Where Immortals Once Walked

This time, the captive thought for a long while before slowly shaking his head and answering, “I don’t recall. But General Lu often went out alone, forbidding us to follow. It’s been his habit for a long time.”

He Chunhua rose to his feet. “Alright, that’s enough. Qinghe, tend to his wounds and see that he gets food and drink. Since he’s been cooperative, he deserves at least that much.”

After He Chunhua said that, the father and two sons left the woodshed.

He Lingchuan asked, “Father, should we report this to the royal court?”

“Yes, but not until ten days from now. The captive will serve as our witness. We’ll deliver him along with the report.”

He Yue nodded.

He Lingchuan tilted his head curiously. “Why wait ten days?”

“If I report now, the royal court might order me to remain at Woling Pass to investigate.” He Chunhua then smiled and asked, “But what is our greatest priority?”

“Of course, it’s to proceed to Xia Province and have you assume your new post as governor-general!”

All other urgencies were mere distractions. The only thing that mattered to He Chunhua was to take his seat properly as the Governor-General of Xia Province.

So He Lingchuan understood. “Father, you’re truly cunning!”

In at most five to seven days, they would board a ship and head north. By the time ten days passed, they would already be near Shihuan City. A few more days and they would reach Xia Province. When the royal court received the report and tried to send someone to investigate Hong Xiangqian’s so-called blade dissolution, it would be too late. The He Family would already have long since been far from Woling Pass.

With the matter settled, He Lingchuan stretched and yawned. “I’m going back to bed. You should, too, Father. It’s been a long day.”

But he and He Yue had only taken two steps when their father called after them. “Chuan’er. This morning, you stayed behind to cover the retreat. You fought bravely, and I was gratified.”

He Lingchuan turned back with a broad grin, ready to bask in more praise, only to hear his father continue, “But don’t ever do it again.”

“Huh?” He Lingchuan blinked. “Weren’t you just praising me?”

“The Coordinating Army numbers three hundred. There are plenty of men capable of covering the rear; the eldest son of the He Family need not do it himself.” He Chunhua’s voice softened. “Mere bravery is of little use. You may be blessed with fortune, but luck can falter and cannot be relied upon. You are sixteen now. A man must know not only what he can do, but also what he must not do. Before risking your life, think first of your mother and your younger brother.”

He Lingchuan stood stunned for a moment before muttering, “Oh, I got it.” Then he turned and left.

Back in their lodging, He Yue said to him, “When you fell off that cliff, Zhao Qinghe brought the news back. Father was grief-stricken, yet still had to bear the safety of hundreds on his shoulders. He wasn’t blaming you earlier. Don’t take it to heart.”

He Lingchuan shrugged. “Do I look like I’m taking it to heart?”

That night, the two brothers shared a room.

At the moment, He Lingchuan could not shake a vague unease. If it had been the former He Lingchuan, he would probably have been fuming. After all, he had finally gotten a chance to shine, only to get a lecture instead.

But now, as soon as he lay down, his mind filled with the cryptic verse the old turtle monster had left him:

“Seek life in death. Conceal one’s brilliance, remain free from ambition. Explore the real in the false[1]...”

The old thing loved nothing more than speaking in riddles. He Lingchuan itched to wring its yolk out.

He wanted to live.

In these troubled times, when supernatural beings emerged and lives were trampled like grass, he desperately wanted to live a brilliant life.

But first, he had to unravel the riddle.

The old turtle had said that its own cultivation was lacking, and Heaven’s workings were obscure and distorted. All it could glimpse were these several lines. Hence, there was really nothing else that He Lingchuan could do but accept them.

The first two lines of the verse were easy to grasp. If he wanted to survive, he had to conceal his brilliance and keep a low profile. That was precisely how he had conducted himself since crossing into this world, and at least now he knew he had not been wrong in doing so.

If he had been like those gaudy, yellow-haired punks by the village road—reckless, brash, and eager to flaunt himself—thinking that instant retaliation was the height of freedom, that the world’s heroes should bow to their so-called protagonist’s aura, then his ashes would have long since been scattered to the wind.

Still, he sometimes let things slip, like when he went all out in Immortal Spirit Village and again on the western mountain road. During those times, too many eyes had seen him, and that was a mistake. From now on, he needed to burrow deeper into the shadows.

The crux lay in the last line, which said to explore the real in the false.

What the hell does that line mean?

He Lingchuan’s thoughts turned unbidden to his two journeys into the Panlong Dreamscape. Could the verse be pointing to that?

And he could not shake the sense that the lines were incomplete. They seemed light as feathers, appearing to lack a final anchor. From how it looked, there surely had to be a fourth line to complete the message.

But the old turtle had only shrugged with embarrassment, telling him that the fourth line simply did not reveal itself until the end. It left it to He Lingchuan to one day complete the verse himself.

I’m supposed to fill the prophecy myself? You’ve got to be kidding me.

He Lingchuan thought long and hard, but no answer came. And he could not discuss this with anyone else. These experiences could never be spoken aloud, and the old turtle had warned him strictly that the verse must never be written down.

What a headache.

Still, whatever the case, he knew these three cryptic lines might one day turn his fate around.

This was no curse but a prophecy. A curse could be broken, but a prophecy was another matter. For now, he could only obey, keep himself alive, and bide his time for the reversal of his fate.

The past two days had been a whirlwind of peril. He Yue, worn thin in body and mind, found himself sleepless.

Tossing and turning, he heard his older brother’s snores rise steadily from the next bed.

Is he dreaming of fights and triumphs even in his sleep?

How carefree.

At times, He Yue could not help but envy his simple-minded older brother.

* * *

At dawn the next day, He Lingchuan was shaken awake without mercy.

There was a visitor. He Chunhua summoned him at once.

The other bed was empty, and the bedding was even neatly folded. Clearly, He Yue had gone out early to handle errands for their father.

Knowing as much, He Lingchuan splashed water on his face, then quickly put on his coat as he hurried over.

Sure enough, when he entered the hall, Wu Shaoyi was already there, conversing with He Chunhua.

Both of them wore smiles as they chatted. Wu Shaoyi looked up and greeted him warmly, “Young Master He, I’ll be relying on you from now on.”

“Hey, don’t mention it. I was worried about you all night,” He Lingchuan lied smoothly without batting an eye. “How’s your body holding up?”

Wu Shaoyi sighed and answered, “Weak blood and qi aren’t cured in a day or two. I’ll manage, but it’ll take time.” He had transferred the wounds away with a secret spell, but the massive amount of blood he lost had weakened his organs. Without careful treatment, he would not recover for at least a week or two.

“Our physician’s medical skills are superb. He’ll see to your medicines and diet. All you need to do is rest and recover,” He Chunhua assured him cheerfully. After saying that, he turned to his son and said, “Chuan’er, with General Wu joining us, there are now an additional three hundred elite troops that we have to take care of. We must arrange everything for them properly.”

Heading for Xia Province, the more men He Chunhua could gather under his banner, the better. A man of Wu Shaoyi’s caliber and the elite troops that came with him were incredibly valuable to his current situation. Although He Chunhua himself could no longer ride into battle, with this addition to the Coordinating Army, his side had grown significantly stronger.

Wu Shaoyi only chuckled. “What general? Those days are past. From now on, I’m but a deputy general of the Coordinating Army.”

As expected, He Chunhua honored the terms his eldest son had negotiated and granted Wu Shaoyi the position of deputy general in the army.

The others all broke into laughter.

Seizing on the lighter mood, He Lingchuan quickly asked about the battle at Desheng Town.

It turned out that after Wu Shaoyi arrived there by water, he launched a series of harassing raids against the brigands stationed in the town, especially targeting their horses. Stealing horses was hard, but killing them was not.

As luck would have it, the mounts were tethered by a stream outside the town. There were not enough troughs within the town itself, and the brigands had no time to bring them back. On top of that, the Crocodile God and its younglings struck at just the right moment, devouring over a dozen of the horses in mere moments.

He Chunhua sighed. “It’s a pity that Pei Xinyong refused to join us.”

Having no thoughts of actually surrendering, and not wanting anyone to know about his whereabouts, it was only natural for him to take his leave right after the battle at Desheng Town.

In fact, it was not just Pei Xinyong who left. When Wu Shaoyi gathered his men and laid out his plans for the future, he told them that anyone willing to serve as regular soldiers could stay.

In the end, half of them left.

“I tried to persuade him, but everyone has their own ambitions. He swore never to return to official service,” Wu Shaoyi admitted with a helpless shrug. “When I asked what he was planning to do in the future, he only said that he would take things one step at a time, and he wouldn’t tell me where he was headed.”

Though they had once fought side by side, one now ate state grain while the other clung to a life of an outlaw. Their paths were bound to diverge.

He Chunhua sighed again. “A pity, indeed.”

After chatting a while longer, he rose and excused himself.

His affairs were never-ending.

He Lingchuan poured Wu Shaoyi a cup of water. “I’ve got good wine here. Once you’ve recovered, we can share a few cups.”

Wu Shaoyi smiled and responded, “Gladly.”

He Lingchuan asked, “Just now, you said Pei Xinyong would never return to official service. Does that mean he once held office?”

“He served in the Longxia local militia garrison for six years, even rising to the post of commandant. The year the Chun River flooded, the garrison was ordered to escort relief supplies. Old Pei was still young then, and far too straightforward. He couldn’t stomach the corruption, hating the constant skimming and graft at every level. And since the king had just announced reforms to enforce discipline and purge abuses, Old Pei was emboldened. He bypassed protocol and accused his superiors of embezzlement and selling off supplies.”

So Pei Xinyong actually had such a past? He Lingchuan leaned in, intrigued. “And then?”

“And then he was a mantis trying to stop a chariot. His superiors remained unscathed, while the charges landed squarely on him. There were witnesses and evidence aplenty, leaving him unable to defend himself. Without even a proper trial, he was dismissed, thrown into prison, and tortured within an inch of his life. By the time someone smuggled him out, the wounds on his back were crawling with maggots. He survived, but he’s never fully recovered from the damage.”

Wu Shaoyi shrugged. “So Old Pei often says that Great Yuan is Great Yuan. He has no interest in officialdom, and none in Lord He’s amnesty.”

He Lingchuan was left speechless.

It was a long while before he asked Wu Shaoyi another question, “There’s still one thing I don’t understand. From what you’ve said, Hong Xiangqian must have been a remarkable man. So why place such heavy trust in a monster like Lu Yao, infamous as he was for cannibalism? Wasn’t he afraid it would ruin the Righteous Army’s reputation?”

“In the Divine Master’s eyes, Lu Yao was no different from us,” Wu Shaoyi replied with a bitter sigh. “To him, Lu Yao was just another blade for killing, perhaps even sharper and swifter than most.”

The more He Lingchuan mulled it over, the more sense it made.

What mattered was not the quality of the blade, but whose hand wielded it.

To one who sought great things, such “minor flaws” as eating human flesh or moral stains hardly even counted as flaws.

Of course, Wu Shaoyi knew nothing of the Divine Master’s blade dissolution and bid for survival. And He Lingchuan had no intention of enlightening him.

As for Lu Yao’s frequent drunken binges afterward, it should have only begun once he had safely secured Hong Xiangqian’s original spirit.

How long could a soul linger after death? Well, that depended on the strength of the original spirit. For ordinary folk, it was no more than seven days. For those with powerful original spirits, perhaps a little longer, but only by a little.

1. Note that this could also be “reality in the void.” I’ll change this in the future should it prove to be needed. ☜