After the Immortal Disappeared

Chapter 103: Chapter 104: Each Thinking of a Plan

”Two hundred bandits posing as villagers. Leader: General Lui. Weapons hidden in the Water Spirit Temple.”

The handwriting was sloppy, clearly jotted down in a hurry.

Hee Lingchuan held the paper to his nose and sniffed. He smelled the metallic tang of rust. ”It’s blood.”

The few, simple words were easy to understand, but their meaning was horrifying:

The villagers were bandits in disguise, their leader was General Lui, and they had hidden their weapons in the Water Spirit Temple.

Madam Ying gasped, grabbing Hee Chunhua’s arm and crying out, ”My lord!”

Her panic was plain to see.

’Were they really so unlucky? To decide to camp in the wild just once and walk straight into a wolf’s den?’

The intelligence was explosive. Seeing the grim expressions on his father’s and brother’s faces, Hee Lingchuan’s eyes darted around. ”Father, why don’t we strike first and gain the upper hand? It’s only two hundred bandits. Let’s grab our weapons and take them out!”

”Foolish!” Hee Chunhua glared at him. ”Just because she says there are two hundred, does that make it so? Just because she says they’re bandits, does that make it true? Are we to take the word of a simple village woman as fact?”

He turned to his Personal Guard, Zhao Qinghe. ”Sneak into the Water Spirit Temple. If there are weapons hidden there, get a count.”

Zhao Qinghe nodded and slipped out the door.

The man was of average height and average looks, the kind of person who would blend into any crowd. If Hee Chunhua hadn’t selected him for the Guard Team, Hee Lingchuan would have never even noticed him.

With Uncle Hao absent, Hee Chunhua had entrusted him with such a critical task, which showed he knew the man well and trusted him completely.

’Hee Lingchuan realized once again that he knew far too little about his father.’

Madam Ying whispered, ”That man, Lui... I saw the vicious look in his eyes. He certainly doesn’t seem like a good person!”

’And just a little while ago, you wanted to go with him to Double Moon Lake,’ Hee Lingchuan thought.

But he didn’t dare say that out loud.

About a quarter of an hour later, Zhao Qinghe returned, his expression grim. ”The temple guard went to take a piss, so I slipped inside. There were several chests hidden under the offering table and in the inner chamber, concealed by a curtain. They’re full of swords and axes—a rough count of one hundred and forty or fifty. They’ve been sharpened and have seen blood. The stench of it is thick!”

This corroborated Mrs. Zhu’s letter, written in blood. After all, why would a village of farmers and fishermen possess so many deadly weapons?

Zhao Qinghe added, ”And yes, the Water Spirit Altar is indeed broken in half.”

Madam Ying’s face paled. ”If they’re bandits, why didn’t they run when they saw government soldiers? Why stay and pretend to be villagers?”

This was the question on everyone’s mind.

Xianling Village was proving to have too many mysteries.

”They’re up to no good,” Hee Yue said, looking at his father and older brother. ”Mrs. Zhu said there are two hundred bandits. No wonder this village has a strange abundance of able-bodied men.”

”They’re lying low, obviously waiting for an opportunity to strike.” Hee Lingchuan’s expression shifted. He asked his parents, ”Did either of you drink any water in this house?”

”Just after we arrived, the owner of this house offered His Lordship some water. I had him discard it and boil a fresh pot, and I supervised the entire process,” said the steward, Old Mo. ”Later, when the servant woman prepared the meal, I kept an eye on the rear kitchen as well. There shouldn’t be any issues.”

Hee Chunhua pointed to the blood-written letter. ”What concerns me is this: is ’General Lui’ a nickname, or does it refer to an actual general with the surname Lui?”

The implications of the two were vastly different.

’Once you have a hundred people, you get all sorts. It wouldn’t be too strange for a bandit chief with a craving for authority to like being called ’General’...’

’Bah, something is still not right.’

”There’s only one way to find out.” Hee Lingchuan stood up. ”I’ll go find Mrs. Zhu.”

”She’s certainly being watched,” Madam Ying said, perplexed. ”How are you going to get to her?”

”I’ll just take a stroll and find her. The village is tiny; how long could it take to walk from one end to the other?” Hee Lingchuan grinned. ”Besides, I made a note of which house she entered. It’s not too far from here, just a dozen thatched huts away.”

’This boy... Call him meticulous, and he’s usually so careless. Call him careless, and yet he somehow takes note of where a young woman lives.’ Madam Ying could only sigh. ”Be careful!”

She rarely showed such open concern for Hee Lingchuan, and a warmth spread through his chest for no reason. He nodded.

Hee Yue, however, argued, ”These people are holding back. They’re either planning to poison us or launch a sneak attack in the middle of the night when we’re all asleep! It’s already late. We should make the first move and capture Lui Han.”

Hee Lingchuan waved his hand dismissively. ”Patience. Wait for my return.”

No one else had an appetite, but Hee Lingchuan’s chopsticks were a blur as he shoveled down rice and vegetables, eating with gusto. After the brutal, bloody battles in the Dream Realm, he felt his ability to handle a crisis had become much more stable.

Madam Ying sighed. ”You still have an appetite.” ’This child is truly something else,’ she thought.

”We might have a big fight later. How can I have any energy if I don’t eat my fill?” Hee Lingchuan devoured his meal like a whirlwind, finishing in less time than it takes to drink half a cup of tea. He wiped his mouth, stood up, and said, ”I’m off. Delays breed complications.”

Hee Chunhua watched his son’s retreating back and nodded, then sighed. Just as he was about to invite his wife and other son to resume their meal, a voice from outside announced the arrival of Zeng Feixiong.

As the commander of the Personal Guard Corps, Zeng Feixiong was required to report in at regular intervals.

He would be indispensable for the night’s events, so Hee Chunhua immediately called him inside.

「In the western corner of the village.」

Mrs. Zhu’s house was in the western corner of the village, not particularly close to where Hee Chunhua and his wife were lodged.

Her husband had died under mysterious circumstances. Her mother-in-law had awoken from the shock completely mad, alternating between weeping and laughing. The ruthless bandits couldn’t risk leaving a Mad Woman in the village to attract the soldiers’ attention, so they cut her down with a single stroke and tossed her body into the lake to join her son.

Her father-in-law, lost in grief, was taken away along with her young child.

And so, Mrs. Zhu was left all alone in her home.

As she walked back with her head lowered, two soldiers approached her and asked for a cup of water.

These guards were quartered in the granary, unlike the officials who were staying in private homes, so getting hot water wasn’t as convenient for them. Hee Chunhua had already ordered the village head to arrange food and water for his men, but the arrangements had not yet been made.

Drinking unboiled water could easily lead to illness; it was always best to boil it first. Only in the wilderness would one drink it raw out of necessity.

”Please wait, I’ll go boil some,” she said, carrying some fresh water to the rear kitchen to heat. The soldiers told her not to go to such trouble. Most people didn’t have the patience to wait around for a cup of hot water.

She was determined not to miss such a perfect opportunity. ”It’s no trouble. I’ll need it for the evening anyway.”

While they waited, the soldiers stood in front of her house. Perhaps noticing her comely appearance, they struck up a conversation, and the atmosphere was quite friendly.

But Mrs. Zhu knew the bandits all around were watching her every move. This was not the right time to cry for help or even give a subtle hint.

She grew anxious, trying to think of some indirect way to signal them, when a few sharp whistles sounded in the distance. The two soldiers heard the call and hurried off to their duties, not even waiting for the water.

Mrs. Zhu was bitterly disappointed.

Just then, a figure shot out from the shadows behind her house!

Mrs. Zhu was so frightened she nearly screamed, but the man clamped a hand over her mouth and nose with astonishing strength. ”Shut up, or I’ll snap your neck! Got it?” he whispered menacingly.

His foul breath washed over her face as he spoke. Looking up, she saw he was a large, brawny man with a brutish, fleshy face.

Mrs. Zhu nodded frantically.

The burly man released her. ”What were you trying to pull just now? Trying to warn that damned official’s family, weren’t you?”

”No, no! It’s not like that!” Mrs. Zhu flinched. ”The village head and his cronies have always bullied me. They even beat me three months ago. I... I was just hoping to use this chance to get a little of my own back.”