Chapter 652: Jumping the Wall to Meet

He Lingchuan raised his cup and said to Du Shan, "For those words, we must have a big drink. Come!" Du Shan also smiled. The two raised their cups and drank them dry.

He Lingchuan simply called a waiter over and said, "Bring five jars of Qinxian Spring wine and fill everyone's cups. If five jars aren't enough, bring another five." The students were overjoyed: "He Xiao is so generous!" Not every Imperial Academy student came from a wealthy family and could afford Qinxian Spring wine, which cost five taels of silver.

"After Prince Huan set the fire, the Emperor summoned Prince Yue and me to the Celestial Palace to calm things down." He Lingchuan tossed a large silver ingot to the waiter, his generosity soaring to the clouds.

"Why should I keep this compensation? It's better to treat everyone to drinks today!" Everyone beamed with joy. However, Zheng Zewu, Gao Jilin, Du Shan, and others frowned.

The Emperor usually resided in the Cloud Palace on Tianxin Island. Why would he summon someone from Chiyan to the Celestial Palace for appeasement? Was there some involvement of Celestial Gods in this matter? The waters ran deep.

This time, everyone drank at Xiangman Tower until the sun began to set, only then deciding to leave while still in high spirits. When He Lingchuan went to pay, before he could even take out his money pouch, the manager smiled warmly and said, "No need, Mr. He. Manager Fang from Dunyuan already settled the bill." He Lingchuan asked in surprise, "He left a long time ago, and we just drank so much wine. How did he pay the bill?"

"Manager Fang frequently entertains guests here; he usually puts it on an account and settles it monthly." Being wealthy made a difference. They had just drunk at least thirteen jars of wine, which amounted to sixty-five taels of silver, or sixty-five thousand large coins! In comparison, the cost of the food was negligible.

"Manager Fang is truly a refined person," He Lingchuan remarked. He Lingchuan knew that Fang Canran was giving him face in front of the Imperial Academy students. He didn't stand on ceremony, simply brushed his sleeves, and was about to leave when the manager lowered his voice and said, "Manager Fang also left a note for you." With that, he handed over a slip of paper.

The few Concentric Guards were blocked by He Lingchuan's back and couldn't see the hand movements clearly. He Lingchuan quickly took the note, tossed it into his storage ring, and laughed heartily: "It would be impolite to refuse, I'm off."

That night, the moon hung high in the branches.

He Lingchuan stealthily slipped to the back of Pianxiang Villa. Tall, dense fir thickets formed a solid wall of trees. He passed through this tree wall and then found a real wall. This wall served as the boundary between Pianxiang Villa and the neighboring house.

The house next door had always been inhabited; the owner, surnamed Shi, also held an official position in the Royal Court. Tonight, his house was brightly lit, and sounds of people often drifted out, as if a banquet was being held. There was a small corner turret on the wall, built for viewing the scenery. He Lingchuan saw someone inside waving to him.

It was Fang Canran. He leaped over in two steps and found low stools inside the pavilion.

"Manager Fang, why did you arrange to meet me in a place like this?" He Lingchuan asked. It was dim, secluded, and rarely visited.

"I'm a guest at the Shi residence tonight, so it was a good opportunity to meet you," Fang Canran replied. He nodded his chin towards the main building. Laughter drifted on the wind, indicating that both hosts and guests were enjoying themselves. "Inside, cups are clinking and toasts are being made; no one will notice my temporary absence." He then took out a rectangular mirror: "The Heart-Piercing Mirror has been repaired and can be used as usual." After saying this, he taught He Lingchuan the incantation for its use and explained how to operate it.

This was one of the reparations he offered He Lingchuan. He Lingchuan accepted it, memorized the instructions carefully, and then sat down, asking, "Is there anything else you wish to discuss?" Fang Canran casually cast a barrier first to prevent sounds from leaking out. "Zu Ju," he said.

He Lingchuan froze, his gaze scanning him from head to toe. His visitor came in the middle of the night, only to discuss matters concerning Xuxu Mountain and its spirits?

"Are you really that surprised?" Fang Canran asked. "Didn't you already know what I was going to say?" He Lingchuan blinked: "Say what?" Indeed, it was difficult to discuss matters when there was insufficient trust between both parties.

Fang Canran had no choice but to be direct: "Zu Ju asked me for some information, saying someone needed it."

"Oh..." He Lingchuan's face showed sudden realization. "So it was you." In fact, when He Lingchuan received the note from the restaurant manager that afternoon, he had already guessed it was about this. No profound rational analysis was needed; his intuition told him so. Fang Canran had significant ambitions in Lingxu City, and he was unlikely to miss out on such an event.

"How did you know to look for me?" He Lingchuan asked him. "Zu Ju shouldn't have seen my face."

"I wasn't sure," Fang Canran smiled, "but I thought I could just try approaching you, since you're the only person who's mentioned Zu Ju to me recently. Heh, now isn't it confirmed?" Their eyes met, and suddenly both burst into laughter.

Alright then, a game of deceit. This time, Fang Canran had the upper hand. Although they had previously sealed a pact with a Vow Chain, neither was willing to reveal their mission in Lingxu City. Now, Zu Ju, being in the middle, had inadvertently revealed this truth. Fang Canran knew He Lingchuan was in Lingxu City to cause disruption, and He Lingchuan knew Fang Canran was secretly in contact with Zu Ju with malicious intent. Both actions were taboo to the Celestial Palace.

Having confirmed a common powerful enemy, their relationship immediately grew closer. Fang Canran stopped smiling and asked, "What do you intend to do?"

He Lingchuan leaned against a pillar and said leisurely, "I want to give the Celestial Palace a grand gift." In the past, the fall of Panlong City appeared to be the work of the Xianyou and Baling allied forces, but He Lingchuan had long since seen clearly that the main instigator behind the scenes was Beijia. For him, who had inherited the three divine bone artifacts and the legacy of Panlong, this was an old grudge. When he first entered Lingxu, it was to do good deeds and practical things for the vast demon population of Beijia. Yet, the Celestial Gods invaded his spiritual sea without a word, subjecting him to a soul trial. For him personally, this was a new vendetta. It wasn't that he wouldn't retaliate, but that the time wasn't ripe yet. However, he would certainly find the most opportune moment. Even if he couldn't settle all old and new grudges at once, he would at least clear them in batches! The first reckoning would begin with giving the Celestial Palace a grand gift.

Fang Canran was puzzled. "A grand gift?"

"How about a lively, free Zu Ju?" Fang Canran stared at him for a long time, only shaking his head after confirming he wasn't joking. "You're asking for serious trouble." He understood. This person actually intended to destroy the Spirit Gathering Array right under the Celestial Palace's nose and release Zu Ju.

This had also been Zu Ju's wish for many years. Although Fang Canran had long since made contact with it, he had never dared to truly put it into action. If he hadn't crossed paths with He Lingchuan before, he would probably suspect the young man was genuinely insane or feigning foolishness. He Lingchuan rubbed his nose.

"How do you want me to cooperate?" Fang Canran then asked. "Zu Ju is very suspicious. It took me years to approach it and obtain its clone. You only went once?"

"That's right." A stray cat was lounging below. He Lingchuan tossed a small pebble down, and the cat darted away.

"Zu Ju has an old friend. I went with its token, which was a shortcut."

"Let me be clear, I can cooperate, but you must handle your main objective yourself," Fang Canran said, holding up a finger and shaking it. "Don't drag me into trouble."

"Don't worry, I'll only buy things and seek information from you; I won't need you to act with me." This settled the matter.

"Then I'll give you a piece of intelligence first," Fang Canran said. "I've received a figure: for the past seven years, the Celestial Palace has purchased fifty thousand catties of meat every month."

"Fifty thousand catties?" He Lingchuan was startled. "How many people are in the Celestial Palace?"

"Besides a few leaders, there are seventy-two Lamp Keepers, four hundred Divine Attendants, nine hundred Celestial Palace Guards, and eighteen hundred Xuxu Mountain Guards. Additionally, there are eight hundred laborers." Fang Canran knew these numbers by heart. "That's less than forty-one hundred in total, right? The total number fluctuates occasionally, but it's roughly the same."

"Forty-one hundred people consuming fifty thousand catties of meat per month?" He Lingchuan calculated on his fingers: "That's twelve catties per person per month, or four taels a day. Wow, that's excellent food!" Fang Canran smiled, knowing he was being sarcastic: "How many laborers have you seen eating meat every meal? Even the Divine Attendants and guards don't have such high allowances." And those two thousand-plus were just a stationed army; they didn't fight or train, so how could their consumption be so high?

He Lingchuan recalled that ordinary citizens in the capital of Yuan Kingdom could eat meat only about once every thirty days. In comparison, even the people of Lingxu City didn't have the opportunity to eat meat daily.

Even if, hypothetically, the Celestial Palace treated everyone equally and the food was good for all, at three taels of meat per person per day, they would only consume a little over thirty-six thousand catties per month. Where did the remaining ten thousand-plus catties go?

Fang Canran continued, "Furthermore, among the meat purchased by the Celestial Palace, they also buy many additional hooves, tails, and heads of cattle, sheep, donkeys, and horses. Do you think that's normal food?"

"It's not for Zu Ju to eat," He Lingchuan mused. The great Fire Spirit inherently disliked blood-based food, so that could be ruled out immediately. He Lingchuan rubbed his chin, thinking, "Perhaps some of the monsters guarding the Celestial Palace enjoy gnawing on heads and hooves. Just like I enjoy eating duck necks and chicken feet, provided they're well-smoked and braised. But you're right, specially buying these scraps probably has another purpose. Perhaps the Celestial Palace's procurement officers are also using inferior goods to enrich themselves."

"Anyway, I've told you," Fang Canran said, looking at him. "Xuxu Mountain is heavily defended. So many powerful individuals have tried to infiltrate and sabotage it in the past, all failing. Zu Ju knows this, yet it still thinks you can try... What gives you such confidence?"

This was returning to the main topic: "The Spirit Gathering Array is the foundation of Xuxu Mountain. I have a way to shake it, as long as I find its eye." Fang Canran shook his head. "The array's eye is usually hidden in the void. Unless you directly use a teleportation array from the Stargazing Tower, no one can find it."

"No, it's currently suspended above Xuxu Mountain, merely shielding its presence from all living beings, so even Zu Ju can't see it."

"Are you certain?"

"I can't be certain yet; I still need to find an opportunity to test it. Plans must proceed step by step. This is the premise of our operation."

"Is Zu Ju's role significant?"

"Very significant," He Lingchuan said seriously. "Without its immense power, I alone cannot overturn the heavens."

"Its clone isn't here right now, is it?" He Lingchuan shook his head. Fang Canran then took out a pair of shackles from his embrace and handed them to He Lingchuan: "These are the Vow Chains you asked for, the last pair I have."

How to ensure Zu Ju fully honored the agreement was something He Lingchuan had been pondering repeatedly, and he had come up with several contingency plans. But none were as simple and straightforward as the Vow Chains.

"I've seen Zu Ju betray others, so I cannot repeat that mistake. Your choice is very wise."