Chapter 620: Discussion about the National Master over Wine

"Strange ores and spirit wood."

"I thought they were rare treasures, but they're just raw materials," He Lingchuan said, stroking his chin. He was interested in anything related to the Ke family. "Does the Ke family perhaps have a jewelry business and commissioned Dunyuan to find sources?"

Which of these noble families in Spirit虛 City doesn't possess immense wealth and engage in the most profitable, monopolistic businesses?

"Of course, the Ke family also has a jewelry business, but that's not the main point," Fang Canran said, pointing north. "These materials are for over there."

"North?" He Lingchuan looked north too. "What's up north? The Void Mountains or the Floating Islands?"

"Where exactly is that?"At the mention of the Void Mountains, He Lingchuan immediately recalled the day he went up Tianzhu Peak with the tour group. Ke Yanming had also ascended the mountain via a teleportation array, with servants carrying several large boxes behind him.Evidently, he was delivering items to the Star-Plucking Pavilion.

Fang Canran slowly said, "For a long time, the Ke family has served the Mountain Spirit of the Void Mountains."This was well-known among the upper echelons of Spirit虛 City.

"Mountain..." He Lingchuan swirled his cup. "The magma inside Tianzhu Peak?"

"Precisely," Fang Canran nodded. "Only the Ke family can meet the Mountain Spirit's demands. That's why they enjoy such prosperity; many in Spirit虛 City have tried to replace them but have never succeeded."

He Lingchuan suddenly understood. "There's such a powerful Mountain Spirit?"No wonder, no wonder. During the final step before the Spirit Gathering Array was completed—before placing the array core—the Emperor had the Ke family appease Zujv to sleep. It was because the offerings from their family were most pleasing to the magma monster, and it would consume them without reservation.

"Other Mountain Spirits, those in the deep mountains and old forests, can only manage a few wild beasts or monsters, and receive virtually no offerings. But the Mountain Spirit of the Void Mountains, if it merely stomps its foot, the entire Spirit虛 City trembles. Do you think it has the power?"

"The earthquake a dozen years ago?"

Fang Canran nodded. "Young Master He, you know quite a bit about the old affairs of Spirit虛 City."

"Everything that happens here is significant and draws the attention of the world."

As He Lingchuan spoke, his gaze subconsciously fell on Fang Canran's signet ring again.When it came to living on the edge of life and death, He Lingchuan felt he still lagged behind Shao Jian.That man was roaming everywhere with the Dragon Punishing Pillar, actively causing trouble for the gods and poking holes in the divine realm.If the deities behind Spirit虛 City ever discovered his actions, they would probably flay him alive.

Fang Canran sat up straight and looked at the signet ring as well."Young Master He seems quite interested in this ring?"It was a subconscious movement, indicating that he placed great importance on the upcoming conversation.

Finally, they were getting to the point. He Lingchuan's expression remained calm. "Yes, the design is very unique. I'd like to have one made too."If he wasn't mistaken, this was Fang Canran's true purpose for visiting today!He Lingchuan also sharpened his focus.

This man was extremely meticulous; he had noticed He Lingchuan merely glancing at the signet ring a couple of times back at Dunyuan.But this also suggested that Fang Canran was well aware of the five-pattern spiral ring's origin.He was here to test how much He Lingchuan knew about the secret behind it.

"This was from my ancestor who went to...""Many nobles in the West have a custom of wearing signet rings. Besides being decorative, they're also convenient for sealing documents," He Lingchuan interrupted, making a stamping gesture with his fist, knuckles touching the table.

Fang Canran's smile subtly faded. "Indeed. Young Master He is remarkably knowledgeable for his age."

"This type of signet ring is passed down through generations. How many years has this one of yours been in the family, Mr. Fang?"

"Counting from the ancestor who had this signet ring made?" Fang Canran mused. "I believe it's over a hundred... yes, over 160 years."

He Lingchuan's eyes flickered.Indeed, it had been over 160 years since Shao Jian escaped Yuan Nation and traveled the world. Fang Canran remembered the details very precisely.But this was unusual.

In this era, lifespans are short. Some cultivators might barely reach 130 or 140 years, but the average lifespan for commoners is under 40. To live to 60 is cause for celebration. With early deaths and short lives, people neither know nor care about events from several generations past. Most couldn't even tell you their great-great-grandfather's name. This isn't due to forgetting their heritage, but because survival is difficult; people are too busy struggling for a living to spare any thought for such things, unless later generations become wealthy and prominent enough to establish family temples and genealogies.

However, to be as precise as Fang Canran, even remembering the exact year a ring was cast, was peculiar. Especially since he claimed his ancestors lived a nomadic life and only settled in Spirit虛 City sixty years ago. If people constantly moved, their past history, traditions, and customs could easily be lost. And this ring wasn't some rare treasure, so why would the Fang family members throughout generations bother to remember it so meticulously? Most importantly, for Fang Canran to state this so confidently, it likely meant that previous ancestors had indeed treasured this knowledge and ensured its continuous transmission. Otherwise, how would Fang Canran, as a descendant, know such details?

He Lingchuan also looked at the signet ring. "The Fang family's reverence for this ring has been passed down for over 160 years."

Fang Canran gave a silent smile. "Yes, it has."

"Does it hold any special significance for the Fang family?" He added, "Things passed down by ancestors aren't necessarily good, nor are they always valued by descendants."

"Significance?" Fang Canran looked at He Lingchuan. "Young Master He, are you this curious about other families' ancestral rings too?"

"No, just this one," He Lingchuan shook his head. "I just feel like I've seen it somewhere before, especially these five spiral patterns. They seem to have some special meaning."

"What kind of meaning?"

"It seems different spiral patterns denote different statuses or positions."

"To be frank, the first ancestor of the Fang family once founded a merchant guild and used this signet ring as its emblem. The business was quite successful, but very few of these rings were ever issued," Fang Canran said, his gaze fixed intently. "Young Master He, where exactly have you seen a ring like this?"

He Lingchuan concentrated, pondering deeply. After a long moment, he sighed wistfully, "I just can't recall."

"Is that so?" Fang Canran seemed unconcerned, merely smiling. "Well then, Young Master He, if you ever do recall, please be sure to tell me."

He Lingchuan repeatedly affirmed, "Of course, of course!"

They dropped the subject, and the two men discussed recent interesting events in Spirit虛 City. A thought occurred to He Lingchuan, and he specifically inquired about the current situation of Grand Preceptor Qingyang.

"Grand Preceptor Qingyang regularly attends many events. To my knowledge, she even donated a significant sum of money to the meerkat orphans yesterday," Fang Canran said with a smile. "Young Master He, have you met Grand Preceptor Qingyang?"

He Lingchuan shook his head. "I haven't had the opportunity."

"Grand Preceptor Qingyang will most likely attend the Grass Sea event in a few days," Fang Canran whispered. "I heard that the Elixir of Immortality case has clues pointing to Grand Preceptor Qingyang. Is that true?"

Case details would naturally not be made public, but these powerful nobles had their ways of finding information.

"The currently at-large suspect was found to possess a portrait of Grand Preceptor Qingyang, and he himself seems to have some connection with her," He Lingchuan said, pouring a cup of wine. "The subsequent investigation of the case has been handed over to Commissioner Bai."

He asked Fang Canran, "I heard that among the Four Grand Preceptors, Grand Preceptor Qingyang is the leader and has served the longest?"

Fang Canran nodded. "She was already a Grand Preceptor of Beijia when my first ancestor was alive. At that time, she was the youngest; now she's the oldest."

He Lingchuan was surprised. "She was already a Grand Preceptor over 160 years ago?"

Fang Canran smiled. "Roughly. Grand Preceptors tend to be quite long-lived. Grand Preceptor Shuangye, for instance, looks much younger, only around twenty."

He Lingchuan paused. "Wait, aren't only the Grand Preceptors of the Spring and Summer Palaces human?"

"Yes, among the four Grand Preceptors, there must always be two great demons and two humans," Fang Canran explained. "Grand Preceptor Shuangye merely looks human; her true form is that of a demon."

"What kind of demon is she?" He Lingchuan asked. "Fu Shanyue looked human but was actually a drought demon. But I heard Beijia only had two drought demons, wait, now it should be three."

"I heard it's an extremely rare type of demon called a 'Dusu'," Fang Canran said with a smile. "Beijia's first Grand Preceptor in history was also a Dusu. Perhaps they are from the same family."

He Lingchuan was curious. "To have produced two Grand Preceptors, they must be a prominent family in Spirit虛 City."

Fang Canran waved his hand. "Not quite. The first Grand Preceptor of the founding era had no descendants, and the Dusu disappeared from history until Grand Preceptor Shuangye emerged. Unlike humans, the more powerful a demon is, the weaker its reproductive ability, and their lineage easily dies out. The current Grand Preceptor Shuangye also has no descendants, which the Emperor finds quite satisfactory."

"I see," He Lingchuan said. Honestly, his curiosity about Grand Preceptor Shuangye was no less than about Grand Preceptor Qingyang. "I heard there's some friction between Grand Preceptor Qingyang and Grand Preceptor Shuangye?"

"Friction" was too gentle a word. As far as He Lingchuan knew, they seemed to want to kill each other. Wasn't Grand Preceptor Shuangye sheltering Xi Yunhe, Grand Preceptor Qingyang's abandoned disciple, precisely to oppose her?

"With such high positions, how could they possibly be cordial?" Fang Canran chuckled. "This is true regardless of the size of the nation."

"You're absolutely right, Mr. Fang. However, I initially thought that Grand Preceptor Qingyang and Grand Preceptor Shuangye would attack each other during the Elixir of Immortality case. But since I arrived in Spirit虛 City, the Green Palace seems to have remained silent." The anticipated wrath from the Green Palace seemed not to have materialized.

"Still waters run deep. Since Chiyan and He Xiao are no longer involved in the case, you wouldn't feel the surging undercurrents," Fang Canran chuckled. "When you were handling cases in Baishajue, could other prominent figures and gentry witness your private confrontations with Cen Boqing and others?"

He Lingchuan thought for a moment and shook his head.

When he was pressing hardest on the case, Cen Boqing had brought in the spellcaster Cheng Yu to take his life. The nightmare's killing methods were invisible and untraceable; how could anyone else know about them?Therefore, if Grand Preceptor Qingyang and Grand Preceptor Shuangye were clashing, many of their tactics might be completely unknown to outsiders.

Fang Canran continued, "Actually, the Green Palace started its counterattack long ago. For example, in the major corruption case that broke out a few days ago, Jia Qingmin, the investigated Vice Minister of the Lesser Treasury, had some dealings with Grand Preceptor Shuangye, and his nephew serves in the Autumn Palace."

He Lingchuan understood. "Killing two birds with one stone."

At that time, Crown Prince Huan had just arrived at Panshan Residence to commit murder and arson, and this news was released shortly after. Now it seemed to be an act by the Green Palace, on one hand to divert public attention, and on the other to retaliate against Grand Preceptor Shuangye.