After the Immortal Disappeared

"Sick?" Li Zhao stroked his white beard. "He’s sick at a time like this?"

So many people were waiting to meet the new Chief Steward.

"He was supposed to enter Xiazhou’s territory yesterday, but with this delay, who knows when he’ll arrive in Dunyu," said Shu Qian. "Nian Zanli sent small bands of the Rebel Army to bypass the front lines, raiding nearly a hundred li deep into Xiazhou. Several shops belonging to my family and the Zhan Family were plundered, and our losses are significant. I can see the Zhan Family already wants to leave. Although you warned them, they’ve still been secretly selling off their assets these past few days."

Elder Master Li sighed. "What’s bound to happen will happen. Since they have no faith in Dunyu, let them go."

Shu Qian cursed him internally. ’Old fox.’ The Li Family’s warning to the Zhan Family had been fruitless, so they’d hammered the acquisition price down—so low it was practically subterranean. The Li Family was Dunyu’s most overbearing Local Bully; whatever price they offered, who would dare bid higher?

If the Zhan Family actually sold at that dirt-cheap price, it would be like cutting off their own flesh and gouging out their eyes. Seven-tenths of the wealth they’d accumulated over years of business would be shaved off. Even if they managed to leave Dunyu, they’d be nothing but a bloody skeleton.

The Zhan Family must now hate the Li Family to the bone. Especially since, in recent years, the Zhans had produced some talented individuals who rose quickly through the ranks of the Royal Court. The main family’s spine had stiffened, their voices had grown louder, and last year they even tried to test their strength against the Li Family.

The Li Family wanted to use this opportunity to teach them a harsh lesson and show them that Grandmaster Li was still Grandmaster Li.

’Sigh, this old bastard Li is more than just a fox,’ he thought. ’He’s a vulture, a jackal.’

"So you’re this optimistic about the new Chief Steward?" This was the real question the Shu Family patriarch had sent Shu Qian to pry out of him. "Can he truly join forces with General Zhao Pan and stop Nian Zanli’s offensive?"

The people of Dunyu City were unsettled, and even the great families couldn’t help but think of leaving. If they fled too late and Nian Zanli’s iron-hooved army marched south, everything in their path would be reduced to rubble, and the fruits of decades of hard work would vanish like a bubble.

"This Chief Steward Hee does have some talent. He killed Sunx Fuping, annihilated a Rebel Army, and recently it seems he even saved Ke Jihai’s life in Shihuan City. The western front would have been in trouble otherwise. He was appointed to take over Xiazhou’s defenses at a time of crisis, so he must have a few tricks up his sleeve." Li Zhao said all this in one breath and then paused, gasping for air. A nearby maidservant immediately served him tea, which was neither too hot nor too cold, but just right.

"The Lord Minister has instructed that Dunyu is the foundation of the Li Family’s prosperity. We cannot leave lightly."

’He only said they couldn’t leave lightly,’ Shu Qian noted. ’He didn’t say they wouldn’t, nor that they definitely wouldn’t.’

Dunyu was very close to the southern provincial border, making an escape south relatively easy.

Shu Qian hesitated. "Will Chief Steward Hee also inquire about the granary fire?"

"The case has been tried, and the culprits have been sent to the Capital City. Most importantly, all the grain was burned. What else is there for him to investigate?"

A birdcage hung in the hall, holding a pair of Lovebirds with green heads, red beaks, and yellow bellies. Outside, snow fell thick and fast, but inside it was as warm as spring, and the two little birds were quite active. Elder Master Li walked over, personally adding food to the cage. "For Chief Steward Hee," he said, "the most important thing now is to cooperate sincerely with the four great families."

Otherwise, Hee Chunhua would find his hands tied at every turn, just like all the officials before him and all those who remained.

The four great families were forged from iron; the officials flowed like water.

"He’s come here to be an official, but also to fight a war. He will inevitably come to us for money, grain, or men." Shu Qian glanced at the Lovebirds and noticed tiny paper slips tied to their ankles, though he didn’t know what they were for.

"Then we’ll have to see how Chief Steward Hee performs," Elder Master Li said, teasing the Lovebirds with a confident smile. "Cooperation between the officials and the people requires sincerity from both sides, does it not?"

"So, business as usual?" He was referring to the old routine for when a new official took office. "I’ll go back and discuss it with my elder brother. We’ll add an expensive gift for Chief Steward Hee."

Shu Qian stood up.

Elder Master Li beamed. "As you should." ’First, the toast of respect.’

After Shu Qian left, the smile vanished from Elder Master Li’s face.

Dinner was as lavish as ever, but he only took a few bites. His two sons were a little worried and questioned him repeatedly.

Elder Master Li saw right through their feigned concern, and his heart felt even heavier. ’If only these sons of mine had inherited a fraction of my skills and fought less amongst themselves, I wouldn’t have to carry the entire Li Family on my own shoulders.’

’He was seventy, after all. He was old.’

’His only comfort was that his sixth grandson was quite gifted. With another two years of proper grooming, perhaps he could take over. The sixth grandson was his second son’s child, and his eldest son, having seen through his father’s intentions, was doing everything he could to suppress his brother.’

’Sigh. Such a misfortune for the family.’

In truth, Elder Master Li was not optimistic about Dunyu. To be precise, he was not optimistic about the Yuan Royal Court.

Other old men his age might still be lost in the past prosperity and glory of Da Yuan, but his eyes were not clouded, and his heart was not blind.

The kingdom was in decay.

Elder Master Li sneered inwardly. The Li Family didn’t do things as conspicuously as the Zhan Family, who had made their selling of land and houses known to the entire city.

’When the enemy arrives, will land still be worth anything?’

Over the past two years, the Li Family’s wealth had been secretly transferred inland. He and Minister Li had already settled on a safe haven. If the flames of war spread south, they would immediately relocate the entire clan.

The warmth from the fire in the room made him feel drowsy again. Seeing this, a maidservant by his side whispered, "Elder Master, it is time to rest."

Elder Master Li nodded, and she went to the outer room to fetch the birdcage, hanging it in front of the bed canopy.

Two thirteen-year-old girls had already warmed his bed for him; tonight, as usual, they would curl up at his feet.

Before climbing into bed, Elder Master Li routinely checked the canopy. Good, the two Copper Tokens tied to the hanging cords were there. They were wards against evil. If a malevolent entity were to approach, it would be confused by the tokens, unable to see him or smell his human scent.

He then pointed to the top of the bed, and the maidservant took down a red Sachet from the canopy.

Li Zhao opened it with his own hands and saw a yellow Amulet hidden inside. The characters on the Talisman were correct.

"Put it back." ’Now he could sleep in peace.’

He had offended more than a few people over the years; caution had become second nature.

***

The travel-worn Steward Qian once again rushed to Ru County and met with Hee Chunhua.

"Is Chief Steward Hee sick?"

The door closed, leaving them alone. Hee Chunhua shot to his feet, took a cloth, and wiped his face, rubbing off the sallow, waxy yellow color. "Sick? What sickness? I’ve been waiting for good news from you, Steward Qian."

The butler, Old Mo, served warm tea. Steward Qian was thirsty and gulped down several mouthfuls before smiling. "Fortunately, I have not failed my mission."

He took out a tightly bound blue cloth bundle and opened it.

Inside, it was wrapped in two layers of oil paper.

Unwrapping the oil paper revealed two more layers of coarse paper.

In the very center of the coarse paper lay a porcelain vial the size of a pinky finger.

Judging by its size, the vial was perfect for administering poison.

"This is...?"

Hee Chunhua reached for it, but Steward Qian quickly warned him, "It has a foul stench, Chief Steward. Be careful."

The Chief Steward hesitated. "I thought you’d brought back something like hair or fingernails."

The charcoal brazier in the room was warm. Having come in from the ice and snow outside, Steward Qian paradoxically broke out in a light sweat on his forehead.

"I wish I could have. But Elder Master Li is extremely paranoid. Last autumn, a master diviner read his fortune and told him he would face a great calamity this year. If he survives it, he’ll live safely to the age of eighty-eight. So the Li Family is being exceptionally careful. The Elder Master’s clipped fingernails and fallen hair are all specially collected and burned. I also heard he wears an Amulet he paid a great fortune for. His enemies can forget about trying to curse him by stabbing effigies or casting spells!"

Hee Chunhua laughed. "He must have a guilty conscience from all the wicked deeds he’s done."

If his conscience were clear, why would he be so guarded?

A thief can try for a thousand days, but who can stay on guard for a thousand days?

"I originally planned to get some of his hair through the two bed-warming maids." Old Li is getting on in years, after all. His feet get cold when he sleeps in the dead of winter, but he finds bed warmers too stuffy, so he bought two little maids, thirteen or fourteen years old, to warm his bed. "But those two girls are searched and made to change their clothes the moment they leave his room. They’re forbidden from taking any of the master’s belongings out with them—not even a single strand of hair."

"With no other choice, I had to bribe the servant boy who empties the chamber pots," Steward Qian said with a shrug. "It’s just that the people who do that job aren’t on a fixed roster, so it took some effort to find the right person."

He handed over another slip of paper. "These are Elder Master Li’s birth characters. Last year, his thirteenth grandson’s mother came to my shop to have first-birthday clothes custom-made. She was so proud, boasting that her child was born on the same month and day as Elder Master Li, only one and a half double-hours later. I have confirmed it multiple times."

From that, the calculation was not difficult.

Hee Chunhua took it and asked, "Is there still a rift between the Zhan and Li Families?"

"Yes, there always has been. In the last few days, the Zhan Family has been trying to offload their properties to leave Dunyu, but the Li Family has been ruthlessly driving down the price. They’re suppressing it so hard that no one else dares to offer more. The Zhans are so angry they could spit blood. Before I left, the two families were arguing endlessly over it and even came to blows."

"How is their behavior any different from that of crude villagers?" Hee Chunhua shook his head. "Their children and grandchildren are officials in the Yuan Court. Don’t they feel any shame?"

He personally took out a gold bar and pushed it across. "Elder Zhu wasn’t wrong to praise you. You truly are his most capable subordinate."

Steward Qian laughed. "You flatter me!"

"However, this matter is highly confidential..."

"Rest assured, Your Excellency. My lips are sealed." Steward Qian left no room for doubt, swearing a deadly oath on his mother and eighteen generations of his ancestors. If the secret were to be revealed, the ancestors of the Qian Family would be damned to eternal suffering.

"Good. There will be many more times in the future when I will need to rely on you and the Zhu Family," Hee Chunhua said with a smile. "We have a promising future ahead."

After Steward Qian left, Hee Chunhua returned to his room and slept for a double-hour to recover his energy.

He had been busy late into the night these past few days and had been sleeping in a separate room from Madam Ying.

Midnight arrived.

His steward, Old Mo, closed the doors and windows. Hee Chunhua took out a cyan candle, lit it, and placed it on the table.

He had moved the table beforehand, positioning it in the exact center of the room.

In the sealed room, the candle flame was naturally straight and almost perfectly still. Hee Chunhua took out an orange-yellow paperweight and pressed it into Old Mo’s hands. Then, he sat down and began to murmur an incantation.

The paperweight was carved from Shoushan stone into the shape of a kite. It was a translucent honey color, far deeper and more stable than the hue of jadeite. It contained fine, radish-like threads within, as if the stone were filled with tiny blood vessels.

The kite was a clear yellow all over, except for its two blood-red eyes, which added a touch of eeriness to its overall dignified appearance.

The steward, Old Mo, stood behind his master to act as his Protector.

As Hee Chunhua chanted faster and faster, the smoke rising from the candle began to gather without dispersing. And, strangely, it was cyan.