Where Immortals Once Walked

The blacksmith quickly waved his hands and said, “No, no, it’s not that. This magical artifact has already developed a mind[1] of its own. It has self-preservation instincts. Not to mention, it’s been tempered a thousand times over and built to withstand extreme heat. I doubt my forge can even reach the temperature needed.”

After all, would a sentient artifact just sit there and let itself be melted down?

“Then who can do it?”

“No one in Heishui City, and probably no one in all of Jin Province either,” the blacksmith replied after a brief hesitation. “You’d have better luck in a major city in the east, or the state capital. I’ve heard the Spirit Artifact Sect has branches in those places, and they might have the secret techniques and specialized forges to extract the Wu Metal from the staff.”

In short, only a magical artifact could defeat another magical artifact. His own forge was built for mundane materials, so tossing the staff in would be little more than a fancy sauna session. Only sects specializing in forging divine artifacts would have the necessary equipment.

He Lingchuan knew there was no point in pushing the man. He flicked a small silver ingot onto the table, stood up, and left.

Zeng Feixiong hurried after him. “Young Master, let me buy you a drink.”

Three days after returning from the desert, Zeng Feixiong had already received his generous reward. True to his word, Commandery Administrator, he had also assigned a dedicated team to look after his father around the clock.

With that burden lifted from his shoulders, Zeng Feixiong felt like the sky was bluer, the air fresher, and even his coin pouch heavier—though that last part was literally true.

He owed his survival to He Lingchuan, and the journey through the Panlong Desert had left him with a completely new impression of the young lord.

However, He Lingchuan just shook his head. “Maybe some other time.”

The euphoria of surviving such a deadly trial had already worn off, and now that life had returned to its usual rhythm of idle pleasures, he suddenly found it all boring again.

Might as well go home and sleep.

But after just a few steps, a thought struck him. He turned back. “Actually, let’s make it tonight. I’ll have Liu Baobao host us.”

* * *

Back at the mansion, He Lingchuan did not head straight to bed. Instead, he made his way to the small training yard to practice with the saber.

The Panlong Desert expedition had shown him just how far he still had to go. Once he had fallen into the illusion realm and lost the support of both his father and the Heishui City troops, all he could think about when facing Nian Songyu’s malice was how to survive. He did not even have the luxury of getting angry.

It was only later that he learned of the truth, coming to know that Nian Songyu’s nature was even viler than he had imagined. The reason he and Mao Tao had only suffered verbal mockery in the Panlong Illusion Realm was that both Nian Songyu and Sun Fuping already planned to use them as sacrificial offerings. After all, why waste time insulting those who were already doomed?

The Guiding Art passed down in his family was just a foundational technique. If he wanted to improve, he needed stronger and better techniques, as well as a good dose of self-discipline.

During his first two months in this world, all He Lingchuan wanted was to lie low and enjoy a life of wealth and ease. However, with the likes of Sun Fuping constantly stirring trouble, he had come to realize something about this world.

In this world, trouble had a way of finding you whether you wanted it or not.

He had recently asked He Chunhua to help him search for a more powerful and suitable cultivation technique, and his father had agreed to his request without hesitation.

Saber light flashed in the courtyard, and before he knew it, two hours had passed.

What used to leave him drenched in sweat now only left a slight dampness on his back. It seemed that the trials of life and death had toughened his body and his endurance.

Finally, He Lingchuan lowered his weapon, wiped his face, which had grown rough from the desert sun, and decided to head to the kitchen for a bite to eat.

His appetite had been noticeably larger lately.

The He Mansion was unusually quiet today. He Chunhua was at the government office, and Ying Hongchan was out. There was no one for him to deal with.

He Lingchuan made his way to the kitchen with practiced ease and went straight to the cupboard where the chef stored snacks. Opening it, he was pleasantly surprised. Besides the mountain of red date cakes stacked inside, there were also bowls of snow-white osmanthus almond tofu chilling in the icebox. A nudge with the spoon made them wobble like jelly.

This type of almond tofu required summer ice from underground cellars for both preparation and preservation. The rainy season had just arrived in Heishui City, and the air was thick and stifling. A few cold, sweet spoonfuls of almond tofu could banish all the oppressive heat from one’s body and mind.

He Lingchuan grabbed a big bowl and dumped in nearly half the lot.

He had only eaten a few bites when a voice beside him cried out, “Hey, leave some for me!”

He turned and saw that it was He Yue.

“What are you doing back?” I thought this little bookworm wasn’t supposed to be home today.

“I came back to fetch a few account books.” He Yue began scooping some for himself as well. Though his movements were refined, his bowl was just as big as He Lingchuan’s. “I thought I’d cool off with something sweet.”

As he watched his older brother wolf down the tofu, He Yue hesitated, as if he had something to say.

He Lingchuan, a veteran of many snack-stealing missions, was naturally alert. “What? Spit it out. Don’t bottle it up.”

“Father and I have barely had a moment’s rest these past few days. A hundred and five people died on the Panlong expedition, and thirty-seven were wounded. Compensation and rewards are major expenses, not to mention promotions... I only just finished tallying everything today.”

“Oh.” And what does that have to do with me? He Lingchuan had always taken pride in being utterly carefree.

He Yue hesitated again.

“What else?” He Lingchuan narrowed his eyes. “You look constipated. Eat more almond tofu. It clears the pipes.”

He Yue instinctively pulled his bowl back.

“Most of that work fell on me, since Father’s been busy meeting with merchant guilds and foreign envoys. He’s already been to the restaurants four times this week.”

“I know. He even had me arrange a meeting with the Liu Family Merchant Guild, Liu Baobao’s family.” He Lingchuan did not see what the big deal was. “What’s the problem? Isn’t that part of his job?”

Every time the season of mad sand began or ended, He Chunhua’s schedule turned hectic. After all, Heishui City became a bustling hub for trade during those periods.

This year’s season had just started, and with caravans rushing in on the last legs of the Hongya Route, all goods had to be processed at Heishui City before continuing into the eastern and central regions of Great Yuan. Naturally, the entire government team had its hands full.

“All other meetings are being handled by other government officials. Do you know what’s special about the guests Father’s receiving personally?”

He Lingchuan shook his head.

“They’re all headed to the capital,” He Yue said, his tone grave. “The earliest group left three days ago. Now that the road to Woling Pass is open, they can take a boat from there. It’s downstream all the way, so it should take just a few days to reach the capital.”

“And?”

“My office isn’t far from the main hall. I can hear laughter and merrymaking inside all the time.”

“And what’s wrong with that?” He Lingchuan still did not think anything of it.

“Big Brother, Father’s usually rather stern when meeting with merchants. This kind of cheerfulness is... uncharacteristic.”

“What exactly are you trying to say?” He Lingchuan was reaching for water. He had had a bit too much red date cake, and it was making him choke. “Spit it out. Don’t talk in circles like some hand-wringing housewife.”

He Yue glanced around and lowered his voice. “Just between us, don’t go spreading it. But I suspect Father is having them spread the news in the capital, laying the groundwork in advance.”

“What news?”

“That we defeated Sun Fuping and Nian Songyu,” He Yue said, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “Haven’t you guys been trumpeting those rumors all over Heishui City these past few days?”

He Lingchuan bristled. “What do you mean? We’re simply spreading word of the truth.”

“If Father hasn’t submitted an official report yet, and the story’s already out there, then it’s not a report but hearsay.”

He Lingchuan froze. “Father hasn’t submitted a report yet? That’s impossible!”

1. Fun fact: Mind (心眼) is actually made up of the characters for heart (心) and eye (眼). ☜