Chapter 248: He Da Shao Is Not a Decent Person

“You haven't known for years, and you've always been doing just fine, haven't you?”

The problem is, now he knew. Village Chief Liang was beside himself with grief; he also felt as if a pair of malicious eyes were fixed on him from outside.

It was only noon; what would it be like at night?

“Offer more sacrifices when you can. And since the child died in the water, he will only be able to appear from the water in the future. Keep your distance from water when you're idle.” He Lingchuan was no expert in this field. “You can ask Elder Liang when he returns.”

Village Chief Liang's spirits immediately lifted. That's right, there was a master overseeing the village now!

He Lingchuan paid him no mind. He went out, called Rock Wolf, Shan Youjun, and others, and prepared to mount his horse.

Just then, several fine horses galloped into the village from outside. The riders had a bearing distinct from ordinary folk, especially the leader, a man in his early forties with a tall hat and narrow eyes, whose features bore a slight resemblance to Village Chief Liang's.

As they entered the village, nearby villagers gathered around, greeting them with smiles; some immediately knelt in worship, calling out, “Oh, Immortal of the Land!”

Such treatment was a stark contrast to how He Lingchuan and his group were received.

Who had arrived? It was obvious.

He Lingchuan immediately thought of the guest from the Commandant's Residence, Elder Liang, the visitor from Cloud-Piercing Pavilion who had enjoyed a lavish meal—no, a grand feast—at his father's expense that noon.

Village Chief Liang's spirits also lifted at their sight; he quickly stepped forward to greet them, exclaiming, “Fourth brother, you're back!”

Elder Liang offered him a slight smile, then turned his gaze to He Lingchuan and his group, their eyes meeting.

Village Chief Liang then introduced the two parties.

He Lingchuan, with a broad smile, said, “I've heard much about you. Elder Liang, did you enjoy your conversation with Commandant He this afternoon?”

In fact, while He Chunhua was keeping Elder Liang occupied, he had rushed here to coerce Village Chief Liang, only to be caught in the act by Elder Liang, which was, admittedly, a touch awkward.

But He Lingchuan was no ordinary man; not a hint of it showed on his face.

Elder Liang nodded, a smile on his face.

He Lingchuan waited a few moments, but Elder Liang remained silent.

Huh? My father didn't mention that the esteemed guest from Cloud-Piercing Pavilion was mute.

A disciple behind Elder Liang stepped forward and stated solemnly, “Forgive me, my master is practicing the Silent Art and rarely speaks. I shall convey his words on his behalf.”

He Lingchuan let out a long “Oh,” showing no ill will. “If you can't speak, then don't; it's quite alright. I've finished my business here. You two can catch up on your brotherly bond, and I'll be on my way.” With that, he smiled at everyone, then, with his subordinates, mounted his horse and galloped out of the village.

Once their figures were out of sight, Elder Liang extended his hands and made a sweeping gesture, a sign everyone understood. The onlookers quickly dispersed, not daring to linger and disturb them.

They treated Elder Liang with far more reverence than Village Chief Liang. Everyone knew that Shuangyu Village's prosperity largely depended on this Daoist elder before them.

Once inside the house, Elder Liang made several gestures to his elder brother.

He had been practicing the Silent Art for twenty years, but he rarely returned home. Thus, Village Chief Liang was unfamiliar with sign language and could only look to the disciple for help.

As was customary, the disciple served as interpreter and explained:

“Master asks if the officials sent these individuals to handle that affair?”

Village Chief Liang's smile faltered slightly, and he sighed. “Yes, they did, but please don't be angry. What they said made a great deal of sense, so I... I...”

He stammered for a moment, seeing his fourth brother's piercing gaze, and had no choice but to continue: “I stamped the document.”

Elder Liang gestured a few more times, and the disciple translated, “This is a village matter; you make the decision.”

He hadn't returned in years, nor did he receive any tribute from here. What connection did village affairs have to him? If it weren't for the village elders leveraging his influence and his brother imploring him to intercede with the new commandant, he would not have wanted to get involved in such troubled waters.

“Very good, very good.” Village Chief Liang assented repeatedly, then, with a beaming smile, added, “Then I'll go find the village elders now.”

He had already decided that he would tell them the compromise with the officials was also at Elder Liang's instruction, so the other village elders would naturally have nothing to say. Even if they harbored objections, they wouldn't dare voice them directly to Elder Liang.

Elder Liang shook his head as he watched his brother's retreating back. He knew perfectly well what his brother was thinking.

“The newly appointed provincial official, who clearly agreed to your terms so readily at the banquet, has secretly sent people into the village.” The disciple seemed to feel a sense of injustice.

Elder Liang made several gestures.

“'On the contrary... respect?' Why isn't Master angry? 'This disciple does not understand.'”

Elder Liang simply smiled and offered no further explanation.

Meanwhile, He Lingchuan and his group proceeded two or three hundred paces along the mountain road when Steward Zhou couldn't help but say to He Lingchuan, “Young Master He, that Elder Liang, the one from earlier, probably already knows.”

He Lingchuan noted Steward Zhou's fawning smile from earlier. “You and I are on official duty,” he said. “He's merely a commoner here. What's there to be afraid of?”

That was the logic, but reality was another matter. Steward Zhou had gradually come to understand the young master's temperament and did not argue further. Instead, he turned to the doubt in his mind: “That water ghost in Shuangyu Village, was it truly killed by the village chief?”

“What water ghost?”

“Didn't you just say...”

He Lingchuan cracked his whip. “I was just tricking him; you actually believed it?”

“...” Steward Zhou had.

“When Village Chief Liang and his third daughter-in-law were engaging in illicit activity by the river, there was more than one witness in the small grove,” He Lingchuan continued slowly. “He drowned the child in yellow by pushing him into the water, believing that killing the eyewitness would eliminate all future troubles. But he didn't expect that the child's companion was hidden in the tall grass just a few yards away, too terrified to move. The companion not only witnessed Village Chief Liang's illicit affair but also the entire criminal act.”

“Once Village Chief Liang left, the companion ran home and recounted everything to his parents in detail.” He Lingchuan paused. “The parents, fearing the village chief's power, naturally told him to keep silent, so not many people knew about this matter.”

Steward Zhou suddenly understood. “So that's what happened! But then, how did you come to know this?”

“The parents of this young witness were among the seven households who sold their land to the Assistant Agricultural Officer. Since they were leaving anyway and the buyer of the land was the government, they simply wrote down this testimony and tucked it into the land deed during the transaction.” He Lingchuan chuckled. “They had held onto this for many years and finally had to get it off their chest.”

It seemed the villagers privately held quite a few grievances against the village chief.

The Assistant Agricultural Officer saw this statement and submitted it to He Chunhua. After He Chunhua read it, he formulated a plan and then dispatched He Lingchuan to handle the matter.

Steward Zhou chuckled, “Then Village Chief Liang won't even dare to take a bath easily from now on.” For Village Chief Liang, wherever there was water, there could be a water ghost.

“Then it remains to be seen if Elder Liang is powerful enough to exorcise the village chief's inner demon.” Young Master He had originally intended to gather more evidence. With so many eyes in the village, Village Chief Liang's illicit affair could not have remained completely secret. However, Elder Liang had gone directly to the provincial capital that day to seek favor for Shuangyu Village, and He Chunhua had ordered his eldest son to promptly resolve the matter, forcing He Lingchuan to arrive earlier than planned.

Upon arriving at the outskirts of Xinxiang, Steward Zhou, clutching those precious land deeds, bid farewell to He Lingchuan.

Young Master He's way of doing things truly was...

...unconventional.

He Lingchuan returned to Dunyu as the sun began to set in the west.

As soon as he stepped through the door, Old Mo led him to the reception hall. A new guest had arrived, and even He Chunhua and his wife were personally accompanying them—

The Lord of Songyang Prefecture, Li Qingge.

A small pile of fruit rinds on the table indicated that Marquis Songyang had been there for some time.

He Lingchuan was momentarily startled upon seeing her, then immediately pointed at He Chunhua. “Marquis Songyang, please don't blame me; Commandant He temporarily dispatched me on a mission!”

Li Qingge had already arranged with him to visit today to view the Broken Blade. This appointment had actually been postponed twice already, as Li Qingge had been incredibly busy.

Consequently, He Chunhua assigned an urgent mission to his eldest son. He Lingchuan, along with his subordinates, promptly left, completely forgetting to inform Li Qingge that their appointment for today had been postponed.

Marquis Songyang arrived as arranged, only to find no one. She then spent half the day conversing with He Chunhua, who had returned to the residence.

As for why Madam Ying was also present, He Lingchuan could guess instinctively.

He Chunhua chuckled, scolding, “You truly are my good son! You were quick to push your old man forward to take the blame.”

Li Qingge smiled, showing not a hint of impatience. “It's quite alright, Young Master He's official duties are important. The Commandant and I have also settled several matters of exchange.”

He Chunhua explained, “Xiazhou Prefecture will hire seven disciples from Songyang Prefecture to serve in the residence and the military.”

Li Qingge nodded. “We can't let Cloud-Piercing Pavilion get ahead of us.”

He Chunhua then asked his eldest son, “How did the Shuangyu Village matter proceed?”

“It's settled. The village seal has been stamped on the land deeds, and Steward Zhou has happily returned.” He Lingchuan smiled. “Just as I left the village entrance, I encountered a man wearing a tall hat and with an upward gaze. Could that have been Elder Liang?”

“After I had lunch with Elder Liang, he returned to Shuangyu Village.” He Chunhua took a sip of tea. “He came this time representing Cloud-Piercing Pavilion for a courtesy visit and, incidentally, to recommend a dozen excellent disciples to me.”

Understood, a courtesy call to establish connections.

Then why send someone who can't speak?

But Cloud-Piercing Pavilion is renowned in the north, and as He Chunhua was a newly appointed official, he had to show Elder Liang some deference. In He Lingchuan's view, the relationship between the Daoist sects and the government was somewhat akin to that between universities and the government. Most of the talented individuals trained by Daoist sects aspired to official careers.

Both parties had needs, so He Chunhua was exceedingly polite and courteous to both Elder Liang and Marquis Songyang.

He Lingchuan glanced at Li Qingge. She was so young that people often forgot she was the head of a sect, on equal footing with the Grandmaster of Cloud-Piercing Pavilion.

“Oh, and after Sun Fuping's execution, the position of National Preceptor became vacant,” Li Qingge added. “I've heard news from the capital that a list of three candidates has been released. I hope this time, His Majesty can choose a worthy National Preceptor.”

He Chunhua's gaze subtly shifted. “Your Grace is remarkably well-informed. Among the candidates, whom do you favor most?”

“All three are exceptional individuals with extensive connections.” Li Qingge mused, “Relatively speaking, I favor Fan Ke and Yan Lixin more. The final National Preceptor will likely be chosen from among them.”

“Our country originally had three National Preceptors, so even with Sun Fuping gone, two remain.” He Chunhua chuckled. “The capital's environment is a hundred times more complex than Dunyu. To ultimately ascend to the position of National Preceptor, both power and influence are indispensable.”