the large lake was almost entirely blocked by mud and sand, forming a natural low dam.

Unless there were several torrential rains, fish from the large lake wouldn't be able to swim through.

As the saying goes, "deep waters nurture large fish, and deep pools birth flood dragons." What formidable monster would choose to reside in a mere four-mu pond?

Moreover, around the small lake was a circle of muddy ground, deep enough to reach one's knees with a single step, while the forest receded tens of meters away.

No one would willingly choose this spot to receive the Emperor's Dew.