Chapter 4: The Leopard King

If someone were to track them down here later, there would be no evidence left to find—

The first thought that popped into He Lingchuan’s mind startled him.

This seemed like something the original owner of this body could easily have done, but for He Lingchuan, it was quite a heavy burden.

He pondered for a moment: "Have the Red and White Paths find a place to lock it up securely. I’m going back to report to Father."

The biggest backer he could rely on was his own old man; they were in this together, after all. He was still a minor, and his shoulders weren't broad enough to carry such a heavy responsibility.

￥￥￥￥￥

As it turned out, less than a hundred paces from home, He Lingchuan saw a He family servant running toward him. The latter was in a great hurry, and his eyes lit up when he saw him. He quickly stepped forward to salute

"Young Master, the Master wants you to return to the manor immediately!"

The "Master" was, naturally, the Governor of Qiansong County, He Chunhua.

He Lingchuan took long strides, hurrying to see his father.

The He residence occupied twenty-five mu of land, which, converted into units He Lingchuan was familiar with, was over sixteen thousand square meters. Among the wealthy, this was neither particularly large nor small, but the architecture had a distinct style: black tiles and white walls, with exquisite pavilions nestled in the gardens, a stark contrast to the ruggedness of Blackwater City.

For instance, the garden gate He Lingchuan had just passed was built in the shape of a treasure vase, and a fifteen-year-old wintersweet plum tree behind the gate would be covered in blossoms every midwinter. At this moment, looking from the Treasure Viewing Pavilion in the corner of the garden, the yellow plum blossoms bloomed right at the mouth of the vase, their posture so graceful that they truly looked as if they had grown out of the vase itself!

This kind of aesthetic, it was said, was only pursued by the high-ranking, wealthy families in the interior, yet He Chunhua loved it dearly.

Last year, a new craftsman, unaware of the significance, had pruned the wintersweet and chopped away this scenic view with two snips. The Governor, usually known for his good temper, had flown into a rare, earth-shattering rage.

Furthermore, the material for the white walls of the He residence was hard to find; the He family had it specially transported from the heart of the Yuan Kingdom, and the labor costs were even higher than the materials. Moreover, Blackwater City was plagued by sandstorms for seven or eight months of the year, and the exterior of buildings was usually a dull, dusty yellow. Why would anyone paint a big white wall just to attract dust?

Yet He Chunhua insisted on doing exactly that. To keep the white walls from turning yellow, he even had a magic array installed around the perimeter of the manor to prevent erosion from the sandstorms.

Just looking at the uniqueness of the He residence, He Lingchuan understood from whom the original owner had inherited his headstrong nature.

He walked through the courtyard and was surprised to see the Governor standing at the entrance of the utility room, followed by the loyal butler, Old Mo.

The utility room was mainly used for storing tools and sundries, and only servants usually went in and out; the masters of the He household rarely approached it. But now, He Chunhua beckoned to his son: "Come quickly!"

He Chunhua had become Governor seven years ago and was only thirty-four now, in the prime of his life. Standing there, he was still a tall, handsome man.

Walking on the streets of Blackwater City, the Governor could often make young maidens and wives turn their heads repeatedly.

Only when He Lingchuan walked up close could he see one or two strands of silver mixed into his father’s jet-black hair.

Over these years, he had also been racking his brains.

"Dad, I have something..."

He Chunhua waved his hand to interrupt him: "Come in, there is something I want you to see."

His expression was grave as he led his son and Uncle Hao into the utility room. Butler Old Mo closed the door behind them and stood guard by the entrance.

The daylight was bright, and He Lingchuan saw that the long table where the craftsmen usually piled their sundries had been cleared off, and a massive object was placed upon it.

This is...

"The Leopard King!" the youth gasped. His father had actually sent people to bring it back?

What lay on the long table was nothing less than a dead leopard. But its body was massive, rivaling a rhinoceros, and even lying still, it gave off an intense sense of oppression.

The leopard demon that had fallen off the cliff with him was small fry compared to this one.

How powerful a monster must this thing have been when it was alive?

The leopard’s corpse had a yellow base with black spots, and its fur was exquisite, though it had been opened with several large holes and was covered in blood.

The leopard’s hind legs were broken, and although everyone could still smell the thick stench of blood, there were no flies buzzing around.

He Lingchuan noticed that the leopard’s corpse showed no signs of decay. He reached out and pressed it; the fur was slightly soft.

They say that a centipede dies but never stiffens; the fact that this Leopard King had been dead for many days without its body decaying showed that its cultivation in life had been profound, and its body had reached a state of "invincibility."

Conversely, how powerful must the opponent who killed it have been?

"How long has it been dead?"

"Almost forty days." He Chunhua lifted one of the leopard’s front legs. He Lingchuan and Uncle Hao could see that its belly had been sliced open; clearly, an autopsy had been performed.

"Forty days ago?" He Lingchuan calculated, "Indeed, that’s about when I was attacked."

The leopard demon hadn't been lying; the West Mountain leopard den had truly been slaughtered.

"I have already sent people to confirm it. The West Mountain leopard demon’s lair was wiped out, from the Leopard King down to cubs less than two months old." He Chunhua paused and continued, "For some time now, passing merchants have repeatedly spotted fire foxes in the West Mountain. A few times, they even saw them lying in the sand pits sunbathing, looking quite content."

He Lingchuan said "Oh": "The West Mountain is the sand leopards' territory; they would never allow fire foxes to encroach unless something happened to them."

"Exactly. So I sent people to take a trip to the West Mountain and found thirty-four leopard corpses and over a dozen human corpses near the den. Traces of the battle covered two hillsides. Most of the dead humans were unarmed and had ordinary physiques; judging by the wounds, they were killed in one blow. They were likely the sand leopards' servants. It took them another five days to bring this leopard corpse back to the city to dissect it for clues."

It was not strange for humans to appear in a demon’s lair; they were either food or servants, mostly kidnapped civilians. Demons that had gained intelligence also liked to enjoy themselves, and the meticulous dexterity of humans was something other races could not learn.

Dying so cleanly, He Lingchuan could only think of four words

Silencing the witnesses.

"Dad, why did the news of the West Mountain leopard den being slaughtered only arrive now? This is too slow!"

He Chunhua was accustomed to his complaints: "A sandstorm raged in the west of the Panlong Desert for over ten days; no one could get close."

The Panlong Desert was a place that ate people even on normal days, and when a sandstorm kicked up, it was even worse. No matter how great your abilities were, you had to honestly wait for it to pass.

He Lingchuan stroked his chin, secretly thinking that the West Mountain leopard demon had indeed been in cahoots with his old man.

This was not surprising. Blackwater City guarded the Hongya trade route and inevitably had to deal with the surrounding sand bandits. The sand bandits who came to plunder were not only human but, more often, demon tribes. The West Mountain leopard demon was just one of those factions.

Qiansong County also knew that the Hongya trade route was a big, fat piece of meat. As long as there was profit to be made, sand bandits would be wiped out and replaced by new ones faster than weeds could grow. Therefore, He Chunhua had spent years both striking and intimidating the large groups of sand bandits within a two-hundred-mile radius, while also negotiating and winning them over—the so-called "carrot and stick" approach. Over the years, their relationship had actually been quite good; they had a tacit understanding.

As for whether there was more complex cooperation between the two sides, He Chunhua didn't say, and the former He Lingchuan hadn't asked.

(End of chapter)