Standing

He Lingchuan gave it some thought. "Find them two sets of fresh clothes, get them cleaned up, and feed them a couple of good meals first. No matter how much they curse, greet them with smiles. Also, keep an eye on Chen Laoqi and don't let him run off. He butchered that man's backside; this time, his own might get beaten to a pulp." The gang member acknowledged the order, then couldn't help but add, "Eldest Young Master, we can't afford to offend Donglai Residence. If we release them..." Earlier, even after learning the pair's background, the Red-White Gang had still acted ruthlessly because they were certain the men were dead anyway. Dead men tell no tales, so what did it matter how harsh they were? Now that He Lingchuan intended to let them go, the gang was naturally uneasy. "Don't worry. They need something from us, so they shouldn't make a fuss over a trifle like this. Besides, this is Qiansong Commandery, Blackwater City. As the saying goes, even a mighty dragon cannot crush a local snake." Donglai Residence didn't have the final say here. Once the Red-White Gang member was dismissed, He Lingchuan turned around and met his younger brother's worried gaze. "Eldest Brother, how will you explain this to Father?" "It's just a minor misunderstanding. Donglai Residence will surely keep the bigger picture in mind." He Lingchuan chuckled with complete composure. "It's nothing!" He Yue said nothing. A matter as trivial as a sesame seed to the Grand Marshal forced the He family to walk on eggshells, weighing every step with dread. What was a mountain to me was mere dust to them. The wind blew through the fallen leaves in the courtyard with a soft rustle. For the first time in his sheltered life, the young scion of the He family felt the stifling powerlessness of being a nobody. It was truly a bitter pill to swallow. "What is it?" He Lingchuan asked, noticing the boy's sullen expression, as though something was weighing heavily on his mind. "It's nothing." He Yue offered a faint smile. "I'll take my leave first." The moment he left, He Lingchuan turned to Uncle Hao. "Did something happen?" Uncle Hao looked off. "Eldest Young Master, Little Grey is dead." He Lingchuan was startled. "How did it die?" "It didn't fly back last night. I went to the cliff at Hulu Mountain and retrieved its corpse." Uncle Hao's voice was hoarse. "Its wing and belly were pierced clean through. The blood had turned dark green, so it was poisoned too, but what killed it was a snapped neck." "Nian Songyu, National Preceptor Sun!" He Lingchuan saw the man's reddened eyes, and an ache tightened his own chest. "Sending Little Grey to shadow them was my idea. Uncle Hao, I'm sorry!" Little Grey was a sparrowhawk demon and Uncle Hao's childhood companion. It had followed him for decades and could speak the human tongue. They had shared meat and wine, killed and set fires together, close as brothers of flesh and blood. Uncle Hao had no children, nor any siblings. With Little Grey dead, it felt as though someone had hacked off his limbs. "You weren't the one who struck. What are you apologizing for?" A ruthless glint surfaced in Uncle Hao's eyes. "They could have just interrogated it. Why did they have to kill it! Can you help me find out who dealt the lethal blow—the National Preceptor, or that boy named Nian?" "I will," He Lingchuan urged him immediately. "But don't be reckless. Forget about you—in all of Jinzhou, no one dares make an enemy of them." "Little Grey saved my life at least twice." Uncle Hao's voice was resolute. "It cannot die for nothing!" "If you go for revenge now, you'll only be throwing your own life away for nothing." He Lingchuan's eyes darted thoughtfully. "The Panlong Desert is a man-eating den. Even if they manage to return alive, their strength will be drastically diminished." It would be best if they didn't return at all. "Wait another ten days or so, and your chances of revenge will increase by several times over." He pressed a hand onto Uncle Hao's shoulder, speaking with utter sincerity. "As long as an opportunity presents itself, Father and I will definitely help you." Their opponent was a National Preceptor, an instrument of state might. Rushing off to seek revenge right now was pure folly. "By the way, does the old man know yet?" Uncle Hao shook his head. "I came to you first." He Lingchuan slipped the mutton-fat jade ring off his finger and produced a string of lustrous pearls, thrusting them both into Uncle Hao's hands. "Take three days off. Um, what I mean is, rest well these three days." Grieve properly. "Don't drink too much. I'll call you if anything comes up." The mutton-fat jade ring was set with an enormous ruby—the quintessential accessory of the vulgar rich—while every pearl on the necklace was the size of a sparrow's egg, uniform and round. Both were exquisite, remarkably expensive treasures. Uncle Hao took them, stood blankly for a moment, then nodded and turned to leave. A loved one's life was naturally priceless, but an abundance of silver and jade could at least offer some comfort to a wounded soul. After he departed, He Lingchuan sank slowly onto a stone stool in the courtyard. Trouble truly fell straight from the sky while a man sat quietly at home. The sparrowhawk demon Little Grey had lost contact yesterday, which meant Nian Songyu and National Preceptor Sun had already known the He family possessed the clues they sought before even setting foot in the He Residence. Did their visit today mean they were trying courtesy before resorting to force? Leaving aside the sheer gap in their status, National Preceptor Sun had arrived bearing the King's decree. Would He Chunhua dare say no? Yet to respectfully offer up the leopard's carcass and obediently provide cannon fodder for those two noble figures—He Lingchuan simply could not stomach it. Those two bastards had attacked the leopard den on West Mountain, which led to him tumbling off a cliff. The original host had died, and he, the counterfeit, had suffered over twenty days of excruciating pain. Those two bastards had casually struck down a scout sent out by the He family on the He family's own turf. And now they wanted He Chunhua to dispatch cannon fodder to help them venture into the Panlong Desert and seize the Dafang Pot. If they succeeded, they would reap boundless glory, while Governor He would get next to nothing. After losing soldiers and commanders, all they would receive in return was a passing word of praise from the Emperor. Yet what standing did He Lingchuan have to challenge them? It seemed he had no choice but to pinch his nose and swallow this bitter loss. Infuriating! He Lingchuan cradled his head in both hands and let out a long sigh. Suddenly, he caught sight of something white drifting down before his eyes. A feather. Some bird had flown overhead. He Lingchuan caught the feather, idly twirling it twice between his fingers, when a thought abruptly struck him. Huh? Wait a minute. Only after he had recovered from his injuries did He Chunhua transfer Uncle Hao from out of town to serve as his personal bodyguard. That meant Little Grey might not have known the details of his fall from the cliff. Besides, the He family did not permit demons to set foot inside the compound; the sparrowhawk demon had always perched on branches outside. He Lingchuan had not spent much time with Uncle Hao, but the man was taciturn. What Uncle Hao saw, Little Grey might not necessarily know. So, looking at it from Nian and Sun's perspective, the information they had pried from Little Grey's beak might be quite vague. At the very least, they didn't know the leopard's carcass was resting right inside the He Residence, nor could they be sure whether the He family had the clues they wanted. After all, when the leopard demons fled their den back then, they had scattered in all directions. The pursuers had split up to hunt them down; how could they guarantee the one that fled toward Hulu Mountain was the true target? What if another sand leopard on the run carried the keepsake of the Panlong Ruins? Most importantly, they did not know the sand leopard's relic was in the hands of the Eldest Young Master! With so many uncertainties, they couldn't recklessly move against a local snake. Coercing with royal authority while enticing with rewards was their best move. If that was the case, what did the He family have to fear? Once he sorted this out, He Lingchuan stood up, dusted off his seat, and decided to go to the government office to find his father. Scaring himself was completely unnecessary. ... He Chunhua was writing furiously when his eldest son's words made the brush in his hand pause.