After the Immortal Disappeared

Chapter 373: Chapter 372: Bestowing an Official Post

The pros and cons of this system were obvious at a glance, but the Beiga Kingdom had no better solution. Its territory was simply too vast—so large it was difficult to manage on its own.

The Yuan Kingdom was not small; among the known nations, excluding the Sea Kingdom and the Lake Kingdom, its territory ranked sixth in size.

But the Beiga Kingdom was six times its size—the largest in the world!

Hee Lingchuan had seen Beiga’s territory on a Sand Table. It was a truly magnificent expanse, connecting to the ocean in the north and reaching all the way to the Earth Sea in the east.

To put it in perspective, if Hee Lingchuan were to ride a Cyan Beast from Beiga’s easternmost point due west, traveling four hundred *li* a day in a straight line, it would still take him over thirty days to reach the westernmost edge of the Demon Kingdom’s territory!

And that was ignoring the crisscrossing mountains and rivers, the countless deserts, swamps, lakes, and high peaks in between. Otherwise, the journey would take many times longer.

This nation had always been a strange, controversial entity. Countless people were pessimistic about its system and customs; after all, other countries that had tried to imitate Beiga had all collapsed within one or two hundred years.

To this day, it remained a subject of intense and repeated study for the imperial courts, historians, and advisors of every nation.

But no matter what others said, the Beiga Kingdom endured, the Demon Emperor endured, and this massive empire continued to function.

The Treasure Tree Kingdom’s territory was much larger than the entire Fu Kingdom, but its capital was near the southern border, so the merchant team reached it quickly after crossing over.

As Hee Lingchuan traveled, he had grown accustomed to the sight of Demons and humans coexisting.

The larger the town, the stranger the architectural styles became. Some of them completely shattered Hee Lingchuan’s understanding of a ”house,” because the inhabitants were not only human, but also Demons.

He had even seen a family of mole Demons go to a carpenter to have a custom house built—it was less than five square meters in total and just needed to be nailed to the outer wall of someone else’s home.

Entering the Northern Demon Kingdom felt like stepping into a bizarre and dazzling new world. It sometimes looked chaotic, but it operated according to its own inherent order.

This was the result of six hundred years of integration, a marvelous sight one could never witness in a lifetime in the Yuan Kingdom. Hee Lingchuan felt his horizons had been greatly broadened.

The merchant team arrived in Fufeng City, the capital of the Treasure Tree Kingdom, late at night. The sky was thick with clouds, but the city was not plunged into darkness.

Every hundred feet along the main road, two fluorescent spores were hung, illuminating the way for pedestrians.

This specialty product from the Demon Nest Swamp was bright, stable, and unaffected by the wind. Hee Lingchuan smiled at the sight. ’No wonder the Gan Family Commerce Association is rolling in money,’ he thought. ’This is their exclusive business.’

’However, after the Stone Gate Merchant Team returns from Lingxu City, they might just take over this cash cow.’

There weren’t many people on the streets, but the taverns and inns were still lit. If you listened closely, you might even hear the clinking of glasses.

After entering the city, Wu Jingsong asked Hee Lingchuan to accompany them back to the Grand Tutor’s Mansion, while the rest of the merchant team went to find lodging at an inn.

As the three of them passed through the streets and alleys, they came across a squad of ”Night Incense Guards”—a team that came out at midnight to collect ”night soil” and transport it out of the city.

These, however, were dozens of giant dung beetles. They pulled carts, each carrying an enormous wooden barrel. The team went from house to house collecting the night soil, pouring it into the large barrels, and would transport it outside the city before dawn to be composted into fertilizer.

In time, this fertilizer could be used in the fields.

Both Shihuan and Black Water City had municipal services that provided the same thing, but this was the first time Hee Lingchuan had seen Demons in charge of collection and transport—and such a perfectly suited species of Demon at that. He couldn’t help but marvel at the sight.

Fufeng City had over a dozen such small squads.

Wu Jingsong, however, seemed a bit embarrassed upon seeing the dung beetles and quickly guided Hee Lingchuan onto the main road.

The Night Team didn’t appear on the main thoroughfares.

The three hurried to the Grand Tutor’s Mansion. After their arrival was announced, Hee Lingchuan was shown to a side hall to wait.

The Grand Tutor’s Mansion was enormous, about four times the size of the Dunyu Hee Residence. On his way in, he passed through three gardens, each with a different theme. The most impressive one had a small waterfall, its rushing waters flanked by vines with exotic flowers and lush green ferns. The fan palms were taller than a person, making him feel as if he were in a rainforest. It was completely different from the garden landscapes of the Yuan Kingdom.

Another garden had a huge pond where the fish were also astonishingly large. They weren’t koi, but the scales on their bellies were brilliantly colored. They were eight feet long from head to tail, with mouths so big they looked like they could swallow a baby.

From the way the big fish looked at people, Hee Lingchuan had reason to believe it was a Fish Demon.

He waited in the side hall for a full half-hour, finishing three cups of hot tea before the master of the house finally arrived.

The Grand Tutor of the Treasure Tree Kingdom, Sha Cong, had just passed his sixtieth birthday, but there was only a single streak of silver at his temples. He was in excellent health and looked no older than fifty.

He strode into the hall, his eyes shining with spirit. Following behind him was an expressionless man of about thirty.

Wu Jingsong, who had remained by the Grand Tutor’s side, quickly made the introductions.

The man behind Sha Cong was none other than his second son, Sha Xinghai—the unfortunate victim who had lost a part of his soul.

It’s worth noting that Wu Jingsong introduced Hee Lingchuan by the name ”Hee Xiao,” a distant relative of the two brothers from the Stone Gate Commerce Association.

Sha Cong sized up Hee Lingchuan, his eyes appraising. ”You’ve returned my son’s soul. What do you ask for in return?”

Wu Jingsong had already given him a rough report of their journey.

Hee Lingchuan shook his head. ”It was on my way.”

”Good. Then return his soul to its rightful place.”

Sha Cong stepped aside. Hee Lingchuan then took the Soul-Catching Mirror from his robes, aimed its surface at Sha Xinghai, and tapped it twice.

A faint white light flew out of the Mirror, circled Sha Xinghai once as if to confirm his identity, and then entered his body through his seven orifices.

Sha Xinghai shuddered, took a long, deep breath, and the dullness vanished from his eyes.

He gave Sha Cong a long bow. ”Father, I’ve returned.” Then he turned to Hee Lingchuan. ”Thank you, Little Brother Hee.”

”Be more careful next time. Don’t let petty villains take advantage of you again!” Sha Cong waved his hand, dismissing Sha Xinghai, then looked at Hee Lingchuan. ”You don’t seek credit, but the merit is still there. Oh, I heard you used to live in the Fu Kingdom?”

”Yes.”

”Wu Jingsong said you are brave and resourceful. I will recommend you to the Monarch for the position of Honglin Captain. Are you satisfied with that?”

Hee Lingchuan was a newcomer and didn’t know what this position entailed, but he figured it couldn’t be too bad. He had done Sha Xinghai a great favor, so Sha Cong’s reward had to be appropriate. Too meager an offer would be an insult to the kindness shown.

Wu Jingsong was even blinking at him repeatedly, signaling for him to accept.

Hee Lingchuan thought for a moment. ”I still have to go to Lingxu City. Let’s talk about it when I get back.”

Sha Cong wasn’t surprised. ”What business do you have there?”

”I want to see the world-famous Beiga Capital for myself and take a trip to Ruins Mountain while I’m at it.”

Second Madam Zhu’s largest Relic Shell was on Ruins Mountain, which was also where the Great Returning Sect’s headquarters was located. Hee Lingchuan dared to mention the place so openly because he had learned from Wu Jingsong and Shi the Second that Ruins Mountain was now one of Lingxu City’s famous tourist attractions, welcoming large numbers of visitors every day.

By not concealing, hiding, or declaring such an ancient relic a forbidden zone, Lingxu City was displaying its magnanimity.

For a hot-blooded youth like Hee Lingchuan to be drawn by its fame, wanting to tour the mountain and visit the sacred site, was not the least bit strange.

”A trip there would be good. The capital is magnificent, a rare sight in this world,” Sha Cong said. ”You can come back and take up the official post after you’ve toured the National Capital.”

After Hee Lingchuan released Sha Xinghai’s soul, he put the Mirror away. Seeing that he hadn’t refused the offer, Sha Cong added, ”That mirror of yours, let me see it.”

”It has already accepted me as its master.”

Sha Cong smiled. ”Don’t worry, I won’t steal it from you.”

Only then did Hee Lingchuan take out the Soul-Catching Mirror.

Sha Cong took it, rubbing it a few times in his hand, and mused, ”It is indeed a Spiritual Object.”

With Hee Lingchuan nearby, the Mirror naturally wouldn’t try to capture his soul without reason; otherwise, just looking at its surface would be dangerous.

”Where did this Mirror get the Emperor’s Liquid Paste it consumed?”

”It doesn’t know either,” Hee Lingchuan said. ”When it woke up, it was inside a tree stump in the wild. The Mirror Slave walked for five days and five nights before finding a human village, so it’s not clear where it was before that.”

Sha Cong handed the Mirror back to him. ”By the way, in a few days, it will be our king’s eight hundredth birthday. You might as well stay for the festivities before you leave.”

Hee Lingchuan nodded. ”I was just thinking I’d like to witness it.”

”You’ve come a long way and must be weary from the journey. Go back and rest. I’ll have Xu Dongdong see you out.”

At Grand Tutor Sha’s call, Xu Dongdong appeared from outside the door and escorted Hee Lingchuan out of the mansion, all the way to the inn where Shi Congshan was staying.

When Shi Congshui heard that he had managed to land an official position from this short trip, he was overjoyed and immediately wanted to set up a celebratory feast for him.

Hee Lingchuan waved his hand dismissively. ”It’s not a done deal yet.”

He held a position in the Yuan Kingdom. Normally, one couldn’t become an official in another country without first resigning. Even if he forced himself to accept the Beiga Kingdom’s Society Command, he wouldn’t be able to use its Primordial Power.

There was one exception:

An envoy.

Only then could one logically serve as an official in two countries.

”Besides, he hasn’t even investigated my background. How could he just offer me a position?” ’Is a grand tutor really that flippant in his duties?’

”I’ve heard that Beiga’s standard for recruitment is to disregard convention and promote based on talent alone. Many of the powerful figures active in the Beiga Court Hall are outsiders. Take this Grand Tutor Sha, for example. His father came from a place called Tangye in the Dai Kingdom; he wasn’t a native of the Treasure Tree Kingdom either,” Shi Congshui said with a laugh. ”Perhaps he was just delighted to see talent?”

Hee Lingchuan chuckled. ”There’s no such thing as love or hate without reason.”

Shi Congshui just took it as humility. ”You should celebrate when life is going your way!”

Hee Lingchuan smiled and downed a cup of wine, replaying the visit to the Grand Tutor’s Mansion in his mind.

Even though he had done Sha Xinghai the great favor of saving him, Grand Tutor Sha’s attitude toward him was still condescending. The man had been in a high position for a long time. In the kingdom, only the King of Treasure Tree and the State Minister were above him. Reserve and arrogance were etched into his very bones.

In his eyes, this debt of gratitude could be paid off with a suitable reward.

Hee Lingchuan couldn’t care less about this.

In the Beiga Kingdom, he was a nobody with no roots, no background, and no status. He didn’t care at all what others thought of him.

Fufeng City was just one stop on his journey, a place he would soon leave behind.

”Come, let’s drink!”

***

After Hee Lingchuan left, Sha Xinghai emerged from the back hall, his face etched with shame.

”Father, I failed to handle this assignment properly.”

”No one expected you to be attacked before you even reached Wuze County.” Grand Tutor Sha waved his hand dismissively. ”The armor and weapons were unmarked, and the Death Warriors swallowed poison upon capture. Heh. This means someone in the mansion leaked your whereabouts.”