Chapter 17: Ignorant of the Heights of Heaven and the Depths of the Earth

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

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

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

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: "Father!"

He hadn't expected this reaction from He Chunhua and hurriedly tried to persuade him: "They clearly have a request for the He Mansion, they clearly know Little Gray was sent by me, and they clearly know this is just a small misunderstanding, yet they still crushed it to death!"

He lightly hammered the table, causing the Four Treasures of the Study to jump in unison. "Father, 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 make us work for them while not even allowing us to cry out!"

"Sun Fuping is a Great State Preceptor favored by Heaven, while I am merely a Commandery Governor in a desolate land; this is the difference between Heaven and Earth. In ordinary 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 comfortable in Heishuicheng for too long; you don't recognize the order of superior and inferior, and you are ignorant of the heights of Heaven and the depths of the Earth!"

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

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

They crushed your scout, yet you still have to work for them and die for them!

Right, that's just how superior they are.

But an official one rank higher can crush a person to death, and State Preceptor Sun came carrying the King's mandate. What could Governor He do? He Lingchuan was unconvinced: "But Uncle Hao..."

"Those who are subordinates must accept their fate!" He Chunhua frowned. "He can't let it go?" He was already decades old.

He Lingchuan decisively changed the subject: "You said it yourself, that was in ordinary times!"

"Less complaining, less showing off, more thinking of solutions." He Chunhua threw down his brush and stood up, knocking a chestnut on his eldest son's 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 an idea; he has many devious tricks. 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? Besides, they killed our person... um, demon; surely that requires a price?"

"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 talked and laughed, and the host and guests were happy.

Riding the momentum of the wine, He Chunhua practically patted his chest to guarantee that he would definitely find the pass for the Panlong Desert.

And then ten hours passed.

Nian Songyu naturally felt that every hour was like a year and urged him once. While He Chunhua admitted he had gained nothing, he once again guaranteed that he would go all out.

This time, he finally sent men to Heishuicheng, putting on a show of posting notices and searching the entire city.

The attitude was excellent, but the efficiency was extremely poor.

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 Great State Preceptor finally couldn't sit still and went to pay a visit with Nian Songyu, but unfortunately, Governor He was out, so they had to be entertained by the second son, He Yue.

Both of them saw He Yue and their eyes lit up, not sparing any praise. Especially after Nian Songyu chatted with He Yue for a few sentences, it was as if they had met too late, and even words like "You and I are of similar age, we might as well communicate more in the future" came out.

He Lingchuan drank his tea gloomily. Speaking of age, he and Nian Songyu were closer, 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 people's expressions a bit exaggerated? He Yue was following his father's request to give official-sounding answers: "The entire Heishuicheng has been mobilized, but with the closing of the Red Cliff trade route approaching, the flow of guests entering and leaving the city has greatly increased, and the fish and dragons are mixed, adding much difficulty to our search mission."

He Lingchuan was afraid his second brother would suffer a loss, so he sat on the side to accompany him. Just looking at this kid's appearance of being exceptionally sincere on the surface but actually impenetrable, he looked exactly like his father, 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 Baling Kingdom delegation 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 Great Yuan covetously, and there have been many frictions at the border; they are just worried about having no excuse."

Nian Songyu laughed in anger: "So, Heishuicheng cannot be closed, and if it is closed, it will trigger a border war?"

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

Sun Fuping couldn't stand them bickering and wasting time, so he simply opened the window to speak plainly: "I heard that the eldest young master He 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 scar on his neck. "Look."

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

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

"This was when I went to Mount Hulu..." He Lingchuan said, as if 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 has many people and many mouths; information cannot be covered up."

"This bunch of grandsons dares to spread news about me?" He Lingchuan threw down his cup and said indignantly, "Who exactly is it? Commandant Nian, tell me, I will definitely not spare him!"

Nian Songyu was silent, his eyes becoming increasingly sharp as he looked at him.

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

Comparing eye size? He had never been a coward.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 18 =====