Chapter 115: Target: Resolve Disaster and Overcome Tribulation

He Yue heard this sentence as soon as he came out and quickly said: "Exactly. The shrine keeper just said that the Water Spirit still makes mistakes sometimes. Perhaps it was facing its own disaster and couldn't even divine fortune or misfortune?"

"Makes sense." He Lingchuan took a long breath. "No need to persuade me, I know."

"Big brother..."

"I said no need to persuade me!" He Lingchuan interrupted him sharply. "Don't bother me!"

This fit the eldest son's personality, so He Chunhua didn't find it strange, but Lady Ying, who had walked out, said: "How are you talking? Yue'er is also trying to persuade you out of kindness!"

He Lingchuan turned and walked away.

He Chunhua waved his hand to act as a peacemaker: "Alright, alright, he's in a bad mood, don't hold it against him."

He Lingchuan was also in a state of mental turmoil.

He remembered what Nian Songyu said before he died: "You are not far from death!"

At that time, the so-called "Heavenly God" was possessing Nian Songyu, finishing this last sentence for him. He Lingchuan had always treated it as Nian Songyu's dying curse and didn't take it to heart.

But what if the "Heavenly God" saw something? The Heavenly God originally wanted to possess He Lingchuan, but was knocked out in the illusion of the sea of consciousness.

That changed illusion, the street corner in the illusion, the glowing mark inside the broken wall at the street corner...

Even the so-called "Heavenly God" was driven out of his sea of consciousness by an unknown force; he hadn't forgotten this scene! Was this the power of disaster? Could these past events, plus the two lowest-fortune sticks given by the Water Spirit today, all be connected? A sense of urgency he had never felt since crossing over welled up, and He Lingchuan's heart was in a mess.

At this moment, a soldier ran over and reported to He Chunhua.

After listening, He Chunhua immediately called his eldest son: "The intelligence has been interrogated! Chuan'er, come here."

He Lingchuan had no choice but to walk back.

"Look at your surroundings; right now, major matters are most important, annihilating the fierce bandits is most important! Besides, if you really have a tribulation, perhaps it will happen tonight. Fierce bandits seeking lives, isn't that a great disaster? As long as we successfully leave County Magistrate Lake, the doubts will resolve themselves!"

He Chunhua pressed his shoulder and added: "Chuan'er, you must believe me, must believe the Great Shaman, understand?"

He Lingchuan looked at him and took a deep breath: "Son understands."

If only it were that simple.

"That Water Spirit is playing god, it must have a motive." He Chunhua said solemnly. "It wouldn't do these things for no reason; believing it is just troubling yourself."

He Lingchuan nodded.

So He Chunhua called everyone back to the main house.

On the way back, He Lingchuan's mind was full of thoughts: if the "great disaster" divined by the Water Spirit could still be accurate, did it mean he would end up like Nian Songyu, dying miserably in a foreign land? If there was still a glimmer of hope, where should he grasp it?

From today on, he must keep a tight grip on his own life at every moment and find a way to unravel the misfortune that clings to him—if it truly exists.

The most terrifying thing about the Water Spirit's prophecy was that it told the night traveler there must be a deep ravine ahead, but didn't say how far away it was.

Then every step he took in the future would have to be with fear and trepidation.

Sigh, before leaving Heishuicheng, he should have visited the Great Shaman Zhaoman Du; perhaps he could have gained something.

It was just that at the time, as a traveler, he felt guilty and wanted to stay as far away from this mysterious old man as possible.

Sounds of groaning came from the kitchen. The village house had poor soundproofing; even with his mouth stuffed, everyone could hear Wang Pangzi's painful groans.

This fat man was truly unlucky.

Not long after, the sound of splashing water came from the kitchen.

Then the personal guard Zhao Qinghe walked out of the kitchen and said: "My lord, the situation is not good."

He Chunhua found a chair and sat down: "Speak."

"Two days ago, this group of mountain bandits did conquer a town nearby, but it wasn't Qianteng Town, but Desheng Town! That place is only forty miles away from County Magistrate Village. And, the mountain bandits guarding Desheng Town weren't two hundred, but one thousand two hundred!"

One thousand two hundred, so many! Everyone was moved, and He Yue muttered: "That's almost catching up to a regular army."

He Lingchuan originally thought two or three hundred would be the limit. If two or three hundred fierce bandits fought the local militia, if they launched a surprise attack, the chances of winning would be high.

Who knew that the bandits in Desheng Town and County Magistrate Village combined were nearly one thousand five hundred! Let alone a mere town, if these bandits had some discipline and combat power, they could even steal a city—

An ordinary city, caught off guard, as long as these two necessary conditions were met.

However, these two sentences were just appetizers; the intelligence that followed was even more shocking:

"They are Buxin people, coming down south along the river from Woling Pass this time. They aren't ordinary mountain bandits, but rebel remnants!"

The three keywords "Woling Pass" flashed through He Lingchuan's mind like lightning.

All the trouble their He family had encountered, in the end, couldn't avoid Woling Pass! These people were actually rebel remnants fleeing from the Woling Pass battlefield.

He only learned the true battle situation of Woling Pass after returning to Heishuicheng from the Panlong Desert. The government army won, the rebel leader was killed, and the remnants fled.

Just at this time, the Grand Marshal rebelled in the capital, attempting to usurp power.

The government army at Woling Pass naturally had to return to defend the king immediately, and had to leave the fleeing bandits alone.

Woling Pass was less than two hundred miles from here; calculating the direction, perhaps this was on the route of the fleeing army.

Everything matched up.

Zhao Qinghe added: "Boss Lu is not called Lu Han, but Lu Yao."

When this name was spoken, He Chunhua slapped the table and stood up: "You mean, Lu Yao, the Left Tent General of the rebel leader Hong Xiangqian?"

"Yes, it is Lu Yao!"

He Chunhua paced back and forth in the dining room with his hands behind his back.

Others rarely saw him so excited, so He Lingchuan nudged He Yue with his elbow: "How many tent generals does the rebel have?"

He Lingchuan had heard of Hong Xiangqian's great name; this was the rebel leader who marched north for a thousand miles in two years, conquered Woling Pass, and shook the Great Yuan.

The people in the north and west of Yuan Nation described this person as a fierce and cruel rebel leader with a green face and fangs, saying he drank human blood and skinned people alive, and wherever he passed, there was drought for a thousand miles.

This was naturally the need of the Yuan royal court's public opinion war. He Lingchuan thought, could this person be the reincarnation of a drought demon? As for what kind of people were under Hong Xiangqian, He Lingchuan's original body only heard a vague idea, and this was where the lack of common sense showed.

He Yue whispered: "Four when the uprising started, fourteen at the peak, and only five left the battlefield alive after the defeat. Left Tent General Lu Yao is worthy of the words 'extremely evil'; he is a true cannibal, most fond of stir-frying the hearts of children under five years old, and even rated it as the best human delicacy. It is said he published a cookbook, 'Fifty Ways to Cook Two-Legged Sheep'."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 116 =====