[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-after-the-immortals-disappeared":3,"chapter-after-the-immortals-disappeared-after-the-immortals-disappeared-chapter-16":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},2283900,4468,"Chapter 16: Qualifications","after-the-immortals-disappeared-chapter-16",16,"\u003Cp>He Lingchuan thought for a moment: \"Find them two sets of new clothes, get them cleaned up, and let them have two good meals first. No matter how they curse, you must all greet them with a smile. Also, keep an eye on Chen Laoqi; don't let him run off. He smashed someone else's backside, so he might just get his own opened up this time.\" The sect member agreed, but couldn't help adding: \"Young Master, we can't afford to offend the Donglai Prefecture. If we let these people go...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Previously, the Red and White Sect had acted ruthlessly knowing the two men's backgrounds, precisely because they were certain they were dead men walking. Dead men don't report, so what did it matter if they attacked? But now that He Lingchuan intended to let them go, the Red and White Sect couldn't help but feel anxious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don't worry, they have things they need from us, so they shouldn't care about such trifles. Besides, this is Qian Song Commandery, Black Water City; as the saying goes, a powerful dragon doesn't bully a local snake.\" This wasn't a place where the Donglai Prefecture called the shots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Red and White Sect members were dismissed. He Lingchuan turned back and saw his second brother's worried expression: \"Big Brother, how are we going to explain this to Father?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's just a minor misunderstanding; the Donglai Prefecture will surely prioritize the big picture.\" He Lingchuan laughed, his expression calm, \"This is nothing!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Yue said nothing. What was a sesame-sized trifle to the Grand Marshal was something the He family had to approach with fear and trembling, weighing every option.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My mountain is their dust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wind blew through the fallen leaves in the garden, rustling. The young man of the He family, who had grown up with the wind at his back and the tide in his favor, felt for the first time the frustration of a small fry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It really was hard to swallow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What's wrong?\" He Lingchuan saw the boy's gloomy expression, as if he had something on his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's nothing.\" He Yue smiled, \"I'm leaving now.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment he left, He Lingchuan turned to Uncle Hao: \"Something happened?\" Uncle Hao's state was off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Young Master, Little Gray is dead.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Lingchuan was startled: \"How did he die?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He didn't fly back last night. I went to the cliff in front of Mount Hulu and retrieved the corpse.\" Uncle Hao's voice was a bit hoarse, \"His wings and abdomen were pierced through; the blood was dark green, so he was poisoned, but the cause of death was having his neck snapped.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Nian Songyu, State Preceptor Sun!\" He Lingchuan saw his eyes redden and felt a pang of sadness himself, \"It was my idea to send Little Gray to tail them. Uncle Hao, I'm sorry!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Little Gray was a harrier demon, Uncle Hao's childhood playmate who had been with him for decades. He could speak human language, and they usually ate meat and drank wine together, killing and setting fires together, as close as brothers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uncle Hao had no children and no brothers. With Little Gray dead, it was as if his own limbs had been hacked off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You weren't the one who struck, why apologize?\" A fierce glint shone in Uncle Hao's eyes, \"Questioning them would have been enough, why take his life! Can you help me find out who dealt the killing blow? The State Preceptor or that man surnamed Nian?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I will.\" He Lingchuan immediately urged him, \"But you must not be impulsive. Not to mention you, no one in the entire Jinzhou dares to make an enemy of them.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Little Gray saved my life, at least twice.\" Uncle Hao was resolute, \"He cannot die in vain!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If you go for revenge now, you'll just be throwing away another life.\" He Lingchuan rolled his eyes, \"The Panlong Desert is a man-eating den; even if they manage to return alive, their strength will inevitably be greatly diminished.\" It would be best if they didn't return at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wait another ten days or so, and the hope for revenge will increase more than three or five times.\" He pressed down on Uncle Hao's shoulder, exceptionally sincere, \"As long as there is a chance, Father and I will definitely help you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The opponent was the State Preceptor, the nation's weapon of slaughter. Going for revenge at this time was far too rash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"By the way, does Father know?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uncle Hao shook his head: \"I came to find you first.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Lingchuan took off the mutton-fat jade ring from his finger and took out a string of pearls, stuffing them all into Uncle Hao's hands: \"Take three days off. Well, I mean, rest well for these three days.\" To mourn properly, \"Don't drink too much. I'll call you if anything comes up.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mutton-fat jade ring still had a large ruby on it, a classic nouveau riche accessory, and every pearl on the necklace was the size of a bird's egg, uniform in size, all precious items of great value.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uncle Hao took them, remained wooden for a moment, then nodded and turned to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A loved one's life was of course priceless, but ample money could at least soothe a wounded heart to some extent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After he left, He Lingchuan slowly sat down on the stone bench in the garden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was truly trouble falling from the sky while sitting at home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The harrier demon Little Gray lost contact yesterday, which meant that before Nian Songyu and State Preceptor Sun sought out the He residence, they already knew the He family held the clues they wanted. Coming to the door today, was it a case of \"courtesy before force\"? Not to mention the gap in status and position between the two sides, State Preceptor Sun had even come under the Emperor's orders; did He Chunhua dare say a word of refusal? But to have them respectfully offer up the leopard corpse and honestly send cannon fodder to the two noble guests, He Lingchuan was unwilling, so unwilling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These two fellows had attacked the West Mountain leopard nest, implicating him in falling off the cliff, causing the original body to die, and he, this imposter, had suffered twenty-some days of pain;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These two fellows had easily killed the scouts sent out by the He family on He family territory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They still wanted He Chunhua to send out cannon fodder to help them enter the Panlong Desert and seize the Great Square Pot. Once successful, their merits would be plentiful, while the Commandery Governor's merits would be meager.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Losing soldiers and generals, only to receive a word of praise from the Emperor in the end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what qualifications did He Lingchuan have to challenge them?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This kind of loss, it seemed he had to swallow it even if he had to pinch his nose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How frustrating! He Lingchuan held his head in both hands and sighed, when suddenly he saw something white drifting down before his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a feather.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who knew what bird had passed overhead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Lingchuan grabbed the feather, unconsciously twirling it twice, when a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm? That's not right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was only after his injuries healed that He Chunhua transferred Uncle Hao from out of town to be his personal guard, so Little Gray might not have known the details of his fall. Besides, the He family did not allow demons to set foot inside, and the harrier demon always perched on the branches outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Lingchuan hadn't spent much time with Uncle Hao, but the man was reticent. What Uncle Hao saw, Little Gray might not necessarily know.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, from the perspective of Nian and Sun, the information they pried out of Little Gray might have been very vague.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the very least, they didn't know the leopard corpse was sitting in the He residence, nor were they certain if there were any clues they wanted here. After all, the leopard demons that escaped the nest scattered in all directions, and they each sent people to pursue them; how could they guarantee that the one that escaped to Mount Hulu was the main target?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What if the other escaping sand leopards were the ones hiding the token to the Panlong ruins? Most importantly, they didn't know the sand leopard's relic was in the hands of the young master of the He family! With so many uncertainties, they couldn't just casually strike at the local snake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Using the Emperor's orders to coerce them and using profit to lure them was the best strategy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that case, what did the He family have to fear?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having figured this out, He Lingchuan stood up, patted his backside, and decided to go to the office to find his father.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Scaring oneself, there was no need for that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Chunhua was writing furiously, but upon hearing what his eldest son said, the brush in his hand stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1502,"2026-06-20T02:23:30.219Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","8d95d0e40942387a5507c8e65a74b27aeff1ec6865f9ee2d8f272a9d06e5fa77","after-the-immortals-disappeared-chapter-17","after-the-immortals-disappeared-chapter-15",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fafter-the-immortals-disappeared-cover.jpg"]