After the Immortal Disappeared

After all, with Floating Bandits everywhere, the larger families have stronger guards.

"Yes, some have left," Ding Zuodong said. "But the Li and Shu Families are doing the opposite, buying up properties left and right. They’re the most important bellwethers. If they don’t leave, most people won’t either."

"They saw how we’re operating and decided to gamble as well?"

"Those two families have assets spread all over Xiazhou, with a heavy concentration in Dunyu. They can’t just pick up and move easily; it would be a crippling blow."

Hee Lingchuan sneered, "What a penchant for gambling. When a summer swamp dries up, the biggest crocodiles are the ones that end up dead at the bottom."

Ding Zuodong asked cautiously, "But their bet paid off, didn’t it?"

"This time, it did." Hee Lingchuan patted his shoulder. "Don’t worry, good news from the front lines will arrive soon. Those who have faith in the Hee Family and in Dunyu should be rewarded."

Ding Zuodong breathed a quiet sigh of relief, but he felt there was a deeper meaning to the Eldest Young Master’s words.

"Alright, tell me, how much money do I have left?"

On hearing this, Ding Zuodong immediately reported the accounts to Hee Lingchuan, not missing a single detail.

Over the past six days, he had struck out everywhere, working nonstop to acquire numerous prime assets for Hee Lingchuan.

He had long since seen what was good, what was bad, and what was toxic. Previously frustrated by his own poverty, he was now able to operate with someone else’s money. He haggled mercilessly and bought up properties without hesitation.

He hadn’t felt this spirited in a long time.

In just a few days, over eighty thousand of Hee Lingchuan’s one hundred thousand taels of silver had been spent, with over ten thousand spent today alone. Only a little more than ten thousand remained on the books.

Ding Zuodong was still raring to go, wishing he could keep spending on Hee Lingchuan’s behalf.

"Once the situation in Dunyu stabilizes and people regain their confidence, you’ll make back at least double your money just by selling these properties."

Hee Lingchuan shook his head. "Double is far too little."

’How many mortal livelihoods is a single Purple Gold Pestle worth?’

"These are businesses that will provide a steady, long-term income," Ding Zuodong said with a smile. "The regular rental income will be a constant stream."

An asset that can generate a constant stream of cash flow is a true asset.

Hee Lingchuan took out a slip of paper. "Since I own a pharmacy now, go and collect these medicinal herbs for me and give them to Medicine Ape Ling Guang." Now he could buy medicine at cost.

’Come to think of it, my initial reason for wanting to make money was simply that Yin Yang Powder was burning through my silver too quickly, and I was afraid of using up all my savings. How did I end up with an operation this massive?’

’Sigh, I’ve really made trouble for myself.’

Seeing the two about to leave, he called out to Shan Youjun, "By the way, Jiao Tai is being released this evening. You can go and get him." He tossed over a token and a silver ingot. "He’s been in the clink for so many days, his injuries probably haven’t gotten any better. Use this token to get him treated and prescribed medicine at Huixiang Hall, put it on my tab. Give this silver to Jiao Tai as a small gesture from me."

Shan Youjun was overjoyed, and his knees went weak again.

Hee Lingchuan’s eyes and hands were quick; he caught him in one swift motion. "Stop kneeling. Get going!"

’The kid worries about Jiao Tai, so he’s loyal and righteous. But even though he was worried, he held back and didn’t ask for six days, which means he has some composure.’

’The person Sunx Hongye recruited is not bad.’

￥￥￥￥￥

That night before bed, Hee Lingchuan patted Broken Blade. "Remember, arrange another fight with Meng Shan for me tonight."

Sure enough, when he entered the Panlong Dream Realm, he appeared directly inside Yuewu Hall.

He had been sparring with Meng Shan for the past few days, which indirectly proved that Broken Blade could indeed understand him.

He walked to the edge of Yuewu Hall’s North Courtyard and smacked the fence hard. "Meng Shan, get out here!"

When Meng Shan saw him, he was already getting impatient. "Are you here to fight or just to get your ass kicked?"

He’d beaten this kid to a pulp every single time. Anyone else would have been dead four times over. How was this Hee fellow still coming back for a one-on-one the next day, full of life?

’Were those crisp sounds of cracking and fracturing bones he’d heard all fake?’

Hee Lingchuan’s taunt was just two words, but it worked every time:

"Scared yet?"

Steam practically shot from Meng Shan’s nostrils. He strode through Dulou and into the South Courtyard.

As soon as he appeared, the spectators in the North and South Courtyards knew there was a show to watch. They immediately gathered around, some whistling, some cheering for Hee Lingchuan.

To fight and lose repeatedly was tragic, but to keep fighting despite repeated losses also earned a person a new level of respect.

Especially since Broken Blade’s opponent was Meng Shan, that Violent Bear of a man. Even the Warriors of the Great Wind Army in the North Courtyard were unwilling to fight him.

Skinny popped out of nowhere, full of energy. "Place your bets, place your bets! We’re betting on how long Broken Blade can last today!"

For the past few days, although Hee Lingchuan had never won, the time he managed to last was getting longer each day. Skinny had made a big deal out of this and earned a good deal of money.

Hee Lingchuan joined in, tossing him a silver ingot. "Skinny, bet on me to last longer than a quarter of an hour!" He was the one getting beaten, the one suffering; it made no sense for him not to get a cut of the money.

"You got it!"

"Then I’ll bet he won’t last!" Meng Shan said with a grim face, cracking his knuckles. "Tell me, how do you want to die today?"

Hee Lingchuan waved his hand. "Not so fast. Let me ask you a question first."

"Go ahead." Faced with such a resilient human punching bag, Meng Shan was in a rare good mood.

"Have you ever fought the Red General?"

"Of course." Why else would he have been so thoroughly convinced and willing to surrender?

"Did he beat you easily?"

Meng Shan rolled his eyes and held up three fingers.

"Just five moves."

He was even very proud as he said it. "Some of those guys from the North Courtyard can’t even last two moves!"

Two Great Wind Army Warriors heard this and, unconvinced, yelled at him from the fence, "That’s just because you’re fat!"

Weight is an asset too.

Hee Lingchuan took a long, deep breath.

’The Dao has no end. That’s not just an empty saying.’

’The road ahead is long.’

...

The night was clear, with no wind or snow.

Heaven was smiling on them. The Zhan Family’s convoy traveled south smoothly, covering nearly forty li through the night, and finally arrived at Bu County.

Traveling with this convoy were nearly twenty thousand civilians, merchants, and minor nobles.

Bu County itself only had a permanent population of seventeen thousand; it certainly couldn’t accommodate all these uninvited guests. Besides, it was still before dawn and the curfew had not yet ended. No one was allowed in.

The Zhan Family negotiated at the city gate for a long time, but the painfully upright City Gate Guard just wouldn’t let them in.

Thus, everyone could only set up tents and rest in the open space outside the county town. Anyone who wanted firewood for warmth would find that if they were a step too late, all the kindling in the nearby woods had already been picked clean.

This was the reality of being a refugee: don’t expect a warm welcome from others, and don’t expect to find hot water on the road.

For the leading figures of the Zhan Family and many other nobles, they had never been so destitute in their entire lives.

But when they thought of the Dunyu City they had fled, soon to be engulfed in the flames of war, they felt a sense of relief deep down.

It was better to live a miserable life than to die a good death.

Fortunately, it was now early spring. Although the mornings and evenings were chilly and the ice and snow hadn’t completely melted, it was nowhere near as harsh as the severe winter two months prior.

Everyone had traveled forty li and was dead tired. They could have fallen asleep on beds of ice and snow.

But before the sky brightened, two fast horses galloped in from the north. Their riders shouted from below the city gate, "Urgent Command from the State Government! Open the gates!"

After they shouted this three times, the City Guards verified the order and opened the gates.

The commotion carried far, and the Dunyu People sleeping in their tents heard it too. Some were still groggy with sleep, while others were already whispering among themselves:

’News from Dunyu, and it’s an urgent message.’

’What could it be?’

’Has the Xunzhou Army already pushed south in force?’

This kind of speculation soon reached the ears of the Zhan Family members.

Another double-hour passed. The roosters crowed at dawn, and the city gates opened.

Zhan Song, Patriarch of the Zhan Family, immediately led his kinsmen into the city to find an inn to rest. After sleeping half the night in the wild, their bodies were sore and aching all over.

Of course, the Zhan Family didn’t forget to send people out to make inquiries.

However, just as Zhan Song and the others had finished washing up and sat down to eat their first steamer of buns, a young servant rushed back, shouting, "We won! We won!"

"Won what!" Before Zhan Song could even speak, a family member scolded the servant, "Shouting and yelling, where are your manners?"

Zhan Song was anxious and couldn’t be bothered with etiquette. "Quick, speak!"

"Announcements are being posted all over Bu County, and special announcers have been sent out! The new Chief Steward dispatched troops to engage the Xunzhou Army and won successive major victories at Xinhuang, Hetao, and Lu’an! They defeated over nine thousand enemy soldiers with only sixteen hundred men, and even beheaded two enemy generals!"

The bun Zhan Song was holding dropped onto the table. "The announcement... says that?"

The Zhan Family members were in an uproar. Every one of them said, "I don’t believe it!"

"How is that possible!"

"The State Government must be faking it to calm the populace! This can’t be believed!"

Zhan Song’s mind was in turmoil. Hearing the buzzing commotion of the crowd, he couldn’t help but slam his hand on the table. "Quiet!"

THUMP. Silence.

His wife asked tentatively, "My lord, what do you think?"

Zhan Song collected himself. "Send a fast rider back to find out what’s going on. Today, we all stay in Bu County."

There was no better plan at the moment, so his kinsmen couldn’t object, though they whispered amongst themselves.

The others left. Zhan Song sat in the room for another moment, feeling increasingly frustrated, and went out for a walk.

The smiling faces of the guests coming and going were all an eyesore.

Finally, he walked into a teahouse where every table was discussing the victory. He had just found an empty table and sat down when a waiter brought over a pot of hot tea and a plate of dried fruit.

"I didn’t order this."

"It’s from the Shopkeeper, one for every table." The waiter grinned. "A big victory up north today, what a relief! We’re so happy!"

"It’s not the first time we’ve won a battle. Is it really such a big deal?"

"But it was two thousand against nine thousand, and we still won!" The waiter slung his towel over his shoulder. "This new Chief Steward really knows his stuff."

"A good start is nice, but let’s hope he can hold on."

"True enough." The waiter’s smile faded as he sighed. "I just don’t know if the new Chief Steward can win against that bunch of rich bastards in Dunyu City! A whole crowd of people showed up outside the county today, said they fled from Dunyu. I don’t get it. Why would you run away after winning?"

"..." Zhan Song’s smile turned bitter.

Just then, the sound of firecrackers, CRACKLE-POP, came from the street outside. Someone was actually celebrating.

A string of them here, a string of them there. The whole city was as festive as if it were a holiday.

Only the Dunyu People, who had followed the Zhan Family’s lead, were just as anxious. The notice had also been posted outside the city gates, as if specifically for them to see.