Chapter 105: Entangled

“What else?” Lu Han prompted him. “If I wanted to cast a spell on you, what else would I need to know? So many people share the same name; what if I cursed the wrong person?”

“Your birthdate and time?”

“Exactly, your birthdate and time, plus the name given by your parents—that’s what makes you ‘you’,” Lu Han said with a laugh. “So, if I just go to the registry, change my name to He Chunhua, and swap my birthdate and time for his, then when I go to Xiazhou to become an official and pick up the Kite Money, that thing will glow! Changing birthdates isn’t easy; it requires a 'metamorphosis ritual' to deceive the heavens, but it’s not unprecedented, and I have some connections.”

He snapped his fingers. “Anyway, we need to get our hands on the official seal and documents. Once we reach Xiazhou, you might have to call me—”

His subordinates said in unison, “Lord He!”

Everyone laughed. Then, a henchman cautiously asked, “So, do we still need to act tonight?”

General Lu had originally said they’d let the soldiers go and part ways in the morning.

“No!” General Lu waved his hand, full of spirit. “Hold your ground. No one is to strike the first blow!”

Everyone was stunned. Weren’t they supposed to seize the official seal and documents? Now they weren’t fighting?

But quickly, a confidant understood, “General Lu wants to postpone this battle until tomorrow. It would be best if those teams led by Wu and Pei also arrive.”

“The soldiers that corrupt official brought on this long journey are all carefully chosen, strong men, likely with battle experience. He also possesses a Sheji Decree, which grants his army a yuanli boost, so a group of 300 can easily achieve the combat power of 400,” General Lu calmly stated. “Even if we could wipe them out, our losses would probably be significant. Then, facing those named Wu and Pei would put us at a disadvantage. Wouldn’t it be better to wait until everyone is gathered, and then consecrate our banner with the blood of these dog soldiers?”

His subordinates repeatedly agreed.

Just then, a commotion started outside, like many people shouting.

The last thing Lu Han wanted at that moment was a surprise. He threw down the duck leg, wiped the grease on his trousers, and strode out.

***

Wang Fatty entered the room and, without a word, seated himself on a bamboo chair.

*Creak*, the bamboo chair groaned, protesting the immense weight.

Such an action was extremely disrespectful when facing a high-ranking official, but he couldn't care less. He glared at Madam Zhu and barked, “Are you stupid? Hurry up and pour water for me... and the young master!”

He couldn't vent his anger on the young master, but surely he could yell at “his own” woman?

Madam Zhu silently turned, but before she took two steps, Fatty reached out and slapped her backside. “Hurry up!”

Madam Zhu turned back, the man’s bear-like gaze making her extremely uneasy.

He Lingchuan smiled. “It seems you’ve studied for a few years; you even know how to use such polite phrases.”

“Ah, mm.” Wang Fatty muttered to himself, *Don’t get angry, don’t get angry. I’ll just pull this kid’s tongue out later. Then I can barbecue it or stew it with chili, whatever I want!*

He Lingchuan changed the subject. “Are you working for Boss Lu?”

“Huh?” Fatty was startled. “Oh, no.”

“Then how many years was Boss Lu gone before he came back?”

Fatty was speechless; there was no answer to this question. “I don’t remember. Why are you asking these things?”

“I just feel that Boss Lu is a man with a story,” He Lingchuan shrugged. “Let’s change the topic. How long have you and Madam Zhu been married?”

Years of labor and exposure to sun and wind had darkened Madam Zhu’s skin and reddened her cheeks. But upon closer inspection, Madam Zhu’s features were actually delicate, and her figure quite slender.

“Her?” The sudden shift in topic caught Fatty off guard. “Many years.”

“How did she come to marry—” He Lingchuan gestured over his entire body, “—you? No offense, but you two really don’t seem like a good match.” They looked like a fresh flower stuck in cow dung, or a precious jade embedded in mud.

Wang Fatty’s face turned red, not from embarrassment, but bloated with anger.

“With so many men in the village, she chose me! She insisted on marrying no one but me!” he retorted sharply. “Is that a problem?”

“No problem, no problem. I just don’t know what she saw in you: your love for sleep or your aversion to bathing?”

“I have money!” Fatty’s words were squeezed through his teeth. “I went out to work in my early years and saved up money before coming back!”

He Lingchuan sighed, murmuring a few words about a “pearl covered in dust,” then asked, “How many children do you have?”

“...Two.” *Why is this kid specifically trying to pick a fight? Is he interested in Madam Zhu, or has he already made a connection with her?*

Wang Fatty had been so consumed by anger earlier that he hadn’t thought much of it, but now that his temper had cooled, he started to feel that something was wrong.

“Where are the children?” He Lingchuan glanced at the inner room. “I don’t seem to see them.”

There was no sound from the inner room.

Fatty clearly had the temper of a firecracker, easily provoked, yet despite He Lingchuan’s repeated and escalating insults, he hadn’t exploded. He Lingchuan guessed that these men were indeed planning to make their move in the latter half of the night.

Fatty choked up. *This person’s questions are like cannonballs, rapid-fire and relentless, truly difficult to handle.*

Fortunately, he had some quick wit and vaguely replied, “They’ve been sent to a relative’s house in town to play for a couple of days.”

He was very afraid that He Lingchuan would then ask, “Which relative?”

Luckily, he didn’t.

At this moment, Madam Zhu came out with a pot of hot water and two wooden cups, pouring water for both of them.

He Lingchuan didn’t drink, nor did Fatty.

Because he suddenly remembered that some farming households kept rat poison, and they say there’s nothing more venomous than a woman’s heart. What if this woman had put something in the water...?

“You rest. I’ll go back to my room. Call me if you need anything.” Fatty, seething with suppressed anger, turned to Madam Zhu with a sour face: “Come on, follow me into the room.”

He’d vent his anger on this little woman first. Now he was the “head of the household,” and whatever he did to his own woman on his own territory, that kid named He could only listen.

As he stood up, the chair gave another long creak, as if relieved it hadn’t fallen apart. Madam Zhu looked at the chair, knowing that her fate, if she went into the room with him, would be far worse than the chair’s.

What to do?

Her only saviors were the young master He and his guards in the room.

As she was burning with anxiety, He Lingchuan’s voice came from behind Fatty: “Oh, by the way, Master Fatty, what’s with the Water Spirit Tablet?”

The question was too direct, so Fatty had to turn around. “What about it?”

“You live by the water, so you worship the spirit of this lake, right?” He Lingchuan pointed to the large lake outside. “What is the true form of the Water Spirit here?”

“Ah, yes.” This question, Fatty couldn’t answer, but the woman behind him kept her mouth shut tight like a clam. “Why are you interested in it?”

Since a Water Spirit Shrine was built here, it means the local water god has been officially consecrated and given a formal status. But the variety of spirits can be incredibly strange and diverse. If the locals don’t speak of it, outsiders have no way of knowing what the water god’s original form truly is.