Chapter 638: Mutual Probing

Fang Canran said intently, "However, why did he go to the Chiyan Kingdom quietly before?" "The Heavenly Palace's Cloud Envoy going out, that must be to handle matters for the Heavenly God."

"In other words, something the Heavenly God is concerned about happened within the Chiyan borders." Fang Canran stroked its top feathers, "Didn't you receive news that the Tianluo Star was abnormal dozens of days ago? Calculating the time, it seems to match."

"The Tianluo Star flashed in Chiyan; the origin of the Elixir of Immortality case is in Chiyan." The parrot shook its head, "Are you saying the Chiyan Demon King and his son want to cause trouble, so they sent this guy surnamed He to find you?"

"At least on the surface, it looks like that. Recently, Fu Shanyue has been very active in Lingxu City, appearing in various occasions, and has also talked about several collaborations, including with the Golden Horn family and Dun Garden."

"Can the Fu father and son know your family affairs?"

The parrot's question was sometimes hitting the nail on the head. Fang Canran sighed: "Logically they shouldn't, but no matter what, I haven't found a reason for He Xiao to expose me for the time being." If he came specifically to find trouble with him, there was no need to provoke so many dignitaries at the same time. Wasn't that forcing himself to increase the difficulty? "He is with the Chiyan Crown Prince, and Chiyan is again opposing Lingxu City with the Elixir of Immortality case. Alas, these Chiyan people in Lingxu City are like gunpowder barrels; if one is not careful, they will explode. So I think it's best for us to be at peace with him. Besides, there are already many people who want his life; if he can't handle it himself, he won't survive, so there's no need for me to act."

"In short, since the Heavenly God sent Bai Ziqi to Chiyan, the matter to be investigated was very significant; later, an Elixir of Immortality case was stirred in, initiated by Chiyan, supported by the joint memorial of Baoshu and other six countries, but now it has been delayed and not investigated, and various vassal demon kingdoms have taken turns writing letters to express concern. I heard the Demon Emperor has lost his temper several times."

The parrot was curious: "Do you think the mastermind behind the Elixir of Immortality case is really the Qinggong?"

"The Green Lotus Temple privately sells the Elixir of Immortality, and many dignitaries have bought it; you say the person at the very top can not know?" Fang Canran deduced, "This is a unique business, and I haven't heard of anyone else doing it so far—the time a few hundred years ago doesn't count, it's too long ago—so the backer of the Green Lotus Temple is too hard. If it weren't for the coincidence this time, the Elixir of Immortality case would never have seen the light of day. The Baoshu King and other demon kings also saw that this opportunity was truly rare, so they united to attack."

"Now this case has been exposed to the sunlight; if Lingxu City cannot find the mastermind and respond to everyone's concerns, the prestige of the Demon Emperor and the Heavenly God will inevitably be affected; but the resistance to investigating downward is also very great. Look, the progress of the case has been stalled for a long time; Bai Ziqi's opponents have cleaned up the clues very cleanly, and everyone suspects, but there is no evidence."

"So you think it's the Qinggong?"

Fang Canran nodded: "Very likely."

The parrot asked him: "Then what if it just can't be investigated?"

"Then drag it." Fang Canran said without hesitation, "Lingxu City is so big, Beijia is so big; how many things happen every day? People won't just stare at the Elixir of Immortality case."

Human nature is to hunt for novelty, liking the new and loathing the old. "As long as the case is dragged on, dragged until everyone is tired of it and forgets it, then it will naturally turn big matters into small ones, and small matters into nothing. Hmm, isn't there fighting in the east? It's very useful to use it to divert everyone's attention." He paused, "So many earth-shattering events have happened before, such as Zu Ju causing the Lingxu earthquake, with accusations from all sides, but didn't it end like this in the end?"

He sighed long: "The current Lingxu City is truly surging with undercurrents; I really hope we can add another fire to it."

"Be safe!" The parrot flapped its wings to remind him, "Safety first! Did you hear, safety first!"

"Got it." Fang Canran hurriedly found a few peanuts and handed them to it.

The parrot subconsciously grabbed them with its claws and used its beak like pliers to crack the shell. Eating peanuts, it had no time to speak.

……

Watching Fang Canran leave by carriage, the Soul-Absorbing Mirror asked in He Lingchuan's arms:

"What does that 'Punishment' character mean?"

It couldn't enter Panlongcheng and didn't know the origin of the Punishment Dragon Pillar.

"Nothing." He Lingchuan didn't intend to explain it to it. The three words "Punishment Dragon Pillar" shouldn't even appear in Lingxu City.

"Hey, something even I don't know, and you tell him?" The Soul-Absorbing Mirror was very sad; did this master not know that there is a difference between close and distant? "Aren't you afraid he will find a way to report you?"

Some people just like to report.

"The Oath Chain is effective; even if he wants to report now, he is willing but unable." He Lingchuan walked back slowly, and the servants along the way greeted him. "If he weren't afraid, he could have reported me long ago; why run to meet me?"

He simply walked to the Minguang Tower on the west side of the garden.

This is the highest point of Qilin Mountain; after nightfall, the tower top will light up with huge lotus glass lanterns, red, blue, and yellow, becoming a beautiful night scene.

This is also the origin of "Minguang." But the servants were lazy today and didn't come to light the lamps.

He Lingchuan lit it casually and sat on the tower window.

Minguang Tower is too narrow, only allowing one person to go up; it is very difficult to turn around on the stairs.

The mirror asked again: "That Shao Jian, the person you used to play riddles, is he really this guy surnamed Fang's ancestor?"

"Nine times out of ten." He Lingchuan had long thought about it, "I only know Shao Jian had a daughter named Shao Yingying. If she married out, then Shao Jian's grandson naturally wouldn't be surnamed Shao."

"What exactly did this Shao guy do?" The mirror didn't understand, "To make you admire him so much."

This master, many times is already unlike a human. He actually also has an object of admiration? He Lingchuan said lightly: "This is a secret, and not many people dare to mention it to this day."

Forget it, the mirror felt that the master still had a difference between close and distant; it was just treated as "distant"! "Then will Fang Canran believe you?"

"Currently, it's just mutual probing; even with the effect of the Oath Chain, neither side dares to throw their whole heart out." Both have too many little secrets.

A commotion in the woods not far away seemed to be birds fighting. He Lingchuan casually threw a few fruit shells over, and a group of night birds were startled.

"...... Then why did you say so many secrets just now?"

"If it were just Fang Canran himself, even if I were sure he was Shao Jian's descendant, I might not tell him these things, or even might not go find him." He Lingchuan thought very clearly, "No matter how firm Shao Jian's belief is, that is Shao Jian himself, unrelated to his descendants."

In other words, Shao Jian could firmly oppose the Heavenly God, but his descendants might not.

The father is a dragon and the son is a worm; it's common.

This is something that can happen in just two generations; what if it's dragged on for ten or eight generations?

Never ignore individual autonomy and differences.

"So?" The mirror found that it asked these three words more and more often recently.

"But Fang Canran not only understands what his ancestor did more than a hundred years ago, but also agrees with it..."

"Hey hey, where did you see that he agreed?" The mirror shouted, "How come I can't see it?"

"The signet ring he wears is the signet ring of the leader of the Red Snail Chamber of Commerce founded by Shao Jian, with five spiral patterns. I have a deep impression and won't recognize it wrong."

"Oh, and then?"

"Shao Jian spent his whole life running for national hatred and family grudges, fighting against the Heavenly God until he died. Fang Canran knows his life story, yet still wears his spiral ring; this is approval of his ancestor's philosophy and actions, and also a secret provocation to the Heavenly God." He Lingchuan said sternly, "Don't forget this is Lingxu City, right under the Heavenly God's nose! And what Shao Jian did is enough for the Heavenly God to exterminate his eighteen generations. If Fang Canran hadn't inherited his ancestor's belief, or even just knew it and didn't agree, how would he dare to wear that ring?"

To be a person and do things, first establish the heart.

Fang Canran insisted on wearing this signet ring, perhaps to clarify his will and warn himself at all times.

"He wears that ring, really won't have anything happen?"

He Lingchuan shook his head: "Shao Jian dissolved the Red Snail Chamber of Commerce a few years before he died. I calculated the time; it was probably shortly after Panlongcheng was destroyed; later he left home on his own, probably knowing the Heavenly God was pressing step by step, so he cut off the last connection with his family. He had enough time to dispose of the aftermath, so I think the Heavenly God might not know about this ring. Besides, it's been more than a hundred years."

He smiled: "Fang Canran is not stupid either; if there were really a risk, he wouldn't wear it."

"Gone too far." He Lingchuan pulled the topic back, "I am busy enough myself, why take the risk to contact him? Besides needing external help, it's also because this person's persistence is very strange."

"Strange?"

"I already said just now, no matter how firm the father's belief is, it's good enough to pass it to the son. And pass it to ten generations later?" He Lingchuan laughed, "People today don't even know the names of their ancestors three generations ago, and still inherit the legacy? A joke!"

"You say Shao Jian's legacy can be passed down from generation to generation, lasting more than 160 years, and still not decayed until Fang Canran here, that is almost impossible."

The mirror said "Oh": "You mean, he is fake? He is impersonating?"

"That's what you said." He Lingchuan rolled his eyes, "What I want to say is, he is not one person; he probably has a strict and efficient organization behind him."

"Ah?" The mirror was stunned, "W-why?"

"It's hard for an individual to keep their belief consistent. Do you know how fragile the human heart is?" Looking down from the tower top, one could glimpse the lights of thousands of homes under Qilin Mountain, how many ordinary people's small happinesses are there? Even for Lingxu City residents, it's not easy to live well, "The world is confusing, and it's hard to succeed with ambition. Unless a saint, otherwise even an iron-willed will cannot withstand the grinding of days and months. But with an organization and a team, it's different. Like-minded comrades can encourage each other and move forward together."

He Lingchuan remembered Panlongcheng.

Wasn't the Great Wind Army such a group of people? "Belief also needs to be infused and maintained." Belief is such a precious thing; it's like a fire seed; a group of people is easier to keep than one person.

The mirror secretly aimed at him: "Then you?" Isn't the master fighting alone?

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 639 =====