Where Immortals Once Walked

She looked utterly terrified, her whole body trembling. The man could not tell if she was truly stupid or just pretending, but he had seen his fair share of strange-minded village women. He could only harden his tone in warning, “Remember, your two children are in our hands! Go near that family again, and I’ll kill a child of yours before your very eyes!”

Mrs. Zhu quavered, “No! P-please, don’t hurt them!”

“Do as you’re told, and by tomorrow morning, you’ll all be free.” After the stick came the carrot.

Mrs. Zhu nodded frantically.

Just then, the crunch of pebbles sounded on the path. Several figures were approaching. The one in the lead raised a hand in greeting. “Well, if it isn’t Mrs. Zhu! What a coincidence.”

Both she and the man turned their heads. The newcomer was none other than the eldest son of that scoundrel official with the surname He. He had two personal guards at his back, following close and keeping up the pretense of authority.

At the sight of his roguish grin, Mrs. Zhu’s heart lifted with sudden joy, tears nearly spilling from her eyes. She forced herself to smile through them. “Greetings, Young Master He.”

“I just went for a stroll after dinner and wandered over here,” He Lingchuan said lightly as he stepped forward. “Your village is quite beautiful. Would you care to accompany me on a walk?”

“I—” Mrs. Zhu had just opened her mouth when the fat man could not bear it any longer. He swept her into his arms possessively. “She’s my wife.”

He Lingchuan pointed at him, feigning puzzlement, and asked Mrs. Zhu, “So he’s... an outsider[1]?”

Her eyes curved in a faint smile, but she said nothing.

Before the fat man could explode, He Lingchuan laughed it off. “Just a joke, don’t take it seriously. And how should I address you, old brother?”

“Wang,” the man answered, recalling Lu Han’s orders. He forced a crooked grin. “Young Master He, your presence lends brilliance to my humble, little home.”

“From your house, you must have a fine view of the lake. Not bad at all.” He Lingchuan turned his head as if in appreciation, then suddenly flicked something silver his way.

Fatty Wang caught it instinctively. Only when he looked down did he realize it was about five qian of broken silver[2].

“You’re in luck, I’ll be staying here tonight,” said He Lingchuan, hands clasped behind his back and chin tilted arrogantly. “Well? Go make the bed for me.”

A vein twitched at the corner of Fatty Wang’s eye as he froze in place. Normally, with his temper, he would have already drawn his blade and lopped off this brat’s head!

However, Boss Lu had ordered him to endure.

He forced the fury down and said, “Hasn’t your lodging already been arranged?” Boss Lu himself chose them.

He Lingchuan said airily, “It’s too far. It’s inconvenient even just for chatting with my family.” Ever since he realized these so-called villagers were brigands, he had been keeping an eye on his own assigned quarters. He noticed at once that they were set at the farthest point from where his parents were lodged. His parents were in the west, while he and his younger brother were in the east, like opposite corners on a board. Clearly, these men were scheming to divide and conquer.

“What is it? Was it too little?” Seeing Wang hesitate, He Lingchuan pulled out a few more bits of silver and shoved them heavily into his hand.

It was just like tipping a theater runner at an opera house. The weight of the silver made the fat man’s temporal veins[3] throb twice.

He Lingchuan, inwardly alert, caught it all. But once again, Fatty Wang clenched his jaw and forced the anger down. In a hoarse voice, he muttered, “Come inside.”

He would have loved nothing more than to drag this boy in and beat him bloody, but the two guards hovered close behind. He might not fear losing the fight, but the noise would draw too much attention.

Fucking hell! Just when can we finally slaughter every last one of these dogs?

He turned into the house. Mrs. Zhu cast a glance at He Lingchuan and followed. Only then did he catch the naked fear and fury flashing in her eyes.

If these rough men are brigands masquerading as villagers, then surely she’s a true innocent?

He Lingchuan looked around. All throughout the village, idle men loitered. Some sat eating with bowls in hand, others lounged in doorways scratching themselves in the breeze, but all of them were watching him, whether openly or covertly.

* * *

Boss Lu was sitting in the village chief’s house, gnawing on a duck leg.

The ducks raised at Immortal Spirit Lake fed on the local grasses and water snails, growing a thick layer of white fat beneath their skin. Once roasted over the fire, that fat turned golden, dripping oil and fragrance together. Sprinkle on some spice, rub in a little salt, and it was a feast worth tearing into by the fistful.

As he ate, Lu Han’s gaze roved over the village chief’s household. The old man, his wife, and the few coarse men were nothing worth looking at. What had already been carried off by his men were the grandchildren who were three, maybe five years old, tender enough to drip water if you pinched them.

The thought of those children only made the meat in his mouth taste richer.

He was chewing with relish when one of his subordinates slipped inside and whispered, “Boss Lu, I just caught wind of something! That dog official surnamed He is on his way to Xia Province to take up post as governor-general.”

“What? Governor-General?” Lu Han barely paid attention at first. But then the words sank in, and his eyes lit up. “You mean he’s going to be the Governor-General of Xia Province?!”

The man said. “That’s right, that’s what it seems like. I heard it from the wives of their guards.”

On this long journey, some of the He Family’s personal guards had brought along their families. After all, traveling over half a thousand kilometers, they might never return to Heishui City.

Slowly, Lu Han’s mouth split into a wide grin. Then, he burst into laughter, a booming sound that he suddenly had to choke off. Quiet mountain nights carried any sort of noise far, and he did not want to scare off his prey. The force of it rattled in his chest like a muffled drumbeat.

His closest men exchanged baffled looks as they wondered what their leader was so delighted about.

“General, could this be a fat sheep delivered right to our door?”

“Fat? This is much more than that!” Lu Han’s eyebrows danced with excitement. “When he gave his name earlier, I’d already been turning it over in my mind. That fellow should have been the Grand Administrator of Qiansong Commandery. He’s been rotting away on the borderlands for over a decade, probably even forgotten by half the court. From Qiansong Commandery to Xia Province is what, more than nine hundred kilometers? You know what that means?”

They all shook their heads.

“The people of Xia Province have never even seen their new governor-general!” Lu Han could no longer hold back his laughter. “If I take his appointment papers and his seal to Xia Province, then I’d become the new governor-general!”

“Heaven never cuts off all roads. I thought tomorrow I’d have to decide life or death for us all, but it seems the heavens have handed me a way out instead! That post is mine for the taking. As for his delicate little wife, and those two tender brats...” Lu Han licked his lips.

The men around him broke into crude laughter. But soon, one of them raised a concern, “Boss, that dog official still has his mandate token. If you want to take his place, what will you do without it?”

“Who says I can’t? Do you even know what the basis of a mandate token is?” Lu Han’s voice rang with certainty.

The men shook their heads. Everyone knew that mandate tokens were normally issued by the royal court. Whoever held one could command origin energy and exert natural suppression over brigands and rebels, though it was not a guarantee of victory.

“It names an office, and it names a man,” Lu Han explained with an air of authority. “Get hold of his appointment papers and his seal, and that gives you the office. As for the latter, it’s a bit more troublesome, yes—but not impossible. Today, I’ll share a secret technique with all of you.”

He clapped one of his men on the shoulder and said, “Tell me, how does Heaven recognize that you are you?”

The underling thought hard for a while, then pointed at himself and said irresolutely, “My... name?”

1. The exchange is a bit of a play on words. The word that the fat man used for “wife” was 内人, the characters for which literally translate to inside (内) and person (人). On the other hand, the word that He Lingchuan used was outsider (外人), which is literally made up of outside (外) and person (人). So, he’s just making a bit of fun with a small play on words. ☜

2. This is half a tael of silver. ☜

3. These are veins in one’s temple, so not temporal as in time-related. ☜