Chapter 152: Water Spirit Comes Again

As He Lingchuan, Captain Li, and others approached, Commandant Zhao, holding the severed head, loudly proclaimed to everyone: “Evil must be eliminated! The villain Lu has been executed!”

Beheading the bandit leader of Woling Pass was indeed a tremendous accomplishment.

“Hey…” Commandant Zhao looked at him. “What is it?” He Lingchuan scratched his head. “Lu Yao died too easily; he really got off lightly.” This Commandant Zhao was incredibly adept at claiming credit, He Lingchuan thought with a sigh, as if there was anyone even trying to compete with him.

The few remaining Lu bandits on the field immediately scattered, fleeing for their lives, no longer able to cause any trouble.

He Lingchuan, however, felt a recurring warmth on his neck.

The divine bone necklace was acting up again at this moment? It had behaved similarly this morning in the Immortal’s Cave, drilling underground to do something unknown, which ultimately caused the entire cave to collapse. Had it found something valuable again? He Lingchuan’s spirits lifted, and he took a few steps away.

The further he moved, the hotter the divine bone became, as if it were urging him to return. “Why run?” it seemed to scream. “There’s treasure here!”

He feigned chasing after bandits with his saber, pacing back and forth several times, and discovered that the divine bone necklace only became quiet again when he stood near Lu Yao’s headless corpse. This meant Lu Yao possessed something the divine bone coveted?

He Lingchuan’s eyes darted; he quickly squatted down and began rummaging through the corpse. He took everything from Lu Yao’s person, useful or not. The cannibal also wore two rings, and He Lingchuan didn't bother to check if they were spatial rings; he simply pulled them off and put them on his own fingers.

He had performed this task many times today and was now incredibly skilled, finishing in no time before anyone could even stop him.

Zhao Qinghe cleared his throat from the side. “Young Master, Commandant Zhao is watching you.” For his young master to start looting bodies before the battle was even finished was truly outrageous, making Zhao Qinghe himself feel a bit embarrassed.

Without even looking up, He Lingchuan could feel Commandant Zhao’s gaze, filled with displeasure and contempt. Looting treasures from the main adversary’s body was supposed to be a privilege for the Prefectural Military Office soldiers, yet this young man had claimed the spoils first. If He Lingchuan weren't the regional governor's own son, Commandant Zhao would have slapped him across the face twice already.

He Lingchuan rummaged a few more times before standing up and walking away. Fortunately, the divine bone necklace had finally stopped heating up. This confirmed that the item it had been seeking was now in He Lingchuan’s possession.

With victory secured, Pei Xinyong and the government soldiers gradually ceased their fighting. Officials and bandits now faced each other, each seeing wariness in the other’s eyes.

Lian Deng rushed over. Pei Xinyong immediately accosted him, his voice rising three octaves: “These are the reinforcements you spoke of?”

Lian Deng could only admit the truth: “General Wu was rescued by the government troops, and together with the Crocodile God, they accepted the amnesty!” He let out a bitter laugh. “From now on, we’ll be on the government payroll.”

Pei Xinyong gasped, finding the situation incredibly surreal. Just last night, both Wu Shaoyi and frontline intelligence had reported that Lu Yao was the one to accept amnesty from the Kite Royal Court. Yet, today, the narrative had completely flipped, with Wu Shaoyi now on the government payroll. What had transpired in those few hours? Or had Wu Shaoyi been a traitor all along?

To make matters worse, Commandant Zhao's attitude was quite arrogant. He raised his head and demanded, “Pei Xinyong, will you surrender or not?”

By this time, the mist had fully dispersed, and Pei Xinyong could see that the government forces numbered around a thousand, fewer than his own. The problem, however, was that Wu Shaoyi's former subordinates, recalled by Lian Deng, were now aligned with the government. The difference in numbers between the two sides was minimal, and Pei Xinyong’s left shoulder was disabled, each movement causing excruciating pain. The atmosphere was incredibly delicate.

He Lingchuan stepped forward and coughed deliberately. “There are still remnants of Lu Yao’s forces in Desheng Town, and General Wu Shaoyi, who surrendered, is fighting a difficult battle there. How about we set aside our differences for now and go eliminate the bandits first?”

Commandant Zhao had no objection. Pei Xinyong hesitated for a moment, then nodded as well.

Thus, the three forces marched together, heading for Desheng Town.

Along the way, Zhao Qinghe spotted a suspicious shadow in a small grove by the road. He gestured, and several cavalrymen immediately charged towards it.

From then on, the fight was straightforward. Wu Shaoyi’s troops were already engaging the Lu bandits in Desheng Town, and the arrival of the government forces immediately tipped the scales. Some bandits died, others fled, but most threw down their weapons and surrendered.

Amidst the chaos, Pei Xinyong led his troops in pursuit of the fleeing bandits, but they chased further and further, soon vanishing from sight.

He Lingchuan understood this outcome perfectly. The two generals from the Prefectural Military Office also seemed disinclined to interfere, effectively turning a blind eye. Pei Xinyong was quite a formidable fighter, and they had already secured significant credit for the day, so they saw no need to create further complications. Besides, this particular group of bandits led by Pei wouldn’t remain in the area for long; wherever they ended up next would be a headache for the local officials there.

After retaking Desheng Town, Commandant Zhao left Captain Li to manage the captives and then dispatched a portion of his troops to Xianling Village in the east. He himself, along with Wu Shaoyi, He Lingchuan, and others, proceeded to Qianteng Town.

This leg of the journey finally passed peacefully.

Soon, He Lingchuan rejoined his family’s convoy. He had earlier sent Maotao back with news, and the He family had been eagerly awaiting his return.

Father and son met, both overjoyed.

He Chunhua emerged from the crowd, galloping his horse towards his son, grabbing his shoulder and exclaiming, “You brat, you brat!” He was so overwhelmed with emotion that the rest of his words caught in his throat, and his handsome face flushed crimson.

Seeing his father’s reaction, He Lingchuan was also touched and chuckled sheepishly. “Dad, I’m not so easy to kill!”

This time, He Chunhua instinctively understood “kill” as “die,” and gritted his teeth, declaring, “I knew you were blessed with luck, possessing a strong life force! You won’t die even if you fall off a cliff!”

The others also gathered around, congratulating the young master on his narrow escape and his return, completely unscathed. Everyone examined He Lingchuan closely; he had numerous minor injuries but no major ones, and all marveled at his incredible fortune. Where others would be reduced to pulp from such a fall, he merely sustained a few scratches, his face not even disfigured.

The reunion of father and son instantly became a joyous occasion.

He Yue rushed forward, embracing his elder brother’s shoulders, and laughed loudly, “You’re back alive!” With He Yue’s embrace, He Lingchuan hissed, wincing. “Ouch, that hurts!” He had an axe wound on his shoulder, which had stopped bleeding, but He Yue’s touch reopened it. Startled, He Yue quickly apologized and turned to summon a military doctor.

Madam Ying’s eyes moistened as she murmured, looking at her eldest son, “It’s good that you’re back, it’s good that you’re back!” He Lingchuan grinned, revealing a flash of white teeth, “Thank you for your concern, Mother.” He then pulled out the peach wood mirror from his robe and handed it to her. “This is yours, isn’t it?”

Madam Ying was overjoyed. She took the mirror and caressed it gently. “You got it back!” Seeing her eldest son’s blood-smeared face, she couldn’t help but gently raise her handkerchief to dab the fresh blood oozing from his temple. “There’s water in the carriage; go wash your face properly.” This gesture somewhat surprised He Chunhua, but He Lingchuan chuckled. “Alright!” He strode to the carriage and asked Nanny Qian to fetch some water for him to clean his face.

Soon after, He Yue returned with the military doctor. After a night and day of fierce fighting and relentless travel, He Lingchuan finally lay down on a soft brocade mattress. While the military doctor attended to his wounds, he couldn’t fight off sleep and drifted into a deep slumber.

However, after the military doctor departed, the divine bone necklace resting on He Lingchuan’s chest suddenly began to emit a faint, reddish glow. The light was very subtle and lasted only for a few breaths, so no one noticed it. Yet, the turtle egg hidden in He Lingchuan’s robe suddenly shifted.

He Lingchuan was in a deep sleep, and in his drowsy state, he seemed to hear an ancient voice: “He Lingchuan, when you pass the Resurgent Old Locust Tree at Fengling Ferry, please bury the turtle egg in the root hole beneath it.”

The voice was unfamiliar, and He Lingchuan wondered, “Who is that?”

As if sensing his thoughts, the voice spoke directly: “I am the Water Spirit of Xianling Lake. I originally intended to enter your dreams to find you, but I was blocked. Despite my pleas and lack of ill will, it took immense effort to transmit even this sliver of spiritual thought. Ha, it’s proving quite difficult to even approach your dreams; I’ve clearly found the right person.”

Oh, so this was the ancient turtle spirit? He Lingchuan vaguely recalled having a life-or-death question for it, but at that moment, he couldn't bring it to mind.

“You are the only one I have foreseen who can help my true form escape the crocodile demon; that is why I seek your assistance,” the voice continued. “However, the dire omen I divined is by no means baseless.”

He Lingchuan wanted to ask if he was certainly doomed to die.

“There is no such thing as a predestined outcome in this world,” the Water Spirit continued. “It is unfortunate, however, that your destiny is bound by a formidable power, making it impossible for others to discern. I have managed to barely divine a few verses, hoping they might help you avert mortal danger sooner.”

Another riddle, seriously?!

He didn’t know how much time had passed before He Yue shook him awake. “We’re here, quickly get out of the carriage!” He sat up, muttering to himself. He Yue seemed to hear his brother mumbling something about “hiding one’s clumsiness” and “reality and illusion,” and couldn't help but chuckle. “Brother, what are you muttering about?”

“I had a dream,” He Lingchuan said, yawning as he hopped off the carriage, “There was an old man in it, constantly droning on, but never saying anything useful.” He noticed the sky was full of stars and a gentle evening breeze was blowing. He had slept for at least two hours.

“Are we in Qianteng Town?” He Lingchuan asked. He Yue chuckled. “We passed Qianteng Town a long time ago; we’re in Wuliu County now. Qianteng is just a small town of about three hundred people. For our forces to properly resupply, we needed to come here. The Wuliu County Magistrate sent a messenger to say he’s hosting a banquet for us at Hongtai Restaurant to welcome and soothe our spirits.”

“The Wuliu County Magistrate is so attentive?” He Lingchuan was surprised. “His intelligence is remarkably swift.”

“Xianling Village, Qianteng Town, Desheng Town—all the locations involved in this incident fall within Wuliu County,” He Yue explained, walking with him. “The Magistrate has already learned that rebels massacred villages and converged here, and even pursued high-ranking royal officials. He is deeply shocked and thus wishes to extend his profound condolences to us.”

Was the 'high-ranking royal official' referring to his father? Ah, yes, He Chunhua had already received his letter of appointment, making him legally the Governor of Xiazhou—indeed a high-ranking local official.

It was only proper for the Wuliu County Magistrate to be so attentive. With that thought, He Lingchuan contentedly stretched, looking around. “Hmm, why is the convoy so small?”

“The county’s post station is quite large, and local gentry also provided two estates for our accommodation free of charge, so all of us are well settled,” He Yue explained. “As for the civilians from Xianling Village, they left the convoy back in Qianteng Town, and Wuliu County will take over their arrangements.”