Chapter 00243: A Wretched Life is Better Than a Good Death
# A Wretched Life is Better Than a Good Death**
Chapter 243
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
**Chapter 243: A Wretched Life is Better Than a Good Death**
After all, bandits roamed everywhere these days, and the protection offered by major families was far stronger.
"That's right, some have left," Ding Zuodong replied.
"However, the Li and Shu families are doing the opposite—they're aggressively buying up properties. They're the real barometers. As long as they don’t leave, most people won’t either."
"Are they trying to gamble, just like us?"
"These two families have assets spread across Xiazhou, with Dunyu being their most important stronghold. Uprooting themselves would be too costly."
Otherwise, it would be like breaking their own bones.
He Lingchuan sneered.
"Gamblers, all of them. When a summer swamp dries up, the biggest crocodiles are the ones that die at the bottom."
Ding Zuodong hesitated.
"But... didn’t they bet right this time?"
"This time, yes."
He Lingchuan patted his shoulder.
"Don’t worry. News of victory from the frontlines will arrive soon. Those who had faith in the He family and Dunyu deserve to be rewarded."
Ding Zuodong exhaled in relief, though he couldn’t shake the feeling that the young master’s words carried deeper meaning.
"Alright, tally up how much money I have left."
Ding Zuodong immediately launched into a detailed report, leaving nothing out.
Over the past six days, he had been tirelessly acquiring premium assets for He Lingchuan.
He knew exactly what was valuable, what was worthless, and what was downright poisonous.
Before, he had been too broke to act, but now that he was spending someone else’s silver, he bargained ruthlessly and snatched up shops without hesitation.
It had been a long time since he’d felt this invigorated.
In just these few days, He Lingchuan had spent over 80,000 taels of his 100,000, with more than 10,000 going out today alone.
The ledger now showed a little over 10,000 remaining.
Ding Zuodong was itching to keep spending.
"Once Dunyu stabilizes and confidence returns, just selling these properties alone will at least double your investment."
He Lingchuan shook his head.
"Double is too little."
How many commoners’ livelihoods could match the value of a single Violetgold Staff?
"These are steady, long-term businesses," Ding Zuodong said with a smile.
"The rental income alone will be a continuous flow."
Assets that generated endless streams of silver were the best kind.
He Lingchuan pulled out a slip of paper.
"Now that I own an apothecary, gather these herbs for me and deliver them to the medicine monkey, Ling Guang."
Buying medicine at cost price now—what a luxury.
Come to think of it, his original reason for wanting to earn money was simply because the Yin-Yang Powder was burning through his funds too quickly.
He’d been afraid of exhausting his reserves.
How had it ballooned into such a massive operation?
Ah, he’d really gone and made trouble for himself.
As the two prepared to leave, he called out to Shan Youjun.
"By the way, Jiao Tai was released this evening. You can go fetch him."
He tossed over a token and a silver ingot.
"After so many days in the cells, his injuries won’t have improved. Use this token to get him treated at Huixiang Hall—put it on my account. And give this silver to Jiao Tai as a token of my appreciation."
Shan Youjun was overjoyed, his legs nearly giving way again.
He Lingchuan caught him before he could kneel.
"Enough kneeling. Get lost!"
This kid had been worrying about Jiao Tai all along—loyalty like that was rare.
And the fact that he’d kept quiet about it for six whole days showed he had some restraint.
Sun Hongye had recruited decent people, it seemed.
***
Before bed that night, He Lingchuan patted his broken saber.
"Remember, arrange another fight with Meng Shan for me tonight."
Sure enough, when he entered the Coiling Dragon Dream, he found himself in the Martial Hall.
He’d been sparring with Meng Shan these past few days, proving that the broken saber could indeed understand him.
He walked to the northern courtyard’s fence and slapped the railing.
"Meng Shan! Come out!"
Meng Shan looked at him, visibly annoyed.
"Are you here to fight or just to get beaten?"
Every time, he pummeled this kid into the ground.
Anyone else would’ve died four times over by now.
How was this He guy still alive and kicking, coming back for more every day?
Were the crisp sounds of bones cracking and breaking he’d heard just illusions?
He Lingchuan’s taunt was simple, but it never failed.
"Scared?"
Meng Shan’s nostrils flared.
He strode through the armory into the southern courtyard.
The moment he appeared, spectators from both courtyards gathered, some whistling, others cheering for He Lingchuan.
Losing repeatedly was tragic, but refusing to give up despite constant defeats earned respect.
Especially when the opponent was Meng Shan—a man built like a raging bear.
Even the elite warriors of the northern courtyard avoided fighting him.
The skinny man popped up from somewhere, full of energy.
"Placing bets! How long can Broken Saber last today?"
Though He Lingchuan hadn’t won yet, he’d been lasting longer each day.
The skinny man had turned this into a profitable venture.
He Lingchuan joined in, tossing him a silver ingot.
"Skinny, bet on me lasting past fifteen minutes!" Since he was the one getting beaten, he might as well earn some silver from it.
"Got it!"
"Then I’ll bet he doesn’t!" Meng Shan cracked his knuckles.
"So, how do you want to die today?"
He Lingchuan waved a hand.
"Hold on, I’ve got a question first."
"Ask."
Against such a resilient punching bag, even Meng Shan was unusually patient.
"Have you ever fought the Red General?"
"Of course."
Otherwise, why would he have surrendered so willingly?
"Did he beat you easily?"
Meng Shan rolled his eyes and held up three fingers—
"Five moves."
He sounded almost proud.
"Some of those guys in the northern courtyard can’t even last two!"
A couple of elite warriors overheard and yelled from the fence, "That’s just because you’re fat!"
Weight was an advantage too.
He Lingchuan took a deep breath.
The path of cultivation truly had no end—this wasn’t just empty talk.
The road ahead was long.
***
That night was clear, without wind or snow.
Favored by the heavens, the Zhan family’s convoy traveled smoothly south, covering nearly forty miles before reaching Buxian County.
Following them were nearly twenty thousand civilians, merchants, and minor nobles.
Buxian’s permanent population was only seventeen thousand—there was no way it could accommodate so many uninvited guests.
Besides, it wasn’t even dawn yet, and the curfew hadn’t lifted.
No one was getting in.
The Zhan family spent a long time negotiating at the city gates, but the stubborn gatekeeper refused to budge.
So, everyone had to set up tents outside the city walls.
Those who wanted firewood soon discovered that the nearby woods had already been stripped bare.
Such was the nature of fleeing disaster—no one would welcome you warmly, and hot water was a luxury.
For the prominent members of the Zhan family and other nobles, this was the most humiliating experience of their lives.
But when they thought about Dunyu, soon to be engulfed in war, they couldn’t help but feel relieved.
A wretched life was better than a good death.
Fortunately, it was early spring now.
Though the mornings and evenings were still chilly, and the snow hadn’t fully melted, it was nothing compared to the harshness of winter two months prior.
After walking forty miles, everyone was exhausted.
They could’ve slept on ice and snow.
But before dawn, two fast horses arrived from the north, stopping at the city gates and shouting, "Urgent message from the prefecture—open up!"
After three shouts, the guards verified the order and opened the gates.
The commotion reached the tents outside.
Some were still half-asleep, but others were already whispering—
News from Dunyu, and urgent at that.
What could it be?
Had the Xunzhou army begun marching south in full force?
The rumors quickly reached the Zhan family.
An hour later, as roosters crowed and the city gates opened, Zhan Song, the Zhan family head, led his people inside to find lodging.
After half a night on the cold ground, their bodies ached all over.
Of course, the Zhan family also sent people out to gather information.
But before Zhan Song could even finish washing up and sit down for breakfast, a servant rushed in, shouting, "Victory! Victory!"
"What victory?" Before Zhan Song could speak, a family elder scolded, "Shouting like that—where are your manners?"
Zhan Song, too anxious to care about decorum, snapped, "Speak!"
"The whole city has posted announcements! The new governor sent troops to engage the Xunzhou army and won three consecutive battles at Xinhuang, Hetao, and Lu'an! With just sixteen hundred men, they defeated over nine thousand enemies and even beheaded two enemy generals!"
Zhan Song’s dumpling slipped from his chopsticks onto the table.
"The announcement… says that?"
The Zhan family erupted in disbelief.
"No way!"
"How is that possible?"
"The prefecture must be lying to calm people down! This can’t be true!"
Zhan Song’s mind was in turmoil.
The noise around him grated on his nerves until he slammed the table.
"Silence!"
The room fell quiet.
His wife ventured carefully, "Husband, what do you think?"
Zhan Song steadied himself.
"Send a fast rider back to investigate. Today, we all stay in Buxian."
There was no better option.
Though the family murmured in dissent, no one openly opposed him.
Once alone, Zhan Song sat for a while longer, growing increasingly agitated.
He stepped outside to clear his head.
The cheerful faces of passersby only annoyed him further.
Eventually, he entered a teahouse, where every table buzzed with talk of the victory.
He’d barely taken a seat when a waiter brought over a pot of tea and a plate of nuts.
"I didn’t order this."
"Compliments of the house—one per table."
The waiter grinned.
"Today’s victory up north has us all in high spirits!"
"It’s not the first time we’ve won. Why the fuss?"
"Two thousand against nine thousand—and we won!" The waiter slung his towel over his shoulder.
"The new governor’s got real skill."
"A good start, but let’s see if he can keep it up."
"True."
The waiter sighed, his smile fading.
"I just hope the new governor can handle those rich bastards in Dunyu. Today, a whole crowd arrived from there—fleeing, they said. Why run when we’re winning?"
"..."
Zhan Song’s smile turned bitter.
Outside, firecrackers suddenly crackled to life as people celebrated.
One string after another, the whole city seemed to be rejoicing as if it were a festival.
Meanwhile, the people who’d followed the Zhan family’s lead were left in uneasy suspense.
Outside the city gates, another announcement had been posted—almost as if it were meant just for them.
**(End of Chapter)**