Where Immortals Once Walked

He Lingchuan did not even need to speak up if he needed something. Just a glance was enough for someone to press a jujube[1] to his lips.

He stretched lazily and sighed inwardly. This is the life.

Over a month had passed since he had taken over this body from its original owner. Aside from the blood-soaked and battered state he had woken up in, life in Heishui City could only be described as pleasant.

Jin Province lay in the far northwestern corner of Yuan, and Heishui City was a mere five kilometers from the border, ostensibly making it the state’s western frontier. It sounded prestigious, but such a remote location made it difficult for it to bask in the monarch’s favor—especially since the region had seen peace for years, which meant that it could hardly, if at all, garner military merits.

However, there was a silver lining. As the saying goes, the mountains are high, and the emperor is far away[2].

The He Family was, for all intents and purposes, the undisputed authority in their domain, and as the eldest son of the grand administrator, He Lingchuan had the power to summon wind and rain throughout not just the city, but all of Qiansong Commandery.

His standard of living could be summed up in three words: the very best.

The dishes on his table, the toys in his hands, the allowance he received... While he might not have the rarest treasures from all corners of the realm, what he had was certainly beyond what most magnates could enjoy.

He Lingchuan had grown up in this worry-free environment until the age of sixteen.

And how would one describe him? Well, the new He Lingchuan’s assessment of the old one was that he had a bad temper and was inherently arrogant.

The boy was bold and spirited by nature, fond of falconry and coursing[3]. These were what ultimately led to the disastrous accident that befell him on Mount Hulu.

Though his body had since fully healed, its new occupant had no plans to revive that particular interest.

In the month or so since the accident, He Lingchuan often thought back to the cliffside encounter. That leopard monster that had attacked him had clearly been badly wounded beforehand. He thus could not help but wonder if whoever injured it had followed its trail to Heishui City. But as time passed, the city remained calm.

Still, beneath the surface of this idyllic life, there always seemed to be unseen undercurrents. He was originally an ordinary working stiff who had been thrust into a life of privilege, and that made him feel a lingering sense of unease even amidst the intoxicating pleasures of power.

He took several sips of warm wine and suddenly felt stifled. He gestured to Uncle Hao to open the window.

As soon as the window swung open, a rush of cool air swept in. The second-floor guests shivered involuntarily, and papers from the table in the neighboring box fluttered downstairs—two of which were small-denomination silver notes that instantly triggered a scramble among the audience below.

None of those in the boxes above were concerned about the ruckus below. Liu Baobao merely tugged his collar tighter.

He Lingchuan inhaled deeply, letting the cool wind clear his mood. The play below ended just then. He led the applause and cheerfully declared, “Bravo! A reward!” After saying that, he casually removed the jade pendant from his waist and had it delivered as a tip.

With the guest of honor making a gesture, the atmosphere surged. Audience members below eagerly reached for their own bags and purses.

Outside the window was Heishui City’s main street. With the windows open, the clamor of the crowd drifted in on the breeze. He Lingchuan glanced out and saw the street packed with carts and travelers in both directions. The thoroughfare had been widened three times in the past, and it was supposedly wide enough for eight carriages to run abreast. But at this moment, there was not even half a square meter of open space left.

“It’s quite lively, eh?”

Uncle Hao replied, “It’s already late into the eighth month. Traders are rushing to get through the Hongya Trade Route before it closes, moving out the final winter shipments.”

He was the family’s top bodyguard. After the accident on Mount Hulu, Lord He had assigned him to his beloved son, just in case he came to face danger again.

He Lingchuan nodded thoughtfully.

Though Heishui City sat at the edge of the Panlong Desert and looked desolate on the surface, it was a critical thoroughfare, linking the states on the western border with the heartlands of Yuan. It owed its fame to one thing: being a mandatory checkpoint on the renowned Hongya Trade Route.

Desert caravanning was always perilous, plagued by erratic weather and rampant banditry, and the Panlong Desert was the worst of them all. Countless pioneers had shed blood and tears to carve out a relatively safe passage through it, and this safe passage was exactly the Hongya Trade Route.

But come the ninth month, the desert’s heart would dramatically change, and even the Hongya Trade Route would no longer be secure. This was why savvy merchants raced the calendar to cross early. Once the route closed for several months, they would jack up their prices and cash in.

So while other places saw their busiest season at the end of the year, for Heishui City, that peak was now.

Wealthy traders flooded in, and every industry was booming. Street vendors called out in waves, and there was not a single free trough in any relay post for horses.

The taxes rolling in over these two months must be staggering.

The thought snapped He Lingchuan back to himself, and he chuckled. Since when did I start worrying about my father’s job?

Just then, someone downstairs asked to see Young Master He.

The visitor was a messenger from a local gang known on both sides of the law: The Red and White Society. After paying respects upstairs, the man stood silently, eyes darting about.

He Lingchuan waved his hand, and the attendants withdrew ten meters. Liu Baobao, ever tactful, found a convenient excuse and wandered off to another box.

It was only Uncle Hao who remained rooted in place.

“Speak, why are you here?”

The man had been sent by his branch leader. Apparently, just earlier, two travel-worn strangers had entered Blessed Branch Tavern and asked around about something.

In a major transit hub like Heishui City, travelers came and went like fish in a river. Naturally, the best places to gather intel were the city’s taverns, teahouses, and pleasure halls. Those two strangers had not made a mistake in their approach. However, they clearly did not understand the local ecosystem.

Gangs like the Red and White Society loved to claim that “brotherhood runs on hard-earned copper,” but in reality, they monopolized one of the city’s most lucrative trades: alcohol.

Those two were just unlucky. They had walked straight into a bar frequented by regulars of the Red and White Society.

“They were asking after an injured sand leopard?” Hearing the report, He Lingchuan felt a sharp twist in his gut. “And they said that it’s supposed to be somewhere near Heishui City?”

So trouble’s finally come knocking.

“Exactly.” The gang member gave him a glance, then immediately lowered his head again. The veins at He Lingchuan’s temple were visibly pulsing. He looked like he was about to explode with rage.

“They both had out-of-town accents. Our men say it sounded like they were from eastern Yuan. The tavernkeeper told them that sand leopards live in the Western Mountains, far from here. They didn’t reply to that. They just left word that anyone with information on an injured sand leopard should come and find them, and they’d offer a hefty reward whether or not the leopard’s alive.”

1. A jujube, also known as a red date or a Chinese date, is a chewy fruit native to and cultivated in South Asia. ☜

2. Idiom expressing that even the highest authorities have limitations in reach. ☜

3. Falconry is hunting with a bird of prey (hawks and falcons) and coursing is hunting with a sighthound (some breeds of dog that chase the prey by rely on sight rather than sound). ☜