Chapter 2: Finally Here

With just a glance, He Lingchuan didn't even need to speak; a golden jujube was brought to his lips. He stretched, sighing inwardly, "How comfortable."

For over a month, since taking over this body, his days in Blackwater City could only be described as pleasant, apart from the agony of waking up with multiple bloodied wounds.

Jinzhou is located in the far northwest corner of the Yuan Kingdom's territory, and Blackwater City is only ten li from the border, serving as the Yuan Kingdom's guardian of the national gate. While this sounds honorable in name, such a geographical location means Jinzhou is destined not to receive the monarch's loving gaze, especially since it has been peaceful with no wars in recent years.

However, the upside is also that it's far from the emperor's reach. The He family is essentially the local overlord on their own turf, and as the Governor's eldest son, He Lingchuan could get whatever he wanted in Blackwater City and even the entire Qiansong Commandery.

His standards for food, clothing, housing, and travel could be summarized in three words: the best. The delicacies on his table, the playthings in his hand, and his daily income didn't necessarily gather rare treasures from all directions, but many wealthy magnates from the interior might not even enjoy such luxuries.

The original He Lingchuan had grown up to sixteen in this carefree environment. How to put it? He Lingchuan's assessment of the original owner was that he had a bad temper and was somewhat arrogant by nature. This fellow was usually high-spirited, fond of hunting with falcons and hounds; otherwise, he wouldn't have encountered a major accident on Gourd Mountain. Although this body had now healed, the new owner had no intention of resuming the original owner's hobby.

For the past month or so, He Lingchuan often thought of the encounter on the cliff. The leopard demon that attacked him seemed to have been seriously injured before, so would the person who wounded it pursue it to Blackwater City? But as time passed, peace prevailed both inside and outside the city.

Beneath the surface of this pleasant life, there seemed to be undercurrents. This made him, a former hard-working employee who supposedly deserved "blessings," feel uneasy even as he savored the scent of privilege.

He Lingchuan sipped some warm wine. Suddenly feeling a bit stifled, he signaled Uncle Hao to open the window.

As soon as the window opened, a blast of cool air rushed in. People on the second floor shivered involuntarily. Papers from the tables in the adjacent private rooms were swept downstairs; two of them were small silver notes, immediately sparking a scramble among those below the stage. No one paid attention to the commotion downstairs. Liu Baobao tightened her collar.

He Lingchuan took a deep breath, chasing away his minor discomfort. Just as the play on the stage concluded, he led the applause, happily exclaiming, "Good! A reward!" With that, he casually unfastened the jade pendant from his waist and had someone take it down as a reward. With the leading patron setting the example, the atmosphere in the hall reached its peak, and the audience downstairs also generously opened their purses.

Outside the window was Blackwater City's main street. As the window opened, the bustling sounds drifted in with the wind. He Lingchuan glanced out, seeing the street market teeming with carriages and horses, a continuous flow of traffic. The main street, having been widened three times, could accommodate eight standard carriages abreast, but at this moment, there wasn't even a two-foot-square gap.

"It's this lively?"

Uncle Hao, standing beside He Lingchuan, replied, "It's already August. Merchants traveling back and forth need to pass through quickly before the Red Cliff trade route closes, to transport their last batch of goods before winter." This was the personal expert assigned by the He family head to his beloved son after the Gourd Mountain incident, to prevent him from suffering another accident.

He Lingchuan nodded.

Blackwater City, situated on the edge of the Coiled Dragon Desert, appears desolate, but it is a vital thoroughfare connecting to the western states and internally to the Yuan Kingdom, as it is a mandatory checkpoint on the famous Red Cliff Road. Desert trade has always been perilous; the weather is unpredictable, and bandits are frequent, with the Coiled Dragon Desert being preeminent among such dangers. Countless predecessors used their blood, sweat, and lives to discover a relatively safe passage through the Coiled Dragon Desert, known as the Red Cliff Trade Route.

However, the center of the Coiled Dragon Desert undergoes a significant change in September; at that time, even the Red Cliff Trade Route is no longer safe. Therefore, experienced merchants must calculate their days to pass through early, so they can still raise prices and make a hefty profit during the months the Red Cliff Trade Route is closed.

While elsewhere, the busiest time is the New Year, in Blackwater City, it is now. Wealthy merchants have all arrived; all trades are thriving. Cries from street vendors rise and fall, and there are no empty troughs at the post station. The taxes collected by Blackwater City in these two months must be substantial, right? He Lingchuan came back to his senses upon this thought, realizing he was actually worrying about his father's business, and found it amusing.

Just then, someone downstairs requested an audience with the He Mansion's Young Master. This was a messenger from a local gang named the Red-White Dao. After coming upstairs and bowing, he remained silent, only looking around nervously. He Lingchuan waved his hand; the servants immediately withdrew ten yards away. Liu Baobao was also very perceptive, finding an excuse to stroll into another private room. Only Uncle Hao remained standing in place.

"Speak, what is it?"

This fellow had been dispatched by his gang leader, saying that two travel-worn outsiders had just entered the Zhuzhi Tavern, wanting to inquire about something. In a transport hub like Blackwater City, travelers from north and south are as numerous as carp crossing a river. Naturally, the best places to inquire about news are the local taverns, teahouses, and brothels. So, these two outsiders weren't wrong in their approach. But they evidently didn't understand the unique local ecosystem. Organizations like the Red-White Dao, although they constantly claim "it's hard for brothers to make money," actually dominate one of the most lucrative local businesses: alcohol. Those two were unlucky; they happened to walk into a tavern frequented by Red-White Dao members.

"Investigating an injured sand leopard?" Hearing this, He Lingchuan felt a sharp pang in his heart. "And specifically near Blackwater City?" Trouble had finally arrived.

"Precisely." The gang member glanced at him, then quickly lowered his head. The young master's veins were bulging on his forehead, looking furious. "Both of them had foreign accents; the gang members said they sounded like people from Yuan East. The tavern keeper said sand leopards live in West Mountain, which is very far from here. They didn't argue, only asked anyone with clues to find them, promising a generous reward regardless of whether the target was alive or dead."