Chapter 2273: Inevitable Fate

"Good!" Fang Canran joked, "Any other life-saving treasures? Hand them all over to me."

He was very relaxed, not at all impassioned about what he had to do.

"There's plenty." He Lingchuan grabbed a brocade pouch, "Inside are all the little things Dong Rui made; they might save your life at a critical moment."

"Mr. Dong is thoughtful." Fang Canran solemnly put it away.

"Is there anything else I can do for you?" He Lingchuan asked again, "Did you secretly hide descendants somewhere? I can look after them for you."

Fang Canran stared at him in surprise: "How do you know?"

He Lingchuan stroked his chin—his mouth really was gifted, as if it had been enlightened.

Fang Canran hesitated before saying: "I have a pair of twin sons. Their birth mother died from hemorrhaging, so I entrusted them to a family on Shili Islands. The twins don't know of my existence; they regard their foster parents as their real parents. Every six months, I send someone to give them money and grain, and the family lives very peacefully."

"Shili Islands?" He Lingchuan mentally located them, "Not far from Yangshan Islands, far from the mainland, very peaceful."

"The mainland is turbulent; I want them far from war."

He Lingchuan placed another piece: "Why not keep them by your side?"

"The Shaos' mission is too heavy." Fang Canran whispered, "If they don't know of me, they won't know of the Shaos, nor bear the burden of an inherited mission!"

He Lingchuan fell silent. Such a mission—what is it if not a kind of curse?

"They should have their own opportunities, their own lives, even if they remain ordinary all their lives." Fang Canran said earnestly, "The Shaos' mission shall end with me; let it not be passed to the next generation!"

"Yes, may the turmoil and suffering brought by the heavenly demons end here with us, not be left for those who come after." He Lingchuan exhaled lightly, "Fang brother, just act without worry; I will have people look after the Shili Islands extra carefully."

Fang Canran immediately stood and bowed to him: "Thank you, Brother He."

He only trusted He Lingchuan with this secret.

And when He Lingchuan acted, he removed Fang Canran's rear worries.

He Lingchuan grabbed his arm, preventing him from bending: "What thanks? If you succeed in scattering those eight thousand Xinglong Pillars, this world will owe you a great deed!"

That would truly be boundless merit.

"I'm merely acting in secret. In the end, facing the heavenly demons will still be you, Brother He." Fang Canran sighed, "Your path, Brother He, is truly the hard one."

"Enough, stop—let's not flatter each other." He Lingchuan laughed, "Hurry and finish this game; then consider it your farewell."

The two resumed playing, and the illusion ended here.

A gust of wind passed, and the high tower grew desolate again, only He Lingchuan and the dying lamp sitting opposite each other.

Just now, the Great Yan Heavenly Pearl sensed the wearer's state of mind and recreated in the world his final farewell to Fang Canran from memory.

Who would have thought that farewell would already be eternal parting?

He Lingchuan softly exhaled.

Really, who wouldn't have thought? Fang Canran, upon receiving the eight thousand Xinglong Pillars from him, had already prepared for the worst.

Otherwise, why would he entrust his affairs before departure?

Knowing such horror lay ahead, he still went forward gladly.

And the soul lamp's bowl shattered, showing Fang Canran had chosen suicide.

Given He Lingchuan's understanding of Fang Canran, he would only act so decisively under one circumstance:

To die guarding the secret!

Someone must have watched him, someone must have driven him to a dead end, and someone must have wanted to pump him for news of the Xinglong Pillars.

Fang Canran's ability to commit suicide proves he finally guarded this secret!

History truly is a terrifying cycle.

One hundred fifty years ago, Shao Jian died by suicide under heavenly demon pursuit;

One hundred fifty years later, Shao Jian's descendant Fang Canran likewise chose this way to guard the secrets of the Great Fang Vase and the Xinglong Pillars!

With He Lingchuan's experience, he still felt a great sorrow in his heart.

Becoming the Nine Abysses Great Emperor, one of the most important mental journeys, is "loss."

The Red General once told him, people like them spend their lives losing, spending their lives struggling against pain and guilt.

Losing family, losing close friends, losing so many brave comrades who fought side by side, losing so many valiant, fearless, lovely warriors.

On this journey, others only see his boundless glory;

But when he looks back, behind him lies a dark ghost realm, bones scattered everywhere.

Moreover, their war with the heavenly demons has not yet reached white-hot intensity; Fang Canran's sorrow may merely be the beginning of sacrifice.

This is the path he and Fang Canran chose with their own hands, a fate they cannot escape.

What a bland fate!

He Lingchuan took out a wine pot and two cups from his bosom, filled both cups, placed one before the dying lamp, and held the other in his hand.

"Fang brother, you spoke truly." He murmured to the dying lamp, "The pain and sacrifice caused by the heavenly demons ought to be ended by our generation, never left to posterity!"

After speaking, he drained his cup in one gulp, then gently poured the other cup before the dying lamp.

Then he cleared away the lamp shards on the ground and walked down the high tower without looking back.

……

Returning to the imperial study, he walked into the garden and patted the most luxuriant old pagoda tree.

This old tree spirit's bark was cracked like wrinkles on an old man's face. It had lived seven or eight hundred years, and was among the first residents of the Chixiao Golden Hall; usually its branches brandished and clawed, not failing the name of wood ghost; in the three dog days, standing under its shade brings cool relief from heat.

However, it has a worm-eaten hollow at chest height, unknown whether made by insects or woodpeckers.

He Lingchuan then said to the old pagoda tree:

"Retrieve the last information Fang Canran sent."

The pagoda tree's branches and leaves rustled.

Afterwards, He Lingchuan reached into the hollow and took out a document.

This old pagoda tree spirit had refined the hollow into a small space; He Lingchuan, as Nine Abysses Great Emperor, had handled too many secrets to keep them all on his person, so he had given them to the old pagoda tree spirit.

This old guy only recognizes people, not tokens, so confidentiality and security are very high.

For safety's sake, Fang Canran has been sending out information irregularly these years to avoid detection, and the content is written in code, appearing to outsiders as tedious and complex commodity reports.

Only in He Lingchuan's eyes do they reveal their true nature.

He Lingchuan saw it once two months ago; this time he's just confirming it again.

Each of Fang Canran's intelligence reports contains a large amount of information—this one has 215 entries. He not only reports on the distribution of the Criminal Dragon Pillars, but also compiles any important observations from his travels that Fang Canran deems valuable.

The information he provides is very detailed; of course, most of it concerns the demons, local governance, the Xian Sect, and people's livelihood, helping the Nine Abysses Great Emperor grasp a richer picture of the outside world.