Chapter 635: Reascending Xushan

"I am not alone." He was never alone.

The power of Spirit Vulture City and the Heavenly God was enough to make any individual feel ashamed of their own insignificance and lowliness. Without Dragoncoil City as his backing, he would not have dared to act as he did.

Dragoncoil City was one of his pillars. Though unseen and intangible, it allowed him to press forward steadfastly, free from fear and hesitation.

Isn't that what conviction is?

The mirror grumbled, "That's a bit of a stretch."

"Then consider this again," He Lingchuan chuckled. "Of all places to make a living, why did Fang Canran choose Spirit Vulture City? Everyone in the world yearns for it, but he, of all people, shouldn't. For Shao Jian's descendants, the risks here far outweigh the opportunities. Just look at me: if I had no ulterior motive, I'd want to be as far from Spirit Vulture City and the Heavenly God as possible."

It was a spiritual distance, an instinctive choice.

"Are you saying the organization he works for stationed him in Spirit Vulture City?"

"Is there any identity more convenient for gathering intelligence and carrying out operations than that of a chief business manager for a prominent noble family?" He Lingchuan raised his chin toward the distance. "In a metropolis of seven million people, how many foreign powers do you think are hidden here? Probably too many to count."

The dazzling lights at the foot of the mountain outshone the Milky Way.

"What's more," He Lingchuan continued with a laugh, "when he caught me with the Earth Immortal Rope, his first question was which organization I came from. In other words, he subconsciously thought I was working for an organization too."

This was Spirit Vulture City, the heart of the empire. Who would be crazy enough to come here alone to cause trouble?

Heh.

"You have a point," the mirror acknowledged.

"Though I seem to be managing well in Spirit Vulture City, I am actually thinly spread and must handle many things myself, which is truly challenging." The Conjoint Guard also kept a close watch on him, constantly restricting his movements. If he had reliable allies to divide tasks with, the difficulty of his plans would be significantly reduced.

"Even if Fang Canran truly belongs to another power," the mirror reminded him, "he might not be willing to help you."

"The enemy of my enemy is someone worth approaching." No matter how difficult a task, it must be tackled one step at a time.

Just then, a dark silhouette swept across the sky, following the light as it flew toward the tower's peak.

He Lingchuan whistled, and the shadow folded its wings, landing on his arm.

The hawk had finally returned.

The timing was impeccable, and He Lingchuan's face lit up.

After a long journey, it was panting, its beak agape.

He Lingchuan pulled a wine bowl from his robe, poured some clean water from a waterskin, and the hawk buried its head, drinking deeply.

Only when its movements slowed did He Lingchuan ask, "Well?"

"You were right. That person is indeed still alive." The hawk retrieved a sealed document from the storage ring on its claw and handed it to him. "This is the ledger from Yangshui County."

"You've worked hard; go rest now." He Lingchuan stroked its back feathers. "You've rendered a great service; tomorrow, I'll recommend you for commendation to His Highness."

He held the sealed document, turning it over and over, scrutinizing it, and pondering for a long time.

The mirror asked, concerned, "Is there something wrong with this document?"

"The document is fine," he replied, "but the situation is not."

"Oh?" It didn't want to ask "why" again!

"Since Xi Yunhe dared to let me investigate," He Lingchuan murmured, "this person should indeed be alive. And his being alive is what's wrong."

"Is it bad for us?" the mirror asked, confused.

He Lingchuan smiled. "It has nothing to do with us."

The next day, He Lingchuan slipped out of Pianxiang Villa once more.

The donkey cart sent by Old Ge, the gibbon, was already waiting in the back mountains. As soon as He Lingchuan boarded, it set off for Dunyuan.

Fang Canran was prepared. Not long after his servant announced He Lingchuan's arrival, he hurried out and personally handed him two storage bracelets. "All three hundred catties of Shaoling ore are here," he stated. "Its purity is very high; the recipient will surely appreciate it. There are also five Soul-Shocking Bombs. The Heart-Piercing Mirror isn't repaired yet, but I'll give it to you in a few days."

He Lingchuan's spiritual sense confirmed the contents were correct. He immediately clasped his fists. "Thank you, Brother Fang."

He didn't know much about ores, but this batch of Shaoling ore was sparkling and appeared to be of excellent quality. He had paid over seven thousand taels for crude ore, not refined, yet Fang Canran had upgraded the quality without increasing the price.

Fang Canran smiled. "Be careful on your journey."

He Lingchuan thanked him and departed. Instead of heading directly north, however, he rode the donkey cart aimlessly through the main city.

His little spider informed him that they were being watched.

He had already shaken off the Conjoint Guard and had just visited Dunyuan. Hm, it was likely Fang Canran's tail, sent to see if he was heading directly for Mount Xu.

The two had a binding contract prohibiting mutual harm. However, for Fang Canran, tailing someone was a means of gaining understanding and not considered a violation of the terms.

He Lingchuan was in no hurry. He disembarked and entered a perfume shop.

Inside, it was full of naked men; one needed a special token to enter, making it quite inconvenient. Thus, the tailing agents simply waited by the front and back doors.

They ended up waiting for two hours.

Knowing something was amiss, they went inside to search, only to find He Lingchuan gone.

These agents could only report back to Fang Canran, crestfallen.

Upon hearing the news, Fang Canran showed no anger; he merely waved them away.

Meanwhile, He Lingchuan had already reached his destination.

This was his third ascent of Mount Xu. The scenery along the way was largely unchanged, and the bustling crowd of tourists numbered at least several tens of thousands.

For such a popular tourist destination, there was only peak season and even busier peak season.

He Lingchuan didn't stop along the way, heading directly for his destination: Tianji Peak.

As before, the path up the peak was shoulder-to-shoulder, with the long queue advancing only seven zhang every quarter of an hour. The immense rock cave was even more packed with people, and the deep pool, encircled by tree roots, was completely mobbed.

Two guards stood expressionless on either side of the pool, preventing any uncivilized behavior.

The queue was tedious and boring, so tourists chatted amongst themselves. He Lingchuan's keen hearing involuntarily picked up a wealth of mundane gossip. Someone complained about their good-for-nothing husband secretly gambling again, while another chuckled about the young woman next door having run off with someone two days prior.

What he hadn't anticipated was that the most frequent topic of conversation was gossip about Imperial Preceptor Qingyang!

A tour group of twenty or thirty people seemed to be behind him, and He Lingchuan overheard several guests gossiping, spreading rumors that Imperial Preceptor Qingyang had had multiple affairs with her favorite disciples!

"Just think," someone whispered, "how many young talents has Qing Palace absorbed over the past hundred years? Imperial Preceptor Qingyang picks and chooses; who wouldn't serve her if she wished?"

"She's nearly two hundred and still maintains her youthful appearance; perhaps she's skilled in the art of dual cultivation."

By the end of this, the group was chuckling amongst themselves.

Someone nearby, disapproving, interrupted, "Watch your tongues! None of you witnessed it yourselves!"

"Didn't Imperial Preceptor Qingyang admit it herself?" another voice piped up. "She said that expelled disciple—the one who hunted demons for pearls in the Elixir of Immortality case, that 'Ma' something-or-other—used to harbor improper desires for her!"

"Exactly," another guest chuckled. "This 'Ma' fellow only betrayed his sect because he couldn't have her. With such a reputation, you can imagine what the Qing Palace is truly like."

The previous speaker was left speechless.

"Among these powerful noble families in Spirit Vulture City, who doesn't have a scandal or a bizarre quirk?" someone else commented. "I heard that Attendant Liu from the port specifically hired a nest of bee demons, and when his concubine served him or guests, he would have the bee demons sting her."

Everyone was greatly shocked and eagerly asked for details, at which point the conversation shifted.

He Lingchuan scratched his head. No wonder the Qing Palace's numerous tactics had failed to divert the attention of Spirit Vulture City's residents. It turned out the scandalous unofficial histories about Imperial Preceptor Qingyang were spreading everywhere.

This kind of celebrity gossip spreads quickly, endures, and is embellished countless times, designed to appeal to people's baser instincts.

It was certainly attention-grabbing.

He Lingchuan hadn't expected Imperial Preceptor Shuangye to resort to such tactics.

These two imperial preceptors had been battling for over a century. Imperial Preceptor Shuangye, finally seizing a winning opportunity, was clearly stopping at nothing.

In a life-or-death struggle, all noble principles and self-importance are cast aside.

After finally queuing into the rock cave, He Lingchuan didn't touch the tree roots. Instead, he squeezed to the spot directly in front of the pool, stood firm, turned back toward the cave entrance, and pointed.

In the crowded cave, no one paid attention to his gesture.

Yet He Lingchuan distinctly remembered that before Venerable Wood Spirit ascended, he had stood in this exact spot, pointed forward, and spoken a single sentence:

"I will wait for him here."

Who was this "him"? Was it True Man Dongli, or He Lingchuan?

And where exactly did "here" refer to?

Therefore, He Lingchuan had to ascend the peak himself to ascertain the location.

He looked in the direction he was pointing. Hmm, outside the cave, to the front right? What was there?

He Lingchuan lifted his leg and started walking out of the cave.

He was moving against the tide of people, making his progress difficult. However, once outside the cave, the area opened up. There was almost no path to the front right, only a narrow, faint stone ridge barely visible in the grass, stretching five zhang long.

Below lay a deep abyss.

This narrow, unmaintained path was commonly called "carp's back"—an undulating, treacherous ridge where fierce mountain winds could even blow a person into the valley below. No sensible tourist would risk their safety on it.

Seeing him standing before the carp's back, someone kindly called out, "Hey, don't go there, it's too dangerous..."

Before the words had even finished, He Lingchuan leaped onto the stone ridge in two steps, nimbly crossing the perilous natural barrier.

Further inward, tall, rugged rocks blocked the view of Tianji Peak's tourists from this area.

Within just a few dozen steps, the surroundings instantly grew quiet, with only the mountain wind howling.

A natural "carp's back" completely isolated him from the noisy attractions and bustling tourists.

There was no path behind the giant rock, and frost and snow covered the stones, making the footing uneven and risking a twisted ankle with every careless step.

He Lingchuan jumped onto the giant rock to orient himself.

From this distance, the Ask-the-Dao Tree appeared even more magnificent.

Moreover, looking down from his current position, he could see that the Ask-the-Dao Tree's thick roots actually extended all the way down, winding through the rocks of the entire mountain peak, even faintly visible at the base of the stone ridge he had just crossed.

He had still underestimated this tree. The Ask-the-Dao Tree on Tianji Peak was more than just a "tree embracing a cave" marvel. Its impossibly developed roots actually enveloped the entire mountain from top to bottom!

Even his current location, within Tianji Peak's confines, was reached by the Ask-the-Dao Tree's roots!