Chapter 2: It's Finally Here

He Lingchuan only needed to move his eyes, without even opening his mouth, and a small, golden-threaded date was delivered to his lips.

He stretched, sighing inwardly, "How comfortable."

Having replaced the original owner for over a month, aside from the initial agony of waking up covered in bloody holes, his days in Blackwater City could only be described as pleasant.

Jinzhou is located in the extreme northwest corner of the Yuan Kingdom's territory, and Blackwater City is less than ten miles from the border, serving as a gatekeeper for the Great Yuan. It sounds prestigious in name, but such a geographical location dictates that Jinzhou will never receive the loving gaze of its monarch-father, especially since it has been peaceful and war-free for the past few years.

But the advantage is that the mountains are high and the emperor is far away.

The He family is a standard local despot on their own turf, and as the eldest son of the Prefect, He Lingchuan can have whatever he wants in Blackwater City, or even the entire Qiansong Prefecture.

The standard for his food, clothing, housing, and transportation can be summed up in three words

The very best.

The delicacies on his table, the trinkets in his hands, and his daily income—it’s hard to say they encompass all the world's wonders, but many wealthy people in the interior might not even enjoy such luxuries.

The original He Lingchuan grew up to the age of sixteen in such a carefree environment.

How should one put it? He Lingchuan’s assessment of his predecessor is that he had a bad temper and was somewhat arrogant by nature.

This fellow was usually high-spirited, fond of hawking, hunting with dogs, and driving horses; otherwise, he wouldn't have encountered such a major accident on Gourd Mountain.

Although this skin is now fully healed, the new owner has no intention of picking up the original's hobbies.

For the past month or so, He Lingchuan has often thought about the encounter on the cliff. The leopard demon that attacked him seemed to have been seriously injured as well. Would the person who wounded it come chasing after it to Blackwater City? But as time passed bit by bit, everything remained calm both inside and outside the city.

Beneath the facade of a beautiful life, there always seemed to be undercurrents. This made him, a miserable wage slave who originally only deserved the "blessing" of hard work, feel uneasy while enjoying the fragrance of privilege.

He Lingchuan sipped his warm wine, suddenly feeling a bit stifled, and signaled Uncle Hao to open the window.

As soon as the window opened, a gust of cold air poured in. The people on the second floor couldn't help but shiver. The paper on the table in the next box was blown downstairs, and two of the sheets were small-denomination silver notes, immediately triggering a scramble below.

No one paid attention to the commotion downstairs; Liu Baobao tightened his collar.

He Lingchuan took a deep breath, chasing away his little mood. Just as the play downstairs finished, he took the lead in applauding and said happily, "Good! A reward!" With that, he casually unhooked the jade pendant from his waist and had someone take it down as a tip.

With the "big spender" taking the lead, the atmosphere at the scene reached a climax, and the audience downstairs also opened their purses one after another.

Outside the window was the main street of Blackwater City. Once the window was open, the bustling noise drifted in with the wind. He Lingchuan glanced at it and saw the street filled with a constant stream of carriages and people. The main street, which had been widened three times, could accommodate eight standard carriages side by side, but at this moment, there wasn't even a two-foot-square gap to be found.

"So busy already?"

Uncle Hao, standing beside He Lingchuan, replied, "We have entered the eighth month. Merchants are rushing to pass through before the Red Cliff Trade Route closes, to transport the last batch of goods before winter."

This was the top-tier expert arranged by the head of the He family for his beloved son after the Gourd Mountain accident, to prevent him from encountering any further mishaps.

He Lingchuan nodded.

Blackwater City is located on the edge of the Panlong Desert. It looks desolate, but it is a vital thoroughfare connecting the western countries to the interior of Great Yuan, as it is a mandatory stop on the famous Red Cliff Road.

Desert trade has always been perilous, with volatile weather and frequent bandits, and the Panlong Desert is the worst of them all. Countless predecessors used their blood, sweat, and lives to find a relatively safe passage through the Panlong Desert: the Red Cliff Trade Route.

However, the center of the Panlong Desert changes drastically in September, at which point even the Red Cliff Trade Route is no longer safe. Therefore, experienced merchants must time their travel to pass through early, so they can raise prices and make a killing during the months the route is closed.

While other places consider the end of the year the busiest season, for Blackwater City, it is right now.

Wealthy merchants have all arrived, all trades are flourishing, street hawking cries rise and fall, and the horse troughs at the post stations are all full. The taxes collected in Blackwater City over these two months must be quite substantial, right?

He Lingchuan came back to his senses, finding it amusing that he was actually worrying about his old man's business.

Just then, someone downstairs asked to see the eldest young master of the He mansion.

This was a messenger sent by a local gang called the Red and White Path. After coming up, he saluted but didn't speak, only looking around.

He Lingchuan waved his hand, and the servants immediately retreated thirty feet away; Liu Baobao was also very sensible, finding an excuse to pace off to another box.

Only Uncle Hao remained standing where he was.

"Speak, what is it?"

This fellow had been sent by his altar master, saying that two travel-worn outsiders had just walked into the Zhuzhi Tavern and were asking about something.

In a transportation hub like Blackwater City, travelers from the north and south are as numerous as crucian carp in a river, so the best places to gather information are naturally the local taverns, teahouses, and red-light districts. The approach of these two outsiders wasn't wrong.

But they clearly didn't understand the local ecology.

Organizations like the Red and White Path, although they constantly harp on about how "it's not easy for brothers to earn a bit of money," actually monopolize one of the most profitable local businesses: alcohol.

Those two were unlucky; they happened to walk into a tavern frequently visited by members of the Red and White Path.

"Tracking an injured sand leopard?" Hearing this, He Lingchuan felt his heart tighten. "And specifically in the vicinity of Blackwater City?"

The trouble had finally arrived.

"Exactly." The gang member glanced at him and quickly lowered his head. The eldest young master's temple veins were bulging, and he looked furious. "Both of them had foreign accents; the gang members said they sounded like people from Eastern Yuan. The tavern keeper said sand leopards live in the Western Mountains, far from here. They didn't argue, just told anyone with clues to find them, promising a heavy reward regardless of whether the target is dead or alive."