Chapter 391: A Scented Meeting

Many shops and restaurants had their doors shut. People on the streets did not walk with the same easy pace as before, and even children’s laughter had grown scarce.

When He Lingchuan showed up at the inn, Second Boss Shi’s expression visibly loosened, as if he had finally let out a breath he had been holding. “You’re finally back! The imperial nectar hit out of nowhere! We were all afraid you’d run into some major trouble out there!”

He Lingchuan lifted his head and saw that there was actually a big hole in the roof over the second floor. A crew of craftsmen had already patched it halfway. “What happened?”

“A few days ago, during the imperial nectar eruption, two monsters got into a fight and punched a hole straight through the roof.” Second Boss Shi followed his gaze upward. “The city’s full of damage like that. There simply aren’t enough craftsmen to go around, and they only got to us today.”

“Anyone hurt?”

“One of the inn staff got struck by debris. He’s still laid up in the clinic.” Second Boss Shi shook his head. “Fufeng City only posted the imperial nectar warning half a day ahead, telling commoners to stay inside and not go out, or deal with the consequences. They even had monster soldiers patrolling that night, but everything still went to hell. Smashing, looting, killing... the air was thick with blood.”

So the official notice had only gone out half a day in advance?

He Lingchuan’s heart thumped.

That means that Grand Tutor Sha giving me three days’ notice had been a huge favor.

“Well, sounds about the same everywhere. On the way back, I saw towns and townships cleaning up too.”

“Our whole caravan stayed together, doors and windows sealed. A few of the younger guys couldn’t resist the scent of imperial nectar. They tried to rush out again and again, and we had to knock them out.” Second Boss Shi still looked shaken. “There was nothing but screaming and wailing outside. We held weapons all night and did not sleep a wink. After dawn, we went out to check the goods. Thankfully, most of it was still there. Thank heavens we were in Fufeng City. If we’d been out in the wild, or staying overnight in some little town or township, who knows what kind of mess we would’ve run into.”

He looked at He Lingchuan. Something about the young man felt different, but he could not put his finger on it. In the end, he just said, “You should go wash up. Have you been rolling around in mud these past few days?”

He Lingchuan grinned. “Sorry, I returned a bit late, didn’t I?”

“Well, no harm done.” Second Boss Shi waved it off. “Plans changed. We’re staying in Fufeng City for a few more days. We’re going to let things outside settle down before we hit the road again.”

With imperial nectar having just appeared, new monsters would be popping up everywhere. Traveling right now was asking for trouble.

“Oh, right, Wu Jinsong came looking for you once.”

He Lingchuan nodded. He went back to his room and demanded two huge buckets of hot water, then scrubbed the hyphae and powdery dust off his body. After drying his hair and changing clothes, he headed downstairs and slurped down a big steaming bowl of tomato-and-egg noodle soup plus two sesame-oil flatbreads on the side.

The inn’s cook seemed to really know what he was doing. Even an ordinary fried flatbread had been pressed into crisp, flaky layers that were just delicious and satisfying to munch on.

He Lingchuan was eating happily when a group of more than ten people walked in, faces he somehow recognized.

They sat down to eat. He Lingchuan glanced over without thinking.

The man leading them happened to look over at the same time.

Their eyes met. The other man smiled, warm and friendly.

He Lingchuan smiled back, but his stomach sank.

You’ve got to be kidding.

It was the black-clad youth and his men.

Only now the leader had changed into pale-blue brocade, looking every bit the refined young gentleman.

The way they entered did not look like they were tracking him on purpose.

Still, Fufeng City’s enormous. How did they just happen to walk into this inn?

Fu Jiu was currently speaking to the youth. “Young Master, don’t you like donkey meat? Don’t let this inn fool you, their cook does an incredible flatbread and donkey meat in sauce!”

“Is that so?” The youth sounded absentminded. “Bring me a plate. Let’s try it.”

As soon as the server went off to place the order, a crow flew in through the window and landed on the leader’s chair back.

Its tail feathers were a bit singed black. He Lingchuan thought it looked familiar.

The leader did not even lift his head. “Why are you still following me? You couldn’t even keep up when you were chasing him.”

The crow shook its tail. “I’ve got a new lead!”

“Oh?”

“The aura of the Three-Heart Plain’s guardian spirit is strong, simply washing with water won’t get rid of it!” the crow declared smugly. “I can smell it, and it’s in this inn!”

He Lingchuan’s brow furrowed.

The leader and his men exchanged a look.

After the Three-Heart Plain’s guardian spirit exploded, hyphae and fungal powder had drifted everywhere. Whether they be human or monster, anyone who came out of that area would end up carrying that scent.

The crow circled the dining hall, as if confirming the source, then folded its wings and dropped onto He Lingchuan’s table.

“You! You smell like it, too!”

He Lingchuan shooed it with his chopsticks, making a soft shooing sound like he was driving off an ordinary bird.

The signal could not have been clearer.

The leader walked over, smiling as he asked, “May I sit here?”

He Lingchuan flatly refused, “No.”

The youth acted like he had not heard, pulled out the chair, and sat down anyway. “Much appreciated.”

The youth then asked, “Why were you still lingering on the Three-Heart Plain the day after the imperial nectar eruption?”

He Lingchuan sipped a mouthful of broth, swallowed, then said, “Speak normally.”

“Humans don’t usually stay there long,” the youth said with a pleasant smile. “What were you worried about?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, nor do I care to know.” He Lingchuan’s tone was lazy. “Judging by your face, you’re not from Fufeng City, are you?”

“What makes you say that?”

“If you were from Fufeng City, you’d be in the Residence Hall right now, not wandering around outside.” He Lingchuan tapped his temple. “Anyone with a problem up here gets sent to the Residence Hall. There, they can enjoy the rest of their life in peace.”

The Residence Hall that He Lingchuan was talking about was Fufeng City’s facility for the mentally ill. This was something he had only learned about a few days ago.

A big man behind the youth abruptly stood up, ready to step in, but the youth pressed a hand down, signaling him not to move.

Then he leaned closer and spoke softly, almost gently, “I recognize your scent. That little trick with the boar monster burrow, that was beautifully done.”

He Lingchuan made a loud slurp as he sucked down a strand of noodles.

“Rare treasures belong to the capable,” the youth said, smiling at him. “How about we be friends?”

Back when it was chase and escape, he had only thought the other party had fast legs. Seeing him up close now, he realized that He Lingchuan was not someone you could handle casually.

He could not say why he felt that way. After all, the man was just calmly eating noodles right in front of him.

The moment the youth said it, the burly men behind him looked startled. Their young master had killed people in the street over far less and walked away every time, so they could not help but be surprised at this sudden change.

He Lingchuan set down his wooden chopsticks and slowly looked up at him. Then, unexpectedly, he broke into a bright smile and said, “Sure, your surname?”

Both of them understood that the imperial nectar they had fought over days ago had already turned into cultivation inside the other’s body. In other words, fighting now would be pointless.

“I’m called Fushan[1],” the youth said, folding his arms. “And you?”

“He.”

Fushan smiled and asked, “So, we’re good?”

He Lingchuan smiled too, perfectly unbothered. “We’re good.”

Fushan warmly offered, “Then why not eat together?”

He Lingchuan lifted his chopsticks in a casual wave. “No need, no need. I’m basically done.”

Their sudden friendliness was so jarring that several of Fushan’s men looked completely lost. They had been expecting their young master to flip the table.

Fushan continued, “Since I’ve run into you, there’s something I’d like to ask—”

Right then, the light at the inn’s entrance dimmed. Someone else walked in.

He looked around, spotted He Lingchuan instantly, and headed straight over.

It was Wu Jinsong.

“Brother He, you’re finally back!” He was sharp-eyed enough to sense something off at once. “Oh, are you making friends here?”

The way those men are standing, why do they look so murderous?

He Lingchuan drawled, “Yeah. I met them outside the city a few days ago. There were some misunderstandings in the middle.”

“Oh?” Wu Jinsong immediately caught the meaning. “And are those misunderstandings still... misunderstandings?”

Outside the city, a few days ago... Ah, so these are “friends” you made while fighting over imperial nectar.

Wu Jinsong crossed his arms and looked down at Fushan with a cold, interrogating air. “Is that so? Where are you people from?”

One bearded brute across from him widened his eyes, about to snap back, but Fushan lifted a hand to stop him. He put on a sincere smile. “We won’t disturb the two of you. We’ll be going.” He cupped his hands in farewell and led his men out briskly, taking the freshly sliced plate of donkey meat in sauce with them.

Once they reached a deserted alley, Fu Jiu finally asked in a low voice, “Young Master, that man?”

“Keep a close eye on him.” Fushan’s face darkened slightly. “The morning after the imperial nectar eruption, that young man surnamed He was the first to leave the lakeside, yet he knew I was chasing him from behind. That means he must have left some kind of surveillance at the lake. He might even know who we killed.”

“Eh, but whose hands weren’t stained with blood that night?”

“Who cares about wild monsters?” Fushan’s voice sharpened. “The key is that stupid snake monster!”

They had killed the envoy from the State of E’ling. That was trouble, especially for what they still needed to do next.

* * *

As soon as they were gone, He Lingchuan flicked his chopsticks at the crow.

The bird had trauma around that motion. It let out a terrified screech and flapped out of the inn.

With that “eye” removed, He Lingchuan pointed lazily after the group. An eyeball spider crawled out from his sleeve, scuttled on eight tiny legs, and hopped into the belt of the last man to leave, quietly hiding itself away.

Wu Jinsong did not stop them from leaving. He merely shook his head and said, “Starting trouble here? They’ve got a death wish.”

𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

The past two days had been chaos inside and outside the city. He did not want extra headaches. Scaring them off was enough.

He Lingchuan gave him a thumbs-up. “As expected of Lord Wu, you didn’t even lift a hand, and you solved my problem.”

Wu Jinsong was a guard under the local grand tutor’s estate. He was local muscle in Fufeng City. If He Lingchuan could borrow that kind of authority, why would he rely on himself?

“Brother He, don’t tease me.” Wu Jinsong knew what he was capable of. He studied him more closely now and froze. “Huh? Did you break through?”

He was a warrior as well. When he looked at He Lingchuan, he immediately noticed a gleam in his eyes, spirit full, qi complete. He noticed that the other party carried himself differently than before.

The noodles had cooled a bit. He Lingchuan set down his chopsticks. “Thanks to you, I managed to open my Conception and Governing Vessels.”

“Congratulations!” Wu Jinsong was genuinely shocked.

The two hardest extraordinary vessels to open, and this kid opened them just like that? After that, everything else is only a matter of steady grinding effort. He isn’t even twenty yet! He really is exceptional.

“Looks like you ran into quite a stroke of fortune, brother.”

He Lingchuan asked, “Did you not go out when the imperial nectar came?”

“I was on duty.” Wu Jinsong’s jealousy and resentment practically overflowed. “Orders came down, so we had to be on full alert. If Fufeng City spiraled out of control, can you imagine what would’ve happened?”

1. This might actually be a surname, but I’m not completely sure. Anyway, I will go forward assuming that it is. If you’re wondering, the original text uses 伏山, and while I’m sure that 伏 is a surname, I’m not as sure about 伏山. However, He Lingchuan was pretty clear about asking for a surname. ☜