Chapter 23: Caution for Those of Lowly Status

Ahead stood a half-peak, its slopes barren and desolate, with only a few scattered clumps of shrubs huddling in the nooks and crannies. Yet, any traveler arriving here would certainly be drawn to it, for its shape was too unique

The upper half of the mountain was gone, but it did not look like it had weathered or fractured; the break was unnaturally smooth, as if it had been sliced in two by a single, diagonal stroke of a massive blade!

The severance was abrupt and resolute.

One had to realize that this was an entire jagged peak, millions of tons of rock and earth—not something that could be easily cut down like a cluster of bamboo.

A local legend claimed that in ancient times, an immortal fought here and split the mountain with a single sword strike; thus, this broken peak was also known as the "Immortal's Slash."

Such legends were ubiquitous in this realm and difficult to verify. However, He Lingchuan's original body had indeed climbed to the Immortal's Slash a few years ago and seen with his own eyes that the fracture was smooth and seamless, without a single bump or indentation across such a vast area—a level of precision that even a master craftsman could not achieve through careful polishing.

Whether it was man-made or not was simply inconceivable.

Sun Fuping gazed at the half-peak as if sensing the ferocity and sharpness of that sword strike lingering to this day. After a long silence, he let out a heavy sigh: "The Dao has no end."

Turning past the mountain hollow, a solitary old Populus euphratica tree stood by the road, with two people abruptly hanging from its dry, stiff branches.

The wind blew, and the bodies swayed.

Many travelers gathered beneath the tree, pointing and whispering amongst themselves.

As the Grand Preceptor Sun's party approached, they saw two white boards hanging from the corpses, inscribed respectively with the words "Courtesy" and "Reciprocity."

The expressions of Nian Songyu and Sun Fuping changed instantly. With their sharp eyes, they immediately noticed transparent nameplates pinned to the collars of the corpses, bearing the words "Donglai."

Two guards from the Donglai Prefecture, who had been sent to track the Sand Leopards of the Western Mountains, had gone missing near Blackwater City. Sun and Nian were aware of this because they were the ones who had assigned the men. However, at that time, clues regarding the Sand Leopards' whereabouts had already emerged, so they had not pursued a full investigation.

Now, these two had become corpses, lying directly in their path.

Nian Songyu could tell at a glance that the two had died from their necks being snapped and had undergone interrogation before death.

Seeing Nian's face flush red and the veins bulging in his neck, Grand Preceptor Sun quickly pressed a hand on his shoulder: "Do not be impulsive! Is this not to be expected?" These two guards had been missing for a long time, and their side had already deduced the possibility of their deaths.

"The men from Donglai Prefecture were our arrangement; this little brat is taking revenge on us!" Nian Songyu hissed through gritted teeth. He had killed a Harrier Demon, and the other side had killed two of his men in retaliation.

After all, Donglai Prefecture was too far from the borderlands; the Grand Marshal had allocated his own guards to be placed under their command.

Grand Preceptor Sun's expression darkened. "Prioritize the greater good! No infighting allowed now."

"Once we obtain the Great Square Pot..." Nian Songyu clenched his teeth, knowing that He Lingchuan had calculated that he would still need to rely on the Blackwater City army, so he could not afford to turn against him just yet. He turned his head and barked angrily, "He Lingchuan!"

He Chunhua was also startled when he saw the corpses. Weren't these two supposed to be detained at the farmstead on the Red and White Road?

Then he remembered that his eldest son had always been willful.

Just because he had restrained himself slightly over the past two months did not mean his nature had changed.

Nian Songyu called out twice before He Lingchuan slowly rode forward, meeting Nian Songyu's nearly erupting fury with a casual, "Commander Nian, what is it?"

"Do you recognize these two?"

He Lingchuan looked closely for a few moments, secretly alarmed. *Was Uncle Hao letting out all his pent-up rage now?*

"Of course not. So many people come in and out of Blackwater City; how could I have the ability to memorize every single name?" He paused. "Huh, they actually have Donglai Prefecture nameplates. Why would such important figures be hung to die in such a remote wasteland?"

"Good, good." Nian Songyu laughed instead of getting angry, his tone suddenly shifting. "When companions die on the Red Cliff Road, how do you all handle it?"

He guessed instantly that the two guards must have been killed by He Lingchuan. The boy was trying to needle him; asking more questions would only lead to more mockery.

When words fail, even half a sentence is too many; there was no need to probe further.

"If they can't be brought back, we give them a sky burial," He Lingchuan shrugged. "Since they aren't destined for a good end anyway, let the creatures of the desert enjoy nature's gift."

He Chunhua rushed in to interject: "Most are given earth burials."

"Then earth burials it is." They were people from Donglai Prefecture, after all; it wouldn't do to leave their bodies exposed to the elements.

He Lingchuan said amusedly, "A trivial matter. Commander Nian should focus on the present instead of delaying the party's progress."

*Finally, I threw that one back at him. Satisfying!*

A flash of venomous resentment crossed Nian Songyu's eyes, but he immediately instructed Zeng Feixiong to send men to take down the two corpses and bury them on the spot.

The party could not wait, so they continued forward.

The feeling of being watched by Nian Songyu was like having a venomous snake at one's back, making his skin crawl. He Lingchuan pulled his father to slow down, walking in the middle of the group.

A proud man like Commander Nian would naturally lead the way; he couldn't exactly keep looking back at He Lingchuan.

"What are you doing?" He Chunhua scolded his son in a low voice. "Killing those two achieves nothing; it will only deepen your enmity with Nian Songyu."

He did not know that Uncle Hao was the one who had killed them.

"It lets me vent my anger!" Seeing his father lecturing him as if nothing had happened, He Lingchuan couldn't help but sneer. "Those two had no bottom line when they plotted against us, so I'm not allowed to slap them back? Besides, he needs our help; he shouldn't be turning against us at a time like this."

"If we return alive, in the future..."

"If we return with the treasure, the Grand Marshal will be ecstatic; why would he care about such a small matter?" He Lingchuan said listlessly. "Father, you aren't old, but your courage has shrunk."

He Chunhua thought for a moment, his expression dimming slightly. "You are right. I have been too cautious."

He always thought about serving in the imperial court in the future; especially since his family had just returned to the capital and lacked a firm foundation, it was best to avoid making enemies.

The thought might not be wrong, but with such a submissive and cautious mindset in front of the powerful, how could one achieve great things?

After silently warning himself, he turned to He Lingchuan. "Chuan'er, are you still blaming your father for dragging you onto this path?"

How should he answer this? Should he answer "Yes" frankly, or lie and say "No"? He Lingchuan could only chuckle. "How would your son dare?"

"As a father, who wouldn't want his son to be safe and prosperous? But in this world, that is impossible." He Chunhua patted his shoulder. "Chuan'er, you are no longer a child. It is time for you to undergo proper tempering."

He Lingchuan couldn't help himself: "When others undergo tempering, the difficulty increases gradually." Only his father had thrown him into the deep end immediately.

His eldest son was indeed full of resentment. He Chunhua smiled. "Don't blame your old man for being heartless. With you here, our chances of returning home safely increase by at least twenty percent. The Great Shaman's words were no joke."

He Lingchuan rolled his eyes. *If the original owner was truly a lucky star, why did he die so quietly, leaving his body to be occupied by an outsider like me?*

But he could only keep that retort to himself.

Arguing now was useless, and besides, as a local official and his father, He Chunhua didn't actually need to explain much to him.