Chapter 573: The Heavenly Tome's Directive
He Lingchuan overheard people nearby murmur.
“I wonder what Ke Yanming plans to do with that boundless gold once he takes it back.”
“Do you think he’s going to offer it up to the guardian spirit of Mount Xu?”
“What would they need something that good for?” another person scoffed. “Offering boundless gold would be no different from throwing hundreds of thousands of taels straight into lava.”
“Boundless gold ought to be used on a divine artifact! Putting it into anything less would be a criminal waste.”
“That’s how you and I think of it, but this is the Ke Family! Whatever they do always has to be different from ordinary people.” The onlooker gave a bitter smile. “Do you remember the flowing fire pearl excavated when the Flowing Clouds Immortal Abode was first opened? It was an immortal relic that still retained its vitality. The Ke Family bought it for the exorbitant price of 150,000 taels, and then what happened?”
“What happened?” the others asked, completely absorbed.
“They tossed it into a lake to raise fish! Because those few dozen large fish only displayed brilliant coloring if kept in a constant-temperature environment!” The onlooker clicked his tongue. “Something a few arrays could have achieved, and they used an ancient immortal relic for it!”
“And then there was the rainbow-feather gown at the coming-of-age ceremony for the Ke Family’s fifth young lady two years ago...”
“And also...”
He Lingchuan could only rub at his head.
What a damned absurd world this is. The rich are rich to death, and the poor are poor to death.
He had not bought anything at today’s Dun Garden auction, but he had still come away with a full harvest of impressions. The trip had absolutely been worth it.
One thing in particular was worth noting. Afterward, as he continued visiting different halls, the divine bone amulet reacted greedily to three more treasures, radiating the unmistakable desire. Yet whenever he thought of that strange horn, a faint chill crawled through him, and he stubbornly refused to make a move.
Of course, the outrageous prices were also part of what kept his thoughts in check.
Everything here was ruinously expensive. Money seemed hardly to count as money anymore. Just a short while ago, he had watched a golden comb set with seven different gemstones sell on the floor. However, the gemstones were not what made it valuable. Instead, it was said that regular use of the comb was said to make one’s hair thick, lustrous, and beautifully glossy. The opening bid had been 100 taels. And what had the final hammer price been?
3,000 taels! In other words, 3 million copper coins!
Most of the bidders had been women, but the one who ultimately won it was a lion king.
He Lingchuan touched his own head. Fortunately, he had plenty of hair as it was. That saved him 3,000 taels of silver, which meant he could go home later and eat something nice instead.
By afternoon, Fushan Yue had more or less seen enough, so the two of them left early together.
Fang Canran, the Golden Horn Clan’s chief steward, personally saw them off with warm attentiveness. Noticing that He Lingchuan was leaving empty-handed, he could not help but say, “Young Master He actually found no treasure to his liking? That must be a failing on my part.”
He Lingchuan smiled. “I only came to accompany the Crown Prince and enjoy the spectacle.”
It was not that there were no good things, nor that nothing had caught his eye. It was simply that the items in Dun Garden were too expensive. His fortune would have counted as considerable anywhere else, but here it would not buy even two proper curiosities.
It was better, then, to keep a firm hand on his purse before one reckless burst of spending left it empty.
“But how could that do?” Fang Canran said warmly. “When an honored guest visits Dun Garden, there is always something to catch his eye. Tell me what you’re looking for, and I’ll have people keep watch for it.”
“Oh?” He Lingchuan’s gaze dropped once more, almost unconsciously, to the signet ring on the man’s hand. “Then I’ll trouble Steward Fang to keep an eye out for a dream land.”
“Hm?” Fang Canran followed his line of sight and glanced at his own hand before looking back up. “A dream land?”
“Yes.” He Lingchuan smiled. “When I was investigating a case in Baishajue, there was a curse master who possessed a magical artifact, a dream land contained within a snail shell. I found it very interesting and would like to get hold of one myself.”
Fang Canran let out a soft sound of recognition. “Now that you mention it, I do seem to remember something. Yes, yes, Dun Garden has sold such magical artifacts before.”
He Lingchuan had only asked in passing and had not expected him to pick up the thread so readily.
“At the autumn auction six years ago, one such artifact was sold. It contained the dream land of a small island city out on the East Sea. The honored guest who bought it did so as a plaything for his children. Since they had never seen the seaside, he wanted them to experience a bit of island scenery.”
“Uh, someone actually did that?”
“Of course.” Fang Canran smiled. “This is Lingxu City, after all.”
Lingxu City truly was a place where all things strange could exist.
“Then I’ll have to trouble Steward Fang.”
“If one turns up, I’ll have someone pass word to Young Master He.”
“Excellent. Many thanks.” He Lingchuan bade him farewell and departed with Fushan Yue.
Behind them, the gibbon stood with its group of mantis creatures and gave a cheerful “keep in touch” gesture.
Yet for some reason, He Lingchuan felt a chill spreading across his back. When he turned around, he found that while Fang Canran wore his usual beaming smile, both Zhongsun Ce and Hong Chenglue were glaring at him with dark expressions.
Their hostility followed him all the way until he left.
Those two men were like bombs with uncertain fuses. He would need to find a way to deal with them.
* * *
That same night, on Mount Xu.
Someone came to report to Bai Ziqi, “Lord Envoy, the divine relic was bought by an idle party at Dun Garden. It went for the opening price only, namely three taels of silver. Neither the Crown Prince of Chiyan nor He Xiao made a bid.”
Bai Ziqi had only just returned after a full day of running about. He was lying on a chaise lounge, a hot towel over his face to relax. “Did they notice the divine relic?”
“The Crown Prince of Chiyan didn’t even look at it. He Xiao lingered for a while near the unknown curiosities display, but only examined the other items. He paid no attention to the divine relic.”
“When the relic was auctioned, were they both present?”
“They were. They heard the auction too, but neither showed the slightest interest. He Xiao was even yawning.” The man continued, “From beginning to end, neither of them raised a bidding plaque.”
“Were there any complications midway through?”
“The relic was originally to be auctioned in Heavenly Rain Tower, but after they moved to Fragrance Hall, we coordinated with Dun Garden and changed the venue. Someone came looking for He Xiao, and we waited until he returned and sat down before beginning the sale.”
Bai Ziqi sat bolt upright and pulled the towel off his face. “That was too deliberate. If he didn’t grow suspicious, that would be the strange thing!”
His subordinate stood there, not daring to speak.
Bai Ziqi knew it as well. The situation at an auction was complicated. Unexpected changes occurred everywhere, and wealthy fools abounded at every turn. To slip in a treasure affordable enough for He Xiao to buy, yet uninteresting enough that no rich wastrel would care to bid on it, was no easy thing.
After all, anything capable of drawing the Generous Pot’s interest could hardly be ordinary.
Bai Ziqi rubbed his face. “The man who bought the divine relic, does he have any connection to the Chiyan people?” Could he have been bidding by proxy?
“He’s under surveillance.”
“The divine relic cannot be allowed to remain out in the open. If the buyer truly has no connection to the Chiyan people, retrieve it quietly. Don’t let it turn into a disturbance.”
Like everyone else, those two seemed to have little interest in divine relics. Fine. If the opportunity had been missed, then so be it.
They had already tried the simplest method and failed. Did that mean it was time to change tactics?
Bai Ziqi straightened his robes and set off for Star-Plucking Tower.
After kneeling before the divine altar and making his report, the flame of the eternal lamp in the windless temple suddenly flickered twice. Then words slowly appeared upon the Heavenly Tome: “Test them again.”
When it came to the Generous Pot, the gods simply could not put their minds at ease.
And whenever the gods were uneasy, someone had to be made to suffer for it.
Bai Ziqi replied with the utmost reverence, “May Your Divine Majesties instruct me.”
Whenever the gods sent down divine decrees, the Monster Emperor was not always present. Most of the time, they communicated only with lamp guardians or cloud envoys.
Those were their true “own people.”
Thus, when the Monster Emperor was absent, the lines appearing on the Heavenly Tome were always plain and direct, even stripped of adornment: “Check the lines of fate of those two. See whether they have been distorted. Fate interfered with by the Generous Pot cannot possibly remain unchanged.”
Bai Ziqi read in silence.
He knew very well that it was not yet his turn to speak.
Sure enough, more words appeared immediately afterward: “No. Mitian’s specialty was always to whitewash reality and smooth things over. Even with Mitian dead, the Generous Pot may still remain under that influence.”
It appeared that the gods were debating amongst themselves.
Bai Ziqi kept his eyes lowered, and his thoughts stilled, revealing not the slightest expression.
The Heavenly Tome returned to blankness.
After a long while, fresh writing appeared: “When Tianluo flashed the second time, what occurred in northern Chiyan?”
Now it was finally Bai Ziqi’s turn to answer. He considered briefly, then recounted the events of that night, “Nothing significant occurred in those six counties that evening, apart from Cheng Yu’s failed attempt to ambush He Xiao, for which he suffered backlash, and He Xiao’s pursuit to Tongfu Inn, where he fought the Fan brothers, Fan Sheng and Fan Bao, who had been lying in wait there.” After a short pause, Bai Ziqi added, “He Xiao explained not long ago that Cheng Yu sent a yin spirit to attack him, only for it to be driven back by his violet-gold pestle. That explanation is very likely true. I questioned the Cen household guards who attended Cheng Yu afterward, and I also examined the dream land where Cheng Yu had hidden part of his soul. He was clearly not trying to hide from any ordinary ghostly entity.”
The Heavenly Tome responded: “We suspect the Generous Pot is hiding in the firmament.”
“The firmament?” Bai Ziqi frowned thoughtfully. “Do Your Divine Majesties mean that it’s neither in the divine realm nor in the mortal realm, but hidden somewhere within the void between? Does the Generous Pot truly possess the ability to move through the void?”
This time, more words appeared on the Heavenly Tome, enough to fill another page: “While under Mitian’s control, the Generous Pot seems to have developed new abilities. It became one with Panlong City. Over the last century and more, it has devoured the desert’s lonely souls. During the seasons of mad sand, it releases the dead spirits of the Gale Army and the Three Corpses Worms. Why should it not possess the power to slip through the void?”
Bai Ziqi immediately bowed his head. “This disciple has been instructed. In other words, the second anomalous flash of the Tianluo star may have been caused by He Xiao’s encounter with the yin spirit, whereupon the Generous Pot, hidden in the firmament, automatically protected its host, and the energy released in doing so was detected by the divine instrument.”
The Heavenly Tome: “Exactly. Let it happen again.”
“You wish for He Xiao to suffer such an attack once more? If that again triggers a response in the divine instrument, or if the Generous Pot directly protects its host, then it would confirm that the Generous Pot is indeed on his person.” Bai Ziqi now understood. “An excellent plan. The disturbance would be small, and it would not attract broader attention.”
The Heavenly Tome went blank again for a long while.
Night wind stirred the hanging draperies, and the hall was filled with cold.
Bai Ziqi knew this meant the gods were deliberating.
Roughly fifteen minutes later, only one word appeared at last: “Judgment.”
Bai Ziqi was alarmed. “Your Divine Majesties, for the sake of a mere mortal, must it truly come to a judgment of the soul? The cost of that...”
The temple remained silent, save for two sudden flares from the eternal lamp’s flame.
“Yes. We will make preparations at once.” Bai Ziqi did not approve in the least, but he could only reply heavily, “It can be carried out ten days from now.”
* * *
In the southern part of the city, Tongxin Guard Garrison Camp.
There was no one else in the large room. Fan Sheng and Fan Bao stood upright, while the man behind the table remained seated, one leg cocked up atop the tabletop.
Fan Sheng’s back was ramrod straight, but his head remained lowered, and he said nothing.
“Weren’t you full of swagger before heading south?” the seated man said with a snort. “So why do you look like eggplants after frost now?”
