Chapter 441: Double Win

Though over twenty li from the checkpoint, this inn was a popular stop for many traveling merchants, making it a very lively place.

After crossing the border, Uncle Da and a group of guards bid farewell to Fu Shanyue and hurried to the capital of Chiyan Kingdom to report everything that had happened during their journey to the King.

Two hours later, a team of over ten people slowly entered the town.

He Lingchuan, who had been eagerly awaiting their arrival, stepped out to greet them. "You've worked hard, Marquis!" he called out.

The leading rider was dressed in men's clothing, wearing a tall hat and an azure robe, her face veiled to protect against dust. Yet, the veil could not conceal the beautiful, sparkling eyes that shimmered like water.

She dismounted, then carefully lifted down a little girl. Only then did she remove her veil, smiling at He Lingchuan. "I was busy getting through the checkpoint, while you two are here relaxing! Tell me, how will you thank me?"

With picturesque features and extraordinary beauty, it was indeed Li Qingge, the Prefect of Songyang!

The little girl she was carrying was Taozi.

The little girl had woken up after they crossed the checkpoint.

Fu Shanyue also came out, and Taozi immediately ran to him, exclaiming, "Young Master! Young Master!"

"You're awake?" he said, noticing Taozi's unsteady steps. He then nodded to Li Qingge. "Thank you."

Li Qingge smiled. "It was no trouble at all."

He Lingchuan immediately declared, "I'll cover the excellent food and wine for your dozen people..." He then patted Fu Shanyue's shoulder. "...He and I will take care of it."

Fu Shanyue immediately rolled his eyes. Fortunately, Uncle Da had given him some travel expenses before leaving, or he would be hard-pressed for funds at this moment.

The group re-entered the inn and found a quiet private room on the second floor, where they ordered a banquet. Li Qingge's subordinates remained downstairs for the time being.

All three toasted Li Qingge in gratitude. She wasn't one to stand on ceremony, draining three cups with her head tilted back before turning her empty cup upside down towards them. "Satisfied now?" she quipped.

He Lingchuan had encountered her yesterday in Dagong Town, and was both surprised and delighted.

Since Li Qingge was also heading north to Lingxu City, she immediately agreed to his request.

Therefore, when they passed the checkpoint, Taozi was not in their carriage at all. Li Qingge, being cautious, had hidden her beforehand in the Mustard Seed Courtyard, fearing the slave mark on Taozi's hand would be discovered by checkpoint security.

He Lingchuan had seen this Mustard Seed Courtyard once before on his way to Dunyu. It was a small model set that, when placed on the ground, could transform into a real courtyard, complete with ancient pines and fresh flowers – an excellent and essential item for home and travel.

If ancient pines could grow within it, Taozi could certainly be accommodated there for a short time.

Li Qingge effortlessly brought her through the checkpoint.

This marked Taozi's emancipation from her slave status, freeing her from the shackles of a tragic fate.

Sometimes, what appears to be an insurmountable chasm to one person is merely a small ditch that others can easily step over.

This, of course, was a tremendous help to Fu Shanyue.

Being a clever man, he immediately presented an IOU in the form of a jade pendant. "I owe you a favor," he said. "It can be repaid anytime. Just bring this jade pendant to me, and it will be honored."

Li Qingge smiled. "That's wonderful! It seems Songyang Prefecture now has a powerful backer in Chiyan Kingdom."

She had already heard from He Lingchuan that this *mei* in front of her might become the sole legitimate heir of Chiyan Kingdom. The weight of this favor would undoubtedly become very significant in the future.

Businesspeople particularly love to make friends with powerful and influential individuals.

Steward Shi Er exclaimed, "I even asked Brother He to introduce me to Songyang Prefecture's branch in Lingxu City. I never expected to meet the Prefect herself here! What good fortune!"

The two businesspeople hit it off immediately, enjoying a very pleasant conversation. In barely fifteen minutes, they had finalized two deals.

Steward Shi Er successfully secured two agencies for Songyang Prefecture in the Fu Kingdom, his face glowing with delight.

Meanwhile, Taozi looked worried and said to Fu Shanyue, "Young Master, I think I'm going to die!"

Fu Shanyue was startled. "Don't do that here! Go to the outhouse in the back!"

Taozi grinned at him. "I lost a tooth!"

Her front teeth were already gone, and her upper left canine tooth had also fallen out, making her speak with a lisp.

He Lingchuan noticed and casually remarked, "It's normal for children to lose teeth at this age, isn't it?"

"Three at once?" Fu Shanyue asked, observing her closely for once. "What about your other teeth?"

"They're loose, and it seems they're about to fall out too," Taozi said with a distressed face. "Young Master, I think I'm going to die."

"Who told you that?"

"My grandma. She died shortly after her teeth fell out."

Fu Shanyue scoffed, "Was she also a Di Sha?"

A child wouldn't understand such things, of course. He Lingchuan took a sip of wine. "Is there any special significance to this?"

"This girl is transforming into a Di Sha Child," Fu Shanyue explained, not worried at all, but rather somewhat excited. "However, she's absorbed too much malevolent energy, and her body can't handle it, so she's expelling the excess by losing her teeth. The fact that she woke up means there's no major problem."

"What if she didn't wake up?"

"She'd die," Fu Shanyue shrugged. "Or she'd turn into a mindless, instinct-driven living corpse that only eats people."

He personally went out and found a waiter, instructing the kitchen to slaughter a live chicken and bring the blood.

There was no shortage of strange beings in Chiyan Kingdom, and the inn had heard all sorts of bizarre requests from guests. So, the waiter acknowledged the order and immediately went to carry it out.

The bowl of chicken blood was still steaming when it was brought in.

The smell of blood was very strong, and Steward Shi Er couldn't help but lean away.

Fu Shanyue, however, cut himself on the arm, secretly channeling his strength, and dark red blood flowed into the bowl.

Taozi watched, blinking.

Steward Shi Er was startled. "You, what are you doing?"

"It's rare to encounter a Di Sha Child," Fu Shanyue said. "I'm going to conduct an experiment. Don't worry, it won't kill her." With that, he told Taozi, "Drink it."

Taozi obediently picked it up and gulped it down. Then she licked her lips, as if she wanted more.

He Lingchuan was thoughtful. "Are you trying to create another *mei*? Isn't that a common trope in TV shows? Can it really happen here?"

"No harm in trying," came the reply.

It really is...

"It's very good for you," Fu Shanyue said, patting Taozi's head. "But don't drink too much at first."

He Lingchuan asked him, "Can all witch children from Twilight Plain become Di Sha Children?"

"I don't know if other so-called witch children are genuine, but latent Di Shas are very rare," Fu Shanyue replied. "Otherwise, even if all the witch children were thrown into the ruins of Ganxing City, it would be useless."

After eating, Taozi began to feel sleepy. Fu Shanyue carried her to a guest room to rest.

After Steward Shi Er's enthusiasm for talking subsided, he looked at Li Qingge, then at He Lingchuan, realizing he had been talking too much and overshadowing his hosts. He quickly slapped his forehead. "Oh dear, I've had too much to drink and feel a bit dizzy," he announced. "You two enjoy your meal; I need to go back to my room and lie down for a bit."

With that, he bid farewell to Li Qingge and left the private room.

Li Qingge just watched He Lingchuan and smiled, her gaze making him increasingly uncomfortable. "Marquis, please stop smiling like that; it's quite unnerving," he finally said.

Only then did Li Qingge compose herself and let out a long sigh. "You don't know how happy I was to see you yesterday," she said.

With a great beauty saying this, He Lingchuan quickly reached up to touch his own face. "I also think I'm universally loved," he quipped.

Just then, a waiter walked past, and He Lingchuan called out to him, asking him to remove the extra bowls and chopsticks, clear the table, and bring some more wine and dishes.

Li Qingge silently watched his actions, her eyes flickering.

Was this boy truly oblivious to romance?

"The bad news that you were swept away by the flood reached Dunyu, and I found it hard to believe," Li Qingge said softly, pointing to the Fusheng Saber at He Lingchuan's waist. "I even thought my physiognomy was flawed, and I regretted the loss of this precious saber. I heard that Madam Ying cried for two straight days."

He Lingchuan's smile faded.

When he was at home, Madam Ying would often find fault with him for no reason, yet she did harbor some genuine affection for her eldest son.

"How are my father and He Yue?"

"They're still very busy, especially your father, who is swamped with work and doesn't even have time to be dejected on his own," Li Qingge said with a smile. "Oh, and your house has been swarming with visitors, all coming to offer condolences. I also sent a condolence note and a comfort gift. You'll have to return the favor later!"

"Yes, yes, of course," He Lingchuan said with a light cough. "How are things in Xiazhou... and Dunyu?"

His meeting with Li Qingge yesterday had been very brief, as she had other travel arrangements.

"It's fine," Li Qingge said. "Actually, the whole of Xiazhou is fine. When I left, Dunyu was celebrating the Harvest Festival; firecrackers were going off everywhere, and the ground was covered in red paper. In fact, the harvest in southern Xiazhou this year was quite good."

"Huh?" He Lingchuan said, puzzled. "Zhao Pan's army was defeated, yet Xiazhou is unharmed?"

Li Qingge blinked. "Who told you that Zhao Pan's army was defeated?"

He Lingchuan was even more puzzled. "I've been to Baoshu Kingdom and heard officials there mention that Nian Zanli achieved a great victory at Han River. I've been worried ever since. If Nian Zanli won, didn't that mean Zhao Pan on the other side lost?"

"Oh? Beijia Kingdom thinks Nian Zanli won?" Li Qingge's smile faded, and she said, word for word, "Then the bizarre thing about this battle is that General Zhao Pan and your father also sent a victory report from Han River to Dayuan's capital!"

"Sent a victory report?" He Lingchuan exclaimed. "Nian Zanli flooded Zhao Pan's army of thirty thousand men; how could General Zhao Pan send a victory report?"

"The losses were indeed heavy," Li Qingge said, raising her wrist to pour him a cup of wine herself. "But General Zhao Pan completed the task assigned by the King: to repel the enemy in the north. So, the King's commendation should have been issued by now, right?"

"Repel the enemy in the north?" He Lingchuan recalled what the two officials from Baoshu Kingdom had said; it seemed they really hadn't mentioned whether Nian Zanli's army continued to march south. "The Xunzhou people didn't march south?"

"No, they couldn't," Li Qingge said, shaking her head. "Zhao Pan's army lost thirty thousand men, but the Xunzhou army wasn't much better off; more than half of them were also swallowed by the flood, and Nian Zanli himself fell ill. It's said that as soon as the flood receded, your father and General Zhao Pan gathered their troops and pursued the Xunzhou army for dozens of li. Only then did they dare to write a victory report."

"After that battle, the Xunzhou people were also unable to march south and held Han River for two months. However, because our army frequently harassed and contended for it, and Han River often flooded, making supplies difficult, they finally retreated back to the north bank."

"So the front line was pushed back to before the Battle of Han River?" He Lingchuan murmured. "In other words, besides over sixty thousand casualties on both sides, the border didn't change at all?"

Hearing such a result, he was momentarily speechless.