Chapter 98: Set off! Governor-General He

Because he has practiced martial arts for many years, his movements are very steady.

But he shot several arrows, and the hit rate was very poor; twice he even missed the target.

So that successful flying knife rescue of his father in the Panlong Desert was really just dog-shit luck.

No, it was He Chunhua who was lucky not to have his head blown off by his son's knife first.

He Lingchuan was not discouraged, recalling Hu Min's archery as if it were an extension of his arm; he figured it wasn't something practiced in a day or two.

After pulling the bow fifty times, He Lingchuan put down the powerful bow, first relaxed his sore shoulders and arms, then adjusted his true qi, and began to practice the knife.

This is something he had been wanting to do ever since he woke up.

He closed his eyes and slowly recalled the fierce fighting of the past night.

Every parry, every dodge, every injury, every head-on strike, and—

Every time he killed someone! In the dream, he killed six enemies in total and injured or assisted in taking down nineteen.

Now these images were clearly traced, frozen, and magnified in his mind, allowing him to calmly record every success and examine every mistake.

He even remembered Commander Xiao's knife—crisp, neat, fierce, and decisive, without a hint of dragging.

And Meng Shan, that ferocity and dominance that would never flinch even when facing a mountain of knives and a sea of fire, which made even Commander Xiao dare not clash with his edge.

He Lingchuan seemed to have returned to yesterday's battlefield.

By the time he came back to his senses, a round of knife practice was finished; the knife intent was harmonious, and many obscure points from before were suddenly cleared up.

Just then, an osmanthus flower fell, and He Lingchuan slashed out with his knife, the blade about an inch away from the petal.

The osmanthus flower seemed to pause slightly in the air, then continued to fall on its original trajectory.

Completely intact.

The servant standing at the corner of the courtyard couldn't bear to look, but He Lingchuan seemed very satisfied, even revealing a faint smile.

Dancing the knife creates knife wind; the faster the knife, the stronger the knife wind.

The osmanthus flower was less than an inch from the blade, yet it was not disturbed by the knife wind; this was precisely his progress.

He Lingchuan had actually practiced a bit of knife qi, but controlling it from the heart is much harder than it sounds. From external release to internal containment, he still had a long way to go.

However, when did his memory become so good that he could remember all the details of last night, reviewing and savoring them frame by frame? Thinking back, it seemed both dreams were like this.

Perhaps, this was again the credit of the broken knife?

Then he went to pull the bow again, and returned to practice the knife, repeating this again and again.

Seeing the sun slowly tilting west, the servant had to remind him: "Young Master, don't forget Lady's instructions."

What did Lady Ying instruct? He Lingchuan thought for a long while before remembering that she wanted him to go to the upper-class circles of Heishuicheng to widely distribute invitations, asking them to come to the He residence tomorrow night for the "Burning Tail Banquet."

When an official is promoted and colleagues and relatives come to congratulate, the host must prepare a sumptuous banquet and singing and dancing, which is called a "Burning Tail Banquet." He Chunhua had made a great merit this time and was promoted several levels, so the Burning Tail Banquet naturally had to be held beautifully.

Finish practice, bathe, get to work.

By the time He Lingchuan finished delivering the invitations and returned home, the bright moon had already risen.

He Lingchuan looked at the broken knife on the wall, and when he lay down to sleep, he was still a little excited, hoping to dream of returning to Panlong tonight.

He urgently wanted to know the outcome of the Battle of the Riverbed.

Unfortunately, he had no dreams all night.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Governor He was promoted, and Heishuicheng was as lively as a festival. Even the servants of the He family enjoyed the happiness of being surrounded by stars when they went out.

The He residence was bustling with visitors; those coming to congratulate and those bringing gifts almost broke the threshold.

Most of these were received by He Yue, because He Chunhua was busy finalizing the list for his personal guard.

Currently, the Heishuicheng army totaled more than 1,300 people; he couldn't empty it all out and take them away, so after careful selection, he took 300 people.

These 300 elites were the foundation for his vigorous development in Xiazhou. In this respect, loyalty is more important than martial prowess.

Among them were three generals, including Zeng Feixiong.

He Lingchuan was very surprised that this filial son was actually willing to go north with them. It was only after asking that he learned Zeng Feixiong's father had suddenly passed away from illness five days ago, and had regained his sanity before he died, allowing father and son to finally have a good chat.

Zeng Feixiong had fulfilled his wish and seen his old father off. With no more attachments, he no longer felt nostalgic for Heishuicheng.

In fact, one of the criteria for the personal guards He Chunhua selected was young, strong bachelors, preferably not burdened by family. Otherwise, on a journey of ten thousand miles to the front lines, if the guards had to bring their families, the marching speed would definitely not be satisfactory.

Besides this, He Chunhua also brought along several staff members.

Lady Ying was busy settling wages and then dismissing the servants of the He family. Except for the old steward, the He family only brought one male and one female attendant on the road this time, both loyal servants who had been with them for seven or eight years.

Everything on the road was kept simple; they could just recruit new people when they reached the new place.

Uncle Hao was also willing to go to Xiazhou, but he was assigned by He Chunhua to stay temporarily in Heishuicheng to assist in handling the He family's properties, and would head north in about three to five months.

He Lingchuan also saw Boss Situ Han; the sand bandits were not going.

"Can't go; our families are all here, and they all rely on us." At this time, Boss Situ Han and the other sand bandits had already been recruited into the city army, and with the enrollment, they had imperial grain to eat, so everyone's mentality was at ease, and they were unwilling to travel thousands of miles to challenge the unknown of Xiazhou.

Who didn't know that going there meant fighting? If one could live a stable life, who would want to go to the front lines? Boss Situ Han pushed Mao Tao forward: "Only this kid insists on following you." No matter how he was persuaded, he wouldn't listen; this is called reckless.

He Lingchuan asked curiously: "Isn't your wife in Heishuicheng?"

"We broke up yesterday, and she even slapped me twice." Mao Tao grinned, not taking it to heart at all. "I heard that the girls in Xiazhou have bigger and more sparkling eyes, unlike the rough old women here. There are thousands of miles of fertile land there; why must I guard this acre of thin field?"

Then, counting the family members and logistics that had to be brought, all in all, He Chunhua's group totaled more than 430 people.

He Lingchuan didn't expect that the first person he saw when stepping out of the door was Liu Baobao, who came up holding a box: "Young Master, this is the thing you asked me to get a few days ago; consider it a parting gift."

He Lingchuan was curious, took it, and opened it to see that it was actually a few bottles of medicinal powder, fine and white.

The bottles were also ridiculously large.

"Uh..." How did he look at this thing as contraband? "I would instruct you to get this kind of thing?"

No, impossible, how could it be? He is a promising young man.

"Didn't you want a medicine that stops pain immediately after eating, without hindering action?" Liu Baobao pointed to the powder in the bottle. "This is it; it's called Pain-Relieving Powder."

He Lingchuan was relieved and happily accepted it.

Liu Baobao was all smiles, bowed and said goodbye: "In the future, when you soar to success, Young Master, don't forget that there are still old friends in this frontier town."

"That is certain!" He Lingchuan agreed immediately.

That morning, the He family led 400 personal guards to have pre-departure tea, bid farewell to the people, and left Heishuicheng amidst the cheers of the crowd, heading north.

(End of this chapter) ===== CHAPTER 99 =====