Where Immortals Once Walked

He Lingchuan’s eyes flickered and asked, “Has the state preceptor appeared?”

Bai Ziqi shook his head and said, “I observed the proper courtesies first. I requested an audience with the state preceptor alone before resorting to force, but who would’ve thought they wouldn’t let me in at all? Not one gate, large or small, was opened.”

So he hasn’t seen her. He Lingchuan pondered for a moment. “Is someone guarding the rear mountain?”

“Yes. We also caught some of the Spring Palace’s disciples there, but they weren’t of much use.”

Fushan Yue snorted. “Even if they escape through the rear mountain, can they slip out of Lingxu City?”

Lingxu City was vast, and the Spring Palace was located at the center of the Lower City. It was a great distance just to even get out of the city, and once the city issued a warrant for their arrest, it was basically impossible for them to escape.

“A cornered dog will leap over a wall. Besides, State Preceptor Qing Yang may not be thinking of fleeing the city.” He Lingchuan turned to Bai Ziqi. “Deputy Cloud Envoy Bai, do you believe State Preceptor Qing Yang is no longer inside?”

Fushan Yue frowned slightly. Bai Ziqi gave He Lingchuan a long look and said, “You really are sharp.”

“If she hasn’t exactly fled, but she isn’t inside either, then where else could she go...” Before Fushan Yue even finished that sentence, he came to a realization. “Oh, did she actually dare enter the palace and beg for help?”

“Why wouldn’t she? The evidence in my hands is ironclad. If she stays here, she’s facing certain death. If she enters the palace and takes a gamble, she may yet still have a chance at life.” Bai Ziqi’s expression was grave, his usual smile long gone. “Her relationship with two generations of emperors runs deep. If she appeals to emotion at a time like this, there may yet be a turn.”

He Lingchuan was also somewhat moved.

When Bai Ziqi had suddenly appeared right at her doorstep, State Preceptor Qing Yang had likely still not known that he had captured Kong Jiaxiang, the escaped fish from Qingfu Temple. At that time, Bai Ziqi must have first hidden the troops at the foot of the mountain, then come smiling to the gate, playing his approachable persona to perfection.

Yet the state preceptor’s sense for danger was truly formidable.

She had not let Bai Ziqi take even a single step inside. With the gates shut, she had blocked even the Heavenly Palace guards from entering the Spring Palace.

That there was a place in Lingxu City that the Heavenly Palace guards could not enter was likely a first in Beijia’s history.

Hm, no, maybe State Preceptor Qing Yang has an insider at Mount Xu and knew the Heavenly Palace guards had suddenly been mobilized in large numbers. It’s just that Bai Ziqi arrived with incredible speed and still caught her off guard.

If Bai Ziqi dared come, it meant he had seized sufficient evidence.

“Judging from this, the Spring Palace closing its front gates and stubbornly refusing to come out is only a smokescreen?” He Lingchuan asked Bai Ziqi. “Deputy Cloud Envoy Bai, have you made other arrangements?”

“No matter where she is now, if she wants to reach Heaven-Reaching Peak, she has to pass through Startled Swan Crossing.” Bai Ziqi said in a low voice, “I’ve already sent another three hundred Heavenly Palace guards to Startled Swan Crossing to screen those passing through. Hopefully, it’s still in time!”

The imperial palace was on Heaven-Reaching Peak, and Heaven-Reaching Peak was on Tianxin Island. Aside from birds, anyone entering or leaving Tianxin Island had to pass through the transport array at Startled Swan Crossing.

Bai Ziqi had besieged the Spring Palace for less than two hours, and with his meticulous mind, he had reinforced Startled Swan Crossing in time. Perhaps he really could get ahead of State Preceptor Qing Yang.

State Preceptor Qing Yang was a famous figure in Lingxu City and a frequent visitor to Startled Swan Crossing. That face would not be easy to sneak through.

He Lingchuan’s gaze shifted faintly.

Startled Swan Crossing’s security checks were indeed strict, but that had never put an end to smuggling. At a life-or-death moment like this, with State Preceptor Qing Yang’s abilities and the rare treasures she had at her disposal, was there truly no way for her to slip across?

He vaguely felt that the Heavenly Palace’s screening at Startled Swan Crossing would not accomplish much. State Preceptor Qing Yang should not be so easy to capture.

Of course, he could not say that in front of Bai Ziqi.

A deep vertical line had formed between the deputy cloud envoy’s eyebrows. He, too, was clearly thinking about his next move.

“If...” Fushan Yue coughed. “I’m just saying this hypothetically, if State Preceptor Qing Yang gets through Startled Swan Crossing and enters the palace to plead with the Lord Emperor, what does Deputy Cloud Envoy Bai plan to do?”

That was a crucial question. He and Bai Ziqi had busied themselves for so long and offended so many people all for the sake of arresting the mastermind behind the scenes.

Now that success was in sight, he absolutely did not want new complications to arise.

“Even if she goes looking, she’ll find no one. The Lord Emperor isn’t on Heaven-Reaching Peak.” Bai Ziqi’s lips curled upward. “The heavenly gods have invited him up to Mount Xu.”

He Lingchuan immediately raised his thumb.

He actually pulled the rug out from under her!

So even if State Preceptor Qing Yang goes to great lengths to reach Tianxin Island, she’s just going to find it empty?

As expected of mighty figures, before even meeting face-to-face, they’d already exchanged several hidden moves.

He Lingchuan interjected, “This case has been pointing toward the Spring Palace for quite some time. Has State Preceptor Qing Yang still not destroyed all the witnesses and evidence around her?”

Even commoners and Imperial Academy students were heatedly discussing the connection between the Spring Palace and the elixir of youth case.

“As far as I know, in the past month, several of the Spring Palace’s disciples have disappeared. Some were State Preceptor Qing Yang’s favored students, and some were important figures within the Spring Palace. The Spring Palace claims they were sent elsewhere on errands, but in truth, no one knows where they went.” Bai Ziqi’s contest with State Preceptor Qing Yang had not begun today. “However, not all evidence can be destroyed.”

“You already have it?”

“That’s right. Kong Jiaxiang provided it.” Bai Ziqi gave He Lingchuan a faint smile. “State Preceptor Qing Yang knows that very well too. Otherwise, the Spring Palace would not have reacted this way today.”

He Lingchuan’s brow furrowed. “But Kong Jiaxiang had no direct connection to the Spring Palace. Can the evidence he provided convict State Preceptor Qing Yang?”

“State Preceptor Qing Yang is cautious. How could she appoint an outsider to manage the accounts for the elixir of youth? Something this important naturally had to be watched closely by a trusted confidant.” Mockery appeared in Bai Ziqi’s eyes. “Only after interrogating Kong Jiaxiang did I learn that, fifteen years ago, he had already been working in the Spring Palace’s accounts office. As he dug up several bad accounts in a row and exposed a few fat worms, he earned State Preceptor Qing Yang’s appreciation. She even granted him fields and a residence, though she did not promote him. Later, he was sent away for three years and appeared to sever his connection to the Spring Palace. Only then was he transferred back to Qingfu Temple to manage the elixir of youth and its funds. I found the old gatekeeper who guarded the Spring Palace’s side gate ten years ago. The people, events, and timing all match.” He paused before adding, “Guess who his contact inside the Spring Palace was?”

He Lingchuan naturally shook his head.

“Lu Qingzhou.”

Fushan Yue exclaimed, “The one who died a few days ago?”

Half a month earlier, State Preceptor Qing Yang’s favored disciple, Lu Qingzhou, had left the palace to visit his wife and children, only to drop dead suddenly at home.

So he used to be Kong Jiaxiang’s contact? Then he hadn’t died for nothing.

“He was utterly loyal to State Preceptor Qing Yang, and she killed him too?”

However, He Lingchuan felt something was off.

If State Preceptor Qing Yang had killed even a loyal, beloved disciple like Lu Qingzhou, it would have meant she had prepared to resist to the end.

So why was she running now?

That behavior was contradictory in itself.

He looked at Bai Ziqi. The crease between the man’s eyebrows had never loosened, and his face remained dark. Perhaps he was also considering these oddities.

Kong Jiaxiang, having inexplicably survived, was itself a cause for suspicion. Bai Ziqi would not be unaware of that. However, if even he could not find a problem, then it could be treated as having no problem, and the investigation could continue.

Bai Ziqi then said, “But the Lord Emperor will return to the palace sooner or later. Your Highness is right. I must also send people into the palace to take a look.” With that, he turned and left in haste.

With urgent matters pressing, his manners were not as thorough as usual.

He Lingchuan looked at Fushan Yue, the smile vanishing from his face. “Why is Your Highness still here?”

“Hm?” Fushan Yue paused. “Is there a problem?”

He Lingchuan glanced around.

The meaning was obvious. Fushan Yue immediately pulled him into a tent where roadblocks were stored. There was no one else inside. He set up a barrier.

“Speak.”

“Deputy Cloud Envoy Bai just returned to Lingxu City. Why did he come attacking the Spring Palace with such fanfare?”

“Because he’s afraid someone might warn State Preceptor Qing Yang?”

“Deputy Cloud Envoy Bai already said that the evidence in his hands is something State Preceptor Qing Yang cannot destroy, meaning this move is all but certain to win.” Given Bai Ziqi’s way of doing things, if he dared to say such a thing, then he was almost entirely confident. “Since the evidence is ironclad and there is no fear of retraction, why did he rush here so aggressively? Why not submit the evidence to the Heavenly Palace step by step, let the Heavenly Palace inform the Lord Emperor, and have the Lord Emperor issue the order to arrest State Preceptor Qing Yang?”

“Uh...” Fushan Yue thought for a moment. “Maybe he was afraid that State Preceptor Qing Yang would run?”

“Do you really think someone with State Preceptor Qing Yang’s current identity and status would simply flee?”

“No.” Fushan Yue rubbed his nose, then thought about it more seriously. “Hm, it’s hard to say.”

An ordinary person in this situation would run. Even Fushan Yue himself might slip away and choose the best possible strategy.

But State Preceptor Qing Yang...

Her virtue and prestige, her towering power, her half-lifetime of fame, her life’s accomplishments—Lingxu City had given all of it.

For her to flee Lingxu City now would be to deny almost two hundred years of her own life.

It was just like when Panlong City fell. Zhong Shengguang could clearly have escaped, yet in the end, he chose to cut his own throat, fulfilling his vow of “while the city stands, I stand; when the city falls, I fall.”

He Lingchuan had only met State Preceptor Qing Yang once and had never truly understood this person in depth. However, that was the feeling she gave him.

A lifetime of busyness, all cast into the river, with no chance to rise again. That kind of defeat and powerlessness would be harder to endure than death for someone so proud and self-possessed.

She and her past had long been deeply bound together.

Fushan Yue was not stupid. After blinking a few times, he understood. “Bai Ziqi is afraid that the Lord Emperor’s heart will go soft and let State Preceptor Qing Yang go?”

Even Bai Ziqi believed State Preceptor Qing Yang might very well rush to Heaven-Reaching Peak to request an audience with the Lord Emperor.

He had also sent people to intercept her.

So the key to everything lay with the Lord Emperor.

He Lingchuan nodded. “I’m an outsider and don’t understand much about the relationship between Lingxu and the Heavenly Palace. But do you really think it’s Bai Ziqi’s own idea to openly assault the Spring Palace in front of the nobles and commoners of the main city?”

Fushan Yue shook his head decisively.

Everyone knew that the Cloud Envoys acted on behalf of the god’s will.

This operation clearly and unmistakably revealed the god’s attitude:

No leniency!

But this gave the Lord Emperor far too little face. The heavenly gods sent envoys to the Spring Palace to “invite someone over,” yet did not even issue a notice first!

“So it’s very likely that the heavenly gods and the Lord Emperor are divided over this matter.” He Lingchuan reminded him, “At a time like this, Your Highness is standing together with Deputy Cloud Envoy Bai and the Heavenly Palace guards, in the camp attacking the Spring Palace on the heavenly god’s behalf. What expression do you think the Lord Emperor will have when he learns of it?”

Would he take out his anger on him? The Lord Emperor could not do anything to the heavenly gods, but could he really not do anything to Fushan Yue?

Once Fushan Yue thought of that, he said decisively, “We’re leaving! Down the mountain, now.”

One could watch the excitement without having to squeeze into the front row. That made it far too easy to get hit by rotten eggs.