Chapter 60: Childhood Sweetheart, Destiny

East Lake Mountain is rugged and perilous. The cliff where Zhao Xing stood was wreathed in clouds and mist, obscuring the summit entirely, though it was easily four or five hundred meters high.

To fall straight down from such a height?

Zhao Xing looked closely and saw that the man was already a mass of mangled flesh and blood, with several parts of his body even missing.

Yet he was still not dead!

Through his Clear Vision technique, Zhao Xing could see that a thread of life still lingered within the man.

"What on earth, you scared the hell out of me!" Zong Shichang leaped up from his chair.

"It's a person." Zhao Xing activated his Clear Vision spell.

"Dead or alive?"

"Not dead yet, but close to it."

"Oh no! I know this man!" Zong Shichang took a closer look, his expression changing abruptly.

He immediately hurried over.

Zhao Xing observed his surroundings, summoned a drifting cloud beneath his feet for protection, and then slowly walked over.

"Brother Wang, why, why did you fall from the mountain?" Zong Shichang ran over to the pile of rubble and squatted down.

"Pig, pig..." The man surnamed Wang appeared to be a martial artist. Even with only the upper half of his body remaining, he had not completely died and still had the strength to speak.

"Pig? Where is there a pig?" Zong Shichang asked. "Brother Wang, speak more clearly."

"Horse, horse..."

"Horse? What are you trying to say?" Zong Shichang was completely baffled. First a pig, then a horse—what on earth was he trying to convey?

"Brother Wang, if you have any last words, please make them clear... No wait, once we pass the Oblivion Monument, I won't remember anyway."

"You... ugh~" The man surnamed Wang stared with wide eyes, dying with his grievances unredressed, unsure whether he had been angered to death by Zong Shichang.

"Rest assured, though I don't know why, you died carrying out tasks for my Zong family. Once we get out, I will definitely take good care of your family." Zong Shichang reached out with a sorrowful expression to close the other man's eyes.

Strangely enough, as soon as Zong Shichang finished speaking, the man who had died with his eyes wide open finally closed them.

"Click, click, click, click~"

As soon as the man was thoroughly dead, a sudden gust of gloomy wind swept through. The pile of rubble began to cave inward, sucking the man's two severed halves deep into the ground.

At this sight, Zhao Xing and Zong Shichang quickly cupped their hands and bowed toward the earth.

This was the nether deity of East Lake Mountain, sending off the remains of the official.

Leaving the pile of rubble behind, before Zhao Xing could ask, Zong Shichang took the initiative to speak: "This man's name is Wang Dong, a member of the Mai County Martial Affairs Office. Among the four people my family commissioned, he was one of them."

"He reached the eighth rank of Qi Gathering only at age forty-five and had long been unable to secure a formal promotion. This year, he came to my family for help, and my father promised to secure him a quota for a subordinate guard this year. Never did I expect that less than an hour after coming up the mountain, he would lose his life here."

"Brother Zhao, you heard him babbling about pigs and horses before he died. Do you think he was resenting me for taking on this errand?"

Zhao Xing shook his head. "If he resented you, why would he trust you to take care of his family?"

Zong Shichang seemed somewhat relieved. "True. But what on earth was he trying to tell me?"

Zhao Xing remained silent, deep in thought.

..........

With a man dead, Zong Shichang no longer had the leisure to drink and enjoy the scenery. He sat there, frowning in deep thought.

Before long, however, another miserable and urgent cry echoed from the depths of the dense forest, mixed with the roars of an unknown beast.

Fortunately, the roaring gradually faded into the distance after a brief while.

Moments later, Zong Shichang stood up, retrieved a box from his luggage, and walked over. "Brother Zhao, I plan to climb the mountain, so I won't be staying here to keep you company."

"Why did you change your mind?" Zhao Xing asked.

Zong Shichang sighed. "I originally planned to wait at the foot of the mountain. But now it seems that since we've entered the mountain, neither the lower nor the upper sections are safe."

"I plan to contact the other three. If we gather together, their protection will make it somewhat safer."

"There is a box of Qi Gathering Pills here. Take them for your use. We shall part ways here."

Zhao Xing looked at the medicine box Zong Shichang had set down. "Brother Zong, wait a moment."

Zong Shichang turned back, a puzzled look on his face.

Zhao Xing said slowly, "I originally didn't want to say too much, nor do I know whether telling you will be a blessing or a curse. But I noticed that the brother surnamed Wang whom you hired was already severely injured before falling off the cliff."

"His chest was caved in, which should be the result of an impact from a blunt weapon. Judging by his dying words, he was likely referring to a Mohist treasure, the Unicorn Bamboo Horse."

Zong Shichang was startled at first, then dawned on him.

Zhao Xing continued, "To make a bolder guess, your family's transaction with the man surnamed Wang might not be a complete secret."

"The Zong family does a massive business in Nanyang Commandery, making it inevitable to invite jealousy. Supposing someone took this opportunity to make a move against you, then this accident was probably him shielding you from disaster."

Zong Shichang's expression shifted, his gaze turning suspicious and uncertain.

Zhao Xing said indifferently, "East Lake Mountain is monitored by nether deities, and while killing is forbidden, plundering and fighting are not. The boundary between the two has always been extremely vague; otherwise, there would be no need to set up the Oblivion Monument."

"Furthermore, killing someone does not necessarily require doing it yourself. Suppose I compete with you for spiritual essence and use a spell to bind you and throw you here, and later wild beasts devour you—that would not be considered a violation of the rules. It could only be blamed on your poor fortune."

"You are not lacking in this portion of spiritual essence. I still advise you to go back down the mountain and not take this risk."

Zong Shichang furrowed his brows, seemingly pondering Zhao Xing's words.

It was evident that this young master from a wealthy family had never suffered any harsh blows in life. After all, he was always surrounded by flattery and sycophancy, and everyone gave his father some face—how could he possibly have considered so many angles?

Now, reminded by Zhao Xing, associations began to form in his mind. His expression shifted constantly as he struggled with indecision.

Zhao Xing continued, "If you must go up, keep your wits about you. If you encounter anyone riding a bamboo horse, turn around and leave immediately. Do not risk your life betting that I guessed wrong."

Seeing that Zong Shichang was lost in thought, Zhao Xing said no more.

To say any further would be to brush against taboos.

Just as he had said earlier, meeting with an accident on the mountain was a matter of poor fortune.

With poor fortune, how could one serve as an official in a dynasty driven by national fortune?

If the dynasty's fortune were used to promote an official whose innate fortune was inherently poor, a much greater cost would have to be paid.

The national fortune required a balance of revenues and expenditures, which was why there was a rule that after an official died, their fortune was returned to the court.

There were also cases like Xue Wenzhong, who failed to achieve promotion for decades. The root cause was that the old Senior Agronomist's innate fortune grade was too low, making him capable of reaching only the ninth rank unless he could perform a great service. However, serving as an agronomist in the rear made it very difficult to find opportunities for major achievements.

Gathering spiritual essence was both a way to screen out those with poor fortune and an opportunity for people to make up for their deficiencies in fortune.

Of course, the methods were not limited to these, but he did not intend to explain the inner workings in too much detail.

By giving these warnings, he had more than repaid the information Zong Shichang had provided earlier.

"All right, I understand. Thank you, Brother Zong." Zong Shichang cupped his fists.

Zhao Xing nodded and watched him leave.

As for whether Zong Shichang truly believed him, who he had grudges with, or whether he would continue up the mountain—he had no interest in knowing, nor did he intend to pay attention.

His Vajra Bamboo and Green Vine were about to ripen.