Chapter 00234: He Lingchuan's Shop
# He Lingchuan's Shop
Chapter 234
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 234: He Lingchuan's Shop
A speck of white snow rested on He Chunhua's shoulder, while a small withered branch clung to He Yue's cloak—clear signs they had walked quite a distance.
He Lingchuan waited until the two approached before asking, "Old man, second brother, why didn't you take a carriage back?" The weather was freezing.
"Just taking a walk to rest a bit," He Chunhua exhaled a white puff of breath, "and to clear my head."
For an official with cultivation, his complexion looked unusually haggard.
He Lingchuan also noticed dark circles under He Yue's eyes, along with faint red streaks in them.
"What's wrong with you, kid? Sneaking out at night to steal chickens?" He walked alongside them toward home.
Whether it was just his imagination or not, there had been an unspoken harmony between the two, but the moment He Lingchuan stepped between them, it shattered.
"Been auditing account books all night these past few days," He Yue yawned.
"Tonight, we still have to review the military farmland records. The situation isn’t looking good."
Both father and son looked as wilted as frostbitten eggplants, while He Lingchuan himself was full of energy—making him feel a bit embarrassed.
"How bad is it?"
"Xiazhou’s military farmlands are spread across five counties. The numbers I got show a total of eight *tun*," He Yue frowned.
"That’s way too little. Father dug up the original records from forty-five years ago, and back then, Xiazhou had twenty *tun*!"
His gaze toward his father held a hint of admiration—how had he managed to unearth such well-hidden original documents?
He Chunhua coughed lightly.
"Had some connections."
He never went into battle unprepared.
Seeing He Lingchuan counting on his fingers, He Yue kindly explained, "Each *tun* is fifty *qing*. That means six hundred *qing* of land have been lost over forty-five years!"
Military farmlands were a type of public land—originally state-controlled wastelands later organized by local authorities to be cultivated by soldiers or civilians, with the harvest supplying military provisions.
The He family had plenty of experience with warfare and knew the principle that an army marches on its stomach.
Transporting grain over long distances meant consuming seventy percent of it en route.
Now that Xiazhou had become a frontline, military farmlands would undoubtedly be a priority for official supply.
Producing and delivering grain locally would drastically cut time and reduce losses during transport.
But with Xiazhou’s military farmland reduced by more than half—what was going on?
He Lingchuan made an understanding sound.
"Encroachment again?"
"Mn. Over the years, officials and gentry colluded to sell off the military farmlands as private property," He Yue rubbed his eyes.
"Another mess of an account. We have to hurry and uncover the details in the next two days."
"They even dared to sell military farmland?" He Lingchuan gave a thumbs-up.
"Impressive."
"Previous administrations borrowed heavily from wealthy families. In bad years, when they couldn’t repay, they used military farmland to settle debts," He Yue said, his tone numb after days of auditing.
"Of course, that’s just one of the reasons."
Seeing the exhaustion yet determination in their eyes, He Lingchuan couldn’t help but ask, "Old man, is there anything I can do to help?"
"I was just about to ask you," He Chunhua studied him.
"You broke through again?"
"Yeah."
He Yue’s eyes brimmed with envy.
"Brother, that’s just unfair. Last time when the Heavenly River descended, you just broke through, and now you’ve done it again..."
"Since when has the world ever been fair?" He Lingchuan laughed heartily.
"My blade has been thirsting for action. Next time there’s a big battle, I’m definitely joining!"
"You’ll have plenty of chances," He Chunhua smiled.
"Once we’ve straightened out the mess in Dunyu, I’ll be touring Xiazhou—especially the northern frontlines. You’ll come with me."
As the newly appointed governor of Xiazhou, it was his duty to inspect the local customs, governance, and public sentiment across the region.
Especially now, with the looming threat of war, a personal visit from the governor would help reassure the people.
He Lingchuan clenched his fist, knuckles cracking.
"Good."
He Chunhua grinned.
"In a few days, I’ll assign you a mission."
***
Returning to the dream of Panlong City, the snow in the wooden house’s courtyard reached past his calves, making it difficult for He Lingchuan to even push open the door.
He grabbed a broom and swept the thick snow into a corner before starting his martial training.
The mountain of gifts had dwindled by eighty percent, with the remaining neatly arranged in the kitchen—two jars placed beside the water vat.
This was likely Sun Fuling’s doing.
She had promised to help donate the piles of thank-you gifts—if it wasn’t her, then the little thief who stole the fish and firewood must have cleared them out.
He Lingchuan called out twice, but there was no response from next door.
She must have gone out again.
Yet whenever the wind blew, a delicate tinkling sound followed.
He peeked over the wall and saw that Sun Fuling’s courtyard was even simpler and emptier than his—just a chair and a ladder, nothing more.
But beneath the eaves hung a wind chime made of seashells.
The colorful shells, each polished smooth and round, chimed beautifully when the wind stirred them.
He Lingchuan recognized them as part of the gifts Panlong City’s residents had given him.
It seemed Sun Fuling had kept this one for herself.
But the snow in her courtyard was even thicker, suggesting she hadn’t been home for at least three or four days.
Maybe she had another residence?
He shrugged and refocused on his training.
Today’s practice centered on the grappling hook—he had bought one in Panlong City, though it wasn’t a magical artifact and wasn’t as good as the ones crafted by Li Fubo.
The initial goal was to hook the branches of the jujube tree—and to hit the exact branch he aimed for.
He had a feeling this tool would be invaluable later, so he needed to master it quickly.
Honestly, the number of skills he needed to practice kept growing, and no matter how much he trained day and night, it never felt like enough time.
The rope’s handling was completely different from a blade or bow—soft and hard to control.
After just a few attempts, the hook got stuck in a tree fork, refusing to budge.
Just then, footsteps approached from outside.
They stopped at his gate, and a moment later, a sealed letter was slipped under the door.
Then, the person left.
He Lingchuan picked it up and saw it was an official dispatch bearing a wax seal.
Turns out, the Pengcheng Office was urging him to claim his shop.
Last time, he had exchanged all his rewards for a storefront on Panlong’s main street—then promptly forgot about it.
The shop still had miscellaneous items inside that needed clearing before he could rent it out.
He Lingchuan had been busy, but the Pengcheng Office wasn’t about to let him delay any longer.
Storefronts on Panlong’s main street were like golden geese—strictly managed.
The shops were all owned by Panlong City; he only had leasing rights.
Since the authorities were pressing him to open soon, he had no choice but to comply.
Resigned, He Lingchuan dug out the shop key and hailed a donkey cart to the main street.
Panlong’s main street was shaped like a cross, with the southern branch being Wanglin Avenue—where his shop was located.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t at the street’s dead end.
Though the storefront was small and its wooden door shut tight, the foot traffic outside was shoulder-to-shoulder—a prime location.
A shop here would sell anything, wouldn’t it?
A patrolling guard stood by the door.
Seeing He Lingchuan take out the key, the guard stepped aside with a gesture of invitation.
He Lingchuan also noticed a yellow seal pasted on the door.
He had to ask, "What’s this about?"
"Too many people trying to break in illegally," the guard said, watching as He Lingchuan peeled off the seal.
"From now on, the shop is yours to manage."
With his task complete, the guard turned on his heel and left.
He Lingchuan shook his head at the retreating figure, then unlocked and pushed open the door.
With a creak, dust billowed out as the double doors swung wide.
He coughed twice and summoned a gust of wind to clear the air.
Rumor had it this used to be an antique and sundry shop.
Stepping inside, he saw remnants of the previous owner’s hasty departure—scattered odds and ends, toppled furniture, and thick layers of dust everywhere.
A few footprints on the floor suggested recent visitors—no wonder a guard had been posted outside.
Covering his nose with a cloth, He Lingchuan rummaged around but found nothing of value.
The most expensive items were probably the redwood display cabinet and chairs in the inner room—likely left behind in the owner’s rush.
None of this mattered much, though.
The real treasure was the shop itself.
Just as he was grumbling, two mice scurried out from the cabinet, darting along the wall and fleeing the shop in a panic.
Left unattended for so long, even rodents had made it their home.
In their haste, they knocked over a basket, spilling its contents onto the floor.
He Lingchuan looked—books.
Most were storybooks—two on myths and supernatural tales, while the other five were… adult literature, with bold wording and illustrations so explicit even his thick skin couldn’t withstand them.
Such corrupting material couldn’t be left here.
He’d take them back.
Food, lust—basic human desires.
A sundry shop selling these wasn’t strange; they might’ve even been bestsellers.
There was also a map and a thin booklet.
The map depicted eastern Panlong Wasteland, crudely drawn with only major roads and landmarks marked—like the Ghost Needle Stone Forest.
It was He Lingchuan’s first time seeing the full layout of the Chipa Highlands.
Probably something traveling merchants would need.
As for the thin booklet, its cover read *Hundred Fragrances Collection*.
He initially thought it was some pretentious literary work or melancholic poetry, but upon opening it—nope.
It was actually a comprehensive guide to edible spices, their identification, and recipes.
The booklet was riddled with wormholes, dusty, and reeked of mildew.
The author’s name at the end was too smudged to read, so He Lingchuan had no idea who wrote it.
But it was richly illustrated.
For spices like cardamom and angelica—which He Lingchuan already knew from his other world—the book not only described them clearly but also included sketches for identification.
The drawings were… abstract, to say the least, but the author’s intentions were good.
The real value lay in the latter half, detailing various spice combinations, their effects, and usage scenarios.
Wasn’t this… wasn’t this…? He Lingchuan’s eyes lit up, and he pocketed it without hesitation.
To be fair, an ordinary resident would find this booklet useless.
Their cooking was simple—salt was a luxury, let alone soy sauce.
They’d never bother with such complex seasonings.
But was He Lingchuan an ordinary person?
Turns out the junk shop wasn’t entirely junk—he’d just struck gold.
Just then, the light at the doorway dimmed—someone had entered.
(End of Chapter)