Where Immortals Once Walked

“The seventy-year cicadas had turned into monsters. They ate anything they could catch, whether plants and trees or living people, pigs, and dogs. During my retreat, I ran into some Rongshan disciples and fought alongside them. They saw that I was brave and had nowhere else to go, so they invited me to stay. After all those days of fierce fighting, my memories finally returned, and then... then I came home!”

He Chunhua repeated, “Wait, they invited you to stay?”

He Yue was curious too. “Did they accept you into the sect?”

“More or less.”

“Brother, you turned misfortune into a blessing!” Although He Yue sensed that something about the story did not quite add up, he was still genuinely happy for him. “Mr. Mozhe and I once suggested that you find a master at the Cloud-Piercing Pavilion. But the Rongshan Sect is a major Daoist sect, many times stronger than the Cloud-Piercing Pavilion. That’s incredible!”

After disappearing for several months, the eldest young master of the He Family had somehow forged a connection with the Rongshan Sect.

A probing look entered He Chunhua’s eyes. “Which renowned master did you become a disciple of?”

He Lingchuan grinned. “Sect Leader Xue said that he and I were brought together by fate.”

The answer was deliberately vague. Anyone hearing it would naturally assume Sect Leader Xue had personally accepted him as a disciple.

Yet when He Lingchuan spoke of “fate,” he merely meant that they shared the same goals.

Sect Leader Xue would never have done him such an enormous favor merely because they had met once, nor solely because He Lingchuan had resolved the seventy-year cicada infestation.

The other three could scarcely believe their ears.

Madame Ying’s beautiful eyes widened. “The sect leader... The head of that entire Daoist sect personally accepted you as his disciple?”

He Lingchuan burst out laughing and slapped the table. “I knew Mother would react like this! Riding day and night to hurry home was worth it just for that!”

Madame Ying flew into a rage and seized his ear. “You rotten brat! You’ve grown awfully bold after being away for a few months. How dare you make fun of your mother!”

He Lingchuan cried out twice, then turned smugly toward He Yue. “Would you like to join the Rongshan Sect too? I could introduce you. Once Sect Leader Xue passes away a hundred years from now, the whole Daoist sect might belong to us!”

He Yue did not know whether to laugh or cry. His elder brother was clearly spouting nonsense, yet for some reason, the suggestion was slightly tempting. “Well...”

Madame Ying spat in her eldest son’s direction. “What do you mean, ‘belong to us’? Is that how Daoist sects pass down their inheritance?”

He Lingchuan picked up several slices of braised beef, entirely unconcerned. “How is the inheritance of a Daoist sect any different from that of a family or a state?”

Examined carefully, there was a certain logic to his words.

The suspicions in He Chunhua’s heart only grew heavier. He finally asked outright, “Did you return with the Rongshan envoys?”

“I didn’t return with the Rongshan envoys.”

He Lingchuan set down his chopsticks. Slowly, he drew a command token from his robes and waved it before the three of them, his smile growing ever brighter.

“I am the Rongshan envoy!”

With that, he slapped the token down on the table.

The dining hall abruptly fell silent. One could have heard a needle drop.

The only sound was He Lingchuan slurping his hot-and-sour rice noodles, which now seemed especially conspicuous.

“You’re what?” Madame Ying’s voice instead became very soft. “Say that again.”

He Chunhua snatched up the token from the table and examined it over and over, terrified that he might misread even a single character.

He Lingchuan wiped his mouth with a cloth and enunciated each word with perfect clarity, “I said the Rongshan Sect sent me back to negotiate the loan!”

He Yue steadied himself. “Then the person who met Grand Herald Wang of the Court of State Ceremonial yesterday afternoon?”

“That was me.” He Lingchuan looked thoroughly pleased with himself. “He had no idea who I was. He even tried to establish a connection with me, saying that Great Yuan also had an important official surnamed He and that perhaps our families had shared the same ancestor two or three hundred years ago.”

“Absurd!” He Chunhua slammed a hand against the table and shot to his feet. “How could you toy with Minister Wang like that?”

“Toy with him?” He Lingchuan’s smile did not change.

When he dragged Cen Boqing into ruin, no one had accused him of behaving absurdly.

When he sent State Preceptor Qing Yang into the Heavenly Palace’s prison, no one had accused him of behaving absurdly either.

Even when he caused chaos in the Heavenly Palace and blew up the Star-Plucking Tower, still no one had scolded him for acting absurdly.

He said lazily, “I used nothing but formal diplomatic language and never said anything inappropriate. Old man, you’re clearly taking his side.”

He Chunhua stared at him fixedly. “This afternoon, you will come with me and apologize!”

He Lingchuan pointed at the token in He Chunhua’s hand. “Old man, you want the Rongshan Sect’s special envoy to apologize to the minister of the Court of State Ceremonial[1]? On what grounds?”

“You...”

He Yue immediately intervened. “Father, please calm down. Now that Brother holds this official status, he naturally has to conduct public business properly after returning to the capital. A loan of seven million taels is no small matter!”

Strange, Father’s normally always calm and perceptive. Even when faced with the treacherous undercurrents of court politics, he’s always unshaken.

Why has he lost his composure like this the moment Big Brother returns?

He Yue could only conclude that his father was so delighted by his son’s sudden return that he had temporarily lost control of his emotions.

He Chunhua gripped the special envoy token so tightly that his fingertips turned pale. He truly did look agitated.

He Lingchuan wondered what exactly had stirred him so deeply.

Countless thoughts raced through He Chunhua’s mind. Only after forcing his emotions back under control did he slowly loosen his grip and return the token. He looked at He Lingchuan and said, “Ah, it seems I’ve made an error. Chuan’er, don’t hold it against me. In the eyes of every parent under Heaven, a child will always remain a child.”

He Lingchuan took the token and put it away, seemingly unconcerned. “My skin is thick. What does it matter if my old man scolds me a couple of times? That used to happen every day. Come, come. Let’s drink!” Am I the only one who can sense how complicated He Chunhua’s thoughts and emotions are right now?

He picked up the wine vessel and filled cups for He Chunhua, Madame Ying, and himself. After hesitating for a moment, he poured one for He Yue too.

He’s already fifteen. He should be old enough to drink a little.

Sure enough, Madame Ying glanced at him but said nothing.

He Chunhua truly deserved to be called a master of emotional control. Within only a few breaths, he had readjusted his state of mind. His expression softened again. “Chuan’er, tell us about your official duties as Rongshan’s special envoy.”

“Oh, it’s actually quite simple. I made a major contribution during the operation to eliminate the cicada infestation. Sect Leader Xue asked what reward I wanted. I said my motherland was in distress and desperately needed money, so perhaps—cough. The truth is, Sect Leader Xue also felt somewhat guilty after rejecting Great Yuan’s loan requests three times. Since I gave him an opportunity to reconsider without losing face, he simply went along with it and agreed.”

He Chunhua and Madame Ying looked at one another, both finding the explanation preposterous.

The Royal Court of Yuan had dispatched three separate envoys and failed to secure the loan, yet this boy had obtained it merely through his personal contribution and reputation?

Was the Rongshan Sect really so casual about its affairs?

It made no sense at all.

Madame Ying scoffed. “Just how great was this contribution of yours that it could outweigh a loan of seven million taels?”

“The seventy-year cicada infestation had driven the Rongshan Sect to its wit’s end. Had it not been resolved before spring, countless lives would have been lost, and the sect would never have enjoyed another peaceful day.” He Lingchuan spread his hands. “Therefore, your son’s contribution was greater than the heavens.”

Madame Ying still did not believe him. “How exactly did you accomplish it?”

“I discovered a method for luring and killing the seventy-year aberrant cicadas. It worked every single time. Ah, I’ll explain the details when I have time.” He Lingchuan sat there with the calm assurance of an old master. “And if you still don’t believe me, more than a dozen Rongshan disciples escorted me back to Yuan. You can question any of them.”

Those Rongshan disciples were now all under his command.

They had coordinated their stories on the road and memorized every detail until they could recite it backward. He Chunhua could drag in any one of them for questioning, and even drunk, they would not give the wrong answer.

1. Note that this refers to Grand Herald Wang. ☜