"Back from the dead?" He Chunhua murmured, repeating the phrase. "Indeed. Over these past ten-odd months, not a single day has brought me such joy as today!"
"Chuan'er has matured and made something of himself. He's completely different from before, and he even became Mount Rong's special envoy," Madam Ying said with a smile. "To return right at this critical juncture—it truly is the good fortune of your He family."
At the mention of this, a broad smile finally broke across He Chunhua's face, and he tapped the table gently. "Heaven is truly helping me!"
The authority over the funds was held entirely in his eldest son's hands. If the Yuan court wanted that money, they would have to treat the He family with far more deference and care.
The stack of bargaining chips in He Chunhua's hands had grown significantly thicker.
The times and the tide of fortune were with him. If he failed to seize this opportunity, Heaven itself would surely hold him to blame.
Madam Ying asked him, "After losing his memory for nearly a year, do you think Chuan'er's experiences were really that extraordinary?"
"Then you tell me, where did he go?"
Madam Ying gave him a nudge. "How should I know?"
"Nobody knows, so whatever he says, we take at face value." He Chunhua took a sip of his remaining wine. "At least he came back in one piece, hale and hearty, and he even brought us a lavish gift, didn't he?"
Amnesia? He didn't believe it for a second.
Where had his eldest son gone during those ten months? What had he done? Why had both his bearing and his cultivation undergone such tremendous changes?
When He Chunhua looked at his eldest son, he couldn't see through him at all.
A sword's edge comes from rigorous grinding. How could someone who merely drifted aimlessly through life ever achieve such a transformation?
Madam Ying gave a soft huff, having almost forgotten just how much her husband shielded his eldest son.
"Since you don't intend to hide the fact that Chuan'er is Mount Rong's special envoy, the news will spread across the entire capital within two days. When the pressure comes crashing down like a mountain, you must remind him to hold his ground no matter what."
"If you ask me, he doesn't need my reminders." He Chunhua chuckled. "Chuan'er is already grown up."
"When we passed through Shihuan last time, Ke Jihai praised him as a man of general's caliber." Madam Ying rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought. "Right, shouldn't we arrange a marriage for Chuan'er? Even Yue'er is already..."
"Yes!" He Chunhua nodded. "A timely reminder, Madam."
"Oh?" Madam Ying was a bit surprised. In the past, whenever she brought this up, her husband had always said there was no rush. This time, his attitude had done a complete about-face.
"In a few months, Chuan'er will turn eighteen. He's hardly a child anymore," He Chunhua mused. "Find him a good match, and let them marry as soon as possible!"
"As soon as possible?" Madam Ying found it amusing. "Are you eager to hold a grandson?"
"Of course," He Chunhua admitted candidly. "Those his age are already fathers."
This time, however, his smile did not reach his eyes, and even Madam Ying could tell.
***
After Madam Ying rose and left, Housekeeper Wu stepped forward.
"Master, the Mount Rong disciples brought by the Eldest Young Master have all been settled in the residence. One named Qiu Hu claims to be his personal bodyguard and insists on lodging in the same courtyard as the Eldest Young Master. The Eldest Young Master has agreed."
He Chunhua gave an affirmative grunt. "Let him be. Have someone sound out those Mount Rong people to see how Chuan'er entered the Mount Rong Sect in the first place, and what he did while he was there."
"Yes." Housekeeper Wu had another matter to report. "Just now, Ding Zuodong came by to report on the finances, and at the same time, he tendered his resignation."
"Resignation?" He Chunhua's brows furrowed. "Why?"
Ding Zuodong was exceptionally skilled at managing properties, far more capable than those He Chunhua had brought from Blackwater City. Realization struck He Chunhua at once. "Oh, did he come to the capital with Chuan'er?"
"He didn't say so directly, but I believe that must be the case." Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence that Ding Zuodong arrived yesterday, and the Eldest Young Master appeared this morning? "The reason he gave for his resignation was that he wishes to return to serving the Eldest Young Master."
For one thing, the family estate had not been divided. For another, He Lingchuan's previous properties in Xiazhou had already been transferred to He Chunhua's hands. His eldest son had no estate to speak of in the Yuan capital, so what would Ding Zuodong even manage?
Resigning at such a moment was far more about making a statement.
Did his eldest son possess that much charm? What could have compelled a seasoned fox like Ding Zuodong to remain so loyal to him? He Chunhua hummed in thought. "What about Shan Youjun?"
"I'm not quite sure."
His son truly was someone who cherished old attachments. He Chunhua pondered for a moment. "Mm. Go and look into who else he brought along besides the Mount Rong disciples."
He couldn't afford to be caught off guard.
Housekeeper Wu complied. Having served his master for many years, he had a good grasp of He Chunhua's thoughts, and he asked, "Should we send men to investigate the place where the Eldest Young Master stayed...?"
"Shabutou?" He Chunhua answered without hesitation. "No need. He's deceiving us; you won't find a single thing even if you check."
Losing his memory after falling into the water? *Hah*, he didn't believe half a word of it.
If his eldest son had truly put any thought into deceiving him, why would he concoct such a ridiculous lie?
"He didn't even bother putting any effort into the lie!"
Housekeeper Wu dared not say more and remained quietly by his side.
Reining in his irritation, He Chunhua glanced at him. "Is there anything else?"
"Master, word has arrived from Blackwater City."
"Oh?" He Chunhua was somewhat surprised.
The He clan had nearly been exterminated by the late monarch. Exiled to Blackwater City at the age of eleven, he had endured immense hardships before clawing his way up to the post of Prefect, so he still felt deep affection for the place.
Yet he had been away from Qiansong Commandery for over a year. What could possibly be happening in Blackwater City?
"In the second month of this year, the wild sand season in the Panlong Desert suddenly ceased. It hasn't flared up again to this day, and it has already rained seven or eight times in the desert. The air became so humid that some people in Blackwater City weren't used to it and even broke out in eczema."
He Chunhua frowned. "No sandstorms in the Panlong Desert, and it's even raining?"
It was true that this season saw abundant rain, but in the Panlong Desert?
For Blackwater City, this was indeed a tremendous upheaval.
"Yes, and not even the Three Corpse Worms come out anymore."
"Wait, are you certain of this?" He Chunhua was startled. "The Three Corpse Worms have vanished too?"
"It is absolute truth," Housekeeper Wu continued. "The men we left behind report that the Panlong Desert is now no different from any ordinary desert. There are no maddened beasts or people, and traveling merchants can move about freely without being restricted to Red Cliff Road."
"Furthermore... oases have even appeared in the desert, and grass has begun growing inside the Panlong Ruins."
"How can this be?" He Chunhua mused. "Over the past century and more, the wild sand season has never once failed to arrive."
Having ventured into the Panlong Desert alongside Sun Fuping and others, he knew full well that the wild sand season was caused by the Dafang Pot.
Now that the wild sand season had abruptly ceased and rain was falling in the desert, the most likely explanation was that something had shifted within the Dafang Pot!
The Dafang Pot...
At the thought of this divine artifact, He Chunhua felt a stir in his heart.
Back when he accompanied Sun Fuping into the Panlong Desert, aside from obeying an inescapable imperial decree, he had harbored his own designs on that supreme treasure. It was only after discovering it was utterly impossible to take away that he had abandoned the idea.
"Rumors are running rampant near Blackwater City and Red Cliff Road, claiming that precious light frequently radiates from the Panlong Ruins at night, and that the Dafang Pot is about to emerge into the world."
He Chunhua let out a scoffing laugh. "Utter nonsense!"
He had visited the ruins and entered the secret realm himself, yet had been utterly unable to take the Dafang Pot.
Chapter 775