After the Immortal Disappeared

Chapter 440: Chapter 439: National Ruin and Genocide

His voice was exceptionally loud, and as a gust of wind blew past, his words traveled for nearly half a li.

All the teams queued up before the checkpoint heard him and turned to look in unison.

Checkpoints were always rife with trouble, so the occasional argument wasn’t surprising. A commotion of this scale, however, was rare.

’Which Lord Official is demanding extra again?’

Hee Lingchuan had stopped his team from unloading the cargo for safety reasons as well. With hundreds of pairs of eyes watching intently, it wouldn’t be so easy for these constables to plant contraband among the goods as they had before.

He had noticed several soldiers with shifty eyes who kept trying to use their bodies to block the view of the carts. However, with his men glaring at them, they couldn’t find an opportunity.

Zhongsun Mou, of course, had heard everything. He sized up Hee Lingchuan. ”And just who do you think you are?”

”Just a commoner,” Hee Lingchuan said with a shrug. ”One who lives honestly, not by framing others to climb the ranks.”

An Inspector’s duty was to supervise officials and uphold discipline, yet this bastard’s opening move was to frame them. It was clear his usual methods for meeting his targets were less than savory.

Zhongsun Mou’s gaze was intense. ”Are you defiant?”

”Of course I’m not,” Hee Lingchuan replied, meeting his gaze and baring his teeth in a grin. ”This is Lingxu City territory. We have no choice but to obey.”

”It’s good that you know your place.” Zhongsun Mou acted as if he hadn’t heard the sarcasm. He took a few steps forward, his tone flippant. ”Otherwise, according to the laws of Lingxu City, slandering a high official of the Royal Court is punishable by having one’s tongue cut out. You’d have to leave that troublemaking tongue of yours behind before you can pass through this checkpoint.”

Just then, a soldier suddenly shouted, ”Found something else! I’ve got it!”

What was it?

Everyone looked over to see the soldier holding up a small vial containing a few crystals.

”Shards of the Heart of Ancient Rock!”

The members of the merchant team could no longer hold back and erupted in curses.

The vial was only palm-sized. Clearly, with everyone watching, the man hadn’t been able to plant anything large and had to surreptitiously stuff this small vial into the cargo to complete his task.

”Heart of Ancient Rock!” Zhongsun Mou ignored their chorus of complaints and beckoned the junior official. ”What’s the fine for this?”

”Illegally carrying six shards of the Heart of Ancient Rock... uh, the tenfold fine comes to... five hundred taels!”

The crowd erupted in an uproar.

More planted evidence, and the maximum penalty on top of it!

The junior official added helpfully, ”If we find two or three more items, it will be considered malicious smuggling. The charge will be upgraded, and we can take them into custody.”

Fushan Yue suddenly spoke up. ”You’re so shamelessly greedy. Doesn’t anyone in Lingxu City ever report you?”

He looked past the checkpoint. ”Where’s the Gatekeeper who’s usually on duty here? Why isn’t he out here? Why are you playing watchdog instead?”

He’d passed through this checkpoint at least ten times. If the regular Gatekeeper dared to pull the same stunts as Zhongsun Mou, there was no telling how much chaos would ensue.

”What’s it to you?” Zhongsun Mou drawled. ”This is your last chance. Plead on their behalf, or else...”

Shi the Second gave up struggling and went to find his steward and men to scrape the money together—

He’d just paid three thousand taels, so his own pockets were empty.

Fushan Yue’s expression was grim. He suddenly strode toward Zhongsun Mou.

The Guards behind Zhongsun Mou immediately moved to block him but were waved off by their master.

Fushan Yue’s low voice could be heard. ”I hear that in three months, the Zongsun Family is hosting a grand event in the Xiling Grass Sea. Quite a few prominent families will be there. You all should be careful. The Grass Sea hasn’t been very peaceful lately.”

Zhongsun Mou’s expression shifted slightly. ”You dare?”

Fushan Yue said ominously, ”In times like these, some bandits and fierce Demons are simply uncontrollable. What can you do?”

Zhongsun Mou snorted, but he was no longer as smug as before.

After a few moments of hesitation, he finally waved a hand at the constables, signaling them to forget it and let the team pass.

He was the highest-ranking officer on site. With his approval, his subordinates naturally had no objections.

So, the team members picked up the cargo, reloaded the carts, and got back in line.

An hour later, they finally passed through the checkpoint and set foot on the soil of the Chiyan Kingdom.

The Stone Gate Merchant Team and Fushan Yue’s Guards all let out a long sigh of relief.

They had finally made it through!

The head constable also turned, gathered his men, and left.

He didn’t forget to bring the lowly slave with him. After walking a dozen yards, he slapped the slave hard on the head and snarled through clenched teeth, ”Look at this mess you’ve made!”

The lowly slave’s teeth chattered in fear, and he stammered, ”I-I-I don’t know what happened... It was right there on their cart...”

The constable kicked him in the rear, nearly knocking him to the ground. ”You just wait! Just wait until we get back to the Government Office!”

No one gave a second thought to what fate awaited the lowly slave.

Having lost face in front of everyone, the constables would surely vent all their anger on that unlucky soul when they returned.

Fushan Yue was also sneering.

Zhongsun Mou had thought the lowly slave was a good card to play against him. As it turned out, Little Taozi wasn’t even with this caravan. Seeing his initial plan fail, Zhongsun Mou had to resort to his backup: framing them on the spot.

’He was really determined to pick a fight with me.’

He turned his head and saw Hee Lingchuan gazing at their retreating figures. ”What is it?”

Hee Lingchuan sighed. ”King Yuanl of old was such a remarkable figure, and the people of the Yuanl Kingdom were so unyielding. To think that over a hundred years later, their descendants would end up like this.”

The lowly slave’s words and actions gave him a deeper understanding of the misfortune this land bore.

The actions of one man were a reflection of his entire people.

Fushan Yue said flatly, ”Anyone with an ounce of spirit was slaughtered back then. The only ones left are cowards. You can trample them all you want. The only order they can’t follow is to walk with their backs straight.”

Hee Lingchuan recalled the resolute words King Yuanl spoke before his execution:

I would rather my children die with their eyes open than live as cowards.

On the eve of the Yuanl Kingdom’s destruction, its king and ministers faced their deaths with righteous dignity, jesting as they went. Their voices and smiles seemed to echo even now.

In stark contrast, the descendants of the Yuanl Kingdom had long since had their spines broken, their courage stripped away. They lived like maggots, daring only to vent their deep-seated resentment on their weaker, more innocent countrymen.

They and their ancestors were like two entirely different species.

Who could imagine they were the same people, from the same land?

Separated by only a little more than a hundred years.

Hee Lingchuan could almost feel the resounding, maniacal laughter of Lingxu City echoing beneath the sky:

This is what happens when you oppose Beiga and the Deities.

You dare defy the Celestial God and rebel against Beiga? I will destroy your kingdom, exterminate your race, and debase your descendants!

I will make your descendants a laughingstock for all eternity, cursed and spat upon by all.

I will make your descendants wish they had never been born from such ruinous ancestors!

What was even more terrifying was the thought that if the Beiga Kingdom could be this cruel to its own subjects, would it show any mercy to other nations? Would it hold back at all?

At this thought, Hee Lingchuan couldn’t help but touch the Divine Bone Necklace beneath his collar. A chill ran down his spine.

’What kind of behemoth will I have to face in the future?’

’What kind of depraved lunatics are they?’

’How am I supposed to contend with them?’

Zhongsun Mou was still standing past the checkpoint, his dark gaze fixed on them.

Fushan Yue gave him the middle finger.

It was a gesture he had learned from Hee Lingchuan just a few days ago, one that was said to express disdain, contempt, and malice all at once.

Now that he was in the Chiyan Kingdom—his home turf—why the hell would he be afraid of that guy!

Even if he let Taozi out to skip and dance around, the people from Lingxu City couldn’t just cross the border to chase them.

Hee Lingchuan also glanced back toward the checkpoint. ”You’re just going to let it go?”

From what he knew of Fushan Yue, the man was the type to pursue a grudge relentlessly.

If he wasn’t, the two of them would never have become enemies in the first place.

”How could I?” Fushan Yue scoffed at the idea. ”Give me a few days. I’ll sneak back and get real ’friendly’ with them!”

’Now that’s more like it,’ Hee Lingchuan thought. ’That’s Fushan Yue’s style.’

Fushan Yue then said to Hee Lingchuan, ”Don’t worry, I’ll get even for you!”

Hee Lingchuan was completely unconcerned. ”I only care about the three thousand taels. When are you paying me back?”

”When I get home!” Fushan Yue said, exasperated. He’d given his last Copper Plate to the man before him; he was truly broke. ”I’ll have all the money you could want!”

He looked back at the checkpoint and said resentfully, ”That bastard Zhongsun Mou is like a mad dog. Once he sinks his teeth in, he never lets go. Unless you kick him to death, he’ll always find a way to make your life miserable.”

’Why plant evidence so openly?’

’Why use a Glazed Jar to do it?’

’Wasn’t it all just to spite me, Fushan Yue?’

Hee Lingchuan rolled his eyes. ’Is he talking about Zhongsun Mou, or himself?’

”I thought high-ranking officials from Lingxu City would be more sophisticated when framing someone.”

He had expected a battle of wits, a duel of Tongue Swords where both sides would clash for hundreds of rounds without showing a hint of emotion.

The reality, however, was more like his opponent kicking over a stool and charging at him with a kitchen cleaver.

Fushan Yue let out a laugh. ”You don’t understand Lingxu City, and you don’t understand these demon officials.”

”No, I don’t,” Hee Lingchuan admitted humbly.

”The natures of Demons and humans are fundamentally different,” Fushan Yue said, his words full of meaning.

’So demon officials are savage, and human officials are cunning?’ Hee Lingchuan found this amusing. ”Then what do you count as, human or Demon?”

Fushan Yue replied unhurriedly, ”Strictly speaking, a Ba is also human.”

’Fair enough,’ Hee Lingchuan thought. He cleared his throat. ”Right. So what kind of Demon is this Inspector, exactly?”

”You don’t know?” Fushan Yue seemed surprised. ”Have you never seen the Merfolk?”

”So that’s a Merfolk?” Hee Lingchuan scratched his head. ”I thought they all lived near water.” The strange tales he had read in Panlong City described the Merfolk, but always as dwellers of the shallows.

The nearest major river was over ten li away, and Zhongsun Mou had come all the way from Lingxu City via the Twilight Plateau. He didn’t seem to be suffering from a lack of water.

”Oh, Merfolk do need water,” Fushan Yue explained, filling a gap in his knowledge about Beiga. ”But they wear Water Gathering Array Tokens that absorb moisture from the air to sustain them. They can be away from a body of water for half a month with no problem.”

”Lingxu City is vast, half mountain and half sea. There are quite a few of the Water Race living there.”

”Are all Merfolk this petty, or does he just really, really hate you?”

”He’s a real piece of work,” Fushan Yue said. Naturally, he had nothing good to say about Zhongsun Mou.

Since Fushan Yue had promised to cover the cost, the incident was considered closed. Even Shi the Second didn’t bring it up again.

Only the members of the Stone Gate Merchant Team continued to mutter curses along the way.

And so, the caravan continued on until they reached the second town before stopping to rest.