Chapter 616

Another guard came in from outside and said to He Lingchuan with a smile: "My lord, someone is carrying a boat up the mountain, saying it's a gift for you. People outside are all watching."

"Oh?" He Lingchuan's spirits lifted, and he patted the gift list, "Let's go, let's go out and see!"

He and Jiao Yu went to the back mountain and happened to meet the team carrying the boat up the mountain.

No matter how straight, flat, and wide the road to Pianxiang Shanzhuang was, it was still a mountain road, so the special flatbed truck carrying the boat was pulled by four giant savage bull monsters, each almost the size of an ordinary elephant.

Although Pianxiang Shanzhuang was crowded with nobles today, such a large and eye-catching gift was unique, and many people gathered to watch the excitement.

Fu Shanyue naturally came too, followed by a person in brocade clothes and a jade crown, about thirty years old.

When He Lingchuan arrived, Fu Shanyue pointed at him and said: "The main person has appeared." He then said to He Lingchuan: "This is the Fifth Young Master of the Ke family, Ke Yanjing."

When Ke Yanjing saw He Lingchuan, his eyes lit up slightly: "Is this He Xiao? The person is as his name suggests, handsome and heroic!"

The person's attire didn't look eye-catching at first glance, but those who knew their stuff knew that every piece was worth a fortune. Take that tile-gray robe with crane patterns on him; it was gray with a hint of thin gold, and the color contrast varied under different lights—people of the time called it "pool gold." A standard version would cost fifty taels of silver, so who knew how much this custom version cost.

He Lingchuan also smiled and returned the greeting.

Ke Yanjing turned back and pointed at the painted pleasure boat by the lake: "Giving a precious horse to a hero is a bit cliché, so my family thought giving a precious boat wouldn't be bad."

He Lingchuan saw that the boat was exquisitely carved, with tiles on the roof, railings on the sides, and windows on all four sides; simply put, it was like embedding an entire water pavilion onto a boat. This painted pleasure boat focused on delicacy and could hold at most six people if crowded, but though the sparrow was small, it had all the vital organs; not only were the tables and chairs fixed, but there were also two rows of cabinets, separately storing chessboards, tableware, charcoal stoves, wine pots, and life-saving equipment, etc., and there was even a dedicated space in the cabin to store fresh water and long-burning charcoal.

Everyone was clicking their tongues in wonder, and Ke Yanjing was also satisfied to see their expressions, so he asked He Lingchuan: "Shall we put it in the water now?"

"Then I will trouble Young Master Ke."

There had to be a ceremony for putting a precious boat into the water, and it just happened to be held together today.

Two quarters of an hour later, under the layers of onlookers among the guests, the painted pleasure boat slid into the lake water behind Mount Qilin, very steadily.

Everyone applauded one after another.

Fu Shanyue smiled and said: "It seems a pier needs to be built at the back mountain to make it convenient for docking the boat."

He Lingchuan thanked Ke Yanjing again and then said: "I have done nothing to deserve this, why would Young Master Ke send me such a generous gift?"

The onlookers gradually dispersed; after all, those who could attend today were either rich or noble and were not ignorant commoners, so they would automatically withdraw after offering a few compliments to let the host and guest talk privately.

Don't be so unpleasant; this is etiquette.

Ke Yanjing watched everyone walk away before saying to He Lingchuan: "The Ke family highly commends He Xiao for acting according to official business at Bai Sha Jue and not fearing the powerful. How about coming to my house as a guest with Crown Prince Yue in two days? My father really wants to see you."

He Lingchuan was slightly moved: "That would be great, I will respectfully obey!"

Ke Yanjing exchanged a few more pleasantries with Fu Shanyue and then went to the main hall.

Soon, he was surrounded by people, like stars surrounding the moon.

Wealthy people who were generous with their money were welcome everywhere.

Fu Shanyue watched with his arms crossed and asked He Lingchuan: "Do you know why his family sent you a gift?"

He Lingchuan shook his head: "I really don't know."

What need did the Ke family have to associate with him?

"You fought Fan Sheng twice and didn't fall behind." Fu Shanyue solved the mystery for him, "The second time you even pressed Fan Sheng into the water and ground him down, grinding away all his face."

"So..." He Lingchuan pondered for a moment and understood, "The Ke family and the Fan brothers are at odds?"

"Fan Bao killed a member of the Ke family." He Lingchuan gave a long "Oh": "So that's it!"

Fan Bao was a giant bear! A bear monster that could slap a person to death.

"Ke the Sixth went hunting and happened to run into Fan Bao... what kind of good outcome could you expect? Although it was judged as a misunderstanding afterward, the grudge between the two families was formed just like that and has never been resolved." Fu Shanyue laughed, "You defeated Fan Sheng, and the Ke family also felt it was satisfying; the Ke family sent you a gift, and other dignitaries will follow suit. Hmm, the Concentric Guards will also receive this news very soon."

He Lingchuan sighed long and hard.

However, at this moment, he saw a familiar figure among the guests, so he greeted Fu Shanyue and slowly strolled over.

He had just reached the person when the other party immediately sensed it and turned around.

The reaction honed on the battlefield was just different from that of ordinary people.

He Lingchuan cupped his hands and smiled: "General Nian, we meet again."

This person had a tall and straight figure, but his brows were somewhat gloomy; it was none other than Nian Zanli!

He wasn't here uninvited.

Fu Shanyue followed the tradition of Spirit Void City, spreading invitations widely and inviting guests when moving to a new home. Under He Lingchuan's suggestion, Nian Zanli was also among those invited.

The Governor of Xunzhou also smiled: "Young Master He, have you been well?"

"Thanks to you, it's not easy to still be alive." He Lingchuan gave a bitter smile, "Ever since we arrived in Spirit Void City, these days have never been peaceful."

The encounter of the Crown Prince of Chi Yan in Spirit Void City had spread through the streets and alleys these past few days and could be called the hottest topic; how could Nian Zanli not have heard of it?

He had been in Spirit Void City for a long time, painstakingly managing and making arrangements everywhere, but he hadn't been able to make any splash in this vast ocean, and could only sigh that the water in Spirit Void City was too deep.

But as soon as Fu Shanyue and these few people arrived, it was like waves rising in the vast sea, and everyone's eyes were focused on them.

He truly envied this kind of heat, but he wasn't willing to, nor could he, offend so many forces of the current dynasty like the Crown Prince of Chi Yan.

Therefore, Nian Zanli also had a look of sympathy: "To wear the crown, one must bear the weight. I hope the Anti-Aging Pill case will come to light soon."

Once the major case was solved and the dust settled, with those who should be arrested arrested and those who should be killed killed, the Chi Yan people would naturally be safe.

He Lingchuan smiled: "I will borrow General Nian's auspicious words."

The two looked at each other and smiled, as if they cherished each other.

He Lingchuan then gave a light cough and said: "General Nian, a word in private?"

"Oh?" Nian Zanli saw his hesitant look; the content to be discussed was probably quite secretive, "Good."

He Lingchuan looked left and right and happened to see the painted pleasure boat docked at the shore, so he immediately pointed: "Come, please board the boat." As he spoke, he told a maid to bring over a small jar of fine wine and a plate of pastries.

Although there was no pier at the shore, both had cultivation, so they could board the boat with a light leap.

He Lingchuan placed the pastries on the low table, grabbed a long oar, and lightly tapped the shore, and the painted pleasure boat slowly drifted in the opposite direction.

His guest appearance as a boatman was also quite decent, and he rowed the painted pleasure boat into the lake in no time.

Behind him, Nian Zanli had already poured wine for him, and the two sat down to drink together.

In late autumn, the maple trees hidden on the shore had already put on red clothes, and the tall phoenix trees dropped golden leaves.

"Boating in the lake, the scenery of the lake and mountains is indeed different from the shore." Nian Zanli praised, "Young Master Ke is also a wonderful person."

"That is true." He Lingchuan smiled slightly. Wonderful my foot! Ke the Fifth chose to send a painted pleasure boat when the dignitaries were gathering at Pianxiang Shanzhuang just because he wanted it to be big and eye-catching enough. The Ke family might have been accustomed to being the center of attention wherever they went; otherwise, like the Mustard Seed Boat made in Songyang Prefecture, which was larger than this painted pleasure boat, it could usually be tucked into one's bosom.

That was the real treasure.

He Lingchuan was also a person who had walked back and forth in the social scene many times and saw things with exceptional clarity: whether the big or small trinkets Ke the Fifth sent him, in terms of the Ke family's status, they couldn't be counted as generous gifts.

Clearly, the Ke family's positioning of He Lingchuan was also very clear: the Chi Yan special envoy who had humiliated the Fan brothers, although he had stirred up some storms in Spirit Void City, it was still unclear how it would end after offending so many forces.

Let's associate for now.

If he hadn't defeated Fan Sheng, the Ke family members, who were the wealthiest in Spirit Void, wouldn't have looked at him twice.

The two toasted and chatted about some interesting events in Spirit Void City; these included gossip and clues He Lingchuan had obtained from Old Ge through the squirrel, all of which were harmless but unsightly little secrets of the upper-class people.

The more they chatted, the happier they became, and the boat was filled with happy and hypocritical laughter.

If Nian Zanli knew that the person in front of him was the murderer of his son, he would probably draw his sword and hack him, right? He Lingchuan thought of this and laughed even more heartily.

He also talked about the investigation process at Bai Sha Jue; this was first-hand information from the person involved, full of solid content and details, far more detailed than Nian Zanli's hearsay.

The well-informed General Nian was also moved repeatedly as he listened.

He had been in Beijia for two months and had the deepest understanding of the cold and heartless nature of Spirit Void City. For the Chi Yan people to solve a case while bearing the pressure of the three words "Spirit Void City," the difficulty and risks involved were unimaginable to ordinary people.

Even he sighed sincerely: "You all have it too hard."

He Lingchuan gave a bitter smile: "What other way is there? The process for Crown Prince Yue to become the crown prince he is today was arduous and not easy. Actually, the Chi Yan monarch's favorite heir was Fu Shanji."

Nian Zanli nodded. Fu Shanyue had recently become famous in Spirit Void City, so the rumors in the city about his past—how the eldest son who was originally not favored by the monarch made a comeback and rose to the top—were truly embellished.

Even if Nian Zanli hadn't paid attention originally, he had heard some of it. After all, gossip was also an important topic of conversation in the vanity fair.

Of course, he wouldn't be stupid enough to ask how Fu Shanji died.

Everyone knew it in their hearts.

The painted pleasure boat then fell into a brief silence.

Both knew it was time to talk about business.

He Lingchuan looked at the long grass in the distance: "General Nian, I invited you onto the boat today actually to say I'm sorry."

Nian Zanli's face dimmed slightly; he had already thought of what he was going to say.

"Even for the various monster kings, without the Emperor's consent, they cannot arbitrarily borrow elite troops to attack foreign countries." He Lingchuan poured him another cup, "After we parted at Dun Garden, our Highness thought about it for many days... sigh!"

He shook his head: "Therefore, I must apologize on his behalf."

Having made arrangements everywhere in Spirit Void City for two months, Nian Zanli had become accustomed to being rejected and didn't feel particularly disappointed at this moment.

(End of chapter)