After the Immortal Disappeared

The old woman’s house might have been a mess, but her memory was incredible. Only she could pull out her belongings from the nooks and crannies where they were stuffed.

A moment later, the large black-and-white jars were found—eight of them in total. Hee Lingchuan carefully opened them for inspection, a relieved smile spreading across his face.

"Perfect. No moisture damage." He promptly stored them in his Storage Ring.

This was where a massive Storage Space proved its worth.

Shan Youjun took out a silver ingot and handed it to the old man. "Let’s go."

「Northwest of Bailu Town, at the abandoned mine pits.」

It was a low-yield mine, small in scale, and had only been active for about a decade. The mine caves had long since flooded, turning into large pits of shimmering green water that even contained fish. The dilapidated houses where the miners once lived now had new occupants.

A large herd of warhorses grazed in the woods, and sentries stood guard around the pits. Inside one of the dilapidated houses, a military physician was administering first aid to Baili Qing.

After Hee Lingchuan had severed his arm, Baili Qing continued to command the battle and the subsequent retreat. By the time reinforcements rescued him, he had lost so much blood that he was slipping in and out of consciousness.

Xuu Yingxian, the Deputy Captain sent by Hong Chenglu to reinforce them, was reporting that his men had crossed a river on their way back, using the water to shake off the "tail" that had been following them.

The other three generals were also in the room. One of them, Tao Ze, asked Hong Chenglu, "General, what’s our next move?"

Hong Chenglu’s expression was grim.

The Xunzhou Rangers were few in number to begin with, and he had split them into two teams for a risky surprise attack. He had personally led the team to Bailu Town, which was a success. The Xinhuang mission, however, had failed, costing them two hundred men.

For the Xunzhou Rangers operating behind enemy lines, this was a devastating loss. With so many wounded, they were critically short on medical supplies and personnel. In fact, two of the men Baili Qing had brought back had just succumbed to their injuries.

"What other plans could there be?" another general exclaimed, slapping his thigh. "We should take advantage of the wavering morale among the Xiazhou people, burn the other half of their grain, and let Zhao Pan’s army starve! I can’t believe the Governor of Xiazhou himself is here. To kill a snake, you must crush its head. To capture thieves, you must first capture their king..."

"Exactly! If we just take out the Governor of Xiazhou, all of Yuanbei will descend into chaos. Zhao Pan’s army might even collapse without a fight! General Hong, you’re about to lead us to a great victory!"

Though Baili Qing was unconscious, his personal guards had already recounted the full story of the ambush at Xinhuang.

Tao Ze immediately threw cold water on their enthusiasm. "We just lost two hundred men! And you think we can kill the Governor of Xiazhou with the handful of soldiers we have left? General Baili set up the ambush at Xinhuang Town, and even he was forced to retreat with severe injuries. How do you think we measure up to him?"

The other two were speechless for a moment, but their expressions remained defiant. "But we still have General Hong, don’t we?"

’How could some unknown Governor of Xiazhou possibly contend with the long-renowned Grand General Hong?’

"Quiet," Hong Chenglu said, noticing Baili Qing frown in his unconscious state. He motioned for the men to lower their voices. "The Governor of Xiazhou wasn’t killed in the explosion—I don’t know if it was due to luck or caution." He had personally laid this trap, yet Hee Chunhua had escaped it. "The ones who died in the restaurant were his subordinates. This means that this man, Hee, likely hasn’t been advertising his presence."

Otherwise, what reason would Hee Chunhua have to skip a routine social function like a dinner hosted by the County Magistrate?

A general asked, perplexed, "The governor of a whole state has to sneak north with a grain transport team?"

"This man has his ways. He’s been very high-profile since he took office in Xiazhou Prefecture. I heard he brought the four great families of Dunyu to heel—they give him money when he asks for it and grain when he demands it. Otherwise, Zhao Pan couldn’t have afforded his two recent victories." Even when he was posing as a commoner in Bailu Town, Hong Chenglu had been instinctively gathering intelligence. "I’ve heard he was originally a minor official on the western frontier of the Yuan Kingdom, but later racked up numerous military achievements. If we don’t get a handle on this man’s character, the battles ahead will be hard to fight."

Just then, a sentry from outside rushed in.

"Reporting! Something’s in the sky!"

Everyone went outside to look. A black dot in the sky was growing larger as it headed toward the mine.

Hong Chenglu glanced up and said, "Dong Rui is back."

A general beside him couldn’t help but sneer, "Look at him, so arrogant and full of himself all the time. General Hong sent him to help General Baili, and he still came back defeated!"

The Strange Bird soon landed at the edge of the mine, and the general fell silent.

Dong Rui leaped off the bird’s back. Everyone could see that his palm was wrapped in cloth strips and his clothes were covered in blood. He cradled a Monkey in his arms; its eyes were closed, and it was barely breathing.

He looked just as battered as Baili Qing, if not worse.

This was a wanted criminal, specially pardoned by National Preceptor Frost Leaf to serve as a Guest Minister for the duration of the Xunzhou Rangers’ operation. Hong Chenglu remained courteous toward him, stepping forward to ask, "Is the injury serious? Should I call for the military physician?"

He had heard from the survivors of Baili Qing’s unit that the Monkey Dong Rui kept with him could transform into a Giant Ape of Infinite Strength, one that didn’t even fear entire armies.

As soon as Hong Chenglu heard this, he understood the true value of this "Guest Minister."

"You can’t treat its wounds," Dong Rui said, his face livid. "The life-saving Spirit Medicine was stolen! Where’s the Ghost Head Ginseng you promised me? Bring it to me, now!"

He spoke without a shred of courtesy, but Hong Chenglu didn’t hold it against him. After a moment’s hesitation, he walked back into the house and said to the military physician tending to Baili Qing, "Bring me the rest of the Ghost Head Ginseng."

The military physician paused, then found a jade box among the medicines on the table and handed it over.

Hong Chenglu opened the box. Inside lay half of a Cyan Ginseng. The head of the root looked exactly like a howling Fierce Ghost, its expression rendered in lifelike, intricate detail.

However, despite being called "ginseng," it wasn’t a true ginseng root. It was a mutated variety of Aconite Grass, capable of altering its toxicity based on the nutrients it absorbed and its environment.

The Ghost Head Ginseng in the box was only the top half, from the "mouth" up. As a result, its expression was far less ferocious.

Dong Rui followed him in, and his face darkened when he saw it. "Half a root? This wasn’t our agreement!"

"Lives were on the line. Many soldiers just returned from Xinhuang critically wounded, so I authorized the physician to use it to save them," Hong Chenglu said, knowing he was in the wrong. He softened his tone. "Take this half for now. When we get back to Xunzhou, I’ll request another one for you from my superiors."

"Another one?" Dong Rui laughed, a sound devoid of mirth. "Are you kidding me? Do you have any idea how hard it is to get Ghost Head Ginseng?"

To cultivate a Ghost Head Ginseng, you have to plant a sentient Aconite Grass inside the abdomen of a powerful Demon or a Daoist Sect adept—and it has to be a live planting.

A sentient Aconite Grass must be old, but an old Aconite Grass isn’t necessarily sentient. That’s the first hurdle.

A sentient Aconite Grass can draw nutrients not just from soil, but also essence from flesh and blood.

After seven months of cultivation, and possibly one or two changes of host, the "ghost head" finally forms. At that point, it possesses a "great poison, great tonic" effect, equivalent to a potent cardiac stimulant and a powerful restorative combined. Used correctly, it can pull someone back from the very brink of death.

Hong Chenglu smiled. "Marshal Nian or the Beiga Kingdom will find a way."

Ordinarily, Dong Rui would have stormed off without another word.

But the Ghost Ape’s injuries were critical, and Dong Rui had no time to argue. He snatched the Treasure Ginseng, found another dilapidated hut, and began preparing the medicine on the spot.

Ghost Head Ginseng couldn’t be consumed directly; he had to neutralize most of its toxicity first.

Hong Chenglu followed him inside. He watched the Demon Puppet Master work with a fluid grace, busy yet methodical. His medical skills seemed far superior to their team’s physician.

Refining Demon Puppets inevitably involved working with living tissue, using both medicines and scalpels. It would be strange if he weren’t proficient.

"Who injured the Ghost Ape so severely?" Hong Chenglu asked, wanting a firsthand account of the battle.

Without looking up, Dong Rui forced a few words through his teeth: "The Hee father and son!" He then recounted the battle. "I have an old grudge against them."

Hong Chenglu was immediately intrigued. "Oh? What’s the story?"

Dong Rui then briefly recounted the failed ambush at Luming Garden in Shihuan City. "If they hadn’t interfered," he added bitterly, "Ke Jihai would be long dead."

With Ke Jihai dead, there would be one less Grand General in the Yuan Kingdom capable of stopping the Grand Commandant.

Hong Chenglu asked, "Did you go there specifically to kill Ke Jihai?"

"...And Hee Chunhua," Dong Rui admitted, glancing at him. "They were in consecutive carriages, anyway. I figured I’d take care of them both at once."

He had made the mistake of biting off more than he could chew.

"It sounds like they have a number of useful Magical Artifacts and capable men with them," Hong Chenglu mused. "Do you have any more information on this father and son?"

"I do. Sunx Fuping died by his hand."

Hong Chenglu was stunned. "What? He killed National Preceptor Sunx of the Yuan Kingdom?"

"That’s right. I heard it happened in the Panlong Desert, but no one knows the exact details. Apparently, Sunx Fuping and Nian Zanli’s son, Nian Songyu, tricked the Hees into leading troops into Panlong Ancient City on a treasure hunt. In the end, no treasure was found, and neither Sunx Fuping nor Nian Songyu ever came back out. Only the Hee father and son returned alive—and they did it during the Panlong Desert’s storm season. They say nothing living can escape the desert during that season."

Hong Chenglu frowned. "How could you underestimate a man like that?"

Dong Rui cleared his throat. "Hee Chunhua’s Cultivation is nothing special. I figured he must have gotten lucky to take down National Preceptor Sunx. I was careless."

"Oh, and his entire family was executed by the old Emperor."

"Which old Emperor?" This intelligence was crucial to Hong Chenglu.

"The father of the current Emperor of the Yuan Kingdom." Dong Rui wiped the blood from his hands with a cloth. "They say he was misled by slander and had the entire Hee Family executed, not even sparing a six-year-old Child. Only Hee Chunhua escaped, as he was away from home at the time. The old Emperor didn’t hunt him down, just banished him to a small border town."

"Failed to pull the weed out by the root. He must have felt guilty," Hong Chenglu said with a smile. "And after all that, Hee Chunhua is still willing to serve as an official in the Yuan Kingdom?"

"What else could he do?" Dong Rui said dismissively. "What better options did he have?"

Hong Chenglu shook his head. "The Yuan Kingdom was founded only sixty years ago. The mindset of its people and its traditions can’t be compared to an ancient nation like the Beiga Kingdom. How much true loyalty to the throne can you expect to find here? Hmm..."

He fell into deep thought. ’Hee Chunhua carries the weight of his family’s massacre, yet he’s still willing to lay his life on the line for the Yuan Kingdom. He must be a deeply calculating man, driven by personal gain and a thirst for reputation.’