Where Immortals Once Walked

What sort of person needed guards this fierce and wolfish? They had been going in and out of the Imperial Academy for years and had never needed such protection.

Gao Jilin tried asking, “Brother He, do you have enemies in Lingxu City?”

“I do.” He Lingchuan sighed deeply. “A great many of them, and every last one would love to take my life.”

Everyone was puzzled.

He Lingchuan called the waiter over again and said, “Order four good dishes for me and send them to the table of four by the door.”

The waiter went to do as instructed.

At that moment, several people came down the stairs from the second floor, all dressed in brocade. One of them swept his gaze across the hall, and his eyes immediately fixed on He Lingchuan.

He strode over and clapped He Lingchuan on the shoulder. “He Xiao! What are you doing here?”

His voice was not especially loud, but it was just loud enough for the surrounding two or three circles of people to hear. The smile on his face was particularly sincere, too.

He Lingchuan’s hand paused.

Why do I keep running into Fang Canran everywhere I go?

“Having drinks with a few friends.” Now that his “real name” had suddenly been exposed, he could only smile awkwardly. “What brings Chief Steward Fang here?”

“I just came down after dining with a few clients. We’re heading to Peach Plum Pool to loosen our bones. Want to come along?”

Peach Plum Pool was a bathhouse. Besides baths, it also offered haircuts, shaves, and massages. Since it was opened beside the Imperial Academy, it had taken the name “Peach Plum.”[1]

As the two spoke, the area around them suddenly fell silent.

The moment everyone heard the name “He Xiao,” they stopped talking.

He Lingchuan saw the way everyone looked at him change, and could only give a wry smile. “No need. I still have business. You go have fun.”

How shrewd was Fang Canran? He immediately sensed the subtle shift in the hall.

Jiang Tao could not help saying, “He Xiao? You said his name is He Xiao?”

Fang Canran seemed startled. He looked at everyone, then at He Lingchuan, but did not answer. He only patted He Lingchuan’s shoulder again and smiled apologetically. “Sorry about that! I’ll be going first.”

With that, he indeed called to his guests, turned, and left.

But his reaction was as good as giving Jiang Tao a definite answer.

Fang Canran had barely stepped out of Fragrance-Filled House before the place behind him erupted with a boom.

“You’re He Xiao? That He Xiao?”

“No way, no way, no way!”

In recent days, whenever anyone mentioned major events in Lingxu City, how could they not bring up He Xiao at least once? A figure whose name had traveled so far and seemed almost beyond reach was now right before their eyes?

Everyone’s first reaction was disbelief.

This young man looked only seventeen or eighteen. Was Chiyan’s special envoy truly this young? One had to know that some of the students in the Imperial Academy and the private academies were already in their forties.

They looked at him, then looked at themselves. Had they spent all these years living like dogs?

“Didn’t he just say he had too many enemies? If he really is He Xiao, then that makes sense.”

“Hey, hey, that was just something the man who left said in passing! Who was he? Can we trust him?”

A young man from a prominent family immediately picked up the thread. “That was the chief steward of the Golden Horn Clan! You know the Dun Garden auction, right? He organizes every session! I saw him at the auction a few days ago.”

Buzz, buzz, buzz.

Everyone began talking all at once, and no one knew who was picking up whose words. The whole tavern was like a ladle of boiling water poured into hot oil, splattering so violently that the person at the center of it all almost could not keep up.

Seeing that everyone was talking over one another and getting nowhere, Du Shan simply stood, walked to the square table by the door, and asked the Tongxin Guards, “May I ask, is he—” He pointed at He Xiao and asked, “Is he truly He Xiao, the special envoy of the State of Chiyan?”

The exquisite appetizers He Lingchuan had sent over had just been delivered by the waiter. The Tongxin Guards glanced at He Lingchuan, exchanged looks with one another, and nodded.

“Then may I ask who you gentlemen are?”

The men said in deep voices, “The Tongxin Guard.”

Their assignment was protection, not secrecy.

The words of the guards immediately confirmed He Lingchuan’s identity. The guests in Fragrance-Filled House hurried to look his way, but unfortunately, He Lingchuan was surrounded in the middle, with a full circle of people blocking him tightly from view.

Jiang Tao clutched He Lingchuan’s sleeve and raised his voice to express his disbelief. “You’re really He Xiao?”

Gao Jilin sighed. “You hid this from us so cruelly!” When they had climbed Mount Xu together earlier, this fellow had clearly called himself “He Yun.” But the old gibbon, Old Ge, had treated him very differently, showing an unusual amount of patience. And that was an old bastard who only flattered the high and trampled the low!

Thinking about it now, everything made sense.

He Lingchuan smiled wryly. “I only wanted to sneak out and have a few cups of wine. Is that wrong?” That bastard Fang Canran must have done it on purpose!

“He admitted it! He admitted it!” Jiang Tao waved at the crowd. “Alright, alright, stop shouting. Ask one at a time! Don’t make people think the Imperial Academy is nothing but a mob.”

He shouted until his voice went hoarse, and the wave of noise in Fragrance-Filled House finally died down somewhat.

“I’ll go first, Brother He! Is the mastermind behind the elixir of youth case really in the Spring Palace?”

He Lingchuan did not know whether to laugh or cry. These students were far too wild. They could ask this kind of question as they pleased, but could he answer as he pleased?

However, everyone’s gaze was burning. Clearly, they were extremely interested in the answer.

“There’s no evidence, so how could I speak nonsense?” He had handled the first half of the elixir of youth case himself, and with his special identity, he dared even less to speak carelessly.

“What do you think?” another person asked. “I heard Cen Boqing was only captured because you pursued him relentlessly.”

He Lingchuan shook his head. “What I think isn’t important. Cen Boqing could be arrested because both witnesses and physical evidence were present. As for the Qingfu Temple fire, the evidence connected to the case is still incomplete.”

Wang Mao also asked, “I heard Madame Cen rushed to Baishajue with a witness at her side, hoping to reduce her husband’s guilt. Is that true?”

He Lingchuan only said, “Brother Wang’s sources are truly well-informed.”

Everyone understood.

Gao Jilin also joined the excitement. “Is it true that all leads in the elixir of youth case have broken off by now?”

“The case has already been taken over by Deputy Cloud Envoy Bai. I have no authority to participate, so only he knows the details best.” He Lingchuan picked up his wine cup and moistened his throat. When one becomes the focus of everyone’s attention, one absolutely must not look smug. One had to remain calm and breezy.

“During an investigation, details are not made public, so as not to affect what follows.”

One also had to deploy a bit of official phrasing at the right time.

Seeing everyone crowd around this young man, questioning him from every side, Zheng Zewu remained silent.

He had only just recovered from his shock.

Seventeen or eighteen years old, and already famous throughout Lingxu.

How many students devoted themselves to that very goal?

However, how could becoming known throughout the world in one stroke be that easy? Lingxu City was vast, filled with countless talents and outstanding figures, yet most of them could not even stir up a ripple in that ocean.

Ten years beneath the window with no one asking after you was the norm.

The young man before him had already swum back and forth several times through the tides of the capital and officialdom, riding the waves as he went. Who knew how many great clans and families were willing to extend him an olive branch, openly or in secret?

His life was set. So long as his ability could keep up with his fame, meteoric success was only a matter of time.

But what of Zheng Zewu? He had placed first in only one spring examination at the Imperial Academy, and he had already been secretly pleased with himself.

A hollow feeling filled his heart, leaving a taste difficult to describe.

Du Shan gripped his cup and downed a mouthful of Seeping Spring Fragrance. Suddenly, he said, “He Xiao, how are you still alive?”

His voice was not loud, but the content was sharp.

The surrounding voices immediately dropped.

Yes. How had He Xiao made his name in Lingxu City? Aside from making progress in the elixir of youth case, the most important reason was that less than a month after arriving in Lingxu City, he had been attacked twice!

How could ordinary people receive such treatment? Ordinary people would never face such danger either.

Counting them carefully, how many forces had he offended? The Minister of Finance, the Zhongsun Family, the hidden power that dared publicly blow up a post station, and Crown Prince Huan, who dared attack in broad daylight, the future successor of the empire!

Not to mention the master of the Spring Palace. The spearhead of this case was pointed directly at the Spring Palace.

These giants, at least, were people none of the students present could afford to offend. Moving one’s mouth was one thing. Handling matters with real blades and spears was something else entirely.

Yet He Xiao was still sitting here whole and intact, drinking with them.

Just as Du Shan had said, how exactly had this fellow survived the hidden currents and violent rapids?

Thinking of this, some people stopped envying him.

If fame had to be bought with one’s life, was it worth it?

“Just luck.” He Lingchuan remained composed and unhurried. “During the first post station explosion, I had just happened to step out to fetch something. Otherwise, I would have died in the guest room. Poison had also been placed on the table and chairs. An officer who went in to inspect the fire scene unfortunately came into contact with it and was nearly killed.”

Gao Jilin asked in surprise, “Why both poison and an explosion?” Double insurance?

Du Shan shook his head. “I fear there were two groups moving against He Xiao at the same time.”

He Lingchuan immediately said, “That was my conclusion as well.”

“Conclusion?” Jiang Tao was very sharp this time. “You didn’t catch them?”

“Never did.” He Lingchuan smiled bitterly. “The person who placed the poison was silenced as well. Just like the elixir of youth case, the lead ended abruptly.”

Everyone hissed, chills crawling up their backs.

“As for the second time, Crown Prince Huan came to set fire to Mount Pan Residence. Crown Prince Yue and I happened to be out, so the servants were the ones who suffered disaster.”

Situ He was the first to ask, “Was Madame Cen the one who incited him?”

There were many listeners nearby who did not know the inside story. They had not understood earlier, and now someone finally asked, “Madame Cen? Which Madame Cen?”

So someone on the spot began explaining to them.

“Cen Boqing actually had a backer like that?!”

Even so, He Xiao had still managed to bring Cen Boqing down. That had not been easy.

“Later, when Crown Prince Yue was summoned by the Lord Emperor, Crown Prince Huan flatly denied that Madame Cen had incited him. He claimed he heard palace servants gossiping and acted out of anger, coming down personally to teach us a lesson.” These matters were no secret among the upper circles, so He Lingchuan had no mental burden in saying them aloud.

After all, was Lingxu City not supposed to emphasize freedom of speech?

If students could say it, why could he, a mere commoner, not say it?

But to the scholars, firsthand information from the person involved was fresh and precious. They listened without wanting to miss a single word.

Du Shan said, “In other words, the masterminds behind both attacks on you have not been found?”

“As things stand, I haven’t heard that anyone has been arrested.”

“They won’t be found.” Du Shan was very blunt. “If they were truly found, that would give you an explanation, but it would be bad for others. Rather than that, it’s better to let you suffer a little grievance.”

Would they rather offend the powerful or offend a commoner? There was no need to choose.

At once, someone grew indignant on He Lingchuan’s behalf.

Zheng Zewu could not help saying, “If that is truly the case, where is Lingxu’s dignity?”

In truth, everyone knew what he really wanted to say was: where’s the dignity of the Lord Emperor and Heaven-Reaching Palace?

1. The words just carry scholarly implications or connotations in Chinese. ☜