Chapter 796: Naluotians Decision

Chapter 796: Naluotian's Decision

“I think we can go back and take a look.” He Chunhua lowered his voice. “I’ve heard that many different factions are already hurrying to the Panlong Desert, all hoping to seize treasure and try their luck. Given how well we understand the Panlong Desert, we may gain even more if we go.”

Before Naluotian could respond, he continued, “Ever since I left the Panlong Ruins last time, I’ve always felt that something was wrong, though I couldn’t say exactly what.”

“What exactly are you trying to say?”

“If the Generous Pot truly emerges into the world, I will need your assistance. You want that treasure too, don’t you?” Just the mention of the Generous Pot seems to be able to tempt every heavenly god.

“So?”

“You cannot descend twice within a short period, can you? Why not leave Chuan’er alone for now and postpone the divine descent?” He Chunhua pressed urgently. “Good steel should be used where it matters most. We can wait until we reach the Panlong Desert.”

“Are you no longer going south to suppress the rebellion?”

“The two do not conflict.” He Chunhua’s mind raced. “I’ll make the proper arrangements.”

Naluotian gave several cold chuckles. “You are trying to delay the divine descent, aren’t you?” These mortals always dither and play these petty tricks.

“It does you no harm!” He Chunhua forced himself to continue. “Whether publicly or privately, my proposal is reasonable, isn’t it?”

Naluotian snorted.

It remained silent for a long time. He Chunhua could not tell whether it was calculating fate or weighing the matter, and his heart hung uneasily in suspense.

Only then did Naluotian slowly say, “This journey to the Panlong Ruins may involve tremendous uncertainty.”

He Chunhua could not ignore a warning from the god of fate. “Divine Venerable, where does the uncertainty lie?”

“Unknown,” said Naluotian in a grave tone. “I discovered long ago that any calculation involving a divine artifact such as the Generous Pot yields only the unknown.” It continued immediately, “But judging from your fate, your prospects are steadily improving, and the probability of calamity befalling you is very low. Therefore, there is no harm in your making the journey.”

Put simply, He Chunhua was not destined to die and might even profit from the trip to Panlong.

He Chunhua was overjoyed. “The Divine Venerable is wise!”

He secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Delaying the matter by even one month was still a month gained.

Naluotian added, “I must also make certain preparations for this divine descent.” Its knowledge of what happened after Nian Songyu summoned a god last time had already placed it on guard. The Generous Pot is dangerous.

Although it could not divine its own fate, it still sensed an ominous warning from somewhere beyond perception—a warning issued by “fate” itself.

Yet high rewards inevitably came with high risks. How could anyone hope to claim the Generous Pot without facing danger?

Other figures and other gods had thrown themselves toward the Generous Pot despite the uncertainty of their fates. Had they been afraid?

Besides, in the worst case, it would lose only an avatar, not its true body.

He Chunhua asked, “What does the Divine Venerable intend to do, and how should I cooperate?”

“The supreme treasure lost by the Heavenly Palace is connected to the Generous Pot. By coincidence, I know a little of the hidden truth.” Naluotian laughed coldly. “If anyone dares scheme against me, they will suffer terribly!”

The final sentence was spoken with such sinister force that He Chunhua shivered involuntarily.

Naluotian added, “You need only proceed according to the plan.”

Why would it reveal its contingency measures to a mortal?

He Chunhua waited for quite a while, but Naluotian said nothing further.

It had already left.

Only then did He Chunhua relax. He put away every item and opened the doors and windows to clear the air.

When the appointed time arrived, he straightened his robes and entered the palace to persuade the king.

* * *

Since He Lingchuan did not need to perform the assessments personally and had specialists to handle the work, he simply wandered through the Yuan capital until dusk before leisurely returning to the residence.

During his stroll, he discovered that the capital’s busiest avenues were still crowded, but only one street away, two shops out of every ten stood empty. Grass even grew between the bricks along the roadside.

The city was not even as prosperous as the Shihuan City he remembered.

Of course, it was hard to say whether Shihuan City still looked as it had before.

A state could decline for countless reasons, but war was unquestionably one of Yuan’s greatest sources of ruin.

Fortunately, the capital still sold certain local specialties. He Lingchuan purchased a large assortment of gifts and gave them to Madame Ying and He Yue upon returning home.

Before dinner, Shan Youjun came to find him.

“Eldest Young Master, I found something. Second Steward Zhao, who handles purchasing for the residence, said Sun Hongye questioned him seven days ago.”

“What did he ask?”

“He asked about where the household purchased its ingredients.”

That answer was somewhat unexpected. “Lead the way.”

When the eldest young master suddenly came to see him, Second Steward Zhao behaved with the utmost respect.

“Mr. Sun? Seven or eight days ago, he came to ask where the household purchased its mutton. He said it tasted particularly fresh and wanted to buy some for himself. I offered to report it to the mistress and have the kitchen prepare extra for him, but Mr. Sun insisted that wasn’t necessary.”

“And then?”

“Then I introduced him to the man who sells us the sheep,” Second Steward Zhao replied. “I don’t know whether he ever contacted him.”

That had been Sun Hongye’s own affair. He had not cared enough to ask.

“That’s all?”

“That was everything. From Xia Province to here, Mr. Sun spoke fewer than twenty sentences to me in total.”

“Alright, you can go.”

He Lingchuan thought briefly before turning and walking away.

Shan Youjun hurried after him.

Qiu Hu came over and examined He Lingchuan’s expression. Seeing him shake his head, he did not approach.

Dinner would be served soon. If He Lingchuan left through the front gate now, Madame Ying would undoubtedly catch him and give him a thorough scolding. He therefore vaulted over the rear wall instead.

Ignoring the strange looks of passersby, he and Shan Youjun headed toward the Cattle and Sheep Market to find the supplier.

The Cattle and Sheep Market was a dedicated slaughterhouse as well as the Yuan capital’s wholesale and distribution center for meat. Lingxu City had similar places, but regulation in the Yuan capital was looser. A great deal of privately slaughtered meat was traded here as well, and the authorities did not necessarily intervene.

The stench of blood and livestock was overpowering. From the inner rows came the frequent, miserable cries of animals. Following Second Steward Zhao’s directions, He Lingchuan found Butcher Wang in the outer row.

The outer row was where they sold and weighed meat.

Most people imagined butchers as broad, thick-faced men, but this one was tall and thin. When he was not holding his knife, he looked somewhat dull and vacant.

“A customer surnamed Sun?” He shook his head while chopping meat. “I don’t remember. Too many people come and go here, and I’m not good at remembering faces.”

He Lingchuan could only phrase the question differently. “He should have asked about the mutton you supply to the Residence of General of Lasting Peace He.”

“General of Lasting Peace?” Butcher Wang thought for a long time before finally appearing to remember something. “Oh, now that you mention it, I think there was someone like that. The man you’re describing came to chat with me and bought a few kilograms of mutton. Heh.”

This was a wholesale business, where meat was normally sold by the half-carcass. A purchase of only a few kilograms was unusually small, which was why he remembered it.

He Lingchuan glanced at Shan Youjun, who handed over a small ingot of silver. “What did you discuss?”

“Nothing important. Just idle talk. I told him that my reputation here is excellent and that the famous He Residence really does order its meat from me. Every month, they buy pork, beef, and mutton, all slaughtered, drained of blood, cleaned, and delivered.”

“That was all?”

“That was all.” He was a butcher. What else could a customer possibly discuss with him in a place like this?

“What were your exact words at the time?”