Chapter 00299: Comings and Goings
# Comings and Goings
Chapter 299
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 299: Comings and Goings
He Lingchuan accepted his goodwill with a smile.
Meng Shan’s final strike landed on his left arm, snapping not only the limb but also sending shockwaves through his internal organs.
Yet even at the very last moment, Meng Shan’s strength hadn’t lessened one bit.
That fellow was truly a tough opponent to deal with.
A Luo immediately pinched his arm and said, “Your arm’s broken!” Then she stuffed a pill into his mouth. “Swallow this—it’ll help stabilize your internal injuries.”
After that, A Luo quickly set about straightening the bones, applying medicine, and putting on a splint.
Her moves were skilled, no doubt, but far from gentle.
He Lingchuan hissed several times, unable not to recall Sun Fuling’s gentle touch when she changed his dressing before.
He glanced down at the crowd and caught her gaze—her eyes crescent-shaped like the moon, a smile blossoming like a flower.
She must have won quite a bit, right?
“All done. For the next seven days, no running, no jumping, don’t put any pressure on the injured spot,” A Luo ordered briskly as she finished up.
Meng Shan was carried off by others.
A Luo joined the other military doctors to study Meng Shan’s condition, leaving He Lingchuan to slowly descend the stage.
Along the way, the patrolling guards and soldiers all gave him thumbs-up and jostled to clap him on the shoulder, showering him with praises.
Meng Shan had swaggered arrogantly in both the north and south courtyards, surely stepping on many a nerve.
It was He Lingchuan who had helped them vent that frustration.
Outside the railing of Arena Number Seven, cheers erupted from the crowd, especially from the young ladies whose eyes sparkled brightly as they looked his way.
This was the highlight moment belonging to the victor.
The air was thick with an intoxicating sense of accomplishment.
He Lingchuan took a deep breath.
Although the taste of rust still filled his mouth and nose, he felt a refreshing clarity in his heart.
Hu Min rushed over in three quick steps, waving several hefty gold ingots in front of him. “I’m rich! Tonight I’ll treat everyone at Yixiang Pavilion—no one’s allowed to compete with me for the wine!”
He Lingchuan stared blankly. “How did you turn it into gold so fast?”
Hu Min pointed to Thin Man, who was grinning from ear to ear.
Who knew whose bride price he had just raised this time?
Sun Fuling walked over. “You’re badly hurt. No drinking for you right now.”
“Nonsense! Last time when I broke a leg, I still drank...” Sun Fuling squinted at Hu Min, who shuddered visibly and quickly corrected himself, “I’m a bachelor, what do I know? But good dishes and meat are still okay to eat. I heard Yixiang Pavilion has a new dish called ‘Two Dragons Fighting for the Pearl’…”
He Lingchuan ignored him and just grinned at Sun Fuling. “I won!” He meant what he said.
She understood his meaning.
Without a word, she pulled out a mirror somewhere and held it up to him. “Look.”
He Lingchuan took the mirror and was startled.
He’d just been knocked flying once and wiped his face on the ground.
Now half his face was swollen and discolored—red, blue, purple—a pitiful sight, smeared with dirt and sand.
“Now? Are you sure?” Sun Fuling stifled a laugh. “Does your face even have feeling?”
It was numb, indeed.
So he’d just owe them this one for now.
He sighed and instead asked, “How much did you win?”
“Not much.” She gestured towards Hu Min. “About ten times his amount.”
“Ten...”
Sun Fuling patted his arm—of course the one still intact—“I wasn’t disappointed in you!” She had taken a big risk and won it all back.
Thin Man approached and shoved a slip of paper into He Lingchuan’s hand.
He glanced down: nine hundred taels of silver owed.
“What’s this about?”
“I couldn’t make change, so just owe you for now. I’ll pay you back later!” Thin Man was sweating profusely but couldn’t stop grinning.
After this fight, the odds on He Lingchuan were sky-high, and he’d just earned a fortune.
He voluntarily handed several gold ingots to Xiao Maoliang with a groveling tone, “Boss Xiao, here’s your winnings!”
He Lingchuan thought, so Xiao Maoliang had also bet?
Xiao Maoliang waved a gold ingot at him with his usual expressionless face. “Well done!”
He had his family business to support and never turned down unexpected wealth.
Still, Xiao Maoliang was at least somewhat serious, remembering to ask He Lingchuan: “You only used Swallow Return Technique and Wave Slash just now?”
“Yes, Swallow Slash,” He Lingchuan replied.
The two techniques complement each other superbly.
Moreover, Swallow Slash could evolve further into Falcon Strike, making attacks even more fierce.
That, however, was a story for later.
“How did you dodge his Roar of Earth-Shaking?” Meng Shan’s Mountain-Shaking Roar had knocked out all the civilians near the arena’s edge.
He Lingchuan, standing only two feet away and taking the full brunt, how could he remain unscathed?
He Lingchuan grinned and opened his right hand, revealing two lumps of cotton.
He knew Meng Shan’s moves well and had stuffed cotton in his ears before stepping on stage—this kind of physical defense was the most effective.
Of course, sealing off your hearing entirely was risky—he wouldn’t dare use it against others.
Hmm, he really needed a divine art to defend against intangible attacks.
Xiao Maoliang was surprised but then patted his shoulder. “Not bad.”
He Lingchuan had lost seven times and died seven times under Meng Shan’s hand.
Now to finally turn defeat into victory was a rush of pride and exhilaration hard to express.
His thoughts were clear.
Don’t underestimate such emotions.
Many cultivators stay stuck in darkness after one crushing defeat, never clearing their minds or advancing fearlessly again.
For him, defeating Meng Shan was a milestone victory.
Kicking away this massive humanoid bear’s shadow, he truly felt the vast sky and boundless earth.
From now on, endless possibilities lay ahead.
“Not bad. Looks like you’ve grasped your own path,” Xiao Maoliang said.
A good sword technique can endlessly evolve—it all depended on the user’s insights.
Given time, Panlong City might see another great general rise.
That pleased Xiao Maoliang.
At that moment, the Military Review Hall sent someone over to congratulate He Lingchuan, then pointed at the board beside Arena Number Seven and asked, “Do you want to defend your title? You can wait forty days before your next challenge.”
That forty days would be injury recovery time—quite considerate.
The board was the Challenger’s List.
He Lingchuan saw there was more than one defending champion with four names listed.
Hu Min saw his confusion and explained, “Champions get injured too and need time to heal. They keep their names on the list until defeated. These four are previous champions who have successfully defended their titles and remain unbeaten.”
Thin Man finally finished tallying the money with others and, flushed with excitement, squeezed over and said, “Unless the injury is too severe, someone challenging you must be answered within forty days. Otherwise, the champion loses and is automatically removed. Also, the number on the list can’t exceed ten; if it does, the Military Review Hall will arrange matches between champions.”
He Lingchuan looked up and realized this meant only five champions remained on the list because of mutual fights.
Thin Man paused, then added, “Broken Sword, fighting at Arena Number Seven is better than in the Military Review Hall’s South Courtyard.”
“Why?” He asked.
“Everyone knows you’re the champion. Without real skill, others don’t dare challenge you; if you sparred in the South Courtyard, you might not know who’s genuinely strong or weak.”
In short, it was a matter of efficiency.
Arena Number Seven filtered out stronger opponents.
Both made sense.
He Lingchuan thought it over and agreed to become the honored defending champion of Arena Number Seven under the Military Review Hall.
He needed real battles.
Fighting strong opponents was the fastest way.
Soon after, the Military Review Hall erased Meng Shan’s name and wrote “He Lingchuan” in bright red letters, labeling his status as “Patrol Guard.”
On the bustling main street, this was... very eye-catching.
Likely by breakfast tomorrow, half of Panlong City would know the new champion of Arena Number Seven had been crowned.
He Lingchuan rubbed his chin.
He liked it.
After all, he was still injured and, having taken the champion’s reward, should go home and rest.
The front of the Military Review Hall was packed with people.
Sun Fuling glanced and said, “Let’s go out the back.”
“There’s a back door here?” He Lingchuan had come to the Military Review Hall eight times and never knew.
“Of course.”
The group took a small path by the North Courtyard and quietly slipped out the northwest gate.
The farther north they went, the quieter the Military Review Hall became.
Most people had gone to watch the fights.
He Lingchuan looked at the fenced arenas, wondering if Zhong Shengguang and others would also be here causing trouble?
Indeed, outside the northwest gate was much quieter.
But just as He Lingchuan stepped out, some forty or fifty people greeted him with smiles.
Some wanted to hire him as a guild patron with excellent perks; others praised his youthful promise and wanted to marry their daughters to him.
Seven or eight girls chattered excitedly, approaching to express admiration—two particularly bold ones even shoved notes into the splint on his hand, hoping he would “teach” them.
He glanced down; the notes seemed to have addresses written on them.
Girls barely sixteen or seventeen, in the prime of youth, with rosy cheeks like blooming apples, eyes shining with spring’s vitality.
He Lingchuan’s throat grew dry.
He coughed twice, about to say something, when suddenly someone radiated a tremendous aura, forming an invisible wall that pushed everyone three or four feet away.
The girls nearest almost fell flat on their backsides.
Thin Man caught one, quickly smoothing things over: “He’s injured. If you have something to say, wait till later. No pushing, no rushing; he’ll still be here defending the title!”
He Lingchuan turned to see who had pushed down the girl, but everyone else was just watching the commotion.
Sun Fuling, however, stared intently at the magpies chirping on the rooftop.
At that moment, a carriage arrived, and the group quickly climbed in.
Hu Min patted the driver’s shoulder. “To Yixiang Pavilion.”
He Lingchuan was surprised. “Now?”
“Darkness will fall in less than an hour. We want to get a seat first,” Hu Min smiled. “I told Boss Xiao—you’ll be here soon. You performed so well today, I think you might be promoted early to the Great Wind Army.”
“Really?” This unexpected good news brightened He Lingchuan’s mood. “No need to wait for me to become a squad leader?”
“There are exceptions. Promotions outside the standard channels aren’t uncommon here. You risked yourself to save General Nan Ke’s troops first, then beat Meng Shan—by strength alone, you qualify.” The carriage bounced, and Hu Min shook his head slightly. “Of course, what matters is what the higher-ups think.”
The carriage turned a corner.
Suddenly, Sun Fuling tapped the carriage wall. “Stop. I’m getting out here.”
“Huh?”
He Lingchuan asked, “Not going to Yixiang Pavilion?”
“No, I have something to do.” The carriage stopped.
Sun Fuling donned her face veil and decisively stepped down.
She winked at He Lingchuan before saying, “Don’t worry, I won’t back out. See you at home.”
Though he couldn’t see her expression, He Lingchuan felt she was smiling.
(End of chapter)