Chapter 2647

Today, under a sky clear for ten thousand li, another large transport convoy arrived at Heishuicheng.

In the convoy, a youth lifted his cloak and gazed upon the thick, towering city walls: "Wow, the walls of Heishuicheng are the second tallest I've ever seen, second only to those of Ducheng."

"Your... young master!" the guard beside him corrected himself quickly, "In the past, our relations with the northern states were poor, and Heishuicheng bore a heavy burden in defending against enemies; these walls were repeatedly reinforced during the king's tenure as city commandant. I heard that to raise funds for the wall repairs, the king went to great lengths."

"I've heard it, I've heard it." The youth grew impatient, "Those old sesame and millet bragging rights—your... grandfather has repeated them so often they're gone stale."

The guard rubbed his nose, unsure how to respond. This youth could be insulting, but he dared not speak rashly.

The youth then added: "By the way, I heard the walls of Panlongcheng are even higher and thicker?"

"Ah, I haven't seen them myself either." The guard answered cautiously, "But Panlongcheng is no longer on the wasteland."

"I heard it was taken away by my great-uncle." When the topic turned to something interesting, the youth's eyes lit up, "Such a huge city—how did he move it? My father once said a great demon dragged the ruins of Panlongcheng onto its own back, and my great-uncle tamed that demon. Thus, both the demon and the city came under his possession."

The guard thought to himself, You already know all this and still ask me? "So you want to ask?"

"How did my great-uncle tame that demon?" the youth muttered, "I've asked many people, but their answers are vague. My father wasn't present, and my grandfather didn't explain clearly, only saying my great-uncle never appeared publicly."

"Exactly! That great demon is called 'Dimu.' When Dimu invaded the borders of Shen State, I was also in the force resisting it." The guard spoke solemnly, "Back then, Dimu battled the immortals, the entire sky filled with various divine arts and techniques—truly spectacular. But the real battle wasn't in the sky, but in Yujing City on Dimu's back. That monster excels in secret realm combat; Jiugou Dadi must have defeated it in a secret realm to tame it."

"Then after we report in the city, let's go wander the wasteland."

The guard jumped in alarm, hastily saying: "Young master, Panlongcheng is no longer on the wasteland—why would you go there? It's just an empty expanse of land; once the sky was filled with yellow sand, now trees and grass grow, but the cold wind still cuts like a blade, incomparable to the mild climate of Ducheng."

"Panlongcheng was moved, but the wasteland still holds many ancient ruins—I want to see them. The frontier scenery must differ from the capital."

"Not proper, young master." Little Ancestor, you'd better not cause trouble, "This place is too close to the front lines; enemy spies are everywhere. Inside the city it's fine—our guard can protect you—but if you go to the desolate wasteland..."

The youth glanced sideways at him: "Can the enemy know I've come?"

"Nowadays, the mortal realm is a chaotic mix of immortals and demons—extremely unsafe, and you have a special status." If you meet with misfortune, we'll all face execution of our clans, "With your exalted status, you actually shouldn't have come to this front line."

It was this Little Ancestor who insisted on coming; He Chunha couldn't dissuade him.

"Father said I need more experience. At my age, he had already followed Grandfather back and forth across the country, fighting everywhere."

"They endured countless hardships to build this grand enterprise—wasn't it so that future generations wouldn't suffer the same displacement and wandering as they did?"

The youth clicked his tongue: "No wonder Father had you accompany me—you're sharp-tongued."

The guard gave a bitter smile: "Young master, you flatter me—where did the term 'sharp-tongued' come from?"

"Locals in Panlongcheng often say it, so my family does too." The youth smiled, eyes narrowed, "By the way, do you know why my great-uncle left Shen State?"

"This, I don't know." Regarding the imperial family's father-son dynamics, court gossip has spawned hundreds of versions, growing ever more absurd with each retelling—how could the guard dare speak?

"I asked my father; he only said the fault wasn't with my great-uncle; my grandmother was more direct, saying it was all Grandfather's fault, which drove my great-uncle to leave home." The youth shrugged, "As for what exactly the fault was, they won't say a word."

The guard knew this topic was untouchable, so he smoothly changed the subject: "This is called 'unintentional planting of willows that grow into shade'; otherwise, how could one family produce two founding emperors?"

The youth was indeed stirred by longing, murmuring: "I don't even know if I'll get a chance to visit Cangyan. I heard its predecessor, the Flashing Gold Plains, was a forsaken land, where the people are poor, brutal, and wicked."

The guard sighed: "Poor places are all like that. Young master, you don't know—Shen State's days have only improved in the last twenty years; before that, alas, during the Yu State era, this place was also where the people struggled to survive. The king's great virtue, his compassion for all beings, allowed him to quell rebellion and found Shen State, bringing about today's peaceful era."

He kept steering the conversation toward the Shen King, but the youth just wasn't buying it: "I heard the Flashing Gold Plains are vast—ten times the size of Shen State?"

"I haven't compared them carefully. But among the current states, Shen State's territory is already considerable."

"I didn't say our state is small." The youth dissatisfied, "But, the larger the area to be unified, the greater the difficulty—right? Look at Beijia, look at Mou State."

The guard had to say: "Young master, if you truly strive forward and don't disappoint the king... don't disappoint your master's expectations, you might indeed be ordered to go to Cangyan."

The youth became interested: "Really?"

"Of course, of course. Your father once served as an envoy, sent to Cangyan, and received a grand reception from Jiugou Dadi." The guard pointed forward, "We've arrived!"

This batch of supplies has already been delivered to the location.

The transfer warehouse is just ahead.

The youth yawned, murmuring wearily: "Let's go, report in."

Strategic material transfer follows a strict procedure—one he himself established, which even he dare not defy.

On this journey from Ducheng, the Shen King still kept one eye open, not notifying local officials beforehand. Heishuicheng is a mix of fish and dragons, filled with eyes from all nations; if news leaked early, it might be exposed prematurely. Thus, the city officials had received no word in advance; upon hearing his illustrious name, the chief official fell to his knees on the spot: "Your Highness! I did not know Your Highness graced us with your presence—my failure to welcome you properly..."

This person is none other than the emperor's eldest grandson by the main line, He Changjue.

From his name alone, one can see the emperor and his father's affection for him, named with double jade.

Just as the local official racked his brains for how to flatter, the youth waved a hand: "Enough, rise—no blame. I want to walk around the city; you must not make a fuss, nor send anyone to follow."

His upbringing has never lacked people sucking up to him, so he doesn't particularly enjoy hearing flattery.

Tired of it.

(End of Chapter)