After the Immortal Disappeared

Chapter 27: Chapter 28: Sand Bandits

The strong wind made the wooden windows howl, and no one dared open them. However, the light seeping through the cracks told Hee Lingchuan that it would soon be dark outside.

He lay on the covers with his legs crossed casually, fiddling with one of Hee Chunhua’s yuan coins. ”Dad, who first figured out how to use Primordial Power? Some say the Deities taught it to men, while others say the Immortals passed it down.”

When not activated, it looked just like an ordinary coin. Who could have guessed that a tiny Society Command could carry the fate of a nation and the will of its people?

Primordial Power was truly mysterious.

”The accounts are conflicting, and the truth is lost to history.” Hee Chunhua frowned. ”The origin of Primordial Power is very obscure. After all, recorded human history only goes back two or three thousand years, and nations have only existed for a little over a thousand. It’s said that in Ancient Times, Deities and Upper Immortals walked the Mortal World. Back then, there were no nations. It wasn’t until the Immortals vanished after a world-shattering calamity and Demons ran rampant that humans had to band together to resist. Only then did nations arise.”

He took the yuan coin back from his son’s hand. ”The appearance of the Society Command is what made it possible for the Human Kingdoms to resist the Demon Race. Whether it was taught by Deities, passed down by Immortals, or something humans figured out for themselves—what does it matter?”

Cultivators, after all, are a minority. Most people are born ordinary, so how could they fight against powerful, established Demons? In this context, Primordial Power—born from the unity of a people with a single will—became the nation’s ultimate weapon against the Demon Race.

Primordial Power was instrumental, allowing humanity to go from barely holding their own to turning the tables entirely. Today, the number and territory of the Human Kingdoms far exceed those of the Demon Kingdoms and Demon Realms.

”So in other words, no one really knows where Primordial Power came from?” Hee Lingchuan sighed and got back to his main question. ”Dad, why did you follow us into the desert?”

”Did I have a choice?” Hee Chunhua also leaned back. After days of exhaustion, his body felt like it would fall apart the moment he relaxed. ”If I had refused, National Preceptor Sunx could have executed me by royal decree.”

”A royal decree makes him all-powerful?” Hee Lingchuan scoffed. ”The Royal Decree also ordered us to cooperate with the investigation, and didn’t we stall for ages? If you had been determined, you could have delayed things on the day we set out, too.”

’The authorities have their policies, and the people have their countermeasures. It’s the same in every world.’

’This boy’s thinking has become much more nuanced.’ Hee Chunhua closed his eyes to rest for a long moment before speaking in a low voice. ”With National Preceptor Sunx here, our chances of returning alive are not low. Besides, I can’t shake the feeling that there’s something odd about this trip to Panlong Ancient City. If I didn’t come to see for myself, I fear a great disaster would follow.”

Hee Lingchuan’s heart skipped a beat. ”What do you mean?”

”I can’t put my finger on it.” Hee Chunhua shook his head. ”It was just a sudden impulse, a gut feeling. I considered ways to get out of it, but the unease in my heart just grew stronger. My intuition told me I had to come along.”

What some call a sudden impulse is what others call a sixth sense.

People of that time placed great importance on such things, so Hee Lingchuan didn’t press the issue. Still, he felt something was off.

’Hee Prefect was famous for his experience and steady judgment. Would he really walk into danger based on a simple feeling?’

’But if his father wouldn’t say, how could he possibly guess the real reason?’

Hee Chunhua spoke again. ”Chuan’Er, you’ve handled yourself very well on this trip.”

”Oh?” ’His old man was actually praising him?’ Hee Lingchuan instantly perked up.

”Don’t be too polite with Nian Songyu. Use your usual tricks to get information out of him. He has the National Preceptor’s backing, and you have mine.” Hee Chunhua’s voice was very low. ”But don’t start a physical fight with him; you can’t beat him. You’ve managed to walk that line quite well.”

”Yes, sir!” ’So that was the plan. His father wanted him to play bad cop while he played good cop. The ’blustering’ eldest son would say all the harsh things, and then Hee Chunhua would step in to smooth it all over.’

’His old man could even make good use of a reckless punk like him. He was definitely cut out for the high-level maneuvering back in Yuan Capital.’

’He could thrive in any political court.’

***

「The next morning, the procession was on the road again.」

Though still on Red Cliff Road, they encountered fewer and fewer travelers heading in this direction. At last, National Preceptor Sunx’s party met the second greatest scourge of the Panlong Desert:

Sand Bandits.

This group of Sand Bandits was human, numbering thirty-odd riders. They were mostly burly men, their horses moving like the wind. Hee Lingchuan could tell at a glance that the first few men, with their bulging muscles, were Martial Artists. There might even be a Mage in their group.

The two groups, approaching from opposite directions, met head-on. Both sides froze, sizing each other up.

His own side’s reaction to the Sand Bandits was obvious. But from the bandits’ perspective, they saw a disciplined troop in uniform Light Armor, carrying Long Sabers. The standard-issue weapons, armor, and training, coupled with warhorses that were recognizable at a glance—what could that mean?

This was an army!

Marching, hunting bandits, or on patrol—what other business could an army have in the Panlong Desert?

The common folk don’t fight with officials. Besides, the army’s numbers far exceeded their own, leaving the Sand Bandits utterly stunned.

Luckily, the masked man in the lead turned, saw Hee Chunhua, and his eyes lit up. He actually urged his horse forward. ”Hee Prefect, we’re just passing through!”

As long as they hadn’t started robbing anyone yet, they *were* just passing through. Hee Chunhua coughed, slightly embarrassed. ”We have no time to hunt bandits today, so just see that you behave... Are there any others directly to the north?”

National Preceptor Sunx and his companion glanced at him, then at the Sand Bandits. They understood.

’These two sides obviously recognize each other.’

”Nope, not a single soul.” The big man chuckled nervously and added, ”We’ll get going now, don’t want to hold you up from your official business!”

Just as the Sand Bandits were about to make a run for it, Sunx Fuping spoke up. ”Hold on! I presume you are all very familiar with the Panlong Desert?”

”Er, you could say that.” The bandit leader saw that this man rode half a horse’s length ahead of even Hee Chunhua and carried an extraordinary air. ’He must be another important figure.’ ’This type of person is usually our favorite kind of ’fat sheep.’ After robbing their valuables, we can hold them for ransom. Get two uses out of one target, no waste.’

’But with Hee Prefect right there, they couldn’t dare make a move.’

”How long have you been staying here?”

”Ten— just a few years,” Situ Han stammered in explanation. ”We always quit while we’re ahead...”

”Then you can stay.”

”Huh?”

Sunx Fuping said to Hee Chunhua, ”We’re short on manpower. Isn’t this perfect?”

’Aren’t two hundred soldiers of the Official Army enough?’ Hee Chunhua thought. Outwardly, however, he simply nodded. ”True. It would be difficult to recruit men back in the city.”

National Preceptor Sunx smiled amiably, but he looked at the Sand Bandits like a fox eyeing a chicken coop. The stare made their skin crawl, and they instinctively wanted to flee. But then Hee Chunhua raised a yuan coin high and cleared his throat. ”All of you, stay! As of this moment, Black Water City officially conscripts the thirty... fierce bandits of Mang Mountain...”

Hee Lingchuan, who had been counting on the side, called out, ”Thirty-two of them!”

”...thirty-two men, to be placed under the command of Deputy Captain Zeng Feixiong and follow the army’s orders!”

Hee Chunhua even went on to list their salary and benefits.

The Mang Mountain bandits’ eyes went wide as they stared at one another in disbelief. Their leader asked tentatively, ”S-so we’re official soldiers now? Just like that?”

’This has to be a joke! It’s all just a game to these Lord Officials.’

”Precisely!”

”Then, where is Hee Prefect headed?”

”At the National Preceptor’s command.” Hee Chunhua pointed to Sunx Fuping. ”We’re going deep into the Panlong Ruins.”

Seeing the soldiers of the Official Army closing in around them, the bandits were utterly dumbstruck. ”WHAT?!”

...

More than ten li down the road, the bandit leader, Situ Han, still felt dazed. He’d specifically checked the almanac for a lucky day to go robbing, so how had he suddenly become a soldier in the regular army?

Hee Lingchuan clapped him on the shoulder sympathetically. ”Hang in there. If you make it back to the city alive, you’ll be on the royal payroll.”

’What good was the royal payroll compared to the freedom of being a Mountain King?’ But with his men completely surrounded by the Black Water City Army and nowhere to run, Situ Han could only manage a smile that looked worse than a grimace. A chill shot down his spine. ”Eldest Young Master Hee, are we really going into the Panlong Ruins? The Sandstorm Season is almost here! If we get trapped inside, it’s a death sentence!”