After the Immortal Disappeared

Just as the Patriarch of the Zhan Family was dragged out by the Li Family’s private soldiers, thrown to the ground, and had several large boot prints stamped on his face, a large contingent of horsemen came galloping from the city’s South Gate. The thunderous rumble of their hooves kicked up clouds of dust, and the common folk along the road couldn’t help but part to make way.

The soldiers’ armor was immaculate, their steeds spirited, and their Essence, Qi, and Spirit were in peak form.

What’s more, two giant wolves ran alongside the troops. They were the size of lions, their scarlet tongues dripping with saliva, scaring anyone from daring to approach.

The standard-bearer at the front held a large banner aloft, the vibrant red character for "Hee" visible from a great distance.

The officials exchanged glances. ’Could it be? No, it can’t be...’

The troops reached the Zhan Residence in the blink of an eye. The handsome man in the lead simply lifted his chin, and a hundred or so cavalrymen charged into the Zhan Residence, horses and all, to "break up the fight."

The two giant wolves also roared and charged in.

With them there, the two families would sober up a little faster.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the handsome man dismounted and walked toward the officials, asking, "What’s going on? Is this how Dunyu welcomes me?"

A man emerged from behind him—it was the Military Officer, Peng Ju’an.

The latter hurriedly said to the officials, "This is the new Governor of Xiazhou, Mr. Hee—our new superior."

Hee Chunhua flicked his left hand over, revealing the Society Command, which shimmered with a brilliant light.

All doubts vanished. The crowd of officials bowed in salute.

"At ease," Hee Chunhua said, waiting until they had completed the full etiquette. "From this moment on, Peng Ju’an is relieved of his duties as Military Officer and will be reassigned. Zeng Feixiong—"

Zeng Feixiong leaped off his horse and strode over.

Hee Chunhua tossed him a yuan coin—the very one he had taken from Peng Ju’an. "I hereby appoint you as the Military Officer of the Xiazhou General Manager’s Mansion, in charge of military affairs. Do a good job for me!"

"Yes, sir!" Zeng Feixiong boomed.

In the space of a few breaths, the Military Officer of Xiazhou had been replaced.

The officials understood then. The new Governor hadn’t come straight to Dunyu City. Instead, he had first detoured to Qingping Village to reveal his identity, take direct command of over a thousand soldiers from Peng Ju’an, and only then turn back toward Dunyu.

What they didn’t know was that the Supporting Army had just stormed Peng Ju’an’s home. Hee Chunhua had presented the Royal Court’s transfer order and various Talisman Seals, seizing military authority right in front of the arriving Xiazhou Army.

Just as he had once felt aggrieved facing Sunx Fuping, who had come bearing a Royal Decree, so too did Peng Ju’an feel aggrieved facing him today.

Only by seizing military power could he have enough manpower and prestige to quickly establish a foothold in Dunyu.

Now, Hee Chunhua’s army had instantly expanded to over two thousand two hundred men.

At this moment, the troops parted, and more than two hundred people were escorted out. They included members of the Zhan Family and the Li Family’s private soldiers, all bearing marks of a fight. Their clothes were in disarray, and some were even bloodied and bruised.

Hee Chunhua said with a stern face, "Some people were committing assault on the county road to the south. I apprehended them and brought them back."

The Supporting Army that charged into the Zhan Residence was as fierce as wolves and tigers, even more savage than the two brawling parties. The local Officials feared the Li Family and didn’t dare to make arrests, but the Supporting Army had no such qualms.

When the Li Family’s private soldiers, seeing red, tried to resist, they were either slapped across the face or kicked to the ground. But Hee Chunhua’s subordinates were a motley crew, including not only ruffians from Black Water City but also rebels from Woling Pass. They knew exactly how to land a painful blow without killing.

The crowd of onlookers grew, their eyes gleaming as they watched the spectacle.

Soon, the commotion inside the Zhan Residence ceased, and both feuding parties were escorted out. Li Zhi and Li Rong could have stayed out of the fray, but now their clothes were torn, and they had also sustained minor injuries.

The Zhan Family opposite them fared much worse. Over a hundred were wounded, and a dozen or so had been beaten to the ground, their breathing uncertain.

"How outrageous!" Hee Chunhua tightened his grip on his horsewhip and pointed it at the Li Family members, his voice like thunder. "Trespassing on private property, maintaining a private army, bullying the weak, and plundering possessions in broad daylight! Are you trying to overturn the heavens? Do you have any respect for the law?"

The officials at the side quickly explained his identity.

Seeing this unfamiliar Lord Official’s imposing presence, both families guessed who he was. Zhan Qingmao, the Patriarch of the Zhan Family, was both shocked and overjoyed. He first spat out a broken tooth, then pleaded with Chief Steward Hee to seek justice for him. The Li Family members, stared down by two drooling giant wolves, felt their anger plummet and their fear skyrocket.

The three hundred private soldiers brought by the Li Family were disarmed and stood to the side, heads bowed.

Li Rong took a step forward and argued, "Our Elder Master was murdered! These people are inextricably linked to it!"

Li Zhi’s lips moved, but he said nothing.

Hee Chunhua said coldly, "I’ll let you save some face. Come with me to the Prefecture Yamen for a public hearing now. These private soldiers raised their hands to strike people; they will all be taken into custody. Help the injured into the Zhan Residence. You—" he pointed to the Chief of Staff, "—summon physicians to the Zhan Residence to treat the wounded. Keep a record of the expenses; the Li Family will cover them later."

He then summoned the Assistant Governor. "As for you, help the Zhan Family tally their losses. The three hundred suspects are all here. You are responsible for confiscating all the stolen goods from their persons to be used as evidence in court! As for the men, take them into custody and await trial!"

"Alright, the decision-makers of the Li and Zhan Families, all of you, come with me now!"

He issued commands as smoothly as flowing water, arranging everything with perfect clarity in an instant. He also projected his voice with True Power, ensuring that everyone present heard him loud and clear.

This swift and decisive style was greatly appreciated by the crowd of onlookers. Someone started clapping, CLAP, CLAP, CLAP, and the applause slowly spread.

The common folk felt that today’s show was perfect. The Li and Zhan Families had put on a vigorous performance, and the new Governor’s cleanup was clean and efficient, with no dawdling.

From his perch on horseback, Hee Lingchuan smiled and glanced into the crowd. Fuzzy Peach and a few of his subordinates, dressed in plain clothes, were hidden among the people, acting as the hype squad. They were the ones who had started the applause.

His father’s carefully prepared debut ceremony was having an even better effect than expected. Now, the entire city knew the new Governor of Xiazhou had arrived. Not only that, but he had suppressed the local bullies, the Li and Zhan Families, right from the start. How could that be described as merely ’imposing’?

Unfortunately, the applause wasn’t exactly thunderous, a clear sign of how deeply most people feared the Li Family.

The newly appointed Military Officer, Zeng Feixiong, left behind two hundred soldiers from the Supporting Army. This was both to assist officials like the Chief of Staff and the Assistant Governor and to back them up. These soldiers had been with the Hee father and son the longest. They were burly, ruthless, and far more disciplined and effective than the local Xiazhou soldiers. Any difficult problems could be solved on the spot.

Hee Chunhua rounded up and took away all the notable figures from the Li and Zhan Families in one fell swoop. Without them there to make trouble and obstruct things, the State Government officials all breathed a collective sigh of relief.

The Chief of Staff and the Assistant Governor exchanged a look. As they entered the Zhan Residence, one whispered, "This Chief Steward Hee seems very different. He just arrived and has already brought both families to heel."

"It’s still early days. We’ll have to wait and see. Is there any official who comes here and doesn’t end up fighting the Li Family? But—" the Chief of Staff whispered, "Old Li dying at this critical juncture is bad luck for the Li Family and a stroke of good luck for the new Chief Steward Hee."

As he entered the city with the main army, Hee Lingchuan looked around, noticing many people pointing and staring at him.

"Wow, there’s a monkey sitting on that man’s shoulder! A monkey wearing a conical hat," a young woman said.

Young Master Hee straightened his back even more.

’That man is so handsome.’ The person who said this giggled shyly, but... it was a man!

Hee Lingchuan shivered and decided to interpret the layers of gawking townspeople as a welcoming procession.

The procession was now heading north, cutting through the city center. Hee Chunhua was clearly striking while the iron was hot. Ostensibly, he was taking the Li and Zhan Family members to the Prefecture Yamen to settle accounts, but in reality, he was making a show of force.

From what Hee Lingchuan could observe, Dunyu’s streets were quite wide. The main street could accommodate five carriages abreast, and the side streets were a bit narrower. But further in, some alleys were so narrow that only one person could pass at a time—a stout person or a pregnant woman might not make it through.

The houses were solidly built, without much superfluous ornamentation, but there were more two- and three-story buildings than in Black Water City.

He did, however, spot a few beautiful, large residences with extensive grounds and impressive facades. Even the bricks of their walls were laid with exceptional neatness.

He beckoned over a local Xiazhou Official and pointed forward. "Which prominent family’s residence is that?"

"Prominent family?" The Official’s head shook like a wave drum. "No, no, no, that’s the residence of the silk merchant, the Hu Family. It’s nothing compared to the four great families."

’This doesn’t count?’

After another thousand feet or so, a row of magnificent mansions came into view, with black tiles, gray walls, carved bricks, and flying arches—a picture of splendor and grandeur. The procession walked alongside its outer wall for several dozen breaths’ time.

Now *this* was a true mansion. Compared to it, the silk merchant’s house from before was immediately dwarfed.

The Official didn’t wait for Hee Lingchuan to ask and blurted out the answer:

"That’s the Li Residence."

"Wow, just wow." Even though Hee Lingchuan had seen the prosperity and grandeur of Shihuan City, he couldn’t help but marvel at the Li Family’s estate. Judging by the Li Family’s extravagance alone, his father’s post as Governor of Xiazhou would definitely be more lucrative than his one in Qiansong County.

’Whoops, I mean *promising*.’

This Official was clearly a sharp fellow, so Hee Lingchuan took the opportunity to ask him, "When did Elder Master Li pass away?"

Just a few days ago, during the meeting in Ru County, his father had been stressing about how difficult the Li Family’s old man would be to handle. Now, on the very day he entered the city, he gets news of his death. ’Could there be such a wonderful coincidence in the world?’

"This morning. It was very sudden." The Official already knew this was the Governor’s Eldest Prince and held nothing back. "It seems the Li Family was convinced the Zhan Family was behind it, so they brought their men over for revenge."

"Quite an operation." ’This was the capital of Xiazhou, not some backwater field. For the Li Family to gather over three hundred people to attack the Zhan Family members without a second thought—it was a textbook example of lawlessness.’ "Do you often have private brawls and provocations here?"

"Well..." The Official was at a loss for words. Wouldn’t a ’yes’ be an admission of his own failure at his job? "The country folk are hot-blooded. It’s unavoidable sometimes. We do our best to mediate."

But facing several hundred of the Li Family’s men, they wouldn’t dare brandish their chains to make arrests. In the past, officials who tried had been beaten up by the families’ men, and aside from receiving a little money for medicine, they could only count themselves unlucky.

A beating was a beating you just had to take.

Having spent so long in the chaotic melting pot of Black Water City, Hee Lingchuan understood the situation immediately.

The further north they went, the more townspeople joined the procession from behind, making it as lively as a festival. The moment they heard the new Chief Steward Hee was going to hold a public trial for two of Dunyu’s great families, they were instantly galvanized, their enthusiasm undampable even by wind or snow.