Chapter 00226: Familiar Faces
# Familiar Faces
Chapter 226
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 226: Familiar Faces
"No matter if it's in Xilo, Baling, Xianyou, or other places accessible via the commercial routes, it is very popular. Just this one snail shell can sell for at least one or two silver in the market; if transported back to the Xilo Kingdom, I’ve heard it can sell for two taels without any problem."
He Lingchuan took out a glowing spore to shine on it, and surprisingly, the snail in Liu Tong's hand was bright yellow, the color of Shoushan Tianhuang Frozen, but with a hint of green and a touch of purple, as if it had been dyed in a very casual manner.
Casual, yet possessing a beauty of spirit, as if each color was a stroke of genius.
"The Candy Snail only produces in the caves of Yanshan, and the Panlong City has sent people to guard it, not allowing private collection," Liu Tong said with a smile.
"Our contributions in the Ghost Needle Stone Forest are not small; this is a special reward."
A spark suddenly ignited in the eyes of the thin man: "This treasure is just too beautiful!" One tael of silver is a thousand big coins! "Can we each take six?"
"Yes, but don’t think about bringing more," Liu Tong said seriously.
"If discovered, our team will be fined ten taels of silver and lose military merit!"
He stared at the thin man, his tone turning stern: "Thin man, did you hear that!"
He was most worried about this guy.
The thin man waved his hands repeatedly: "Rest assured, I never do anything out of line!"
At that moment, everyone dispersed to search for snails in the cave.
Recently, there had been heavy snowfall, and now the cave was warm and humid, with lichen and moss even sprouting, making it a paradise for snails, so they were particularly active, crawling out from their hiding places and wandering around.
In no time, everyone had gathered enough.
Fists pressed against fists, palms opened, dozens of snails huddled together, their colors radiant like a rainbow after the rain.
Gold, red, blue, indigo, purple, yellow… there were colors beyond imagination, and even the most skilled candy maker could not produce such colorful candies.
"This is just too beautiful!" Liu Tiao exclaimed, "I won’t sell it; I want to keep it!"
Making bracelets, pendants, hairpins, wouldn’t that outshine pearls and agates by a whole street?
The door board heard this and scratched his head: "After we go out, I’ll give you mine too."
Liu Tiao was stunned: "Ah, okay, I’ll buy it from you, but you have to give me the teammate price."
"Only things that girls like, I can give you as a gift."
Only then did Liu Tiao smile like a blooming flower.
The thin man and He Lingchuan exchanged glances and sighed.
On the way back to the city, everything was peaceful.
Soon, the prominent gates of Panlong City appeared in sight.
No matter when, this grand gate always gave the military and travelers the most solid confidence.
However, as He Lingchuan approached, he discovered that the crowd pouring out of the city was endless, all carrying bedding, riding donkeys and in carts.
This didn’t look like a merchant convoy; it resembled a migrating group.
The door board wondered: "What’s going on?"
Panlong City rarely opens its gates wide, releasing so many people at once—except for the military.
It was always the common folk moving into the city with their families; it was rare to see them jostling to move out.
He Lingchuan glanced over and unexpectedly spotted familiar faces in the crowd:
Liu Sanjiu and his wife, along with a pair of children.
They were still leading that shaggy donkey, which was still carrying a large bundle of luggage, its eyes filled with resentment.
In the past, when Weicheng fell, He Lingchuan had mingled into the fleeing crowd, and the first family he encountered was Liu Sanjiu's.
They worked at a tavern in a small town in Weicheng.
He Lingchuan had even chatted with them for a while until the Baling pursuers arrived.
The events of that great battle were vivid in He Lingchuan's mind, and of course, he could not forget these figures.
A few patrolling guards were by the roadside, and Liu Sanjiu also spotted him, exclaiming in surprise: "You, it’s you…!"
He certainly recognized the young man who had helped him on the escape route, but unfortunately, he couldn’t remember his surname, so he stammered and quickly asked, "Are you doing well? Are you going back together?"
"Back?" He Lingchuan smiled, "Where to?"
"Of course to Weicheng."
Liu Sanjiu said, a bit embarrassed, "General Hong has recaptured Weicheng, and County Guard Sun is taking us home."
He still remembered the situation during the escape, and seeing He Lingchuan again now made his emotions somewhat subtle.
He Lingchuan's appearance seemed to remind him of how humiliating and lowly he had felt back then.
He Lingchuan looked at the long line: "Are all these people from Weicheng?"
"Yes, yes."
Liu Sanjiu's wife smiled brightly, "I never expected that in our lifetime we could return."
The thin man looked at them and suddenly said: "If it weren’t for Brother He sacrificing himself to blow up the Spider Demon’s lair in the Ghost Needle Stone Forest, and if General Hong hadn’t personally infiltrated Weicheng to reclaim it, you would only be able to stay in Panlong City farming, although I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that!"
The smiles on Liu Sanjiu and his wife froze slightly.
They were not clear about the events at the front; they only knew that recapturing Weicheng was just one of General Hong's many achievements.
General Hong had fought too many victorious battles, and the common folk had become numb to the good news.
Liu Sanjiu deeply bowed to He Lingchuan: "Thank you, Brother He!"
He Lingchuan waved his hand: "Why do you want to go back to Weicheng? Isn’t it safer in Panlong City?"
"Panlong City is indeed a good place, and the Chipa Plateau behind it is like paradise."
Liu Sanjiu exchanged glances with his wife, "But we’re just not used to it. Home is still better."
"How could the people of Weicheng move together?" Liu Tong thought from another angle, "Is someone gathering them?"
"I heard that County Guard Sun made a request to Commander Zhong to return to the city, and Commander Zhong agreed."
Liu Sanjiu's wife replied, "County Guard Sun announced the news in the city, asking those from Weicheng who planned to return to first register at the office, and then gather at the south gate today to set off, with military escort as well."
Indeed, there were figures of Panlong soldiers patrolling nearby, it seemed that Zhong Shengguang was determined to escort the people of Weicheng home.
Liu Sanjiu looked at He Lingchuan, whose military armor was very conspicuous: "Brother He, you’ve joined the army?"
He Lingchuan nodded.
"In Panlong City, you will definitely stand out!" Liu Sanjiu cupped his hands and said, "Please be sure to pay attention to safety."
Both sides waved goodbye, each going their own way.
They all knew they might not meet again, so their smiles were particularly sincere.
"Alright, put away your fake smile."
Liu Tiao couldn’t stand it anymore and rolled her eyes at He Lingchuan, "You didn’t save this family too, did you?"
"Um—" He had participated in the rear guard action led by Captain Xiao, buying more time for the common folk to escape, so, "I guess so."
Liu Tiao scoffed: "He can’t even remember your surname."
Liu Sanjiu's hesitant expression did not escape her keen eyes.
"It doesn’t matter."
He Lingchuan turned his horse's head towards Panlong City.
Who told him he was a selfless good person?
After entering the city and bidding farewell to his teammates, He Lingchuan returned to his small house, where many gifts were piled outside.
He moved everything inside; the small courtyard had already been occupied by half, and there was hardly any space left for the water tank.
He casually boiled some lukewarm water to wash away the dust and fatigue.
Home, a place where one can light a fire in winter, is the best harbor for the heart.
Just as he finished drying his hair, he heard a commotion outside; something had fallen in the courtyard, accompanied by the mournful cries of birds.
What happened?
He pushed the door open and saw black and white feathers flying everywhere in the small courtyard; the only piece of furniture, a bench, had fallen over, and there was a small pool of blood on the ground.
On the wall stood a bird of prey, brown feathers with white spots, pinning down a magpie beneath its claws, its head already gone, its body still twitching.
The bird of prey was using its hook-like beak to pluck feathers, which fell into He Lingchuan's courtyard, still stained with blood.
Clearly, his courtyard had turned into a hunting ground.
He Lingchuan whistled to remind the uninvited guest to mind its manners and not cause too much trouble for the owner.
Why does this bird look familiar?
The bird of prey also saw him come out but did not dodge; instead, it tilted its head to examine him closely and suddenly spoke: "So it’s you."
Upon hearing it speak, He Lingchuan responded: "So it’s you."
Isn’t this the Sparrow Hawk he encountered in the Ghost Needle Stone Forest? At that time, this demon had received orders from General Nan Ke to grab the command token and fireball to blow up the spider nest, but who knew that Zhu Erniang's silk was too tough, and the task had to be handed over to Sun Jiayuan and He Lingchuan.
After this incident, they could be considered comrades, but He Lingchuan hadn’t seen the Sparrow Hawk since then; he assumed it had followed the main force to carry out another mission.
He Lingchuan pointed at the magpie under its claws: "Thanks, this thing always chirps and disturbs my sleep."
In winter, birds were basically extinct in Panlong City, except for the fat magpies that hopped around, often stealing food from residents.
Spring hadn’t even arrived, and the magpies were already so plump; who else could the bird of prey catch?
Since they had a fateful reunion, he righted the bench and poured a bowl of clean water for the Sparrow Hawk.
The Sparrow Hawk swooped down with its spoils, landing on the bench and drinking several mouthfuls of water.
"Been well?"
"I just accompanied General Hong back from the Ghost Needle Stone Forest."
The Sparrow Hawk pecked at the meat, looking quite hungry, "The round trip took two days."
He Lingchuan was taken aback: "General Hong went to the Ghost Needle Stone Forest?"
"Yes, he led troops to attack Zhu Erniang."
The Sparrow Hawk said, "General Hong said he wanted to settle the score from last time."
The Baling people had schemed, using the cave spiders of the Ghost Needle Stone Forest to deal with the Panlong City army.
Zhu Erniang personally took action, and General Nan Ke's troops were nearly severely injured.
After that, Panlong City certainly could not tolerate it.
The Ghost Needle Stone Forest was also an important passage for Puxianggou and other friendly cities leading to the southeast, and Panlong City had the obligation to ensure the safety of its allies.
"What happened?"
"This time we went prepared, specifically looking for the cave spiders to take revenge; we burned down seven or eight of their sub-nests, and we killed more than half of Zhu Erniang's disciples. The main nest was a fierce battle; Zhu Erniang, who has been setting traps for years, ended up falling into the general's trap this time. Half of her elite spider guards were killed, and she herself had two legs broken, nearly having her belly pierced. The general threatened to burn down her last lair, and Zhu Erniang had no choice but to seek peace."
"Hiss—" He Lingchuan had seen Zhu Erniang with his own eyes.
This ancient relic of a great demon surely had no shortage of hidden tricks, yet she was beaten so badly by General Hong.
Truly deserving of the title of a formidable military god.
(End of Chapter)