"Is that not so?" Li Qingge had figured it out long ago. "If Nian Zanli also sent a victory report to Beijia, his justification was likely the slaughter of thirty thousand of the Yuan Kingdom's elite troops. You know the state our Yuan Kingdom is in; there are precious few armies capable of fighting well. General Zhao's thirty thousand... truly were among our country's rare elites." Toward the end, she let out a heavy sigh.
The Yuan Kingdom's elites were either on the western front resisting the former Grand Marshal, Dong Haoming, or on the northern front holding off the Governor of Xunzhou, Nian Zanli, with only a few left behind to guard the capital.
Beyond those, practically none remained.
The rest of the army was utterly abysmal in combat effectiveness—something He Lingchuan knew intimately well.
Even the Xiazhou army, hastily raised by He Chunhua in just a few months, fell far short of Zhao Pan's troops.
What Nian Zanli had destroyed was indeed a vital force of the Yuan Kingdom.
"Each reported their own victory, each claimed their own merit." He Lingchuan gave a helpless laugh. "A major battle, and somehow both sides come out winners?"
"Victory and defeat depend on your perspective." Li Qingge twirled her cup in her hand a few times. "From their respective positions, both had grounds for claiming victory. I saw the common folk of Xiazhou were quite joyful too; everywhere people are singing praises of your esteemed father's martial prowess and wise governance."
"Father's days in Dunyu must be quite comfortable now, then?"
"Indeed they are," Li Qingge chuckled softly. "Governor-General He's decrees meet no resistance, his prestige is at its zenith, and none of the commanderies or counties dare disobey."
He Lingchuan leaned back gently. "Looks like I worried all this time for nothing."
"How did you survive?" Li Qingge was bursting with curiosity. "We had no time yesterday, so you'd better explain everything clearly right now!"
She was not exceedingly close to He Lingchuan, yet when chatting, she was completely familiar and natural, even with a hint of playful coaxing.
More remarkably, rather than being off-putting, it made one feel flattered.
He Lingchuan decided to start from the Battle of the Han River, recounting his encounter with Zhu Erniang in the Demon Nest Swamp, what he witnessed in the Jeweled Tree Kingdom, the turmoil on the Gale Plains... right up to the present.
Naturally, certain things could not be mentioned.
This storytelling took at least two shichen, and the wine was refilled three times.
Li Qingge clapped her hands. "Fascinating, truly fascinating. If only I had experiences like that."
"The Marquis travels far and wide; your experience is naturally far richer than mine."
"Too many trivialities. How could my life be as pure as yours?" Li Qingge rested her chin on her hand. "After you visit Mount Xu in Lingxu City, what are your plans? Will you return to Dunyu in Xiazhou?"
He Lingchuan hesitated slightly. "We'll see when the time comes. I have a feeling this trip won't be peaceful."
He had not mentioned the specifics of Zhu Erniang's commission, which was bound to affect Mount Xu.
He was a man of his word; secrets meant to be kept would be kept.
Hearing this, Li Qingge's eyes flickered slightly.
He Lingchuan still had other concerns on his mind. "Right, what about my men?"
At this, Li Qingge's smile faded. "Ah, I heard that the wolf demon vanished after the Battle of the Han River, and afterward... was nowhere to be found."
He Lingchuan waved a hand. "He isn't dead."
He could sense that the immortal pet covenant he signed with Lu Xin was still active, so earlier he had been far more worried about Lingguang.
"Speaking of which, your medicine ape returned to Dunyu and has been invited to my Songyang Mansion."
He Lingchuan was overjoyed and solemnly toasted her with a cup of wine. "Thank you for taking him in."
Li Qingge then told him that during the Battle of the Han River, Lingguang had originally hidden in a tree. Later, when the flood surged south, he was forced to retreat westward and never managed to find He Lingchuan throughout the chaos. Only after the floodwaters receded and the fighting ended did he learn that He Lingchuan had been swept away by the deluge.
A torrential deluge churning with countless drifting logs—unless one were an immortal, survival was all but impossible.
Lingguang searched along the riverbanks with the Xiazhou army for half a month without finding He Lingchuan, and had no choice but to dejectedly return to Dunyu with the army.
Once back, however, an awkward problem arose: his employer was missing, automatically dissolving the employment agreement. The Area Command had no need for an alchemist, and a monthly salary of fifteen taels was rather steep. For a time, Lingguang had nowhere to go.
Somehow, Li Qingge caught wind of this and sought to hire him, as Songyang Mansion happened to need an experienced alchemist.
"The little monkey thought he had jinxed you to death and was dejected for quite a few days, refusing to harm anyone else no matter what," Li Qingge said with a laugh. "Though he stays at my mansion, he hasn't signed an employment contract yet."
"Jinx me?" He Lingchuan burst into laughter. "With his meager cultivation? He thinks too highly of himself."
"Besides him, four or five of your men, including Shan Youjun, survived and returned to Dunyu. Since your whereabouts were unknown, they were absorbed into the Area Command. It seems a youth surnamed Sun was among them as well."
"Only four or five made it back?" Before the Battle of the Han River, he had ridden into battle leading more than a dozen personal guards.
"Yes. That subordinate of yours, Jiao Tai, is gone too."
He Lingchuan fell silent.
He had rescued Jiao Tai from the Dunyu dungeon, only for the man not to outlive that rescue by even a hundred days.
Li Qingge had not stayed long in Xiazhou, yet she was already an all-knowing source on Dunyu. "That capable steward of yours, Ding Zuodong, is currently working under Madam Ying."
He Lingchuan nodded; none of this was unexpected. With the eldest son swept away by floodwaters and almost certainly dead, what was strange about He Chunhua inheriting his legacy and absorbing his capable people?
Li Qingge asked again, "You mentioned earlier that the great fiend Zhu Erniang gave you some spider silk produced by her own body?"
"Yes." Struck by a thought, He Lingchuan remembered that she was the Master of Songyang Mansion, an authority in artifact crafting. He quickly retrieved the cloud brocade and spider fangs from his storage ring.
Li Qingge held up the cloud brocade and examined it closely, even conjuring a small wisp of true fire to scorch it before sighing in admiration. "Young Master He is truly remarkable. Everything you produce is a treasure of this caliber."
From the broken saber to Sun Fuping's purple-gold pestle, and now to the cloud brocade spun by the prehistoric great fiend Zhu Erniang herself—the treasures He Lingchuan brought forth were things even the Yuan Kingdom's highest nobles could never touch. Her investment in He Lingchuan seemed poised to yield even richer returns in the future.
He Lingchuan naturally would not say something like "If you like it, just take it" to curry favor with a beauty. After a moment's thought, he detached the grappling cord from his sleeve arrow and placed it on the table.
"The grappling cord crafted by Master Li Fubo is indeed useful, but I want it separated from the sleeve arrow." Falling into the Han River last time had shown him the cost of lacking an extra cord. "Also, can this spider silk be incorporated into the cord?"
"Leave it to me," Li Qingge readily agreed. "Your cord is already sturdy enough; weaving in the thread of a great fiend, I doubt anything in the world could snap it."
"That would be ideal." He Lingchuan produced another bolt of cloud brocade. "Consider this bolt your payment—how about it?"
He could not take advantage of someone for nothing.
Mutual benefit was the only way business lasted.
"It is only a bit of handiwork; you are truly generous, Eldest Young Master." That said, Li Qingge tucked away the cloud brocade without hesitation and picked up the two venom fangs. "As for these, they are well-suited for forging a pair of daggers." Naturally venomous, with built-in blood grooves.
"I'll trouble the Mansion Master, then." He intended to leave them for his clone to use.
"Three days at most." The moment Li Qingge said this, He Lingchuan knew her skill was at least on par with Li Fubo's.
"My thanks, Marquis."
"If they don't handle well, be sure to give me feedback promptly so we can improve them."
He Lingchuan sighed with emotion. "I am no longer the Eldest Young Master He of old. For the Marquis to be so generous, how could I ever repay you?"
His words were half a joke and half a probe.
Previously, Songyang Mansion had been polite to him, which could be attributed to giving face to He Chunhua. After all, the Chief Administrator of Xiazhou was a high official; if Songyang Mansion wanted to expand in that territory, they had to pay respects to the local boss.
Yet now He Lingchuan was alone in Beijia, stripped of power and influence. Why would Li Qingge still extend him so much courtesy and convenience?
Snobbery was human nature, and merchants were especially driven by profit.
Faced with this woman's goodwill, he grew somewhat guarded instead.
Li Qingge laughed. "You connected me with Fu Shanyue, making the Crown Prince of the Chiyan Kingdom owe me a massive favor. I haven't even had the chance to properly thank you yet! Doing business in the Chiyan Kingdom isn't as easy as in the Jeweled Tree Kingdom, but conversely, with a single golden word from Fu Shanyue, wealth will pour in for me, and my competition will be vastly reduced. Tell me, should I not thank you?"
He Lingchuan chuckled. "So I'm not taking advantage of the Marquis after all? Very well, I accept with gratitude."
"Young Master He is far too polite." With that, Li Qingge covered her mouth and stifled a yawn. "All right, we have a long journey ahead tomorrow; I need to rest."
He Lingchuan rose immediately. "Sweet dreams, then. Until tomorrow."
Li Qingge cast him a smiling glance, her slender waist swaying gracefully as she stepped out of the private room first.
When He Lingchuan returned to his room, he noticed that rain had begun falling outside at some point, pattering softly.
By the hour of the Ox, the rain had ceased, leaving the air thick with the scent of green grass and damp earth.
Before dawn broke, the rock sheep ambled out of the small town and wandered into the open fields to graze.
Grass coated with morning dew tasted best, though summer's overgrown shoots were no longer as sweet as those of spring. The rock sheep went rooting around tree bases to forage for fresh, tender mushrooms that had just breached the soil.
Every night, He Lingchuan removed its tack and let it roam free, so right now it appeared no different from an ordinary wild sheep demon.
As it grazed contentedly, it failed to notice two pairs of eyes watching it from behind a patch of bushes a hundred paces away, whispering among themselves.
"Is that a passing demon?"
"Of course."
"Are you sure?" the first speaker whispered. "Let's not stir up more trouble."
"Nonsense! That's a white-striped rock sheep, found only in the Jeweled Tree Kingdom. For one to suddenly show up here alone, it has to be a wild demon that strayed this way."
"It's very close to the town; maybe it came from inside." The first man still harbored doubts. "The higher-ups only permitted us to capture new demons spawned by the Emperor's Flowing Dew..."
"The higher-ups also gave us a monthly quota to deliver," his companion cut in. "We have to provide an extra thirty this month—what choice do you and I have?"
"If captured, this sheep would make a magnificent mount too. It seems a pity to melt it down."
"If we don't catch it, we won't meet the quota. Stop wasting breath!"
The two men procured a bundle of dark-red grass from somewhere, circled around the hillside, and scattered it evenly.
The grass gave off a faint fragrance. As the rock sheep grazed, it drifted in that direction, curling its tongue out to nibble on the red grass.
This plant was known as sweet red grass. It possessed mild hallucinogenic properties, making whoever ate it increasingly cheerful and addicted, until in the end they felt as though floating among immortals, oblivious to their surroundings—also colloquially called 'sheep-and-deer delight.'"
Chapter 435