Chapter 19: The Commander's Token

He Yue retreated rapidly and said angrily, "Commandant Nian, please show some self-respect!" Nian Songyu not only failed to show self-respect, he even tried to grab the young man.

He Yue was so frightened that his face turned deathly pale.

Fortunately, someone rushed out from the side and threw a punch at Nian Songyu’s face!

This heavy punch whistled with force; if it had landed, Nian Songyu would have been sent flying at least ten feet, bruised and battered.

But he reacted very quickly, shrinking his body slightly to meet fist with fist, while simultaneously kicking a leg toward the other’s chest with great force, clearly having been provoked into anger.

But this move caused him to release He Yue.

That person had actually feinted with the punch; the killing blow was the short blade in his left hand, which silently stabbed toward Nian Songyu’s ribs.

Since Nian Songyu had noticed, he also retreated two steps, preemptively dodging that kick.

He Yue’s shout only then arrived: "Stop! Don't fight!"

The person who had arrived was none other than He Lingchuan.

Without waiting for Nian Songyu to speak, he tilted his head, looking surprised: "Commandant Nian, why is it you!"

"I thought some shameless lecher had snuck inside, wanting to ruin my second brother's purity." He Lingchuan asked curiously, "Commandant Nian, what are you doing standing in front of his latrine?"

"I'm sensitive to new beds and can't sleep at night, so I was just walking around and happened to run into Second Young Master He to have a chat." Nian Songyu patted his sleeves. "The Great Capital is truly a place where all sorts of people mingle. Since you are coming from the countryside, you will need someone to look after you even more."

He gave He Yue a gentle smile: "Second Young Master He, it’s rare that we hit it off. How about we find time to drink together again tomorrow night?"

He Yue’s face was deathly pale, and he didn't say a word.

"Sure, my second brother and I will definitely keep you company then, and we won't stop until we're drunk!" He Lingchuan immediately took over the conversation. "It’s just that I have a lot of energy when I drink and play, Commandant Nian, you’ll have to bear with it."

Nian Songyu chuckled twice, but feeling that this fellow’s demeanor was somewhat wretched, he didn't want to engage further.

He Lingchuan added: "By the way, have you found the person who leaked the news of my serious injury? I suspect it’s a mole!"

Nian Songyu’s smile slowly faded: "Not yet." After saying this, he turned and walked away unhurriedly.

As soon as he disappeared, He Yue ran to the pond to wash his hands, moving as fast as a rabbit shot in the tail.

He Lingchuan heard him curse in a rare display of foul language, and seeing his face pale as he washed his hands over and over again, as if he wanted to scrub a layer of skin off, he said, "Big brother, it's fortunate you were here."

He was only fourteen after all; no matter how mature he acted, at times like this, he still had to rely on his older brother to back him up.

"Seeing that punchable look on his face, my hands were itching too." He Lingchuan comforted him, "But even if I weren't here, he wouldn't have actually laid a hand on you today."

"Was he faking it?" He Yue frowned. "I’ve looked into Nian Songyu; he seems to really have that hobby."

Several generations of Yuan Emperors had a fondness for the same sex, which became the trend in the Great Capital, and it was common for high-ranking nobles to keep beautiful men. A youth with delicate features like He Yue was exactly the kind of prey some people liked.

"Whether he was faking or not, I’m not sure." He Lingchuan chuckled. "But since he intimidated you, for the sake of your purity, our family has to speed things up. Temptation in the afternoon, intimidation at night—this is called a two-pronged approach."

He pinched his younger brother’s cheek hard: "Look at this delicate skin and tender flesh, no wonder others harbor evil intentions. I told you to practice martial arts with me early on, but you wouldn't."

He Yue slapped his hand away with a "pop": "They are already impatient. Is it because the changes in the Panlong Desert are imminent?"

"Perhaps." He Lingchuan turned and walked out. "Go to sleep early, I’m going to find something to eat."

"The small cabinet in the main kitchen often has snacks hidden in it."

"What is it today?"

"A bowl of walnut cakes." He Yue coughed. "But there’s only half left."

"Not apple honey pastries?" He Lingchuan suddenly realized. "I was wondering why I couldn't find them sometimes; so it was you stealing them!"

Walking to a quiet, deserted spot, he finally shook his left fist hard.

"Hiss, that hurts." He looked at his reddened knuckles; the skin wasn't broken, but they were a bit swollen. "That fellow Nian Songyu, he’s got some substance."

His fists had been tempered with iron sand and flint for years, and he could easily snap a piece of wood as thick as a bowl. Yet, the force that rebounded from that punch to Nian Songyu made his finger bones ache.

￥￥￥￥￥

Early the next morning, the two guests were invited to the main hall, where He Chunhua personally brought them good news.

"The entire leopard carcass has been recovered." The Commandery Governor had been busy until late last night and had only slept for two hours, but he was now radiant and more energetic than his two sons. "However, I imagine the two of you only want this leopard tooth."

He opened his palm to reveal the leopard tooth.

Nian Songyu leaned in impatiently: "Let me see!"

No one cared how the leopard carcass had been recovered. It was just a story, and everyone knew it.

But He Chunhua sighed: "I thought it was some rival acting in the shadows; after all, Heishuicheng is located on the frontier, surrounded by external enemies. I never imagined there were so many internal complications. For delaying the National Master’s important affairs, I hope you two will forgive me."

What else could National Master Sun say? He could only be magnanimous: "It is of no consequence. Those who do not know are not guilty, especially since Young Master He was also seriously injured."

Thus, He Chunhua took out the leopard tooth and poured its contents onto a silk tray: "It’s all here. National Master, please take a look—which one is the token?"

Everyone gathered around to look, and Sun Fuping asked for a cup of water and dropped a grass seed into it.

After shaking it twice, the grass seed began to take root and sprout, growing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

In just over ten breaths, it grew into a flowering plant, bearing only a single, fuzzy white flower with six petals, the size of a fingernail.

Sun Fuping picked up the items on the silk tray and brought them close to the small flower one by one.

The flower showed no reaction, until—

Until He Lingchuan brought the broken half of the comb close. The white flower suddenly withered, its stems and leaves shriveled up, and finally, it turned into powder and drifted away in the water.

"This must be it." Just as Sun Fuping reached out, He Chunhua took the comb first and examined it carefully. "It’s been over a hundred years, and the lingering resentment is still this strong."

Nian Songyu asked curiously: "The token of the dignified Commander of Panlong City is actually a comb?"

He Lingchuan shrugged: "He once had a wife and daughter, too."

He Yue interjected and asked: "There is one thing I don't understand. When the Xianyou Kingdom finally broke through Panlong City back then, why didn't they seize the Great Square Pot? They suffered enough losses; they should have known its value."

"According to the history of the Xianyou Kingdom, after the army broke through Panlong City, they slaughtered the city. On the third day, the rivers and wells dried up, and even the water in the moat disappeared overnight. On the fifth day, the plants turned black and rotted, and the crops and withered grass all died. On the seventh day, all the livestock collapsed and died. Seeing that this place was highly ominous, the Xianyou army had no choice but to retreat as quickly as possible; besides, without water or food, the people couldn't hold on. Furthermore, this unit was immediately transferred to fight in the north, so they didn't get to use the Great Square Pot." National Master Sun took a sip of tea. "Not only that, I have scoured the historical records of Xianyou and have never seen a battle where the suspected Mind-Confusing Insect was used. Such a supreme treasure—once the Xianyou Kingdom obtained it, how could they not have deployed it on the battlefield?"

(End of chapter)