Where Immortals Once Walked

He Lingchuan yawned. “Otherwise, we should already be in the desert by now.”

There had already been several factions lurking in Heishui City, with undercurrents surging beneath the surface. Then those from Andong suddenly barged in and complicated everything even further. That truly had not been part of his plans.

“So what now?” The mirror could not hear much urgency in his voice.

“What else can we do? We roll with it.” He Lingchuan turned over. “The water’s muddy already. Might as well stir it up even more.”

* * *

In the blink of an eye, two days passed.

During this time, the two sides fought nothing but siege and defense battles. Heishui City kept its gates firmly shut and refused to send troops out, no matter how the enemy cursed and provoked them.

Because He Chunhua’s arrival had been so sudden, the assassins who had killed Commandery Administrator Hu had also failed to escape the city. The Andong forces outside therefore had no idea that Heishui City had already changed commanders.

They even sent several loud-voiced soldiers forward to curse Commandery Administrator Hu and his ancestors for eight generations.

He Chunhua strolled leisurely along the city wall with a smile on his face, entirely unbothered.

Incidentally, the assassins who had murdered Commandery Administrator Hu were caught as well. With Heishui City sealed, finding several killers from out of town was hardly difficult, especially with Zhou Peng helping identify them.

He Chunhua deliberately arranged for them to be publicly executed at the marketplace.

Sometimes, killing a few people to establish authority was absolutely necessary.

Once those heads hit the ground, the citizens immediately felt much more at ease.

Whether Commandery Administrator Hu, their supposed parental official, had been avenged was not something most of them particularly cared about.

What mattered was that Lord He had solved the case swiftly and remained calm throughout. That proved he had the situation under control and was worthy of the whole city’s trust.

On the morning of the third day, Zhao Qinghe came to report, “We’re running low on arrows in the armory.”

In a siege defense, arrows were among the fastest-depleted supplies.

The workshops inside the city had been working around the clock, but they still could not keep up with consumption.

And now, even the raw materials were starting to run short.

The Andong forces had already changed tactics. Their surprise attack had failed, and so had their frontal assault. Now they had simply settled in to besiege the city.

Time was on their side. The military supplies and civilian provisions inside Heishui City would only dwindle further with every passing day.

Sooner or later, the defenders would have to leave the city and fight.

Otherwise, they would simply be strangled to death behind their own walls.

“If only we could hold out another two days.” He Chunhua sighed softly.

When he first saw Heishui City’s inventory lists, he had nearly blacked out.

Back when he left office, Heishui City might not have been wealthy beyond compare, but its granaries had been full and its soldiers and horses strong.

How had only the scraps at the bottom of the warehouse remained after a mere year and a half?

“Forget it. We’ll start tonight. Chuan’er, we’ll split up and persuade those cultivators.”

He Lingchuan nodded. “Who are you going after?”

“I’ll start with the Jianyang Sect.” He Chunhua had already decided. “Zhao Qinghe has investigated them. All eleven members of the Jianyang Sect are staying at the Redwood Inn. That Daoist sect has always had a decent relationship with Great Yuan, so persuading them shouldn’t be too difficult.”

“Then I’ll start with our old residence.”

“Our old residence?” He Chunhua paused. “Who moved in there?”

He knew, of course, that the old He residence had been sold. He had simply never cared enough to ask who the new occupants were.

“I specifically went over to take a look on my first day back. A group of outsiders lives there now. They look like the sort who consider themselves above everyone else and can’t tolerate a speck of dust, but their cultivation seems pretty strong,” said He Lingchuan. “I heard they’ve already been there for several months.”

He had carefully chosen the words “can’t tolerate a speck of dust.”

Heishui City bordered the Panlong Desert. The place was battered year-round by either strong winds or sandstorms, and even leaves were perpetually coated in a thick layer of grime.

Why would anyone obsessed with cleanliness choose to live here unless they had some other purpose?

Besides, ordinary people were rarely privileged enough to indulge in something like obsessive cleanliness.

A few words were enough to imply that these people came from some background. Any intelligent listener would make the connection.

“Several months?” Sure enough, He Chunhua frowned. “Did you investigate them?”

“I asked the neighbors. Apparently, they operate a carriage station. Business is about as lively as the horses in the stable—half dead. But they spend freely, tip generously, and everything they eat, wear, and use is rather refined.”

They had arrived in Heishui City months in advance and even established a business as cover.

That was different from the other factions.

Hm, could they have known ahead of time that something was about to happen in the Panlong Desert?

He Chunhua immediately changed his mind. “In that case, I’ll go meet them myself.”

He Lingchuan naturally had no objection. “I’ll go with you.”

Objective achieved.

Qiu Hu and the others followed, of course. He Chunhua also ordered Zhao Qinghe to bring another two hundred men along.

About fifteen minutes later, the group stood in front of the He Family’s old residence.

The large estate that He Chunhua and Madame Ying had once carefully renovated looked much the same as it had more than a year ago.

The only difference was that a roof tile had fallen beside the entrance and no one had bothered to repair it. The branches of the two large trees by the gate had also grown too dense, blocking the light from reaching the side rooms.

In the past, Madame Ying would have ordered them pruned every few years and reshaped properly.

After the He Family moved away, the new owner was clearly not so particular.

The He Family had lived here for more than ten years.

Returning to his old home stirred a trace of nostalgia in He Lingchuan.

He Chunhua, however, remained expressionless. He personally lifted the metal ring on the door and knocked.

A short while later, someone called from inside, “Who is it?”

“General of Lasting Peace, Governor-General of Ya Province,” He Chunhua announced clearly. “I have business with your master.”

The footsteps inside came to an obvious halt, then they hurried away.

Not long afterward, the heavy gate opened with a low rumble.

The gatekeeper stuck his head out, looked at He Chunhua, then at the large group behind him in bright, orderly armor, and only then did he pull the gate fully open. “Please come in.”

The group crossed the threshold and followed the man deeper into the estate.

The He Family knew the layout here better than anyone.

After a year and a half away, several of Madame Ying’s favorite plants were gone from the garden. What remained had not been allowed to grow completely wild, but the landscaping looked neither meticulous nor well-shaped.

Clearly, no one had taken much care of it.

When they entered the main hall, several people were already waiting.

The man in charge appeared to be in his forties. He had a long beard, a pale face, and eyes that seemed perpetually half-closed.

The gatekeeper introduced him, “This is Chairman Zhang of our merchant guild.”

𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Merchant guild, my ass.

Both He Chunhua and He Lingchuan cursed inwardly.

He Chunhua’s smile, however, remained flawless. He cupped his hands toward the man and greeted, “President Zhang.”

The other man returned the gesture without even bending at the waist. “Governor-General He.”

Clearly, they knew who He Chunhua was.

Heishui City had already been under siege for two days. Anyone with even the slightest awareness knew what had happened outside, knew that Commandery Administrator Hu had been assassinated, and knew that Heishui City had effectively changed hands, with Governor-General He now in full command.

Even so, these people had not come out to greet him.

Instead, they had sat inside and waited for He Chunhua to enter their courtyard and pay them a visit.

That arrogance made Zhao Qinghe and the others frown inwardly.

He Chunhua, however, did not seem bothered in the slightest, not even a little.

When the rich and powerful of Lingxu City traveled elsewhere, they practically looked down their noses at everyone. Visitors from the Heavenly Palace were even worse. Those people acted as though no one else in the world was worth noticing. For Zhang Lianhai to return He Chunhua’s greeting at all was probably already the greatest courtesy he was willing to offer.

Suddenly, the Soul-Stealing Mirror tucked inside He Lingchuan’s robes said, “There are people behind the hall. Quite a few of them.”

An ambush?

He Lingchuan froze.

Meanwhile, He Chunhua had already begun the usual pleasantries, “Mr. Zhang, have you found life in the city comfortable?”