Chapter 789

He Chunhua repeated, "They invited you, and you stayed?"

He Yue was also curious: "Did they accept you into the sect?"

"I suppose so."

"Brother, you've turned a misfortune into a blessing!" Although He Yue felt something was off, he was still happy for him at this moment. "Before, Master Mo Zhe and I even suggested you apprentice at the Cloud-Piercing Pavilion. But the Rongshan Sect is a major sect, many times stronger than the Cloud-Piercing Pavilion; this is a great opportunity!"

After a few months apart, this kid had hooked up with the Rongshan Sect. He Chunhua's eyes held a look of inquiry: "Which famous master are you apprenticed to?"

He Lingchuan grinned: "Sect Master Xue said I have a connection with him."

This was vague; others would think he had apprenticed under Sect Master Xue. However, He Lingchuan's "connection" referred to nothing more than sharing the same goals.

Sect Master Xue was willing to do him such a huge favor, certainly not because of a single meeting, nor just because he had solved the seventy-year cicada plague.

The three people present couldn't believe their ears. Lady Ying's beautiful eyes widened: "Sect Master... this sect master of a Daoist sect, personally took you as his disciple?"

He Lingchuan laughed heartily and slapped the table: "I knew Mom would have this reaction. Rushing back day and night for this trip was worth it!"

Lady Ying was furious and pinched his ear hard: "You little brat, you've grown bold after a few months apart, daring to tease your mother!"

He Lingchuan let out two "ouch" sounds, then said smugly to He Yue: "Do you want to join the Rongshan Sect too? I can recommend you. When Sect Master Xue passes on in a hundred years, this sect might just be ours!"

He Yue didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Clearly, his brother was spouting nonsense, but he didn't know why he felt a bit tempted: "This..."

Lady Ying spat at her eldest son: "What 'yours' and 'ours'? Is that how a Daoist sect is passed down?"

He Lingchuan picked up a few slices of braised beef, unimpressed: "How is the inheritance of a Daoist sect any different from a country?"

Savoring these words, there was indeed some truth to them.

He Chunhua's suspicions grew thicker, so he simply asked: "Did you return with the Rongshan envoys?"

"I didn't return with the Rongshan envoys." He Lingchuan put down his chopsticks, slowly took a token from his pocket, shook it at the three of them, and smiled even more brightly.

"I am the Rongshan envoy!"

After saying this, he slammed the token onto the table.

The dining hall suddenly went quiet; you could hear a pin drop.

Only the sound of He Lingchuan slurping his hot and sour soup noodles was particularly abrupt.

"You are what?" Lady Ying's voice was actually softer, "Say that again."

He Chunhua grabbed the token on the table and observed it carefully several times, fearing he might have misread a single character.

He Lingchuan wiped his mouth with a napkin, enunciating every word clearly: "I said, Rongshan sent me back to negotiate the loan terms!"

He Yue steadied himself: "Then the one meeting with the Chief of Protocol, Lord Wang, this afternoon...?"

"Right, that's me." He Lingchuan smiled very comfortably, "He had no idea who I was and even tried to get friendly, saying there were high-ranking officials named He in this dynasty, and that we might have been the same family two or three hundred years ago."

"Hu Nao!" He Chunhua slapped the table and stood up, "How could you tease Lord Wang like that!"

"Hu Nao?" He Lingchuan's smile didn't change. When he dragged Cen Poqing into the water, no one called him nonsense; when he framed the Red Yan State Preceptor and got him thrown into the Tiangong prison, no one called him nonsense.

When he caused a scene in the Tiangong and blew up the Star-Plucking Tower, still no one called him nonsense.

He said lazily: "I used official terminology and didn't say anything excessive. Dad, you're being biased."

He Chunhua stared at him fixedly: "This afternoon, you will accompany me to apologize!"

He Lingchuan pointed to the token in He Chunhua's hand: "Dad, do you want the special envoy of Rongshan to apologize to the Chief of Protocol? On what grounds?"

"You..."

He Yue immediately reminded him: "Father, calm your anger. With this status, Big Brother must handle things officially upon returning to the Yuan capital. The seven million tael loan is a major matter!"

Strange, his father was usually so calm and wise; even when the court was full of undercurrents, he remained unmoved. Why did his father lose his composure as soon as his big brother returned?

He could only attribute it to his brother's sudden return making his father too happy, causing him to lose control of his emotions.

He Chunhua gripped the special envoy token tightly, his fingertips turning white; he did indeed look very agitated.

He Lingchuan wondered, why exactly was he so agitated?

He Chunhua's thoughts raced, struggling to calm his emotions, before he slowly loosened his grip and returned the token to He Lingchuan: "It was my mistake, my mistake. Chuan'er, don't blame me; in the eyes of parents everywhere, a child is always a child."

He Lingchuan took the token and put it away, acting as if he didn't care at all: "My skin is thick; what's the big deal about being scolded by Dad? It was a daily occurrence in the past. Come, come, let's drink!"

Was he the only one who could feel that He Chunhua's current state of mind and emotions were very complex? He grabbed the wine vessel, filled it for He Chunhua, his wife, and himself, and after a moment's hesitation, poured some for He Yue as well.

This kid was fifteen now; he should be able to touch wine.

Sure enough, Lady Ying glanced at him but didn't say a word.

He Chunhua was indeed a master of emotional control; within a few breaths, he had adjusted his state of mind, and when he looked at him again, he was amiable: "Chuan'er, tell us about your official duties as the Rongshan envoy."

"Oh, this matter is actually very simple. I made a great contribution in the operation to eliminate the cicada plague, and Sect Master Xue asked me what reward I wanted. I said the motherland was in trouble and was in need of money, so why not—ahem, Sect Master Xue had refused the Yuan loan three times, and actually felt a bit bad about it, so he just went with the flow and agreed."

The He couple looked at each other, both feeling it was absurd.

Money that the Yuan envoys couldn't borrow after three attempts, this kid managed to borrow on his own merit and face? Was the Rongshan Sect such a child's play place? It was too unreasonable.

Lady Ying scoffed: "What kind of great contribution did you make that could offset a seven million tael loan?"

"The seventy-year cicada plague had the Rongshan Sect in a complete mess. If it wasn't handled before the spring, the people would suffer, and there would be no peace from then on." He Lingchuan spread his hands, "So, your son's contribution is greater than the heavens."

Lady Ying still didn't believe it: "How exactly did you manage it?"

"I found a way to lure and kill the seventy-year monster cicadas; it works every time. Hey, let's talk about this in detail when we have time later." He Lingchuan was calm and composed, "If you don't believe me, hey, there are over a dozen Rongshan disciples outside protecting me on my return to the country; you can ask them."

These Rongshan disciples were now his subordinates; they had long since agreed on their story on the road and memorized it thoroughly. If you found one to ask, they wouldn't answer incorrectly even if they were drunk.

(End of chapter)