Chapter 16: Qualification

He Lingchuan thought for a moment: "Find them two sets of new clothes, tidy them up, and feed them two good meals first. No matter how much they curse, greet them all with a smile. Also, keep an eye on Old Seven; don't let him run off. He's been messing with people's backsides; who knows, his own might end up getting torn apart next."

The follower complied, but couldn't help adding, "Young Master, we can't afford to offend Donglai Prefecture. If we let these people go..."

Previously, Hongbaidao had acted ruthlessly because they were certain the two men were dead. Dead men don't tell tales; what did it matter how they handled them?

But now that He Lingchuan intended to let them go, Hongbaidao couldn't help but feel uneasy.

"Don't worry. They have requests for us, so we shouldn't care about such trivial matters. Besides, this is Qiansong County, Blackwater City. As the saying goes, a powerful dragon cannot suppress a local snake." This wasn't a place where Donglai Prefecture called the shots.

Once the Hongbaidao followers were dismissed, He Lingchuan turned back to see his younger brother's worried gaze. "Brother, how are we going to explain this to Father?"

"It was a mere misunderstanding. Donglai Prefecture will surely prioritize the bigger picture." He Lingchuan laughed heartily, his expression composed. "It's nothing!"

He Yue remained silent. What was a sesame-sized trifle to the Grand Marshal was, for the He family, something to be approached with trepidation and weighed carefully.

*What is a mountain to me is mere dust to another.*

The wind blew through the garden, making the fallen leaves rustle. The He family youth, who had grown up with smooth sailing, felt the stifling frustration of a small character for the first time.

It was truly difficult.

"What's wrong?" He Lingchuan saw the boy looking melancholy, as if burdened by heavy thoughts.

"It's nothing." He Yue smiled faintly. "I'll be going now."

As soon as he left, He Lingchuan turned to Uncle Hao. "Something happened?" Uncle Hao's state was off.

"Young Master, Little Gray is dead."

He Lingchuan was startled. "How did it die?"

"It didn't fly back last night. I went to the cliffs of Hulu Mountain and retrieved the body." Uncle Hao's voice was somewhat raspy. "Its wings and abdomen were pierced through. The blood was dark green—it was poisoned—but the cause of death was its neck being snapped."

"Nian Songyu, Grand Preceptor Sun!" Seeing the redness in Uncle Hao's eyes, He Lingchuan felt a pang of sorrow. "Sending Little Gray to scout was my idea. Uncle Hao, I am sorry!"

Little Gray was a hawk demon, a childhood companion of Uncle Hao's who had followed him for decades. They could speak human tongue, shared meat and wine, and had fought and killed side-by-side like brothers.

Uncle Hao had no children and no siblings. With Little Gray's death, it was as if his own limbs had been severed.

"You weren't the one who struck the blow, so why apologize?" A ruthless glint appeared in Uncle Hao's eyes. "They should have just asked questions; why take a life! Can you help me find out who dealt the killing blow? Was it the Grand Preceptor, or that man surnamed Nian?"

"I will." He Lingchuan immediately consoled him. "But do not act impulsively. Never mind you—no one in all of Jinzhou dares to make an enemy of them."

"Little Gray saved my life, at least twice," Uncle Hao said decisively. "It cannot die in vain!"

"If you go for revenge now, you'll just throw away another life." He Lingchuan's eyes darted around. "The Panlong Desert is a man-eating demon den. Even if they manage to return alive, their strength will surely be greatly diminished." *Ideally, they won't return at all.*

"Wait ten more days, and the hope for revenge will increase more than threefold." He pressed a hand on Uncle Hao's shoulder, his tone exceptionally sincere. "If the opportunity arises, Father and I will certainly help you."

The opponent was the Grand Preceptor, a weapon of the state. Seeking revenge at this moment would be far too reckless.

"By the way, does Father know?"

Uncle Hao shook his head. "I came to find you first."

He Lingchuan took off the mutton-fat jade ring from his finger and pulled out a string of bright pearls, stuffing them all into Uncle Hao's hands. "I'm giving you three days off. I mean, use these three days to rest well." *To mourn properly.* "Don't drink too much. I will call you whenever something happens."

The mutton-fat jade ring featured a massive ruby—a hallmark of the wealthy—and every pearl on the necklace was the size of a sparrow's egg, uniform and incredibly valuable.

Uncle Hao took them, remained numb for a moment, and then nodded before turning to leave.

A loved one's life is indeed priceless, but abundant wealth can, to some extent, soothe a wounded soul.

After he left, He Lingchuan slowly sat down on a stone bench in the garden.

Truly, trouble falls from the sky while one sits at home.

The fact that the hawk demon Little Gray had lost contact yesterday meant that Nian Songyu and Grand Preceptor Sun already knew the He family held the clues they wanted before they even approached the He residence. Was today's visit a case of "politeness first, force second"?

Setting aside the gap in status, Grand Preceptor Sun had come on a royal mandate; how could He Chunhua dare to say no?

But if they were expected to respectfully hand over the leopard corpse and obediently provide cannon fodder for these two nobles, He Lingchuan was unwilling—utterly unwilling.

These two had attacked the West Mountain leopard den, causing him to fall off a cliff; the original soul died, and this imposter had suffered twenty days of agonizing pain.

These two had easily killed the scouts sent by the He family on their own territory.

Furthermore, they wanted He Chunhua to send cannon fodder to help them enter the Panlong Desert and seize the Great Square Pot. Once successful, they would reap all the glory, while Governor He would receive only a pittance.

Losses in men and soldiers, only to end up with a single word of praise from the Emperor.

But what right did He Lingchuan have to challenge them?

It seemed he had to swallow this grievance, even if it tasted bitter.

How frustrating!

He Lingchuan held his head in his hands and let out a long sigh, when suddenly, he saw something white drifting down before his eyes.

It was a feather.

He didn't know which bird had flown overhead.

He Lingchuan caught the feather, turning it aimlessly in his hands, when a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

*Wait? That's not right.*

Only after he had recovered did He Chunhua transfer Uncle Hao from out of town to serve as his personal guard; therefore, Little Gray might not have known the details of his fall. Besides, the He family did not allow demons to step foot inside, so the hawk demon had always perched on the branches outside.

He Lingchuan had not been with Uncle Hao for long, and the man was a man of few words. What Uncle Hao saw, Little Gray might not have known.

Therefore, from the perspective of Nian and Sun, the information they pried from Little Gray might have been very vague.

At the very least, they didn't know the leopard corpse was sitting right here in the He residence, nor were they certain if the clues they sought were here. After all, when the leopard demons fled the den, they scattered in all directions. They had sent people to pursue them, but how could they be sure that the one that fled to Hulu Mountain was the primary target?

What if one of the other sand leopards that escaped was the one hiding the token of the Panlong ruins?

Most importantly, they didn't know the leopard's remains were in the hands of the eldest Young Master He!

With so many uncertainties, they couldn't simply strike at a local power.

To pressure them with a royal mandate and entice them with profit—that was the best method.

If that were the case, what was there for the He family to fear?

Having realized this, He Lingchuan stood up, patted his backside, and decided to go to the office to find his father.

There was no need to frighten himself.

...

He Chunhua was writing feverishly when he heard his eldest son's words, and his pen came to a halt.