[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-after-the-immortals-disappeared":3,"chapter-after-the-immortals-disappeared-after-the-immortals-disappeared-chapter-4":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},2283888,4468,"Chapter 4: The Leopard King","after-the-immortals-disappeared-chapter-4",4,"\u003Cp>If someone tracks this down here another day, there will be no evidence left to prove anything—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first thought that popped into He Lingchuan’s mind startled him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This seemed like something his original self could easily do, but for He Lingchuan, it was still quite stressful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pondered for a moment: \"Have the Red and White Paths find a place to lock it up; I will go back and report to Father.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The biggest thigh he could hug was his own father’s; they should share the burden together. He was still a minor, and his shoulders couldn't carry such a heavy responsibility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>￥￥￥￥￥\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As it turned out, less than a hundred paces from home, He Lingchuan saw a He family retainer running toward him. The latter was in a great hurry, and his eyes lit up upon seeing him, so he quickly stepped forward to salute:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Young Master, the Master requests your immediate return to the manor!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The \"Master\" was, naturally, the Governor of Qiansong County, He Chunhua.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Lingchuan took long strides, hurrying to see his father.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The He residence was a large estate covering twenty-five mu, which, converted into units He Lingchuan was familiar with, was over sixteen thousand square meters. Among the wealthy, this was neither big nor small, but the architecture was distinctive: black tiles and white walls, with exquisite and delicate pavilions dotted throughout the gardens, completely different from the rugged style of Heishuicheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For instance, the garden gate He Lingchuan had just passed through was built in the shape of a treasure vase, and behind the gate, a fifteen-year-old old-stump wintersweet would be covered in flowers every deep winter. At this moment, looking from the Treasure-Viewing Pavilion in the corner of the garden, the yellow plum blossoms bloomed right at the mouth of the vase, their posture graceful, truly looking as if they were growing out of the vase itself!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was said that such aesthetic taste was only particularly emphasized in the high-ranking, prominent families of the interior, but He Chunhua was very fond of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Last year, a new craftsman who didn't know the situation pruned the wintersweet, hacking away this beautiful scene in two cuts, and the Governor, usually known for his good temper, flew into a rare, earth-shattering rage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Furthermore, the material for the white walls of the He residence was hard to find; the He family had it specially transported from the heart of the Yuan Kingdom, and as a result, the labor costs were even higher than the materials. Moreover, Heishuicheng was visited by sandstorms for seven or eight months of the year, and the outer layers of buildings were all a yellowish-brown; why would you paint a big white wall just to attract dust?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet He Chunhua insisted on doing so, and to keep the white walls from turning into yellow walls, he even specially added a magic array to the perimeter of the house to prevent erosion from the wind and sand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just looking at the uniqueness of the He residence, He Lingchuan understood who his original self had inherited his headstrong ways from.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He walked through the courtyard and was surprised to see the Governor standing at the entrance of the storage room, followed by the loyal butler, Old Mo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The storage room was mainly used for stacking tools and sundries, and only servants went in and out; the masters of the He residence usually didn't go near it. But now, He Chunhua was beckoning to his son: \"Come quickly!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Chunhua became Governor seven years ago and was only thirty-four years old, in the prime of his life. Standing there, he was still a tall, handsome man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Walking on the streets of Heishuicheng, the Governor could often make young women and wives turn their heads repeatedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only when He Lingchuan walked up close could he notice one or two silver strands mixed in his father’s black hair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over these years, he had also been racking his brains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Father, I have something...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Chunhua waved his hand to interrupt him: \"Come in, there is something I want you to see.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a grave expression, he led his son and Uncle Hao into the storage room. The butler, Old Mo, closed the door behind them and stood by the entrance to keep watch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The daylight was bright, and He Lingchuan saw that the long table where the craftsmen usually piled up sundries had been cleared off, and a behemoth was placed upon it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The Leopard King!\" the young man gasped; his father had actually sent people to transport it back?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lying on the long table was none other than a dead leopard. But its body was huge, rivaling a rhinoceros, and even lying still, it gave off a sense of total oppression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to this one, the leopard demon that had fallen off the cliff with him was like a minor wizard before a great one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When this thing was alive, what a powerful monster it must have been?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The leopard’s corpse had a yellow base with black spots, and its fur was very exquisite, but unfortunately, it had already been opened with several large holes, and it was covered in blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The leopard’s hind legs were also broken, and everyone could still smell the strong stench of blood, but there were no flies or insects buzzing nearby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Lingchuan noticed that the leopard’s corpse showed no signs of decay. He reached out and pressed it; the fur was slightly soft.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They say that a centipede dies but never stiffens; this Leopard King had been dead for many days, yet its corpse had not decayed, showing that its cultivation in life was profound and its body had reached the realm of the \"undefeated.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Conversely, how powerful must the opponent who could kill it be?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How long has it been dead?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Almost forty days.\" He Chunhua lifted one of the leopard’s front legs, and He Lingchuan and Uncle Hao could see that its belly had been sliced open; clearly, an autopsy had been performed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Forty days ago?\" He Lingchuan calculated, \"Indeed, just about before I was attacked.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That leopard demon hadn't been wrong; the Xishan leopard den had truly been slaughtered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I have already sent people to confirm it; the Xishan leopard demon’s lair was wiped out, from the Leopard King down to cubs less than two months old.\" He Chunhua paused and continued, \"For some time now, traveling merchants have repeatedly discovered fire foxes in Xishan, and a few times they even saw them lying in the sand pits basking in the sun, looking quite content.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Lingchuan said \"Oh\": \"Xishan is the sand leopards’ territory; they would never tolerate fire foxes encroaching unless something happened to them.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, so I sent people to take a tour of Xishan and found thirty-four leopard corpses and more than ten human corpses near the leopard den, with signs of battle covering two hills. Most of the dead humans were unarmed and of ordinary physique; judging from the wounds, they were often killed in one blow, so they should have been the sand leopards’ servants. It took them another five days to bring this leopard corpse back to the city to dissect for clues.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was not strange for humans to appear in the lair of the demon race; they were either food or servants, basically civilians who had been abducted. Demons that had gained intelligence also liked to enjoy themselves, and the delicacy and dexterity of humans were things other races could not learn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dying so cleanly, He Lingchuan could only think of four words:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silencing the witnesses (leopards).\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Father, why did the news of the Xishan leopard den being slaughtered only arrive now? This is too slow!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Chunhua was accustomed to his complaints: \"A sand tornado blew for over ten days to the west of the Panlong Desert; no one could get close.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Panlong Desert was a place that ate people under normal circumstances, and when a sandstorm kicked up, it was even more extraordinary; no matter how much heaven-defying ability you had, you had to honestly wait for it to finish blowing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Lingchuan rubbed his chin, secretly thinking that the Xishan leopard demons had indeed been in cahoots with his own father.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was not strange; Heishuicheng guarded the Hongya trade route and inevitably had to deal with the surrounding sand bandits. The sand bandits coming and going included not only humans but even more of the demon race, and the Xishan leopard demons were just one of those forces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qiansong County also knew that the Hongya trade route was a big piece of fat meat; as long as there was profit, sand bandits would be wiped out and then emerge again, growing faster than wild grass. Therefore, He Chunhua both intimidated and negotiated with the large groups of sand bandits within a radius of two hundred miles—the so-called \"bestowing both favor and prestige.\" Over the years, their relationship had actually been quite good, belonging to the category of winking and nodding with a tacit understanding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for whether the two sides had more complex cooperation, He Chunhua didn't say, and the former He Lingchuan hadn't asked.\u003C\u002Fp>",1537,"2026-06-20T02:23:30.219Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","0428996dffa9d23ee4ba99bd73ce0455958eddf05e81b2a7a9aa1c482347b553","after-the-immortals-disappeared-chapter-5","after-the-immortals-disappeared-chapter-3",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fafter-the-immortals-disappeared-cover.jpg"]