Where Immortals Once Walked

After saying that, the man went back inside.

The cup placed on the ground vanished with a whoosh, as if something had dragged it underground.

The corner of the courtyard returned to its previous stillness, as though nothing had happened at all.

* * *

He Lingchuan blinked, staring at the ragged hole in the roof. Only after a long moment did it register that he was now in the soul land.

The starry sky in reality and the starry sky of the dreamlike soul land were equally dazzling.

He sat up and stretched lazily.

The Broken Blade Squad, like the rest of the Panlong Army, had already left the former capital of the State of West Ji and reached what had once been West Ji’s easternmost city. They were now only a step away from the border.

This city had a permanent population of over ninety thousand. It had been West Ji’s fourth-largest city, and it could just barely accommodate the Panlong army’s garrison needs. Of course, West Ji no longer existed. At Zhong Shengguang’s request, the Red General had renamed the city Yuheng City.

“Yuheng[1] is the brightest star of the Big Dipper. Every night, it lights the way home for Panlong City’s soldiers.”

The army had been regrouping here for two days, on standby, ready to advance east at any time.

He had barely finished stretching when Willow’s shout rang out from outside, “Hey! Get out here and eat dumplings, you lazy bums!”

He Lingchuan flipped up and headed out at once, yet Doorboard, who had been snoring against the wall, bolted even faster than he did.

Out in the open space, a huge pot had been set up. Plump, pale dumplings rolled and bobbed in the boiling water. A few had burst open, coating the soup with a glossy sheen of oil.

Just looking at the pot told you Willow’s cooking skills were probably on par with He Lingchuan’s. Doorboard sat down, fished out several dumplings, and ate them, hissing at the heat while praising Willow’s cooking to the skies.

A man had to praise his own wife.

Even with her thick skin, Willow’s face reddened a little. “I tore quite a few when I wrapped them. The good ones were all wrapped by Old Liu[2].”

All the split ones were hers.

Old Liu stood nearby. He was in his fifties, dark and skinny, slightly stooped, with a piece of cloth tied around his forehead. He fit He Lingchuan’s image of hardworking common folk down to the last thread.

He carried over two more bamboo trays of raw dumplings and set them beside the pot, grinning so wide his eyes narrowed to slits. “Eat up! There’s plenty!”

“Thanks for the trouble, Uncle Liu.”

He Lingchuan had only just sat down when Uncle Liu scooped him a bowl of dumplings, yet the bowl he gave Willow was piled so high it threatened to overflow.

The Broken Blade Squad settled in and dug in with gusto.

Normally, an army’s rations were painfully simple: huge quantities of radish lump soup, hard steamed buns made from dead dough, a bit of dried meat, and pickled vegetables.

However, West Luo’s local elders had rushed over as soon as they heard the news, leading pigs and herding sheep, carrying flatbreads and delivering cooked food, constantly bringing supplies to the Panlong army.

So the Panlong Army had enjoyed several bonus meals. Tonight, even the dead-dough buns had been replaced with dumplings. There were two kinds, even: pork with scallions, and carrot with egg.

Willow and A’Luo had gone over in the afternoon to help wrap them. When the finished dumplings came out, each was as big as half a palm, fat and solid. One bite made oil spill across your tongue.

Uncle Liu, who had traveled over ten kilometers to bring meat and vegetables, was from Mount Rong. He took one look at Willow and adored her instantly, insisting on taking her as his adopted goddaughter.

Only later did everyone learn that in his early years, he had come from the Panlong Wasteland to West Ji. His wife and only daughter had both died in the Mount Rong riots a few years ago.

No one had the heart to refuse his kindness.

These past two days in Yuheng City[3] had been full of laughter and warmth.

Even though they were still at the front line.

To the east lay another small state called Jin Tao.

But Jintao had been terrified by the Panlong army’s swift destruction of West Ji. They had now massed troops along the border, facing the Panlong army in a tense standoff.

If He Lingchuan climbed a tree right now, he could even see the glow of fires on the far side of the boundary.

That was the State of Jintao’s army.

It was said the entire state had mobilized, prepared to pay any price to defend their homeland.

With both sides staring each other down like that, it seemed as if arrows would loose at any moment to be then immediately followed by the clashing of blades.

He Lingchuan understood perfectly that the Panlong army had swept through West Ji as if through empty ground largely because of one word: speed.

They had crossed the State of West Ji’s mountain region before the enemy could react, then plunged into the plains where there were no defensible natural barriers.

But in He Lingchuan’s view, Jintao was now wary and prepared, and it was mountainous terrain again. For the Panlong Army to win as quickly and with as few losses as before would be difficult.

You could say that the Panlong Army’s march east, and its return toward the homeland, would only begin meeting real resistance from this point on.

Zhong Shengguang and the upper command surely understood that best of all.

Now it depended on how they planned.

He Lingchuan half-sat up. Nearby, there was still firelight, still voices.

With their recent great victory, morale ran high across the army.

He heard one soldier saying, “Last year I traveled with my uncle through Dragon Throat Pass. Some little boss there saw we were from Panlong City and demanded that we unload all six hundred-plus items from our wagon for an illegal-goods inspection! There was a scuffle, and he even spat at us. Heh, funny thing, yesterday, I ran into him in the street!”

“What did you do to him?”

“I followed him home and told him his neighbors had reported him for hiding weapons!” the man roared with laughter. “He almost knelt on the spot. I made him haul every piece of property out, one by one, for me to inspect. Hah, it turns out he really did have two changdaos! Then his whole family dropped to their knees!”

Laughter rippled all around.

He Lingchuan knew those voices belonged to other squads of the Panlong army.

The Panlong army was camped in the western part of Yuheng City. The area had many high-walled estates belonging to wealthy families, now requisitioned as temporary barracks so as not to disturb the commoners’ lives.

The Red General had even issued a public notice: as long as you were “law-abiding folk,” your life in Yuheng City would be protected.

Of course, the unspoken clause was that the final interpretation of “law-abiding folk” belonged to the Panlong army.

Over the past few days, under the Panlong army’s watch, several major cities had returned to normal life and operations. Shops reopened, and street markets grew crowded again.

The city was sliding back onto its usual rails, as if the half-month-long war of conquest had never happened.

In truth, because the Panlong army had taken cities so quickly, the only place that truly resisted to the last was the royal palace. Even the capital’s infrastructure and social ecology had suffered only minor damage, making repairs comparatively easy.

Once the Panlong army finished resting and replenishing supplies in Yuheng City, they would set out again to continue east.

The Red General had already dispatched multiple scouting parties to probe Jintao’s military situation.

This was also the hottest topic in the army these days. A major victory at low cost filled everyone with eager anticipation for the journey home.

War was never simple, yet He Lingchuan knew the truth was far more complicated than that.

After having his fill of dumplings and soup, He Lingchuan climbed back up onto the roof and began playing a xun.

A rat running along a roof beam stumbled at the sound.

As a beginner, he still lacked both pitch and rhythm.

Hu Min rolled his eyes at Doorboard. “There he goes again. The boss hasn’t let us off the hook these past few nights.”

Doorboard muttered, “He’s better with the flute.”

A poorly played xun sounded like ghosts wailing, which, on a battlefield where people died daily, was oddly fitting.

After fighting, killing, and tending wounds, whenever he had nothing to do, He Lingchuan practiced instruments, claiming that army life needed music as seasoning.

What could he do? Once they returned, Instructor Sun would test him.

Other squads wanted to protest too, but when they walked closer and realized it was the Broken Blade Squad making the ghost noises—no, blowing the xun—they quietly turned around and left.

War heroes always enjoyed privileges.

Fortunately, tonight the Broken Blade Squad did not get to torture them for long, because suddenly a string of urgent military whistles shrilled from the front:

“Assemble! Assemble at once! Major military intelligence to be announced!”

Major intelligence?

Everyone tossed aside whatever they had in hand and rushed to gather at the west city square.

The square had once been packed with buildings, but most had been destroyed during street fighting. The Panlong army had simply ordered the ruins leveled, creating a broad open space that could hold several thousand people.

Very soon, thousands were in place. Torches flared into the night. Every soldier stood straight, yet the entire crowd was so silent you could hear your own breath.

The Red General emerged in full armor, bringing one man with her.

This man’s style of clothing was different from both Panlong City and the former West Ji.

By torchlight, his expression was tense and uneasy.

“This is an envoy dispatched from the capital. He came to us first, and then he must carry the message onward to Panlong City!” the Red General raised her voice for the introduction, then turned to the envoy. “Come, read His Majesty’s decree aloud!”

Ah? The envoy stared at her as though she had grown horns. “General, this decree is issued only to you and Commander Zhong.”

“Oh?” The Red General held out her hand. “Then hand it here.”

The envoy bristled. “You must kneel to receive it!”

The Red General snatched the decree out of his hands with one swift motion, so fast he could not even react. She unrolled it and read it out loud in a clear voice.

It turned out the ruler had ordered the envoy to travel day and night to deliver a written reprimand, condemning Zhong Shengguang for raising troops without authorization, damaging diplomatic relations, and taking the route through the State of West Ji not to elevate West Luo’s prestige, but to harass friendly neighbors, make enemies on all sides, fail to understand the heart of ruler and father, and plunge the motherland into war and conflict.

It also stated that West Luo had never issued any resettlement decree to Panlong City. Therefore:

“The Panlong Army is hereby commanded to return west immediately, defend our borders, and not trample allied states!”

That was the final line. The Red General spread her hands. “That’s the end.”

A wave of commotion surged through the crowd. Eyes widened everywhere. Even the famously disciplined Gale Army could not help exchanging stunned looks.

His Majesty actually dared decree such a thing?!

They were fighting their way home with speed and fury, yet the ruler issued a rebuke?

They swept all before them, and instead of pride, the motherland felt shame?

The ruler actually wanted them to go back!

Back to the reality of enemies on all sides, isolated and without support.

Willow whispered, “This can’t be real, right?”

Doorboard’s voice turned heavy and dark, “Those dog bastards! They won’t let us go home!”

Grumbling like that spread quickly through the ranks. No one even cared what setting they were in anymore.

The West Luo envoy could not withstand the soldiers’ furious stares. He kept wiping sweat from his brow. “This violates ritual propriety! General, you have overstepped!”

Hearing about the Red General was one thing, but seeing her was another. Her arrogance was even worse than the rumors. She had read the ruler’s decree straight to the common soldiers!

This was state-level military business, the gravest state matter. When the ruler of the state had entrusted him with the decree, he had explicitly ordered Zhong Shengguang to dismiss everyone else. No third party was to be present.

And now?

Now thousands of ears had heard it.

These soldiers were all straight-brained. What did they know of state strategy and planning?

When he returned, he would report everything exactly as it happened.

The Red General ignored him. She only asked the soldiers below, “Did you all hear it clearly?”

1. This is Alion or Epsilon Ursae Majoris, and as stated in the text, it’s the brightest star in the constellation Ursa Major. ☜

2. This specific Old Liu is likely Willow’s father, and it seems that 柳from 柳条 (Willow | Liu Tiao), may actually be her surname. ☜

3. Yes, the city’s name is exactly the same as that of Epsilon Ursae Majoris. ☜