Chapter 00187: Sun Hongye
# Sun Hongye
Chapter 187
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 187: Sun Hongye
He Lingchuan lifted his shirt and saw that the wounds inflicted by the werewolf last night were indeed healing and not very painful, including the rib wound where bone was almost visible, which had formed a thick scab on the surface.
This was too fast.
He Lingchuan turned and grabbed a handful of pear syrup candy for it: “With Lingguang here, I can suffer much less.”
Lingguang originally wanted to say that a proper demon ape does not eat candy, but the pear syrup candy was simply too fragrant.
It extended its claws to refuse but then changed its mind and silently accepted it.
He Chunhua had entered the palace early in the morning and had not yet returned.
Next, He Lingchuan washed his face and changed his clothes, then randomly stuffed a dozen large meat buns into his mouth, paired with two bowls of peanut soup with eggs, just enough to fill him to six parts full before heading out.
Liu Bangban was standing outside the door, dressed in a new outfit but sporting two dark circles under his eyes, clearly having not slept well the previous night.
As soon as he saw He Lingchuan, he bowed deeply and remained bent for a long time without straightening up.
He Lingchuan wondered, “Why the sudden politeness?”
“Last night, Young Master He saved my worthless life! I am eternally grateful!” In the face of crisis, He Lingchuan had let the horse go first.
Liu Bangban, who had lived for over forty years, had never been treated this way by a noble.
Even the servants of the powerful families, who referred to him as “Bangban,” could hardly conceal their disdainful gazes.
“Since it’s a worthless life, it’s not worth much. There’s no need for thanks.”
“…”
He Lingchuan chuckled, “Alright, stop being pretentious and get to work.”
Before yesterday, Liu Bangban’s respect for him was merely due to money, but after yesterday, it was heartfelt.
He looked around to ensure that the Medicine Ape had not appeared before lowering his voice: “Young Master He, you just hired Lingguang as a Dan Master yesterday morning, and last night you almost faced a life-threatening incident! Don’t you think this ape is a great misfortune?”
He Lingchuan was taken aback.
If Liu Bangban hadn’t mentioned it, he would have forgotten about it.
“Previous masters had to suffer for some time at least.” Liu Bangban grew more fearful the more he thought about it; after all, he had almost become a victim yesterday, “But beside you, it took less than half a day for disaster to strike!”
“Enough, stop making wild guesses. Haven’t you heard that after the extreme comes the favorable?” He Lingchuan recalled Lingguang’s anxious gaze from last night and this morning, and indeed felt a bit uneasy, “But I’ve only added a few wounds and gained a giant wolf companion from the North Star Tundra. Why do I feel like my luck is quite good?”
He climbed onto the carriage and said to the worried Liu Bangban: “The ones who ambushed us last night are now like stray dogs, being chased to the point of having no place to hide. What is there to fear?”
He knew in his heart that Dong Rui would not be so easily captured, but with one demon puppet lost, two others injured, and being hunted throughout the city, this demon puppet master would temporarily have no time to settle accounts with the He family.
Once they reached Xiazhou, the He family would have even less to fear on their own turf.
At this moment, there was still a General Yan Zhanli in the North, waiting to settle the blood feud of his slain son with him.
These old matters had all occurred before the Medicine Ape had come to their side; if one were to speak of calamities, it was likely that He Lingchuan himself was the greatest calamity.
Liu Bangban thought about it and agreed; besides, he was just a small fry, who would specifically seek trouble with him?
“So where to now?”
“Take me to Jinghe Hall at the foot of Bijia Mountain.” He Lingchuan leaned back against the soft seat and yawned, “I want to visit the injured.”
The carriage rolled out, and He Lingchuan opened the curtains, once again marveling at the prosperity and vitality of Shihuan, which was far beyond that of Heishui City.
The North Avenue was bustling with people, and the most important trade of Shihuan City took place at the northern docks, where goods coming from the south and going north had to be loaded and unloaded.
The Great Kite gathered the strength of the entire nation to support the wealthy capital and its auxiliary city.
But He Lingchuan was heading south in the opposite direction.
After turning a few corners, the road became narrower and more uneven.
Besides fewer people, the buildings also appeared less glamorous, with much smaller layouts and sizes, beginning to crowd in closer.
He Lingchuan thought of his small house in the Panlong Dreamscape.
It turned out that all the single-story houses in the world were quite similar.
Soon, the carriage passed by a tavern, the facade no longer glamorous, and the swaying sign bore two large, bold characters: Xiangzhuan.
Mao Tao seemed to have mentioned that he and the brothers from the supporting army had drunk at this Xiangzhuan tavern yesterday, where the drinks were cheap and plentiful, and the pig’s head meat served with it was cleanly plucked.
After traveling over a hundred zhang, the road ahead suddenly became crowded, and the carriage could hardly move.
He Lingchuan leaned out to see that the crowd had surrounded a single-story house in three layers, all jostling at the entrance, chattering away.
People inside were carrying someone out, covered with white cloth.
There were two dead bodies.
The cloth was not tightly secured, and a gust of wind blew, lifting the corner of the cloth to reveal the face of a woman.
She appeared to be around twenty-four or twenty-five, neither fat nor ugly, but there was a deep cut on her neck.
A fatal throat slash; that was a clean cut.
He Lingchuan deduced that the weapon was likely a short knife or dagger, and the murderer probably stood behind her, covering her mouth with one hand while striking with the other, not drawing the attention of the neighbors.
The door was open, and he glanced inside.
The ground was overgrown with grass, and there were many miscellaneous items piled in the corners.
A square table was missing a leg, propped up with half a broken book.
This family was very poor, so poor that when the dead were carried away, the living could only sneak away with a few chipped porcelain plates and clay bowls.
He Lingchuan also noticed that several older women were quietly spitting at the wall.
Liu Bangban came over to take a look and said in surprise: “Isn’t this the home of Yao Erniang? There are only two people in this family, and both have been carried out.” He clicked his tongue, “I heard that the officials started searching for fugitives at dawn, and many commoners were injured.”
He Lingchuan pointed to the crowd: “Why do I hear someone saying, ‘Sure enough, these two were bound to have an incident sooner or later’?”
“That’s because of the business they were in. Yao Erniang’s husband went to the front lines to fight and returned with a severed hand, and his temperament changed. He couldn’t read and couldn’t do manual labor, so after squandering the little compensation money, he let his wife engage in the flesh trade, with the business conducted right in their home.”
He Lingchuan understood: “So they were doing illicit business.”
“They didn’t want to pay taxes on this, which would inevitably offend people. Yao Erniang’s husband often quarreled with customers, and the neighbors heard it many times.”
He Lingchuan listened and said nothing more; it was none of his business.
It was none of anyone’s business.
Two insignificant commoners, two lives as worthless as stray dogs; even if they died in a bizarre manner, it wouldn’t stir much of a ripple.
After seven or eight days, others would forget this matter entirely.
Since the king stopped hunting at Luming Garden, the houses and markets at the foot of Bijia Mountain had been increasing.
With more people, medical clinics and pharmacies followed.
Jinghe Hall was a chain medical hall run by the Fu family.
Although this branch at the foot of Bijia Mountain was a sub-branch, there was a famous doctor consulting in the front hall this month, so patients were coming and going.
The back hall was divided into a pharmacy and patient rooms.
Seriously ill and injured patients could rest here, allowing doctors to treat them nearby.
Liu Bangban asked two people and then led He Lingchuan to their target—
The street youth who had been sent here for emergency treatment by Ke Jihai’s subordinates last night.
This person had already awakened, his brow no longer dark, but his complexion was even paler, looking weak and spiritless.
He was sitting on the bed, wrapped in a quilt, having breakfast.
A jar of thin and watery millet porridge, a small dish of pickled melon skin, and half a flatbread.
The bread must have been very hard; the youth took a couple of bites but couldn’t manage to chew it.
The patient room was large, with many patients, but there was only a fire basin placed in the corner, clearly insufficient for warmth.
He recognized He Lingchuan and put down the bread, not making a show of getting off the bed, just clasping his fists and saying: “Young Master He!”
“Just eat your meal. How is your injury?” He Lingchuan thought this person was interesting; others all referred to him as Young Master, but only this youth called him “Young Master.”
The youth picked up the jar and slurped the porridge: “The doctor said I won’t die.”
“My mother is grateful for your protection and specifically instructed me to visit.” He Lingchuan said, taking out a sandalwood box and handing it to him, “A small gift, not worthy of thanks.”
Inside the box were two night pearls the size of lychees, perfectly round; there were also two pieces of fine mutton fat white jade, looking as plump as fatty meat, glistening and smooth.
These were items used by Madam Ying to express gratitude for saving a life, not shabby at all.
These four treasures could easily be sold for at least two hundred taels of silver.
Even in Shihuan City, this amount of money would be enough for a family of four to live comfortably for several years.
“Just a small effort, Sun does not dare to accept.” The youth did not expect the He family’s gift to be so valuable, momentarily unable to hide his surprise, “How is Madam Ying?”
“She… was a bit startled and is resting today.”
“What happened last night?”
The youth had been struck by a poisoned arrow and had passed out early, missing the climax.
At this moment, Liu Bangban stepped forward, placing a whole basket of fruit on the table and lifting the lid.
Then he left the medical hall to attend to other matters assigned by He Lingchuan.
Inside the basket were two large bags of strawberries and a bag of big red dates.
In the cold winter season, fruits were more expensive than meat.
“Last night, it’s a bit complicated to explain.” He Lingchuan stroked his chin, “In short, both the werewolves and the ghost apes were subdued, but the ghost ape was subsequently rescued by its master, and we have yet to find it.”
“Were there any casualties?”
“The injuries were on me and General Ke. A coachman was shot in the left eye and brought here, but he was beyond treatment; you’re luckier than him.” He Lingchuan said, “My father has already sent a substantial compensation to his family.”
Indeed, he was lucky to be alive, the youth sighed deeply.
He Lingchuan noticed a hint of melancholy in his expression.
Next, the youth introduced himself, saying his name was Sun Hongye, and he had been a companion reader for the third young master of the He family a few months ago before leaving the He family to work as an accountant in a rice shop.
“The Fangtai He family?” Why did that sound familiar?
“That’s the family of the current Imperial Censor He Liwen. You met the third young master of the He family yesterday.”
“Oh!” He Lingchuan remembered, “He Su?”
Sun Hongye nodded.
“Then why did you go to Luming Garden to find General Ke?”
“I…” The youth pressed his lips into a line, his face slightly flushed, hesitating for a while, “I recommended myself to General Ke.”
He Lingchuan became even more curious: “What position are you seeking?”
“Advisor, military strategist!” Since he had said it, Sun Hongye simply let it out, “Rather than waiting to be slaughtered in Shihuan, I’d rather serve a wise lord and build a career!”
(End of Chapter)