"You didn't know these past few years either, and haven't you lived perfectly fine all this time?"
The problem was that he knew now. Village Chief Liang wanted to weep, but no tears came. He felt as though a pair of eyes was watching him from outside, burning with venomous malice.
And this was high noon! What was he supposed to do once night fell?
"Offer sacrifices often when you have free time. Besides, that child drowned in the river, so in the future he can only emerge from the water. Just stay far away from water whenever you can." He Lingchuan was hardly an expert in such matters. "Once Elder Liang returns, you can ask him."
Village Chief Liang's spirits rallied. That was right—the village now had a master residing among them!
Ignoring him, He Lingchuan stepped out of the house, called for the rock wolf, Shan Youjun, and the others, and prepared to mount his horse.
Just at that moment, several fine steeds galloped in from outside the village. The riders bore an air vastly distinct from ordinary commoners. In particular, the man leading them looked to be in his early forties, wearing a tall crown, with narrow eyes and facial features that bore a distinct resemblance to Village Chief Liang.
The moment they entered the village, the nearby villagers swarmed over with beaming smiles to welcome them. Some even dropped to their knees on the spot, crying out, "An earthly immortal has arrived!"
This reception was night and day compared to the treatment He Lingchuan and his companions had received.
Who had arrived? There was hardly any need to ask.
He Lingchuan immediately thought of the distinguished guest at the Area Command—the visitor from Chuanyun Pavilion who had mooched a rich feast off his old man at noon: Elder Liang.
Village Chief Liang's spirits soared at the sight of them, and he hurried forward to greet him. "Fourth Brother, you're back!"
Elder Liang offered him a faint smile, then turned his gaze toward He Lingchuan and his group, eyes meeting across the way.
Village Chief Liang promptly made introductions between the two parties.
He Lingchuan beamed warmly. "I have long heard of your esteemed name, Elder Liang. Did your conversation with Governor-General He go pleasantly over lunch?"
Truth be told, taking advantage of He Chunhua keeping Elder Liang occupied to slip over here and intimidate Village Chief Liang, only to run right into Elder Liang at the end, was indeed a touch awkward.
But who was He Lingchuan? Not a shred of it showed on his face.
Elder Liang nodded and smiled.
He Lingchuan waited a few breaths, but no words came.
Eh? The old man never mentioned that the honored guest from Chuanyun Pavilion was a mute.
The disciple behind Elder Liang stepped forward and said solemnly, "My apologies. Master is practicing the Mantra of Silence and rarely speaks. If you have anything to say, I shall speak on his behalf."
He Lingchuan drew out a long "Oh," showing no offense whatsoever. "If you cannot speak, then you must not speak. It is no trouble at all. My business here is done anyway. Go on and enjoy your brotherly reunion; I shall take my leave." With that, he smiled at the gathered crowd, mounted up alongside his men, and rode out toward the edge of the village.
Once their figures had disappeared from sight, Elder Liang raised both hands and waved them gently. Everyone understood the gesture, and the onlookers swiftly dispersed, not daring to linger and disturb him.
They treated Elder Liang with far more reverence than they showed Village Chief Liang. Everyone knew that Shuangyu Village's ability to hold its head so high owed in large part to the Daoist sect elder before them.
Once inside the house, Elder Liang made several hand gestures toward his elder brother.
He had cultivated the Mantra of Silence for twenty years, but he rarely returned to his hometown, so Village Chief Liang was unfamiliar with the hand signs and had no choice but to look toward the disciple.
A disciple should bear the burdens of their master, which in this case meant translating and interpreting:
"The master asks you: did the authorities send these men to handle that matter?"
Village Chief Liang's smile faltered slightly, and he sighed. "Yes. But please don't be angry—what they said was quite reasonable, so I... I..."
He hemmed and hawed for a moment, but seeing his fourth brother's piercing gaze, he had no choice but to press on. "I stamped it."
Elder Liang gestured again, and the disciple translated, "This is village business; your decision is sufficient."
He returned only once every few years and took no offerings from this place, so what did village affairs have to do with him? Had the elders not waved his name about like a banner and his brother not begged him to plead with the new Governor-General, he would never have waded into such murky waters.
"Good, good," Village Chief Liang agreed repeatedly, pasting on an ingratiating smile. "Then I'll go speak with the village elders right away."
He had already made up his mind to claim that yielding to the authorities had been done on Elder Liang's instruction. The other village elders would naturally have nothing to say. Even if they had objections, they wouldn't dare raise them to Elder Liang's face.
Elder Liang watched his retreating back and shook his head; he saw through his elder brother's thoughts perfectly well.
"That newly appointed provincial official clearly made promises to you at the banquet, yet he sent men into the village behind your back." The disciple sounded indignant.
Elder Liang made several hand signs.
"It is... out of respect instead?" Why wasn't the master angry? "This disciple does not understand."
Elder Liang simply smiled and offered no further explanation.
***
Meanwhile, He Lingchuan and his group had advanced two or three hundred paces along the mountain road when Bailiff Zhou could not help saying, "Young Master He, that... that Elder Liang just now probably already knows."
He Lingchuan recalled how fawning the bailiff's smile had been a moment ago. "You and I are on official duty. To this place, he is nothing more than a commoner. What in the blazes are you afraid of?"
In theory, that was true, but reality was another matter. Having gradually gotten a feel for the young master's temperament, Bailiff Zhou did not argue further, turning instead to the doubt weighing on his mind: "That water ghost in Shuangyu Village... was it truly killed by the village chief?"
"What water ghost?"
"Didn't you say earlier..."
He Lingchuan cracked his riding whip. "I bluffed him. You believed it too?"
"..." He truly had.
"When Village Chief Liang was carrying on illicitly with his third daughter-in-law by the river, there was more than one spectator in that little grove," He Lingchuan said leisurely. "He held the child in yellow underwater and drowned him, believing that eliminating the eyewitness would rid him of all future trouble. But he never imagined that the child's little playmate was hiding in the tall grass just a few fathoms away, too terrified to move. Not only did the boy witness the affair with his own eyes, but he also saw the entire murder from start to finish.
"Once Village Chief Liang left, the playmate dashed home and told his parents everything in full detail." He Lingchuan paused. "Fearing the village chief's power and influence, the parents naturally ordered him to keep his mouth shut tight, so very few people ever knew about it."
Bailiff Zhou was struck with sudden clarity. "So that was it! Then how... how did you find out?"
"The parents of that little eyewitness were one of the seven households who sold their land to the Adjutant of the Bureau of Land Administration. Since they were leaving anyway and the buyer acquiring the land was the government, they simply wrote down this testimony and slipped it between the land deeds in the transaction." He Lingchuan chuckled. "It had been festering inside them for years, and they couldn't leave without getting it off their chests."
It seemed the villagers privately harbored no small resentment toward their chief.
The Adjutant of the Bureau of Land Administration had seen the petition and presented it to He Chunhua, who devised a plan after reading it and sent He Lingchuan out to execute it.
Bailiff Zhou found it amusing. "In that case, Village Chief Liang won't even dare take a bath without second thoughts from now on." To Village Chief Liang, wherever there was water, a water ghost might lurk.
"That depends on whether Elder Liang possesses vast divine powers and can banish the demons in the village chief's heart." Young Master He had originally intended to gather more evidence. With so many pairs of eyes in the village, Liang's illicit affair could not have been completely airtight. However, Elder Liang had gone straight to the prefectural seat today to ask for a favor on Shuangyu Village's behalf, prompting He Chunhua to order his eldest son to wrap the matter up swiftly, leaving He Lingchuan no choice but to rush over ahead of schedule.
Upon reaching the outskirts of Xin Township, Bailiff Zhou tucked the precious land deeds safely into his robes and parted ways with He Lingchuan.
This Young Master He's way of doing things was truly...
unconventional.
***
By the time He Lingchuan returned to Dunyu, the sun was already slanting westward.
The moment he stepped through the front gates, Lao Mo led him to the reception hall. A new guest had arrived, one whom even He Chunhua and his wife were personally keeping company—
The master of Songyang Mansion, Li Qingge.
A small mound of fruit peels and nutshells sat on the table; the Marquis of Songyang had clearly been seated there for some time.
Upon seeing her, He Lingchuan was momentarily taken aback before immediately pointing an accusing finger at He Chunhua. "Do not blame me, Marquis of Songyang! It was Governor-General He who dispatched me on an errand at the last minute!"
Li Qingge had arranged with him long ago to come inspect the broken saber today. That appointment had already been postponed twice because Li Qingge was swamped with business.
Yet He Chunhua had saddled his eldest son with an urgent task, and He Lingchuan had dashed out the door with monkey and wolf in tow, completely forgetting to notify Li Qingge that today's meeting would be delayed.
The Marquis of Songyang had arrived as scheduled only to find him absent, leaving her no choice but to sit and converse at length with He Chunhua upon his return.
As for why Madam Ying was present as well, He Lingchuan could guess without even using his head.
He Chunhua scolded him with a laugh, "What a fine son I have!" Pushing his own father forward to take the blame at the very first opportunity.
Li Qingge smiled without the slightest hint of impatience. "It is quite all right; Young Master He's official duties take precedence. Besides, the Governor-General and I have already settled several matters of cooperation."
He Chunhua explained, "Xiazhou Prefecture will recruit seven disciples from Songyang Mansion to take up posts within the administration and the military."
Li Qingge nodded. "We cannot allow Chuanyun Pavilion to seize the lead."
He Chunhua then turned to his eldest son. "How did things go with Shuangyu Village?"
"All settled. The village seal has been stamped upon the deeds, and Bailiff Zhou went back walking on air," He Lingchuan said with a grin. "Just as I left the village entrance, I ran into a man wearing a tall hat with his nose in the air. Could that have been Elder Liang?"
"After having lunch with Elder Liang, he set off back to Shuangyu Village." He Chunhua took a sip of tea. "He came this time to pay his respects on behalf of Chuanyun Pavilion, and while he was at it, to recommend more than a dozen outstanding disciples to me."
Understood—he had come to pay homage to the local authority.
Then why send someone who couldn't even open his mouth?
Still, Chuanyun Pavilion enjoyed great renown in the north, and with He Chunhua being newly appointed, he had to give Elder Liang a fair amount of face no matter what. In He Lingchuan's eyes, the relationship between Daoist orders and the authorities was somewhat akin to that between universities and the government: most talents cultivated by the sects set their ambitions on an official career.
Both sides had mutual needs, which was why He Chunhua treated both Elder Liang and the Marquis of Songyang with tremendous courtesy and impeccable etiquette.
He Lingchuan glanced at Li Qingge. She was so young that one often forgot she was the master of an entire sect, standing on equal footing with the leader of Chuanyun Pavilion.
"By the way, now that Sun Fuping has been brought to justice, the position of National Preceptor sits vacant," Li Qingge remarked. "Word from the capital says the candidate list is out. There are three names. Hopefully, this time His Majesty will choose a worthy National Preceptor."
He Chunhua's gaze flickered slightly. "Your Ladyship is well informed indeed. Among the candidates, which one do you favor?"
"All three are exceptional talents, and all possess strong connections," Li Qingge mused. "Comparatively speaking, I favor Fan Ke and Yan Lixin. The final National Preceptor will likely be chosen between the two of them."
"Our kingdom originally had three National Preceptors; even with Sun Fuping gone, two remain," He Chunhua said with a smile. "The capital's waters are a hundred times more turbulent than here in Dunyu. Whoever ultimately claws their way into the seat of National Preceptor will require both absolute strength and formidable political backing; neither can be spared."
Chapter 243