Chapter 207

He Lingchuan suddenly opened his eyes and sat up. He was inside a carriage, the space cramped; on the low table in front of him was a half-finished game of chess, while on the opposite wall of the carriage there was a small stain, and by his feet, a mountain-stacking incense burner was emitting calming incense in an unhurried manner.

He had returned to reality.

He Lingchuan subconsciously touched his own neck; both hands were covered in cold sweat.

Intact.

He took a long breath; it was good to be alive.

This was his third death experience, and the feeling of the cold blade cutting through his windpipe lingered—and he had done it himself.

The Panlong Dream had one drawback: it was too real.

How long would it take him this time to crawl out from under the shadow of death?

He Lingchuan thought optimistically, if he died enough times, would he become numb? He lifted the carriage curtain, and the whistling wind became clear instantly.

Right, his old man was in a hurry to reach their destination and had missed the inn, so now the support army could only push forward through the sudden wind and snow. He Yue was playing chess with Sun Hongye, a staff member newly recruited by He Lingchuan, to pass the time, and He Lingchuan had also been watching the game in the carriage and "accidentally" fell asleep.

No help for it, who told the wind outside the window to be so gentle, and those two to be so boring at chess.

As the curtain was lifted, Sun Hongye poked his head in.

"Oh, Young Master, you're awake?"

He Lingchuan yawned, "Why did you two run off halfway through the game?"

Sun Hongye coughed lightly, "The Second Young Master said it was better not to disturb your rest." The truth was the exact opposite; He Lingchuan's snoring was like thunder, making it impossible for them to place their pieces.

"Come up and talk." He Lingchuan grabbed a cup and drank two mouthfuls of cold tea, "I'm so tired!"

No one knew that while he had been sleeping quietly here, his spiritual sense had already entered the Panlong Wasteland to experience a grand and spectacular battle, and he had even died once, still feeling lingering fear to this day.

He had just experienced something heart-stirring, yet the world knew nothing about it.

"Earlier, I seemed to hear you say that Generals Ke Jihai and the other used your tactics to break through Woling Pass?" Then he had fallen asleep.

"Yes, it was I who presented the strategy to the Censor, and he was very happy, entering the palace overnight to present the plan exactly as it was to the King." At that time, Sun Hongye was a study companion at the home of Censor-in-Chief He Liwen, so seeing Censor He was not a difficult task.

"I've heard the story of the two generals breaking through Woling Pass; there are even storytellers in the streets, but your name never appeared in it." He Lingchuan said 'oh', "Did the old man He have the nerve to say this was a strategy he thought of himself?"

"No, it's not."

It seemed Censor He still had some shame.

"Censor He reported that this was a strategy thought up by his third son, He Jing, who was worried about state affairs and couldn't sleep for more than two months." Sun Hongye smiled bitterly, "Afterward, the King rewarded He Jing heavily."

He Lingchuan couldn't help but laugh, "Taking credit for the heavens and attributing it to one's descendants—this is an old routine for officials. Nothing fresh, nothing fresh!"

"It was my immaturity; I couldn't hold back my resentment in my words, and it ended up reaching Censor He's ears, so he expelled me from the He family."

The tea was long cold, and there was no charcoal in the carriage. He Lingchuan grabbed the teapot and channeled his true qi; in a short while, hot steam emerged from the spout.

Then, he personally poured a cup of hot tea for Sun Hongye, "At Luming Garden, the He family's second son, He Su, spoke rudely to me and Zhu Xiuer. Your carriage having problems when coming down the mountain also had something to do with him. I originally wanted to give him a taste of his own medicine, but then I thought, why not leave this opportunity to you?"

Sun Hongye's expression shifted slightly.

If it were anyone else, they would only advise him to let it go; what qualifications did a small commoner have to challenge a high-ranking official of the court?

He Lingchuan continued, "Don't belittle yourself. Look at the state of the He family's second and third sons, and you'll know the He family's fortune isn't flourishing. Come with me to the North for a few years, and opportunities will come in the blink of an eye."

Sun Hongye thought for a moment and nodded solemnly, "Good!"

He was looking forward to following the He family to the North to show what he could do.

"By the way, earlier I discovered a patch of light on the mountain opposite; it might be a village. Master He has already sent people to scout it." Sun Hongye smiled, "Lady Ying has quite a few complaints."

He Lingchuan also poured himself a cup of hot tea and drank it to warm his stomach, "She was scared to death by the bandits by County Magistrate Lake and thinks all the villages in the world have malicious intentions toward us."

"Hunger and cold breed thievery; Lady's worries aren't wrong." Sun Hongye lifted the curtain to look at the mountains in the night, and sure enough, he saw points of light ahead, appearing especially dear in the wind and snow, "It's just that our troops are strong and our horses are sturdy; the petty thieves wouldn't dare covet us."

He Lingchuan said lazily, "What's there to fear from bandits? Our team comes with its own bandits."

Wu Shaoyi and the hundreds of subordinates who were recruited along with him, although they didn't have military uniforms to wear yet, had already been incorporated into He Chunhua's support army.

Sun Hongye looked solemn, "Second Young Master told me about the Battle of County Magistrate Village. Young Master, you stayed behind to cover the retreat—that is courage; falling off a cliff and not dying—that is luck; you also took the opportunity to subdue the crocodile demon and Wu Shaoyi—that is wisdom. With wisdom, courage, and luck all complete, you aren't as simple as you appear on the surface."

"Do I look simple on the surface?" He Lingchuan rolled his eyes, "Keep flattering me, and maybe I'll give you a raise."

"Young Master is cynical but has no bad habits, meticulous but not indecisive—you are exactly the kind of general talent needed for the wars in the North." Sun Hongye smiled, "If Master He has a discerning eye, he will surely entrust you with heavy responsibilities."

Not far ahead, the sound of horse hooves suddenly came.

He Lingchuan lifted the curtain and saw a rider galloping from the mountain road opposite, merging into the team at the front of the support army.

It looked like the scouts sent to scout the road ahead had returned.

Sure enough, before long, an officer rode back and forth to pass orders, telling the soldiers to keep their spirits up and deal with emergencies.

He Lingchuan reached out and stopped him, "What happened ahead?"

"Village massacre." The officer replied, "Seventy or eighty men and women in the village ahead were killed; the murderer didn't even spare the young children."

"Bandits in the village again?" The public security of Great Yuan was really too poor.

"Doesn't look like injuries from blades. Master He requires us to continue moving forward, but to be prepared for battle."

The wind and snow were getting heavier, and the support army had to find a place to stay. Although the village ahead was a cursed one, after passing this village, he didn't know how far the next inn would be.

Marching in wind and snow was even more dangerous than rushing in a rainy night.

Besides, He Chunhua now had hundreds of soldiers under his command; even in the wilderness, what force could pose a threat to him?

So the whole team continued to move forward according to the original plan.

Since there was a change ahead, He Lingchuan couldn't continue to linger in the carriage, so he rode a horse to the front to find his father.

Two quarters of an hour later, the support army arrived at the village on the mountainside.

This village was even smaller than County Magistrate Village, but there were dozens of houses, including residential houses, woodsheds, pens, warehouses, etc., and most of the houses had lights on.

There were bloodstains on the ground and walls.

He Lingchuan didn't see any corpses, but he saw traces of dragging on the ground.

Fierce tiger landing style to ask for monthly tickets!

(End of chapter)