After the Immortal Disappeared

Chapter 105: Chapter 106: A Messy Entanglement

”What else?” Lui Han prompted. ”If I wanted to curse you with a Magic Spell, what else would I need to know? There are plenty of people with the same name; I wouldn’t want to curse the wrong person.”

”My date and time of birth?”

”Exactly. Your date and time of birth, plus the name your parents gave you, is what makes you, you,” Lui Han said with a laugh. ”So, all I have to do is go to the registrar, change my name to Hee Chunhua, and swap my birth details for his. Then, when I go to Xiazhou to be an official and pick up those yuan coins, the damn things will light up! Hmm, changing one’s birth date isn’t easy. It requires a rebirth ritual to fool the heavens, but it’s not like it’s never been done. I have my connections.”

He snapped his fingers. ”Either way, we have to get our hands on that Official Seal and Document. Once we’re in Xiazhou, you’ll all have to start calling me—”

His men replied in unison, ”Mr. Hee!”

The whole group laughed. It was then that one of the grunts cautiously asked, ”So, uh, are we still moving out tonight?”

General Lui had originally said they would let these officials’ soldiers go, and they would all go their separate ways in the morning.

”No!” General Lui declared with a heroic wave of his hand. ”Hold your positions! No one makes the first move!”

His men were stunned. Weren’t they supposed to be seizing the Official Seal and the Document? Why had he called off the attack?

But a trusted subordinate quickly figured it out. ”General Lui wants to postpone the fight until tomorrow. It’d be best if Wu’s and Pei’s squads were here too.”

”The soldiers that damn official brought on this long trip are all hand-picked, able-bodied men. They might even have combat experience,” General Lui said calmly. ”Plus, he has the Society Command, which grants his troops a Primordial Power boost. A force of three hundred can easily fight like four hundred. Even if we could take them all, our own losses would be significant. We’d be at a disadvantage when we have to face Wu and Pei later. Isn’t it better to wait for everyone to gather and use these government dogs as a blood sacrifice to consecrate our banner?”

His men voiced their agreement.

Just then, a commotion erupted outside, sounding like many people shouting and yelling.

Surprises were the last thing Lui Han wanted right now. He tossed aside a duck leg, wiped the grease on his trousers, and strode outside.

Fatty Wang entered the room and plopped himself down on a bamboo chair.

CREAK. The bamboo chair groaned, protesting a weight it could barely stand.

It was an incredibly rude gesture to make in front of a dignitary, but he couldn’t be bothered. Glaring at Mrs. Zhu, he snapped, ”Are you an idiot? Go pour a cup of water for me... and for the Eldest Young Master.”

’Can’t lose my temper with the rich brat, but yelling at ”my own” woman is fine, right?’

Mrs. Zhu silently turned to leave, but before she’d taken two steps, Fatty Wang’s hand slapped her on the backside. ”Hurry up.”

Mrs. Zhu looked back. The man’s gaze, like that of a Violent Bear, made her deeply uneasy.

Hee Lingchuan smiled. ”It seems you’ve had some schooling. You even know how to grace a humble abode with your presence.”

”Ah, um,” Fatty Wang muttered. In his head, he chanted, ’Don’t get mad, don’t get mad. I’ll just rip the little bastard’s tongue out later. Then I can decide if I want to barbecue it or braise it in chili oil. Do whatever I please!’

Hee Lingchuan changed the subject. ”Do you work for Boss Lui?”

”Huh?” Fatty Wang was startled. ”Uh, no.”

”So, how many years was Boss Lui gone before he returned?”

Fatty Wang was at a loss for words. There was no answer to that question. ”I don’t remember. Why are you asking all this?”

”I just get the feeling Boss Lui is a man with a story,” Hee Lingchuan said with a shrug. ”Let’s change the subject. How long have you and Mrs. Zhu been married?”

Years of hard labor under the wind and sun had tanned Mrs. Zhu’s skin and left a constant flush on her cheeks. But upon closer inspection, her features were actually quite delicate, and her figure was slender.

”Her?” The abrupt change in topic caught Fatty Wang off guard. ”A good few years now.”

”How did she end up married to...” Hee Lingchuan gestured toward the man’s entire physique. ”...you? No offense, but the two of you don’t exactly look like a match.” They were like a beautiful flower stuck in a pile of cow dung, a precious gem set in filth.

Fatty Wang’s face flushed red, not with embarrassment, but with rage.

”There are plenty of men in this village, and she had her heart set on me! Wouldn’t marry anyone else!” he bellowed. ”Is there a problem with that?”

”Of course, of course. I just can’t figure out what she sees in you. Your love of sleeping, or your aversion to bathing?”

”I have money!” Fatty Wang hissed through clenched teeth. ”I left to make my fortune when I was young and came back with savings!”

Hee Lingchuan sighed. He muttered a few words that sounded something like ”a pearl collecting dust,” then asked, ”How many children do you have?”

”...Two.” ’Why is this brat going out of his way to cause trouble? Has he taken a liking to Mrs. Zhu? Or have they already been in contact?’

A moment ago, Fatty Wang had been seeing red and wasn’t thinking straight. Now that he had cooled down a little, he started to feel that something was off.

”Where are the children?” Hee Lingchuan glanced toward the inner room. ”I don’t see them around.”

Not a sound came from the inner room.

The fatty clearly had the explosive temper of a firecracker who couldn’t take the slightest provocation. Yet, despite being relentlessly and increasingly humiliated, he hadn’t blown up. Hee Lingchuan figured it must be true: ’These guys really are planning to make their move in the dead of night.’

Fatty Wang was choked with frustration. The questions came like a barrage of cannonballs—fast, relentless, and impossible to deal with.

Fortunately, he was quick on his feet and mumbled, ”We sent them to a relative’s house in town. They’ll be back in a couple of days.”

He dreaded Hee Lingchuan asking, ”Which relative?”

Thankfully, he didn’t.

Just then, Mrs. Zhu emerged with a kettle of hot water and two wooden cups. She poured a cup for each of them.

Neither Hee Lingchuan nor the fatty drank.

It suddenly occurred to him that peasant households often had rat poison. ’A woman’s heart is the most venomous thing of all,’ he thought. ’What if she put some in the water...’

”Please, get some rest. I’ll return to my room. Just call if you need anything.” Fatty Wang was seething inside. He turned to Mrs. Zhu, his expression souring. ”Come on. Back to the room with me.”

’First, I’ll take my anger out on this little bitch,’ he thought. ’I’m the ”master of the house” now. Whatever I do to my own woman, in my own home, that little Hee brat can do nothing but listen.’

As he stood, the chair let out another long SQUEAL, as if grateful it hadn’t collapsed. Mrs. Zhu stared at the chair, knowing that her fate, should she follow him into the room, would be much worse than the chair’s.

’What can I do?’

Her only hope was the young man from the Hee Family in the room, and his Personal Guard.

Just as she was frantic with anxiety, Hee Lingchuan’s voice came from behind the big man. ”Oh, by the way, Proprietor, what’s the story with the Water Spirit Altar?”

The question was too pointed to ignore. Fatty Wang had no choice but to turn back. ”What about it?”

”You live by the water, so I assume the Water Spirit you worship is a Spiritual Object from this lake, correct?” Hee Lingchuan gestured toward the large lake outside. ”What is the original form of your local Water Spirit?”

”Ah, yes.” Fatty Wang couldn’t answer that question, and the woman behind him kept her mouth shut as tight as a clam. ”Why are you so interested in it?”

The existence of a Water Spirit Temple implied that the local Water God had been officially recognized and sanctioned. But the variety of Demons was endless. Unless the locals spoke up, an outsider would have no way of knowing the Water God’s true form.