After the Immortal Disappeared

Chapter 432: Chapter 431: What to Do If I Can’t Win?

Sunx Fuling didn’t know what to do with her hands. She gave a light cough and stood up. ”I still have laundry to do, so I’ll head back. You should get some rest.”

Hee Lingchuan shot up to his feet, looking at her pitifully. ”Swords have no eyes. Before I leave, can I ask you for a lucky charm?”

”What lucky charm?”

”The same as last time.” Hee Lingchuan said, feigning regret. ”But it can’t be such a light touch this time.”

”You will be fine.” Sunx Fuling’s face grew redder. ”You don’t need a lucky charm.”

”How do you know?”

Sunx Fuling smiled. ”You’re going off to earn merit. When you come back promoted and rich, won’t that be enough to be smug about?”

Seeing the sly smile in her eyes, Hee Lingchuan let out a long sigh, then suddenly grabbed her slender waist, pulled her close, and dove in for a kiss like a bolt of lightning!

’However fast she was last time, I just have to be faster this time.’

’When it comes to beautiful women, nothing conquers like speed.’

Unfortunately, with a flash of movement, Sunx Fuling was already standing by the water vat before his lips could land.

Hee Lingchuan felt as if he had tried to grab a big, slippery fish—his hands were suddenly empty.

”You...” He had planned his ambush, yet he had failed again. ’This is ridiculous!’

Just then, footsteps sounded outside, followed by a loud BANGING on the door. ”Broken Blade Squad, assemble at the south of the city! Broken Blade Squad, report to the south of the city immediately!”

A thousand curses ran through Hee Lingchuan’s mind.

The man was infuriatingly persistent, continuing to knock when he heard no reply.

”I heard you, I heard you,” Hee Lingchuan said weakly. ”I’m coming!”

Only then did the man jog away.

The sudden interruption completely shattered the pleasant atmosphere. Hee Lingchuan asked weakly, ”So, you’re really not going to give me that lucky charm?”

”Scoundrel.” Sunx Fuling vaulted over the low wall, tossing back a single sentence.

”Grab your things and get going.”

Hee Lingchuan shrugged, went inside to grab his weapons and medicine, changed into his gear, and then headed out.

Passing his neighbor’s house, he saw the child, Chubby, sitting on the doorstep with his chin in his hands.

He had given Chubby plenty of snacks, and Chubby’s family had given him flowers and meals in return. Their bilateral relations were quite harmonious. So he decided to ask:

”Hey, what are you doing out here?”

Public order in Panlong City was good enough that people didn’t have to lock their doors at night, but it was still pretty careless to let a six or seven-year-old kid sit on the doorstep in the middle of the night.

Oh, right. He forgot their parents were quite busy at the moment.

”Mom and Dad are being too loud,” Chubby said, looking up at him. ”Are you going off to war again?”

Hee Lingchuan shrugged.

The messenger had only summoned the Broken Blade Squad, not all the troops. This operation couldn’t be made public yet. ”I have to go out for a bit.”

Chubby plucked a morning glory from a crack in the wall and handed it to him. ”This is for you. I want to grow up fast so I can go to war too!”

”War is no good thing.” Hee Lingchuan mentally calculated the boy’s age and realized the kid might actually get his chance to see a battlefield someday.

’Ugh, what a fucked-up world.’

”War is glorious,” Chubby disagreed. ”I don’t want to be ordinary like my parents. I want to be admired!”

”You don’t know shit!” Hee Lingchuan rapped the kid on the head before turning and striding away.

’How could a child ever understand that just being alive is what matters?’

There was an assembly point nearby, with carriages arriving every half-quarter of an hour to pick up soldiers.

By the time he reached the South Gate Square, several squads were already gathering.

The designated assembly point for the Broken Blade Squad happened to be by the river, not far from the Juluo Tree.

The sudden arrival of human voices in the middle of the night scared the sparrows in the tree into silence.

When Hee Lingchuan, Door Panel, and the others arrived, someone was already waiting. The figure’s back looked very familiar.

Then, the person turned around.

Of course. It was the Red General.

The Red General had changed into combat gear but was still wearing her eagle-head mask.

”You have a special mission and must depart immediately.” Logistics soldiers had already brought over the squad’s mounts—two horses for each person, their backs laden with rations and water.

Two horses per person meant they could switch mounts midway. This was a high-mobility mission. A serious expression came over Hee Lingchuan’s face. ”Your orders, General.”

”Hee Lingchuan, you’ve seen the topographical Sand Table of the Xiji Kingdom in Gangge Hall. The country has large mountains in the west and plains in the east. Our attack from west to east means we’ll face the hardest part first. The main resistance will be concentrated in the western mountains.”

Hee Lingchuan nodded, both as a reply and as an explanation for his squad members. ”Xiji is Panlong City’s eastern neighbor. Their western mountains are guarded by two armies. If we compare the rugged mountain roads to a great dragon, these two forces guard the dragon’s throat and its hind legs, respectively. Their strengths are eight hundred and twelve hundred, for a total of two thousand men.”

The squad members listened attentively, despite their confusion.

”They hold the main passes and occupy advantageous terrain, all in easily defensible choke points,” the Red General said. ”Defeating them isn’t the hard part. The problem is that both passes are equipped with Beacon Towers. If attacked, they will light the beacons. Then, the Xiji Capital City, less than two hundred li away, will be alerted, and we will lose the element of surprise.”

She paused. ”Your squads will solve this problem.” With that, she gestured for a man behind her to step forward. ”The Broken Blade Squad is assigned the disruption and control mission at Dragon Throat Ridge. This is your temporary squad member. Once you’re in the mountains, it’ll be his time to shine. You are to protect him at all times.”

He was a small, thin man, not yet forty, with a face that looked a bit like a monkey’s. He grinned at the squad.

”My surname is Yu. I’m a Mage. You can all just call me Old Yu.”

”This mission is extremely important. If you succeed, you will save many of our brothers from dying,” the Red General said gravely. ”Broken Blade Squad, do not disappoint me!”

The squad responded in unison, ”Yes, ma’am!”

Hee Lingchuan looked at the Red General’s mask, wanting to speak but hesitating.

The Red General noticed. ”Speak.”

”I’d like to ask you a question.”

The Red General seemed to know he wanted to ask about a personal matter. ”Follow me.”

She led Hee Lingchuan over to the Juluo Tree. A couple of sparrows CHIRPED from its branches.

”Go on.”

”If you were facing an enemy so powerful that it’s almost impossible to defeat, what would be the best thing to do?” Hee Lingchuan added, ”I’m not talking about this mission.”

The Red General answered without hesitation. ”Avoid it.”

”...” Hee Lingchuan’s hand rested on the hilt of his Floating Life Blade—one of the three artifacts of the Death set. He thought of King Yuanl’s final end, of his own prophesied fate. ”What if I can’t avoid it? What if it’s bound to find me sooner or later?”

’Did King Yuanl avoid it? Did Zhong Shengguang avoid it? Neither of those heroes succeeded, so what made him think he could?’

Not a day had passed since leaving the ruins of Thousand Star City that he hadn’t thought about it.

”How much does this enemy know about you?”

”Right now, I’m treated as if I don’t exist.” Hee Lingchuan rubbed his nose. To a behemoth like Beiga, he wasn’t even a tiny shrimp. ”Or rather, it doesn’t even know a person like me exists.”

”So you still have plenty of time?”

”I suppose so.”

The Red General thought for a moment before speaking. ”Suppose you’re trapped in a Yin Residence with an Evil Ghost chasing you from behind. You can’t beat it, and you can’t get out. What do you do?”

Hee Lingchuan answered without a second thought. ”Hide.”

’Survive first, then find a solution.’

”Hide where?” the Red General continued. ”If you hide in one spot without moving, you’ll definitely be found.”

Hee Lingchuan gave a bitter smile. ”Then my only choice is to follow behind the ghost, preferably matching its pace.”

’I hope it’s not a two-faced ghost.’

”Observe it, study it, and if necessary, even follow it closely—the closer, the better!” the Red General said decisively. ”Is anything in this world truly ’invincible’? The deeper your understanding, the more likely you are to tear through the facade and find its vital point.”

’If I can’t beat it, why not dance with the ghost? A journey for two?’ Hee Lingchuan fell into thought.

”For now, you are still in the shadows. That is your greatest advantage.”

Hee Lingchuan said sincerely, ”Thank you, General.”

The rest, he would have to figure out for himself.

In short, he had to become more proactive, more aggressive.

”Go now. I have other matters to attend to.”

What the Red General meant was, ’Don’t waste my time.’

So, after receiving their orders, the squads galloped out of the South Gate one after another, heading east.

Hee Lingchuan looked up at the sky. The crescent moon was setting, but a faint light still lingered between heaven and earth.

But the new moon was almost here.

...

「After leaving the city, the Broken Blade Squad rode for dozens of li through the night. They only stopped to water their horses and rest by a river when the sky brightened.」

The men were experienced with forced marches, taking out medicinal oils to massage their tense waists, legs, and backs.

The horses drank while the men ate. Every quarter of an hour was precious.

Door Panel found a large rock to lean against and let out a long, comfortable sigh.

Willow seized the opportunity to ask Hee Lingchuan, ”Chief, why are we attacking Xiji? Isn’t Lord Zhong planning to lead us east through the Jinxi Corridor to return home?”

Hu Min laughed. ”Attacking Xiji is the best! It’s payback!”

The others around them chimed in with agreement.

Even the newcomer, Old Yu, nodded. ”Xiji has a powerful backer, so they love to bark even when unprovoked, and they persecute our people. If we can crush them on our way home, all the better.”

Willow shot him a look. ”I’m not saying attacking Xiji is a bad thing. The sooner we crush a louse-like little kingdom like them, the better! But why are we picking this moment to do it?”

”The Jinxi Corridor is Baling Kingdom’s territory. If we go that way, we’ll be under the Baling People’s noses the entire time. Think of all the old, the weak, the women, and the children from all the cities in the Panlong Wasteland, not to mention the countless riches. Without the protection of high walls and strong cities, can you really count on the goodwill of the Baling People?”

Willow said resentfully, ”They’re probably just waiting to tear a piece of flesh from our bones.”

Hee Lingchuan drew his blade and casually sketched a map in the riverside sand, using it as a Sand Table.

’It’s not a great drawing, but it’ll have to do.’

”As it happens, at this critical juncture, the Monarch of Xiji has passed away. The state funeral will be held soon, and the successor is Huyan Zhao.” He still remembered the scene in Gangge Hall:

”Announce it to the entire city! We will fight our way back, right now, immediately!” The Red General’s sword had pointed at the Xiji Kingdom on the Sand Table, her voice ringing with power. ”Do we need the Monarch to issue a Relocation Command? Do we need the Baling People to open the Jinxi Corridor for us? We will carve our own path home, and we will start with Xiji!”

”Seven days!” Zhong Shengguang had exhaled. ”Within seven days, we will march on the Xiji Kingdom, and we will strike with Thunderous Force.”

Everyone looked at the sand-map.

The Panlong Wasteland was vast. The straight-line distance from Panlong City to the Xiji Kingdom was several hundred li. Factoring in obstacles like Hills, rocky valleys, and lakes, the army’s journey would be even longer.