Chapter 186: Sun Hongye

He Lingchuan lifted his top and saw that the wounds he had sustained from the werewolves last night were indeed healing and didn't hurt much. Even the gashes near his ribs, which had been almost bone-deep, had a thick scab forming on the surface.

"This is incredibly fast," He Lingchuan remarked. He turned and grabbed a handful of pear syrup candies, offering them to Lingguang. "With you here, I'm spared a lot of suffering."

Lingguang had intended to state that proper demon apes don't eat candy, but the pear syrup candy smelled too good. Its paw, extended to refuse, shifted from pushing away to accepting, and it quietly took the candy.

He Chunhua had gone to the palace in the early hours of the morning and hadn't returned yet.

Next, He Lingchuan washed his face and changed his clothes. He then haphazardly devoured a dozen large meat buns, accompanied by two large bowls of peanut soup with eggs, which left him about sixty percent full. Only then did he head out.

Assistant Liu was standing outside the door. He had changed his clothes, but with two large dark circles under his eyes, it was clear he hadn't slept the rest of the night.

As soon as he saw He Lingchuan, he bowed deeply and remained in that position for a long time.

"Why are you suddenly so polite?" He Lingchuan asked in surprise.

"Young Master He, you saved my worthless life last night! I'm eternally grateful!" he exclaimed. In the midst of the crisis, He Lingchuan had offered him the horse first. Assistant Liu, in his forties, had never been treated with such consideration by a noble. Even servants of powerful families, though they addressed him as "Assistant," didn't bother to hide their contempt.

"If it's a worthless life, then it's not worth much, so there's no need for thanks," He Lingchuan replied.

He Lingchuan chuckled. "Alright, stop being so sentimental and just do your job well."

Before yesterday, Assistant Liu's deference had been for the money; after yesterday, it was from the bottom of his heart. He looked left and right, ensuring the ape was not present, before lowering his voice. "Young Master He, you just hired Lingguang as an alchemist yesterday morning, and last night you almost met a violent end! Do you think this ape brings great misfortune?"

He Lingchuan was startled. Had Assistant Liu not mentioned it, he would have forgotten about it entirely.

"It took some time for it to harm its previous masters," Assistant Liu said, growing more fearful the more he thought about it, as he too had nearly become a victim yesterday. "But with you, it brought harm in less than half a day!"

"Alright, stop making wild guesses," He Lingchuan said. "Haven't you heard that after extreme misfortune comes great prosperity?" He Lingchuan recalled Lingguang's anxious gaze from last night and this morning; it indeed seemed uneasy. "It's just a few more scars, but I gained a giant wolf companion from the North Star Tundra. Why do I feel like my luck is actually pretty good?"

He climbed into the carriage and said to the distressed Assistant Liu, "Those who ambushed us last night are now like stray dogs, being hunted with nowhere to hide. What do you have to be afraid of?"

He knew clearly that Dong Rui probably wouldn't be captured so easily. However, with one demon puppet lost and two others injured, and being hunted throughout the city, the puppet master wouldn't have time to settle scores with the He family for now.

Once they arrived in Xiazhou, the He family would be even less afraid of him on their home ground.

At this moment, in the north, General Nian Zanli was waiting to settle the blood feud for the murder of his son with him. All these old matters happened before the ape pledged allegiance. If one were to speak of a bringer of misfortune, He Lingchuan himself was probably the biggest one.

Assistant Liu thought about it and agreed. Besides, he was such an insignificant person; who would specifically go out of their way to trouble him?

"So, where to now?"

"Take me to Jinghe Hall at the foot of Mount Bijia," He Lingchuan said, leaning back in the soft seat and yawning. "I need to visit the injured."

The carriage rumbled away. He Lingchuan pulled open the curtains, once again marveling that Shihuan's prosperity and vitality were far beyond what Blackwater City could offer. North Boulevard was bustling with people; Shihuan City's most crucial businesses were all at the northern docks, where goods from north and south had to be loaded and unloaded.

The Great Kite Empire gathered the strength of the entire nation to support its prosperous capital and secondary capital.

But He Lingchuan was heading south, in the opposite direction. After a few turns, the road became progressively narrower and rougher. Aside from fewer people, the buildings looked less grand; their layouts and sizes were much smaller, and they began to crowd together.

He Lingchuan was reminded of his small house in the Coiling Dragon dream realm.

It seemed that bungalows everywhere were much the same.

Soon, the carriage passed a tavern. Its facade was no longer grand, and on its swaying sign were two large, bold ink characters: "Xiangchuan."

Maotao seemed to have mentioned that he and his brothers from the reserve army had drunk at this Xiangchuan Tavern yesterday. It was cheap, served in large bowls, and wasn't watered down. The pig's head meat served with the drinks was also cleanly de-haired.

After another hundred-plus zhang, the road ahead suddenly became crowded, and the carriage could barely move.

He Lingchuan leaned out and saw that the crowd had surrounded a bungalow three deep, all crammed at the doorway, chattering excitedly.

People were being carried out of the house, covered with white cloth.

They were two deceased individuals.

The cloth wasn't covering them completely. A gust of wind blew, lifting a corner, and revealing a woman's face.

She was probably twenty-four or twenty-five, neither fat nor ugly, with a very deep gash on her neck.

A fatal throat-cutting; that cut was very clean. He Lingchuan judged the weapon to be a short knife or dagger, meaning the killer likely stood behind her, covering her mouth with one hand while using the other to strike, thus not attracting the neighbors' attention.

The house door was open, and he glanced inside. Grass grew through cracks in the floor, many miscellaneous items were piled in the corners, and a square table had a broken leg, propped up with half a tattered book.

This family was very poor; so poor that even after the deceased were carried out, the living onlookers would only be able to pilfer a few chipped porcelain plates and earthenware bowls if they went inside.

He Lingchuan also noticed a few elderly women secretly spitting at the base of the wall.

Assistant Liu also leaned over to look, and asked in surprise, "Isn't this the Yao Second Sister's house? There were only two people in this family, and both have been carried out." He clicked his tongue. "I heard the authorities began searching for fugitives in the early hours, and many civilians were injured."

He Lingchuan pointed to the crowd. "How come I hear people pointing and whispering, 'Sure enough, these two were bound to get into trouble sooner or later'?"

"That's because of their line of work," Assistant Liu explained. "Yao Second Sister's husband went to fight on the front lines and came back with a severed hand and a changed disposition. He was illiterate and couldn't do strenuous labor. After squandering the small amount of severance pay, he made his wife engage in flesh trade, conducting business right in their own home."

He Lingchuan understood. "So, they were in the clandestine business."

"When they engaged in this, they were unwilling to pay external fees, which always offended people," Assistant Liu continued. "Yao Second Sister's husband also frequently argued with customers, and the neighbors heard it many times."

He Lingchuan listened and said nothing more. It was none of his business.

It was none of anyone's business.

Two insignificant commoners, two lives as worthless as wild dogs. Even if they died strangely and violently, it wouldn't cause much of a stir. In seven or eight days, people would forget about it completely.

Since the emperor stopped hunting at Lumian Garden, houses and markets at the foot of Mount Bijia had become increasingly numerous.

With more people, medical halls and pharmacies followed.

Jinghe Hall was a chain medical hall opened by the Fu family. Although this branch at the foot of Mount Bijia had a renowned physician consulting in the front hall this month, patients were constantly streaming in.

The back hall was divided into a pharmacy and wards. Patients with severe illnesses or injuries could recuperate here, making it convenient for doctors to provide immediate treatment.

Assistant Liu asked two people, then led He Lingchuan to their target—

The commoner boy who had been rushed here for treatment by Ke Jihai's subordinates last night.

The boy was already awake. His glabella was no longer dark, and his complexion was even paler, making him look weak and lethargic.

He was sitting on the bed, wrapped in a blanket, and eating breakfast.

A thin, watery pot of millet porridge, a small dish of pickled cucumber skins, and half a steamed bun.

The bun must have been very hard; the boy gnawed at it twice but couldn't break off a piece.

The ward was large and had many patients, but there was only a brazier in the corner, clearly not providing enough warmth.

He also recognized He Lingchuan. He put down his bun and didn't attempt to get out of bed, simply cupping his fists and saying, "Young Master He!"

"Just keep eating. How are your injuries?" He Lingchuan asked. He Lingchuan thought this person was interesting; everyone else called him "Young Master," but the boy addressed him formally as "Young Sir."

The boy picked up the pot, slurping his porridge. "The doctor says I won't die."

"My mother is grateful for your protection and specifically asked me to visit you," He Lingchuan said, taking out a sandalwood box and opening it in front of the boy. "A small token, not enough to convey our gratitude."

Inside the box lay two night-luminescent pearls, neatly arranged and the size of lychees, perfectly round. There were also two pieces of fine mutton-fat white jade, which looked like fatty meat, glowing white and smooth.

Anything Lady Ying used to reward a life-saving kindness would not be shabby. These four treasures could sell for at least two hundred taels of silver.

Even in Shihuan City, this amount of money was enough for a family of four to live comfortably for several years.

"It was just a small effort; I, Sun, am ashamed to accept," the boy said. He hadn't expected such a valuable gift from the He family and couldn't hide his surprise for a moment. "Is Lady Ying well?"

"She... was a bit frightened and is still resting today."

"How did things end last night?"

The boy had been hit by a poisoned arrow last night and had fainted early, so he hadn't seen the end of it.

At this point, Assistant Liu stepped forward, placed the entire basket of fruit on the table, and lifted the lid. He then left the medical hall to attend to other matters He Lingchuan had assigned him.

The basket contained two large bags of strawberries and one bag of large red dates.

In winter, fruit was more expensive than meat.

"Last night, well, it's a bit complicated to explain," He Lingchuan said, stroking his chin. "In short, both the werewolves and the ghost ape were subdued, but the ghost ape was later rescued by its master, and we haven't found it yet."

"Were there any casualties?"

"The injuries were on me and General Ke," He Lingchuan replied. "A coachman was shot in the left eye and was beyond help by the time he arrived here. You were luckier than him. My father has already sent a substantial compensation to his family."

He truly was fortunate to be alive. The boy let out a long sigh. He Lingchuan noticed a hint of melancholy in his expression.

Next, the boy introduced himself. His surname was Sun, and his given name Hongye. He had once been a study companion to the third son of the He family from Fangtai, but had left the He family a few months ago and was now a bookkeeper at a rice shop.

"The He family from Fangtai?" He Lingchuan mused. "Why does that sound familiar?"

"It's the family of He Liwen, the current Censor-in-Chief," Sun Hongye explained. "You already met the He family's second son yesterday."

"Oh!" He Lingchuan remembered. "He Su?"

Sun Hongye nodded.

"Then why did you go into Lumian Garden to find General Ke?"

"I..." The boy pressed his lips into a thin line. His face flushed with a hint of shyness, and he hesitated for a long while. "I offered my services to General Ke."

He Lingchuan became even more curious. "What position were you seeking?"

"Advisor, strategist!" Sun Hongye declared. Since he had spoken, he decided to speak freely. "Rather than languishing idly in Shihuan, waiting to be slaughtered, it's better to serve a capable lord and build a career!"