Chapter 874: Sending Gifts

Fu Lin'an was speechless.

He had already repackaged the White Dragon Pills into wooden bottles after receiving them; how could he still be exposed?

"Who exactly are you people?" He wondered if they were trying to rob him.

Hu Min gravely introduced He Lingchuan, "This is Commander He from Yuheng City."

"What... How is that possible?"

He Lingchuan took out his token, which glowed red, and waved it in front of him.

It contained elemental power; it couldn't be faked.

Fu Lin'an's face instantly turned from white to green.

It was over; he was dead.

Seeing Fu Lin'an's eyes roll back as if he might faint, He Lingchuan patted his face and said, "Hey, hey, pull yourself together. Do you want to live or die?"

"Is that even a question?" Fu Lin'an said with a pained expression, "Commander He, I was forced into this! If I didn't sell goods for the river bandits, they would kill my whole family! My son is only six, and my old mother is over seventy, frail and near the end of her life..."

"Oh?" He Lingchuan asked him, "Are you more afraid of them or of me?"

"..." Fu Lin'an timidly replied, "Now, I'm much, much more afraid of you!"

That was the plain truth. He Lingchuan smiled, unexpectedly reminded of Bai Guo, the chubby man from Panlong City.

"Which groups do you usually fence stolen goods for?"

"The Ball Gang and Qianjinzai, plus a few smaller gangs." Fu Lin'an cooperated as expected. "Lately, they've been bringing very few goods. The smaller gangs have almost stopped coming, saying they can't manage to steal anything."

This business had also become difficult. He was genuinely considering a career change, but the authorities had shown up too quickly.

Fu Lin'an even managed to squeeze in a compliment: "Your Yuheng Army is truly formidable, sir; you've driven these river bandits to desperation, leaving them no way to make a living."

"As they should be." He Lingchuan remained unmoved. "Explain clearly how you receive the stolen goods from the river bandits, how you distribute them, and how you pay them."

Fu Lin'an held nothing back, explaining everything in great detail. After all, if the commander in front of him so much as narrowed his eyes, Fu Lin'an knew his head would instantly be on the chopping block.

A'luo retrieved paper and a brush from the shop and placed them before Fu Lin'an. He Lingchuan added, "You're certainly not the only fence for the river bandits. Write down all the other channels as well."

Fu Lin'an had no choice but to dutifully begin writing.

Once he finished, He Lingchuan picked it up and saw six names and addresses listed.

Two of them were in "Bantou Town," as revealed by the skinny man.

"What about the fencing channels for the Western Xi Rebellious Army?"

"They... they don't sell goods through us," Fu Lin'an whispered. "I heard they sell directly to Jintao; someone there takes their goods."

"Do Qianjinzai and the Ball Gang not sell to Jintao?"

"Very rarely. Their relationship with the people of Jintao isn't very good either."

Fu Lin'an dropped the paper and brush, bowing repeatedly to He Lingchuan. "Commander He, please spare my life! I'll move my family out of Yuheng City right away and never work for them again!"

He Lingchuan glanced at him. "How can that be?"

"Huh?"

"When is your next contact with the river bandits?"

"Tomor... tomorrow, in the hour of Wei."

"Then deliver a message for me to Guild Leader Xu of the Ball Gang and Guild Leader Tao of Qianjinzai," He Lingchuan said with a smile. "Five days from now, I'll be waiting for them to join me for tea at Baicheng Post Station. Don't let them miss it."

The next afternoon, He Lingchuan entered Yuheng Academy.

Willows swayed by the waterfront, and a group of fluffy yellow goslings followed two large white geese.

The adult geese led the little ones, waddling with a three-step swagger before gracefully slipping into the water.

Classes had ended, and the children in the academy chattered noisily, louder than goslings or ducklings.

Adults attended classes at night; during the day, the academy belonged to the children.

A few of the youngsters recognized He Lingchuan and ran over, grinning, "The Commander is here! The Commander is here to see Master Sun again!"

Children naturally admire power, and hearing "Commander," they all gathered to watch. He Lingchuan tossed each child a piece of fruit, openly bribing them: "Here, fresh fruit from Baisha Bay. Who can tell me where Master Sun is?"

The children pointed, "In the back classroom!"

"Little Fatty got held back by Master Sun again, again, again!"

"Poor him."

"Whose fault is it he's fat? No, whose fault is it he's dumb!"

Little Fatty? He Lingchuan followed their directions and indeed, most of the children from the back classrooms had left. Only one classroom still had voices coming from it.

He didn't need to get close to recognize Master Sun's voice.

"How can you get eight out of ten questions wrong? Even if you guessed randomly with your eyes closed, you'd get at least thirty percent right, wouldn't you?"

"Look at this one: 'A large rat and a small rat walk towards each other...'"

Then He Lingchuan heard a child's weak voice ask, "Master, why do these two rats have to walk towards each other? Can't they just walk together?"

The voice, full of suffering, was strangely familiar. Hmm, wasn't that his neighbor's child from Panlong City?

He Lingchuan peeked in and, sure enough, it was Little Fatty.

Both he and Master Sun were facing sideways to He Lingchuan. Little Fatty looked up at his teacher with an innocent expression, while Sun Fuling continued to smile, her left hand clenched into a fist behind her back, knuckles white.

He Lingchuan quickly let out a light cough.

Little Fatty turned and saw him, overjoyed. "Brother He... no, Commander He!"

He tried to get up but instinctively glanced at Master Sun.

Sun Fuling sighed, "Go on, that's enough for today."

Little Fatty, as if granted a great pardon, cheered and ran towards He Lingchuan.

He Lingchuan picked him up with one arm. "How did you end up in Yuheng City too?"

"Father said he needed to work here for another year, so he had us move."

"Which place is more fun, Panlong City or Yuheng City?"

"Yuheng City, of course!" Little Fatty laughed. "There's so much good food here!"

He Lingchuan gave him a handful of fruit, which Little Fatty happily accepted with a grin.

While Master Sun hadn't approached yet, he leaned closer to He Lingchuan and whispered, "Commander, I really feel sorry for you."

"Hm?"

"I think Master Sun is the scariest, but no one else seems to agree."

He Lingchuan scratched his head. "Really?"

Goodness, someone finally feels the same way!

Sun Fuling approached, saying softly, "What are you two talking about?"

"I'm going home now; Mom's waiting for me to eat!" Little Fatty beamed. "Goodbye, Commander! Goodbye, Master Sun!"

He winked at He Lingchuan and scurried away on his short legs.

"Master, I hope you've been well!" He Lingchuan adjusted his robe and respectfully bowed to Sun Fuling.

"Long time no see." Sun Fuling glanced at him. "How does such a busy man find the time to visit Yuheng Academy today?"

Their residences were only separated by a wall, but it had been many days since they last met.

"I heard Master has been incredibly busy lately and hasn't been home, so I specifically came to check on you. I'm not the only one who hasn't been home; I'd been meaning to invite Master Sun for a meal recently, but always ended up drinking alone, raising my cup to the moon, and having my shadow as company."

On another note, he had been in Panlong World for over half a month but hadn't seen Master Sun at all.

The lights next door had been dark for over half a month, suggesting Master Sun hadn't been around.

Now, seeing her again, He Lingchuan noticed her face was pale, her lips lacking color, and she looked even more haggard standing by a half-withered osmanthus tree.

The Master Sun he knew always had a vibrant, spirited air about her, not like now, when she appeared so frail and pitiable.

A subtle feeling stirred in He Lingchuan's heart, and he asked with concern, "What's wrong with you?"

"My headaches have been acting up lately. It's nothing serious."

The more she downplayed it, the more worried He Lingchuan became. "Why didn't you say so earlier? I'll get A'luo to come over!"

"Even if you bring A'luo's master, it won't help." Sun Fuling smiled. "This is a condition I've had since birth. Many famous doctors have seen it and say it can't be cured, but it won't kill me either."

"There's no such thing as an incurable disease!" He Lingchuan frowned. "It's likely just missing some specific medicinal ingredient. I'll find it for you!"

"That's thoughtful of you." Sun Fuling's beautiful eyes flickered. "Since you're here to 'console' me, where's the gift?"

As she reached out to He Lingchuan, he naturally took her soft hand.

Her hand was very cold.

He Lingchuan then took her pulse; as expected, it was weak and sluggish, as if from a deficiency of vital energy and blood, or a decline in yang energy.

Other than that, he didn't detect any major illness.

Sun Fuling chided, "I asked you for a consolation gift!" She didn't mean for him to take advantage!

"Yes, yes." He Lingchuan looked around. "Which one is your desk?"

Sun Fuling raised an eyebrow and led him back to the Study Hall, where the teachers worked.

As they walked side by side, she coughed a few times, her face turning red.

He Lingchuan untied the grey cloak from behind him and wrapped it around her.

"I'm not cold."

But he insisted without explanation, "Keep it on. Don't take it off!"

Sun Fuling pouted slightly but pulled the grey cloak tighter around herself.

He Lingchuan wasn't about to let her off so easily. "What exactly is this chronic illness of yours?"

"When I was little, I used to get sick every few days. Doctors said it was a congenital deficiency." Sun Fuling linked arms with him. "Later, I met Master Wen, who said intelligent children often die young, and I was an example of that. But since I've survived, this illness can't hold me back. And indeed, the attacks became less frequent and the symptoms less severe over time."

She repeated, "You don't need to worry; I'll be fine in a few days."

He Lingchuan gently patted her hand in comfort, a glimmer in his eyes. "Don't work too hard, and don't push yourself too much."

Sun Fuling laughed, "I know, I know. I'm just a woman of leisure; how could I be as important as Commander He?"

"Leisurely? I think you're busier than I am." He Lingchuan glanced at her. "Otherwise, why would your chronic illness suddenly flare up? It must be from overwork!"

He emphasized the last four words.

Sun Fuling's gaze dropped. "There's nothing for it; if I don't do some things, no one else will."

He Lingchuan's eyes remained on her face. "Is there anything in this world that absolutely requires you and no one else can do?"

Sun Fuling chuckled. "I know, I know. I'll remember your advice and change next time."

He said, word by word, "You should respect others' destinies and not always try to defy fate and change it."

Sun Fuling blinked. "What are you talking about?"

"Teaching, of course. What else would I be talking about?" He Lingchuan said calmly. "Look at these children running around the academy; not all of them can become successful. When they grow up, they will each have their own paths, and you can't control that. That is the power of destiny."

"You're right." Sun Fuling tilted her head. "Commander, you're quite profound today." It seemed their roles had reversed today.

He Lingchuan sighed, "Whenever you get sick, I feel how impermanent everything is."

His hand was warm, and Sun Fuling seemed to transfer her coldness to him. "Being sick is certainly unpleasant, but at least someone brings me comfort."

Heartfelt thanks to the unceasing Machine Gunner and Grand Fondo for their enthusiastic support.

Thanks to Uncle Beibeibei, Eat Well Sleep Well, Healer of the World, Flowing Cloud Chasing Wind Song, Rui Da Meng Meng, Da Feng Ju, Huayan, Yu Ge Wei Wu, and book friend 20211112212824340 for their appreciation.

Thanks to everyone who voted for "The Immortal".