Where Immortals Once Walked

“When the audience began, I felt as though I were basking in the spring breeze.” Recalling the audience, He Chunhua smiled as well. “His Majesty asked me what was going on. I repeated what you told me, only changing the reason the Rongshan Sect agreed to the loan. I said it was the result of your vigorous lobbying. His Majesty was delighted and declared that Heaven was protecting Great Yuan. Then he ordered me to urge you to finalize the agreement as quickly as possible.”

Once He Lingchuan signed off on it, Yuan would receive the first installment of 3.7 million taels.

Nearly four million taels... He sighed inwardly. In the extravagant, pleasure-soaked Lingxu City, that sum might buy only a few true immortal swords, yet to Yuan, it’s practically its lifeline. Some die of thirst while others practically drown.

“What did Father say?”

“Naturally, I agreed at once.” He Chunhua smiled. “His Majesty was in high spirits. It was best not to dampen them.”

He Lingchuan immediately understood what he meant.

He Chunhua would certainly make full use of this opportunity. The loan could not be approved too early, or He Chunhua would lose the leverage needed to pressure the King of Yuan. However, the funds could not arrive too late either, because warfare genuinely required money.

He Chunhua sighed again. “His Majesty also asked why, when such wonderful news had arrived, I hadn’t entered the palace to report it beforehand. Instead, I allowed you to meet the minister of the Court of State Ceremonial first in your capacity as a foreign envoy!”

This father of his was always trying to put him in his place. He Lingchuan refused to play along. “Public affairs come first, so naturally they must be handled through official channels. Otherwise, all the officials and citizens in the Yuan capital watching Father so closely would gossip in private, saying that the He Residence cannot distinguish public matters from private ones and places personal interests ahead of state business.”

This brat’s tongue is becoming increasingly sharp. “That clause requiring the special envoy to approve every use of the money is quite something!” It has the Yuan court gritting its teeth in frustration. “Was it truly added on Sect Leader Xue’s instructions?”

He Lingchuan did not so much as blink. “Of course.”

Of course it was not.

Sect Leader Xue had merely told him to exercise his own judgment. He Lingchuan had personally requested this authority from him.

But in the society He Lingchuan had come from, creditors interfering in a debtor’s business, controlling their cash flow, and even directing how they should operate were all perfectly routine.

If I lend you money, of course I need to monitor how you use it. Otherwise, if you squander it all again, what will you use to repay me?

The rotting, broken state of Yuan was a bottomless pit. Unless He Lingchuan helped Rongshan keep watch, not merely millions but tens of millions of taels could be poured into it without ever filling the void.

From that perspective, the Rongshan Sect also needed him to guard the gates carefully and protect its interests.

He Chunhua continued, “We were only discussing the southern war yesterday, and today news has already arrived. I’ve just heard some preliminary reports. The campaign to suppress the southern rebels is going poorly. The official troops lost two out of three battles. Morale is now so low that one unit of 2,000 men was scattered by only 500 bandits.”

“It seems that Father’s opportunity has arrived.” Timing and fortune indeed. Even He Lingchuan had to admit that He Chunhua’s luck over the past few years had been remarkably good. Whatever he needed seemed to arrive just when he needed it.

“These combat reports will probably reach His Majesty tonight.” He Chunhua rubbed his chin. “Chuan’er, you must delay the loan for at least another seven or eight days. There are still many voices at court opposing my command over the armies of three provinces.”

“Can you withstand that much pressure?”

“What choice do I have? I am doing this for Yuan’s sake.” He Chunhua sighed. “If we march recklessly, the present fighting in the south will serve as a warning of what awaits us.”

He Lingchuan smiled. “How long I can delay things depends on the progress of the review. Seven or eight days? I can’t guarantee it.”

He Chunhua’s expression darkened slightly. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Father, I also hold the identity of Rongshan’s special envoy. I secured the loan, so I must bear responsibility for it as well.” He Lingchuan spoke unhurriedly. “If Yuan genuinely corrects every flaw in the pledged assets, I’ll have no justification for continuing to hold back the funds.”

“Outrageous!” He Chunhua stared at him. “You are my son, a member of the He Family, and a citizen of Yuan. Only after all that are you a disciple of Rongshan! Do not reverse that order!”

He Lingchuan looked puzzled. “Didn’t Father say only this morning that relations between two parties must be founded upon honesty?”

“What relations between two parties? I am talking about you!” He Chunhua said irritably. “At a moment of national peril, do you not understand that father and son must stand united?”

“Father and son standing united?” He Lingchuan abruptly changed direction. “After I fell into the river, everyone believed I had died in battle. Why did you insist that I was still alive?”

He Chunhua froze. “It was faith! Besides, you’ve always been a child of fortune. You encountered danger several times before and escaped every disaster. What was wrong with holding on to some hope?”

Yet He Lingchuan knew that a divine seal mark had been placed within his mind. In other words, the god probably knew perfectly well whether he was alive or dead.

He Chunhua’s tone softened. “Chuan’er, you have begun to understand the principles of honesty, loyalty, and righteousness. That greatly comforts me! However, the matter in your hands is far too important. I have devoted everything to our state and our family. You must listen to me and must not act on your own!”

Several thoughts turned through He Lingchuan’s mind, but aloud he replied, “Father has spoken with such earnest concern. Naturally, your son understands.”

At that moment, a servant knocked on the door and announced that dinner was ready. Madame Ying was urging father and son to come eat.

“Let’s go.” The conversation ended there.

Dinner was peaceful and harmonious, filled with familial warmth. No one mentioned the matter again.

After the meal, He Lingchuan returned to his courtyard, drew his wooden saber, and practiced for two hours.

Even though he wielded only a wooden blade, saber qi swept through the courtyard in every direction, making the flowers and trees lose their color and tremble beneath its force.

By the time he completed his practice and returned indoors, crepe myrtle blossoms carpeted the courtyard.

The mirror said, “Your saber practice was filled with far too much killing intent this time.” The last time he was unable to prevent his killing intent from leaking during practice was in Lingxu City, shortly before the Mount Xu Plan began. He was under tremendous pressure back then. Is that true now as well? “I thought you would lay everything out before your father today.”

“It still isn’t time.” He Lingchuan erected a barrier and wiped away his sweat with a cloth. “If he truly has some connection to Naluotian, then it is probably one of the most important secrets buried in his heart. If I expose it too abruptly, I may provoke an excessive response. What if he immediately performs the ritual and summons Naluotian to descend?”

That would be troublesome, especially since the divine seal mark remained within his sea of consciousness.

“Am I supposed to kill him on the spot?”

He had not traveled all this way back to Yuan merely to confront his father. The real priority was finding a way to deal with Naluotian’s mark—or, more precisely, to remove the threat Naluotian posed to him.

“Shinan also said that even with the divine seal mark upon me, Naluotian’s first descent would still require a ritual conducted by its summoner. If it bypassed that process, it would have to expend an astonishing amount of energy. In other words, whether or not I kill my father, Naluotian can still descend upon me. The only difference is the price it must pay.” He Lingchuan’s eyes flickered. “But considered from the opposite direction, unless the situation is desperately urgent, it will not directly possess me. That demonstrates the importance of the summoner—mm, who may very well be my father. I must ensure that he does not perform the ritual anytime soon. In that case, it will be difficult for Naluotian to perform a divine descent.”

His identity as Rongshan’s special envoy and the loan Rongshan was extending to Yuan were both bargaining chips he could use against He Chunhua. Otherwise, why would he have traveled thousands of kilometers to Rongshan?