After the Immortal Disappeared

Sunx Hongye was silent.

Hee Lingchuan continued:

"It’s been three days. I doubt General Ke will send anyone to look for you now."

More than two days had passed since Sunx Hongye was injured at the foot of Luming Garden, yet Ke Jihai had not sent anyone to check on him.

Clearly, the Grand General didn’t give a damn about this minor commoner.

Hee Lingchuan didn’t mind being his second choice at all. "Looking at the state of the country, if a man wants to make a name for himself, he either heads west or north."

Sunx Hongye studied Hee Lingchuan for a moment. "Young Master, your character is not what the rumors say."

"Rumors are nothing but Chasing Shadows. You’d be a fool to believe them." Hee Lingchuan stood up. "I’ll ask you one more time: are you in or not?"

"I’m in!" Sunx Hongye was decisive this time, giving Hee Lingchuan a deep bow. "Greetings, my lord! From this day forward, I, Sunx, am willing to follow you and serve you faithfully."

"Excellent, excellent!" Overjoyed, Hee Lingchuan helped him up. "I finally have my first advisor!"

Behind him, Assistant Liu handed a prepared bundle to Sunx Hongye. Hee Lingchuan waved a hand. "Time is of the essence. Go get changed, quickly."

Sunx Hongye went into a room and opened the bundle. Inside were three new sets of clothes, a pair of thick boots, and several gold and silver ingots totaling fifty taels.

This Master was truly generous. He hadn’t even done anything yet, and the money had already arrived.

When Sunx Hongye came out in his new clothes and boots, Hee Lingchuan clapped his hands. "It’s true, the clothes make the man. Here, put on this cloak and take a stroll down the street. I guarantee you’ll charm a few young ladies into following you all the way to Xiazhou."

The cloak was silk-embroidered on the outside and lined with soft gray squirrel fur. It was clearly expensive. Sunx Hongye knew he was spending a great sum as a show of respect, so he accepted it without protest and boarded the carriage with him.

***

Upon returning to the inn, Hee Lingchuan learned that Hee Chunhua had an unexpected visitor.

It was Zhu Xiyan and Zhu Xiu’er, the grandfather and granddaughter, who had come to see them off.

While Zhu Xiyan chatted happily with Hee Chunhua and his wife, Zhu Xiu’er saw Hee Lingchuan and handed him a Peace Talisman. "I embroidered this myself. Inside is an imperially-bestowed Dilong Fragrance. It’s colorless and odorless, but if you wear it, mosquitoes and poisonous snakes won’t dare come near. Its effect lasts for sixteen or seventeen months. I made one for each of you brothers. I hope you have a safe and smooth journey."

’This is great! Now I won’t have to worry about mosquito bites when I’m out in the wilds.’ Hee Lingchuan accepted it with a wide smile, immediately tying it to his waist and praising her outstanding craftsmanship.

Only when she was with him did Zhu Xiu’er smile so unguardedly.

Hee Lingchuan glanced at Zhu Xiyan, who was not far off. "How have things been at the Zhu Family’s home these past few days?"

"Being away for so long, my return was bound to cause some ripples." Zhu Xiu’er reached up to smooth her hair at her temples. "But Grandfather dotes on me more than ever before. With him here, I’ll be safe."

"In a few days, Grandfather even wants to find a suitable marriage for me."

Hee Lingchuan studied her carefully. Zhu Xiu’er looked radiant, finally showing the vitality and brightness of a woman in her early twenties.

It was as if the past events at Immortal Spirit Lake had been buried along with the passage of time.

She said to Hee Lingchuan with great solemnity, "The Hee Family gave me a new life, but you personally are the one who truly saved me. If there’s ever a way I can help in the future, you must give me the chance!"

Hee Lingchuan nodded.

Just then, Hee Chunhua ambled over. He greeted Zhu Xiu’er with a smile, then lowered his voice. "Someone in the Zhu Family has been asking around about your past, trying to find out what really happened after you were abducted. They even came asking around in my retinue."

Zhu Xiu’er’s smile didn’t waver. "Mr. Hee, surely you don’t happen to know who that person is, do you?"

Hee Chunhua quietly spoke a name.

"As expected." Zhu Xiu’er chuckled softly. "I also found a clue. The traffickers who took me back then didn’t just pick their target at random."

A cold glint was hidden in the depths of her beautiful eyes.

Seven or eight long years of torment either turn a person into a sheep or a wolf.

Hee Chunhua nodded. "We must be on our way. You should be careful."

Zhu Xiu’er bowed to him. "Thank you, Mr. Hee! I will be."

Hee Lingchuan thought, ’From now on, it’s not Zhu Xiu’er who needs to be careful.’

With farewells said and gifts exchanged, Zhu Xiu’er said goodbye to the Hee Family, then helped Zhu Xiyan into their carriage.

She smiled and waved to the Hee Brothers, then lowered the window curtain as the carriage slowly began to move.

Hee Chunhua turned to his wife and sons. "We should get going as well."

The luggage was already packed, and the carriages were ready.

As Madam Ying and Hee Yue went to board their carriage, Hee Chunhua finally asked Hee Lingchuan, "That young man you brought to the inn, isn’t he the Hex Family’s reading companion?"

Hee Lingchuan grinned. "I see he’s talented, and I’ve been wanting to do some reading. He’s my reading companion now."

Hee Chunhua was taken aback. "He’s coming with us?"

"Yes, and his salary can be deducted from my allowance." ’It’s just hiring one person, right?’ He figured Hee Chunhua wouldn’t object. For a young master from an official’s family like him, not having seven or eight attendants around didn’t seem right for his status.

"You’ve already hired a Monkey." Adding a whole person on top of that would be quite an expense.

"All my attendants were left behind in Black Water City. I don’t have anyone to help me," Hee Lingchuan said cheekily. "So, could you maybe go to Mother and help me argue for a little more monthly allowance?"

"..."

"For the sake of me nearly dying the night before last and still being injured?"

Hee Chunhua’s face twitched.

’If not for his eldest son, how could the entire family have survived Dong Rui’s surprise attack? If not for his eldest son, would he have had the opportunity to have an audience with the emperor on this trip to Shihuan?’

’Speaking of which, since the Sunx Fuping incident, this son of his really had changed a lot. Now he wasn’t just diligent in his martial arts training, he even wanted to study hard and build a career.’

He stared intently at Hee Lingchuan, his gaze complicated. Only when the latter began to feel uneasy under his scrutiny did he slowly say:

"Fine."

Hee Lingchuan quickly changed the subject. "By the way, how is the Recruitment Command working out?"

"Quite well. It’s only been posted for three days, and more than three hundred and sixty people have come for interviews. It seems there are as many discontented and ambitious talents as there are crucian carp crossing a river." He and Mozhe Jingxuan and the others barely had time to eat or change clothes. "After examinations, I’ve kept nineteen of them. They will follow the Supporting Army north and serve as Government Officials, helping me manage military and political affairs."

"Nineteen people, that many!" Hee Lingchuan was slightly surprised. "I thought your standards were higher, Dad."

"It’s better to have more people so we can weed them out." Hee Chunhua patted his son’s shoulder. "For now, we can only listen to what they say. Only later can we observe their governance and examine their actions."

Recruiting now was just armchair strategy. Only when they got to the state government and started on practical matters would they know who was talented and who was useless.

"Although we’re not supposed to be sticking to one pattern, I’ve still sent people to investigate the backgrounds of these nineteen." Hee Chunhua smiled. "By the time we reach Dunyu, that intelligence will have arrived as well."

***

A gentle breeze, a warm sun, golden fields.

The autumn heat on the Chipa Plateau had passed, and a cool, refreshing wind blew across the fields.

It was the height of the busy harvest season, yet in a vast field of sorghum, there wasn’t a single person to be seen—only the tall plants swaying in the wind.

Soon, a RUSTLING sound came from the field, and the sorghum stalks began to shake violently, the commotion moving from far to near.

A figure burst out. It looked as if his feet weren’t even touching the ground, but in reality, his frantic steps kicked up large clumps of dirt.

He had to be fast, because with a SWOOSH, a massive figure also burst out from the sorghum field.

It was in hot pursuit right behind him.

It was an enormous brown bear, at least twice the size of a normal one. If it stood on its hind legs, it would be over fifteen feet tall, and a single one of its paws was as large as a millstone.

Its fur was originally glossy and smooth, and its charge was enough to shake the mountains and make the earth tremble, its hide rippling like waves, a testament to its fat and strength. But now, two feathered arrows and a Long Spear were stuck in its back and hindquarters. Several darts were embedded in its shoulder, and fresh blood streamed down its fur onto the ground.

The pain only enraged it, and it desperately chased the human in front of it.

Bears may not like running long distances, but their short sprints are faster than a horse’s. A beast of this size, in particular, could cover the distance of four or five human strides in a single step.

The unlucky soul running in front of it was small and skinny. He was as fast as an antelope and very agile, narrowly escaping the bear’s paws several times.

Fortunately, he knew how to dodge and weave. If he had run in a straight line, the bear would have caught him long ago.

Even so, he was in constant peril.

Whenever the Giant Bear got close, it would reach out a paw, intending to disembowel him with its five-inch-long gray claws.

If it missed, it would clench its paw and pull back, and a strong gust of wind would materialize out of thin air in front of Skinny, dragging him back.

This brown bear actually had the innate talent to summon wind.

Skinny dodged another fatal swipe and shouted, "Make your move! I can’t hold on much longer!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, two feathered arrows shot out from the woods with a WHOOSH, one hitting the bear’s waist and the other its ribs.

The Giant Bear roared in pain, but it refused to give up, single-mindedly chasing the man before it. With a ferocious lunge, it swung its forepaw and finally swiped Skinny!

He was sent flying like a ball, crashing hard against a large tree before he stopped. A yellow light flashed from his body as a Protective Talisman on his waist shattered.

The man was dizzy from the impact. He heard his companion yell "Watch out!" and when he focused his eyes, the Giant Bear was already pouncing. He could almost smell the foul stench coming from its throat!

It was too late to run. Without a second thought, Skinny rolled over and started scrambling up the tree.

The Giant Bear missed its pounce. Dazed with rage, it also kicked off the ground and followed him up the tree, yellow-green foam dripping from the corners of its mouth.

The tree was tall, its trunk so thick it would take five or six people to encircle it, and its branches were a complex, winding maze. The Giant Bear couldn’t dodge the branches, so it simply charged upward with its head held high, breaking them as it went.

Under these circumstances, the slender Skinny was naturally the faster climber.

Someone below seemed to be shouting something like, "Don’t go any higher!"

Why would Skinny listen? A gaping, bloody maw was in hot pursuit just five feet below him.

He had just grumbled this in his head when his handhold suddenly gave way with a CRACK—

The branch he was using for leverage had broken.

’Crap!’

Skinny went into freefall. He grabbed two branches in a row trying to slow his descent, but they both snapped.

’It’s over.’ He lamented internally, ’My life is over.’

The Giant Bear directly below him immediately opened its massive jaws, waiting for this take-out meal to deliver itself.

But just then, a Long Saber flew in from below and at an angle, sinking into the Giant Bear’s cheek with a THUD.