Chapter 1952

Luo Xie had no choice but to walk back to the table.

Fang Canran had already taken some rabbit and chicken meat and placed them on a plate, while Weng Xing also passed over the chicken bones, holding out the plate to him: "Here, take it."

This time, Luo Xie had just passed the plate over the fence when the biggest child snatched it up, and the ones nearby immediately rushed to grab it.

Just moments ago they had been timid and hesitant, but in the blink of an eye they turned into a pack of hungry wolf cubs, shoving the seized food straight into their mouths without fear of choking.

Luo Xie could even see the fierce green light flashing in their eyes.

He walked back to the table and sat down, still frequently turning his head: "Are these children stupid? They want leftovers, not money."

"It's you who doesn't understand the situation." Weng Xing said coolly, "Haven't you heard of not flaunting wealth? Even with my lord here, your money pouch isn't necessarily safe, let alone these half-grown brats. Give them money, heh heh, within fifteen steps someone will snatch it away."

"They understand quite well." Weng Xing pointed at the children scrambling for food, "They know the money isn't theirs, and only the leftover dishes and rice on our table, the gnawed chicken bones and rabbit heads—things others look down on—give them a chance."

Luo Xie fell silent, then let out a sigh.

"You're in the Inverted Sea, so you wouldn't see this kind of sight, would you?"

Luo Xie shook his head: "In the Inverted Sea, spiritual energy is abundant, crops are bountiful, and everyone can at least eat a full meal—it's just a matter of whether it tastes good or not. We eat coarse tea and plain rice, while the Phantom Sect enjoys fine clothes and jade-like food."

"Is the place nourished by the power of flashing gold really that different?" Weng Xing snorted, "Can you eat your fill every meal? Heck, even saying that in Bai Ta Town would be a dream, let alone in the prosperous Ju City—it's a lifelong aspiration for many."

Luo Xie lowered his head and said nothing.

Fang Canran spoke up to defuse the tension: "Most of the spiritual energy from the Gathering Spirit Grand Formation is enjoyed by Qianhuan True Person and the Phantom Sect, so the civilians in the Inverted Sea only get to drink thin soup, and it's not by choice."

Luo Xie lamented: "Every few years, the Inverted Sea sees yaksha invasions that devour people, and we once thought that was the greatest horror of the human world—but compared to this—"

He shook his head.

After all, the time of yaksha invasions is brief, and compared to the Flashing Gold Plains, the Inverted Sea seems like paradise.

The true horror of the human world lies here: a deep, bone-marrow despair and numbness, and eternal hunger and poverty from which one can never rise.

"That's why this land needs the Nine Abysses Great Emperor, needs the incarnate Dragon God." Fang Canran said seriously, "I believe only he has the power to change the current state of the Flashing Gold."

He paused, glanced up at the sky, then added:

"And also needs an unbroken flow of Emperor's Elixir."

The civilians in the Inverted Sea avoid starvation thanks to the abundant spiritual energy. Although Qianhuan's original intent in establishing the Yin-Yang Heavenly Gang Grand Formation was not for them, when immortals eat meat, they too get to drink a bit of soup.

At this moment, He Lingchuan returned, accompanied by a dark-skinned, thin old man, who nodded and bowed to everyone.

"This is Mao Lizheng, the administrator of Bai Ta Town." He Lingchuan introduced, "He says that in the collapsed mine pit, other things were discovered. The pit remains unchanged for now. Brother Fang, you're the expert in identifying rare objects—will you come down to the mine with me?"

Fang Canran's answer was naturally:

"No problem!"

The mine is located behind the back mountain of Bai Ta Town, and even on horseback it takes half an hour to get there.

He Lingchuan and Fang Canran rode side by side, while the other three fell behind, leaving them space for private talk.

"Brother Fang, what do you need me for?"

Today, Fang Canran had come to find He Lingchuan on his own initiative, only to be temporarily pulled out for a meal and appraisal.

"I told you about this three days ago—" Lin Zi was very quiet, only the sound of horse hooves clip-clopping, and Fang Canran's voice was especially calm, "—I've thought it over, and I must do this!"

Three days ago, he had proactively brought it up to He Lingchuan, hoping to retrace the old path of his ancestor Shao Jian, that is, to spread the Dragon-Subduing Pillars abroad.

After hearing him, He Lingchuan advised him to stay calm and not act on impulse.

Then he calmed down for three days and came back to He Lingchuan to declare his resolve.

"Brother Fang, you must know..."

Before He Lingchuan could finish his words, Fang Canran cut him off: "I know, I know what you're going to say—I know the dangers and difficulties involved in doing this, and I know your feelings toward me."

He Lingchuan wanted to speak but held back.

"My mind is made up." Fang Canran said in a deep voice, "Besides, this matter doesn't need you to make the decision for me."

He Lingchuan shook his head: "I still clearly remember the scene when Master Shao departed. I merely don't wish for, nor can I await, your return."

"Brother He, what you're doing now is ten times harder and more bitter than what I face. You go forward without hesitation—how could I then hold back on my own account?" Fang Canran said with a smile, "You also saw those children outside the fence just now, didn't you?"

He Lingchuan gave an "en" sound, as he always observes all directions: "Those might be the miners' children."

Fatherless children in this chaotic age are like weeds—when wind, frost, rain, and snow come, they wither away.

"What we're doing might just give them a chance—a chance to survive, to grow up." Fang Canran's eyes held a hint of longing, "As long as the human world has abundant spiritual energy and it isn't taken away, everyone can live a little more easily."

Dew and rain nourish all equally; no matter how much they receive, the improvement is greatest for the poorest.

He then asked He Lingchuan: "Just tell me, where is the best place to go handle affairs?"

Where is the best place to spread the Dragon-Subduing Pillars?

He Lingchuan knew his mind was set and that persuasion was useless, so he said: "Best to go west or southwest of Bei Jia—that's the territory of the Sharili Heaven."

Fang Canran spreading the Dragon-Subduing Pillars certainly couldn't directly hand them to the followers of the Lingxu Gods, or else it would be like giving treasures away for free.

"Sharili Heaven has recently shown signs of rising, with several great gods very active; by comparison, the Lingxu Gods here have suffered considerable losses, and are further mocked due to the deaths of Miao Zhantian and over a dozen subordinates." Fang Canran mused, "I've just received a message: the subordinate god Xipushen of the Lingxu Holy Venerable, on his way to the joint council meeting, was—well, not by people, but by gods—schemed against and killed."

He Lingchuan startled: "When?"

"Two and a half days ago, that is, the night of our meeting." Worldly affairs are just endless coincidences. That day he had just learned the true face of Qianhuan True Person, wanted to perform a great deed like his ancestor Shao Jian, and that very night received the news of this heavenly god's fall.

This further strengthened his resolve to stir up wind and rain with the Dragon-Subduing Pillars.

He hasn't acted yet, but the demon realm is already this chaotic; if he could use the Dragon-Subduing Pillars to further intensify the conflict between heaven and demon, what a blessing that would be for the human world!

"The culprit has still not been found. The Lingxu Gods suspect it's the hand of Sharili Heaven, since Xipushen and several gods of Sharili Heaven have grudges; Sharili Heaven, meanwhile, claims it's an internal traitor of the Lingxu Gods who did it, then framed them. The two sides keep arguing without end."

Fang Canran paused: "Xipushen is an important subordinate god under the Lingxu Holy God, often responsible for conveying the holy will abroad."