Chapter 690: There Are Still People I Want to See

Chapter 684: Someone Else I Want to See

He Lingchuan blinked. "Oh? You're leaving so soon?" That was good.

"The Immortality Elixir case has been settled, the Grand Preceptor of Qingyang can't escape, and those seven families are done for. Father is very pleased!" Crown Prince Fushan Yue was unaccustomed to such high praise from his father, the King of Chiyan. "The task he assigned me is complete, and further developments are beyond my control. Besides, the Emperor is furious about having to deal with the Grand Preceptor of Qingyang, and he hasn't looked kindly at me these past two days. I don't want to stay and annoy him further!"

"Though Beijia is good, it's not where my heart lies," He Lingchuan said with a smile. "I think we'll be parting ways."

He had too many secrets and too much karma. Recently, he had even planned to destroy the spirit-gathering array in Mount Xu. It was impossible for him to remain in Beijia afterward.

Fushan Yue seemed a bit reluctant. "Won't you reconsider? Returning victorious like this, Father will surely reward me handsomely, and you'll get your share too!"

"Share?" He Lingchuan cast a sidelong glance at him. "What kind of share can you give me? Be practical."

Fushan Yue rubbed his nose, looking a little embarrassed.

The downfall of the Grand Preceptor of Qingyang, the breaking of the Immortality Elixir case, and the collapse of the Zhongsun family—it all came down to He Xiao discovering the living witness, Kong Jiaxiang, the temple steward of the Azure Lotus Temple. That was how Bai Ziqi found the breakthrough evidence.

This fellow's contribution was immense. For a moment, Fushan Yue didn't know how to thank him properly.

"That's why I said you should return to Chiyan with me," Fushan Yue grumbled. "Your contribution is too great; I think only Father can properly reward you."

He himself couldn't bestow official positions; he could only "suggest." Heaven knew if the old man would adopt his suggestions for promotions. Fushan Yue wasn't very confident.

He Lingchuan shook his head. "Forget it, I'll take a loss. Just convert it into money for me."

Fushan Yue's face fell. "Money, money, money! Are you always so short on cash?"

"My family doesn't own a mine, nor do I have a steady income," He Lingchuan sighed. "The fire at Panshan Residence burned away hundreds of thousands of taels of my silver."

"Didn't you get Xiangxue Residence again?" Panshan Residence was burned, but then he quickly acquired the Grand Minister of Agriculture's Xiangxue Residence, which was enormous and couldn't be bought with mere money.

"Yes, but can I sell it now?" He Lingchuan shot him a glance. "Everyone outside thinks it's compensation from the Grand Minister of Agriculture to you. I don't want this house; convert it into cash for me."

"...Alright, all benefits will be converted into silver," Fushan Yue said kindly. "Or tell me your destination. My family might have businesses there, and I could give you a share."

"I don't even know where I'm going myself," He Lingchuan didn't accept the offer, simply extending his hand. "So, money is the most practical."

Fushan Yue rolled his eyes. "Alright, alright, I'll gather it when I get back."

It was a large sum; he couldn't just produce it on the spot. Perhaps an IOU would suffice for now?

Watching him ride off, He Lingchuan's smile suddenly vanished.

Now that the Immortality Elixir case was settling, Crown Prince Chiyan, his shield, was also leaving. From this point on, the eyes of the court and the public would surely focus on the disgraced officials, and "He Xiao's" popularity would quickly fade.

He had no power or influence in Lingxu City; he was just an ordinary person. For the past two months, without the protection of the Immortality Elixir case, which noble would have given him a second glance?

Public attention was fleeting. Once he was forgotten by the public, would the forces that had been waiting impatiently in the dark rush out to settle accounts with him?

Shouldn't he quickly finish what he needed to do and leave, rather than wait for them to turn hostile?

However, before tackling his major task, he still wanted to visit Dragon Coil City.

There was someone he wanted to see, and goodbyes to say.

Light snow fluttered, landing coolly on the tip of his nose.

That touch of coldness jolted He Lingchuan from his reverie. He found himself back in Dragon Coil City.

He hadn't been here for days, ever since he'd been meticulously refining his Mount Xu plan. The Grand Alchemist had been unusually considerate, allowing him to prepare without distraction.

Now, with the operation imminent, he wanted to visit one more time.

This was his home, with people he cared about.

If the Mount Xu operation ultimately failed, this dream visit would be a final farewell.

He was currently in the Martial Arts Hall. It was the day of the bi-weekly grand arena competition. The battles on stage were in full swing, and the soldiers and commoners below cheered raucously. Even the streets outside were packed.

The light snowfall couldn't extinguish the spectators' enthusiasm.

The city was still the same: passion and severity coexisted, vitality and order intertwined.

He also saw the skinny man diligently weaving through the crowd.

At the same time, the skinny man saw He Lingchuan and struggled to push his way over, like someone swimming against the current in a school of sardines. "Who are you betting on today?"

He Lingchuan glanced at the arena. "One-Eyed. A hundred taels."

The burly man's left eye had been pierced in the great battle of Yuheng City, and he had since adopted a new nickname. Though called One-Eyed, his strength hadn't diminished.

The skinny man hissed. "That much?"

In the past, Broken Blade's bets were usually five qian or one tael, never more than two taels, always using "small stakes for pleasure" to cover his stinginess. Why was he suddenly so generous?

He Lingchuan handed him ten taels of gold. "If he wins, give me one hundred thirty taels. The extra money is for you to treat your nephews and nieces."

If he didn't return, this money would be useless anyway.

"Boss He, you're generous!" The skinny man praised him heartily, then asked worriedly, "Is something wrong with you?"

"Can't I be generous for no reason?"

The skinny man scratched his head. "You look a lot like 'Chopping Board' before he went into battle."

"'Chopping Board'?"

"He was a man in our squad who died five years ago; you weren't even around then." The surroundings were very noisy, so the skinny man had to shout. "He was a bachelor. Before the big battle, he entrusted all his savings, twenty taels, to me, saying if he died in battle, the money should be donated to the Empress Mitian to repair her temple!"

"And then?"

"Then those twenty taels were used to repair the temple. There's a brick carving in front of the temple, built with Chopping Board's money."

He Lingchuan punched him in the back. "Bad luck!"

Just then, the officer by the arena also saw He Lingchuan and asked him, "Broken Blade, are you going up today?"

He Lingchuan was also an arena champion, but his final defense period wasn't over yet, so he could choose whether or not to fight.

Not today, perhaps? He wanted to rush home and see Sun Fuling one more time.

"No..." Wasn't this weather the perfect time to pour out one's heart?

He hoped his heart would find peace through this.

The surroundings were too noisy, and the officer didn't hear He Lingchuan's refusal. He continued, "General Hong is here too."

"Eh?" General Hong was here?

He Lingchuan leaned out from the edge of the arena and indeed saw General Hong, clad in black light armor, standing on the second-floor platform in the central hall, observing the battles.

Today she wore her Taotie mask; anyone could immediately recognize her.

No wonder all the arenas were packed today, and everyone on stage was fighting like they were on fire.

It turned out they all wanted to perform well in front of General Hong.

Just then, several Great Wind Army soldiers rushed in from outside the street, escorting a bound person towards the back entrance of the Martial Arts Hall.

Though it was just a fleeting glance, He Lingchuan clearly saw that the person tied up was a slender boy, fourteen or fifteen years old, like a little chick in the hands of the strong soldiers.

Soon, an orderly approached General Hong on the second floor and whispered a few words.

General Hong immediately turned and walked inside.

The capture of such a young boy could alarm General Hong?

He Lingchuan, curious, also pushed his way towards the central hall.

The staircase leading to the second floor was guarded; idlers were not permitted.

Of course, He Lingchuan was no idler.

When he reached the second floor, he happened to see soldiers forcing the boy to his knees and reporting to General Hong:

"This boy went crazy at the South City Gate. He should have been imprisoned, but he kept muttering about wanting to see you, shouting your esteemed title, and also 'Liberator of Troubles, Liberator of Troubles.'"

The boy's eyes were rolled back, his lips blue, and his whole body was trembling. Now he was screaming, "Don't kill me!"

In the snowy weather, he was surprisingly covered in sweat, looking thoroughly terrified.

Others couldn't see it, but He Lingchuan knew very well that Siren worms lurked on Dragon Coil City's walls. They could identify ill-intentioned entrants to the city and drive them mad. The people of Dragon Coil City had given this symptom a very down-to-earth name: "City Gate Hysteria."

The boy's appearance clearly indicated an onset of hysteria.

The Siren worms could amplify and concentrate a person's inner emotions, and it was clear that the boy's current emotion was "fear."

"Liberator?" General Hong bent down, observed the boy's eyes, and then said, "Come out."

The boy continued to mutter to himself, oblivious to the many people standing before him.

He showed no reaction to General Hong's words.

However, in He Lingchuan's perception, several Siren worms indeed swam out of the boy's ears and nose in response, circled General Hong once, and then drifted south.

It was snowing outside, with no sunlight, so they could boldly move through the air.

After the last Siren worm departed, the boy awoke as if from a dream, looking at everyone with terror and asking, "Who are you? Where am I?"

General Hong asked him, "Where did you come from?"

Intimidated by General Hong's imposing presence, the boy instinctively replied, "Lin...Linshuang City."

He Lingchuan had heard of Linshuang, a place further south than Baisha Bay, not within Dragon Coil City's jurisdiction.

"You're not from Xiluo?"

The boy shook his head.

"Did Liberator send you?"

"Lib...erator?" The boy looked confused. "Who is Liberator?"

If he didn't know who Liberator was, why had he rushed to Dragon Coil City? It was hundreds of miles from Linshuang City.

He Lingchuan saw that the boy's clothes were old and worn, his shoes were tattered, revealing his big toe, and he had two large dark circles under his eyes, looking as if he hadn't slept for a long time.

"Who sent you here?"

The boy flinched and fell silent.

General Hong gave a faint smile, then turned and said, "Everyone, withdraw."

The personal guards and other soldiers behind her descended to the first floor. He Lingchuan was about to turn away himself when General Hong said, "Broken Blade, set up a windbreak array."

"Yes." He Lingchuan paused, took out several bamboo tokens, and stuck them into the floor. Soon, a windbreak array was set up around the captive and General Hong, as the second floor of this central hall had no windows and was open to drafts on all sides.