Chapter 1940

He Lingchuan personally brought him a tube of it: "Here's a bit of bamboo rice mixed in. This is rare—try it quickly."

Another bowl, glossy with red oil, was braised plump bamboo rat with osmanthus: the bamboo rat cooked together with its favorite bamboo shoots, and Ling Guang contributed his own osmanthus honey, the osmanthus picked from those few wild osmanthus trees nearby.

Fang Canran picked up a piece of meat, soft and trembling with skin still on, shook it, and it went duangduang.

The soup was even simpler: mixed stream fish stewed with tofu, cooked to a rich, fragrant white; a few sips in autumn warm the whole body.

"On the Flash Gold Plains, this is already a mountain-and-river delicacy—what's there to complain about?" Fang Canran sighed, "I followed your merchant association from Jukou Port to the central region, and all along I saw starving corpses everywhere, shocking to behold. Five- or six-year-old children thin as skinned skeletons, heads wider than their shoulders. For a scrap of gnawed bone, they'd fight until their heads were bloody."

"At least they're still alive, so you can see them; those thrown away, eaten, or died at birth—you don't even get to see them." He Lingchuan ate his bamboo-tube rice, calmly stating a chilling reality: "This is still after Yang Shan came to the Flash Gold Plains and did business for several years, opening countless passes—the vitality of central and western Flash Gold Plains now surpasses what it was before. A year and a half ago, you could hardly cross the entire Flash Gold Plains smoothly."

"I know." Fang Canran nodded, "Many years ago, I went to Xiaoyao Sect on official business—just landed from Jukou Port."

What Jukou Port looked like before Yang Shan stationed there, he remembers vividly.

Poverty, despair, chaos, numbness—these are the bitter fruits this land has borne.

All bitter fruits ultimately give rise to the flower of evil. "He Lingchuan bringing the Yang Shan Merchant Association to the Flash Gold Plains—his merit is immeasurable."

He Lingchuan noticed he said "Yang Shan Merchant Association," not what He Lingchuan is currently doing.

"The Flash Gold Plains are rich in resources—minerals, fine horses, medicinal herbs, all kinds of heavenly treasures and earthly gems; you could talk for days and nights without finishing. Take this Duocheng, for example: the copper ore from the suburban mines has copper content over eight times that of Yu State, large scale, shallow burial." He Lingchuan stamped the ground, "After repeatedly refining this copper ore here, refining it four or five times, the remaining slag's copper content is about the same as Yu State's."

When he was a second-generation official in Heishuicheng, he knew there were mines in the suburbs too—copper reserves small, quality poor, but already enough to concern He Chunhua, who still had to report the mining area's extraction situation each year.

"Yet the Flash Gold people live like this, holding golden rice bowls and still can't get a meal." He Lingchuan asked Fang Canran, "Fang brother, do you know the reason?"

"Warlordism, chaos, disorder?"

"All correct—these are the Flash Gold Plains' endogenous calamities." He Lingchuan sipped soup, "Fundamentally, the gods here create chaos to extract nightmare energy, and the immortals—"

He looked at Fang Canran and said slowly, "Immortals here have set up the Spirit-Gathering Grand Formation, desperately sucking in spiritual energy."

Fang Canran was moved: "Spirit-Gathering Grand Formation?"

Remembering the task he'd assigned He Lingchuan, he easily thought: "You mean Qianhuan True Person?"

"Qianhuan True Person's Reversed Heavenly Gang Grand Formation has tremendous power—it's been sucking spiritual energy from the Flash Gold Plains for over 150 years. Otherwise, an immortal like him, with fifteen immortals under him and an entire sect, would have enormous spiritual consumption; relying only on their ancient reserves wouldn't be enough."

Fang Canran silently thought, So that's how it is. Since the decline of heaven and earth's spiritual energy, immortals have retreated into seclusion—some died in meditation, some live quite comfortably. Though he maintains ties with Ling Mountain, he never pondered deeply, assuming true immortals have heavenly means, or perhaps the primordial reserves were extremely abundant.

Now hearing He Lingchuan, he realized conservation alone is far insufficient; the upper immortals must also open sources of spiritual energy to act without fear.

He Lingchuan gave a mocking smile: "So-called gods and immortals are so desperate, treating the Flash Gold Plains as their own granary, taking and demanding—you say, what path remains for the myriad beings of Flash Gold?"

Fang Canran fell silent for a long while, suppressing many questions, then brought up the purpose of this trip: "He brother, I have a question to ask on behalf of Ling Mountain: Has Qianhuan True Person left the Inverted Sea? What is his current situation?"

The Flash Gold Plains have long circulated the legend of the Dragon God killing Miao Zhantian, yet Ling Mountain urgently seeks news of Qianhuan. Fang Canran couldn't find out in Jukou Port, so he followed the merchant caravan rushing to Duocheng to find this first eyewitness.

Besides He Lingchuan, who else on the Flash Gold Plains knows the truth?

"No one." He Lingchuan gave the clearest answer: "He has passed away."

Fang Canran stared wide-eyed, unable to speak for a long time.

After the Inverted Sea's open period ended, Qianhuan True Person remained untraceable, but He Lingchuan, sent to find him, remains active on the Flash Gold Plains. Fang Canran then knew, trouble had come.

But this kid before him now says, the Great True Immortal has fallen?

During his dazed period, He Lingchuan ate vegetables, ate meat, drank soup, and enjoyed himself immensely.

Two osmanthus blossoms fell from the old tree, landing right in the soup bowl; He Lingchuan tapped the bowl's edge with his chopsticks: "Fang brother, if you don't eat and drink now, it'll be gone."

Today's soup is truly flavorful.

"By the way, I also added a few large clams to simmer in this soup, but they took up too much space—I threw out both shell and meat." He gestured to Fang Canran: "Those clamshells were bigger than the plate—when simmered, they became incredibly fresh and spiritual!"

"Then what exactly happened?" Fang Canran finally found his voice.

That was Qianhuan True Person!

The former master of Ling Mountain, one of Ling Mountain's Six Great Immortal Venerables!

No mistake, no error, no omission, no excess, no lack, no flaw, no imperfection!

"Miao Zhantian brought over a dozen heavenly demons and heavenly palace troops, also invading the Inverted Sea."

"!!"

Seeing Fang Canran's shocked face, He Lingchuan spat out a bone: "Didn't Ling Mountain tell you?"

Fang Canran said nothing. Of course not.

Ling Mountain only gets information from him, rarely telling him about mountain affairs or new intelligence.

"How do you know Ling Mountain has already...?" He trailed off, then let out an "oh"—he understood.

Now He Lingchuan's channels for obtaining information from Ling Mountain are no longer just through Fang Canran.

This person's influence and network are growing every day.

"I also know that about many insider details and intelligence regarding the Yang Shan Islands, you've mastered them but haven't told Ling Mountain." He Lingchuan smiled, "Thank you, Fang brother."

Fang Canran gave a self-mocking smile.

He was originally sent by Ling Mountain to supervise He Lingchuan, but over these years, he's mastered much intelligence yet kept it hidden. Also, it's no wonder Ling Mountain is dissatisfied with him—he's been sitting crooked on his own butt.

He Huo is sincere, strong, charismatic, and adept at controlling the situation; long-term association with him makes it hard not to be led astray by him.

"Back to the point! Miao Zhantian is so strong he even invaded Qianhuan True Person's sea of consciousness, intending to annihilate his divine soul and seize the Mirage Immortal's body."