Volume Two: No Road Ahead Amidst Mountains and Streams Chapter Three: Keeping the Appointment

Before long, the officer surnamed Xiao returned with his subordinates. He first saluted General Zhuo Hua and General Li, saying, “The inspection is complete. Permission granted for the rectangular formation.” With that, he handed Zhuo Hua a bamboo token, instructing him to return it when leaving the city. Having finished his business, the officer saluted and excused himself to attend to other matters.

Zhuo Hua called after him, “Officer Xiao, I have yet to ask your full name.”

He stopped, turned, and bowed, replying, “Thank you for your regard, honored envoy. My surname is Xiao, given name Sui, a native of Changshan. Should you need anything, you may come to me directly—please do not trouble my men.”

Hearing this, Zhuo Hua realized the officer had misunderstood his intentions. He explained, “Officer Xiao, you are mistaken. By day, I serve as a special inspector; come nightfall, I am but a private man. My surname is Zhuo, given name Hua. As I am new to this city, I hoped to find someone to guide me through the renowned wines and delicacies of Changshan. Would you be willing to be my guide?”

Xiao Sui, seeing that Zhuo Hua meant no trouble, relaxed considerably and broke into a smile. “Master Zhuo, your kind invitation honors me. I shall gladly fulfill the duties of a host. Let us meet at dusk at the Ge Family Tavern in the east of the city.”

“Very well, I’ll remember that. Until then.” Zhuo Hua extended his right hand, palm up. Xiao Sui hesitated a moment, then laughed heartily, clapped Zhuo Hua’s palm three times, and echoed, “Until then!” With that, he turned and went to inspect the next group of carriages.

As Xiao Sui departed, Zhuo Hua nodded slightly to General Li, who stood beside him awkwardly, then returned to the convoy. Old Yao shouted, and the procession slowly entered the city.

By midmorning, Huan Nu had already seen to every detail, both inside and out. The party took up residence in the Changshan state’s official guesthouse, where the stationmaster, forewarned of their arrival, had prepared several fine rooms.

Fatigued from the journey, the young ladies took only a light breakfast before retiring to their rooms to rest. Zhuo Hua, left alone, prepared to craft another Cangyue Pearl—after all, Qin Ying’s body had yet to fully recover, and having such a pearl at hand for restorative treatment could prove invaluable.

Rummaging through his Boundless Cosmos Pouch, Zhuo Hua searched for the half piece of Moonlight Stone left from his previous crafting. This Moonlight Stone was a strange thing—it emitted no light of its own, nor did it absorb any, but instead reflected all manner of rays with a gentle luster, which had miraculous healing effects on grave injuries.

He remembered, back when he and Lanling had finished creating this void—before the formation of the Seven Clans of the Immortals—one night they lay in the grass at the foot of Mount Cangwu, gazing at the stars. At first, they discussed recent novelties, both in good spirits. Suddenly, Lanling remarked, “There are too many stars in the sky, Zhuo Hua. Don’t you think so?”

“What do you mean?” Zhuo Hua asked, puzzled.

“I just think there are too many stars in this void. Look! Each star is a golden sun, and each golden sun might have several voids. Why must there be so many voids? There are simply too many to count.” As she spoke, Lanling pointed and began counting the stars against the dark purple sky.

“That’s perfectly normal! We ourselves are but one among these countless voids,” Zhuo Hua replied.

“No! What I mean is: there are too many! I don’t want to see so many stars at night,” Lanling said, somewhat disgruntled.

“Well, you could always just not look up. I agree, it’s a bit overwhelming at times—so many, it’s almost unsettling,” Zhuo Hua answered, humoring her.

“I have it!” Lanling suddenly sat up, exclaiming, “I know what I want! There’s no moon in the sky. In the Xuanhuang Void, there’s always a moon at night.” She shaped a circle with her hands and held it high above her head.

“But this void was never meant to have a moon, was it?” Zhuo Hua asked.

“You blockhead, I won’t discuss this with you!” she retorted, then tore through the void and vanished.

Zhuo Hua waited patiently where he was. Given her skills, fetching a small meteor or comet wouldn’t take her long. Sure enough, before dawn, Zhuo Hua saw a flickering light in the sky, moving rapidly, growing from the size of a bean to that of a fist in just a few breaths. At last, it became a disc, hanging in the sky.

From that night onward, this void had its own bright moon.

Yet, the sudden appearance of such a massive object unsettled the void, and for years afterward, floods raged across the continent. Though Zhuo Hua and Lanling, within the Cloud-Sky Stele, were unaffected, the land outside bore the brunt.

...

At last, Zhuo Hua found the half piece of Moonlight Stone—a gift from Lanling that night. She had said, since he hadn’t seen the new moon, she brought him a piece of the meteor she had broken off.

Zhuo Hua crushed a divine-grade Solar Pearl, used his internal energy to blend the powder and other ingredients with the Moonlight Stone, melting them together, then poured the molten mixture into a spherical mold. Once cooled, he opened the mold and took out the pearl—a new divine-grade Cangyue Pearl was complete.

More than two hours had passed when Old Yao came to his door, knocking lightly. “Lord Yuanjun, the envoy of the Changshan king requests an audience.”

Zhuo Hua smiled as he tidied his desk. “Have him wait in the courtyard a moment. I’ll be right out.”

Old Yao acknowledged and went to deliver the message.

Once he had composed himself, Zhuo Hua stepped into the courtyard, where the royal envoy stood with hands respectfully folded. Seeing Zhuo Hua, he bowed deeply and said, “This humble servant greets the Grand Chieftain’s Special Envoy on behalf of my king, of the Lan clan of Changshan.”

Zhuo Hua returned the greeting with a gentle smile and invited the envoy to sit. Yet, as Zhuo Hua took his seat and reached for his tea, the envoy still stood motionless.

Curious, Zhuo Hua looked at him. The envoy, embarrassed but smiling, explained, “Forgive me, honored envoy. Though the field banner on your carriage attests to your identity, for the sake of caution, I must verify your seal and documents.”

“Of course—it is your duty to be thorough,” Zhuo Hua replied, producing the seal and documents given by Tian Chong.

The envoy examined them carefully, even comparing them to a book of official seals, before returning them with an apologetic air.

As Zhuo Hua stowed the items away, he asked casually, “Why so tense, envoy? Has something happened in the kingdom?”

Smiling, the envoy replied, “Not at all, honored envoy. We are merely on our guard lest spies or criminals slip into the city. My errand is complete, so I shall take my leave.” Bowing to Zhuo Hua and Old Yao, he departed the courtyard.

As he left, Zhuo Hua exchanged a glance with Old Yao, who understood at once and followed after.

Dusk approached—the Ge Family Tavern in the city’s east.

That afternoon Zhuo Hua had taken three young ladies shopping. In every shop, the girls wanted to browse a while. Back in Xunyang City, various urgent matters had kept them from ever enjoying a proper stroll, and the northern lands of Yan were rather bleak in comparison. Here in Changshan, a great metropolis of Central Divine Continent, merchants from north and south gathered and goods from all quarters passed through—naturally, the city was bustling.

Zhuo Hua trailed the girls for over an hour before growing bored. He handed his purse to Zhuo Yun, told them to meet him at the Ge Family Tavern in the east when they finished, and then set off alone.

He had to ask several people before finding the tavern Xiao Sui mentioned. It was not luxurious—on the contrary, it was rather inconspicuous, barely distinguishable from the neighboring row of ordinary houses except for its two stories and utter lack of ornament.

After a brief inspection, Zhuo Hua entered. The dozing attendant at the door perked up at the sound of a customer. “How many in your party, sir?”

Zhuo Hua smiled, “Two. My friend will arrive shortly. Please give us two street-view seats upstairs.”

Sizing up Zhuo Hua in his pale yellow robe trimmed with gold and striking jade belt, the attendant guessed he was not someone to offend and promptly led him to a table by the upstairs window.

Once Zhuo Hua was seated, the attendant asked, “What would you like, sir?”

“I am new to your city and unfamiliar with its specialties. Might I trouble you for a few recommendations?” Zhuo Hua replied frankly.

Pleased by his friendly manner, the attendant relaxed. “There are three must-try dishes in Changshan: braised goose noodles, scallion oil chicken, and rice-flower fish. But, sir, the season’s wrong for rice-flower fish. The other two are available.”

“Very well—those two, please. Add a plate of scrambled eggs and a soup. That will do for now; I’ll order more when my friend arrives.”

The attendant cheerfully acknowledged and was about to leave, then turned back, “Shall I bring wine, sir?”

“Not your wine! There’s always water in the bottom of the jug!” came a loud, jovial voice from below, followed by the appearance of Xiao Sui himself.

The attendant, recognizing him, feigned indignation. “Officer Xiao, when have I ever watered your wine? Nonsense!”

By now, Xiao Sui had reached the table. As he poured tea for himself and Zhuo Hua, he told the attendant, “You wouldn’t dare! Go, warm some wine—make it knife-edge strong!” Then he called, “Little Six, come here.”

Little Six, the attendant, returned at once. Xiao Sui waved him close.

In a low voice, Xiao Sui asked, “Any beef lately?”

Little Six glanced around and whispered, “No contraband—only official. Want some?”

“That’s all I can eat, isn’t it? Bring—” Xiao Sui drew out the word.

Little Six patted his shoulder, “Two taels is plenty; you won’t finish more, right?”

Xiao Sui grinned, “You sly fox!” and Little Six hurried downstairs.

Only then did Xiao Sui turn back to Zhuo Hua, “Brother Zhuo, I spotted you downstairs from a mile off—your fine attire stands out, you know!”

Zhuo Hua replied, “Brother Xiao, you are a man of lively spirit—your laughter arrives before you do.”

Xiao Sui saluted, “You mock me, Brother Zhuo. It is simply my nature to be direct; I cannot abide all that scheming. You saw it yourself today—no matter who enters, every carriage is checked. If a criminal sneaks in, the whole city could suffer.”

As they spoke, Little Six brought up the dishes and wine, set them out, and left with a “please enjoy.”

Zhuo Hua eyed the food and asked, “Did you invite me here because this tavern is especially good? But why is it so empty?”

Xiao Sui chuckled, “The food’s just passable. This is all I can afford, so don’t hold it against me. Come, eat and drink!” He diligently served Zhuo Hua some beef.

Curious, Zhuo Hua asked, “The attendant mentioned ‘contraband beef’—what’s that about? Slaughtering draft cattle is a serious crime. Who would dare?”

Xiao Sui’s chopsticks paused. He looked at Zhuo Hua. “Did you notice, coming into the city, how many people were carrying white pelts or fur in their baskets?”

Prompted, Zhuo Hua replied, “Now that you mention it, yes.”

Xiao Sui snorted, “A few years ago, for reasons unknown, the king decreed that every farming household must submit a silver fox pelt, and every ten households, a white dog pelt—merchants, double that. At first, it was doable—people hunted fox dens and wild dogs in winter. But white fur is rare. With the whole country hunting, they vanished in a few years.”

He drank and continued, “Now there’s none left, but the fur tax remains. With nothing nearby, people risk journeys to distant lands, and merchants have turned it into a business, importing pelts from the Northern Continent. Of course, the rarer the fur, the higher the price. Ordinary folk can’t afford it—they claim their cattle ran away, then sell them secretly to buy pelts for the tax. It’s a curse on us all.”

“Hasn’t anyone tried to counsel the king?” Zhuo Hua asked, pouring wine for Xiao Sui.

“They have! To no avail. Many have been jailed for it—I myself was demoted from Colonel to city gate patrol for speaking out.” Xiao Sui drained his cup and slammed it on the table.

At that moment, they heard a commotion below. Several women, weeping and wailing, rushed upstairs—it was none other than Qin Ying and her companions.