Chapter 580: The Other Side of Lingxu City

**Chapter 576: The Other Side of Spirit Void City**

The exquisite box bore a maple leaf mark on its surface, likely Grand Tutor Frostleaf's unique emblem.

He Lingchuan opened the box and saw a white, wax-sealed pill lying inside.

"Grand Tutor Frostleaf personally gave this to me; he refined it only three days ago," Fu Shanyue said with a smile. "Swallow it now, and you'll be able to run and jump in no time."

The Emperor's word was truth; the spiritual elixir given by the Demon Emperor to Fu Shanyue in such a formal setting was unlikely to be fake or harmful.

He Lingchuan put away the box. "Swallowing it directly would be a waste," he said. "I'll save it for a life-saving emergency."

A hint of curiosity arose in his mind. "Beja has four Grand Tutors," he asked. "How are their relationships with each other?"

"Two of Beja's Grand Tutors are human, and two are great demons. This ancient system hasn't changed in over five hundred years," Fu Shanyue explained. "Therefore, the Grand Tutors of the Azure and Summer Palaces have a better relationship, and the Autumn and Winter Palaces interact more frequently."

He Lingchuan nodded and asked a crucial question:

"What about the relationship between Grand Tutor Azure Sun and Grand Tutor Frostleaf?"

Fu Shanyue looked surprised. "Why do you ask about that?" he queried.

"Our investigation has led us to Grand Tutor Azure Sun," He Lingchuan replied. "Shouldn't we learn more about them?"

These words were quite profound, making Fu Shanyue ponder for a while.

"Those two aren't on very good terms," he said, taking a sip of wine. "Grand Tutor Azure Sun is the most senior and most experienced in manipulating primal energy. Grand Tutor Frostleaf is second; he is the most trusted by the gods and has undertaken the most foreign missions. I heard he has very close personal relationships with several foreign monarchs, such as those from Baling and Jing nations."

He Lingchuan was surprised. "That's allowed?" he asked. "The Emperor isn't displeased?"

Would the Demon Emperor simply ignore a Grand Tutor from Spirit Void City engaging in close relations with foreign monarchs?

"What's so surprising about that?" Fu Shanyue chuckled. "Does Grand Tutor Frostleaf dare to rebel? Besides, there might even be divine instruction behind it."

Who knows?

However, he immediately lowered his voice. "The late Emperor, on the other hand, relied more heavily on Grand Tutor Azure Sun."

After lunch, He Lingchuan changed into coarse cloth clothes, disguising himself as a servant. He drove an ox cart transporting waste and slipped out through the back door with a plump cook.

For a mansion this size to operate, it required at least a dozen servants for tasks ranging from weeding and watering to grocery shopping, cooking, and various chores.

Labor in Spirit Void City was very expensive.

Madam Ying's mansion in Dunyu, the capital of Xiazhou, also required daily upkeep with hired help, but the average labor cost there was less than thirty percent of what it was here. And from now on, He Lingchuan would be the one paying them, he thought with a sigh.

He had just moved into Panshan Mansion, and few people knew, so he tried to act cautiously.

After ensuring he wasn't being followed, he parted ways with the house servants at a fork in the road, turned into a carriage rental shop, and hired a donkey cart to go to Nanli District.

The Big-horned Rock Goat was currently in the backyard of Panshan Mansion, secretly eating dewy grass. Its appearance was too distinctive, making it unsuitable for He Lingchuan's current outing.

Fortunately, Panshan Mansion was on the edge of the main city area, and Nanli District was just south. Even so, the donkey cart slowly traveled for an hour, with three carrots given as "fuel" to the donkey along the way.

He Lingchuan's destination was a small mountain called Phoenix Wing Mountain, which, from a distance, resembled a phoenix spreading its wings.

Of course, there were few tall mountains within Spirit Void City's borders; most were low peaks hugging the ground. The donkey cart slowly wound its way up the mountain road. The landscape was lush green, dominated by ancient banyan trees.

They passed several large villas and mansions along the way, all with tightly shut gates. A stream gurgled, and the lingering rays of the setting sun filtered through thick foliage and long banyan roots, casting dappled tree shadows on the tall walls.

It was a scene of tranquil beauty.

On Phoenix Wing Mountain, there were only ten households.

But this was not He Lingchuan's final destination. The donkey cart was merely taking a shortcut; it descended from a fork in the road and soon reached the foot of Phoenix Wing Mountain on the other side.

The main road was still wide and flat, but turning onto a small path by the market and walking for two or three *li*, a strong smell of fish and swirling dust immediately assailed them.

This small lakeside town primarily served as a hub for fish and seafood from the nearby lakes and rivers. The fishy smell had virtually permeated every pillar and every patch of ground, impossible to wash away completely.

He Lingchuan disembarked here.

Dignitaries would never visit such a place in their lives. Even ordinary commoners would hold their noses when passing by.

But He Lingchuan didn't even flinch. He walked to the dock and found the oldest fisherman, handing him two pieces of chewing tobacco and a leaf. "I'm looking for Old Ge," he said.

The old man was dark and thin, parched as if dehydrated. He was sitting on a stool on a fishing raft, staring blankly at the water. He Lingchuan watched him for a while and noticed that he didn't even move his eyeballs, like a wooden statue.

Hearing He Lingchuan's words, he took the chewing tobacco with surprising speed, immediately peeling off a piece and putting it in his mouth to chew.

Of course, he also glanced at the leaf, made a "follow me" gesture, and walked towards the shore.

The banyan leaf He Lingchuan presented was unusual; the green leaf had golden edges.

It was naturally occurring, and Old Ge used it as his calling card. Of course, no one would bother to counterfeit it.

The old fisherman led He Lingchuan into the town. His left leg was lame, his left shoulder slumped, and his movements were very uncoordinated.

It seemed they had just received over a dozen boatloads of fish, and the whole town was bustling.

Busy yet quiet, as if the people here disliked talking. As the old fisherman led He Lingchuan past, people merely glanced up before continuing their work.

Various kinds of shimmering, lively, and fresh large fish stood in stark contrast to the dilapidated town.

How many people knew that before these lake delicacies were sorted and served on the tables of wealthy families, they would first pass through the large, rough, calloused hands of the fishermen?

On the edge of town was a small, low stone-shell house. Approaching it, one would realize the outer walls weren't stone shells but rather rammed earth made of clam and other seashells. However, the house was relatively neat, with no clutter in the yard and none of the town's fishy smell.

"Old Ge."

He Lingchuan called out.

In the nearby tree canopy and on the low cliff behind, several shadows immediately stirred.

There were humans, mountain imps, and other demons.

It seemed the monkey had quite a few subordinates.

A shadow flashed within the house, and the gibbon emerged.

"Oh, isn't this Mr. He?"

With a raise of its hand, the figures peeking out around them all retracted.

He Lingchuan smiled. "You still recognize me?"

"Of course!" Old Ge's grin stretched to his ears, revealing a mouth full of large, yellow teeth. "You're the Chiyan envoy, here to investigate the elixir of immortality case. I heard the inn was bombed last night. Are you all right?"

This old monkey was indeed well-informed.

He Lingchuan shook his head.

Old Ge looked at the old fisherman again. "You didn't take the main road? You came from the lakeside?"

"That's right, to save time."

Coming from the main road, one wouldn't see the town's dilapidated bustle. This current state made him seem rather cheap, Old Ge muttered to himself. He waved his hand at the old man, who turned around stiffly and limped away.

"Why are you staying here?" He Lingchuan asked. "It seems you've made quite a bit of money, haven't you?"

"The largest lake in Nanli District is here, and I've been here for decades," Old Ge said, baring his teeth. "Too lazy to move."

"I see quite a few people living in town who aren't in the fishing business," He Lingchuan remarked. Many dilapidated houses in town had residents; some even without homes slept in shacks made of torn tarpaulins.

"Those are all penniless outsiders who thought Spirit Void City was paved with gold and came to get rich, only to realize they were dreaming," Old Ge chuckled. "They don't have two copper coins in their pockets all year round. If they didn't live in these shacks, they'd be sleeping on the streets."

Land prices in Spirit Void City were high, so rent naturally couldn't be cheap.

In a place teeming with the wealthy, the lives of the poor were even harder.

He Lingchuan asked him, "You said I could come to you for anything?"

"Yes, yes!" Old Ge chuckled. "Just give the order, whether it's convenient or inconvenient, I can handle it here!"

"What about finding people?"

The gibbon thumped its chest. "No problem. Please come in!"

He welcomed He Lingchuan into the shell house.

Once inside, the gibbon puffed out its chest, and its demeanor changed. "Who are you looking for?" it asked. "Alive or dead?"

The place was very clean, the wooden tabletop polished to a shiny patina. On it sat a small blue porcelain vase with a bouquet of small flowers. This was probably a reception area, meant for appearances, because through a slightly open crack in the door behind him, he could see a large pile of clutter in the inner room.

Sensing He Lingchuan's gaze, the old ape stretched out its long arm and quickly closed the door to the back.

"They were alive yesterday, but perhaps not anymore," He Lingchuan said, withdrawing his gaze. "You already know about the inn explosion yesterday."

"Ah, I heard about it this morning," Old Ge said, scratching his head. "Nothing like this has happened in over a hundred years."

"My guesthouse room was the one that was bombed."

Old Ge paused, as if processing the information, then asked, "You want me to find the culprit?"

"What culprit?" He Lingchuan didn't even blink. "I want you to help me find two people: both are small, dark-skinned, very thin, and have red eyes. One has very large, bulging eyes like a frog, and the other always sniffs. Both have fish-scale-like peeling skin on their arms and a faint fishy smell about them."

He thought for a moment. "They bear some resemblance to each other; they're very likely brothers," he added.

Old Ge immediately said upon hearing this, "They might be people who make a living by the water."

"That's why I came to you." He Lingchuan took out a silver ingot. "I need to know their names, addresses, and where they usually frequent. Can you do it?"

"This job carries risks," Old Ge mused. "Anyone daring to bomb the inn must be extremely vicious!"

He Lingchuan took out another silver ingot.

"No names, so I'll need to send out more people to search."

Three silver ingots.

Old Ge's eyebrows stretched. "They might even retaliate afterward!"

He Lingchuan didn't give any more. Instead, he started putting the displayed silver back. "You won't take it?" he said. "I'll find someone else then."

"Hey, hey!" Old Ge quickly snatched the silver from his hand. "I'll take it, I'll take it! Mr. He is generous. I'll get you the information in three days!"

"Too long. Two days," He Lingchuan stated.

"Alright, alright," Old Ge chuckled. "My apologies for the poor hospitality. Would you like something to drink? Juice?"

It reached into a cabinet behind it and took out a small, lidless pot, then found a wooden cup and filled it.