Madam Ying sighed. "What a pity!"
Folding his arms, He Lingchuan shook his head. "Nothing is ever truly perfect. This is already very good."
He knew the quality of the Yuan army better than anyone. Aside from the core cadres He Chunhua had brought back from Xiazhou, the rest of his main force heading south was of uneven caliber and cooperating for the very first time. By rights, it would have been an accomplishment if they simply didn't fall apart. Yet they had pulled off a forced march and even won a major victory...
Who knew how much painstaking effort He Chunhua had poured in to deliver this decisive blow?
Had someone else led them, marching such a force from north to south and reaching their destination within seven days would have been a miracle in itself, let alone throwing them straight into battle.
His old man truly was capable.
Adapting to circumstances, adapting to time, adapting to people... each step was progressively harder than the last, and He Chunhua had successfully adapted to the people under his command.
Leading that ragtag outfit to victory was far harder than commanding the Gale Army.
With the main force winning such a resounding triumph, one could hardly be too harsh on him for letting a few rebel remnants slip away.
"Those remnants are nothing to worry about," He Yue explained to his mother with a smile. "Rebels like these are nothing more than a disorderly mob. When winning string after string of victories, they might share a common hatred for their enemy, but once they suffer a crushing defeat, they scatter like startled beasts and birds, finding it hard to rise again. Tan Xian only has eight hundred men left. Even if they cannot be wiped out immediately, as long as Father governs Yazhou properly, it will be difficult for him to cause trouble again."
Whatever one thought of He Chunhua as a person, his administrative competence was clear for all to see.
He then asked the messenger, "Has word of this victory been sent to the palace yet?"
"The general dispatched separate riders to report to the court."
"Excellent. What does Father plan to do next?"
"The general will detach a force to Longchuan to continue suppressing the rebellion, while the Outer Imperial Guard units among the main force will return north on their own. The remainder will stay in Yazhou temporarily to rest and reorganize," the messenger answered. "The general plans to oversee the governance of Yazhou for ten days, and then head west. He also asked me to convey to Eldest Young Master that you may set out now."
Madam Ying and He Yue both turned to look at He Lingchuan. "West? Where to?"
"To inspect the Red Cliff Trade Route," He Lingchuan told the truth. "The Red Cliff Trade Route is also collateral. I signed off on the loan beforehand, but I still need to guide Mount Rong's people along the path."
Of course, he only revealed part of the truth.
With such tremendous good news arriving for the He clan, Madam Ying grew generous as well. She rewarded the messenger handsomely and instructed Housekeeper Wu to take him down to rest.
After the meal, the He brothers went for a walk in the garden. Breaking from their usual banter, they were silent for a long time.
He Lingchuan plucked a cluster of Banksia roses at leisure and tucked it into He Yue's lapel. "Why so quiet?"
In the Yuan capital, men and women alike had the habit of wearing flowers in their hair or clothes.
"Big Brother, what exactly happened between you and Father?"
Seeing the boy looking so troubled and anxious, He Lingchuan asked in amusement, "Why would you ask that?"
"I'm not a child. How could I not see it?" He Yue said with a solemn face. "Ever since you returned this time, things between you and Father have clearly been strange."
Of the two sons, He Yue was the only one cherished wholeheartedly by their parents. The original self had always harbored resentment over this, but He Lingchuan remained completely unruffled. Patting his brother's shoulder, he said, "State affairs take precedence; nothing else matters much. Don't overthink it. Everything is fine."
He Yue frowned in displeasure. "Father also answered me that 'everything is fine.' Don't you find that strange?"
He Lingchuan smiled. "Then that just proves everything really is fine. What are you fretting about?" With a few jokes and playful deflections, he steered the conversation away.
Arriving at a fork in the path, he waved to He Yue and returned to his own courtyard.
He Yue watched his departing figure, worry etched across his face.
Father had just won a decisive battle—something that was supposed to be a momentous joy for both country and family. Why, then, did he feel that things in this household were growing increasingly amiss?
As for what was actually going on, he couldn't spot any tangible clues, and worrying in vain was useless.
Returning to his quarters, He Lingchuan greeted Qiu Hu and went into the courtyard to practice his spearmanship for a while.
He hadn't practiced for even an hour before a rhythmic flap of wings echoed from above.
Looking up, he saw a demoiselle crane perched on a peach tree. Tilting its head, it asked him, "He Lingchuan?"
The large bird had a black head, red eyes, and long white brows. It looked completely unfamiliar; he definitely hadn't met it before.
"And you are?"
"I came from the west to deliver a letter for that fellow surnamed Liu." The demoiselle crane didn't waste words. "Are you He Lingchuan or not?"
"I am." He Lingchuan held out his hand. "Where's the letter?"
"How do you prove that you are He Lingchuan?" The demoiselle crane was very professional.
"How do I prove that I am myself?" Did this world have such classic philosophical dilemmas too? "Give me a hint, will you?"
"That guy Liu asked: what did he put in his private storage compartment at Hongyan Restaurant?"
"..." Sure enough, it was an extremely private question that only the real He Lingchuan could answer. Fortunately, his memory served him well, and after racking his brain, he finally recalled it. "Two bellybands. He once had a lover he could never forget..."
"Correct!" The demoiselle crane couldn't care less about boring human gossip. Once the passphrase matched, it handed over the goods. "Your letter. Take it!"
Sure enough, it passed a letter to He Lingchuan.
Though crumpled and stuck with two downy feathers, the wax seal was intact.
"Very hard to keep dry!" the big crane said. "It rained the whole way."
"Thank you for your trouble. How about delivering a return letter for me on your way back?" He Lingchuan knew this kind of crane excelled at long-distance flight; several thousand li were a piece of cake for it.
However, it was currently exhausted, panting with its beak open.
"Fine. Fifty taels of silver, and eighty jin of top-grade silverfish—alive! But I have to rest first."
Not expensive at all; monsters really were straightforward. "Deal. How about I treat you to a frog feast first?"
"Oh?" A free feast to eat? The demoiselle crane nodded eagerly. "Yes, yes!"
He Lingchuan called Qiu Hu over. "Help me host this friend who has come from afar. Take him over to our courtyard pond first."
The squirrel on Qiu Hu's shoulder spotted the demoiselle crane and whooshed straight into his robes.
He Lingchuan let out a sigh.
The squirrel Xiao Qiao actually liked Qiu Hu more than him. How strange.
After that, Qiu Hu led the crane demon off to drink and eat.
The He Manor now boasted three beautiful, sprawling gardens with lakes and ponds, and by May, the croaking of frogs filled the air.
He Lingchuan suspected they were actually shouting insults at one another, as they were far too loud at night. In particular, when a chorus of frogs went off right beneath a window, it was virtually indistinguishable from rolling thunder, keeping people awake all night.
Madam Ying had complained several times and even organized the servants to catch frogs to reduce the noise, but the results had been less than stellar.
Strolling by the lake, the crane demon felt as though it had stepped into a buffet. Pecking here and there, whether it was insects, frogs, loaches, or snails, it devoured everything with utter delight.
It wasn't picky—all of these were its favorites.
With a natural predator on the scene, the din in the pond dropped drastically in an instant, the terrified frogs fleeing and leaping in every direction.
While the demoiselle crane feasted to its heart's content, He Lingchuan opened the envelope.
In the letter, Liu Baobao of the Liu Merchant Guild in Blackwater City stated that strange occurrences were happening frequently in the Panlong Desert.
A desert that had been arid for centuries could not transform into green fields after just a few spring rains, yet on the shaded lee slopes of colossal sand dunes, green grass had begun to sprout, and small oases were emerging.
Chapter 798