“Old Shan, are you familiar with Lingxu City?”

“Very. I’ve been in Lingxu City for over twenty years. In my early years, I served as a manager for two or three households up there.” Old Shan lifted one finger and pointed skyward. “Later, I did business, worked as an assistant, and spent time as a hanger-on. Lingxu City may be vast, but from the inside to the outside, I know it well.”

“Mm...” He Lingchuan had too many urgent matters on hand now and no patience to listen to someone ramble about the past. Fortunately, Old Shan seemed sharp-eyed and sensible, not the kind to chatter endlessly. “Then let me ask you this. Among Lingxu City’s retired officials, is there anyone with the compound surname Zaifu?”

“Zaifu?” Old Shan blinked twice. “There is. You must mean Lord Zaifu Kua. He rose to the post of Deputy Director of the Public Works Department. When I was managing affairs for my first employer, he lived half a street away, diagonally across from us.”

“The Public Works Department[1]?”

Old Shan knew He Lingchuan was unfamiliar with Lingxu’s official system, so he explained, “The Public Works Department oversees the construction of palaces and halls, the crafting of various imperial instruments and fine utensils, as well as the weaving and production of court silks, gauzes, and embroidery. Lord Zaifu was skilled in supervising the construction of palace complexes, temples, and courtyards. Back when the floating islands and Mount Xu were undertaking massive construction projects, he was involved in all of them.”

No wonder Xiang Yan had gotten to know him. They really had been old colleagues working the same job.

He Lingchuan nodded. “Is Lord Zaifu doing well these days?”

“He retired less than two years ago. He’s hale, energetic, and often out and about,” answered Old Shan quickly. “To this day, visitors still come and go from the Zaifu Residence without end.”

“He’s a retired old official. Why are so many people still looking for him?” Normally, once a man left office, the tea went cold.

“Lord Zaifu served as an official for decades and spent twelve or thirteen years in the Public Works Department alone. Think about what kind of position that was. Beijia has so many merchants dealing in rare treasures, so many lake and river transport merchants, so many suppliers of building materials. Heh, whose goods were used and whose were not? Aside from those personally appointed by the Lord Emperor, wasn’t that all decided by the Public Works Department? Lord Zaifu understood the way of it perfectly. His network of friends is broad, and even after retirement, he still has old acquaintances throughout the royal court. He can still get a word in with many high officials.”

He Lingchuan smiled. “A seasoned old fox of officialdom, then.”

Old Shan chuckled along. “You could put it that way.”

“Lord Zaifu lives quite comfortably. Good for him.”

Old Shan continued, “Next month will be his sixty-fifth birthday. Her Lordship has already received an invitation from his household.”

“Next month?” He Lingchuan’s brow lifted. “Can you get hold of his birth date and hour?”

Old Shan thought for a moment, then nodded. “I’ve heard that Lord Zaifu had someone divine his fate in his earlier years. They said he would face a great calamity at sixty-four. Now that sixty-five is approaching, he plans to hold a banquet to celebrate safely passing through the year.” He paused, then added, “On the floating islands, every household holds banquets often. Any excuse will do for a celebration. If the timing is right and you eat from house to house, you could keep going for a month and a half without repeating a meal.”

“A few meals, even delicacies from mountain and sea, are small change to them.”

Old Shan shook his head. “In truth, it’s the exchange of favors that costs the most. The expense flows away like water. Without mountains of gold and silver mines, no one can sustain it. Many officials can’t keep up with that kind of spending after they retire, so they have no choice but to leave the floating islands and live in the lower city.”

That meant falling from the clouds back down to the mortal realm.

“To ordinary folk, the lower city is expensive too, but it can’t be compared with the floating islands.”

He Lingchuan thought of Golden Horn General’s Dun Garden. A garden that occupied a whole mountain on its own, vast and lavish beyond measure, what sort of price would such a place fetch on the floating islands?

Oh, right. Money alone can’t get you up there. He had nearly forgotten.

“We’ve wandered off topic. Does Zaifu Kua live in the upper city or the lower city?”

“The upper city, Tianxiang Island.” Old Shan added, “If retired officials don’t move to the lower city, they generally like to gather on Tianxiang Island.”

“Would he come to the lower city?”

“Occasionally, I suppose.” Old Shan thought it over. “He’s a man who likes pomp and occasion.”

He Lingchuan nodded. “Then help me find out whether he’ll be coming down to the lower city anytime soon.”

“Yes.”

Just then, a servant brought breakfast to the courtyard gate.

The young gatekeeper reached out to take it, but the servant pulled back and said loudly, “Young Master ordered me to bring it inside.”

After the Mount Pan Residence came under He Lingchuan’s ownership, the servants here all called him Young Master.

The gatekeeper glared. “I’ve been here since early morning. When did Young Master give you that order?”

“Last night.” The voice grew even louder.

“...”

Hearing the argument outside, He Lingchuan yawned. “Both of you, come in. Stop arguing!”

The gatekeeper and the servant both entered, the latter still carrying breakfast.

Before He Lingchuan could ask anything, the servant set the tray down on the table. “Eat while it’s hot.”

The tone sounded more like a reminder than fawning service.

The gatekeeper looked incredulous. Old Shan glanced sideways. Even He Lingchuan studied him twice.

Under the stare of three men and six eyes, the servant said again, “It’s been half a month since we last met. After you finish eating, let’s have a proper chat.”

He Lingchuan’s gaze gradually sharpened. “Who are you?”

“I warned you before, if you value your life, don’t come to Lingxu City.” The servant sighed. “You didn’t listen.”

His expression was stiff. His movements were somewhat wooden, like a puppet dangling from strings. Even his speech sounded as though the words were being forced through him against his will.

Hearing this, He Lingchuan said to the other two, “Leave us.”

Old Shan lowered his voice as he asked, “Young Master, are you—?”

“I’m perfectly safe.” He Lingchuan waved. “Go.”

The two swiftly withdrew from the courtyard, not forgetting to close the gate behind them.

He Lingchuan looked down at the tray on the table.

Breakfast was abundant: a steamer of piping-hot steamed pork dumplings, two potato-and-radish pancakes fried until fragrant and crisp, a massive bowl of thin scallion oil noodles tossed with three kinds of shredded garnish, and the smoked pork knuckle rolls and stuffed pork stomach that He Lingchuan had specifically ordered the night before. Their skins were glossy, red, and richly oiled, each slice cut thin and fine. Dipped in the special sauce, they would be excellent eaten straight or tucked into the potato pancakes.

There was also a large bowl of sweet rice wine.

Yet now that he knew who stood before him, how would he dare put any of it in his mouth?

Damn it, what a waste of food!

“You’ve got nerve, wandering around inside Lingxu City.” He sighed and sat down. “Mai Xuewen... Oh, should I call you Xi Yunhe?”

The servant remained expressionless. No rise or fall could be heard in his tone. “State Preceptor Qing Yang told you?”

That was as good as an admission.

He Lingchuan crossed one leg over the other. “Are you here to cause trouble for me?”

Xi Yunhe had revealed this trick back in Baishajue, controlling the mind of an inn worker and turning him into a puppet to pass along messages. In other words, a mouthpiece.

However, He Lingchuan knew such spells always had little weaknesses. For example, Xi Yunhe himself could not be too far from the puppet.

His Mount Pan Residence was not a true noble mansion, but it was far larger than the inn where He Lingchuan had stayed in Baishajue. That meant Xi Yunhe was likely moving somewhere just outside the walls of Mount Pan Residence.

Of course, if this fellow dared appear before him, he had something to rely on.

“Why would you say that?”

“All of Lingxu City is hunting you. Deputy Cloud Envoy Bai Ziqi wants to arrest you personally. At a time like this, you still run out, and you even run right up to me?” He Lingchuan’s face lengthened. “Are you trying to drag me into the water?”

“My true body hasn’t stepped into your estate, nor has it been seen by your servants. What is there to fear?” Xi Yunhe’s voice sounded faintly lighthearted. “Besides, Bai Ziqi’s master is anxious to solve the elixir of youth case. The focus of his investigation is not me, but the person behind the deaths of Wu Kai and the destruction of Qingfu Temple. What I’ve done has even helped him. He knows that.”

He Lingchuan said coolly, “Helped him? Does the Lord Emperor truly not know that someone in Lingxu City has been privately selling elixirs of youth?”

Zhongsun Mou had gone through Wu Kai’s introduction to buy elixirs of youth at Qingfu Temple.

The fact that he had dared buy them, and that old Zhongsun Chi had dared eat them without suspecting they were some other ghostly filth, meant that the matter of “elixirs of youth can be bought” had already spread among Lingxu City’s upper circles.

If even ministers knew, could the Monster Emperor really have been kept completely in the dark?

It was not impossible, but...

“Does the Lord Emperor truly want to interfere?”

“That, you can only ask the Lord Emperor.” Xi Yunhe laughed. “How would I know what the old man is thinking?”

If the matter had not been dragged into the open, if it had not been thrust beneath the gods’ very eyelids, would Beijia truly put in the effort to investigate it properly?

As an outsider, He Lingchuan could not say for certain.

“What exactly did you come to me for?”

“I advised you before that it would be best to stay far away from these muddy waters. Lingxu City’s waters are far deeper than Baishajue’s. Once you’re caught in the whirlpool, your little life will be gone.” Xi Yunhe chuckled softly. “You wouldn’t listen. Now you can only be dragged under.”

He Lingchuan shifted into a more comfortable position. “It has to do with the elixir of youth case?”

“Smart.”

“You went through all that trouble to hand the clues to Lingxu City.” And in an especially aggressive way, too. “But now all the leads have been cut off. Wu Kai is dead. The actor who made contact with him confessed, but the supplier he named is dead too. Qingfu Temple has been burned to the ground, the people and the temple both reduced to ash. If this continues, the Lord Emperor may only be able to close the case with Cen Boqing.”

“Correct. We cannot let the true culprit go free.” Xi Yunhe stepped forward. “Help me pass one more clue to Bai Ziqi.”

“Hey, I finally managed to pull myself out of this matter. Right now, I’m only in Lingxu City to watch the excitement.” He Lingchuan looked unwilling. “Why should I get involved again?”

“Are the State of Chiyan, the State of Baoshu, and those four or five vassal monster states not the victims here? Does Fushan Yue not want this case brought to light, and the mastermind punished as they deserve?”

From that perspective, Chiyan and the other vassal monster kings certainly all hoped the truth would be revealed to the world, giving them a righteous excuse to stir up storms in the imperial capital. As Chiyan’s special envoy, what reason did He Lingchuan have to refuse?

But He Lingchuan remained perfectly casual. “Then go talk to Fushan Yue.”

Trying to press me with duty? Heh. In Chiyan, I had no “office” to begin with, so where would this duty come from? As for righteousness, that’s no more substantial than air.

If Xi Yunhe wanted help, he would need something real.

At that thought, He Lingchuan’s heart stirred. Perhaps...

“If Bai Ziqi fails to catch the true culprit, once the case dies down, do you think the culprit will let you off?” Xi Yunhe said mildly. “When the retaliation comes, it will be fierce.”

“Whatever. By then, I may not even be in Lingxu City anymore.” He Lingchuan rubbed his nose. “I’m just a nameless nobody. The world is vast. Where can’t I go?”

“By then?” Xi Yunhe burst into laughter. “Even the old noble families of Lingxu City wouldn’t want to offend the Spring Palace, the Minister of Finance, the Zhongsun Family, and the Tongxin Guard all at once.”

1. I’m not sure if this is just the Ministry of Works, but the author used a different term, so I’m slightly differentiating it. ☜