Chapter 00014: You Need to Be More Sensible
# You Need to Be More Sensible
Chapter 14
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 14: You Need to Be More Sensible
Nian Songyu spoke with a hint of arrogance, "Lord He, have you heard of the Endless Sea south of the heavens? It's a place where hurricanes rage all year round, with treacherous undercurrents and sea monsters roaming freely. It's said to be a forbidden zone for the living. I once ventured into the Endless Sea twice under royal orders and returned unscathed."
He looked at the country folk with disdain, thinking they had no idea how vast the world was.
He Lingchuan coughed lightly, "When you entered the Endless Sea, you must have had guides, right?"
"Of course."
"But from September to February or March, sometimes even April, there are no guides in the Panlong Desert. No one dares to go!" He Lingchuan glanced at his father, "In the past fifty years, this desert has claimed at least four thousand lives, and that's just based on reported cases. The actual number is unknown. And when the desert truly unleashes its fury, do you know how many people make it back alive?"
"One!" He raised a finger, "Just one in fifty years, and that person went mad. According to the shaman, he lost a part of his soul and will never regain his sanity."
Sun Dongfu's eyelids twitched slightly, exuding the demeanor of a state preceptor, "The Grand Marshal has already sent people to find something. Once we have it, we might be able to safely traverse the Panlong Desert. Besides, I will do my best to protect the team."
He Chunhua sneered inwardly.
After all this roundabout talk, they finally revealed their true intentions.
But on the surface, he feigned surprise, "What is it?"
What could the Grand Marshal be searching for that led to his son falling off a cliff?
"It's a relic left behind by Zhong Shengguang. With it, the vengeful spirits guarding the ruins might allow us passage," Nian Songyu said, "The clues the Grand Marshal found all point to the Sand Leopard clan on the Red Cliff Road. Lord He, did you know that Zhong Shengguang's spiritual pet was a sand leopard?"
"Yes, I've heard something like that."
"Now its descendants and clan members are in the Panlong Desert. We went to inquire and had a minor conflict," Nian Songyu said casually, "A few sand leopards left, and we spent forty to fifty days tracking them down. Eventually, we found that one might have entered Blackwater City."
He Lingchuan chuckled, "Simple, just put up posters all over the city looking for the leopard. Blackwater City is crawling with demons."
Sun Fuping turned to He Chunhua, "We'll need the prefect's help. Time is precious, and the battle at Woling Pass cannot wait. Every moment we speak, more lives are lost on that battlefield. Only by finding the Great Square Pot can we end this unjust war."
He Chunhua thought for a moment, "If we find the token, I will send my best guide to lead the way."
"Just the twenty of us won't be enough. We'll need at least an army," Nian Songyu said with dissatisfaction, "The Panlong Ruins are an extremely evil place. Only the nation's fortune can suppress it!"
At the very least, they would need two hundred men, and the leading general would have to carry the Sheji Token to mobilize the nation's fortune for protection.
He Chunhua looked troubled.
Who would be brave enough to take on such a suicide mission?
Seeing this, Sun Fuping said, "There's something I shouldn't say, but back then, when Lord He managed to escape unscathed from the Divine Reward Case and was exiled to Qiansong Prefecture, he had ample funds and people looking out for him along the way. Later, he was promoted twice, and that was not without the Grand Marshal's repeated efforts."
Criminals exiled to the borderlands had their faces branded and were forced to labor in barren lands for over ten years.
Although He Chunhua wasn't that unfortunate, the journey from the capital to Blackwater City was thousands of miles.
He was only eleven years old at the time, and his entire family had perished.
If no one had looked out for him, providing funds and bribing the escorts, the hardships of the journey could easily have killed him.
The road of exile was littered with countless souls, and one more wouldn't have made a difference.
Not to mention his later promotions and achievements.
While He Chunhua had worked hard, without someone in the court speaking for him, it would have been difficult to catch the emperor's attention.
"Good wine needs no bush"? What nonsense.
He Chunhua had guessed that someone influential had spoken for him, but he hadn't realized it was the Grand Marshal.
Sun Fuping continued, "Retrieving the Great Square Pot and capturing Woling Pass is a monumental achievement. The king himself has decreed that those who contribute will be promoted one rank."
He Chunhua remained silent for a while before finally saying, "I will arrange the personnel. State Preceptor Sun and Commandant Nian, please rest at the guesthouse. Later, we will host a welcoming banquet for you at the Songhe Tower."
Having achieved their goal, the two stood up happily and were escorted to the main gate by the He father and son before departing.
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Watching the two figures disappear around the corner, He Lingchuan asked his father, "Are we really sending people to the Panlong Desert?"
He Chunhua remained silent, clearly troubled.
He still had prefectural affairs to attend to and hurriedly left after telling his son, "Don't let your mother know about this."
He Lingchuan walked back into the residence, where He Yue was accompanying their mother out.
They met in the garden.
Madam Ying asked her eldest son, "Who were those guests?"
He Lingchuan replied seriously, "The state preceptor and the second son of the Xunzhou governor. They came to discuss important matters with father!"
"The state preceptor?" Madam Ying was startled, "Which state preceptor?"
"State Preceptor Sun Fuping, who traveled all the way from the capital," He Lingchuan corrected her.
That was a top-tier figure, someone even princes would treat as an honored guest.
Madam Ying was surprised but didn't press further, only asking, "Is it good or bad news?"
Since it was "important," she, as a woman, shouldn't pry too much.
He Chunhua usually handled prefectural affairs, and Madam Ying never interfered.
"A bit of both," He Lingchuan said gravely, "It depends on how father handles it."
Madam Ying's eyes shifted, "Why did he call you along?"
For important matters, her husband should have called their more reliable younger son.
"I'm involved too," He Lingchuan's expression darkened, "What do you mean by that? Shouldn't father call me for important matters?"
He was starting to feel annoyed.
"You're involved too?" Madam Ying looked him up and down, "Did you cause trouble again?"
"Is that how you see me?" He Lingchuan's face stiffened, "Always causing trouble?"
But this time, Madam Ying seemed to have hit the mark.
Madam Ying's tone softened as she advised, "Lingchuan, you're grown up now. You need to be more sensible and steady to help your father."
She glanced toward the main gate, "I'll go distribute food outside. You two brothers can chat."
She left with her maid, but He Yue stayed behind.
"Big brother, shall we have some tea?"
He Lingchuan understood and followed him to the side hall.
After a few steps, He Yue said, "Mother speaks her mind, but she means no harm. Don't take it to heart."
"She's your mother and mine. Do I need you to comfort me?" He Lingchuan gave him a sidelong glance, "She's always been annoyed with me and dotes on you like a treasure, ever since we were kids. Hey, no need to explain. Explaining is just covering up!"
(End of Chapter)