Chapter 17: Ignorant of the Immensity of Heaven and Earth

"The scout you sent out was killed on the spot?" He thought for a moment. "That harrier demon has been with Uncle Hao for many years, always perching on his shoulder; I even fed it by hand myself." "It was tortured to death." Hearing his father refer to the harrier demon as a "scout," He Lingchuan felt reassured; it wouldn't be treated as just a minor monster. "Nian Songyu and Grand Preceptor Sun must have learned from its mouth that it was sent by me."

He could not fight alone; he had to remember that his old man was his solid backing.

If his old man, who was an official with power, couldn't handle it, then he certainly couldn't.

He Chunhua, however, said indifferently, "It's just a harrier; if it's dead, it's dead. What's the big deal?" He picked up his brush and continued writing.

He Lingchuan was stunned: "Old man!"

He had not expected this reaction from He Chunhua and hurriedly tried to persuade him: "They clearly have a request of the He estate, they clearly knew Little Gray was sent by me, and they clearly knew this was just a small misunderstanding, yet they still crushed it to death!"

He tapped the table lightly, making the Four Treasures of the Study jump in unison. "Old man, these two don't put our family in their eyes at all. They think they can mold us however they want, flatten us however they want, and that we can't even cry out while we're forced to bow our heads and work for them!"

"Sun Fuping is a Grand Preceptor favored by Heaven's grace, while I am merely a Commandery Governor in a savage land; this is the difference between heaven and earth. In normal times, he can mold me however he wants, flatten me however he wants, and then crush you with a single pinky finger—otherwise, why call it a strict hierarchy?" He Chunhua laughed instead of getting angry. "You've been too comfortable in Heishuicheng for too long; you don't recognize the order of superior and inferior, and you don't know the immensity of heaven and earth!"

When he said the last few words, his tone was chilling.

It would be a lie to say he wasn't resentful; the other party looked down on them from the bottom of their hearts.

They crushed your scout, and you still have to work for them and die in their stead!

Yes, that is exactly how superior they are.

But an official one rank higher can crush you to death, and Grand Preceptor Sun was also carrying a royal mandate. What could Governor He do? He Lingchuan was unconvinced: "But Uncle Hao..."

"Those who are subordinates must accept their fate!" He Chunhua frowned. "Is he unable to let it go?" He was already decades old.

He Lingchuan decisively changed the subject: "You also said that was in normal times!"

"Stop complaining, stop being clever, and think of more solutions." He Chunhua dropped his brush, stood up, and gave his eldest son a flick on the forehead. "But we cannot be passive forever; this is, after all, the He family's territory. Tell me, how do you want to cry out?"

"It would be better to let the second one come up with ideas; he has more tricks up his sleeve. But as I see it—" He Lingchuan sneered, "Even if we have to do things for them in the end, there's no harm in using a stalling tactic first to dampen their arrogance. Besides us, who knows the exact whereabouts of the Sand Leopard's relics? Furthermore, they killed our man... er, monster; shouldn't there be a price to pay?"

"A price?" He Chunhua pulled out a smile, feeling that these two words hit home. "That makes sense."

His eldest son had grown; he felt a little bit of gratification.

"By the way, what about those two guards from Donglai Prefecture?" He Lingchuan knew that He Chunhua had originally intended to let them go.

"Leave them be." He Chunhua was equally nonchalant. "We'll talk about it in a few days; they don't care anyway."

Nian and Sun cared about the whereabouts of the token, and Donglai Prefecture cared about the Great Square Pot; the guards themselves were inconsequential.

￥￥￥￥￥

At the banquet that evening, both sides chatted and laughed, and both host and guest were pleased.

Carried away by the wine, He Chunhua practically patted his chest to guarantee that he would find the pass for the Panlong Desert.

And then ten hours passed.

Nian Songyu naturally felt that time was dragging like years and urged him once. While He Chunhua admitted he had gained nothing, he once again guaranteed that he would do his utmost.

Only then did he send men to Heishuicheng, putting on a show of posting notices and searching the entire city.

The attitude was excellent, but the efficiency was abysmal.

Of course, searching like this would certainly yield no results.

The He family's advantage was time; they were not in a hurry.

The dignified Grand Preceptor finally could not sit still and went to pay a visit with Nian Songyu. Unfortunately, the Governor was out, so they had to be received by the second son, He Yue.

Both men's eyes lit up when they saw He Yue, and they did not stint on their praise. Especially after Nian Songyu chatted with He Yue for a few sentences, it was as if they had met too late, even coming out with words like, "You and I are of similar age; we should exchange more in the future."

He Lingchuan took a gloomy sip of tea. Speaking of age, he and Nian Songyu were closer in age, right? How did this guy have the nerve to say that? His second brother had a good appearance and was always more likable than him, but weren't these two acting a bit exaggerated? He Yue was following his old man's instructions to spout official jargon: "The whole of Heishuicheng has been mobilized, but with the nearby Hongya trade route closed, the flow of visitors entering and leaving the city has increased greatly, and the people are a mix of good and bad, which adds a lot of difficulty to our search mission."

Fearing his second brother would be taken advantage of, He Lingchuan sat on the side to accompany him. Just looking at this kid's appearance—exceptionally sincere on the surface but actually impenetrable—he looked exactly like his old man, He Chunhua.

Nian Songyu lost his patience and couldn't be bothered to be polite with them anymore: "Then close the city gates and search! This matter concerns the fate of the nation; what does it matter if the city is closed for a few days?"

"That won't do." He Yue gave a bitter smile. "The diplomatic mission from the Baling Kingdom will arrive in Heishuicheng in the next two days and then return west from here. This is their last chance to return to their country this year; if delayed, I fear it will cause a major misunderstanding between the two countries!"

He paused: "The Baling Kingdom has always been eyeing the Great Yuan like a tiger, and there have been many border frictions; they are just worried about having no excuse."

Nian Songyu was so angry he laughed: "So you're saying Heishuicheng cannot be closed, and if it is, it will trigger a border war?"

"Very likely!" He Yue said decisively. "Qiansong Commandery cannot afford that!"

Sun Fuping could not stand them bickering and wasting time, so he simply cut to the chase: "I heard that the eldest young master of the He family was injured and has been recuperating behind closed doors for forty or fifty days?"

"Yes, it nearly cost me my life." He Lingchuan had been drinking tea on the side for a long time, and the topic finally turned to him. He pulled open his collar, revealing the wound on his neck. "Look."

At that time, the Sand Leopard had bitten down on his neck with all its might. Although the wound had healed, it had left a hideous, jagged scar, showing how critical that day had been.

Nian Songyu stared at the scar: "How did this injury come about?"

"This was when I went to Mount Hulu..." He Lingchuan stopped here, looking stunned. "Eh, where did Commandant Nian hear that I was seriously injured? Not many people know about this."

Nian Songyu said without thinking: "My subordinates found out. Just as you said, Heishuicheng is crowded and noisy; information cannot be kept under wraps."

"These bastards dare to spread news about me?" He Lingchuan threw down his cup and said indignantly, "Who exactly is it? Tell me, Commandant Nian, and I will certainly not spare him!"

Nian Songyu fell silent, his gaze becoming increasingly sharp as he looked at him.

That feeling of needles pricking his face returned, and He Lingchuan glared back, refusing to show weakness.

A staring contest? He had never been afraid.

(End of chapter)