Where Immortals Once Walked

Outwardly, however, He Lingchuan only scratched the back of his head and said, “If she wanted to die, of course, she wouldn’t let us see it coming. Huh? What’s that on the table?”

Another paper lay there, damp and crumpled.

“See for yourself.” He Chunhua let out a harsh breath. “Hong Chenglue sent another letter.”

He Lingchuan unfolded the crumpled ball of paper. The handwriting was the same as before, the strokes still powerful despite the smudges: “I hope you will return my wife’s remains.”

The brush had bitten deep into the paper. The writer’s suppressed emotions were almost palpable.

“What have you decided to do? Are we going to give her back?”

He Chunhua was silent for a long time before finally flicking his hand. “Return her.”

He Lingchuan made a sound of agreement, then just as he was about to leave, He Chunhua suddenly asked, “Tell me, why did she do this?”

“I...”

He had not even managed a full sentence before He Chunhua’s anger boiled over again. “It was just one round of negotiations! If it worked, good. If not, we could have talked again! I never wanted her life. I never wanted her man’s life either. In three months, I meant to release her. Why was she so stubborn? Why was she so resolute?”

“This probably...” He Lingchuan thought for a moment. “This probably wasn’t really about you, Father.”

He Chunhua’s eyes bulged. “Not about me?”

If it was not because of him, why had A’Jin chosen that exact moment to die?

“She might not have wanted to drag Hong Chenglue down any further. Death ends all debts.” He Lingchuan said, “Didn’t she say it herself? From this day forward, the sky is wide enough for you to fly freely.’”

A’Jin had been the rope binding Hong Chenglue in place. Once that rope snapped, he was truly free.

“And it had to be during the negotiation?” He Chunhua’s roar could have echoed across half the camp. “It had to be when the talks were just about to succeed?”

Truth was, he knew. The very fact that Hong Chenglue had come with only Dong Rui and no troops meant the man had come prepared to compromise. This meant that He Chunhua’s scheme had been sound. It could have worked.

They had been a step away. They had only been one step away from sealing the deal.

And that woman had chosen that moment to shatter all of it.

He Lingchuan said nothing.

It was the first time he had ever seen his father so close to losing control, and it shook him a little.

All his life, He Chunhua had presented himself as a gentle, cultivated gentleman.

But at this moment, he paced back and forth across the tent, his boots thudding. It was as if he were trying to burn through his fury by sheer motion and volume.

It was only after a long while that he settled, his voice returning to its usual steady cadence. “What do you think? What method could he possibly have to make General Zhao suffer a defeat?”

That was the threat Hong Chenglue had laid on the table. It sounded like empty bravado, but in this moment, He Chunhua could not help worrying.

Hong Chenglue was not the sort to shoot arrows into the air for the fun of it.

He had just gone over the issue with Zhao Pan and gotten nowhere. Zhao Pan had even laughed and said it was impossible.

“I don’t know.”

Rubbing his temples, He Chunhua said, “General Zhao and I have decided that the entire camp will be on heightened alert in the coming days. If you have nothing pressing to do, don’t wander about.”

What was done was done. No matter how furious he might be, the next step had to be guarding against his enemy’s revenge.

“Yes.”

Once he left the tent, He Lingchuan had two torches fixed to the carriage bearing the body. After a moment’s thought, he added a comb to the pillow beside A’Jin’s head. Only then did he order the guards to drive the carriage to the edge of the woods and bring the whip down hard.

The horse, stung into panic, bolted into the trees, firelight bobbing and swaying in the darkness.

A few dozen breaths later, the torches’ glow disappeared.

Soon after, even the clatter of hooves faded into the night.

He Lingchuan stared in that direction for a while. Somewhere out there, he knew, Hong Chenglue was already taking A’Jin back into his care.

The husband and wife were reunited at last.

Cool droplets brushed his cheek. Around him, the soft hiss of rainfall rose once more.

The rain had come again.

* * *

Baiming Gorge.

In a vast cavern, a massive pyre roared. Hong Chenglue stood before it, watching his wife’s figure slowly vanish into the flames.

His face was blank.

The Xun Province roving cavalry stood behind him in grim silence, not daring to make a sound.

The fire blazed until dawn before finally dwindling to ash and embers.

Hong Chenglue stepped forward, scooped the cooled ashes into a prepared urn, and sealed it carefully. All the while, he spoke in a low murmur. It was as if he were soothing her, telling her not to worry. He would take her home. He would not leave her buried alone in hostile soil.

Wu Qing stood nearby, sweat beading on his forehead and never quite dry. He did not dare wipe too often. Every so often, he sneaked a look at Hong Chenglue’s back.

Once the urn was safely tied and stowed, Hong Chenglue turned and fixed his gaze on him. “I already confiscated A’Jin’s Cold Dove Powder. So why did she still have some? Did you give her some?”

There it is. No dodging now. Wu Qing dropped to his knees with a thud, all thoughts of dignity gone. “General, I truly don’t understand either! I reported every word she said to you!”

The last time A’Jin had asked him for the poison, she had made him swear to keep it secret. Wu Qing had not dared. He had gone straight to Hong Chenglue, who had immediately gone to her and taken the Cold Dove Powder away.

By rights, that should have been the end of it.

Hong Chenglue’s teeth scraped together with a shuddering grind.

Wu Qing’s mind snagged on a single memory. He blurted, “State Preceptor Shuang Ye’s elixir, the madame has taken it several times now. Could it be that... that she’d actually regained her movement?”

Originally, A’Jin had been paralyzed from the neck down. She could only twitch her fingers a little. When Hong Chenglue took her poison, he had thought nothing of it. Without help, she could not even get the medicine into her mouth.

But now, hearing Wu Qing say it aloud, he understood.

State Preceptor Shuang Ye’s medicine had begun to work. She had actually regained some use of her hands!

So when he took away most of her Cold Dove Powder, she had quietly hidden a few granules away for herself.

At that thought, Hong Chenglue’s eyes burned.

Shuang Ye’s medicine truly could have cured her. Her condition had already begun to improve!

And she had chosen death anyway!

She had used her life to clear the road ahead of him.

Feeling the killing intent rolling off Hong Chenglue grow thicker and colder by the heartbeat, Wu Qing pressed his head lower, too terrified to look up.

Hong Chenglue stared at the back of his skull, fingers twitching with the urge to draw steel.

Trash. If not for this fool, A’Jin would still be alive. If he had not handed the poison over...

His grip clenched, then slowly loosened. The hatred in his eyes was buried deep.

Wu Qing was one of State Preceptor Shuang Ye’s favored men. If he killed him outright, what would he say when he returned to Beijia?

Sweat slid off Wu Qing’s brow and hit the stone floor. “Your subordinate has committed a mortal sin. My death would not be enough to atone. Please, General Hong, punish me!”

He admitted that he had committed a mortal sin, but he did not admit to killing her. A’Jin had chosen her own end.

Hong Chenglue exhaled a long breath, as if forcing the poison of rage out of his own chest. “Remember this. I’ll deal with you later. For now, I need you to handle something.”

At the moment, Wu Qing was the only reliable thread connecting him to Beijia’s higher command. Here, behind the Yuan’s front lines, leading Xun Province riders in raids, the support from Nian Zanli and Beijia was his lifeline.

“Just give the order!” Wu Qing’s heart, which had been dangling over a pit, finally dropped back into his chest. If Hong Chenglue still needed him to work, then he did not intend to kill him, at least not yet.

“I want a meeting with Nian Zanli,” Hong Chenglue said icily. “Go arrange it. Tell him I have a way to help him achieve his goal of crossing the river and landing troops on the southern bank of the Han.”

What? Wu Qing froze. You have a way to help him?

They had been watching the Yuan army’s positions for days. Zhao Pan’s talent for organizing troops and arranging defenses was undeniable. If he were not so capable, the Xun Province army would never have been halted north of the Han for so long.

And now Hong Chenglue was saying he could tear through that with ease?

Hong Chenglue asked, “Is there a problem?”

Wu Qing jolted. “No, General! I’ll take care of it right away!” Without another word, he bolted from the cave, not caring about the sheets of rain outside.

How he was supposed to contact the opposite bank through torrential rain and looming floodwaters was his problem to solve. One way or another, it had to get done.

Right now, being soaked to the bone was still better than standing one more second in front of Hong Chenglue.

* * *

Ten hours later.

Hong Chenglue rode Dong Rui’s bird monster across the surging river straight toward the main camp of Xun Province’s army on the far side.

Even though the flood would swallow the southern bank first, the Xun troops had still prudently retreated half a kilometer as well.

Water and fire were merciless. No human army could stand against them.

The bird monster did not enjoy flying in weather like this either. Heavy rain and violent winds made every wingbeat a struggle. Fortunately, Dong Rui had cast a body-lightening spell on its body, allowing it to manage the short trip.

It landed in front of the Xun Province encampment, and Hong Chenglue jumped down. The camp’s defenses were tight, ranks neat and bristling with weapons. It was a formidable sight even at a glance.

He had barely touched ground before several riders galloped out. “Name yourself!”

“Hong.”

One of them immediately brought a spare horse forward. Clearly, instructions had already been given in advance. “General Hong, please. Lord Nian awaits you in his tent.”

Hong Chenglue swung into the saddle and rode in with them. The bird monster shrank down as they went, twisting itself into the size of a crow before coming to rest on his shoulder, shaking raindrops from its wings.

It was not a common sight. Many in the camp stole curious glances at the little bird.

A short while later, Hong Chenglue was ushered into the central command tent.

Someone had been waiting at the entrance. The moment he saw Hong Chenglue approach, he stepped out into the downpour without hesitation, grabbing the horse’s reins with a booming laugh. “General Hong! It’s been too long!”

“Lord Nian, it’s been long indeed.” Hong Chenglue reached out for a firm clasp of palms, then swung down from the saddle. Together, they entered the tent.

The man had a pale face and long eyebrows, his bearing broad and commanding. His features bore a faint resemblance to Nian Songyu’s. This was none other than Nian Zanli, once Yuan’s Grand General of the Northern Campaign.

After defecting to the northern monster state, he was appointed by Beijia as the Provincial Governor of Xun Province, holding both civil and military power.

As soon as they sat, attendants stepped up with steaming tea and dry towels for them to wipe their faces and hands.

Nian Zanli said warmly, “Have you eaten? We slaughtered a young lamb today. The meat is as tender as it gets.”

He and Hong Chenglue had not met as friends, not at first. Back when Nian Zanli had been holding Yuan’s northern border and Hong Chenglue had commanded Beijia’s frontier forces, the two had crossed blades along the border more than once, with Nian Zanli even taking a loss to him.

So when Wu Qing reported that Hong Chenglue had requested a meeting, Nian Zanli had taken it very seriously.

Hong Chenglue took a sip of tea, savoring the heat. “Thank you, but that won’t be necessary. I’ve come uninvited today because there’s an important matter to discuss with you, Lord Nian.”

So direct. Nian Zanli raised an eyebrow, then listened as Hong Chenglue continued, “Across the river, Zhao Pan has already received over seven hundred thousand kilograms of grain. The one who personally led Xia Province’s grain convoy to the front is the new Governor-General of Xia Province, He Chunhua. I take it you’ve heard this news?”

The smile on Nian Zanli’s face gradually faded. “I have.”

He Chunhua had already been at the front for several days. Nian Zanli had a personal grudge against the man. His own son’s blood lay on He Chunhua’s head. It gave him one more reason to smash the Yuan army across the river and flatten Xia Province.

“Lord Nian has been locked in a standoff with Zhao Pan here at the Han for nearly two months now. Have you decided when to launch your all-out assault?”

There was a faint edge under the words, almost a challenge. Nian Zanli pretended not to hear it. “We were planning to strike at the end of the flood season. Zhao Pan is a man who pours all his effort into defense. He rarely leaves his lines. He won’t take the bait when we dangle it. All he does is fortify his camps.”

Add the Han River’s natural barrier to that, and breaking through to the southern bank became a nightmare.

Nian Zanli paused, then went on, “Still, Yuan’s armies have their weaknesses. They’re constantly short on food and clothing, barely managing to scrape by. If we drag this out longer, we might well be able to take them without much effort.” No one knew the rot within Yuan better than Nian Zanli. Zhao Pan might be a brilliant general, but behind him stood a whole court ready to drag him down. The supply lines of the army across the river would remain their fatal weakness. In a long, grinding war, Beijia’s side held the advantage.