After the Immortal Disappeared

The others laughed at him. "Is that one bear gallbladder even enough to cover the bride price for your third brother?"

Door Panel clapped him on the shoulder. "Want me to chip in? But let’s get one thing straight: I get a share of the bride."

"It’s plenty, and none of you are getting a share," Skinny said, shrugging off the jests as he carefully placed it in a box.

His teammates all knew he was the eldest son. He had four younger brothers and two younger sisters, and his second brother had lost a leg in battle, leaving him unable to do the heavy labor required to support the family.

After their parents passed away, Skinny, as the eldest brother, had to take on the role of a father. Now, with the bear gallbladder in hand, he felt emboldened. "Let’s see what else the in-laws dare to ask for this time!"

Just as they were about to part ways and head home to rest, Fire Chief Liu Tong returned. "Hold on, don’t disperse yet. We’ve got another mission."

Door Panel was taken aback. "Right now?"

They had spent over a dozen double-hours tracking, ambushing, and fighting before they finally killed the Bear Demon. They should have been recuperating.

"This is a mandatory mission. No room for negotiation." Liu Tong’s face was grim. "Everyone, tend to your wounds and prepare five days’ worth of supplies. We rest for one and a half double-hours, then assemble at the South Gate Square. This time, it’s an army-wide operation!"

Everyone was shocked and started talking all at once. "We’re participating in an army-wide operation?"

"Is it finally our turn?"

"A major battle is good! The military merits are generous!" ’And so is the pay,’ Skinny thought, licking his lips. "I was getting sick of killing lone Demons anyway."

Hee Lingchuan asked, "How many regiments are participating?"

"I don’t know. It’s classified," Liu Tong told them. "Time is short. Hurry and restock your food, water, Pills, arrows, and other weapons. Take your horses back to the stables to rest. I’ll go get a batch of fresh warhorses to replace them. We might be in for a long march once we leave the city."

Door Panel asked seriously, "Are we going to Puxi Gully?"

"I don’t know." Liu Tong left in a hurry.

Liuu twisted her neck, which cracked a few times. "The horses get to rest, but we don’t get the same luxury." They had been hunting for over a dozen double-hours, returned to the city exhausted, and now had to set out again immediately. "I’m going home to get some sleep."

Skinny, however, had to rush home to give his family the spoils from the trip. Before he left, though, he didn’t forget to ask his teammates, "Hey, we only have one double-hour left. None of you have time to go shopping, right? So, same as last time? Twenty scallion-and-meat flatbreads and five blocks of cheese per person?"

Door Panel frowned. "We buy from your sister-in-law every single time. Can’t you give us a discount?"

"These are for you guys, so my family makes sure to use good flour and plenty of oil. Don’t you find them rich and fragrant when you eat them?" Skinny counted on his fingers. "Even then, each flatbread is one Copper Plate cheaper than the market price. That’s the teammate price! An honest price!"

"Then why was the meat in the last batch a little sour?" another teammate chimed in. "What kind of meat are you actually using?"

"Good meat! It’s all one-hundred-percent real, quality meat!" Skinny said with a straight face. "I watched them make the flatbreads with my own two eyes. Rest assured, there were absolutely no cut corners."

"I found a fly in one of my flatbreads," the teammate retorted. "If you were watching the whole time, how did you not see it fly in?"

"A fly is just an extra mouthful of meat. It’s crispy, it’s crunchy—why pick it out?"

Everyone booed him, but they also tacitly agreed to keep buying their provisions from his family. Skinny had to support a large family all by himself and was always short on cash; he wouldn’t let even half a Copper Plate slip through his fingers. Besides, the scallion-and-meat flatbreads tasted more or less the same no matter where you got them. And at least Skinny was right about one thing: the ones his sister-in-law made were greasier, which made them more filling.

After the others had gone, Skinny asked Hee Lingchuan, "Broken Blade, you need anything else?"

"Get me another five pounds of beef jerky. Make it extra dry and tough, not damp."

"Done!" Skinny knew that a bachelor like Hee Lingchuan with no family to support only had himself to feed, so he was naturally more generous when it came to food and expenses.

Oxen were precious farm animals. Who would bear to slaughter one unless it was injured, sick, or old? As a result, beef jerky cost at least three times as much as cheese.

Hee Lingchuan stressed, "No cat meat, no badger meat. I want *real* beef."

"I get it, I get it," Skinny said with a laugh and turned to run, but Hee Lingchuan stopped him again. "And get me a few Ghost Shadow Cicada Shells."

"Ghost Shadow..." Skinny paused. "That stuff’s not cheap."

"It’s even more expensive to redeem them with military merits." Every city had a black market, and even one as strict as Panlong City was no exception. It was a place where rare and valuable goods, not often seen on the open market, were traded. If Hu Min and Aluo hadn’t both been away, Hee Lingchuan wouldn’t have bothered asking this guy.

The Ghost Shadow Cicada Shell was the essential "seed" required to use the Substitution technique. After Hee Lingchuan learned this Divine Technique, he could toss a shell on the ground beforehand and then, at any moment, instantly swap places with it as long as he was within fifty feet.

Although it had a long cooldown of three double-hours, it was a Divine Skill when used correctly.

After Skinny left, Hee Lingchuan returned to the Pengcheng Bureau and used his accumulated military merits to redeem the Substitution technique.

Then, he found a nearby inn and rented a room. The shorter the break between battles, the more crucial it was to seize every moment to rest and recover.

Hu Min had left the previous afternoon without saying where he was going. Coincidentally, Aluo had done the same. Hee Lingchuan deduced that they had set out for the Panlong Wasteland ahead of him.

During his recent forays into Dreamland, he had been diligently gathering intelligence. He quickly discovered that Panlong City and the Baling Army had already clashed several times in the Puxi Gully warzone. In response to the Baling Army’s harassing tactics, Panlong City focused on major threats while letting the minor ones slide. They didn’t just sit back and wait, instead sending troops to act as escorts only during the peak harvest season and when large merchant caravans were leaving the city.

When their incursions proved ineffective, the Baling Army simply sent more men to raid the merchant caravans directly.

After all, the local specialties from Puxi Gully were truly valuable.

Before today, the Baling Army had succeeded in their raids three times and failed four times. Their most recent attempt was just three days ago.

Mobilizing an army for raids seven times in just two short months showed just how intense the conflict had become.

The Great Wind Army couldn’t possibly handle such frequent, medium-scale battles on its own, as it had its own missions to perform. Therefore, the Patrol Guard Army was brought in as reinforcements, becoming one of the main forces in the Puxi Gully Guard Team for every engagement.

Many Patrol Squads had already been sent. This time, it was finally the turn of Hee Lingchuan’s unit.

He had just lain down on the cot when the exhaustion from the past dozen-plus double-hours washed over him, dragging him into Dreamland.

On his last few missions, Hee Lingchuan had been surprised to discover that he could actually fall asleep while in Dreamland.

However, this kind of slumber didn’t lead to dreams within dreams. Instead, it was a deep, heavy sleep from which he would awaken feeling energized and completely refreshed.

There was still half an hour before assembly time. Hee Lingchuan went to a small eatery nearby and ordered a platter of boiled mutton, two enormous, unleavened steamed buns, and a large bowl of wonton soup, which he began to slurp down noisily.

Of all foods, meat was the most filling. ’I should save Skinny’s flatbreads for as long as possible,’ Hee Lingchuan thought.

But the only ones who could afford to eat like this in a small restaurant were probably the Patrol Guards. Anyone else would have to think twice before ordering even a simple bowl of mutton broth with just a sheen of oil on top.

A child at a nearby table was practically drooling, slowly gnawing on a dry bun while stealing glances at Hee Lingchuan’s bowl.

Hee Lingchuan paid him no mind and ate his fill.

The waiter attentively handed Hee Lingchuan two full Water Bags. Many Patrol Guards ate here, so the restaurant provided whatever small services it could, like helping to replenish provisions and fresh water.

Hee Lingchuan stood up, paid his bill, then pointed to his soup bowl and asked the child, "You want this?"

The child nodded furiously. There were still a few large wontons left in the broth, along with some fragrant scallions and a glistening layer of oil.

The child’s mother watched with longing eyes. The last time her family had eaten meat, she recalled, was two months ago.

Hee Lingchuan placed the bowl on the child’s table and walked out.

「Panlong City South Gate Square.」

By the time Hee Lingchuan found his squad, seven or eight hundred people had already gathered in the square. Judging by their uniforms, nearly all of them were from the Patrol Guard Army.

Skinny had arrived with his second sister-in-law and was busy handing out provisions with one hand while collecting money with the other.

The young woman was fair-skinned and rather pretty. She carried two baskets filled with freshly made scallion-and-meat flatbreads, which were still steaming through their oiled paper wrappings. She smiled at everyone and didn’t seem to mind the men cracking a few lewd jokes with her.

Door Panel said to Skinny, "I’m only buying from you again if your sister-in-law is the one delivering."

Skinny rolled his eyes at him. "First you’ll have to survive today’s mission." He then jutted his chin toward Liuu.

Door Panel turned to look and saw Liuu glaring daggers at him, her brows knitted in fury. He couldn’t help but look down and cough twice.

Liu Tong came over and led the squad into a nearby alley, where someone was handing out sets of light leather armor.

Hee Lingchuan paused, but Door Panel had already blurted out, "Hey, aren’t these Great Wind Army uniforms?!"

The standard-issue equipment of the Great Wind Army was distinct from all other units and instantly recognizable.

How many men dreamed of the honor of joining the Great Wind Army and wearing its uniform?

"What are you shouting for? You want everyone to hear you?" Liu Tong made a silencing gesture. "Change into them. Right here, right now. Hurry."

No one asked any more questions. They quickly and quietly changed, and someone came by to collect their old Patrol Guard uniforms.

Door Panel stroked the Great Wind Army uniform on his body, his eyes filled with awe. "So this gear is ours now?"

The gear was all used, clearly having been worn by its previous owners for some time. Hee Lingchuan even found a dark red bloodstain on one of the vambraces.

There’s no such thing as a free lunch, not even a half-eaten one. Liuu asked suspiciously, "What exactly are they asking us to do?"

"Soldiers don’t ask so many questions." More people arrived, leading horses. They were all spirited steeds with sleek, well-brushed coats, and even had their own feedbags hanging from the saddles.

On a forced march like this, the horses could graze on the grasses of the Wilderness, but for them to have real stamina and endurance, the riders had to carry a supply of high-quality feed.

The men exchanged uneasy glances.

Why would the preparations be this thorough if not for a tough fight ahead?

Liu Tong called for everyone to take their horses and return to the square.

Liuu and the others had already had their wounds redressed. Panlong City’s Spirit Medicine was exceptionally effective on superficial wounds, so their injuries no longer hindered their movements.

By now, over a thousand soldiers had assembled in the South Gate Square. A large man clad in Heavy Armor stepped onto a platform and began to address the army.

Hee Lingchuan heard someone whisper that this was General Nanke.