Where Immortals Once Walked

Wu Shaoyi nodded, then beckoned the guide Lu Yao had sent. “Do you know the way to Whistle Rock?”

At the sudden mention of Whistle Rock, the man froze, and his mouth fell half agape.

He quickly forced a smile and then said hesitantly, “I... I know the place. It’s quite far. Do you mean to go there now, Sir?”

But his moment of shock and hesitation had already been caught by Wu Shaoyi’s sharp eyes. His face darkened at once as he ordered, “Tie him up.”

Guards surged forward, binding the man hand and foot in an instant.

“Why were you so startled when I mentioned Whistle Rock?”

The guide babbled denials, but Wu Shaoyi ignored him. He simply patted the saddlebag at his side.

The bag wriggled. A moment later, a sleek sable poked its head out, blinking sleepily and rubbing its little face with its paws.

Wu Shaoyi said, “If I recall correctly, you were born in these woods, weren’t you?”

The little guy gave a quick nod.

“Do you know Whistle Rock?”

It nodded again.

The adviser leaned in eagerly. “Since you’re sending the little fellow, why not have him scout Immortal Spirit Village while he’s at it?”

Wu Shaoyi agreed at once. He drew out two strips of dried meat as payment and handed them over.

The sable nibbled them down, then sprang to the ground and shot off into the grass. It was as fast as lightning. The subtle swaying of grass was all that could be seen, and soon, even that was gone.

The adviser offered another thought, “While we wait, it would be wise to summon more of the men from below. It would be best to have strength in hand.”

Wu Shaoyi nodded and said, “Then have them all come up.”

His force was smaller than Lu Yao’s, coming out to about a thousand and a hundred men. He had only brought slightly over two hundred up the mountain, meaning that more than eight hundred remained at camp. Now he ordered them all to climb, so that they could be better prepared for whatever might come.

The night pressed in, silent but for the occasional cry of owls. Uneasy, Wu Shaoyi’s thoughts drifted again to his long-standing feud with Lu Yao. The two had been bitter enemies for years. If not for Pei Xinyong’s repeated persuasion, he would have long since marched his men back to his native land, seized a mountain fortress, and proclaimed himself lord. He could simply recruit some soldiers and stockpile supplies. After that, could he not just live a relatively easy life?

After all, the Minister of War had already raised rebellion in the north. The royal court was consumed with that threat. How could they spare attention for the south? In such a case, Wu Shaoyi might yet enjoy a few years of peace and freedom.

However, was that the right path? Wu Shaoyi could not say.

* * *

“It’s been half an hour since the letters were sent out, hasn’t it?”

Receiving confirmation, He Chunhua straightened his robes and, surrounded by seven or eight attendants, made his way toward the village entrance.

Mao Tao stepped to the line that marked the neutral ground between both sides and bellowed toward the west. “General Lu, please come out for a meeting!”

He shouted it three times. His voice echoed across the village.

A few brigands emerged, and one of them asked, “What do you want?”

Mao Tao boomed back, “Your general has invited us for some fish. Our lord invites him to drink wine, a twenty-year-aged spirit spring brew from the northwest!”

The brigand sneered. “And who’s to say your wine isn’t poisoned?”

“If the fish isn’t poisoned, why would the wine be?”

The brigand could not decide on what to say and went to report. Others closed in, eyes glinting like wolves.

Once again, the two sides faced each other across the invisible line.

By the lakeshore, the campfires still burned bright. He Chunhua personally uncorked a wine jar, had his guards ladle it into cups, and set them to warm in hot water.

Soon, a rich aroma filled the air.

The wind happened to blow from the lake toward the village, carrying the fragrance straight to the rebels’ noses.

Half a stick of incense later, Lu Yao finally sauntered out, rubbing his eyes. “Lord He, such fine spirits at this hour?”

He Chunhua knew Lu Yao had arrived deliberately late, leaving him waiting. Despite this, he showed no displeasure. Instead, he gestured toward the long table his men had set down.

“Courtesy demands reciprocity. This is a family recipe I brought from the capital, brewed with the water from a spirit spring in the west of Qiansong Commandery. In my second year as commandery administrator, I personally sealed the first jar. Since then, I’ve brewed one every year, so twenty-three in total. After using some for the ancestral rites and for entertaining guests, I have five jars left. I plan to carry them back to the capital with me.

“When my family was still in the capital, we delivered a tribute of this wine to the royal palace every year.” He Chunhua smiled at Lu Yao. “Surely General Lu doesn’t wish to pass up such fine liquor?”

He knew well enough the man’s three favorite indulgences: wine, women, and wealth. Lu Yao even took pride in having what he believed was expected of a proper man.

As expected, at the mention of wine, Lu Yao gulped hard several times before saying, “Very well. Since Lord He has such refined taste, I shall join you! But I’ll say this first, I once came upon a special opportunity, and now no poison can harm me. Even if you poured me arsenic, I’d drink it as though it were mere fermented glutinous rice wine.”

He Chunhua scowled. “General Lu, what are you saying? How could I ever desecrate my own treasured wine like that?”

He Chunhua and Lu Yao each took one end of the long table that was set across the border. As soon as Lu Yao sat down, He Chunhua pushed a jar of wine across the table.

Lu Yao cracked the seal with a slap. At once, a deep fragrance filled the air, and he inhaled greedily, unable to hide his pleasure. “Good wine!”

He beckoned two of his men, who poured him a brimming bowl and set the rest to warm.

Just then, servants of the He Family pushed up a cart bearing the prize catch. It was the fish king from Immortal Spirit Lake. The giant had been gutted, scaled, scrubbed clean, and now lay bare and glistening.

It was the village’s largest hay cart, usually used to haul fodder, and even that was too small. The fish’s tail dragged behind it on the ground.

Clearly, this was to be cooked fresh on the spot.

Two men stepped forward. At the gills, they cut a small incision and drew out a pale tendon as thick as a chopstick.

He Chunhua explained, “Lake fish must have the foul tendon removed, or the earthy stink will linger in the flesh.”

Lu Yao downed another mouthful of wine and chuckled. “Exquisite attention to detail. No wonder you’ve been such a successful and respected commandery administrator for twenty years.”

He Chunhua gave him a sidelong glance.

Lu Yao said with a grin, “What? Am I not allowed to know a little about Lord He?”

“Somewhat unexpected, is all.” He Chunhua pointed to the fish. “When my men dressed it, they found not a single mark on its body. May I ask, General Lu, how you managed to stun such a beast?”

The image of Lu Yao rising from the lake with the fish king in his arms had been staggering. Even with water’s buoyancy, to lift such a massive fish barehanded spoke of terrifying divine-level strength. But what troubled He Chunhua most was how he had rendered it unconscious in the first place.

Judging by its scales and size, the fish had lived close to two centuries. For all Lu Yao’s might, he was still only a man, and he had entered the water without any long weapon, so he had pretty much been barehanded.

There was something uncanny about it.

Moreover, when the fish had been dragged ashore, it had reawakened within moments, thrashing so wildly that half the village had heard the commotion.

From start to finish, the affair reeked of strangeness.

“I just picked it up,” Lu Yao declared, spreading his hands under their scrutiny. “Aside from hauling it out, I didn’t do a thing. With such a prize lying there, would you have left it behind?”

“...” He Chunhua was left speechless. “It was pitch dark, and you could see a massive fish unconscious at the bottom of the lake?”

“Ah, that’s just a part of me that you are unaware of.” Lu Yao puffed up with pride. “I was born with divine eyes. I can see what others cannot. So, not only can I easily see through lake water, but if there was a treasure buried a meter in the earth, it would never be able to escape my gaze.”

He Chunhua only chuckled. He knew the man did not wish to reveal the truth, so he pressed no further.