Hong Chenglüe's expression shifted little by little, a look of sudden realization mixed with sullen fury.
"So it was you people all along!" he said coldly. "For that alone, I ought to kill you!"
The moment his murderous intent flared, the surrounding air plunged several degrees. Wu Qing took a step back to avoid the brunt of it, yet he did not beg for mercy.
For he knew Hong Chenglüe was a man of his word.
Sure enough, Hong Chenglüe's killing intent soon receded, and he pressed on, "Why seek out my elder brother? Why egg him on to his death?"
Wu Qing hastily waved his hands. "Lord Hong's convictions were among the three firmest of any man I have ever met. How could someone like me sway him? He firmly believed the royal court of Yuan was rotten beyond cure, and that only by tearing it down completely to forge a new nation could any blessing come to the millions of common folk. My master merely lent him a helping hand."
"And his death had nothing to do with you either?"
"The rebel army swept all before it, and everything was progressing smoothly. Who could have foreseen that Master Hong would suddenly be defeated and meet his end? My master was deeply shocked as well."
"Is that so?" Hong Chenglüe flicked the letter in his hand. "Does your master know why the god my brother worshiped suddenly vanished?"
"That..." Wu Qing startled. "This is the very first this humble servant has heard of it."
"Master Hong... General Hong!" He stepped forward, solemn. "My master wishes to invite you to come out of retirement and take up arms once more!"
"No." Hong Chenglüe seemed to have anticipated the request. "I swore a blood oath never again to wield divine abilities, and never again to lead an army and kill!"
Otherwise, what had all his suffering these past years amounted to? What had all the years of hardship his wife endured at his side been for?
"Forgive this humble servant's bluntness, but though you swore such an oath to Heaven back then, Heaven did not preserve both mother and child. That oath of yours might not even be valid."
Hong Chenglüe fell silent.
When his wife was in labor, the childbirth had been grueling and agonizingly prolonged over two days without delivery. Conscious of the heavy slaughter on his hands, and pressed by the tense political climate where he was caught in forces beyond his control, he had simply hung up his official seal and resigned, taking an oath in hopes of a blessed outcome for all. Who could have known Heaven had no pity to spare? His son was lost after all. And though his wife clung to life, her foundation had been damaged, her vital energy and blood utterly depleted, her meridians withered, until she gradually became paralyzed years later. He had sought out renowned physicians everywhere, but all declared it incurable.
From that perspective, Wu Qing did not seem wrong.
You pleaded with it, but it did not answer. Did any pact remain between you?
"Besides, if the one you prayed to back then had not been Heaven, but a celestial god..." Perhaps his wish would have come true?
Hong Chenglüe said coldly, "Shut your mouth. I touch nothing that has to do with spirits and gods!"
Wu Qing lowered his head slightly. "I heard Lord Hong sigh more than once that had you been willing to join forces with him—with him planning strategies and you directing armies—there would be few equals under heaven, and the transformation of the state could have succeeded." He pointed at the box on the table. "Lord Hong also remarked that though you are a master of the martial arts, when it comes to material possessions, you are fated only to scatter wealth. If you wish to remain secluded from the world, so long as you do not spend recklessly, this money should suffice for you to live out the rest of your days in peace."
Hong Chenglüe gave a faint, bitter smile. In the end, the one who knew him best was truly his brother.
"However..." Wu Qing glanced at the corpses on the ground. "This place is no longer fit for you to stay." Killing government bailiffs was no small crime anywhere.
Hong Chenglüe nodded. This place was indeed no longer tenable.
"This humble servant knows a little physiognomy and the art of reading aura. Forgive my bluntness, but Master Hong, your brow is darkened and misfortune clings to you. These years in retirement must have been fraught with terrible luck, have they not?" Wu Qing spoke with great care. "You discarded your official post and no longer have the protection of origin power. The slaughter you committed in the past and the curses hurled at you in secret are bound to visit upon you." He pointed at the box. "Furthermore, your fortune flows away like water, declining day by day. Even with this money in hand, you will not be able to hold onto it; before long, it will only slip through your fingers again."
How could Hong Chenglüe not know?
When he first retreated into seclusion, he had lacked no coin. Yet his residence either caught fire or suffered flooding, forcing him to move. After finally settling down in a new county town, purchasing properties and buying fields, the bank holding his silver proved unreliable; despite boasting such a grand reputation and so many branches, it went bust out of nowhere. He became one of the ruined depositors, over half his money swept away.
By all rights, the remaining real estate should have been fine, should it not? No. At the time he was in Lingzhou, so naturally his properties were in Lingzhou as well. But later, Lingzhou was overrun by the northern demon kingdom, and the land deeds in his hands turned to scrap paper...
After coming to Bailu Town, he had partnered with others in business, only for every venture he invested in to lose money, racking up greater and greater losses until he had nearly lost the clothes on his back.
It wasn't as though he had never considered plying the illicit trade of moonless, windy nights that required no capital, but whatever money he obtained somehow vanished into thin air...
Who said a capable man was capable everywhere? Who said buying homes and acquiring land preserved value and turned a profit? He truly wanted to lop off the heads of those frauds!
Even a mountain of wealth could not survive such ruin.
He knew he had been secretly cursed. He had sought dispelling rituals several times, but no sooner was a curse lifted than another took hold, until he eventually stopped wasting good money on it.
Only now did Wu Qing draw a jade vial from his robes and set it on the table. "This is the Red Jade Pill, refined by my master using his own vital essence and blood. Each pill is taken in three separate doses. Even an ordinary mortal can use it to relax sinews, clear meridians, and unblock stagnant channels. Take one dose every ten days, ten times in succession, and chronic ailments may well be eradicated."
If she took this medicine for three months, could his wife perhaps walk again? Hong Chenglüe was visibly shaken, realizing only now that the man had saved his trump card for the very end. Persuading someone usually meant appealing to emotion or arguing with reason, but Wu Qing had simply tossed out two overwhelming favors, knowing that reason alone would never sway him.
"Very well. We'll go with you." Hong Chenglüe let out a long sigh, struggling no longer. "We must find a way to slip out of town."
Wu Qing smiled. "The carriage is already prepared, parked right outside. At a time like this, every household fears for its own skin; no one will pay us any mind. A caravan departs this afternoon and can take us out of Bailu Town."
For some reason, Hong Chenglüe thought back to the three beheaded youths. Though the new governor had only just assumed office and enjoyed great renown, he knew that from Haotian Township up to all of Xiazhou, no significant change was possible, no matter who sat in that position.
In truth, the entire Yuan Kingdom was the same.
Otherwise, why would his brother Hong Xiangqian have plunged through fire and water?
Having virtually nothing of value to his name anyway, he gathered their bundle, lifted his wife into his arms, and boarded the carriage.
Wu Qing locked the courtyard gate firmly behind him.
Not far off, an old woman walked by, her eyes filled with curiosity. "Mr. Hong, where are you folks heading?"
Hong Chenglüe returned a smile without uttering a word. The carriage curtains fell, shutting out prying eyes.
This old woman always loved strolling into his house to pocket whatever she could lay her hands on.
Soon the carriage reached the mouth of the alley. Hong Chenglüe took one last look back as the messy alley shrank in his vision. This was the home among bustling lanes where he had lived for six years; there was none of the poetic serenity of a "great hermit hiding in the bustling market," only the unspeakable torment of a mortal worn down by the grinding mill of everyday life.
From this day forward, he would bid farewell to such wasting away.
Wu Qing handed him an appointment scroll and a scale-shaped token.
The token was thick, modeled after either tortoise shell or serpent scale, its edges lined with tiny serrations. Turned over, it bore only a few words in vivid blood-red:
Beijia.
General Qingwu.
Biting his index finger, he pressed his bloody print onto the appointment scroll, then took hold of the token. Suddenly, a rich amber-yellow glow washed over Hong Chenglüe's body!
Fortunately he was inside the carriage, out of sight of idle onlookers.
Origin power.
He closed his eyes, quietly feeling the long-lost origin power.
In the very instant that the yellow light flared, all the accumulated ill fortune, curses, and bad luck that had clung to him were swept away!
Even before opening his eyes, Hong Chenglüe felt an immediate lightness in body and mind, his thoughts clearing to serene clarity.
The troubles that had plagued him for years were effortlessly dispelled.
Wu Qing clapped his hands and laughed. "Congratulations, General Hong! With the old foulness swept away, you can display your grand talents once again!"
Hong Chenglüe let out a quiet sigh in his heart as well. Such were the wondrous uses of origin power; no matter how boundless your divine abilities, no matter how peerless your martial valor, one still had to seek an official post from a royal court.
Having tasted its benefits, how could anyone readily part with it?
His wife clutched his arm, deeply anxious. "Are you going to resume your old trade again?"
Hong Chenglüe looked at her and said earnestly, "You need to get well. You need to stand on your own two feet!" If he did not return, he would never get the rest of the Red Jade Pills.
"But that divination said... said in the end you would..."
"Die in the fires of war?" Hong Chenglüe smiled faintly, light returning to his eyes. "A-Jin, I've had my fill of living in seclusion. You and I both know the only thing I'm good at is taking the enemy's head with blade and spear in hand."
As he spoke these words, an aura gradually radiated from him, like a sleeping lion stirring awake, baring its fangs.
From this moment on, he was like a changed man.
"As long as you've thought it through." His wife, A-Jin, no longer knew how to dissuade him. She gave a long sigh and turned to Wu Qing. "Where are we headed?"
"Thirty li north of Bailu Town lies Wujia Manor." Wu Qing treated her with great respect as well. "Three forces will rendezvous there. Many are waiting to meet General Hong."
Soon their carriage blended into a caravan and headed north.
Another piece of good news arrived from the north:
Zhao Pan had led his army to recapture Songlin Pass within the borders of Xiazhou.
The Xunzhou army had invaded Xiazhou, constantly seeking to capture cities and seize territory to establish a firm foothold. Zhao Pan's move knocked out an important stronghold of theirs, pushing the Xunzhou troops back north by more than twenty li.
In this success, Xiazhou's timely transport of military provisions to the front line had been another major factor behind the victory. With the soldiers at the front spared from hunger and starvation, morale naturally surged.
In fact, according to the grain transport officer who returned to Dunyu, the moment the provisions reached the front, the main camp erupted into cheers.
Naturally, the Xiazhou Prefectural Office shared such joyous news with the people of Dunyu at the first opportunity.
With victories in two consecutive battles, the people of Dunyu were greatly heartened, the city grew increasingly peaceful, and all trades and industries began returning to normal.
This worked to immense advantage for He Lingchuan, as Ding Zuodong had already begun offering leases on the shops he had taken over days before at ten percent below market rates.
He had specifically targeted prime shops in prime locations from the outset; with the market picking up, they naturally became highly sought-after. According to the report he gave He Lingchuan, the properties under the eldest young master He's name now included:
Nearly a hundred mu of fertile farmland, twenty-seven shops, one fishery, two self-managed restaurants, one pharmacy, one time-honored oil firm, one trading firm, and six warehouses large and small.
Two months earlier, He Lingchuan would have had to spend at least triple the money to acquire such prime assets.
Naturally, all these properties were left to Ding Zuodong to manage.
Chapter 251