Chapter 410: Third Encounter (Part 2)

Fang Rui made up his mind, considering his options. ‘I’ve heard Yuwen An is in Divine Wood Prefecture City. There’s something very strange about him, which means that place is likely a deathtrap. Going after him rashly is the worst possible plan!’

‘He and Liu Yun, the Celestial Determined Flood Dragon of Rao State, are natural enemies. I have Liu Yun’s Cyan Sky Sword, which is a trump card, but it’s far from enough.’

‘Know your enemy and know yourself, and you can win a hundred battles.’

Fang Rui’s eyes glinted. ‘I can’t go to Divine Wood Prefecture. However, that doesn’t mean I can’t take a roundabout approach and check out the place where Yuwen An got his start.’

‘Yes, Yuwen An got his start in Pinghu County. If I go there…’

The result of his Divination: Minorly auspicious.

‘I might discover something there? In that case, I’ll go!’

…

In the afternoon, the waters of the lake rippled, reflecting a dazzling white light like the scales of a great fish glinting in the sun.

A scholar in a green robe stood by the shore, accompanied by a cute little girl in a traditional-style dress.

It was Fang Rui and Xin Xue’Er.

He hadn’t flown directly into Pinghu County Town on his Purple Feathered Crane. Instead, he planned to investigate the outskirts first and gain a comprehensive understanding of Pinghu County—the place where the Rebel King, Yuwen An, had gotten his start.

“Crossing the lake?” a Helmsman’s drawn-out voice called.

“We are,” Fang Rui replied.

The Helmsman poled his boat over.

Fang Rui led Xin Xue’Er onto the boat.

The boat was cramped and narrow. Besides the Helmsman, a fairly pretty woman and a four- or five-year-old girl were also aboard.

They were a little on the skinny side, but their complexions weren’t sallow, so it was clear they weren’t starving.

“Boatman, are you managing to get by in times like these?” Fang Rui asked, making small talk.

“We boat-folk are what we are. It’s a hard life! Baked by the sun, soaked by the rain, never putting down roots. We’re lucky the waves on this lake are small, unlike the big rivers… Still, in a year like this one, it’s a bit better than trying to scrape a living from the fields. At least we always have fish to eat.”

The Helmsman asked, “Sir, are you headed to Pinghu County?”

“I am. What’s it like?”

“Oh, that’s a blessed place! Lord Yuwen himself is from Pinghu County. What’s that saying? A land of great people and… uh…”

“A land graced by heroes and spirits,” Fang Rui supplied.

“That’s it, a land graced by heroes and spirits! Pinghu County is a wonderful place, I tell you. The land’s good, the people are good, everything’s good.”

The Helmsman was full of praise.

“Good in what way?” Fang Rui pressed.

“The officials have a conscience, and the common folk are kind-hearted. What’s not to like about that? I’m not eloquent enough to list everything else, but you’ll see for yourself when you get there, sir. In recent years, not a single person who’s visited Pinghu County has had a bad thing to say about it.”

“Oh?”

Fang Rui was intrigued, but he couldn’t help feeling skeptical. ‘As the saying goes, “Manners are known only when the granaries are full.” In a year of such terrible famine, could Pinghu County really be so wonderful?’

He thought it, and so he asked, “Has no one starved to death in Pinghu County?”

“Not a single one.”

The Helmsman chuckled. “There’s something you don’t know, sir. In Pinghu County, we have a type of ‘Black Mushroom.’ The yield is incredibly high, and it tastes delicious. You can get five pounds for one mace—cheaper than wheat bran!”

“I have some right here. Would you like to see, sir?”

“Yes, please!”

Fang Rui readily agreed. He examined the so-called ‘Black Mushroom’ but saw nothing out of the ordinary.

Just then, the savory aroma of fresh fish soup wafted from the boat’s cabin. The woman had finished cooking and was calling the Helmsman to lunch.

“Sir, and you, little miss, would you care for a bowl?” the Helmsman offered.

“No, thank you. We’ve already eaten,” Fang Rui politely declined.

His Medical Skill and Realm were both top-tier, so he wasn’t afraid of being poisoned. For some reason, however, the very thought of that ‘Black Mushroom’ filled him with a faint sense of revulsion.

“Suit yourself, then.”

The Helmsman didn’t insist.

He knew some boatmen would drug their passengers’ food, but his family was honest and would never dare do such a thing. Besides, it was clear that the man before him was no ordinary person.

It was midday, with no wind to stir the waves. The lake’s surface was a mirror, reflecting the blue sky and white clouds. As the boat glided through the water, it felt as if it were sailing through the heavens.

Xin Xue’Er snuggled against him like a little kitten basking in the sun.

Fang Rui told her a story in a soft voice. The Helmsman’s little girl was shy around strangers but listened from a short distance, occasionally glancing their way.

“Uncle?” Xin Xue’Er noticed his voice trail off as if he were lost in thought, and she called out to him.

“It’s nothing.”

Fang Rui narrowed his eyes. He thought he’d just seen a streak of colorful light flash across the sky.

He stroked the little girl’s head and continued his story until she drifted off for her afternoon nap.

“Sir, I can watch the little girl. Why don’t you go inside for a nap?” the Helmsman asked in a hushed voice.

Behind him, a bashful look appeared on the woman’s face.

On boats like these, it was common for the women to have a side business… serving the guests.

“No, thank you.”

Fang Rui shook his head, declining.

He wasn’t exactly indiscriminate, but even if he were, he couldn’t possibly… not in broad daylight, and not in front of her husband and daughter.

…

「Less than an hour later.」

The boat had crossed the lake. Fang Rui led a newly-awakened Xin Xue’Er off the boat.

In addition to the fare, he left a tip of one-tenth of a tael of broken silver before departing.

“What a shame.”

The Helmsman gazed at Fang Rui’s departing figure and sighed wistfully. “Such a handsome man, and so generous. If he’d taken a nap on the boat, he might have been even more generous! And if he’d left his bloodline behind… if we’d gotten a future scholar out of it, that would’ve been the greatest luck our ancestors could have bestowed!”

…

After crossing the lake, every traveler he met on the road coming from Pinghu County praised the place, raising Fang Rui’s expectations ever higher.

By mid-afternoon, they finally arrived in Pinghu County Town.

Upon entering the town, he immediately noticed a difference. Unlike other places, there was no entrance fee, no exploitation of the common folk.

On the contrary, the guards at the gate were all kind and helpful, assisting the elderly and pushing carts for merchant caravans.

As he entered, a guard even offered a warm piece of advice: “Once you’re inside, if you run into any trouble, you can find a governmental officer to help you.”

He proceeded into the town.

The atmosphere of peace and harmony only grew stronger.

Yes, the one impression Pinghu County Town gave Fang Rui was harmony!

A child bumped into a nobleman dressed in silk, who, instead of getting angry, kindly helped the child to his feet.

An innkeeper invited the beggars at his door to come inside and eat for free.

A family couldn’t pay their taxes, so a minor official waived their debt and paid it out of his own pocket.

…

The most incredible thing was that when Fang Rui used his Heart-Inspection Skill, he could see they were all completely sincere.

Here, there was no oppression from Officials or gangs. The people were agreeable, and everyone wore a smile. It was a place where, as the old saying goes, “the old and young alike were happy and content.”

It was like a Peach Blossom Spring, a true Ideal Land.

The only thing wrong was that this harmony seemed… excessive. It gave one a sense of unreality, of illusion.

Fang Rui felt that something was deeply strange, but he couldn’t put his finger on what it was.

Finally, he understood…

‘No society is perfectly harmonious, only relatively so. Even in the legendary Great Harmony World, you couldn’t possibly make everyone selfless and blissful.’

‘It’s against human nature!’

Mulling this over, Fang Rui led Xin Xue’Er into a shop selling ‘Black Mushrooms’.

“How much for these Black Mushrooms?”

“One large coin for five pounds.”

“I hear these Black Mushrooms have a massive yield and taste wonderful. Would you be willing to sell the secret recipe? I’d like to buy it and introduce them to my hometown…”

“You’re not the first to ask, sir. Unfortunately, these Black Mushrooms can only be grown here in Pinghu County Town.”

The shopkeeper explained with a smile, “There’s no need for money. I don’t mind telling you the secret, sir. As long as you’re in town, just place a pot of soil by your bedside at night. Crush one Black Mushroom, sprinkle it into the soil, add a single drop of your own blood, and go to sleep. The next day, mushrooms will have grown in the pot.”

“However, the number of mushrooms that sprout depends on the person themselves…”

They left the shop.

Outside, under the fiery red glow of dusk, a group of old men were gathered in a circle, playing chess beneath a tree.

When they saw Fang Rui and Xin Xue’Er, they learned the two were from out of town. The men were incredibly hospitable, enthusiastically inviting them to their homes for dinner and acting displeased when they refused.

Fang Rui politely refused again and, following a passerby’s directions, went to find an inn for the night.

On the way, he came across a slender figure.

It was a woman in white. Her aura was as cold and pure as the moon, and a fiery red sparrow perched on her shoulder. Wisps of translucent light coiled around her, making her seem as if she were shrouded by a hazy filter.

It gave her an incredibly faint presence; passersby might greet her one moment only to forget her the next.

‘These are the methods of a Source Master. Is she with the Great Yu Court? Or… someone tainted by the Great Black Heaven?’

Fang Rui pretended not to notice and led Xin Xue’Er into an inn.

‘A strange town, strange people, and that strange woman.’

He thought to himself.