Chapter 00002: Finally, It Arrives
# Finally, It Arrives
Chapter 2
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 2: Finally, It Arrives
With just a glance, He Lingchuan didn’t even need to speak before a golden-threaded jujube was brought to his lips.
He stretched lazily and sighed inwardly, “Ah, what a comfortable life.”
It had been over a month since he had taken over this body.
Aside from the excruciating pain of waking up covered in bloody wounds, his days in Blackwater City had been nothing short of blissful.
Jinzhou was located in the far northwest corner of the Yuan Kingdom, and Blackwater City was only ten miles from the border, serving as the kingdom’s gatekeeper.
While it sounded prestigious, this geographical location meant Jinzhou rarely received the emperor’s attention, especially since it had been peaceful for years without any wars.
But the upside was that it was far from the emperor’s reach.
The He family ruled their little domain like local emperors, and as the eldest son of the prefect, He Lingchuan could get whatever he wanted in Blackwater City, or even the entire Qiansong County.
His standard of living could be summed up in three words: the absolute best.
The delicacies on his table, the toys in his hands, and his daily income—while not exactly a collection of rare treasures from all corners of the world—were things many wealthy folks in the inner regions couldn’t even dream of enjoying.
The original owner of this body had grown up in such a carefree environment until the age of sixteen.
How to put it? He Lingchuan’s assessment of the original owner was that he had a bad temper and was somewhat arrogant.
The guy had been full of himself, enjoying falconry, hunting with hounds, and other such pursuits.
If not for that, he wouldn’t have encountered that major accident on Hulu Mountain.
Though the body had fully recovered, its new owner had no intention of picking up the original’s hobbies.
Over the past month, He Lingchuan often thought about the incident on the cliff.
The leopard demon that attacked him had seemed severely injured beforehand.
Would the person who wounded it come chasing after him to Blackwater City? But as time passed, both inside and outside the city remained peaceful.
Beneath the surface of this idyllic life, there seemed to be undercurrents of unease.
This made He Lingchuan, who had once been a hardworking laborer only worthy of “blessings,” feel somewhat unsettled while enjoying the privileges of his new life.
He took a couple of sips of warm wine and suddenly felt a bit stifled, signaling Uncle Hao to open the window.
As soon as the window opened, a chilly breeze rushed in.
The people on the second floor couldn’t help but shiver, and the papers on the table in the neighboring booth were swept downstairs, including a couple of small silver notes, which immediately caused a commotion as people scrambled to grab them.
No one paid attention to the chaos downstairs.
Liu Baobao tightened his robe.
He Lingchuan took a deep breath, pushing away his minor worries.
Just then, the play downstairs ended, and he led the applause, saying cheerfully, “Bravo! A reward!” With that, he casually removed the jade pendant from his waist and handed it to someone to take downstairs as a tip.
With the top patron setting the example, the atmosphere in the room soared, and the audience downstairs also began generously tipping.
Outside the window was Blackwater City’s main street.
As the window opened, the bustling noise drifted in with the wind.
He Lingchuan glanced out and saw the street teeming with carriages and people, a constant flow of activity.
The main street, which had been widened three times, could accommodate eight standard carriages side by side, but at this moment, there wasn’t even a two-foot gap to be found.
“It’s this lively already?”
Uncle Hao, standing beside He Lingchuan, replied, “It’s already August. Merchants are rushing to pass through before the Red Cliff Trade Route closes, transporting the last batch of goods before winter.”
This was the personal bodyguard the He family had arranged for their beloved son after the Hulu Mountain incident, to ensure he wouldn’t face any more accidents.
He Lingchuan nodded.
Blackwater City was located on the edge of the Coiling Dragon Desert.
While it looked desolate, it was a crucial route connecting the western nations and the Yuan Kingdom, as it was a must-pass checkpoint on the famous Red Cliff Road.
Desert trade was always perilous, with unpredictable weather and frequent bandit attacks, and the Coiling Dragon Desert was the pinnacle of such dangers.
Countless predecessors had shed blood and sweat to carve out a relatively safe passage through the desert—the Red Cliff Trade Route.
However, the heart of the Coiling Dragon Desert would undergo drastic changes in September, making even the Red Cliff Trade Route unsafe.
Experienced merchants had to time their journeys carefully to pass through early, allowing them to hike prices and make a hefty profit during the months the route was closed.
While other places were busiest during the New Year, Blackwater City’s peak season was now.
Wealthy merchants had arrived, and all businesses were thriving.
The streets were alive with the calls of vendors, and even the horse troughs at the inns were full.
The taxes Blackwater City collected over these two months must be substantial, right?
He Lingchuan snapped out of his thoughts, realizing he was worrying about his father’s duties, and couldn’t help but chuckle.
Just then, someone downstairs requested an audience with the young master of the He family.
It was a messenger from a local gang called the Red-White Path.
After coming upstairs and bowing, the messenger didn’t speak, instead glancing around nervously.
He Lingchuan waved his hand, and the servants immediately retreated three paces away.
Liu Baobao, ever tactful, found an excuse to stroll off to another booth.
Only Uncle Hao remained standing in place.
“Speak. What’s the matter?”
The messenger, sent by his gang leader, reported that two dusty travelers had just entered the Zhuzhi Tavern, asking about something.
In a bustling hub like Blackwater City, where travelers from all directions were as numerous as fish in a river, the best places to gather information were naturally the local taverns, teahouses, and brothels.
The two outsiders’ approach wasn’t wrong.
But they clearly didn’t understand the local dynamics.
Organizations like the Red-White Path, though always lamenting how hard it was for their brothers to earn a living, actually monopolized one of the most profitable businesses in the area: alcohol.
The two travelers had the misfortune of walking into a tavern frequented by Red-White Path members.
“They’re tracking an injured sand leopard?” Hearing this, He Lingchuan felt his heart clench. “And they specified the area near Blackwater City?”
Trouble had finally arrived.
“Exactly,” the gang member replied, glancing at He Lingchuan and quickly lowering his head.
The young master’s temples were bulging with veins, clearly furious. “Both of them spoke with eastern Yuan accents. Our members said they sounded like they were from the east. The bartender told them sand leopards live in the western mountains, far from here. They didn’t argue, just said anyone with information should find them, and there would be a heavy reward, whether the target was dead or alive.”
(End of Chapter)