Chapter 00237: The Pine Sun Manor Branch
# The Pine Sun Manor Branch**
Chapter 237
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
**Chapter 237: The Pine Sun Manor Branch**
His original weapon was a massive axe as thick as a door plank, so this hefty wooden club was nothing to him in terms of weight.
Holding the spiked mace in one hand, he slapped it lightly against his other palm twice.
"Come at me."
He Lingchuan gripped his longsword and took a deep breath.
Against a mountainous opponent like this, was the best strategy to use finesse to counter brute strength, agility to counter sheer mass?
He activated the Swallow’s Return movement technique, darting forward like a swallow skimming the water.
In an instant, he was right in front of Meng Shan, thrusting his blade straight at the man’s instep.
No one’s instep was heavily armored.
If this strike landed, Meng Shan’s mobility would surely be compromised.
Then, the light above him suddenly dimmed.
***
"Damn it!"
He Lingchuan let out a yell and sat up abruptly.
The medicine monkey Ling Guang, who had been munching on a melon, was so startled that he dropped the fruit.
As he picked it up, he shot He Lingchuan a resentful look.
In the freezing cold, such a sweet melon wasn’t easy to come by.
Drenched in sweat, He Lingchuan reached up and rubbed the back of his head, where the phantom pain from Meng Shan’s strike still lingered.
That had been a blow capable of toppling mountains—one he couldn’t dodge.
Amid the crowd’s gasps, he had been sent flying off the arena.
The pain had felt like his skull had been split open.
Just before being ejected from the dream, he had even heard a crisp *crack* from his own head.
The sound wasn’t loud, but it was chilling.
He Lingchuan knew that, aside from being forcibly shaken awake, there was only one other circumstance under which he would involuntarily exit the dream:
Death.
Damn it, had his skull really been smashed open?
Meng Shan, that bastard, had actually gone for the kill!
A real *head-splitting* expert.
Seeing He Lingchuan panting heavily while clutching his head with a dazed expression, Ling Guang couldn’t help but ask, "Are you alright?"
This was purely professional concern for his employer.
After all, He Lingchuan’s deathly pale face and cold sweat could only mean one thing—a nightmare.
"A nightmare," He Lingchuan muttered after a long pause, still nauseated.
"Dreamt I got killed."
No wonder Meng Shan had been able to fight Xiao the Captain to a standstill—even Xiao Maoliang had been briefly suppressed by him.
He Lingchuan had thrown everything he had into the fight and still ended up being knocked out.
Honestly, he hadn’t stood a chance.
The smugness and arrogance from his earlier victory over Hook had been thoroughly beaten out of him by Meng Shan.
His initial plan of using agility to counter brute force? Utter nonsense.
It hadn’t worked at all.
Before him, countless others had probably tried the same approach—and lost without exception.
Meng Shan was ruthless, no doubt about it, but he was also a damn good opponent.
He Lingchuan clapped his hands together with a *smack*.
Fine, for now, he’d make defeating Meng Shan his goal.
So far, he had died four times in the dream.
Hah.
He was almost afraid he might get addicted.
"Oh, then it’s nothing serious."
Nightmares weren’t an illness and didn’t require treatment.
Ling Guang changed the subject.
"By the way, your Foundation Establishment phase is complete. I’ve been gathering ingredients for the next stage of Yin-Yang Powder based on the recipe you gave me. I’ve visited about nine apothecaries so far… Hmm. It’s expensive, and the ingredients are scarce."
The secret to He Lingchuan’s rapid cultivation progress was the Yin-Yang Powder.
In simple terms—money talks.
Now that the first phase of the Midnight-Noon Art was complete, the recipe for the Yin-Yang Powder needed adjustments.
Stronger medicinal effects usually meant higher prices.
He Lingchuan had already braced himself for this.
"How much more expensive?"
"About four times the original cost."
Ling Guang pulled out a small herb.
"The main expense is the Lian Guang Grass—it’s the primary ingredient for the Yin Powder. There aren’t many available in Dunyu’s apothecaries, barely enough for half a month’s supply. After that, you’ll have to figure something out."
Low supply, high demand—naturally, the price soared.
The herb was a pale gray, almost translucent, with two blueberry-like fruits.
It looked incredibly fragile.
"Four times…" He Lingchuan realized he hadn’t actually prepared himself for this.
"Buy it anyway."
During wartime, the transportation of goods was bound to be affected.
Right now, shipments to Xiazhou were prioritized for military supplies.
The only other things merchants would risk transporting back and forth were Xiazhou’s local specialties, whose prices kept rising in the mainland.
As for rare goods like Lian Guang Grass, they were probably hard to come by in Dunyu these days.
The hundred-thousand-tael banknote was still sitting in his storage ring.
He’d have to cash it soon.
A few days ago, his only problem had been spending more than he earned.
Ah, how he missed those simpler times.
He Lingchuan yawned.
"Where’s my dad and Second Brother?"
"They went to the Pine Sun Manor’s opening."
Ling Guang tilted his head.
"Only the Young Master slept in this late."
It was almost noon.
He Lingchuan snapped awake.
"Huh? The Pine Sun Manor’s new branch opened *today*?" Not tomorrow? Or the day after? "They just arrived in Dunyu!" Didn’t new shops need time for renovations?
And why hadn’t his father woken him up to go together?
Remembering that he had promised Li Fubo he’d attend the Pine Sun Manor branch’s opening, He Lingchuan hurriedly washed up, changed clothes, and checked on the progress of his broken blade as usual before rushing out the door.
He had only been in Dunyu for a few days, but he could already tell the streets were noticeably emptier—either households kept their doors shut, or shops along the streets were closed.
Even in early spring, a sense of desolation hung in the air.
Had everyone been scared into hiding by the news of Xunzhou’s army invading Xiazhou?
Dunyu’s main street was long and wide, with a steady stream of pedestrians.
He Lingchuan urged the carriage forward, barely glancing at the shop signs lining the street.
No need to look.
Soon, he caught the strong scent of gunpowder.
"Just up ahead."
After another fifteen feet or so, the ground was littered with red firecracker wrappers, swirling in the wind.
Two servants were sweeping the street with brooms.
He Lingchuan got out of the carriage here and looked up.
Sure enough, the sign above bore three gilded characters: *Pine Sun Manor*.
The shopfront was impressively grand, with redwood doors carved into a single intricate scene of a pine forest with cranes.
A crowd had gathered just to admire the doors, especially children who couldn’t tear their eyes away—
Because the scene was *moving*.
To be precise, the carved pine trees swayed with the northern wind, evoking the imagery of "pine waves."
As they moved, the cranes perched on the branches occasionally flapped their wings, while fish leaped from a nearby pond, sending ripples across the water.
It was better than a shadow puppet show.
He Lingchuan knew this was likely the work of an illusion array, but the lifelike carvings on the doors were a constant display of the Pine Sun Manor’s prowess—maintaining an illusion array consumed energy every second.
So, on its opening day, the Pine Sun Manor’s Dunyu branch was the most dazzling shop on the street.
Customers streamed in and out, chatting and laughing, with foot traffic at least ten times that of neighboring stores.
But seeing this, He Lingchuan realized he was late.
The absence of attendants or carriages at the entrance meant the dignitaries who had come to show their support had already left.
Only curious commoners lingered.
How had he slept past noon just because of a nightmare?
He Lingchuan entered the shop and addressed a busy attendant, "I’m from the Governor’s Estate. Is Master Artificer Li Fubo here?"
Before the attendant could answer, a voice called out from behind, "Young Master He?"
He Lingchuan turned.
"Ah, Manager Zhao?"
The same Manager Zhao who had received him at the Pine Sun Manor in Shihuan City and facilitated the trade of the Purple Gold Pestle for Yujin.
He Lingchuan hadn’t expected the Marquess to bring him north—nor had he noticed him during the journey.
Probably because he had been too absorbed in his cultivation to pay attention to external affairs.
Manager Zhao’s signature squinty-eyed smile appeared.
"You’re here! Master Artificer Li and the Marquess were just mentioning you."
He Lingchuan scratched his head.
"My family’s already been here, right?"
"Yes, yes. Governor He and the Second Young Master just left—you barely missed them."
He wasn’t sure if that was an exaggeration.
Manager Zhao continued, "The Marquess will be delighted to see you. This way, please."
He Lingchuan followed him to the back, glancing around as he went.
The layout of this new branch was similar to the main headquarters in Shihuan City, with all sorts of exotic and ingenious items displayed in the front hall to pique customers’ interest.
He noticed that the Pine Sun Manor had even refined some toys into magical artifacts.
Young masters of seven or eight years old would walk in and be unable to look away, begging their parents to buy them.
Upon hearing the price, the fathers would internally curse a thousand times—but still had to pull out their coin purses under their sons’ eager gazes.
The back hall consisted of private rooms reserved for business negotiations and treasure appraisals.
As He Lingchuan passed by, he saw that nearly all seven or eight rooms were occupied.
Manager Zhao led him further back, up a staircase to the loft.
The place bore signs of recent renovations, and He Lingchuan caught the scent of fresh pinewood.
The loft was small and quiet, with a qin placed by the window.
The moment He Lingchuan stepped in, Marquess Li Qingge emerged gracefully from behind a curtain, smiling.
"Young Master He, you’ve arrived."
The room was as warm as spring.
She wore a plain white robe with gold trim at the collar and sleeves, cinched at the waist by a palm-wide golden belt embroidered with subtle patterns.
It accentuated her slender waist, making it look as delicate as a willow branch.
A golden belt was usually a gaudy accessory, but on her, it was alluring without being vulgar.
"My apologies."
He Lingchuan handed over a wrapped gift, lying through his teeth.
"Something came up last minute. I’m late."
"No matter. Your presence alone brings honor to my humble establishment."
Li Qingge accepted the gift and handed it to a maid without opening it.
Both of them knew it was just a formality—the gift itself wasn’t important.
"You opened remarkably fast. I thought it’d take at least half a month to secure the premises and renovate before opening."
Li Qingge guided him to a seat by the window.
"I thought so too. But when I walked into this shop, everything was already in place. No need for much deliberation—it saved a lot of trouble."
A maid served tea.
He Lingchuan took a sip—the fragrance was refreshing, the warmth soothing as it went down, leaving a faint floral aftertaste in his throat.
He couldn’t help but praise, "Excellent tea!"
"Your father said the same earlier."
Li Qingge smiled and gestured.
Another maid brought over an exquisite box.
"This is Jasmine Dragon Pearl tea. I’ve prepared a portion for you."
"Who’s giving gifts to whom here?" Despite his words, He Lingchuan accepted it without hesitation.
They chatted for a while longer before Li Qingge brought up the progress on repairing the broken blade.
"Li Fubo told me the repairs are progressing slower than expected."
(End of Chapter)