Chapter 191: Hunting the Bear

Sun Hongye remained silent.

He Lingchuan spoke again:

"Three days have passed. I don't think General Ke will send anyone to look for you now."

Over two days had passed since Sun Hongye was injured at the foot of Lumingyuan mountain, and Ke Jihai had not sent anyone to check on him. It was clear that Grand General Ke did not care about this mere commoner.

He Lingchuan didn't mind being his second choice. "Looking at the domestic situation, if a man wants to make a name for himself, he must go either west or north."

Sun Hongye scrutinized He Lingchuan. "Young Master, you are not like the legends say."

"Legends are just hearsay; you're foolish if you believe them." He Lingchuan stood up. "One question: Are you in or out?"

"I'm in!" Sun Hongye was decisive this time. He bowed deeply to He Lingchuan. "Greetings, my lord! From this day forward, I, Sun, pledge to follow you and serve as your loyal subordinate."

"Excellent, excellent!" He Lingchuan was overjoyed and helped him up. "I finally have my first strategist!"

Assistant Liu, standing behind him, handed Sun Hongye a pre-prepared package. He Lingchuan waved his hand, "Time waits for no one. Go change quickly."

Sun Hongye entered the room, opened the package, and found three sets of brand new clothes, a pair of sturdy boots, and several ingots of gold and silver totaling fifty taels. This patron was truly generous; money had arrived even before he'd done any work.

When Sun Hongye emerged in his new clothes and boots, He Lingchuan clapped his hands. "Clothes really do make the man. Come, put on this cloak and take a walk around the street. I guarantee you'll attract a few young ladies eager to follow you to Xiazhou."

The cloak was silk-embroidered on the outside and lined with soft gray squirrel fur on the inside, clearly not cheap. Sun Hongye understood that He Lingchuan was spending heavily to show respect, so he accepted it gracefully and boarded the carriage with him.

Upon returning to the inn, He Lingchuan learned that He Chunhua had unexpected guests. It was Zhu Xiyan and his granddaughter, Zhu Xiuer, who had come to bid them farewell.

While Zhu Xiyan chatted freely with He Chunhua and his wife, Zhu Xiuer approached He Lingchuan and handed him a protective charm. "I embroidered this myself," she said. "It contains royal-bestowed Dilong incense, which is colorless and odorless. But if you wear it, mosquitoes and venomous snakes won't dare come near. Its effect lasts for sixteen or seventeen months. I've made one for each of you brothers. May you be safe and have a smooth journey."

"This is great! Now I won't have to worry about mosquito bites when I'm out in the mountains or forests." He Lingchuan took it with a smile, immediately fastened it to his waist, and praised her excellent craftsmanship.

Only in his presence did Zhu Xiuer smile so openly and unguardedly.

He Lingchuan glanced at Zhu Xiyan, who was not far away. "How have you been at the Zhu family's these past few days?"

"Having been away from home for so long, it was bound to stir up some trouble," Zhu Xiuer said, reaching up to smooth her hair. "But my grandfather cherishes me more than ever now. With him around, I'll be safe."

"In a few days, Grandfather even wants to find a suitable match for me."

He Lingchuan observed her closely. Zhu Xiuer looked radiant, finally showing the vibrancy and cheerfulness expected of a woman in her early twenties. The past events at Xianling Lake seemed to have been buried by her, along with time itself.

She told He Lingchuan earnestly, "The He family has given me a new life, but you, personally, saved my life. If I can ever be of help in the future, you must give me the opportunity!"

He Lingchuan nodded.

At that moment, He Chunhua strolled over, greeted Zhu Xiuer with a smile, and then lowered his voice. "Someone from the Zhu family has been inquiring about your past, wanting to know what truly happened after you were secretly abducted. They even made inquiries within my own entourage."

Zhu Xiuer's smile remained unchanged. "Lord He, you wouldn't happen to know who that person is, would you?"

He Chunhua quietly spoke a name.

"As I expected," Zhu Xiuer chuckled softly. "I've also found a small clue: the human traffickers who kidnapped me back then didn't just pick their targets at random." A cold glint flickered deep within her beautiful eyes. Seven or eight years of prolonged torment either turn a person into a sheep or a wolf.

He Chunhua nodded. "We must go. You must be careful."

Zhu Xiuer bowed to him. "Thank you, Lord He! I will be careful."

He Lingchuan thought to himself, it wouldn't be Zhu Xiuer who needed to be careful anymore.

With old stories shared and gifts exchanged, Zhu Xiuer bade farewell to the He family, then helped Zhu Xiyan into their carriage. She smiled and waved to the He brothers, lowered the curtain, and the carriage slowly began to move.

He Chunhua turned to his wife and son. "We should also get going."

Luggage was already packed, and the carriages were ready. As Lady Ying and He Yue went to board their carriage, He Chunhua finally asked He Lingchuan, "Is the young man you brought into the inn perhaps that companion from the He family?"

He Lingchuan grinned. "I saw his talent, and I want to study more, so he's my study companion now."

He Chunhua was startled. "He's coming with us?"

"Yes, his salary will be deducted from my allowance." It was just hiring someone, after all. He was confident He Chunhua wouldn't object. A young master of his standing usually had at least seven or eight attendants to show his status.

"You've already hired a monkey." Adding another person would be quite an expense.

"All my attendants stayed in Heishui City, and I have no one to use," He Lingchuan said shamelessly. "So, could you perhaps go to Mother and help me secure a bit more monthly allowance? Considering I almost died the night before last and am still injured?"

He Chunhua's face twitched. If it hadn't been for his eldest son, how could the whole family have survived Dong Rui's ambush? If it hadn't been for his eldest son, how could he have had the opportunity to meet the Emperor during his trip to Shihuan? Thinking about it, this son had indeed changed a lot since the Sun Fuping incident. Now, not only was he diligently practicing martial arts, but he even wanted to study hard and make a name for himself. He stared intently at He Lingchuan, his gaze complex. Only when He Lingchuan started to feel uneasy under his scrutiny did he slowly say:

"Alright then."

He Lingchuan quickly changed the subject. "By the way, how effective was the recruitment decree?"

"Quite good. In just three days, over 360 people came for interviews, showing that frustrated individuals are as numerous as fish in a river." He and Mozhe Jingxuan, among others, barely had time to eat or change. "After evaluation, I kept nineteen people. They will accompany the auxiliary army north and serve as prefectural officials, assisting me in managing military and political affairs."

"Nineteen people, that many!" He Lingchuan was slightly surprised. "I thought Father had very high standards."

"It's easier to weed them out when there are more people," He Chunhua said, patting his son's shoulder. "For now, we can only listen to what they say; only when they're in office can we observe their governance and actions." Hiring people now is merely theoretical; only when they begin practical work in the prefecture will we know who is truly talented and who is useless.

"Although we're not sticking to rigid criteria, I've also sent people to inquire about the backgrounds of these nineteen individuals," He Chunhua said with a smile. "By the time we reach Dunyu, that information will also arrive quickly."

Gentle breeze, warm sun, golden fields.

The autumn tiger on the Chipa Plateau had gone, and cool breezes refreshed the fields. It was harvest season, yet there wasn't a single soul in the vast sorghum field, only tall stalks swaying in the wind. Soon, rustling sounds came from the field, and the sorghum stalks began to shake violently, moving closer from a distance.

A figure burst out, seemingly not touching the ground, though in reality, his frantic steps kicked up large clumps of mud. He had to be fast, because with a whoosh, a massive figure also burst out of the sorghum field. It was in hot pursuit right behind him.

This was a colossal brown bear, at least twice the size of its peers. If it stood on its hind legs, it would be over fifteen feet tall, and a single paw was the size of a millstone. It was originally sleek and glossy, and when it ran, it shook the ground, its fur rippling, indicating its bulk. However, now the bear had two feathered arrows and a long spear lodged in its back and hindquarters, with several javelins stuck in its shoulder. Blood flowed down its fur and onto the ground. The pain, however, only intensified its ferocity, making it relentlessly pursue the human ahead of it.

Although bears don't like long-distance running, their short bursts of speed are faster than a horse's. Especially a bear of this enormous size, each stride covered at least four or five human steps. The unfortunate skinny man running ahead was as swift as an antelope and incredibly agile, narrowly escaping the bear's clutches several times. It was fortunate he knew how to maneuver and dodge; if he had run in a straight line, the bear would have caught him long ago. Even so, he was in constant peril. As the giant bear closed in behind him, it reached out with a paw, intending to use its five-inch-long gray claws to disembowel him. If it missed, it would pull its paw back, and a strong gust of wind would inexplicably appear in front of the thin man, pulling him back. This brown bear actually had the ability to summon wind.

The thin man dodged another deadly swipe, shouting, "Help me! I can't hold on!"

As soon as he spoke, two feathered arrows shot out from the forest with a whoosh, one hitting the bear's waist and the other its ribs. The giant bear roared in pain but was single-mindedly fixated on the person in front of it. It lunged forward fiercely, its front paw sweeping horizontally, and finally connected with the thin man! He was sent flying like a ball, stopping only when he violently crashed into a large tree. At the same time, a yellow light flashed on him, and a protective charm at his waist shattered.

Dazed from the impact, he heard his companions shout "Look out!" In his blurry vision, he saw the giant bear pouncing on him. He could almost smell the foul breath emanating from its throat! There was no time to run further. Without hesitation, the thin man flipped over and began climbing the tree. The giant bear missed its target, driven mad with rage, and awkwardly clambered up the tree after him, green-tinged yellow foam dripping from its mouth.

The tree was tall, its main trunk so thick that five or six people could barely embrace it, and its branches were numerous and winding. The giant bear couldn't avoid the branches, so it simply charged upwards with its head held high, breaking whatever got in its way. In this situation, the slender thin man naturally climbed faster. Someone below seemed to be shouting, "Don't go any higher!" The thin man wasn't about to listen, with a gaping maw just five feet below him in hot pursuit. He had just muttered to himself when his hand suddenly felt lighter, and with a crack—the branch he was using for leverage broke.

"Oh no!"

The thin man was in freefall, grabbing two branches to try and slow his descent, but both snapped. "This is it." He thought to himself, "My life is over." The giant bear directly below immediately opened its mouth wide, waiting for this ready-made meal to drop in. But at that very moment, a long blade flew from diagonally below and, with a thud, sliced into the giant bear's jowl.