After the Immortal Disappeared

After another few hundred feet, the group split up.

The Prefecture Yamen couldn’t accommodate so many people anyway. Chief Steward Old Mo took the families of the Supporting Army to settle them in at the designated Post House. More importantly, he was to escort Madam Ying and the others to the Governor of Xiazhou’s new home.

According to Hee Chunhua’s arrangements, Hee Yue would go to the Prefecture Yamen, while Hee Lingchuan would escort Madam Ying.

About a quarter of an hour later, Madam Ying and her son finally arrived at their family’s new home.

It was located about fifty yards behind the Government Office, convenient for the Lord Governor’s commute. The manors of other officials were scattered about, and the Dunyu County Magistrate lived nearby as well. Directly behind them were two or three more rows of official residences.

Hee Lingchuan accompanied his mother on a tour of the house, inside and out. As the servants began moving luggage, tidying the rooms, and sweeping the courtyards, the once-empty residence immediately felt more alive.

The residence had been prepared by the State Government well in advance. It was reasonably clean, and several servants had been stationed there to maintain it. As soon as Chief Steward Old Mo arrived, he gave these servants a generous reward and sent them on their way.

The lady of the house was only willing to use staff brought from their old home, though she would gradually hire more people later on.

For Madam Ying, who had been looking forward to this the entire journey, the official residence was a great disappointment. Forget comparing it to the Li Family’s estate—even the Hu Residence belonging to the silk merchant they had passed earlier was twice the size of the Governor’s manor. The furniture was old, and who knew how many hands it had passed through. Although the walls had been patched and the roof tiles repaired, the covered corridors were still damaged. The flagstones in the courtyard were either sunken or had collapsed, and even the plants were growing wild, sprawling with abandon.

Madam Ying’s sharp eyes even spotted a few wormholes in the leg of a table in the main hall.

This was far below her expectations. It wasn’t even as comfortable as their old house in Black Water City.

Seeing her expression grow darker, Hee Lingchuan quickly tried to placate her. "Don’t be angry, Mother. This place is a wreck. We’ll toss what needs to be tossed, fix what needs to be fixed, change what needs changing, and buy what needs to be bought. Dad won’t be able to say a thing. Isn’t this the perfect opportunity for you to work your magic? It’s not like our family is short on money, is it?"

After all, Madam Ying had been the one to get their residence in Black Water City set up, bit by bit.

Perhaps women are simply born with a love for decorating. The thought that she could complain to her husband when he returned, and then spend the next few months renovating the house to her exact specifications, slowly started to improve Madam Ying’s mood.

"Who are you calling old?" she retorted. "And what do you mean we’re not short on money? Your father is new to Xiazhou. His social expenses will be huge, but his income as a newly appointed official will be less. We still have to save where we can... Hmm, look, the ground in this garden has caved in anyway. We might as well dig a deep water cellar. We could chill fruit and wine in it during the summer!"

A water cellar was like a pond, only much deeper, at least ten feet. No matter how hot the summer, sunlight could never penetrate to the bottom, so the water there remained ice-cold—perfect for chilling food. It could also be used to store fresh water and even function as a water source for fighting fires.

It was true, as Madam Ying said, that her husband would have less money after his promotion. In Qiansong County, Hee Chunhua had been the undisputed local king with a wide variety of income streams, both legitimate and illicit. Otherwise, how could a Prefect’s meager salary possibly support their eldest son, who spent money like water?

But as the newly promoted Governor of Xiazhou, it wouldn’t be proper for him to start accepting... *gifts*... so soon. A veteran like Hee Chunhua would certainly take the time to understand the local customs and connections first.

In the Da Yuan Dynasty, a man like Hee Chunhua wasn’t considered corrupt. On the contrary, he was a prime example of a capable and pragmatic official. At least he didn’t exploit the common folk to the point of sucking them dry. Madam Ying was very proud of this.

She was treating her eldest son well this time. Before her husband had even returned, she assigned an east-facing courtyard to Hee Lingchuan.

The two brothers’ quarters were roughly the same size—a reflection of her own private sentiment.

Madam Ying bustled off, and Hee Lingchuan went to inspect his new domain. The courtyard was smaller than his one in Black Water City, but it was still large enough for martial arts practice. A row of peach trees along the wall had matured, their trunks thick and gnarled. Come next summer, he’d be able to eat peaches without even stepping outside.

A large jujube tree stood in the courtyard, its branches bare for the winter. ’In a few days,’ Hee Lingchuan thought, ’I’ll build a little treehouse up there for the Medicine Ape Ling Guang.’

The Rock Wolf had followed him in and was sniffing around, unable to shed its canine habits. "Luu Xin," Hee Lingchuan offered kindly, "should I build a little wooden house for you in the yard?"

"Sure—" Luu Xin began, then immediately caught himself. "No! Do you take me for a dog? You want me to sleep in a doghouse?"

Isn’t a little wooden house a doghouse?

In the face of its low growl, Hee Lingchuan just shrugged. "Fine, sleep in the side hall then. But when you need to do your business, use the Thatched House. Not in the courtyard! And no peeing on the base of the walls!"

Luu Xin ground his teeth. They were making things awfully difficult for a wolf.

The room’s furnishings were all there, but knowing Madam Ying’s temperament, they were all destined to be thrown out or replaced.

Chief Steward Old Mo had already sent someone over with a brazier of coals, hot water, and a tea tray.

Just as Hee Lingchuan finished pouring himself a cup of hot tea, someone knocked on the courtyard gate.

"Master, it’s me."

He recognized the voice as Li Fubo’s.

"It’s not locked. Come in."

Li Fubo entered the main room, and Hee Lingchuan smiled. "Didn’t you go to the Prefecture Yamen to watch the fun?" ’He’d really wanted to go himself.’

"No. The Lord already went. He instructed me to come here first and help you with your task."

"My task?" Hee Lingchuan was momentarily confused.

"Planting the blade."

Hee Lingchuan slapped his forehead. "Even Marquis Songyang is more on top of this than I am!"

This Master of his was certainly carefree. "The Treasure Saber must be left undisturbed for half a month. It cannot be moved during that time. Will this place work?"

"This is the place." Hee Lingchuan rubbed his hands, unable to hide his excitement. "Come on, show me Songyang Prefecture’s Planting Knife Technique."

Li Fubo first took something out and handed it to him. "This is repaired. Please give it to your esteemed father."

Hee Lingchuan looked down. It was the Walnut Boat—or, to use its formal name, the Jiezhi Boat. He had broken it last time when he’d used it against Dong Rui’s Ghost Ape.

"Repaired so quickly? You truly live up to your name, Master Li!" Compliments were free, after all, and he gave them out easily.

Li Fubo smiled. "Our Lord repaired it with his own hands."

Hee Lingchuan drew out a long, "Ooooh." He then said, "I’ll be sure to pass that along."

’Mother is going to be furious,’ he thought.

Li Fubo took a Copper Furnace from his Storage Ring, tossed it on the ground, and softly recited a short mantra.

The palm-sized Copper Furnace grew to be taller than a man.

Hee Lingchuan was already used to this kind of magic from Songyang Prefecture.

"Master, please step back."

Hee Lingchuan did as he was told. Li Fubo slapped the furnace, and its lid folded open. An intense blast of heat surged outward. Though still ten feet away, Hee Lingchuan could feel the rolling heatwaves. The temperature in the spacious room shot up by at least five degrees.

And this was with Li Fubo actively controlling the furnace’s temperature. Otherwise, if the True Flame had been unleashed, the wooden bed and counter would have been instantly incinerated.

With the lid folded back, the furnace body formed a platform, convenient for a Craftsman to work on.

The first thing Hee Lingchuan’s eyes fell on was the Golden Mud.

Its color had changed from brilliant gold to black streaked with dark gold. Patches of it were even a sickly green or pale yellow, making it look like a village charcoal mound that had been... visited... by cats, dogs, and geese. It was a far cry from its former beauty.

But as Li Fubo increased the heat, the most obvious change was that its volume more than doubled. And though it remained solid, small, lava-like bubbles would occasionally form on its surface, oozing a dark red liquid. Red light even pulsed from the cracks in its earthen shell.

In short, it was like a piece of rock in a state of perpetual internal combustion.

Hee Lingchuan humbly asked, "How does this work? And where’s the Zhu Gold?"

"The Zhu Gold is already fused into the Golden Mud, along with seven other ingredients," Li Fubo said seriously. "Two of them were added on the Lord’s specific instructions. As for the exact recipe, please forgive me, but I am not at liberty to disclose it."

"The Zhu Gold is already melted?" Hee Lingchuan said, surprised. "I thought Golden Essence was the hardest substance in the world, that it would take half a month and a bolt of lightning from the heavens to melt it."

"True gold fears no flame," Li Fubo said with a slight smile. "Unless, of course, you have a catalyst."

He then produced two fist-sized chunks of Zhu Gold and handed them to Hee Lingchuan. "These are the leftovers. Please, take them."

Even if they were just so-called scraps, these two pieces were still worth several times their weight in ordinary gold.

Hee Lingchuan accepted them.

This showed that Li Fubo was a trusting man; he hadn’t even asked Hee Lingchuan to witness the melting process. Mr. Hee had indeed told him to handle everything, but without seeing the gold get melted down, who was to say Li Fubo hadn’t skimmed a little off the top for himself?

After all, the piece of Zhu Gold that Hee Lingchuan had purchased was huge. Once it was melted down, who would know if a piece or two went missing?

"As you know, I began the process of melting the Zhu Gold back in Ru County. It had to be slow-forged over a low flame without interruption, and it was quite an ordeal to even get it onto the carriage." Li Fubo pointed to the internally combusting Golden Mud. "Zhu Gold is the most important material for planting the blade. It must be completely fused into a medium like this Golden Mud to be absorbed by the Treasure Saber. The temperature is dropping fast. You can begin."

"How do I do it?"

Hee Lingchuan removed the wrapping from the saber’s hilt and cleaned its surface with a liquid Li Fubo handed him.

He had no idea what the liquid was, but as it touched the metal, it let out a SIZZLE and released a plume of green smoke. The hilt was instantly corroded, pocked with thousands of tiny holes until it resembled a honeycomb.

The sight made Hee Lingchuan’s heart ache, but Li Fubo simply said, "Now your blood. Cover the entire hilt."

This step was called "feeding the blade," and it required the master’s own blood.

As long as it wasn’t blood from the heart, it was simple enough. Hee Lingchuan took a small knife and pricked his ring finger, letting his blood drip onto the hilt and fill the tiny holes.

"Spread it evenly."

Hee Lingchuan did so, but he soon discovered the hilt was like a sponge, soaking up his blood completely.

It was drinking it in with a desperate thirst.

He finally just cut a large gash on his arm to let the blood flow more freely.

The Broken Blade was not shy, drinking as much as he gave it, seemingly unconcerned if it drank him dry.

Li Fubo watched, his eyes glued to the scene.

After feeding it for a while, Hee Lingchuan started to get unnerved. "Hey," he couldn’t help but ask, "is this normal?"

"Not normal." Li Fubo’s answer made Hee Lingchuan’s heart skip a beat. "The other Treasure Sabers I’ve worked on used, at most, twenty percent of this much blood. But we’ve come this far. You might as well satisfy it."

He had never seen a Treasure Saber this bloodthirsty, especially one so thirsty for its master’s blood.