Where Immortals Once Walked

He Yue looked left and right, making sure there was nobody else in the room before letting out a soft sigh. “That’s all talk, really. Everyone knows His Majesty has a soft ear. When Father speaks with passion, he believes Father; when others weep and wail, he pities them. Have you forgotten how the new policies and reforms ended up failing?”

He Lingchuan shrugged.

It was not that he had forgotten; he simply had no memory of it at all.

This was not really his fault, though. The former He Lingchuan had never cared much about matters of state.

“When those failed, a lot of people were disappointed. I imagine the Minister of War was one of them.” He Yue sighed again.

He Lingchuan pressed a finger to his lips and gave a quiet “Shh.”

This younger brother of his was sharp, but far too idealistic. He Lingchuan decided to change the subject. “Hey, tell me, of all times to die, that Old Li just had to kick the bucket right before we reached Dunyu. Don’t you think that’s a little suspicious? Almost as if heaven itself lent us a hand?”

“He was already seventy, after all. He was practically a candle in its final flicker.” Even if that candle had looked thick and sturdy a few days earlier. “Even if he was killed by some evil spell, without proof, there’s no one we can arrest.”

He Lingchuan nodded.

“The old scoundrel did plenty of wicked things. I wouldn’t be surprised if a hundred people were cursing him every day. The moment his protective talismans stopped working, that was that.” He Yue clearly was not too concerned about how Li Zhao had died; what interested him was the aftermath. “Now that he’s dead, the Li Family will split, and so will the four great families, and that’s all to our advantage.”

He Lingchuan suddenly asked, “Will they suspect us? The current situation happens to benefit us the most.”

“Suspect us?” He Yue blinked before catching his meaning. Then he burst out laughing. “How could they possibly! We’ve never had any feud with the four great families. The royal court appointed Father, and we’ve never even met Li Zhao in person. How could we have secretly murdered him?”

His voice grew louder as he spoke, rising with indignant energy. He Lingchuan had to shush him several times, to no avail.

“What’s going on in here?”

The courtyard gate creaked open. He Chunhua stepped inside. “Yue’er, what’s got you so excited?”

He Yue rose to greet him. “Father, Big Brother and I were discussing how the Li Family might interpret Li Zhao’s death.”

“The innocent are innocent,” said He Chunhua mildly, his eyes sweeping across his two sons before softening. “Idle gossip is not worth your concern.”

Then, noticing the bandages on his eldest’s arm, he added, “And your wound, how is it? Your medicine ape tells me you bled heavily when you planted the saber, nearly a kilo of blood.”

His gaze shifted to the furnace in the corner. He walked over to examine the mountain of blades within. “So you just stuck the saber in like this and that’s it?”

“Grandmaster Li said that after a few days it’ll recover on its own, like a living creature,” said He Lingchuan.

“Good. I’ll assign a few extra men to guard this room. Don’t let petty troublemakers disturb the recovery process.” He Chunhua smiled. Then, still smiling, he went on, “I’ve already spoken with the Marquis of Songyang. Since Grandmaster Li is here, we’ll have him stay longer in Xia Province. He’ll represent Songyang Mansion’s new Dunyu branch. And to give them a proper grand opening, I’ll place the first order with their new branch myself.”

“An order?” He Yue immediately latched onto the keyword. “With our money?”

“Of course... it’ll go on the public accounts.” He Chunhua coughed lightly. “Since we’ve only just arrived in Xia Province, Songyang Mansion has agreed to let us buy on credit. We can settle the payments over the year without any interest.”

The He brothers exchanged a glance. A timely favor like that was no small gesture. The Marquis of Songyang certainly knew how to invest wisely.

“Songyang Mansion is a Daoist sect,” He Chunhua explained. “They don’t have many artisans or craftsmen here in Dunyu and rarely forge mortal weapons. I’ve ordered a batch of armaments for the army’s generals. Zeng Feixiong has been yearning for a wrought iron spear for ages.”

Weapons for generals were a different matter from those for ordinary soldiers; they had to be at least at the level of magical artifacts. Zhong Shengguang, Dong Haoming, Nian Zanli, and even Sun Fuping all carried arms worthy of legend.

Even the Rising Dragon spear that Wu Shaoyi had gifted He Lingchuan had once belonged to the famed general Liao Mozhao of the State of Xuan. Not even the Crocodile God’s immense power could break it.

No mere mortal weapon could compare.

Zeng Feixiong had only been promoted last year, and the saber he carried had snapped when he dueled Lu Yao. He had long been hoping for a weapon that truly fit his hand. Ideally, he wanted a fine magical artifact.

He Yue’s eyes gleamed. “Father, may I have one forged as well?” As the son of the provincial governor, he could reasonably expect such a privilege.

He Chunhua chuckled, naturally agreeing. “Yue’er is a gentleman, and the sword is the gentleman among weapons. I’ll ask a grandmaster artisan to forge you a fine sword.” He turned to his eldest. “And you, Lingchuan? You already have a saber, a spear, and a bow, don’t you?”

The rebel leader Hong Xiangqian’s Ghost-Eye Bow was still in his son’s possession, after all.

He Lingchuan opened his mouth, then changed what he was about to say. “Oh, I haven’t decided yet. I’ll discuss it with Grandmaster Li first.”

He Chunhua nodded.

Looking at his father’s kindly expression, He Lingchuan felt a twinge of guilt. Had he been too quick to suspect the old man of foul play in Li Zhao’s death? With no proof, any conjecture was nothing more than chasing shadows.

He Yue said worriedly, “Father, you acted swiftly and decisively today, but I fear the four great families won’t yield easily.”

He Lingchuan gave a small laugh. “Then let them draw their line in the sand; we’ll meet them head-on.”

He Chunhua nodded. “Don’t forget the plan we set in Ru County. If we keep our eyes only on Dunyu, squabbling with these few old families would be far too petty. We came to Xia Province to settle accounts with Nian Zanli. Remember, he and his son tricked us into the Panlong Desert to serve his rebel allies, nearly branding us traitors. That score must be settled on the battlefield.”

The northern front was the true priority of the Governor-General of Xia Province.

“Yue’er, come to the provincial government office tomorrow. I’ll need your help reviewing the ledgers and counting the population. We will need both for conscription and grain purchases.” This was his younger son’s strength, and He Chunhua was not about to waste it. “As for you, Chuan’er, lend me that Sun Hongye fellow of yours for now. He’s got some ability.”

Though He Chunhua had recruited nineteen men in Shihuan and assessed many others along the way, once they reached Xia Province, he still found himself stretched thin.

Sigh, Qiansong Commandery was just too small a place. There was hardly anyone competent in governance to bring along.

“Feel free.” He Lingchuan was generous. “By the way, if you’re taking him to manage the books, that means I don’t have to go, right?”

He Chunhua gave him a half-smile. “Do you even know how to balance a ledger?”

He Lingchuan coughed.

He Yue said wryly, “Dunyu’s administration is a mess. The local yamen is downright rotten.”

“Which is why your help is needed,” said He Chunhua coolly. “Right after today’s public trial, I inspected their records. They actually thought they could deceive me with altered accounts.”

A faint, cold smile touched his lips. “Next, we’ll be cleaning that up.” Then he turned to his eldest. “Oh, and starting this month, your allowance is reduced to a hundred and fifty taels. Wait, close your mouth and listen first!”

He Lingchuan had just opened his mouth to protest when one glare from his father made him shut it again, sulking.

“We’ve only just arrived in Xia Province. Expenses are higher than before, and revenues are lower. The funds from Heishui City have to cover many new costs. I took a quick look at the provincial treasury this afternoon, and there were barely any funds left.” He Chunhua clapped his son on the shoulder, his tone earnest. “So, besides finding new income, we also need to cut back on spending. The medicine ape and rock wolves are listed under your mother’s accounts. Make that hundred and fifty taels last. Once we’re past this rough patch, your allowance will rise again.”

The man doted on his eldest, and he even sounded apologetic as he spoke. He Yue, standing nearby, could not help feeling a little envious. His own monthly stipend was only fifty taels, and he never even managed to spend it all.

He Chunhua had a hundred matters clamoring for his attention. Once he finished speaking, he rose and left in haste.

Their first night in Dunyu City, he would surely be burning the midnight oil.

Seeing how pale his older brother still looked, He Yue tactfully excused himself as well.

He Lingchuan poured himself a large cup of tea and sipped it slowly. Fortunately, he still had a secret stash—silver notes worth a full hundred thousand taels.

That was the money he had kept back from selling Sun Fuping’s violet-gold pestle to Songyang Mansion.

However, his Meridian Art was about to enter its next stage, and for that, he would need an upgraded formula for yin and yang pills, mixed with rarer, costlier ingredients for greater efficacy.

A hundred and fifty taels a month would not even buy half the medicine he needed.

Father was right about one thing: he would have to save and earn. Now that he was in Xia Province, he had better find some way to make money before his purse ended up empty.

* * *

That day, Panlong City basked beneath a cloudless sky. He Lingchuan had just returned from patrol across the wilds.

Recently, Liu Tong’s squad had been assigned to guard the wilderness. Unlike the Chipa Plateau, this region was dry, its climate like a tundra—bare and open, where a man standing on a ridge could see for dozens of kilometers.

There were not as many newly spawned monsters here as on the plateau, and fewer still that caused real trouble. For most squads, it was a cushy post.

But Liu Tong was a seasoned hand. Seeing that it had just snowed a few days ago, he led his team fifteen kilometers west of Panlong City to Mount Yan.

The mountain lived up to its name. Puffs of smoke scattered across the mountain, sometimes with a sharp, choking odor.[1]

By the time He Lingchuan arrived, he realized it was actually a volcano —and a very active one at that. Hot steam often gushed from the fissures without warning, hot enough to scald a man’s arm raw if he was not careful.

It had not erupted in quite some time, but thanks to the geothermal heat, while its slopes were dusted in white snow, its foot was faintly green.

Pines and spruces grew there, their roots twisting over uneven ground. Melted snow pooled into icy pits and puddles, nurturing moss and lichen.

Liu Tong led the squad into a cave at the mountain’s base.

The tunnel was long, its air damp and earthy. The ground underfoot was springy, for the moss had woven into a thick carpet.

It was surprisingly warm inside. The chill from outside could not penetrate here.

But what He Lingchuan did not expect was that there were guards posted at the entrance.

When Liu Tong identified himself, they let the squad through, even adding a soft reminder, “Each person can take only five.”

“My squad is down to six men.”

The guard hesitated, then relented. “Then each of you may take one more.”

What treasure could possibly be rationed out by the headcount?

Liu Tong soon revealed the answer.

It was actually snails.

He plucked one effortlessly and showed it to the others. “These candy snails have bright shells, and no two look alike. They’re one of the specialties of this region. Strictly speaking, they’re a specialty of Panlong City itself. You won’t find them anywhere else.”

1. Mount Yan can literally be translated to smoke mountain, just keeping it as its pinyin for consistency between all the mountains. ☜