Madam Ying had not been mistaken. Though the He family had moved away, He Chunhua had still instructed people to care for this place properly and sweep the grave twice a year.
Yet the gravestone bore only Lu Xiaoyun's name, with no mention of who had erected it and no other information.
He Lingchuan let out a soft sigh and offered up the fresh flowers and fruit he had brought along.
What kind of feelings had He Chunhua truly harbored for Lu Xiaoyun? She had been dead for so many years, yet while he was in Blackwater City, he had insisted on visiting her grave every year despite Madam Ying's objections.
And yet, the very son Lu Xiaoyun had given her life to bear, he had been willing to offer up as a deity blood sacrifice.
As he stood lost in thought, someone called out from behind:
"Lord He?"
He Lingchuan looked back and saw an old man standing under a tree some thirty feet away. His temples were gray, his skin dark and lean, and he leaned on a hoe.
The old man looked closely at him. "Oh, my mistake. Not Lord He—it's Eldest Young Master He."
"You recognize me?" He Lingchuan walked over. "Elder, are you the caretaker here?"
"Ah, yes," the old man replied slowly. "Young Master He used to run rampant across Blackwater City. People like us could never forget you, but how could you remember an old man like me?"
He Lingchuan rubbed his nose. Blackwater City had once been He Chunhua's domain, and his original self had indeed been overbearing here, an eldest young master known to all.
"Elder, how much do you know about the late Lu Xiaoyun?" He Lingchuan asked. "Aside from Lord He coming every year to sweep her grave, that is."
The old man looked at him, then at the gravestone, humming softly as if deep in thought.
He Lingchuan noted wryly to himself that the old man only seemed simple and honest. He drew a piece of broken silver from his robes and flashed it before the man. "Please, think carefully."
In an instant, the old man's memory sharpened. "Lu Xiaoyun and her uncle moved to Blackwater City over twenty years ago, back when this place was still under the control of the Andongese. The scoundrels serving under those Andongese—heh, not a single one was any good.
"Her uncle opened a grain shop here, but business was terrible. Every warehouse he rented either flooded or suffered rat infestations, ruining grain day in and day out." The old man tried hard to recall. "If I remember right, her uncle fell sick and died within a few years."
He Lingchuan interjected, "I hear she was of the Bailie people?"
"Aye, I heard her say it herself. Her homeland was far to the east. She and her uncle took a ship to a seaport and trekked all the way here."
He Lingchuan's expression shifted slightly. "Did she say why they traveled so far?"
"She never said, only that things were bad back home and they couldn't stay any longer." The old man added, "More than ten years ago, I did odd jobs at her uncle's grain shop. Whenever he drank, he'd boast that the Bailie Kingdom were descendants of immortals."
"Immortals?" He Lingchuan's interest was piqued. "How so?"
"It seems their homeland originally had immortal houses, or... wait, was it immortal houses..."
"Immortal sects?"
"Yes, yes! Immortal sects." The old man nodded repeatedly. "Later on, when the immortals were gone, they founded a kingdom, but in the end they couldn't hold the land and had no choice but to migrate away."
A kingdom founded by descendants of immortals? He Lingchuan felt a stir within. "Migrate where?"
"Far away, it seemed. Past the Beijia Kingdom and further east," the old man said. "He mentioned the place's name and said it was a crossroads, exceptionally rich, but I can't recall it.
"Once when he got drunk, he even claimed that Lu Xiaoyun was the sole heir of their direct, legitimate line."
He Lingchuan's heart leaped. "The daughter of a clan patriarch, or the daughter of a monarch?"
"Ah, how would I know?" The old man scratched his nose. "He didn't always make sense when he spoke."
He Lingchuan asked a few more questions. Seeing that the man could offer no further leads, he handed over the silver, turned, and left White Pagoda Temple.
***
Another day passed, and He Chunhua arrived.
Unlike He Lingchuan's light travel and small escort, He Chunhua brought nearly a hundred cavalrymen directly from the south. The thundering of hooves across the open wilds sounded remarkably imposing.
When He Lingchuan saw him, he was taken aback. "Old Man, how did you get so thin?"
He Chunhua had only been south suppressing the rebellion for a little over a month, yet he had lost a substantial amount of weight. His skin had darkened, but the sharp gleam in his eyes was brighter than ever.
Nothing tempered a man like military life. He Chunhua had exhausted mind and body over those major battles, and the commanding aura he now projected made him look completely different from before.
"I'm fine, quite fine!" Seeing his eldest son, He Chunhua beamed with a broad smile. "Have you settled and properly entertained everyone from the Mount Rong Sect?"
The He family no longer held property in Blackwater City, so upon arrival, he too would have to stay at an official post station or an inn.
"Naturally. Everything has been arranged." He Lingchuan smiled brightly as well. "The on-site inspection of the Red Cliff Road is finished, and the audit of the past few years' tax revenue is complete too. Heh, I recall that the entries for several of those years were actually done by Number Two."
He Yue had assisted his father from an early age, and He Chunhua had grown accustomed to entrusting important tasks to him.
He Chunhua nodded repeatedly, looking thoroughly gratified. "Good, excellent."
He Lingchuan followed up immediately, "In two more days, I'll be heading back."
"Good..." He Chunhua froze. "What?"
His eldest son was leaving?
"Judging by the assessment results, the Mount Rong Sect will be very satisfied with the Red Cliff Road as collateral. Assistant Hu—Hu Qin—has already set off ahead to return to Mount Rong. Now that business here is settled, I was only waiting to meet with you, Father, before returning to Mount Rong myself. Eight million taels! I had already signed off on that before leaving the Yuan capital, and now even the Red Cliff inspection is complete." He Lingchuan said deliberately, "Father, you really didn't need to make the long journey out here. I've taken care of everything."
He Chunhua was astonished. "The Prefect of Qiansong Commandery let you audit the accounts too?"
"Of course he did," He Lingchuan said with a smile. "Once I presented the official dispatches and announced my family name, they were thoroughly cooperative."
The current local officials naturally knew the He family's prestige and would never make trouble for Eldest Young Master He—not to mention that He Lingchuan was on official business with the King of Yuan's letter of authorization, bearing large red seals that were intimidating in their own right.
He Chunhua muttered silently to himself, though his expression remained calm and breezy. "We can talk about what happens in two days when the time comes. The Prefect is hosting a dinner at Hongyan Restaurant tonight and invited us all. It's been a long time since I was last here; let's see if the chefs at Hongyan Restaurant have lost their touch."
No one raised any objection.
He Lingchuan smiled inwardly. The moment he proposed leaving, He Chunhua had indeed grown anxious.
Now, it was He Chunhua's turn to find a way to make him stay.
***
That evening at the restaurant, hosts and guests enjoyed themselves thoroughly.
The official who had succeeded He Chunhua as Prefect of Qiansong Commandery was surnamed Hu, a man with a square face and large ears who treated father and son with utmost warmth.
Serving as an official in this frontier region was practically like being exiled; how much merit would he need to achieve to leave this barren land and climb the ranks? If he could forge a connection with Lord He, things would be far easier for him in the future.
At an opportune moment, he asked about the fighting in the south, scratching right where He Chunhua itched with pride. Shrewd though He Chunhua was, once the liquor took hold, he recounted the major victories from beginning to end, brimming with satisfaction.
These great victories were his stepping stones.
Listening at his side, He Lingchuan had to admit that his old man had truly fought a grueling campaign to secure those triumphs.
Chapter 807