[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-after-the-immortals-disappeared":3,"chapter-after-the-immortals-disappeared-after-the-immortals-disappeared-chapter-102":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","After the Immortals Disappeared",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2283986,4468,"Chapter 102: The Secret Letter of the Zhu Clan","after-the-immortals-disappeared-chapter-102",102,"\u003Cp>He Lingchuan interjected, \"What kind of business have you done?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I once ran a security firm in Yunyang City and escorted goods for merchant caravans, but the world turned chaotic before a few good years had passed, and those jobs couldn't be kept up.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Chunhua thought for a moment: \"Yunyang City? That’s right, six years ago the rebels besieged Yunyang City and nearly took it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Lingchuan asked curiously, \"If the world isn't peaceful, your business should be even more prosperous.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In chaotic times, martial strength is valued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Han sighed, \"Easier said than done?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, someone called to him from not far away: \"Boss Lu!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Han said, \"There’s something going on in the village, I’ll head over first.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as he turned around, his smile vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Dinner should be ready, let's go back.\" Lady Ying was very hungry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Han led four or five of his men and sat down generously on a long bench at the threshing floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This place was open; if anyone approached, they would be spotted immediately, making it a good place to talk instead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This corrupt official is quite alert and refuses to go to Shuangyue Bay with me,\" Lu Han hissed, \"What a pity.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To catch the bandits, one must first catch the ringleader. He had originally wanted to lure the official’s entire family to a remote spot, then raise his hand and drop his blade, one by one, one by one... the women could be kept.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He asked his men, \"What’s the deal with the cooking? Does he bring his own food?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The owner of the house where He Chunhua and his wife were staying looked grim: \"The flatbreads made by the woman in the house looked too unappetizing, and the official’s wife refused to eat them. She brought her own maidservant and used the stove and firewood to cook several dishes, especially the fermented rice wine, which smelled truly fragrant.\" After finishing, he swallowed his saliva.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Han pulled a long face: \"Put the poison in the water. They have to drink water, right?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I wanted to, but they have an old servant among their men who made me pour it out and boil it again. He just stared at me there without even blinking,\" the subordinate said, also in a difficult position, \"I couldn't make a move.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Han hissed and turned to look at the other three: \"Do you have any good news?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These three were the ones He Lingchuan had flushed out by the lake with pebbles. Hearing this, they said, \"Yes, seven hundred brothers have been mobilized from the town and will arrive shortly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It will be exactly the fourth or fifth watch, when the government soldiers are all asleep,\" Lu Han mused, \"Forget it. Since we haven't been exposed so far, let's just leave them alone.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The group asked curiously, \"General, have you changed your mind?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Can't call it a change. I originally thought it would be best to finish off the corrupt official so his men would scatter like birds and beasts; if we can't, we'll let them leave first thing tomorrow morning,\" Lu Han laughed, \"We must distinguish between the primary and secondary; we must not implicate tomorrow's operation. Have the brothers coming from the town set up an ambush to prevent any conflict with the corrupt official.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The four members of the He family walked back. He Yue chatted and laughed with his parents, but He Lingchuan was thinking about this man, Lu Han.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Last time, when fighting side-by-side with the Great Wind Army in his dream, one of the deep impressions he had left was the intense, bloody, and fierce aura of those warriors—a gift from a hundred battles on the field. Strangely, he actually felt that same aura from Lu Han.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That fellow was trying his best to suppress his presence. He claimed he was a former bodyguard who had traveled north and south—a standard wandering martial artist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Does that profession require killing people like cutting hemp? He Lingchuan looked up at the sky and recalled the mountain forest where all birds had gone silent before they entered the village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ever since that moment, something had been wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The He family had only walked halfway when they saw the village chief with his head bowed, hurrying past in front of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Didn't they say the old man was in poor health and needed to sleep early? Before this thought finished, a woman flashed out from the roadside and blocked the old man directly: \"Village Chief, what about the matter of the Water Spirit memorial tablet?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The village chief was preoccupied and was taken aback: \"This? Let's talk about it later!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why talk about it later?\" the woman was relentless, \"You said this morning that you would seek justice from my husband tonight!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing words like \"seek husband\" and \"seek justice,\" He Lingchuan became interested. He stepped forward and asked, \"What Water Spirit memorial tablet?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Nothing.\" As soon as he interjected, the village chief’s expression changed slightly, and he wanted to smooth things over: \"Probably knocked over by wild monkeys, small matter, small matter!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He slipped away, not giving the woman a chance to pester him further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman sighed and was about to turn around when she tripped over a tree root and fell to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bang, it was a heavy fall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Yue couldn't help but step forward to help her up: \"Are you alright?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I-I'm fine, thank you, young master.\" The woman spoke softly and bowed to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Yue was suddenly stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Lingchuan watched the woman and smiled: \"Looking at how you speak, you have logic and poise; you don't look like an ordinary village woman. Hmm, you’re not bad-looking either. What is your surname, and where do you live?\" This woman was also a bit strange.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hey, he was getting more and more adept at playing the playboy; what was going on?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The eldest son’s behavior was that of a dandy, and He Chunhua’s face darkened: \"Chuan'er, don't be rude!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman glanced at He Lingchuan and whispered: \"This woman’s surname is Zhu.\" Having said that, she turned and left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After this small interlude, the four continued their walk back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Yue stepped back two paces to walk shoulder-to-shoulder with his brother and whispered: \"There’s a situation.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Lingchuan was startled: \"What is it?\" His nerves had been stretched tight the whole time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"When that woman got up, she stuffed a paper ball into my hand,\" He Yue was also a bit surprised just now, \"She blocked it with her sleeve; no one should have seen.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Lingchuan chuckled: \"There is a situation, maybe she’s taken a fancy to you!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Seeing she’s in her early twenties, perhaps she fancies a tender and delicious spring chicken like you!\" He Lingchuan patted his brother’s shoulder, \"Don't be afraid, young man, you must face the difficulty—and go for it!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Yue’s eyes were full of disdain: \"Brother, what right do you have to say that to me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one practicing the Virginity Art is the eldest brother, not him! Lady Ying heard them and turned back, glaring at He Lingchuan: \"Chuan'er, this is not Heishuicheng, no fooling around!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I know, I know.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the four had even walked into the house where they were staying, they smelled the aroma of food.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But He Yue couldn't bother with eating and used the excuse of needing to urinate to head to the latrine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Lingchuan smiled and let it go, knowing the second brother wanted to take the paper ball out to look at it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, he had only sat down and picked up two chopsticks of bamboo shoots when He Yue hurried in, leaned over, and whispered to He Chunhua: \"Father, something is wrong!\" After saying that, he handed over the paper ball, \"The woman from just now gave this to me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this time, the homeowner didn't know where he had gone, and only the four members of the He family were in the dining room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Chunhua put down his rice bowl, picked up the paper ball, and took a look; his expression changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He handed it to He Lingchuan, then stood up and pushed the door to go out, instructing the personal guards Zhao Qinghe and the steward Old Mo to come in, and also telling the guards to keep an eye on the surroundings and not allow anyone else to approach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hostess of the house was staying in the main room, separated from the He family by a small courtyard, and with personal guards on duty here, the family could talk safely in the dining room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Lingchuan took the note, and Lady Ying also leaned in. Thus, the two saw a line of red characters on the paper:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1474,"2026-06-20T02:23:30.219Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","11fe05c3aba8e6e24eec1111870d977aa0e25fb986c6921ac1fd3ce33a356bc8","after-the-immortals-disappeared-chapter-103","after-the-immortals-disappeared-chapter-101",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fafter-the-immortals-disappeared-cover.jpg"]