When the royal smith of the State of Chiyan saw He Lingchuan’s face go deathly pale in an instant, he even patted him on the shoulder and kindly consoled him, “You got what you paid for. A fifteenfold increase in cost ought to correspond to at least three times the power.”

“Only three times?” He Lingchuan felt that it was a bad deal.

“Three times is already a lot.”

The smith gave him a full explanation. Both the golden-armored copper man and the copper guard required the master to divide his attention and control them personally. Otherwise, they either stood motionless or went berserk.

How many people could truly split their minds in two, especially in the middle of a tense fight?

Then what about splitting your mind three ways? Four?

So the number of golden-armored constructs a single person could control was limited. That being the case, of course, the principle was quality over quantity. It was best if one could match three.

It saved both effort and mental strain.

And a divine general actually possessed a degree of autonomy. It could carry out relatively vague orders. If you told it to move bricks, it would keep moving bricks for you, carrying the nearby ones first and then the farther ones, even choosing level ground along the way to save energy.

That made He Lingchuan think of the golden-armored divine general he had seen in the illusion of the State of Yuān. It really had fought with grand, sweeping movements, terrifyingly powerful. Even facing so many greater monsters, it had not shown the slightest fear.

Just how much energy would something like that consume? He did not dare imagine it.

“With all that usefulness, do you still think fifteen times the cost is expensive?”

“...Expensive.” He suspected this royal smith, who spoke with such righteous enthusiasm, was actually a smooth-talking profiteer wearing an honest face.

Of course, the final remark from the craftsman was the true killing blow: these things were costly to make and costly to maintain. They were normally used only in war. They were not toys meant for ordinary people.

Fine then.

But whatever the case, the golden-armored copper guard had now been completed. Young Master He optimistically declared that for the opponents of an ordinary person, this was probably still a means of overkill, and there was nothing wrong with that.

* * *

State of Baoshu, Mount Baiyun.

Tonight, the mountains were draped in rain and mist, the forests deep and secluded, perfectly suiting that old poetic line:

There are homes deep within the white clouds.[1]

The lakeside was as quiet as ever. Prime Minister Tang stood alone in the covered bridge corridor, having sent all the guards over three hundred meters away.

There was no place safer than by the Baoshu King’s side.

An old, aged voice sounded in Prime Minister Tang’s mind, “Still no trace of the spirit seed?”

“Your subject is incompetent. All I’ve been able to determine is that on the day the escort team met disaster, the spirit seed transformed into a root sphere and imprisoned the Wind Demon, but the Wind Demon broke free after devouring the North-South Divine Wind. We found fragments of the root sphere in Mount Fengmo, but no sign of the spirit seed. It’s not impossible that it fell into one of the mountain fissures in Mount Fengmo. That, that is also where the North-South Divine Wind enters and exits.”

Who would dare go down there? And who even could?

“There were no eyewitnesses?”

Prime Minister Tang shook his head. “There were some white bones at the scene, likely carved apart by the North-South Divine Wind. But there were also several bodies lying intact among the terraced slopes, except that their necks had been twisted. It may have been a silencing.”

“The spirit seed has already been taken by someone. You likely won’t find it anymore.” The Baoshu King sounded certain. “I called you here today for another matter.”

Prime Minister Tang lowered his head. “This lowly official is at Your Majesty’s command.”

“The King of Chiyan sent an urgent flying message to the Xiangzhou Tree Sentinel, saying that another scandal involving the private refinement of elixirs of youth has surfaced in Lingxu City.”

The missing spirit seed had originally been meant to grow into a tree sentinel of the northern border, but it was stolen midway. So the nearest fully matured tree sentinel to the State of Chiyan was the Xiangzhou Tree Sentinel.

These adult Tree Guards were in effect extensions of the Baoshu King’s own body, closely linked to the main trunk, even able to share thoughts and senses. If soldiers and commoners made devout petitions to the tree sentinel, the Baoshu King would likely receive them.

The King of Chiyan’s flying message had been transmitted only as far as the Xiangzhou Tree Sentinel. That was simply the fastest available way.

“Elixirs of youth?” Prime Minister Tang was visibly startled. “This kind of thing again?”

The Baoshu King said flatly, “The last round of blood and slaughter happened too long ago. Other than an old relic like me, no one remembers anymore.”

“The matter began with the disappearance of an eastern imperial eagle courier dispatched by Lingxu City to the front lines. The Crown Prince of Chiyan took over the investigation and discovered that people had long been hunting monsters within his state to harvest beads. In the end, the trail led to Cen Boqing, the eldest son-in-law of Yao Mao, Beijia’s Minister of Finance. I estimate the matter will not stop there.”

“Harvesting beads?” Prime Minister Tang fell into thought. “So those jiang beads really were being used to refine elixirs of youth.”

His office was not one he held for nothing. The more he thought, the more alarmed he became. “This touches both Beijia’s prestige and the elixir of youth. The Lord Emperor will likely fly into a great rage.”

“This matter cannot be allowed to end quietly.” The Baoshu King asked him, “In your view, is the King of Chiyan merely unable to contain himself, or is he deliberately provoking matters?”

Prime Minister Tang pondered for a long while before answering, “In your subject’s clumsy opinion, it is both. But the fact that the King of Chiyan sent word to you means he does not want this to pass lightly. He hopes to win Your Majesty’s support.”

Among all the monster states, only the Kingdom of Baoshu had remained standing throughout the years. Among all monster kings, only the Baoshu King had flourished for eight hundred years without decline.

If the King of Chiyan wanted to stir up trouble in Lingxu City, he could not do it alone.

The Baoshu King chuckled, and ten thousand leaves and branches rustled in the rain. “And how do you think I should reply?”

“That rests entirely with Your Majesty’s will,” Prime Minister Tang said. “If Your Majesty wishes to support him, you may use the opportunity to smooth over the small tensions between Chiyan and our kingdom. If you do not wish to support him, then there is no need to reply at all. Just delay for a month or two.”

The Baoshu King let out a long, thoughtful hum. “If Grand Tutor Sha were here, he would already be offering me advice.”

Prime Minister Tang lowered his head and lightly pressed his lips together.

“It is about time. Gather up those monster-hunting bead-harvesting cases that occurred in our kingdom. Choose the recent ones.” The Baoshu King had already made its decision. “Draft the memorial yourself and have it sent with utmost urgency to Lingxu City, while also informing the King of Chiyan. Too many interested eyes are already wide open and waiting. We cannot keep them waiting too long.” It let out another breath and added, “Strike while the iron is hot. If a major matter is dragged on too long, it becomes all too easy for it to drag itself into nothing.”

Prime Minister Tang bowed in assent. He should have withdrawn at that point, but he still seemed hesitant.

“What else is there?”

“Just seven days ago, the Imperial Astronomer observed the Tianluo Star in the east flash strangely.” Prime Minister Tang said, “You once instructed that any anomaly among the Ten Stars of the Big Dipper must be reported at once. But at the time, Your Majesty was in seclusion...”

The wind and rain atop Mount Baiyun seemed to freeze in place.

Only after more than ten breaths did the Baoshu King ask, “A strange flash?”

“The Tianluo Star, opposite Tianshu[2] from afar. In this season, it is normally invisible to the naked eye. But on that night, it suddenly flashed twice, exceptionally bright.” Prime Minister Tang said, “After that, it returned to darkness and has not flashed again.”

“Is that so?” The Baoshu King spoke almost to itself, as though sighing. “When Tianluo flashes, calamity follows. No wonder a mere courier disappearance has only grown larger the more it is turned over.”

Prime Minister Tang did not understand. “Your Majesty, Tianluo shines every year from autumn through early spring. This year, it is only about a month early. Why should that be an omen of disaster?”

“When Tianluo shines on schedule, that is merely the regular order of heaven. But when it flashes unexpectedly, it signifies war and unrest. Your lifespan is too short, so you’ve never seen the trouble it brings.” The Baoshu King then added coldly, “The last time it began flashing erratically was 160 or 170 years ago.”

What war or turmoil had Beijia suffered back then? Prime Minister Tang was well-read enough that, after a moment’s recollection, he was somewhat shocked. “The rise of Panlong City?”

“And ten or so years before that, the rebellion in the State of Yuān.” The Baoshu King said. “As for what happened two hundred years ago, there’s no need to bring it up.”

“If calamity is coming, how should our kingdom prepare?”

“Have the Imperial Astrologer monitor it closely, see whether Tianluo flashes again, and then decide according to Lingxu City’s response.” The Baoshu King said in a low voice, “Our kingdom must also prepare for trouble before it arrives. Pass down my orders: from this day forward, conduct strict inspections of tax levies, streamline administration, and expand troop strength, take stock of the granaries, and from the royal court down to the provinces, cut away redundancies and promote capable military talent. Also, the purchase of weapons and horses—”

Prime Minister Tang interjected at just the right moment. “Your Majesty, those two need not be rushed, lest Lingxu City misunderstand.”

“...Mm, you’re right. Let those two wait for now. As for the others, they should have been done long ago.”

* * *

Night over Baishajue was bright with moonlight and sparse with stars, but He Lingchuan had no mood to appreciate it.

He had calculated the timing carefully, then shut all doors and windows tight and even summoned Fushan Yue’s guards to stand watch outside, forbidding anyone to enter or leave.

The beechwood doors and windows sealed exceptionally well. He tested it by lighting incense. The smoke rose straight upward, and there was almost no draft in the room.

Excellent.

Next, He Lingchuan took out a twig about as thick as a chopstick and tossed it onto the table. Then he lit two more sticks of incense and began muttering under his breath.

When all three sticks had burned out, the smoke still lingered in the room, circling without dispersing, gradually taking on the shape of a human head.

This was the tiny remnant incarnation left behind after the Hundred-Faced Nightmare had lost to him—well, had lost to Panlong City.

“You’re out?” He Lingchuan looked at it and frowned. “Why are you even smaller again?”

His attitude toward the nightmare was nothing like Cheng Yu’s earlier reverence, all that inviting, pleading, and excessive flattery.

Facts had proven that the nightmare did not need any of that in order to appear.

“I already told you, I’m a nightmare. I can only live in dreams! Staying in your soul land gives me no nourishment at all. I’m only getting weaker and weaker!” The grotesque head complained bitterly. “Lately, you keep ordering me to find people. That burns way too much energy!”

Its power kept going out while nothing was coming in. If it did not grow weaker, that would be the strange part.

He Lingchuan pretended not to hear anything and took a short hair from the oiled-paper packet, burning it to ash over the candle flame.

Then he took out a slip of paper, wrote down a name and birth date, and burned that to ash as well.

The grotesque head leaned over and drew in a deep sniff, as though identifying it with care. Then it said, “A seven-year-old boy? Have you changed tastes? What are you planning to do to him this time?”

“Don’t hurt him. Just find him.” He Lingchuan said. “Someone has put a concealment array on him to block tracking spells and techniques. Find where he’s hiding for me.”

“That’s simple enough. I’ll just take a look in his dreams.” The monstrous head swayed as if about to drift away, then suddenly cried out, “Hey, let go of me!”

Half its tail was still caught in the twig.

This was a branch from a juluo tree sapling, currently the only thing besides the Fleeting Life saber that He Lingchuan could bring out of the Panlong Dreamscape.

The nightmare’s original associated seabed wood carving had already been destroyed, so He Lingchuan had casually snapped off a branch for it to inhabit instead. In any case, juluo wood was also a kind of seabed wood, and it was even rarer and more powerful.

“Let it go.” He Lingchuan shook the little branch, and only then did it unwillingly release the nightmare’s tail.

He Lingchuan was not worried about the nightmare running off and not returning. That thing was still being watched by the Three Corpses Worms.

Then the nightmare slipped out through the crack beneath the door and vanished in a streak.

Its form could be seen only by He Lingchuan, who had summoned it. The guards standing outside the door sensed nothing.

With a long night ahead of him, He Lingchuan simply sat down, crossed his legs, and began regulating his breathing.

1. Note that Baiyun (白云) in Mount Baiyun literally translates to white clouds. ☜ 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

2. This is Dubhe or Alpha Ursae Majoris, and it’s the second-brightest star in the constellation Ursa Major and a key “pointer star” in the Big Dipper. ☜