Chapter 832: Old Residence, New Guests

He yawned: "Otherwise, we should already be in the desert by now." Many factions were already lurking in Heishuicheng, with undercurrents surging. He truly hadn't expected the Andong people to intervene as well.

"Then what should we do?" The mirror couldn't tell how anxious he was.

"What else can we do? Just make the best of a bad situation." He He Lingchuan turned over. "The water is already muddy; might as well stir it up even more."

In the snap of a finger, two days passed.

Over these twenty-plus hours, both sides just engaged in defensive skirmishes. Heishuicheng held the city gates tightly, refusing to send out troops no matter how the external enemy provoked or cursed.

Because He He Chunhua arrived suddenly, the culprits who assassinated Governor Hu hadn't managed to slip out of the city. The Andong people didn't know that Heishuicheng had changed commanders and even sent several loud-mouthed soldiers to curse Governor Hu's ancestors for eight generations.

He He Chunhua strolled along the city wall with a smile, showing no pressure at all.

By the way, the culprits who assassinated Governor Hu were also caught—with Heishuicheng under lockdown, finding a few outsiders wasn't difficult, especially with Zhou Peng helping to identify them.

He He Chunhua specifically arranged for them to be publicly executed at the entrance of the vegetable market.

Sometimes, killing to establish authority is very necessary.

Once those heads fell, the commoners immediately felt much more at ease: they didn't really care whether it was to avenge their parent-official, Governor Hu.

But the fact that Lord He handled the case with such speed and calm showed he had the ability to control the overall situation and would not fail the trust of everyone in the city.

On the morning of the third day, Zhao Qinghar came to report: "The arrows in the warehouse are running low."

In a city defense battle, arrows are consumed the fastest. The workshops inside the city were working overtime, but they still couldn't keep up with the supply.

Not to mention, the raw materials were also running out.

The Andong people had changed their tactics; the surprise attack failed, the frontal assault failed, and now they were simply besieging the city.

In any case, time was on their side; the military and civilian supplies in Heishuicheng would only continue to dwindle.

The people of Heishuicheng would have to leave the city to fight sooner or later, or they would be suffocated to death inside the city.

"If we could just hold out for two more days, that would be good." He He Chunhua sighed softly.

When he saw the inventory list of Heishuicheng's supplies, his vision also went black.

When he left office back then, Heishuicheng couldn't be called wealthy, but at least the granaries were full and the troops were strong.

It had only been a year and a half; how did it end up at the bottom of the barrel? "Forget it, let's start tonight. Chuan'er, we will split up to persuade those cultivators."

He He Lingchuan nodded: "Who is Father going to see?"

"Start with the Jianyang Sect." He He Chunhua already had a plan. "Zhao Qinghar has already found out that all eleven members of the Jianyang Sect are staying at the Red Cedar Inn. This Daoist sect has a good relationship with Dayuan, so I expect persuading them won't be difficult."

"Then I will start with our old residence."

"Our old residence?" He He Chunhua was startled. "Who moved in there?"

Of course he knew the old residence had been sold, but he had never cared about who the new tenants were.

"I went to take a look the first day I returned. A group of outsiders lives inside; they look arrogant and spotless, but their cultivation base doesn't seem weak." He He Lingchuan said, "I heard they've been living there for several months."

The words "spotless" were not spoken without reason.

Heishuicheng is adjacent to the Panlong Desert; it's either strong winds or wild sand all year round, and there is always a thick layer of dust on the leaves. How could people who like to be spotless live here? Unless they have another purpose.

And a disease like mysophobia is not something ordinary people are qualified to have.

A few words pointed out that the other party had status. Smart people would make the connection upon hearing it.

"Several months?" He He Chunhua frowned as expected. "Have you investigated their background?"

"I asked the neighbors nearby. I heard they run a carriage and horse station, and the business is as half-dead as the horses in the station. But they are generous with money, often giving tips, and their food and clothing are quite refined."

Coming to Heishuicheng to lurk several months in advance, and even finding a business as a cover, was different from the methods of other factions. Hmm, could it be that they knew in advance that a change was coming to the Panlong Desert? He He Chunhua immediately changed his mind: "In that case, I will go meet them myself."

He He Lingchuan had no objections: "I will accompany Father."

Goal achieved.

Qiu Hu and the others naturally followed. He He Chunhua also ordered Zhao Qinghar to pick an additional two hundred men to go along.

A quarter of an hour later, the group stood in front of the old He residence.

This large mansion, which the He couple had once carefully built, was no different from over a year ago, except that a piece of roof tile had fallen off in front of the door and no one had repaired it. The two large trees at the entrance had branches and leaves that were too dense, blocking the light to the side room.

In the past, every two or three years, Lady Ying would call someone to trim the branches and leaves and fix the shape.

After the He family moved away, its new owners were not so particular.

The He family had lived here for more than ten years; He He Lingchuan felt a little emotional revisiting the old place, but He He Chunhua was expressionless as he personally knocked on the door ring.

Before long, someone inside answered: "Who is it?"

"General General Changning, Superintendent of Yazhou." He He Chunhua said clearly, "I have business to see your master."

The footsteps inside paused noticeably, then scurried away.

After a short while, the gate opened with a hum. The gatekeeper poked his head out, looked at He He Chunhua, then looked at the large, well-armed group behind him, before pushing the gate open: "Please enter."

The group crossed the threshold and, led by this person, headed toward the depths of the courtyard.

The He family was all too familiar with the structure inside. After a year and a half, the garden lacked several of the plant varieties Lady Ying liked best; although they hadn't grown wildly, they were neither well-tended nor neat.

Clearly, they hadn't received careful attention.

Walking into the main hall, several people were already waiting. The leader was over forty, with a long beard and a fair face, his eyes half-closed.

The gatekeeper introduced: "This is President Zhang of our Chamber of Commerce."

Chamber of Commerce, my foot. Both father and son cursed inwardly, but He He Chunhua's smile remained impeccable as he cupped his hands to the other party: "President Zhang."

The other party returned the gesture without even bending his waist: "Superintendent He."

Clearly, they also knew He He Chunhua's reputation. Heishuicheng had been under siege for two days; even the slowest person knew what had happened outside, and that Governor Hu had been assassinated, and that now the sky over Heishuicheng had changed, with Superintendent He in full control.

Even so, they hadn't come out to welcome them, instead waiting for He He Chunhua to visit the courtyard himself. This arrogance made Zhao Qinghar and the others frown secretly.

He He Chunhua, however, was not offended—not in the slightest.

When the dignitaries of Lingxu City went elsewhere, they couldn't wait to look down on people. The guests from the Heavenly Palace were even more so; they looked at no one. That Zhang Zhang Lianhai returning the gesture was already giving He He Chunhua the greatest face.

The Soul-Capturing Mirror in He He Lingchuan's arms suddenly said: "There are people behind the hall, quite a few."

Was it an ambush?

He He Lingchuan was startled.

He He Chunhua began his pleasantries: "Is Mr. Zhang accustomed to living in the city?"

If you have any questions, leave a message for Zhang. I should be able to see it by evening~

(End of chapter)