He yawned. "Otherwise, we'd already be out in the desert by now."
Multiple factions had already been lurking in Blackwater City, hidden undercurrents surging beneath the surface. For the Andongese to suddenly barge in and meddle was something he truly hadn't anticipated.
"What do we do then?" The mirror couldn't sense any real urgency from him.
"What else can we do? Make the best of an awkward hand." He Lingchuan rolled over. "The water's already muddy. We might as well stir it up even more."
***
In the blink of an eye, two days passed.
Over the course of those forty-plus hours, the two sides engaged in a steady exchange of offense and defense. Blackwater City kept its gates shut tight, refusing to send out troops no matter how the enemy hurled taunts and insults outside.
Because He Chunhua had arrived so suddenly, and the assassins who targeted Prefect Hu had been trapped inside the city, the Andongese had no idea that Blackwater City was under new command. They even sent out several loud-mouthed soldiers to curse Prefect Hu's ancestors back eight generations.
He Chunhua strolled along the ramparts with an easy smile, showing no sign of stress.
Incidentally, the assassins who had murdered Prefect Hu had also been caught. With Blackwater City under lockdown, tracking down a handful of outsiders wasn't particularly difficult, especially with Zhou Peng identifying them.
He Chunhua specifically arranged for their public execution at the vegetable market square.
Sometimes, killing to establish authority was essential.
Once those heads tumbled to the ground, the common folk felt noticeably reassured.
Whether vengeance was being taken for their magistrate, Prefect Hu, wasn't something they truly cared about.
However, Lord He's swift handling of the case and his calm, composed demeanor showed he was fully capable of taking charge, proving worthy of the trust of the entire city.
On the morning of the third day, Zhao Qinghe arrived to report, "We're running low on arrows in the armory."
In a siege defense, arrows were consumed faster than anything else. Even with the city workshops working day and night, production couldn't keep pace.
Not to mention, the raw materials were rapidly running out as well.
The Andongese had already shifted their tactics. Their surprise raid had failed, their direct assaults had failed, and now they had simply settled into a siege.
Time was on their side anyway; the military supplies and civilian provisions in Blackwater City would only dwindle further.
Sooner or later, the defenders of Blackwater City would have to sally out and fight. Otherwise, they would simply suffocate inside the walls.
"If only we could hold out for two more days," He Chunhua murmured with a soft sigh.
When he had looked over the inventory of Blackwater City's supplies, his vision had practically gone dark.
When he stepped down from his post here back then, Blackwater City might not have been rolling in wealth, but its granaries were full and its troops well-equipped and well-fed.
Only a year and a half had gone by—how had it been scraped clean down to the bare floorboards?
"Enough. We'll begin tonight. Chuan'er, we'll split up to persuade the cultivators."
He Lingchuan nodded. "Who are you going to visit, Dad?"
"I'll start with the Jianyang Sect." He Chunhua already had a plan. "Zhao Qinghe has scouted them out; eleven members of the Jianyang Sect are staying at the Hongshan Inn. That Daoist order maintains good relations with Great Yuan, so convincing them shouldn't be difficult."
"Then I'll start with our old manor."
"Our old manor?" He Chunhua paused, surprised. "Who moved in there?"
He certainly knew the old estate had been sold, but he had never paid attention to who the new occupants were.
"The day I returned, I made a point to go over and have a look. A group of outsiders is living there. They carry their chins high and look utterly spotless, but their cultivation doesn't seem weak," He Lingchuan said. "I heard they've already been living there for several months."
The words "utterly spotless" weren't chosen lightly.
Blackwater City bordered the Panlong Desert. Year-round, it saw either howling winds or choking sand; leaves were constantly coated in thick layers of grime. Why would anyone obsessed with cleanliness choose to live here?
Unless they had an ulterior motive.
Besides, being that fastidious wasn't a quirk ordinary people had the luxury to afford.
A few simple words hinted that these people held status. Anyone sharp would immediately draw the connection.
"Several months?" Sure enough, He Chunhua's brow furrowed. "Did you look into their background?"
"I asked the neighbors. Word is they run a horse-and-cart station, though the business is like the horses in their stables—barely alive. Yet they spend lavishly, tip generously, and their food and clothing are quite refined."
Infiltrating Blackwater City months in advance and even setting up a front business was unlike the methods of other factions. *Could they have anticipated the impending anomalies in the Panlong Desert ahead of time?* He Chunhua changed his mind at once. "In that case, let me go meet them instead."
He Lingchuan naturally had no objection. "I'll come along with you, Dad."
His objective was achieved.
Qiu Hu and the others naturally followed. He Chunhua also ordered Zhao Qinghe to muster an additional two hundred men to accompany them.
A quarter of an hour later, the party stood before the old He family residence.
The sprawling manor that Lord and Madam He had once painstakingly constructed looked much as it had over a year ago, except for a fallen roof tile in front of the gate that no one had bothered to replace. Two large trees by the entrance had grown overly dense, their branches blocking the light to the side chambers.
In the past, every two or three years, Madam Ying would have the branches trimmed and properly shaped.
After the He family moved away, its new owners clearly weren't nearly so particular.
The He family had lived here for over a decade. Standing on familiar ground again stirred a touch of sentiment in He Lingchuan, but He Chunhua remained expressionless as he raised a hand and rapped the door knocker.
Before long, someone answered from within. "Who is it?"
"General Changning, Chief Administrator of Yazhou," He Chunhua said clearly. "I have business with your master."
The footsteps inside paused noticeably, then scurried off into the distance.
Not long after, the heavy gates groaned open. The gatekeeper peered out, looking at He Chunhua, then taking in the formidable, crisply armored retinue behind him before swinging the gates wide. "Please, enter."
The group crossed the threshold and followed him deep into the estate.
The layout was all too familiar to the He family. After an absence of a year and a half, several of Madam Ying's favorite varieties of plants in the garden had vanished. Though the foliage hadn't run completely wild, it was neither tidy nor well-tended.
Evidently, it hadn't received proper care.
Entering the main hall, they found several men already waiting. The man leading them was in his forties, with a pale complexion, a long beard, and eyes half-closed.
The gatekeeper introduced, "This is Guild Master Zhang of our trade association."
*Trade association, my ass,* father and son both swore inwardly. Yet He Chunhua's smile remained flawless as he cupped his hands. "Guild Master Zhang."
The man returned the greeting without so much as bending his waist. "Chief Administrator He."
Evidently, they were well aware of He Chunhua's reputation. Blackwater City had been under siege for two days; even the dullest fool would know what was happening outside and that Prefect Hu had been assassinated. The sky above Blackwater City had changed, and Chief Administrator He now held full command.
Even so, they hadn't gone out to greet him, choosing instead to wait for He Chunhua to enter the compound and pay a call himself. Such haughtiness made Zhao Qinghe and the others frown in silent irritation.
Yet He Chunhua took no offense at all—not in the least.
When dignitaries from Lingxu City traveled to outer territories, they practically looked at people through their nostrils. Visitors from the Heavenly Palace were even more arrogant, looking down on everyone as beneath their notice. For this Zhang Lianhai to return the greeting at all was already granting He Chunhua the greatest courtesy he would spare.
Suddenly, the soul-snatching mirror in He Lingchuan's robes spoke up: "There are people behind the hall. Quite a few."
An ambush?
He Lingchuan's guard went up.
He Chunhua launched into polite pleasantries: "Has Master Zhang found living in our city comfortable?"
Chapter 814