Where Immortals Once Walked

“Don’t worry. With your great fortune and sturdy fate, you’ll definitely live to a hundred!”

As he said this, He Lingchuan suddenly noticed two strands of silver amid Madame Ying’s black hair.

She took excellent care of herself and had hardly a wrinkle on her face, but she was, after all, already in her late thirties.

Madame Ying took out a small jade ruyi[1] and pressed it into his hand. “Keep this with you. It’s for protection.”

He Yue laughed from the side. “Wow, Mother even brought out one of the treasures from her dowry.”

Madame Ying shot him a withering glare that required no explanation. “Are you really my son? Why are you more talkative than some teenage girl?” Then she turned back to He Lingchuan and solemnly instructed him, “When you enter Panlong Desert, you absolutely must be careful. That is not a good place! And—”

She paused.

“I know you’re capable now. Take good care of your father. The two of you must both come back safe and sound!”

The worry in her eyes could not be hidden.

She had a nagging feeling that something ominous lay ahead. Alas, there was nothing she could do to stop them.

“Don’t worry.” He Lingchuan looked carefully at her and said slowly, “I’ll do everything I can.”

At that moment, a jumble of emotions rose within him.

In the end, He Chunhua was still the pillar holding up this household. Everyone in the family worried about his safety, including the original He Lingchuan.

The bonds within a family were countless and tangled, threads that simply could not be severed according to one’s wishes.

Drawing a sword of wisdom and cutting through the cords of attachment was easier said than done.

And attachment, after all, did not refer only to romantic love.

Among all those living amid the dust of the mortal realm, how many could truly see through such bonds and cut them cleanly?

He Lingchuan sighed inwardly, then turned to his younger brother. “Little Two, you’re the man of the house now too. Take good care of our mother.”

He Yue nodded seriously. “Big Brother, have a safe journey.”

The brothers looked at each other in silence, as though each had a thousand things left unsaid.

In the end, He Lingchuan merely patted his younger brother on the shoulder, laughed, and mounted the cliff ram. With that, the party set out.

Before turning the corner at the end of the street, he looked back once. Madame Ying and He Yue were still standing where he had left them, watching him without moving.

He raised a hand and waved to his family, smiling brilliantly.

This time, it was not “see you again.”

And the true centerpiece of his return to Yuan was finally about to begin.

* * *

At the Yuan army encampment on the eastern outskirts of Tu County.

The rebellion in the south had basically been pacified. A few remaining bands of rebels and brigands had escaped, but they were no longer a serious concern.

The Yuan army would periodically enter Longchuan to sweep up the remnants.

However, postwar work was no easier than fighting the war itself. Tu County was also part of He Chunhua’s territory now, and he had already begun taking over the local administration. As a result, he was so busy every day that he barely had time to breathe.

That had already become the norm for Governor-General He. People who came to the camp to report matters often could not even find him.

Tonight alone was different.

He Chunhua put aside every matter on his schedule and returned to his own tent. He ordered an offering table set up, had a pig, cow, and sheep prepared as the three sacrificial beasts, and ordered another forty-eight bowls of meat, vegetables, fruit, and other offerings. Together, they filled two whole tables.

He himself dressed in plain white mourning clothes, then respectfully placed the memorial tablets upon the altar and lit incense before them.

Today was once again the He Family’s ancestral memorial day.

In previous years, all four members of the family had observed it together. This time, however, He Chunhua was away leading troops in the field and could only perform the rites alone.

Strictly speaking, his current rank still did not entitle him to offer the great three sacrificial beasts.

He Chunhua simply ignored that rule.

Once the offerings were arranged, he dismissed everyone, leaving only Zhao Qinghe to attend him.

The He Family’s memorial ceremony had always been a day of grief.

He Chunhua knelt and kowtowed heavily while murmuring under his breath.

Zhao Qinghe heard him recounting every recent military report to his ancestors, one by one.

“At last, I’ve returned to the capital of Yuan. At last, the Yuan court can no longer do without me.” He Chunhua pressed his forehead against the ground. “Ancestors of the He Family, Father, Mother, my brothers and sisters, from this day forward, we will do more than restore our former prestige, more than merely bring glory back to the family name!”

His prayer went on for a long time. By the time he finally stood, blood from his kowtows had run from his forehead all the way down his neck.

Zhao Qinghe hurried forward with a soft cloth and wiped it away for him.

He Chunhua did not seem to care. Instead, he chuckled. “Bring wine. On a day of great victory, I want to drink with my family.”

That broke tradition.

The He Family never drank wine on the day of their ancestral rites.

Zhao Qinghe did not know that, however, so he immediately ordered two jars of good wine brought in.

Longchuan produced a local bayberry wine that tasted sweet and refreshing, but its aftereffects were surprisingly strong.

He Chunhua sat facing the memorial tablets, pouring offerings and drinking in turn. Every time he tilted his head, an entire bowl disappeared.

In the blink of an eye, both jars were empty. He ordered Zhao Qinghe to bring more.

“My lord, you’ve already had quite a lot.” Zhao Qinghe had begun to sense that He Chunhua was acting strangely tonight.

He Chunhua waved impatiently. “Bring the wine!”

Zhao Qinghe had no choice but to obey.

Moonlight spilled across Longchuan that night, while frogs and insects sang outside the tent. He Chunhua kept drinking until he was thoroughly intoxicated.

Then, without warning, he hurled his wine bowl aside and burst into tears.

He sobbed with such heartrending force that his entire body shook, his wails filled with an indescribable anguish and sorrow.

Zhao Qinghe was stunned.

Wh-what’s wrong with Governor-General He?

It took him a moment to recover, after which he hurriedly set up a soundproof barrier.

But He Chunhua’s earlier cries had already carried outside, and many nearby soldiers had heard them.

Zhao Qinghe tried gently offering a few words of comfort, but He Chunhua ignored him completely. He clung to one of the table legs and sobbed uncontrollably, tears and snot streaming down his face.

Zhao Qinghe had never once seen his lord lose control like this.

Is he truly grieving so extremely?

Remaining there any longer would only make things awkward, so Zhao Qinghe quietly withdrew from the tent, leaving He Chunhua alone with his ancestors.

Soldiers passing by outside kept craning their necks toward the tent.

Zhao Qinghe barked, “What are you all standing around for? Don’t you have anything to do?”

The crowd scattered at once like startled birds and beasts.

Zhao Qinghe paced around outside for an hour before finally lifting the tent flap and going back in.

One of the offering tables had been smashed apart. Food and dishes were overturned across the floor. He Chunhua himself was lying on the ground asleep, his head resting against a table leg. Broken porcelain had left several cuts on his face, and his eyes were swollen like walnuts from crying.

He could not let anyone else see him in this state. Zhao Qinghe fetched water and washed his face, then helped him onto the camp bed.

He Chunhua opened his eyes blearily and asked him, “Chuan’er... I wronged you! Do you blame me?”

Zhao Qinghe was left speechless.

How was he supposed to answer a question about his lord’s family affairs?

Besides, Lord He had always treated his eldest son extraordinarily well. Zhao Qinghe had no idea what there was to feel guilty about.

“But I had no choice!” He Chunhua continued. “Back then, I myself had already been driven into a dead end, but I still had to survive. I had to avenge every last old and young member of our family... You don’t blame me, do you?!”

He seized Zhao Qinghe’s arm with tremendous force, practically grinding out the final words through clenched teeth.

Zhao Qinghe knew perfectly well that there was no reasoning with a drunkard, so he could only nod. “Right, right!”

He agreed several more times. He Chunhua exhaled a heavy breath reeking of alcohol, finally closed his eyes, and sank into a deep sleep.

* * *

The next morning, when Zhao Qinghe went to see He Chunhua, the latter was already having his personal guards dress him and arrange his hair.

He was spirited and handsome, every inch the dignified governor-general.

He looked like an entirely different person from the disheveled drunkard of the previous night.

He Chunhua smiled at Zhao Qinghe and said, “You’re here. I drank too much last night. Did I say anything foolish?”

Facing the other party’s bright and piercing gaze, Zhao Qinghe’s heart tightened. He immediately replied, “No.”

He Chunhua turned around. “Nothing at all?”

“You kept calling for Steward Wu to bring more wine.”

He Chunhua sighed. “I really made a fool of myself after getting drunk. My head still hurts a little this morning. Wine truly is no good.”

1. A ruyi is a Chinese curved decorative object that serves as either a ceremonial scepter in Chinese Buddhism or a talisman symbolizing power and good fortune in Chinese folklore. ☜