Chapter 225: Old Faces

It’s popular everywhere—in Xiluo, Balin, Xianyou, and any other place reachable by trade routes. A single snail shell like this can fetch at least one tael of silver in the market; if it’s transported back to Xiluo, I’ve heard it can easily sell for two taels.

He Lingchuan shone his fluorescent spores on the snail Liu Tong was holding. To his surprise, it was a bright yellow, the color of Shou Shan Tianhuang stone, yet with hints of green and purple, as if dyed in a wonderfully casual manner.

Despite its randomness, it possessed a spiritual beauty, as if every streak of color was a masterstroke.

“Candy snails are only found in the caves of Smoky Mountain. Panlong City guards the area, prohibiting unauthorized collection,” Liu Tong said with a smile. “Our contributions at Ghost Needle Stone Forest were significant, so this is a special reward.”

Sparks instantly lit up in Skinny’s eyes. “This treasure is too beautiful!” he exclaimed. “One tael of silver is a thousand big coins! Can we each take six?”

“Yes, but don’t think about smuggling more,” Liu Tong said sternly. “If caught, our team will be fined ten taels of silver and have our military merits deducted!”

He glared at Skinny, his voice turning severe. “Skinny, do you hear me!”

He worried about this guy the most.

Skinny waved his hands repeatedly. “Don’t worry, don’t worry, I never do anything out of line!”

Everyone then split up to search for snails in the caves.

A recent heavy snowfall had made the caves warm and humid. Lichens and mosses were even sprouting, creating a paradise for snails. Consequently, they were exceptionally active, crawling out from their hiding spots and wandering around.

In no time, they had collected enough.

They bumped fists, then opened their palms to reveal dozens of snails clustered together, their colors as brilliant as a rainbow after rain.

Gold, red, blue, indigo, purple, yellow… there was no color they couldn’t display, only colors one couldn’t imagine. Even the most skilled confectioners couldn’t create candies as vibrant as these.

“These are just too beautiful!” Willow exclaimed. “I’m not selling them; I’m keeping them!”

To make bracelets, pendants, hair ornaments, or hairpins—wouldn’t they outshine common goods like pearls and agates by a mile?

Upon hearing this, Plank scratched his head. “When we get out, I’ll give you mine too.”

Willow paused. “Oh, alright. I’ll buy them from you, but you have to give me the teammate discount.”

“It’s just something girls like; you can have them as a gift.”

Only then did Willow smile, truly blossoming like a flower.

Skinny and He Lingchuan exchanged glances and both sighed.

The journey back to the city was peaceful.

Soon, the prominent gates of Panlong City came into view.

This mighty stronghold always instilled the greatest confidence in soldiers, civilians, and travelers alike. However, as He Lingchuan approached, he noticed a continuous stream of people leaving the city, carrying their bedding, riding donkeys, and traveling by cart.

This didn’t look like a trade caravan; it seemed more like a migrating group.

Plank asked, puzzled, “What’s going on?”

Panlong City rarely opened its gates wide to let out so many people at once—except for the army.

Civilians always moved *into* the city with their families; rarely were they seen shoulder to shoulder moving *out*.

He Lingchuan glanced over and spotted familiar faces in the crowd:

Liu Sanjiu and his wife, along with their two children.

They were still leading their donkey, which was still laden with a large bundle of luggage, and their eyes held a hint of weariness.

Back when Weicheng fell, He Lingchuan had blended into the refugee exodus and first encountered Liu Sanjiu’s family. They worked at a distillery in a small town in Weicheng. He Lingchuan had chatted with them for half the journey until the Balin pursuers arrived.

He Lingchuan vividly remembered the battle before and after, and he certainly hadn’t forgotten these people.

As the patrol guards stood by the roadside, Liu Sanjiu spotted him. He gasped, then exclaimed in surprise, “You, it’s you…!”

He recognized the young man who had helped him during their escape, but try as he might, he couldn’t recall his surname. He stammered, then quickly said, “Are you alright? Are you going back with us?”

“Back?” He Lingchuan smiled. “Where to?”

“Weicheng, of course,” Liu Sanjiu said, looking embarrassed. “General Hong has recaptured Weicheng, and Administrator Sun is taking us home.”

He clearly remembered the circumstances of their escape, so seeing He Lingchuan again now made his emotions a little complicated.

He Lingchuan’s presence seemed to remind him how disgraced and humble he had been back then.

He Lingchuan looked at the long line of people. “These are all Weicheng residents?”

“Yes, yes,” Liu Sanjiu’s wife replied, beaming. “We never thought we’d live to return.”

Skinny watched them, then suddenly said, “If Brother He hadn’t sacrificed himself to blow up the spider demon’s lair in Ghost Needle Stone Forest, and if General Hong hadn’t personally infiltrated Weicheng to reclaim it, you’d all be stuck farming in Panlong City right now—though I don’t see anything wrong with that!”

The smiles on Liu Sanjiu and his wife’s faces froze slightly.

They weren’t privy to many details about the front lines; they only knew that reclaiming Weicheng was just one of General Hong’s numerous victories.

General Hong had won so many battles that the civilians had become numb to the good news.

Liu Sanjiu bowed deeply to He Lingchuan. “Thank you, Brother He!”

He Lingchuan waved his hand. “Why do you want to return to Weicheng? Isn’t Panlong City safer?”

“Panlong City is truly a wonderful place, and the Chipa Plateau behind it is like paradise,” Liu Sanjiu said, exchanging a glance with his wife. “It’s just that we’re not quite used to it. There’s no place like home.”

“Why are the Weicheng residents moving together?” Liu Tong wondered from a different perspective. “Was someone organizing them?”

“I heard Administrator Sun petitioned Commander Zhong for permission to return to the city, and Commander Zhong agreed,” Liu Sanjiu’s wife replied. “Administrator Sun then announced it in the city, asking Weicheng residents who planned to return to register at the magistrate’s office. Today, they gathered at the South Gate to depart, also with military escort.”

Indeed, Panlong City soldiers were patrolling near the group, suggesting that Zhong Shengguang was seeing his good deed through by escorting the Weicheng residents home.

Liu Sanjiu looked at He Lingchuan, whose military armor was very noticeable. “Brother He, did you join the army?”

He Lingchuan nodded.

“In Panlong City, you will surely distinguish yourself!” Liu Sanjiu said, cupping his hands. “Please be sure to stay safe.”

They waved goodbye to each other and went their separate ways.

Knowing they might never meet again, their smiles were especially sincere.

“Alright, cut the fake smile,” Willow said, rolling her eyes at He Lingchuan, unable to bear it. “You didn’t happen to save this family too, did you?”

“Well—” He had participated in Captain Xiao’s rearguard action, which bought more time for civilians to escape, so, “I suppose so.”

Willow scoffed. “He doesn’t even remember your surname.” Liu Sanjiu’s hesitant expression hadn’t escaped her notice.

“It doesn’t matter,” He Lingchuan said, turning his horse towards Panlong City.

After all, he was the kind of good person who asked for nothing in return.

After entering the city and bidding farewell to his teammates, He Lingchuan returned to his small house, where a pile of gifts awaited him outside his door.

He moved everything inside. His small courtyard was already half-occupied, and there was barely any room left for the water jar.

He casually heated some lukewarm water to wash off the grime from his journey.

A home, especially one where a fire could be lit in winter, was the best harbor for the human heart.

No sooner had he finished drying his hair than he heard a flapping sound outside. Something had fallen in the courtyard, accompanied by the mournful cries of a bird.

What happened?

He pushed open the door and stepped out. Black and white feathers were scattered everywhere in the small courtyard. The only piece of furniture, a wooden stool, was overturned, and a small puddle of blood stained the ground.

Perched on the wall was a bird of prey, brown-feathered with white spots. Beneath its talons lay a magpie, its head gone, its body still twitching.

The bird of prey was plucking feathers with its sharp, hooked beak. The feathers, along with drops of blood, drifted with the wind and fell into He Lingchuan’s courtyard.

Evidently, his courtyard had become a hunting ground.

He Lingchuan let out a whistle, subtly reminding the uninvited guest to mind its table manners and not cause too much trouble for its host.

Why did this bird look familiar?

The bird of prey saw him emerge but didn’t flee. Instead, it tilted its head, scrutinized him, and then suddenly spoke in human language: “So it’s you.”

As it spoke, He Lingchuan also let out an “Oh.” “So it’s you.”

Wasn’t this the sparrowhawk he had encountered in Ghost Needle Stone Forest? At the time, this monster had received orders from General Nanke to use a fire arrow bomb to destroy the spider’s nest, but Zhu Erniang’s enchanted spider silk was too tough. The task had then been handed over to Sun Jiayuan and He Lingchuan.

After that incident, they were considered comrades-in-arms, but He Lingchuan hadn’t seen the sparrowhawk since. He assumed it had gone to carry out other missions with the main army.

He Lingchuan pointed to the magpie under its talons. “Thanks. This thing was always chirping and disturbing my sleep.”

In winter, birds were largely absent from Panlong City, except for plump magpies that hopped around, frequently stealing food from residents’ homes. With spring not yet here, and the magpies already so fat, what else would a bird of prey hunt?

Since they had met again by chance, he righted the stool and placed a bowl of fresh water on it for the sparrowhawk.

The sparrowhawk flew down with its prey, landed on the stool, and drank several sips of water.

“Are you well?”

“I just returned from Ghost Needle Stone Forest with General Hong,” the sparrowhawk said, pecking at the meat and appearing very hungry. “The round trip took two days.”

He Lingchuan paused. “General Hong went to Ghost Needle Stone Forest?”

“Yes, he led his troops to attack Zhu Erniang,” the sparrowhawk replied. “General Hong said he needed to settle the score from last time.”

The Balin people had used a ploy, employing the cave spiders of Ghost Needle Stone Forest against Panlong City’s army. Zhu Erniang herself had taken action, and General Nanke’s forces had nearly suffered heavy losses.

Afterward, Panlong City certainly couldn’t tolerate that.

Furthermore, Ghost Needle Stone Forest was a crucial passage from Puxi Gully and other allied cities to the southeast, so Panlong City had an obligation to ensure the safety of its allies.

“How did it go?”

“This time, we went prepared, specifically targeting the cave spiders. We burned down seven or eight spider sub-nests alone, and more than half of Zhu Erniang’s disciples and descendants were killed. The main nest saw an even fiercer battle. Zhu Erniang, who constantly sets traps, fell into the General’s trap this time. More than half of her elite spider guards died, and she herself had two legs broken and her belly almost pierced. The General threatened to burn down her last remaining lair, forcing Zhu Erniang to sue for peace.”

“Hiss—” He Lingchuan had seen Zhu Erniang with his own eyes. A great ancient demon like her would surely have powerful hidden techniques, yet she was defeated so miserably by General Hong.

Truly worthy of being called a fierce military god.