Chapter 00016: Qualifications
# Qualifications
Chapter 16
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 16: Qualifications
He Lingchuan pondered for a moment and said, "Find them two sets of new clothes, tidy them up, and make sure they have two good meals. No matter how much they curse, you all must greet them with smiles. Also, keep an eye on Old Chen Seven. Don’t let him run away. He smashed someone’s backside, and now his own might get the same treatment."
The follower nodded but couldn’t help adding, "Young Master, we can’t afford to offend the Donglai Mansion. If we let them go..."
Earlier, the Red-White Sect had acted ruthlessly because they were certain the two were as good as dead.
Dead men tell no tales, so what did it matter? But now that He Lingchuan planned to release them, the sect members couldn’t help but feel uneasy.
"Don’t worry. They need us, so they shouldn’t make a fuss over such a small matter. Besides, this is Qiansong County and Blackwater City. As the saying goes, even a strong dragon can’t suppress a local snake."
This wasn’t Donglai Mansion’s territory.
After dismissing the Red-White Sect follower, He Lingchuan turned and saw the worried look in his younger brother’s eyes.
"Big Brother, how are we going to explain this to Father?"
"It’s just a small misunderstanding. The Donglai Mansion will prioritize the bigger picture," He Lingchuan laughed, his expression calm.
"This is nothing to worry about!"
He Yue remained silent.
What was a trivial matter to the Grand Marshal was a cause for great anxiety for the He family, requiring careful consideration.
What’s a mountain to one is a speck of dust to another.
The wind rustled through the fallen leaves in the garden.
The He brothers, who had grown up sheltered and privileged, were now experiencing the frustrations of being small players in a big game.
It wasn’t a pleasant feeling.
"What’s wrong?" He Lingchuan noticed his brother’s gloomy expression, as if something was weighing on his mind.
"Nothing," He Yue forced a smile.
"I’ll take my leave now."
As soon as He Yue left, He Lingchuan turned to Uncle Hao.
"Did something happen?" Uncle Hao’s demeanor was off.
"Young Master, Little Gray is dead."
He Lingchuan was shocked.
"How did he die?"
"He didn’t return last night. I went to the cliff at Gourd Mountain and found his body," Uncle Hao’s voice was hoarse.
"His wings and abdomen were pierced, and his blood was dark green. He was poisoned, but the cause of death was a broken neck."
"Nian Songyu and State Preceptor Sun!" He Lingchuan’s heart ached as he saw the redness in Uncle Hao’s eyes.
"It was my idea to send Little Gray to tail them. Uncle Hao, I’m sorry!"
Little Gray was a hawk demon, Uncle Hao’s childhood companion who had been with him for decades.
He could speak human language, and the two had shared meals, drinks, and even battles, as close as brothers.
Uncle Hao had no children or siblings.
With Little Gray gone, it felt like he had lost a part of himself.
"You didn’t kill him, so why apologize?" Uncle Hao’s eyes burned with fury.
"They could’ve just questioned him. Why take his life? Can you find out who did it—the State Preceptor or that Nian fellow?"
"Of course," He Lingchuan immediately reassured him.
"But don’t act rashly. Not just you, but no one in Jinzhou dares to oppose them."
"Little Gray saved my life at least twice," Uncle Hao said firmly.
"He can’t die in vain!"
"If you seek revenge now, you’ll just be throwing your life away," He Lingchuan’s eyes narrowed.
"The Coiling Dragon Desert is a death trap. Even if they make it back, they’ll be weakened."
Ideally, they wouldn’t return at all.
"Wait another ten days, and your chances of revenge will increase three to five times," He Lingchuan placed a hand on Uncle Hao’s shoulder, his tone sincere.
"If the opportunity arises, Father and I will help you."
Their opponent was the State Preceptor, a weapon of the state.
Seeking revenge now would be reckless.
"By the way, does Father know?"
Uncle Hao shook his head.
"I came to you first."
He Lingchuan took off his mutton-fat jade ring and a string of pearl necklaces, handing them to Uncle Hao.
"Take three days off. I mean, rest well for these three days."
Mourn properly.
"Don’t drink too much. I’ll call you if anything comes up."
The jade ring had a large ruby, a symbol of wealth, and each pearl on the necklace was the size of a sparrow’s egg, uniform and priceless.
Uncle Hao took them, standing still for a moment before nodding and walking away.
A loved one’s life is priceless, but ample wealth can somewhat soothe a wounded heart.
After Uncle Hao left, He Lingchuan slowly sat down on a stone bench in the garden.
Trouble really does come knocking when you least expect it.
Little Gray had gone missing yesterday, which meant Nian Songyu and State Preceptor Sun already knew the He family had the clues they wanted before they even arrived at the He residence.
Were they here today to negotiate before resorting to force?
Given the disparity in status and the fact that State Preceptor Sun was here on royal orders, would He Chunhua dare refuse?
But to obediently hand over the leopard corpse and provide cannon fodder for these two nobles—He Lingchuan couldn’t accept it.
These two had attacked the leopard den on West Mountain, causing him to fall off a cliff.
His original body had died, and he, the imposter, had suffered through weeks of pain.
These two had easily killed the scout the He family had sent out, right on their own turf.
Now they wanted He Chunhua to provide cannon fodder to help them enter the Coiling Dragon Desert and seize the Great Square Pot.
If they succeeded, they would reap the rewards, while He Chunhua would get little more than a pat on the back from the emperor.
Losing men and resources, only to earn a word of praise from the emperor.
But what right did He Lingchuan have to oppose them?
It seemed he had no choice but to swallow this bitter pill.
How frustrating!
He Lingchuan buried his head in his hands and let out a long sigh.
Suddenly, something white floated down in front of him.
It was a feather.
Perhaps some bird had flown overhead.
He Lingchuan picked up the feather, absentmindedly twirling it a couple of times, when a thought suddenly struck him.
Wait a minute.
That’s not right.
After he recovered from his injuries, He Chunhua had transferred Uncle Hao from another region to serve as his personal guard.
So Little Gray might not have known the details of his fall.
Besides, the He family didn’t allow demons to enter the residence.
The hawk demon had always perched on branches outside.
He Lingchuan hadn’t spent much time with Uncle Hao, but the man was tight-lipped.
What Uncle Hao knew, Little Gray might not.
So, from Nian and Sun’s perspective, the information they might have extracted from Little Gray could be vague.
At the very least, they didn’t know the leopard corpse was at the He residence, nor were they certain if the clues they sought were here.
After all, the leopard demons had scattered in all directions when they fled their den.
How could they be sure the one that fled to Gourd Mountain was the one they were after?
What if the artifact from the Coiling Dragon Ruins was with one of the other fleeing sand leopards?
Most importantly, they didn’t know the sand leopard’s remains were in He Lingchuan’s possession!
With so much uncertainty, they couldn’t just act recklessly against the local powers.
Using royal authority to pressure them and offering incentives would be the best approach.
With that in mind, what did the He family have to fear?
Having figured this out, He Lingchuan stood up, dusted himself off, and decided to go find his father at the office.
No need to scare himself over nothing.
...
He Chunhua was busy writing when he heard his eldest son’s words and paused his brush.
(End of Chapter)