Chapter 00019: The Commander's Token
# The Commander's Token
Chapter 19
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 19: The Commander's Token
He Yue quickly stepped back, his voice filled with anger, "Commander Nian, please show some restraint!"
Nian Songyu, far from showing restraint, reached out to grab the young man.
He Yue's face turned pale with fear.
Fortunately, someone rushed in from the side, throwing a punch straight at Nian Songyu's face!
The punch was powerful, and if it had landed, Nian Songyu would have been sent flying at least ten feet, his face bruised and swollen.
But Nian Songyu was quick to react.
He slightly crouched, meeting the punch with his own fist, while simultaneously kicking towards the attacker's chest with great force, clearly enraged.
This move, however, caused him to release He Yue.
The attacker had actually feinted with the punch; the real attack was a short blade in his left hand, silently thrusting towards Nian Songyu's side.
Nian Songyu, having noticed this, took two steps back, preemptively dodging the kick.
He Yue's shout came just then, "Stop! Don't fight!"
The newcomer was none other than He Lingchuan.
Without waiting for Nian Songyu to speak, He Lingchuan tilted his head, feigning surprise, "Commander Nian, it's you!"
"I thought some shameless rogue had sneaked in, trying to tarnish my younger brother's innocence," He Lingchuan said with a strange tone.
"Commander Nian, what are you doing standing in front of his restroom?"
"I have trouble sleeping in unfamiliar beds, so I was just taking a walk and happened to run into Young Master He Yue, so we had a chat," Nian Songyu patted his sleeve.
"The capital is a place of mixed characters. You'll need someone to look out for you when you move there from the countryside."
He gave He Yue a gentle smile, "Young Master He Yue, it's rare that we get along so well. How about we have a drink tomorrow night?"
He Yue's face was pale, and he remained silent.
"Sure, my brother and I will definitely join you, and we won't stop until we're drunk!" He Lingchuan quickly took over the conversation.
"But I tend to get a bit wild when I drink, Commander Nian, so you'll have to bear with me."
Nian Songyu chuckled twice, feeling that this guy's demeanor was a bit sleazy and not wanting to engage further.
He Lingchuan added, "By the way, have you found out who leaked the news of my severe injury? It must be a traitor!"
Nian Songyu's smile slowly faded, "Not yet."
With that, he turned and walked away leisurely.
As soon as he disappeared, He Yue rushed to the pond to wash his hands, moving as fast as a rabbit with its tail on fire.
He Lingchuan heard him swear, which was rare, and saw his pale face as he washed his hands over and over, as if he wanted to scrub off a layer of skin.
"Big brother, thank goodness you were here."
After all, he was only fourteen years old.
No matter how mature he seemed, in moments like these, he still relied on his older brother for support.
"Seeing his punchable face, I couldn't help but want to hit him too," He Lingchuan comforted him.
"But even if I weren't here, he wouldn't have really done anything to you today."
"Was he just pretending?" He Yue frowned.
"I've looked into Nian Songyu, and it seems he really has such preferences."
Several generations of the Falcon Emperor had a fondness for male beauty, which became a trend in the capital, with many high-ranking officials keeping handsome young men.
A good-looking youth like He Yue was exactly the kind of prey some people liked.
"Whether he was pretending or not, it's unclear," He Lingchuan chuckled.
"But by threatening you, for the sake of your innocence, our family has to speed things up. Luring with benefits in the afternoon, intimidating at night, that's called a double approach."
He pinched his brother's cheek hard, "Look at this tender skin, no wonder others have ill intentions. I told you to practice martial arts with me, but you refused."
He Yue slapped his hand away with a "smack," "They're already impatient. Is it because of the imminent changes in the Coiling Dragon Desert?"
"Maybe," He Lingchuan turned to leave, "You should sleep early, I'm going to find something to eat."
"The lower cabinet in the big kitchen often hides snacks."
"What's there today?"
"A bowl of walnut cakes," He Yue coughed, "But only half is left."
"Not the apple honey pastries?" He Lingchuan suddenly realized, "No wonder I couldn't find them sometimes, you've been sneaking them!"
When he reached a secluded spot, he vigorously shook his left fist.
"Ouch, that hurts," he looked at his reddened knuckles, not broken but slightly swollen, "That Nian Songyu, he's got some strength."
His fist had been tempered with iron sand and flint for years, capable of easily breaking a thick wooden sword.
But the force that came back from punching Nian Songyu made his knuckles ache.
￥￥￥￥￥
Early the next morning, the two guests were invited to the main hall, where He Chunhua personally delivered the good news.
"The entire leopard corpse has been recovered," the county magistrate had worked late into the night, sleeping only for an hour, but now he looked radiant, more spirited than his two sons.
"But I think, you two only need this leopard tooth."
He opened his palm, revealing the leopard tooth.
Nian Songyu eagerly leaned in, "Let me see!"
No one cared how the leopard corpse had been recovered.
It was just a story, and everyone knew it.
But He Chunhua sighed, "I thought it was some enemy working behind the scenes, after all, Blackwater City is on the frontier, surrounded by enemies. I didn't expect there to be so much behind this. Delaying the Grand Preceptor's important matter, I beg your forgiveness."
What could Grand Preceptor Sun say, he could only be magnanimous, "It's fine, those who don't know are not at fault, especially since Young Master He was seriously injured."
So He Chunhua took out the leopard tooth, pouring its contents onto a brocade tray, "Everything is here, Grand Preceptor, please see, which one is the token?"
Everyone gathered around to look, and Sun Fuping asked for a cup of water, into which he dropped a grass seed.
After just two shakes, the grass seed began to take root and sprout, growing at a visible rate.
In just over ten breaths, it grew into a flowering plant, with only one fluffy white flower, six petals, the size of a fingernail.
Sun Fuping picked up the items on the brocade tray, bringing them close to the small flower one by one.
The flower showed no reaction, until—
Until He Lingchuan brought the half-broken comb close, and suddenly the white flower withered, even the stem and leaves shriveled up, finally turning into powder, drifting away in the water.
"That should be it," Sun Fuping was about to reach out, but He Chunhua quickly took the comb, examining it carefully, "Even after over a hundred years, the resentment attached to it is still so strong."
Nian Songyu asked curiously, "The token of the Coiling Dragon City's commander is actually a comb?"
He Lingchuan shrugged, "He once had a wife and daughter."
He Yue continued the question, "There's one thing I don't understand. After the Xianyou Kingdom finally breached Coiling Dragon City, why didn't they take the Grand Square Pot? They suffered a lot, they should know its value."
"According to the Xianyou Kingdom's historical records, after the army breached Coiling Dragon City and massacred the population, on the third day the river wells dried up, even the moat's water disappeared overnight; on the fifth day, the grass turned black and rotted, crops and withered grass died; on the seventh day, all livestock fell dead. Seeing the place was inauspicious, the Xianyou army had to withdraw quickly, especially with no water or food, people couldn't hold out. Moreover, this force was immediately sent to fight in the north, and the Grand Square Pot was never used," Grand Preceptor Sun took a sip of tea, "Not only that, I've searched through Xianyou's historical texts and found no record of the Confusion Heart Worm being used in any battle. Such a treasure, once obtained by the Xianyou Kingdom, would surely have been deployed on the battlefield."
(End of Chapter)