Chapter 16: Qualifications

He Lingchuan thought for a moment. "Find them two sets of new clothes, get them cleaned up, and then give them two good meals. No matter what they say, greet them with smiles. Also, keep an eye on Old Man Chen Qi; don't let him run away. He injured someone severely; he might find himself in a similar predicament this time."

The follower agreed, but couldn't help adding, "Young Master, we cannot afford to offend Donglai Prefecture. If we release them..."

The Red-White Sect had previously acted ruthlessly against the two, confident they would die once their origins were known. Dead men tell no tales, so there was no consequence in their actions. But now that He Lingchuan planned to release them, the Red-White Sect inevitably felt uneasy.

"Don't worry. They need something from us, so they shouldn't mind such minor incidents. Besides, this is Qiansong County, Heishui City. As the saying goes, 'A strong dragon cannot overpower a local snake.' This is not a place where Donglai Prefecture dictates terms."

After the Red-White Sect followers were dismissed, He Lingchuan turned and saw the worried expression in his second brother's eyes. "Big Brother," his brother asked, "how will we explain this to Father?"

"It's just a minor misunderstanding. Donglai Prefecture will surely prioritize the bigger picture," He Lingchuan said with a calm laugh. "It's nothing!"

He Yue remained silent. What was a trivial matter for the Grand Marshal became something the He family had to approach with extreme trepidation, carefully weighing every option. What seemed like a mountain to him was mere dust to them. The wind rustled the fallen leaves in the garden. For the first time, the young He family member, who had always grown up with things going smoothly, experienced the humiliation of being a small figure. It was truly a bitter pill to swallow.

"What's wrong?" He Lingchuan asked, noticing the boy's gloomy expression, as if something was weighing on his mind.

"Nothing," He Yue replied with a smile. "I'll take my leave now."

No sooner had He Yue left than He Lingchuan turned to Uncle Hao. "Did something happen?" he asked, noticing Uncle Hao's unusual demeanor.

"Young Master, Little Gray is dead."

He Lingchuan was startled. "How did it die?"

"It didn't return last night. I went to the cliff by Gourd Mountain and retrieved its body," Uncle Hao's voice was a little rough. "Its wings and abdomen were pierced, and its blood was dark green, indicating it was also poisoned. However, the cause of death was a twisted neck."

"Nian Songyu! State Preceptor Sun!" He Lingchuan exclaimed, seeing Uncle Hao's reddened eyes and feeling a pang of sadness himself. "It was my idea to send Little Gray to scout. Uncle Hao, I'm truly sorry!"

Little Gray was a hawk demon, a companion to Uncle Hao since his childhood. It had been with him for decades, capable of human speech. They had shared meals and drinks, and even committed acts of violence together, as close as siblings. Uncle Hao had no children or siblings. Little Gray's death felt to him as if his own limbs had been severed.

"It wasn't you who struck the blow, so why apologize?" A fierce glint appeared in Uncle Hao's eyes. "Those two only needed information; why did they have to kill? Can you help me find out who delivered the fatal blow – the State Preceptor or the one named Nian?"

"Absolutely," He Lingchuan immediately urged him, "but don't act impulsively. Not just you, but no one in the entire Jin Province dares to stand against them."

"Little Gray saved my life at least twice," Uncle Hao stated resolutely. "Its death cannot be in vain!"

"If you seek revenge now, you'll only throw your own life away," He Lingchuan said, his eyes scanning. "The Coiling Dragon Desert is a perilous, man-eating abyss. Even if they return alive, their strength will surely be greatly diminished. Ideally, they won't return at all. Wait another ten days or so, and your chances of revenge will increase threefold, if not fivefold," he said, pressing Uncle Hao's shoulder with unusual sincerity. "As long as there's an opportunity, Father and I will certainly help you."

Their opponent was the State Preceptor, a living weapon of the state. To seek revenge now would be utterly reckless.

"By the way, does Father know about this?"

Uncle Hao shook his head. "I came to you first."

He Lingchuan removed the mutton-fat jade ring from his finger and then took out a pearl necklace, placing both into Uncle Hao's hand. "I'm giving you three days leave. I mean, please rest well these three days." He intended for Uncle Hao to mourn properly. "Don't drink too much. I'll call you if anything comes up."

The mutton-fat jade ring was adorned with a large ruby, a characteristic accessory for the wealthy, while each pearl on the necklace was the size of a sparrow's egg, uniformly sized, all priceless treasures. Uncle Hao accepted them, nodding after a moment of stunned silence, then turned and left. While the lives of loved ones are priceless, abundant wealth could, to some extent, soothe a wounded heart.

After Uncle Hao left, He Lingchuan slowly sat down on a stone bench in the garden. This was truly a case of trouble finding him while he was simply at home.

Little Gray, the hawk demon, went missing yesterday. This implied that Nian Songyu and State Preceptor Sun knew the He family possessed the clues they sought even before approaching the He household. Was their visit today merely a formality before resorting to force? Aside from the vast difference in status between the two parties, State Preceptor Sun arrived bearing a royal decree. How could He Chunhua dare to refuse?

Yet, to respectfully present the leopard corpse and dutifully supply cannon fodder for the two noblemen — He Lingchuan was utterly unwilling to do so. Those two had attacked the West Mountain leopard's nest, which led to him falling off a cliff, causing the original body to die and him, the imposter, to suffer twenty-odd days of pain from injuries. On the He family's own territory, those two had effortlessly killed the scouts sent by the He family. Furthermore, they expected He Chunhua to dispatch cannon fodder to assist them in entering the Coiling Dragon Desert and seizing the Grand Flask. If successful, their merits would be substantial, while Governor He's would be paltry. To suffer such losses in men and resources, only to receive a mere word of praise from the Emperor in the end.

But what right did He Lingchuan have to challenge them? It seemed he would have to swallow this bitter pill, no matter how much he disliked it. What humiliation!

He Lingchuan buried his face in his hands and sighed deeply. Suddenly, he saw something white drift down before his eyes. It was a feather. He wondered which bird had flown overhead. He Lingchuan picked up the feather, unconsciously twirling it a couple of times, when a thought suddenly struck him.

Wait, something's not right. He Chunhua only transferred Uncle Hao from another region to serve as his personal guard after He Lingchuan had recovered from his injuries. Therefore, Little Gray might not have known the details of his fall down the cliff. Furthermore, the He family did not permit demons to enter their premises, and hawk demons always perched on outdoor branches. He Lingchuan hadn't spent much time with Uncle Hao, who was a taciturn man. What Uncle Hao witnessed, Little Gray might not have known.

Therefore, from Nian and Sun's perspective, the information they extracted from Little Gray might have been very vague. At the very least, they didn't know the leopard corpse was at the He Mansion, nor were they certain if the clues they sought were even there. After all, the leopard demons that escaped the nest scattered in all directions; they had sent people to pursue them separately, so how could they be sure that the one that fled to Gourd Mountain was the true target? What if one of the other escaped sand leopards was the one carrying the Coiling Dragon Ruins token? Most importantly, they didn't know the sand leopard's relic was in Young Master He's possession!

With so many uncertainties, they couldn't simply move against the local power figures without caution. Therefore, the best approach was to compel with a royal decree and entice with benefits. If that was the case, what did the He family have to fear?

Having understood this, He Lingchuan stood up, brushed off his clothes, and decided to go to the magistrate's office to find his father. There was no need to scare himself.

***

He Chunhua was writing furiously. Upon hearing his eldest son's words, the pen in his hand paused.