Where Immortals Once Walked

Zhu Erniang, of course, did not deign to answer him.

Once her massive figure vanished from sight, the two men sat by the water, staring at each other. Their eyes locked on, neither saying a word.

He Lingchuan nearly wanted to smash a wine jar straight into Dong Rui’s ruined face. “Have you lost your mind?”

Dong Rui’s head drooped.

He had gotten carried away just now.

He Lingchuan said through clenched teeth, “Please tell me that you’ve already thought of some other way for us to escape.”

Dong Rui shrugged. “Sooner or later, it was going to come to this. If Zhu Erniang truly wants revenge, she’ll figure it out on her own.”

A pig-headed teammate[1] really is unreliable.

“For an old monster like Zhu Erniang, who’s lived for centuries, everything except life and death can be taken lightly. Whether vengeance is taken or not doesn’t actually matter that much.” The moon was no longer visible from the sinkhole. He Lingchuan tipped his head back, drained the last mouthful of wine, then turned and walked back toward the Demon Nest to sleep. “If she doesn’t eat you in the end, it’ll only be because of that treasure.”

* * *

Standing on the northern courtyard arena of the Martial Review Hall, He Lingchuan pressed a hand against his aching shoulder joint. He clasped his fists toward his opponent in salute. “You yield.”

This was his first bout since being promoted into the Gale Army, and he had won.

His opponent, also a Gale Army soldier, had been knocked flat by a single cleaving strike. Now clutching his chest, the man struggled back to his feet, shot He Lingchuan a look, and stepped down from the arena platform.

This was not a public bout, merely an ordinary one-on-one spar in the northern courtyard.

Only Gale Army soldiers were qualified to trade blows here, and He Lingchuan could clearly feel the jump in difficulty. Every exchange carried more weight and more pressure.

His gaze swept toward the fence dividing the northern and southern courtyards. Quite a few patrol guards were standing there, watching the match and applauding. A quiet surge of emotion rose in his chest.

Not long ago, he had stood on the other side of that fence himself, looking in with envy, dreaming of the day he could enter the northern courtyard.

Skinny was there too, waving enthusiastically at him.

In fact, that guy had performed well during the Red Peak Mine incident and even earned extra merit. He had had a real chance to be promoted into the Gale Army. After careful consideration, however, he had voluntarily given up the opportunity and stayed with the patrol guards instead.

The reason for this was simple. While being part of the Gale Army meant he would receive great benefits and rewards, it also came with equally great risks. His family was large, with several younger siblings not yet grown. As the eldest brother, the burden on his shoulders was heavy. What he sought was stability.

He was different from someone like He Lingchuan, a lone man bent solely on charging forward and growing stronger. He Lingchuan fully respected Skinny’s choice.

He smiled back at Skinny and was just about to head over for a chat when someone called from behind him, “Broken Blade, fine fighting.”

He Lingchuan turned around, startled. “Master Wen?”

The one who had called out from behind him was none other than Wen Daolun, the strategist deeply trusted and relied upon by Commander Zhong. Many people in the city simply called him the military advisor.

Standing behind him was a youth of fourteen or fifteen.

He Lingchuan had previously met Wen Daolun through Sun Fuling’s introduction, seeking him out to divine his fate and interpret ominous signs. The thought to run for his life when he encountered water had been derived from Wen Daolun’s reading.

Although He Lingchuan had not dared to give him his eight characters, his experiences by the Han River had left him with a favorable impression of this man.

“What brings you here, Master Wen?”

“Lord Zhao, one of Commander Zhong’s deputies, was originally supposed to inspect the Martial Review Hall today, but something came up, so I came in his stead,” Wen Daolun said with a genial smile. “I’ll be heading to the Hall of Inquiry shortly.”

“Oh?” He Lingchuan’s interest was immediately piqued. “Is it your turn to lecture today, Master Wen? What’s the topic?”

“Many people are curious about Beijia,” Wen Daolun replied with a smile. “So today, we’ll be talking about the northern monster state.”

That hit He Lingchuan squarely where it mattered. “Perfect. I’ll grab a front-row seat.”

Wen Daolun nodded repeatedly. “Good, good. Will you be coming with that Sun girl?”

“Uh, I haven’t seen her in quite a few days.”

“Haha, those students at Shumin State Academy are always tying their instructors up,” Wen Daolun chuckled. “And that Sun girl is the most popular of them all.”

Sun Fuling’s personality was rather cool and aloof. He Lingchuan found it hard to picture her surrounded by students, laughing and chatting.

Don’t children usually prefer teachers who smile all the time and radiate warm, motherly kindness?

“Oh, right.” Wen Daolun finally gestured to the youth behind him. “This is my son, Wen Xing. He’s always wanted to join the Gale Army. Next month, he’ll first join the patrol guards to gain some experience.”

Then he introduced He Lingchuan to the boy. “Xing’er, this is Broken Blade He Lingchuan, the one who blew up the spider den in the Guizhen Stone Forest and slew the divine child in the Red Peak Mine. You’ve heard of him.”

Wen Xing immediately stepped forward, and the two cupped their hands toward one another in greeting.

Wen Daolun smiled and said, “He’s endlessly fascinated by your exploits. If you have time, perhaps you could offer him some guidance.”

He Lingchuan agreed without hesitation, “I wouldn’t dare claim mastery, but Brother Wen is welcome to come spar with me anytime.”

Wen Xing’s eyes lit up with joy. “I’ll definitely come seek your guidance!”

The boy’s gaze was bright and fervent. Seeing him, He Lingchuan could not help but think of He Yue. They were about the same age and both filled with youthful vigor and ambition.

He sighed inwardly. Who knew how busy his younger brother must be in Dunyu right now? With setbacks on the northern Xia front, life for the He Family there could not be easy.

Wen Daolun stroked his beard. “Very well. We’ll meet again at the Hall of Inquiry.”

He was not skilled in martial techniques anyway, so coming to the Martial Review Hall was little more than a formality.

He Lingchuan returned to the side of the courtyard to wipe off sweat and retrieve his weapons and gear, re-equipping himself.

There were not many people in the northern courtyard today. The Red General had taken over two thousand Gale Army soldiers out of the city to fight.

His own promotion order had come later. Otherwise, he might have been marching with them.

Afterward, he headed to the southern courtyard to find Skinny.

The latter praised how imposing He Lingchuan looked in his Gale Army uniform. He Lingchuan was unimpressed and simply held out his hand. “So? How much did you win? Where’s my cut?”

Laughing, Skinny tossed him a dozen or so copper coins.

He Lingchuan frowned. “This little?”

“You’re currently an Arena Seven Master, and you knocked down Meng Shan and dealt with those ferry-crossing spawn. The odds on you are so bad they’re painful to look at!” Skinny clicked his tongue. “Be glad anyone even bothered to bet. Oh, by the way, you seem pretty familiar with Master Wen?”

“We’ve met once. I asked him to interpret something for me,” He Lingchuan replied casually. “The boy with him is his son, Wen Xing.”

“Oh, I know.” Skinny nodded knowingly. “Wen Daolun has three sons. The eldest died on the battlefield. This Wen Xing is the youngest, and he’s supposedly very promising. Master Wen had him late in life, and the whole family dotes on him. But ever since he was little, he’s wanted to join the army.”

“How do you know all this?”

“It’s all over the patrol guards’ gossip mill. Master Wen’s son is coming in soon. No one knows which unit he’ll be assigned to.” Skinny snickered. “Liu Tong’s even planning to pray to Lady Mitian, begging that the kid not get placed with us.”

Wen Daolun was now one of Commander Zhong’s most trusted aides. His son joining the ranks would inevitably receive some special consideration. No matter how strict a unit’s discipline was, such things were unavoidable. Patrol guards disliked these important figures—in battle, they had to be protected, costing effort with little payoff.

He Lingchuan shrugged. None of that had anything to do with him.

“These past few days, Liu Tong has been complaining that the moment you three left, the squad fell apart.”

Aside from He Lingchuan, the other two were Doorboard and Willow.

Xiao Maoliang had ordered He Lingchuan to form his own small unit of five to ten men, selected by him and to be submitted for approval. Being promoted directly from patrol guard to Gale Army fire captain[2] was not unusual in Panlong City, which valued talent over rigid precedent. With He Lingchuan’s outstanding merits, there were no objections.

So he had taken Doorboard and Willow with him.

After reviewing their records, the higher-ups found their battle merits solid. They lacked only the formal requirement of having served as squad captains. He Lingchuan argued that comrades who had fought side by side and entrusted each other with their lives were worth more than any resource on the battlefield. In the end, his request was approved, though Doorboard and Willow were listed as probationary members to be observed before confirmation.

He Lingchuan smiled faintly. “Everyone chooses their own path.”

Liu Tong was not as forthright as Skinny, but He Lingchuan could sense that he, too, had no desire to enter the Gale Army.

In this world, some people surged forward, eager to brave raging currents, while others preferred to lie low, clinging to their modest certainties. There was no right or wrong, just different choices.

The longer He Lingchuan stayed in Panlong City, the more vividly he felt its human tapestry, as alive and complex as the real world.

People were still people, with their own little calculations. What difference did a hundred years make?

Skinny started glancing around again. Every time He Lingchuan saw that look, he knew some gossip was coming.

Sure enough, after checking that no one was nearby, Skinny lowered his voice and said, “Lord Zhao Xianhe hasn’t shown his face for days. Today’s Martial Review Hall inspection should’ve been his job, but Master Wen came instead. Doesn’t that strike you as odd?”

Commander Zhong originally had two deputies and later promoted another, all bearing the title of deputy commander. The Lord Zhao mentioned was a senior officer with great merit, one of the earliest followers of Commander Zhong.

He Lingchuan had vaguely heard of him, but his time in Panlong City was spent either on missions, training, or attending lectures at the Hall of Inquiry, and whenever he had a scrap of free time, chatting with Sun Fuling. He had little energy left to track high-level military politics.

“Why do you even care about Lord Zhao?” He Lingchuan crossed his arms. “You’re too idle. Go find two more side hustles.”

“Do you remember how Headman Hu sent people to mine gold in the Red Peak mine secretly?” Skinny coughed twice. “Do you really think he’d dare do that on his own, even with ten times the courage?”

He Lingchuan’s heart skipped a beat.

Thanks to Skinny’s report, the Gale Army had discovered charcoal furnaces, smelting stoves, and water carts inside the Red Peak Mine that very night. Those were all clear evidence of illicit gold mining. After Headman Hu was taken away for interrogation, what he confessed was not known to He Lingchuan, but the mining had clearly been going on for a long time.

Red Peak Mine was one of Panlong City’s most important iron sources. One out of every seven sets of military arms relied on its output. Official inspections were frequent, so how had no one noticed the gold vein?

To conceal it for so long, how extensive and powerful must Headman Hu’s protective network have been?

Who had benefited from the gold that flowed out?

If not for the ferry-crossing spawn seizing the mine and exposing everything by sheer accident, how much longer would those parasites have feasted on stolen gold?

“That’s quite the nerve,” He Lingchuan said with a smile. “You think Lord Zhao was behind it?”

“Lord Zhao oversees mountains and mineral resources. Even if he didn’t take any for himself, he can’t escape responsibility,” whispered Skinny. “Remember how Headman Hu delayed reporting the avalanche for two days? During that time, four or five dozen skilled fighters were sent into the mine to deal with the creatures. Who do you think could mobilize people like that?”

If not for the unexpected avalanche at Red Peak Mountain, Headman Hu might never have reported the disaster at all. Had things been delayed another ten days or half a month, once the ravenous devourer’s blood-and-flesh fortress fully took shape, uprooting that nail would have been far more difficult for Panlong City.

1. Pig-headed teammates, or sometimes simply written as pig teammates, refer to teammates who are stupidly stubborn, uncooperative, inefficient, and hinder the team’s progress. This is a term taken from the saying that goes along the lines of, I fear not godlike opponents, but fear pig-like teammates. I just changed the term slightly to how it is, as I find it flows smoother. ☜

2. Just a reminder that fire captain is basically just a squad captain. ☜