Lu Han chuckled. "I did business out and about for a few years, so I've seen a bit more of the world than my uncle. Nothing worth mentioning."
He Lingchuan chimed in, "What kind of business were you in?"
"In the past, I ran an escort agency in Yunyang City and escorted goods for merchant caravans. But after a few good years, the world fell into chaos, and that line of work became impossible to sustain."
He Chunhua pondered for a moment. "Yunyang City? Indeed, rebels besieged Yunyang City six years ago and nearly took it."
He Lingchuan asked with curiosity, "If the times are troubled, shouldn't your business have been even more booming?"
In chaotic times, martial prowess was all the more prized.
Lu Han sighed. "Easier said than done."
Just then, someone called out to him from not far off: "Boss Lu!"
Lu Han said, "Something's come up in the village. I'll head over first."
The moment he turned around, his smile vanished.
"Dinner should be ready by now. Let's head back," Madam Ying said, feeling quite hungry.
...
Lu Han led four or five subordinates over and casually took a seat on a bench at the threshing ground.
The space was open and deserted; anyone approaching would be spotted immediately, making it an ideal place to talk.
"That dog official is sharp. He refused to go see Twin Moon Bay with me," Lu Han scoffed with a grunt. "A pity."
To catch bandits, first catch the king. He had originally intended to lure the official's entire family to a secluded spot and strike them down, one clean slash after another... The women could be spared for later.
He asked his men, "What's the deal with the cooking? Did he really bring his own food?"
The master of the house where He Chunhua and his wife were staying made a bitter face. "The flatbreads my woman baked looked terrible, and the official's lady refused to touch them. She brought her own servant woman, who used our stove and firewood to cook several dishes. That fermented sweet rice in particular—it smells heavenly." As he spoke, he swallowed a mouthful of saliva.
Lu Han's face darkened. "Put the drug in their water. They have to drink water, don't they?"
"I tried to," the subordinate replied helplessly. "But an old servant among them made me dump it out and boil a fresh pot. He stood right there watching me without blinking an eye. I couldn't find a chance to make a move."
Lu Han hissed through his teeth and turned to the other three. "Do you have any good news?"
These three were the men He Lingchuan had flushed out by the lake with stones. At his question, one spoke up: "Yes. Seven hundred brothers were mobilized from the town and will arrive before long."
"That'll be right around the fourth or fifth watch, when the soldiers are sound asleep." Lu Han pondered for a moment. "Forget it. Since we haven't given ourselves away so far, we won't touch them at all."
The others looked surprised. "General, you've changed your mind?"
"Not really changed. I figured taking out that dog official would be best, since his men would scatter like startled birds. But if we can't do it cleanly, we'll just let them leave first thing tomorrow morning." Lu Han smiled. "We must keep our priorities straight. We cannot jeopardize tomorrow's operation under any circumstances. Have the brothers arriving from town set up an ambush in advance, just in case we clash with the dog official."
...
The four members of the He family walked back. While He Yue chatted and laughed with his parents, He Lingchuan was pondering the man named Lu Han.
When he had fought side by side with the Gale Army in the dream realm, one of the deepest impressions left on him was the thick, fierce aura of blood and battle clinging to those warriors—a gift bestowed by surviving a hundred bloody clashes. Oddly enough, he had sensed that exact same aura on Lu Han.
The fellow went out of his way to suppress his presence. He claimed to have been an escort in the past, roaming far and wide like a typical rough-and-tumble martial artist.
Did such a profession really call for slaughtering people like mowing grass?
He Lingchuan looked up at the sky, his mind returning to the mountain forest where all birds had fallen silent before they entered the village.
Ever since then, something had been off.
The He family had only walked halfway when they saw the village chief hurrying past ahead, head hung low.
Hadn't they said the old man was in poor health and needed to sleep early?
Before the thought had even finished running its course, a woman darted out from the roadside, stepping directly in front of the old man. "Village Chief, what about the water spirit's tablet?"
Weighed down with worry, the village chief was taken aback. "That? Let's talk about it later!"
"Why later?" the woman pressed relentlessly. "You said this morning that you'd demand justice from my husband tonight!"
Catching words like "husband" and "demand justice," He Lingchuan's curiosity was piqued. Stepping forward, he asked, "What water spirit tablet?"
"Nothing at all." At his interruption, the village chief's expression shifted slightly, eager to smooth things over. "Probably knocked over by wild monkeys. A minor matter, a trivial matter!"
He scurried away like smoke, giving the woman no chance to pester him further.
The woman let out a sigh. Just as she turned to leave, her foot caught on an exposed tree root, sending her crashing to the ground.
Thud! It was a heavy fall.
He Yue could not help stepping forward to help her up, asking, "Are you all right?"
"I-I'm fine. Thank you, young sir." The woman spoke in a soft, gentle voice and curtsied to him.
He Yue suddenly paused, startled.
He Lingchuan eyed the woman and chuckled. "The way you speak is so articulate and poised—hardly like an ordinary village woman. Hmm, and quite pretty, too. What's your surname, and where do you live?" This woman was rather peculiar as well.
*Sigh, playing the frivolous young dandy is becoming second nature to me. What gives?*
Seeing his eldest son behaving like an utter playboy, He Chunhua's face darkened. "Chuan'er, do not be rude!"
The woman shot He Lingchuan a glance and whispered, "This humble woman's surname is Zhu." With that, she turned and left.
After this little interlude, the four resumed their walk back.
He Yue dropped back two steps to walk beside his elder brother and whispered, "Something's up."
He Lingchuan stiffened slightly. "What is it?" His nerves had been taut the entire time.
"When that woman got up, she slipped a paper ball into my hand." He Yue had also been caught off guard earlier. "She concealed it with her sleeve, so no one should have noticed."
He Lingchuan snorted with laughter. "Something's up, all right—maybe she's taken a fancy to you!"
"She looks to be in her early twenties; maybe she has a taste for a tender, succulent spring chicken like you!" He Lingchuan patted his brother's shoulder. "Don't be afraid. A young man must rise to the challenge!"
He Yue glared at him with utter disdain. "Brother, what right do you have to mock me?"
The one practicing the Boy's Vigour Art was his elder brother, not him!
Hearing their banter, Madam Ying glanced back and glared at He Lingchuan. "Chuan'er, this isn't Blackwater City. Stop fooling around!"
"I know, I know."
Before the four even stepped inside the farmhouse where they were staying, the aroma of food wafted over.
He Yue, however, had no mind for dinner; using an urgent call of nature as an excuse, he slipped away to the latrine.
He Lingchuan merely smiled, knowing his second brother wanted to take the chance to pull out the paper ball and read it.
Yet He Lingchuan had only just sat down and taken two bites of shredded bamboo shoots when He Yue rushed back in, leaning down to whisper into He Chunhua's ear, "Father, something terrible has happened!" With that, he handed the paper ball over. "The woman gave me this just now."
By now, the homeowner was nowhere to be seen, leaving only the four members of the He family in the dining room.
He Chunhua set down his rice bowl. The moment he unfolded the wad of paper and read it, his expression changed drastically.
Passing it to He Lingchuan, he rose and pushed the door open, instructing his personal guard Zhao Qinghe and the steward Lao Mo to come inside while ordering the guards to keep watch on the surroundings and allow no one near.
The mistress of the house remained in the main building, separated from the He family by a small courtyard. With personal guards stationed outside, the family could speak freely in the dining room.
He Lingchuan took the slip of paper, and Madam Ying leaned in as well. Before their eyes lay a single line of red characters:
Chapter 99