Where Immortals Once Walked

“Well, I heard that the village chief was supposed to demand justice from you.”

“From me?” Fatty Wang could hardly believe his ears. “He was going to demand justice from me?” That old fool must be tired of living!

“Of course. Aren’t you Mrs. Zhu’s husband?” He Lingchuan smiled and said, “The village chief was looking for you. He’s probably still waiting for you to go look for him right now.”

At this moment, Fatty Wang had no intention of leaving the house. However, he was not stupid. He quickly sensed that something was amiss and shot Mrs. Zhu a sidelong look. “Well? What’s going on?”

Strictly speaking, what he was doing was already going against Lu Han’s instructions. He had been instructed to keep contact with the villagers and soldiers to a minimum, and he was supposed to say as little as possible, so that there was less of a chance for him to slip up.

And that was exactly what was going on right now. Fatty Wang felt that if he exchanged even one more word with He Lingchuan, things might really spiral out of control.

Turning his back to He Lingchuan, he gave Mrs. Zhu a warning glare.

Mrs. Zhu’s face remained expressionless. “The lake god is a spirit turtle that’s said to be at least three hundred years old. At Immortal Spirit Village, there’s a minor rite every three months and a major one once a year. The turtle only allows the villagers to fish once a week, and only with wide nets, never fine mesh. But in return, it blesses us with safety in the water and bountiful catches. It also has a talent for divination. In the old days, the Water Spirit Shrine’s fortune slips were famous for their accuracy.”

“In the old days?” He Lingchuan’s interest was piqued, and he temporarily changed the subject. “What happened later?”

“There were simply too many petitioners. Some even came from hundreds of kilometers away, disturbing the Water Spirit’s cultivation. The lake god complained of its displeasure in a dream, so the village chief ordered the lot-drawing barrel taken down. Anyone who went to pray afterward or tossed offerings into the lake received no response. Eventually, the villagers gave up.”

So this old turtle monster had even run a side business?

“Then what happened with the spirit tablet today?”

“This morning, when I passed by the Water Spirit Shrine, I saw the Water Spirit Tablet snapped in two. The village chief thinks I did it.”

He Lingchuan frowned. “Why blame you?”

“...” Mrs. Zhu was silent for a moment before replying, “Because I was the only one who passed by this morning.”

“You troublesome woman!” Fatty Wang burst out. “Always dragging me into your mess!”

His companions had all been assigned villagers as docile as sheep, yet he was unlucky enough to get stuck with a walking disaster.

He Lingchuan asked, “Why not go explain yourself to the village chief?”

Fatty Wang already had an excuse ready to answer this question, “The village chief’s an old man, he’s long since gone to bed. I’ll go find him tomorrow.”

Mrs. Zhu suddenly asked, “But what if the tablet broke on its own?”

He Lingchuan thought for a long while before answering, “If it broke by itself, it means the spirit has suffered. It’s either gravely wounded or dead.”

He abruptly turned to one of his personal guards and asked, “What do you think?”

The guard shook his head. “This humble one does not know.”

Fatty Wang’s face sagged, and he jabbed a finger toward the two guards. “Wait, don’t tell me they’re sleeping here too?” If he had to act tonight, things had just become much more difficult.

“They’re my personal guards,” He Lingchuan said lightly. “Do you know what personal means?”

As he spoke, two servants entered from outside, each carrying bundles on their backs. They set them down and bowed. “Young Master, we’ve come to make your bed.”

Though He Lingchuan himself never cared much, Madame Ying had insisted back in Heishui City that her sons’ bedding be packed along. Better their own linens than anything dirty from outside. At least then she could rest easy.

He Lingchuan led them into the inner room as if he were the master of the house.

Fatty Wang watched people bustling in and out, busying themselves as though this were their own home, while he himself seemed like the outsider. A cold sneer tugged at his lips. Even out here in the backwater hills, this dog official’s family still clings to its airs. Who knows how much they’ve plundered from the common folk to live like this?

As the servants began laying out bedding, He Lingchuan asked casually, “Where’s Little Two sleeping?”[1]

Luckily, the servant understood he meant He Yue. “The second young master is staying at a house in the southern side of the village tonight, the second one along the lake.”

That was quite far from both his parents and his older brother, and it was almost definitely not a coincidence. “What’s he doing sleeping so far away? Move him next door! We’ll be talking late into the night.” He pointed toward the farmhouse across the path right outside. “That one will do just fine. It’s spacious enough too.”

Only He Lingchuan could make such a brash demand and still expect it to be carried out. Everyone else in the He Family was polite and restrained. The servants, long accustomed to his ways, did not even bat an eye. They would simply pass the word to Old Steward Mo and leave it to him to sort out.

He Lingchuan asked again, “Are my parents still in their arranged lodging?”

“Yes, Lord Commandery Administrator and the madame are both in their lodgings. The second young master, however, has gone out.”

He Lingchuan frowned. “Hm? Where’d he go?”

One of the guards left behind in the dining hall now turned to Fatty Wang and said, “Your household is modest, and the young master wishes to lend some support. However, he has trouble sleeping in strange places. Since your wife is such a refined and sensible woman, might she keep him company with a few words of conversation?” With that, he placed a silver ingot worth ten taels squarely on the table.

Fatty Wang stared at the silver, tongue-tied.

Could this little dog really have set his eyes on Mrs. Zhu?

But he knew full well he could never allow the two to be alone. Hence, he slammed the table and burst out with just the right measure of outrage. “What nonsense! Take your silver and get out!”

“Why are you so heated?” He Lingchuan leaned against the doorway with folded arms. “A few words of conversation for ten taels of silver. Where and when else can you get such an amazing deal?”

Meanwhile, the two servants behind him were models of refinement. After leaving Mrs. Zhu’s house, they even had the courtesy to close the door behind them.

“I’m not letting you stay here another moment!” Fatty Wang stormed toward the inner room, intending to throw out the bedding.

But then, one of the guards quickly stepped in front of him. “Stop right there!”

At last, Fatty Wang snapped. He shoved the guard aside with a single palm.

Even a fool could see that He Lingchuan was suspicious. Otherwise, why would he stall and circle around like this?

So what if our pretense is blown? This brat is eyeing another man’s wife. Does he not deserve a beating? Morally, Fatty Wang had the upper hand. Even if this damn brat’s father wants to cover for him, he’ll have to think twice about doing so here.

Just then, Fatty Wang caught a whiff of something foul. It was an indescribable stench so acrid it made his head spin.

The smell was so vile that even if he took his own sweat-soaked socks, sealed inside boots for ten days, and shoved them under his nose, it would not compare to even a tenth of this stench.

He doubled over, retching violently.

In that moment, all posturing, all caution, all bravado vanished. His body betrayed him utterly, responding in the most honest way it knew.

The second guard lunged forward, striking the back of his neck hard with the pommel of a blade.

Ordinarily, that would have been enough to send a man crumpling to the floor.

However, Fatty Wang was thick-skinned and barrel-bodied. Though wracked with nausea, he did not immediately lose consciousness. He still had the presence of mind to charge straight at He Lingchuan, his broad palms spread wide to seize the boy’s throat.

If I can grab him and hold him in front of me, those guards won’t dare to act rashly!

As he lunged, the ring on his finger glimmered with a faint black light. It was a blackthorn ring forged from the tusks of a wild blackthorn boar. It not only amplified its wearer’s strength and allowed him to tear deeper into the flesh of his enemies, but the wounds it left behind would quickly fester with venom. Untreated, both muscle and bone would rot in short order.

But he was already in a horrible state, and his motion lagged by half a beat.

Mrs. Zhu had already snatched a wooden cup from the table and flung the boiling water she had just poured into it right at his face.

1. Recall that the wording he specifically uses can also refer to his dick. ☜