Where Immortals Once Walked

Madame Ying let out an “Ah,” and said, “What a pity!”

He Lingchuan folded his arms and shook his head. “Nothing can ever be completely perfect. This is already a very good result.”

He knew the quality of Yuan’s army all too well. Apart from the core troops He Chunhua had brought back from Xia Province, the main force he had taken south this time was wildly uneven in quality, and this was also their first time fighting together. By all rights, simply avoiding a complete collapse would already have been respectable. Yet they had managed a forced march and even won a major battle...

Who knew how much effort He Chunhua had poured into them to produce this single decisive victory.

Put anyone else in command, and getting an army like that from the north to the south within seven days would already have been a miracle, never mind throwing them straight into battle afterward.

His old man really was capable.

Adapting to the terrain, adapting to the timing, adapting to the people... each was harder than the last. Yet He Chunhua had successfully managed that final and most difficult task: adapting his methods to the men under his command.

Winning with that army was far harder than leading the Gale Army.

With the main rebel force already crushed, allowing a few remnants to escape was hardly something worth criticizing.

“The survivors aren’t worth worrying about.” He Yue smiled as he explained to his mother, “Rebel armies like this are just rabble. Win a few battles in a row, and they can still unite against a common enemy. Suffer one crushing defeat, though, and they scatter like birds and beasts. It’s difficult for them to gather again. Tan Xian only has eight hundred men left. Even if Father can’t wipe them out immediately, as long as he governs Ya Province properly, Tan Xian will have a hard time causing trouble again.”

Whatever else might be said about He Chunhua himself, his ability in civil administration was plain for all to see.

He Yue then asked the messenger soldier, “Has the palace been informed of the victory?”

“The general sent someone else to report it.”

“Excellent. Then what does Father intend to do next?”

“The general will split off troops to continue suppressing the rebels in Longchuan. The outer capital guards in the main force will return north on their own, while the rest will remain in Ya Province temporarily to rest and reorganize,” the messenger replied. “The general intends to spend ten days governing Ya Province before heading west. He also asked me to tell the eldest young master that he may set out now.”

Madame Ying and He Yue both turned toward He Lingchuan. “West? Where are you going?”

“To inspect and accept the Hongya Trade Route.” He Lingchuan told them the truth. “The Hongya Trade Route is also collateral. I approved the loan in advance, but I still need to take people from Rongshan there and inspect it in person.”

Of course, that was only part of the truth.

The He Family had received tremendous good news, so Madame Ying was feeling generous as well. She rewarded the messenger soldier handsomely, then had Steward Wu take him away to rest.

After dinner, the He brothers went for a walk in the garden. Unusually, neither spoke for quite some time.

He Lingchuan casually plucked a cluster of Banksia roses[1] and tucked it into He Yue’s lapel. “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

In the capital of Yuan, both men and women were accustomed to wearing flowers in their hair or on their clothes.

“Big Brother, what exactly happened between you and Father?”

Seeing the worry on his face, He Lingchuan asked in surprise, “What makes you say that?”

“I’m not a child anymore. How could I not notice?” He Yue’s expression was serious. “Ever since you came back, something between you and him has clearly felt strange.”

Of the two sons, He Yue alone had been wholeheartedly loved and protected by both parents.

The original owner had always resented that somewhat, but He Lingchuan felt nothing about it. He merely patted his brother on the shoulder. “Affairs of the state and the family come first. Everything else is unimportant. Don’t overthink it. Everything’s fine.”

He Yue frowned. “Father told me that too. Don’t you think that makes it even stranger?”

He Lingchuan laughed. “Then that proves everything really is fine. What are you worrying about?” With a few jokes and evasive remarks, he smoothly steered the conversation elsewhere.

When they reached a fork in the path, he waved to He Yue and returned to his own courtyard.

He Yue watched his retreating figure, worry still strewn across his face.

Their father had just won a great battle. It was clearly wonderful news for both the state and the family, so why did he instead feel as though something in this household was becoming increasingly wrong?

He could not see exactly what the problem was, though, and worrying helplessly would solve nothing.

After returning to his quarters, He Lingchuan greeted Qiu Hu, then went into the courtyard to practice the spear.

He had been training for less than two hours when the fluttering beat of wings sounded overhead.

He looked up and saw a demoiselle crane[2] perched on the peach tree, tilting its head as it asked, “He Lingchuan?”

The large bird had a black head, red eyes, and long white eyebrow plumes. He Lingchuan found it unfamiliar. They most likely had never met before.

“Who are you?”

“I came from the west to deliver a letter for someone surnamed Liu.” The demoiselle crane had no patience for small talk. “Are you He Lingchuan or not?”

“Yes.” He Lingchuan held out a hand. “Where’s the letter?”

“Can you prove that you’re He Lingchuan?” The demoiselle crane took its job very seriously.

“How do I prove that I’m me?” Even this world has that age-old philosophical problem? “Give me a hint.”

“The man surnamed Liu asked what he left inside his private storage compartment at Hongyan Tower.”

“...” It truly was an extremely private question that only He Lingchuan could answer. Fortunately, his memory was good. After thinking for quite a while, he finally recalled it. “Two dudous. He once had a sweetheart he could never forget...”

“Correct!” The demoiselle crane could not care less about some boring human love story. The passphrase matched, so it handed over the item. “Your letter. Keep it safe!”

Sure enough, it passed He Lingchuan an envelope.

It was wrinkled and had two little feathers stuck to it, but the seal remained intact.

“It was very hard to keep dry!” the crane complained. “It rained the whole way here.”

“You’ve worked hard. Can you deliver my reply on the return trip?” He Lingchuan knew this kind of crane excelled at long-distance flight. A journey of several thousand kilometers was nothing special to it.

However, it was clearly exhausted now and had been breathing with its beak open the whole time.

“Sure. Fifty taels of silver and forty kilograms of premium silverfish—alive! But I need to rest first.”

That’s not expensive at all. Monsters really are straightforward. “Alright, how about I treat you to a feast of frogs first?”

“Huh?” Free food? The demoiselle crane nodded immediately. “Yes, yes!”

He Lingchuan called Qiu Hu over. “Help entertain this friend who’s come such a long way. Take it to the pond in our courtyard first.”

The squirrel on Qiu Hu’s shoulder saw the demoiselle crane and zipped straight into his robes.

He Lingchuan sighed.

Little Qiao actually likes Qiu Hu more than me? How strange.

Qiu Hu then led the crane monster away for water and food.

The He Residence now had three large, beautiful gardens, complete with lakes and ponds. By the fifth month, the croaking of frogs could already be heard everywhere.

He Lingchuan suspected that they were actually shouting insults at one another, because they were unbearably noisy at night. Whenever a whole chorus erupted right beneath the window, it was barely any different from thunder and made sleep almost impossible.

Madame Ying had complained about it several times and even organized the servants to catch frogs and reduce the noise, but the results had been poor.

The crane monster wandered along the lakeside as though it had walked into a buffet restaurant, pecking here and there with great enthusiasm. Insects, frogs, loaches, snails—it devoured them all happily.

It showed no favoritism. Every one of those things was among its favorite foods.

Now that a natural predator had arrived, the pond immediately grew much quieter. The frogs panicked, leaping desperately in every direction.

While the demoiselle crane enjoyed its feast, He Lingchuan opened the envelope.

Liu Baobao of the Liu Family Merchant Guild in Heishui City wrote that strange phenomena had been occurring repeatedly in the Panlong Desert.

A desert that had remained dry for over a century could not possibly turn into green fields after only a few spring rains. Yet on the shaded sides of enormous sand dunes, patches of grass had begun to grow, and small oases were appearing.

1. Also known as Lady Banks’ roses and thornless climbing roses. ☜

2. This is a species of crane found in central Eurosiberia, ranging from the Black Sea to Mongolia and Northeast China. ☜