Where Immortals Once Walked

With state troops backing them, He Lingchuan had felt relaxed when dealing with the fat man earlier, but now a sense of unease crept in. A town was not the same as a village. Wealthy gentry often dug into their own pockets to form militias or train local defense groups, forces that were indispensable in troubled times. For these brigands to be capable of seizing even a town, they must have had a clear advantage in numbers.

If the fat man lied about one thing, he could have lied about everything.

He Lingchuan shoved the flatbread back into the fatty’s mouth, tore open his front, and with the tip of his dagger, he carved a cross over his chest.

Blood spurted out at once, quickly and profusely.

The fat man let out a muffled scream, most of it choked off by the bread stuffed between his teeth. His face contorted in pain, throat gurgling.

Afterward, He Lingchuan handed the dagger to Mrs. Zhu, guiding her so that the blade rested right at the bloody cross. “Hold it steady. Drive it in another few centimeters, and he dies without question.”

Mrs. Zhu hesitated only briefly before clasping the hilt with both hands.

“You shout, she kills you. You answer nonsense, she also kills you.” He Lingchuan clapped the fat man on the shoulder. “She hates you to the bone, so best not to test her. You know that, don’t you?”

The fat man gave a cautious nod.

“Well then, let’s play a little game,” He Lingchuan said with a smile. “It’s called Speed Round[1]. If you finish answering all my questions before you bleed out, I’ll stop the bleeding and spare your life. How does that sound?”

The fat man’s head bobbed furiously.

He Lingchuan gave an approving nod.

Only a few months ago, he could never have brought himself to be so ruthless. But after several brushes with death, he had come to grasp a truth: showing mercy to one’s enemies was cruelty to oneself, especially when that enemy’s malice was still scorching hot.

He pulled the bread from the man’s mouth and started, “Which town do you still hold men in?”

“Qianteng... Town.”

“How many of you are there?” He Lingchuan snapped. “Can’t you answer on your own instead of waiting like some puppet for me to pull the strings?”

The fat man struggled out a reply, “We took the town two days ago. Two hundred men remain there.”

Hm? So there are about four to five hundred brigands altogether?

“Ordinary brigands never reach such numbers. Where did you all come from?”

“Hongchuan!” answered the fat man. “Our homeland was flooded. There was no way to make money there anymore, so we looked for another place.”

“And this is the place you chose?” He Lingchuan turned to Mrs. Zhu and then asked, “Is the land here even rich? How many people live here?”

Mrs. Zhu shook her head and answered, “No, the soil here is poor, and the population is small.”

The fat man quickly added, “We were only passing through! Boss Lu wants to head further south!”

Immortal Spirit Village truly was quite unfortunate. Passing bandits and brigands were the most vicious of all. After all, they only cared to strike once.

At that moment, noise erupted outside.

He Lingchuan gestured and ordered one of his guards, “Go check what’s happening.”

The guard returned swiftly and reported, “A sudden tide of fish rose from the lake, surging onto the shore. The ground’s covered with live ones flopping about.”

“Fish?” He Lingchuan blinked. That was the last answer he had expected. But just then, more hurried footsteps rang out beyond, shoes crunching on stone and mud. Judging from the sound, there were at least a dozen.

Could be reinforcements for the brigands? He Lingchuan’s hand immediately clutched his saber. Then, he pointed at Fatty Wang and said to his guards, “Drag him into the inner room.”

Fortunately, the footsteps passed straight by the front door without stopping.

It sounded like the entire eastern side of the village was filled with marching feet.

Unable to resist, He Lingchuan pushed the door open and stepped out only to see squads of state troops rushing past at speed. He quickly beckoned one over and asked them, “What’s going on?”

“We’ve clashed with the villagers! Lord Commandery Administrator is by the lake on the west side of the village!”

They already started fighting? He Lingchuan was startled. “Is my father hurt?”

“I, I’m not sure. We only heard three blasts of the signal whistle. We’re being called to reinforce the rest.”

The signal whistle was the Heishui garrison’s rallying call, its varying lengths and tones used to issue different commands.

He Lingchuan shut the door and stepped back inside. A guard immediately asked, “Should we go and lend support?”

“Wait, just wait!” The gears in He Lingchuan’s mind spun rapidly as he weighed his options. He was not at the lake and had no idea what had sparked the fight.

Striking this early doesn’t make any sense, unless Father seized a sudden chance... or perhaps Boss Lu had.

Cold as it sounded, He Lingchuan was not the commander of the personal guard corps. Even if he rushed over, he could not turn the tide or impose order.

What can I do?

More than a dozen ideas flashed through his mind, only to be discarded one by one. At last, he sent another guard to scout the western lakefront.

About half a quarter of an hour later, the man came rushing back. “Lord Commandery Administrator has concurred to a truce with the enemy.”

“He’s not injured?”

“No.”

“Are there any brigands outside this house?” He Lingchuan had already begun forming a plan in his head.

“None. They’ve all gone to the lake.”

He Lingchuan exhaled in relief. “Good. Head into the inner room and help.”

The three of them entered the inner room. Fatty Wang was still under Mrs. Zhu’s watch. His chest wound had been roughly dressed and no longer bled, though his face was pale. His mouth remained gagged, but otherwise he was unharmed.

“Take him to my father’s quarters.”

They hauled the fatty to his feet. Before leaving, they glanced about. There was no one in sight. All the brigands and soldiers alike had been drawn to the lake.

Seizing the chance, they hustled Fatty Wang off toward He Chunhua’s lodgings.

An hour ago, the place had been crawling with the brigands’ eyes and ears. There would have been no way to march a captive openly. But with the clash breaking out, both sides’ attention had shifted, and He Lingchuan could finally take advantage of the distraction.

Yet fortune never came without snags.

Just four or five dozen steps from their destination, a cottage door suddenly swung open. A woman poked her head out, clearly trying to get a look at the commotion outside. Instead, she saw He Lingchuan’s party dragging Fatty Wang, and also spotted Mrs. Zhu with them. Her eyes went wide.

Mrs. Zhu saw her too.

The woman froze for two heartbeats, then ducked back inside, trying to slam the door shut.

Mrs. Zhu darted forward and shoved it open.

The woman cried, “You can’t! You’ll get us all killed!”

Mrs. Zhu gritted her teeth. “Come with me, or I’ll kill you!” She was terrified the woman would run to the brigands.

The woman wailed, “Are you mad? The soldiers won’t stay! When they leave, the brigands will still be here!”

They grappled at the doorway. A guard looked to He Lingchuan for orders. “Young Master?”

He said tersely, “Go help her.”

The guard lunged forward, about to drag the woman out, when she let out a shrill, bloodcurdling scream, “Help!”

Mrs. Zhu instantly released her, stepping back two paces. “Forget it!”

“Forget it?” He Lingchuan repeated sharply. “Are you sure?”

“Yes!” Mrs. Zhu’s eyes shifted from dazed to resolute in a heartbeat. “Let’s move, now!”

They abandoned the woman and pressed on with their captive. Behind them, the wooden door slammed shut, and the shrieking cut off.

The rest of the way passed without further incident. Not a single villager stepped out again, though all of them must have heard those cries echoing through the night.

1. I basically just took the names that those game shows use for rapid-fire question rounds. ☜