Chapter 00192: Hunting the Bear
# Hunting the Bear
Chapter 192
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 192: Hunting the Bear
Sun Hongye remained silent.
He Lingchuan continued, "It's already been three days; I doubt General Ke will send anyone to look for you."
Since Sun Hongye was injured at the foot of Luming Garden, more than two days had passed, and Ke Jihai had not sent anyone to inquire about him.
This showed that General Ke did not take this insignificant commoner to heart at all.
He Lingchuan did not mind being a secondary choice: "Looking at the situation in the country, a man of ambition who wants to achieve great things will either head west or north."
Sun Hongye scrutinized He Lingchuan for a moment: "The eldest son is not as the legends say."
"Legends are just wild tales; if you believe them, you're a fool."
He Lingchuan stood up, "Let me ask you one question: will you come or not?"
"Yes!" Sun Hongye was straightforward this time, bowing deeply to He Lingchuan, "I pay my respects to the lord! From now on, I, Sun, am willing to follow you and serve you like a loyal dog or horse."
"Good, good!" He Lingchuan was overjoyed and helped him up, "I finally have my first aide!"
Liu Bangban, who stood behind him, handed over a prepared package to Sun Hongye.
He Lingchuan waved his hand, "Time waits for no one; hurry and change."
Sun Hongye entered the room and opened the package.
Inside were three sets of brand new clothes, a pair of thick boots, and several ingots of gold and silver totaling fifty taels.
This master was indeed generous; he hadn't even put in any effort, and the money had already come.
When Sun Hongye emerged in his new clothes and boots, He Lingchuan clapped his hands and said, "Indeed, a person must be dressed well. Come, put on this cloak and take a stroll in the street; I guarantee you will attract several young ladies to follow you to Xiazhou."
The cloak was embroidered on the outside and lined with soft gray fur, clearly not cheap.
Sun Hongye understood that he had spent a lot of money to show his respect, so he accepted it calmly and boarded the carriage together.
Returning to the inn, He Lingchuan learned that He Chunhua had unexpected guests.
It was Zhu Xiyan and Zhu Xiuer, this pair of grandfather and granddaughter, who had come to bid farewell.
Zhu Xiyan was chatting with He Chunhua and his wife, while Zhu Xiuer, upon seeing He Lingchuan, handed over a peace talisman, saying, "This is embroidered by my own hands. It contains the imperial gift of Di Long incense, which is colorless and odorless, but when worn, it keeps mosquitoes, venomous insects, and snakes at bay for about sixteen to seventeen months. I’ll give one to each of you brothers; may you travel safely and smoothly."
This was excellent; he wouldn't have to worry about being bitten by mosquitoes in the mountains and forests in the future.
He Lingchuan smiled as he accepted it, immediately wearing it at his waist, praising her exceptional craftsmanship.
Only in front of him did Zhu Xiuer smile without any defenses.
He Lingchuan glanced at Zhu Xiyan not far away: "How have you been during these days at the Zhu family?"
"Having not returned home for a long time, it inevitably stirred up some ripples."
Zhu Xiuer brushed her hair back, "But my grandfather dotes on me even more than before. With him around, I have nothing to worry about."
"In a few days, my grandfather wants to find a marriage match for me."
He Lingchuan examined her closely.
Zhu Xiuer appeared radiant, finally showing the vitality and brightness that a woman in her early twenties should possess.
The past by the Xianling Lake seemed to have been buried with time.
She solemnly said to He Lingchuan, "The Zhu family has a debt of gratitude towards me, but you have truly saved my life. If I can be of help in the future, you must give me this opportunity!"
He Lingchuan nodded.
At this moment, He Chunhua also walked over, greeting Zhu Xiuer with a smile, then lowered his voice, "Someone from the Zhu family has been inquiring about your past, wanting to know the truth of your experiences after being abducted, and even found out that you came into my team."
Zhu Xiuer maintained her smile: "Lord He wouldn't happen to know who that person is, would you?"
He Chunhua quietly mentioned a name.
"As expected."
Zhu Xiuer chuckled lightly, "I also found a clue; the trafficker who abducted me back then did not randomly choose his targets."
There was a cold glint hidden in her beautiful eyes.
The long torment of seven or eight years either turned people into sheep or into wolves.
He Chunhua nodded: "We must leave; you need to be cautious."
Zhu Xiuer bowed to him, "Thank you, Lord He! I will be careful."
He Lingchuan thought to himself that from now on, it would not be Zhu Xiuer who needed to be cautious.
After exchanging pleasantries and sending off gifts, Zhu Xiuer bid farewell to the He family and then helped Zhu Xiyan into the carriage.
She smiled and waved to the He brothers, lowered the curtain, and the carriage slowly moved away.
He Chunhua turned to his wife and son: "We should set off as well."
The luggage had already been packed, and the carriage was ready.
As Madam He and He Yue went to board the carriage, He Chunhua asked He Lingchuan, "The young man you brought into the inn, could he be that companion of the He family?"
He Lingchuan grinned: "I think he has talent, and I want to study a bit; he is now my companion."
He Chunhua was taken aback: "He wants to come with us?"
"Yes, his salary will be deducted from mine."
It was just hiring someone, after all.
He was sure He Chunhua would not object.
A young master like him would not appear to have status without a few attendants around him.
"You've already hired a monkey."
Adding a living person would not be cheap.
"My attendants are all left in Heishui City; I have no one to use."
He Lingchuan said with a shameless face, "So, could you help me negotiate for a bit more monthly allowance from mother?"
"…"
"Considering I nearly lost my life the night before last and am still injured?"
He Chunhua's face twitched.
If it weren't for the eldest son, how could the whole family have survived Dong Rui's sudden attack? If it weren't for the eldest son, how would he have had the opportunity to meet the heavenly face on this trip to Shihuan?
Thinking about it, since the Sun Fuping incident, this son had indeed changed a lot; not only was he diligently practicing martial arts, but he also wanted to study hard and achieve great things.
He stared intently at He Lingchuan, his expression somewhat complicated.
Until the latter began to feel uneasy under his gaze, He Chunhua slowly said, "Alright."
He Lingchuan quickly changed the subject: "By the way, how effective has the recruitment order been?"
"Very good; it’s only been three days since it was posted, and over three hundred sixty people have come for interviews, which shows how many frustrated individuals there are."
He and Mo Zhe, Jingxuan, and others had hardly had time to eat or change clothes, "After evaluation, I kept nineteen of them. They will accompany the support army northward and serve as officials to assist me in managing military and political affairs."
"Nineteen, that many!" He Lingchuan was slightly surprised, "I thought father had high standards."
"The more people there are, the easier it is to eliminate the unsuitable."
He Chunhua patted his son's shoulder, "Now we can only listen to their words; we will see their governance and actions later."
Currently, recruiting people was just theoretical; only when they reached the state capital and engaged in practical affairs would they know who was talented and who was useless.
"Although I don't have strict requirements, I also sent someone to investigate the backgrounds of these nineteen."
He Chunhua smiled, "Once we reach Dunyu, this information will arrive soon."
The gentle wind, warm sun, and golden fields.
The autumn tiger on the Chipa Plateau had already left, and a cool breeze swept through the fields.
It was the busy farming season, yet in the vast sorghum fields, not a single figure could be seen, only the tall plants swaying in the wind.
Soon, a rustling sound came from the field, and the sorghum began to shake violently, moving from far to near.
A figure dashed out, appearing as if it were flying, but in reality, the pounding footsteps kicked up large clumps of mud from the ground.
He had to run fast because a massive figure suddenly burst out from the sorghum field, closely pursuing him.
This was a gigantic brown bear, at least twice the size of its kind.
If it stood upright, it would be over fifteen feet tall, and its paw was as large as a grinding stone.
Its fur was originally sleek and shiny, but as it ran, the ground shook, and its entire body undulated like waves, showing how robust it was.
However, now the bear had two feathered arrows lodged in its back and hindquarters, and a long spear stuck in its shoulder, with blood flowing down its fur and pooling on the ground.
The pain had ignited its ferocity, and it was desperately chasing the human ahead.
Although bears do not enjoy long-distance running, they can sprint faster than horses.
Especially for a bear of this size, each step was at least equivalent to four or five steps of a human.
The unfortunate soul running in front was thin and small, fast as an antelope, and very agile, narrowly escaping the bear's claws several times.
Fortunately, he knew how to dodge and weave; if he had run in a straight line, he would have been caught by the bear long ago.
Even so, he was still in grave danger.
As the giant bear closed in behind him, it reached out its paw, intending to use its five-inch-long gray claws to gut him.
If it missed, it would pull back its paw, creating a gust of wind that would drag the thin man back.
This brown bear actually had the innate ability to summon the wind.
The thin man dodged another deadly swipe, shouting, "Help! I can't hold on much longer!"
As soon as he finished speaking, two feathered arrows shot out from the forest, one hitting the bear's waist and the other its rib.
The giant bear roared in pain, but it remained fixated on the human in front of it.
It lunged forward, sweeping its front paw, and finally struck the thin man!
He was sent flying like a ball, crashing into a large tree before coming to a stop, a flash of yellow light appearing as a talisman at his waist shattered.
Dazed and confused, he heard his companion shout "Be careful!" and when he focused again, the giant bear was already pouncing on him; he could almost smell the stench of its breath!
There was no time to run away; without thinking, the thin man flipped over and climbed up the tree.
The giant bear missed its target and, in a fit of rage, followed suit, climbing up the tree, drool dripping from its mouth, yellow mixed with green.
The tree was tall, with a trunk thick enough for five or six people to hug, and the branches were sprawling and twisted.
The giant bear could not avoid the branches and simply charged upward, breaking as many as it could.
In this situation, of course, the slender thin man climbed faster.
It seemed someone below was shouting, saying something like "Don't go any higher!"
The thin man was unwilling to listen; below, a massive mouth was hot on his heels.
Just as he muttered to himself, his hand suddenly felt light, and with a crack—
The branch he was relying on broke.
Oh no!
The thin man fell freely, trying to grab onto two branches to slow his descent, but they both snapped.
It was over.
He silently cursed his fate.
The giant bear below immediately opened its mouth wide, waiting for this delivery to be served.
But at that moment, a long knife flew in from an angle, slicing into the giant bear's jaw with a "thud."
(End of Chapter)