Fu Lin'an was struck dumb.
He had repackaged the White Dragon Pills into wooden vials after receiving them—how had they still tracked them down?
"Who on earth are you people?" Were they trying to rob a thief?
Hu Min gestured respectfully toward He Lingchuan. "This is Grand Commander He of Yuheng City."
"Wha—how is that possible?"
He Lingchuan produced his command medallion—a token radiating red light—and waved it before the man's eyes.
It pulsed with origin power; there was no faking it.
Fu Lin'an's face turned from pale to green in an instant.
He was finished. Dead meat.
Seeing the man's eyes roll back as he nearly fainted, He Lingchuan reached out and slapped his cheek. "Hey, pull yourself together. Do you want to live or die?"
Did he even need to ask? Fu Lin'an grimaced. "Commander He, my hands were tied! If I didn't fence goods for the river bandits, they would have slaughtered my entire family! My son is only six, and my mother is over seventy, withering away like a candle in the wind..."
"Oh?" He Lingchuan asked. "Are you more afraid of them, or more afraid of me?"
"..." Fu Lin'an said timidly, "Right now... I'm more afraid of you!"
The honest truth. He Lingchuan laughed, unexpectedly reminded of chubby Bai Guo back in Panlong City.
"Which outfits do you usually fence for?"
"The Globe Amaranth Gang, Qianjin Stronghold, and a few smaller gangs." Fu Lin'an proved completely cooperative. "Lately, they've brought in very few goods. The small gangs barely show up anymore, all saying there's nothing left to rob."
This business was getting harder by the day. He had genuinely been considering changing lines of work, but the authorities had come knocking too quickly.
Fu Lin'an tossed in some flattery as well: "Y-Your Yuheng Army is so formidable, you've cut off those river bandits' livelihoods entirely."
"As we should." He Lingchuan remained unmoved. "Explain clearly how you receive the loot from the bandits, how you distribute it, and how you settle payments."
Fu Lin'an held nothing back, recounting every detail. After all, if the grand commander before him merely narrowed his eyes, Fu Lin'an's head would roll immediately.
A'luo found brush and paper in the shop and laid them before Fu Lin'an. He Lingchuan added, "The bandits must have more fences than just you. Write down all the other channels for me."
Fu Lin'an had no choice but to take up the brush obediently.
When he finished, He Lingchuan picked up the sheet and glanced over it. It listed six names and addresses.
Two of them were in Bantou Town, which Skinny had mentioned earlier.
"What about the fencing channels for the Xiji puppet troops?"
"They... they don't sell through us," Fu Lin'an said in a low voice. "I heard they sell goods directly to Jintao. Someone there buys from them."
"Do Qianjin Stronghold and the Globe Amaranth Gang not sell to Jintao?"
"Rarely. Their relations with the people of Jintao aren't great either."
Fu Lin'an dropped the brush and bowed repeatedly with clasped hands. "Commander He, spare my life! I'll pack up my family and leave Yuheng City right away, and never risk my neck for them again!"
He Lingchuan glanced at him. "How would that do?"
"Huh?"
"When is your next contact with the river bandits?"
"To-Tomorrow afternoon, at the hour of the Sheep."
"Pass a message to Chief Xu of the Globe Amaranth Gang and Chief Tao of Qianjin Stronghold for me." He Lingchuan smiled pleasantly. "In five days, I invite them to drink tea at Baicheng Post Station. Be there or be square."
***
The following afternoon, He Lingchuan stepped into Yuheng Academy.
Willows wept along the water's edge, where two large white geese led a brood of downy yellow goslings.
Big short legs guided little short legs, waddling and swaying until they hopped into the water, instantly turning elegant.
Class had let out, and the academy was chattering with children, noisier than goslings and ducklings.
Adults only attended classes at night; during the day, the academy belonged to the children.
Several youngsters recognized He Lingchuan and ran over grinning. "The Grand Commander is here! The Grand Commander is here to see Master Sun again!"
Children naturally admired the strong. Hearing he was the "Grand Commander," they all gathered around to gawk. He Lingchuan tossed each of them a piece of candy, bribing them on the spot: "Here, new sweets from Baisha Bay. Who can tell me where Master Sun is?"
The children pointed the way. "In the back schoolroom!"
"Xiao Pang was kept after class by Master Sun again! Again and again and again!"
"So pitiful."
"Serves him right for being fat! No, serves him right for being dumb!"
Xiao Pang? He Lingchuan followed their directions. Sure enough, the children in the back row of classrooms had mostly dispersed, but voices still echoed from one of them.
Without even getting close, he could distinguish Master Sun's voice.
"How could you get eight out of ten questions wrong? Even if you closed your eyes and guessed blindly, you should have gotten at least thirty percent right!"
"..."
"Look at this one: a large rat and a small rat run toward each other..."
Then He Lingchuan heard a timid childish voice ask, "Master, why do the two rats have to run toward each other? Couldn't they just walk together?"
That voice, saturated with misery, was extraordinarily familiar. Wait, wasn't this the neighbor's kid from Panlong City?
He Lingchuan poked his head in to look. It really was Xiao Pang.
Both he and Master Sun had their sides turned toward He Lingchuan. Xiao Pang was looking up at the master with an innocent expression, while Sun Fuling kept smiling—though her left hand behind her back was clenched into a fist, knuckles white.
He Lingchuan hurriedly cleared his throat with a soft cough.
Xiao Pang turned, saw him, and beamed. "Big Brother He... wait, Commander He!"
He tried to scramble up, but instinctively glanced at Master Sun.
Sun Fuling sighed. "Go on. That will do for today."
Granted amnesty, Xiao Pang cheered and bounded toward He Lingchuan.
He Lingchuan scooped him up with one arm. "How did you end up in Yuheng City too?"
"Father said he has to work here for another year, so he moved us all over."
"Which is more fun, Panlong City or Yuheng City?"
"Yuheng City, of course!" Xiao Pang grinned. "There are so many good things to eat here!"
He Lingchuan handed him a handful of sweets, which the chubby boy accepted with a grin.
Taking advantage of the fact that Master Sun had not walked over yet, he leaned close to He Lingchuan and whispered, "Grand Commander, I feel so sorry for you."
"Hm?"
"I think Master Sun is the scariest person ever, but nobody else seems to think so."
He Lingchuan scratched his head. "Is that so?"
Damn it, finally someone else felt the same way!
Sun Fuling approached and asked languidly, "What are you two whispering about?"
"I'm heading home! Mother is waiting for me to eat." Xiao Pang gave a brilliant smile. "Goodbye, Grand Commander! Goodbye, Master Sun!"
He winked at He Lingchuan and took off on his two short legs, scurrying away like the wind.
"Master Sun, I trust you have been well!" He Lingchuan smoothed his robes and gave Sun Fuling a solemn bow.
"Long time no see." Sun Fuling cast him a sidelong glance. "What brought our busy man to Yuheng Academy today?"
Only a wall separated their residences, yet counting it up, they had not seen each other in quite a few days.
"I heard Master Sun has been terribly busy and hasn't returned home lately, so I came especially to pay my respects." He was not the only one neglecting home. Lately he had wanted to invite Master Sun to dinner, but had always ended up toasting the moon alone, making three with his shadow.
Come to think of it, he had spent over half a month in the Panlong World, but had not caught a glimpse of Master Sun.
The lights next door had stayed dark for more than half a month; Master Sun seemed to have been absent the whole time.
Seeing the beauty again now, He Lingchuan noticed her face was pale and her lips lacked color. Standing beside an osmanthus tree half-stripped of blossoms, she appeared all the more frail.
The Master Sun of the past had radiated a vigorous, spirited air no matter the circumstances. How had she turned into someone so pitiably delicate?
A subtle feeling stirred in He Lingchuan's heart, and he asked with concern, "What happened to you?"
"My chronic headaches flared up recently. It's nothing serious."
The more nonchalant she sounded, the more worried He Lingchuan became. "Why didn't you say so earlier? I'll call A'luo over!"
"Calling A'luo's master wouldn't help either." Sun Fuling smiled. "This ailment came with me from my mother's womb. Many famous physicians have seen it, and all say it can't be rooted out, though it won't kill me either."
"How can any illness be incurable?" He Lingchuan frowned. "You're probably just lacking some medicinal herb. I'll find it for you!"
"How thoughtful." Sun Fuling's lovely eyes darted playfully. "Since you came bearing comfort, where is your gift?"
Just as she extended a hand toward He Lingchuan, he took the opportunity to grasp her tender fingers.
Her hand was icy cold.
He Lingchuan slipped his fingers to her wrist to take her pulse. Sure enough, it was deep and feeble, as though her qi and blood were depleted and her yang energy waning.
Aside from that, he could not detect any grave affliction.
Sun Fuling chided with a pout, "I asked you to bring a gift!" Not to take advantage of her!
"I brought one, I brought one." He Lingchuan looked around. "Which desk is yours?"
Sun Fuling raised a brow and led him back toward the Zaoxue Building, the office for the instructors.
As they walked side by side, she coughed several times, her cheeks flushing red from the exertion.
He Lingchuan unfastened the gray cloak behind him and wrapped it around her.
"I'm not cold."
He brooked no argument. "Keep it on. You're not allowed to take it off!"
Sun Fuling pouted slightly, but drew the gray cloak tighter around herself.
He Lingchuan was not about to let the matter drop so easily. "What exactly is this chronic affliction of yours?"
"When I was little, I fell sick every other day. The doctor said it was congenital deficiency." Sun Fuling took his arm. "Later I met Mr. Wen, who said intelligent children often die young, and I was proof of that. But since I survived, the illness couldn't keep me down. And indeed, the flare-ups grew fewer and fewer, and the symptoms lighter and lighter."
She said once more, "Don't worry, I'll be fine in a few days."
He Lingchuan gently patted her hand in reassurance, though a glint flickered in his eyes. "Don't work so hard, and don't push yourself so recklessly."
Sun Fuling smiled. "Understood. I'm just an idle person with all the time in the world—how could I be as important as Grand Commander He?"
"Idle? You look busier than I am." He Lingchuan cast her a glance. "Otherwise, why would your chronic illness suddenly flare up out of nowhere? You must have worked yourself to exhaustion!"
He put heavy emphasis on the last four words.
Sun Fuling lowered her gaze. "It couldn't be helped. If I didn't do certain things, no one would."
He Lingchuan did not take his eyes off her face. "Is there anything in this world that absolutely requires you, that no one else can do?"
Sun Fuling burst into a laugh. "Alright, I hear you. I'll heed your teachings and change next time."
He spoke word by word, "Respect other people's destinies. Don't always try to change fate against heaven's will."
Sun Fuling blinked. "What are you talking about?"
"Teaching, of course. What else could I be talking about?" He Lingchuan said evenly. "Look at the children running around this yard. Not every one of them can grow into someone remarkable. When they grow up, each will have their own place to go, and it's not something you can control. That is the power of destiny."
"Very true." Sun Fuling tilted her head. "The Grand Commander is quite profound today." It felt as though their roles had reversed.
He Lingchuan sighed. "Whenever you fall ill, I feel the fleeting impermanence of the world."
His hand was pleasantly warm, and Sun Fuling let her chill seep into it. "Being sick is miserable, to be sure, but at least someone came to bring me gifts."
Chapter 859