Chapter 565

However, these people who were searching for him also said they had to do it before Fu Fu Shanyue returned to the inn. The status of the Chi Yan Crown Prince still made the higher-ups somewhat cautious. After all, the relationship between the Chi Yan Nation and Lingxu City had been somewhat tense recently, and the identity of the true culprit behind the massacre of demon citizens of various nations pointed to the high-level officials of Lingxu City, so the Demon Emperor likely didn't want to add fuel to the fire.

But how long could this caution last, or rather, how long could their patience be maintained? It was hard to say.

He He Lingchuan knew he had to dispel Bai Bai Ziqi's suspicions as soon as possible, even if only temporarily.

However, at least he could have a good night's sleep tonight.

Soul Village, Red Plateau.

He He Lingchuan turned his head and sneezed.

Was someone thinking of him behind his back, or was there too much pepper powder on the roasted lamb?

"Let me do it." Shao He Jian took the pepper shaker from his hand and used his knife to make two more cuts on the lamb leg. "When it comes to the skill of roasting lamb, I recognize myself as second, and no one dares to claim first."

During his dozen years of wandering in exile, he had spent the most time in the wilderness.

He He Lingchuan pulled back his hand and sat back on the log, noticing a red circular signet ring on his ring finger.

The face of the ring wasn't inlaid with gemstones or jade like those of other merchants, but was engraved with patterns and text.

"Your ring is a bit unique."

"This?" Shao He Jian turned his finger to look. "I once went to do business in the west and saw that the wealthy and noble there all wore this kind of signet ring. When you need to stamp, you just make a fist and press it, which is very convenient, so I had one made just like it."

He extended his finger for He He Lingchuan to see, and the latter said: "Is this pattern a conch?"

"Correct. The first chamber of commerce I founded was called the Red Conch Chamber of Commerce," Shao He Jian smiled. "We did some transportation at the harbor by the sea."

He looked at He He Lingchuan and said: "Now that the Xiji Plain has also been taken by Panlongcheng, you should have a chance to go south. The life of people by the sea is completely different from ours in the interior."

He He Lingchuan pointed specifically at the dried goods he had purchased: "Then we'll stew mountain delicacies and seafood together."

"Exactly." Shao He Jian laughed. He had made a special trip to the Red Plateau to find a specific farmer to buy dried red mushrooms, saying that what they sold was much better than the goods in the shops in the city. How did that word go:

Authentic.

His beloved daughter loved red mushroom soup the most and had specified that he bring back more. For the sake of this sentence, Shao He Jian, this doting father, had to travel an extra fifty miles, and He He Lingchuan, as his guard, had to accompany him.

The journey was long, and the sky darkened quickly, so the two simply stayed in the farmer's granary and bought a black goat from the owner for dinner, roasting the lamb and boiling the bones for soup.

The little girl hadn't loved the wrong thing; red mushrooms and lamb soup were a perfect match. After soaking these dried mushrooms and stewing them with meat, the soup was clear and red, looking exceptionally warming. Although there was a bit of oil floating on the surface, it was actually refreshing and not greasy, carrying the unique fragrance of mountain delicacies.

He He Lingchuan served Shao He Jian a bowl of soup: "How old is your daughter?"

"Seven years old." When Shao He Jian spoke of his daughter, his eyes were full of smiles. "She's very mischievous, not at all like a young lady, and she can climb trees and jump on horses even now."

Once he started, he couldn't stop talking.

It turned out that ten years ago, he passed through a small city, fell in love with a woman, and they soon became husband and wife, having a daughter two years later.

Shao He Jian bore the hatred of his country and family, living in exile for half his life, sighing day and night; yet after having a daughter, his world regained its color.

He even showed He He Lingchuan the amulet at his waist.

It was tied with a red string, somewhat rough and somewhat clumsy, yet it was made by his beloved daughter herself. He traveled all over the world and never went a day without wearing it.

He He Lingchuan smiled: "What is her name?"

"Shao Shao Yingying, nickname Swallow. Hey, let me tell you, there is no sincerity in the world greater than the joy of family." Shao He Jian turned the lamb on his hand again. "That's why I really admire Brother Zhong, for being able to do what others cannot."

If it were him, he would definitely be unable to bear sacrificing his own daughter, preferring to use himself as a substitute.

Speaking of this, he sighed with emotion.

He He Lingchuan smiled; what kind of father wasn't there in the world? But he still followed Shao He Jian's words: "Mr. Shao is also amazing, from now on, you will be confronting the Heavenly Gods alone."

Shao He Jian laughed: "Last year, I took my Shao Yingying to the West Street Temple Fair in Linhe City. Shao Yingying loves the soft rice cakes there the most, and I buy them for her every time I return home. A fortune teller read my fortune and wrote a fourteen-character prophecy, stuffing it into a gourd: 'Singing wildly and drinking heavily, one is light of body; do not seek peace from the wind and rain.' Heh, he said I would drift without a fixed home in this life and would have a hard time having a good end. After Shao Yingying understood, she cried for several nights."

He shook his head: "This is my fate, I accept it. But I hope Shao Yingying will be safe and smooth for her whole life and not follow in my footsteps."

He He Lingchuan said softly: "Then you should stay far away from her."

Shao He Jian looked at him and said bitterly: "Yes, that's exactly it."

He closed his eyes, sighed long and hard, and then changed the subject: "I see that Brother Zhong and General Hong both intend to cultivate you. Work hard, young man, you have a bright future."

During their time together these past few days, he and He He Lingchuan had gradually become familiar with each other.

"Me?" He He Lingchuan smiled shyly. "I'm just a small soldier."

"Being able to enter the Hall of Spears and Shields and listen to us discuss the Punishment Dragon Pillar means you're not an ordinary small soldier." Shao He Jian cut a piece of lamb for him. "I observe that you are kind to others and have a sense of proportion in doing things; these are all excellent qualities."

"Being kind to others is also one?" Only in Soul Village would someone praise him like this; in reality, whether friend or foe, they all said he was black-bellied.

He He Lingchuan tasted the roasted lamb; the outer layer of charred skin was crispy and crunchy, and with one bite, the inside was tender and bursting with juice.

Shao He Jian's skill really left him ten streets behind.

"Of course. Be kind to others, make more friends and fewer enemies, and the path ahead will become wider and wider." Shao He Jian set up the lamb and picked up his bowl to take a sip of hot soup. "Those who achieve great things don't necessarily need to have sharp edges. As long as the goal can be achieved, what's the harm in being more flexible?"

"In the past, Brother Zhong and I studied together in Lingxu City. I saw him debating with doctors in the Imperial Academy, leaving them speechless. At that time, I admired his knowledge and temperament very much, feeling that this person was heroic and clear-headed. But ah, after so many years of wind and rain, thinking back, Brother Zhong's rigid and straightforward nature was destined to suffer in the imperial court; otherwise, why would he have been sent to the Panlong Wasteland later?"

"Don't learn from him in this regard." He and He He Lingchuan both finished half a bowl of lamb soup. "As long as you have great ambitions and are unyielding, what's the harm in being humble, respectful, and compromising? They are all just means; the final result is what's important, isn't it?"

After Shao He Jian had a daughter, his heart softened a lot, and seeing a younger generation like He He Lingchuan, he couldn't help but have a desire to cherish talent and couldn't help but teach him earnestly.

Following Shao He Jian, He He Lingchuan gained more understanding of Between Beijia.

This knowledge came from someone who had experienced it personally and was hard to obtain from books.

But this person never mentioned the Yuan Nation, and every time He He Lingchuan tried to lead the conversation there, he would divert it. This name was like his curse and taboo, not allowing anyone to touch it.

He He Lingchuan could only choose relatively safe topics, such as:

"Mr. Wu, what kind of temper does the Demon Emperor really have? Does he really want to obey the Heavenly Gods?"

"The current Demon Emperor is a man of great talent and bold vision; in the two hundred years he has been on the throne, Between Beijia has not fallen."

He He Lingchuan poked the fire: "Maintaining Between Beijia without falling is enough to be called a man of great talent and bold vision?"

It was now the seventeenth year of the Panlong calendar, and the second Demon Emperor of Between Beijia was still on the throne; by the era He He Lingchuan was in, he was already called the "Late Emperor" by the people of Between Beijia.

"With such a vast territory, such a complex national situation, and the accumulated ills and corruption that have grown more and more over hundreds of years." Shao He Jian cut another piece of lamb, chewing slowly. "Governing a country is difficult, more difficult than ascending to heaven. Being able to maintain it without falling is already a thousand hardships. Look at these human nations around us; the long ones last over a hundred years, the short ones seven or eight years, and there are dynasties changing and annexations."

But his original intention was not to praise the murderer of his own family, so his tone changed: "But these so-called Demon Emperors, Demon Kings, and so-called National Teachers, they are all murderers and traitors to humanity!"

He He Lingchuan's gaze shifted: "Traitors?"

"The ancestors of the Demon Emperor were powerful demon immortals who firmly and fearlessly resisted the invasion of the Heavenly Gods, even sacrificing their lives for the Dao without looking back," Shao He Jian said coldly. "Who would have thought that their descendants would defect and surrender to the enemy two thousand years later, willingly lowering themselves to be the pawns of the Heavenly Gods, harming the common people for them!"

"If this isn't a traitor, what is? They've lost all the face of their ancestors!" This last sentence couldn't help but turn into harsh words.

He He Lingchuan was speechless for a moment. Two thousand years was so long; the seas had turned into mulberry fields, let alone the changes in human affairs.

Not to mention that six hundred years ago, the founding Demon Emperor of Between Beijia also faced the situation where the demon race was weak and had no space to survive after being squeezed by humans, so he had to ask for foreign aid.

At that time, the main contradiction was already between humans and the demon race; how could the Demon Emperor of that time fight side by side with the immortals like the ancestors of the ancient times?

He He Lingchuan asked again: "Lady Lady Mitian said that the gods have been absorbing the nightmare energy of this world. I also heard in the Asking Immortal Hall that the human world and the divine realm have a relationship of mutual growth and decline; it is because they absorb too much nightmare energy that our world's spiritual energy is exhausted. Do the Demon Emperors and Demon Kings of Between Beijia know about this?"

Shao He Jian was very surprised: "The Asking Immortal Hall teaches this too?"

He had also been to the Asking Immortal Hall to listen to lectures and knew that they were all public classes. Did Panlongcheng even take such secrets out to tell the city residents? "Taught, taught." He He Lingchuan lied without blinking, and even sent a sincere smile.

"The high-level officials of Between Beijia naturally know." The firelight danced in Shao He Jian's eyes. "The resources of the divine realm are already exhausted, and the gods must extract energy for survival from the human world. Once the essence and origin contained in the bodies of all living things overflow, it becomes nightmare energy! Demons and humans contain sufficient nightmare energy, and humans are especially numerous, making them the best source of nightmare energy."

"However, in the process of natural aging, nightmare energy will also constantly dissipate and return to the world. Therefore—"

It turned out that Tianshengzi's deduction was indeed correct. He He Lingchuan said in a low voice: "So there must be war?"

"Only war can quickly harvest the lives of the young and strong, just like harvesting the freshest leeks."

(End of Chapter)