Chapter 626: Willing Prey

The Heaven God uses it to locate the Great Square Pot.

The reunion of the pot and its lid was secondary; He Lingchuan absolutely had to eliminate this hidden danger. Otherwise, the Heaven God's attention would follow him like a shadow, leaving him unsafe no matter where he was in the world. Furthermore, he wouldn't dare use the Great Square Pot to its full potential—that is, if he could even figure out how to use it.

Secondly, he needed to fulfill Zhu Erniang's request and locate its largest remains.

This item was very likely placed within the core of the Spirit Gathering Array in Mount Xu, so he first had to locate that constantly shifting core.

Lastly, he needed to find a way to invalidate the Frost Leaf Imperial Master's order held by Nian Zanli, effectively preventing him from raising troops.

Of these three tasks, the last one was the simplest.

The first two, however, would likely need to be handled simultaneously. The commotion they would cause on Mount Xu was bound to be immense, and he probably wouldn't get a second opportunity.

Naturally, the difficulty of these tasks was five-star.

From this point forward, he also had to consider his escape plan once everything was done—this was the fourth task.

None of it would be easy, especially with so many adversaries eyeing him hungrily. He Lingchuan let out a long sigh:

"Bring me some supper!"

The following day, He Lingchuan stayed in, taking his fishing rod to the lake behind the mountain to fish.

Just as he stepped out the door, the little squirrel jumped onto He Lingchuan's shoulder and informed him, "Lord Songyang sent word that the three hundred pounds of frost-patterned iron you requested will be ready in two days."

"Two days?" He Lingchuan calculated the timing and found it was sufficient.

Frost-patterned iron was a rare metal, difficult for him to procure on his own, so he had asked Li Qingge to arrange it. Songyang Manor, a prominent sect in artifact refining, possessed its own supply channels for metal ores.

Marquis Songyang proved to be reliable, and he could even arrange for credit.

The little squirrel also handed him a note.

After completing its task, it collected its nuts and hopped away.

The mountains were serene, the lake water clear and rippling, and two silver-throated tits landed on the boat's roof, chirping softly.

The fierce tiger also tried to lie on the boat but was mercilessly rejected by He Lingchuan.

He needed to carefully consider his next steps.

He opened the note, which bore Li Qingge's elegant handwriting. The gist was that Glazed Gold had too many applications, developing different properties when combined with various metals, making it difficult to generalize. However, if one needed a simple, brutal way to break it, rapid extreme freezing could be attempted, as the material was inherently intolerant to cold.

Once frozen, it would become brittle, and the difficulty of shattering it would drop sharply.

Of course, Glazed Gold was ultimately a treasure; mere temperatures of minus thirty or forty degrees Celsius would be trivial for it.

Furthermore, "rapid freezing" meant achieving the effect within two breaths.

Only a few rare artifacts in the world could generate extremely low temperatures in such a short time, but Li Qingge currently possessed none.

As a master smith of Songyang Manor, skilled in problem-solving, she had, after much deliberation, provided He Lingchuan with a crucial clue:

While artifacts of that caliber couldn't be forged, they could attempt to create single-use talismans.

Some cultivators favored the use of talisman arrays and individual talismans. These ranged from single-use to regularly reusable, and from paper talismans to copper and jade ones—a wide variety existed.

Talismans were the easiest to produce, required the fewest materials, offered good effects, and were highly versatile in their application. Their primary drawback, however, was their lack of durability.

Songyang Manor could create "Cold Jade Talismans" for He Lingchuan. All other materials were available, except for one:

Frost Pellets.

Only Cold Jade Talismans crafted with Frost Pellets as the base material possessed the power to instantly freeze Glazed Gold.

There was no substitute.

Furthermore, Songyang Manor's supply channels couldn't acquire this item, as it was a rare specialty of the Fu Realm.

"The Fu Realm?" He Lingchuan sighed. The Fu Realm was connected to the Sea of Grass, a place he had originally intended to avoid.

Now, however, it seemed he had no choice but to make the trip. The core of Mount Xu's Spirit Gathering Array was crafted from Glazed Gold!

He Lingchuan leaned back, letting the gentle breeze caress his face, and began to contemplate his next problem.

Whether he intended to approach the core of the Spirit Gathering Array or retrieve the divine artifact from the Star-Picking Tower, an unavoidable obstacle stood in his way:

Juju.

This powerful rock-fire monster was the guardian deity of Mount Xu; one could say it was integrated with the entire mountain range. When it was awake, it would know if even a single stone was out of place on Mount Xu.

If He Lingchuan were to trespass, he would certainly not escape its notice.

Moreover, He Lingchuan harbored ulterior motives towards it—no, that wasn't quite right, he had other plans.

Against a behemoth like the Heavenly Palace, his own strength was insufficient to seize the divine artifact from the Star-Picking Tower. Therefore, could he perhaps leverage Juju's abilities?

Thus, his immediate priority was to find a way to establish contact with this rock-fire monster.

He had initially thought of seeking a method through the Ke family, given their close ties to Juju.

However, Lingxu City prohibited private worship of Juju, and the Ke family vehemently denied any involvement, claiming their innocence.

This meant that, overtly, this mountain deity had no statues or avatars appearing outside of Mount Xu.

Consequently, any path to reaching Juju through private worship was blocked.

So... what if he went directly to the Star-Picking Tower to find it?

After all, the Star-Picking Tower was open to all visitors during the day, allowing He Lingchuan to enter openly.

But Juju typically slept deep beneath the mountain; why would it emerge to meet him?

Furthermore, this monster possessed high intelligence, making it entirely possible that it had picked up some nasty habits from cunning individuals, such as two-facedness or betraying allies.

What if it seemingly agreed to terms with He Lingchuan, only to turn around and sell him and his plans to the Heaven God?

Human nature was untrustworthy, and this rock-fire monster... was equally unreliable.

So, should he even attempt to make contact with it?

The float suddenly bobbed; another fish had taken the bait.

He Lingchuan reeled in his line and soon pulled up a shimmering, five-jin Bighead Carp.

Pianxiang Villa had been desolate for many years, and with weasels and other monsters in residence, few anglers dared to sneak into the back mountain.

The fish in the lake were now foolish and plump. He Lingchuan, using just a piece of dough as bait, could easily teach them about the wickedness of human nature.

Wouldn't this plump, large head make excellent chopped chili fish head?

As He Lingchuan held the plump fish and examined it, a laugh came from the shore: "Young Master He, impressive skill!"

He turned his head and saw that it was Fang Canran.

He quickly paddled the boat to the dock, asking, "What brings you here, Mr. Fang?"

Fang Canran pointed to the servant beside him and said, "I was discussing a business deal with His Highness and was just about to leave."

The servant was an attendant from Pianxiang Villa.

Given his status as the Golden Horn family's chief steward, Fang Canran was not entitled to be personally escorted to the door by the Crown Prince.

Lingxu City was precisely such a place, with strict hierarchies and formidable barriers.

"How's the catch?"

"Not bad. Care to try your hand?" Deep waters bred big fish, and this deep lake hadn't been disturbed for a long time.

In just an hour, He Lingchuan had caught three large fish and over ten smaller ones.

He actually cast bait quite frequently, but most of it was snatched by smaller fish.

Too many juvenile fish in the lake was also a nuisance.

"Alright, I'll give it a try."

Fang Canran leapt onto the pleasure boat with a swift movement.

He poled the boat to the center of the lake, took the fishing rod from He Lingchuan, and skillfully baited and cast his line.

"So, Mr. Fang is also a fellow enthusiast," He Lingchuan remarked. Fang Canran was clearly the seasoned angler, not merely dabbling like himself.

Fang Canran glanced at him. "Like Young Master He, I also hope that those who are willing will take the bait."

Both men chuckled.

Their laughter was soft, so as not to scare away the fish.

He Lingchuan placed a kettle on a small stove, lit it, and began to boil water for tea.

"The scenery here is truly beautiful, and the plants aren't overly trimmed. It's perfect for cultivating one's mind and spirit."

He Lingchuan smiled. "Indeed, but unfortunately, with too many pressing matters, I can't fully immerse myself in the landscape."

Fang Canran suddenly reeled in his rod, and a tiny fish, no longer than a pinky finger, flopped about.

"That quickly? Mr. Fang is truly skilled. These small fish are notorious for stealing bait and are the easiest to lose from the hook."

Fang Canran scoffed lightly. "Having fished so much, how could I let them get away?"

He simply used the small fish as bait, impaling it on the hook, and cast his line back into the water. "Fortune favors the bold, but a greedy rush can lead to ruin. It's a pity these little creatures never understand that until it's too late."

The mirror in He Lingchuan's arms clicked its tongue twice. "What riddle are you two speaking?"

He Lingchuan smiled. "It seems, Mr. Fang, you are quite well-versed in these matters."

Fang Canran smiled subtly. "Having observed a great deal, I've naturally gained some insights."

Soon, a fish tugged at the rod.

Seeing the fishing rod bent, He Lingchuan chuckled, "Looks like a big one."

Fang Canran was in no hurry to reel it in, letting it thrash wildly in the water for several dozen breaths. Only when it tired and could no longer fight did he yank the rod.

The fish arced through the air, twisting its head and tail, still remarkably vigorous.

"What a large black fish!" It must have weighed seven or eight jin, with beautifully patterned scales.

"With something like this around, the lake won't have many fish," Fang Canran said, tossing the black fish into the bucket. "While it's true that big fish eat small fish, it's rare to see one that eats so aggressively. With this one present, all the smaller fish in the lake are doomed."

The mirror grumbled, "What are you two talking about? Aren't there two fish kings in this lake?"

"Oh, right, there are two demon fish kings in this lake," He Lingchuan chuckled. "The black fish won't be able to cause any trouble."

"That's good to hear," Fang Canran said, glancing at him. "If the fish demons eat the black fish, then the smaller fish at the bottom will actually have a chance to survive."

Re-baiting his hook, Fang Canran cast his line, and then both men fell silent.

Only the charcoal in the stove crackled and popped.

The mirror knew both men were waiting for the other to speak first.

Finally, Fang Canran broke the silence. "Young Master He, have we truly never met before?"

"I don't believe so."

Fang Canran subtly shifted the signet ring on his hand. "What about this? Does it ring any bells for you?"

He Lingchuan smiled. "Perhaps my memory is mistaken."

Fang Canran let out a slow sigh. "What a pity."

He Lingchuan looked at him. "Mr. Fang, why don't you stay for dinner? We agreed last time, but it never happened."

Last time, Fang Canran had readily agreed, only to depart prematurely.

Fang Canran chuckled. "Actually, I still need to go to Yuexiang Villa to sample some dishes. They've brought in a new head chef from Wujing. You know the saying: 'Food in Lingxu, flavor in Wujing.' At least thirty percent of Lingxu City's best chefs hail from Wujing. This new chef at Yuexiang Villa is supposedly a master of 'Land and Water Roast'."

"How about you, He Xiao, come with me to sample the dishes?" He gestured to the fish bucket. "We can use the fish you've caught here to test my new chef."