Chapter 00003: The Identity of the Pursuers
# The Identity of the Pursuers
Chapter 3
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 3: The Identity of the Pursuers
He Lingchuan's expression darkened.
The news of his original body and the sand leopard falling off the cliff together had been kept under wraps by the He family.
The sand leopard had been secretly transported back to the city for an autopsy, which revealed that it had already been severely injured before attacking He Lingchuan.
Now, these two outsiders had suddenly come asking about the sand leopard's whereabouts.
They must be connected to the people who had been hunting the leopard demon and had caused He Lingchuan's misfortune!
This was a lead he couldn't afford to let slip.
"Where are those two now?"
"Still at the tavern. Our boss is waiting for your instructions."
"Keep them there."
"Got it," the messenger chuckled.
"Those two are acting all high and mighty, looking down on everyone. They keep complaining about the local wine being sour and the place smelling bad. The brothers are already annoyed with them. It'd be great to teach them a lesson."
He Lingchuan hesitated for a moment, then stood up.
"Lead the way."
He knew that coming to this world wouldn't be all about enjoying the good life without any hardships or effort.
In that case, he might as well take the initiative.
Uncle Hao, however, spoke up, "I'll go first. You can come later, young master."
With that, he left with the messenger.
As for why the Red and White Faction had come to tip them off, it was because their leader, Jin, had once invited He Lingchuan for drinks and entertainment.
He Lingchuan had also helped him with some matters, so there was a bit of a friendship there.
In small places like this, connections were everywhere, and the Red and White Faction naturally wanted to curry favor with the He family.
When He Lingchuan's father, He Chunhua, first took office, he found Blackwater City to be a chaotic mix of people, with the most profitable businesses already divided up.
As the city's governor, he naturally wanted stability and peace in his jurisdiction.
Given Blackwater City's strategic location, even the shady elements had to be brought under control.
Therefore, he didn't cut off their livelihoods to avoid escalating conflicts.
Instead, he issued a "Wine Permit" that allowed merchants to sell alcohol only if they held the permit.
In other words, selling alcohol in Blackwater City now required a license.
No matter who you were, you had to get a Wine Permit from the government, or you'd face legal consequences.
The common folk didn't dare to oppose the authorities, and organizations like the Red and White Faction couldn't openly defy the government.
He Chunhua was skilled in handling such matters, and through a combination of coercion and compromise, he gradually brought these unruly forces under control, turning Blackwater City into his own territory.
Any movement in the city would quickly reach the He family's ears.
This was the power of being the local authority.
￥￥￥￥￥
The two outsiders walked out of a teahouse and were hit by a strong gust of wind.
Before they could put on their hats, the sand carried by the wind stung their eyes, making it hard to see.
Cursing, they hurried back to their inn, ordered some hot food, and then went down to the public bathhouse.
After washing for a while, they suddenly felt drowsy and, before they knew it, fell asleep in the wooden tub.
...
"Splash!" Cold water hit their faces.
The two men woke up to find themselves tied to chairs, facing a gray wall.
...
By the time He Lingchuan entered the inn's backyard, Uncle Hao had already finished his interrogation.
He came out with water on his hands, his expression serious.
"They've confessed."
"Are they still alive?" Uncle Hao's stern face made He Lingchuan's heart sink.
"... They're alive."
The young master didn't even ask what they had confessed to first? "They claim to be second-class guards from the Donglai Mansion, sent by the Grand Marshal to Blackwater City on a mission."
"Donglai Mansion?" The name sounded familiar.
He needed to search through the memories of his original body.
That guy had been quite the expert in food, drink, and entertainment, and he was also fond of martial arts and cultivation.
Other than that, he didn't pay much attention to anything else.
But the words "Grand Marshal" that followed struck He Lingchuan like a thunderbolt!
He remembered now.
How many Grand Marshals could there be in the entire kingdom?
"The residence of the Grand Marshal, Dong Haoming, was personally named 'Donglai Mansion' by the emperor!" Uncle Hao spoke each word clearly.
"He is the father of the Eastern Queen Consort, the emperor's father-in-law!"
"These two are actually under the command of the Grand Marshal?" He Lingchuan's expression changed drastically, but then he felt something was off.
"If that's the case, why didn't they say so earlier? Did they have to wait until they were tortured to confess? Are they just naturally masochistic?"
Though they were called guards, they were essentially private soldiers of the Donglai Mansion.
Nobles in the capital weren't allowed to raise armies, but many high-ranking officials secretly kept private soldiers under various guises.
Nowadays, with the laws in disarray, many policies were becoming increasingly lax.
Everyone knew about it, but no one spoke of it.
"The mission is confidential. The mansion has issued a gag order, forbidding them from revealing anything."
Uncle Hao extended his hand, revealing two tokens stained with blood.
"These are Dongming tokens, taken from their bodies."
Each token was about the size of a mahjong tile, with rounded corners, but as thin as a leaf.
He Lingchuan took them and weighed them in his hand.
They were light, with the characters "Dongming" engraved on them, along with a golden seal.
The purpose of such tokens was to verify identity and prevent forgery.
These two tokens were made of a special material—neither gold, copper, iron, nor wood.
They looked like jade but didn't feel like it, as they had a slight elasticity when pressed.
"These are likely genuine," Uncle Hao said gravely.
"I've seen Donglai Mansion tokens before, and these are identical. The Grand Marshal's territory produces a strange type of wood. When the bark is removed, it secretes a gel-like substance—colorless, odorless, and semi-transparent. When heated, it hardens. Items made from this material cannot be replicated elsewhere."
"So these two are really from the Donglai Mansion?" Which meant he was now up against the Donglai Mansion?
No, it was the Donglai Mansion that was up against him.
From thousands of miles away, he had somehow managed to offend the emperor's father-in-law?
Even the original He Lingchuan would have found this situation deeply troubling.
He Lingchuan's mind was in turmoil.
"Why would tracking a wounded sand leopard become a top-secret mission?"
The original He Lingchuan had lived a carefree life in Blackwater City for sixteen years, enjoying every moment.
How had he, after taking over for less than two months, ended up in such a mess?
"These two were assigned to Blackwater City to find clues. They know nothing beyond that. About a dozen others were sent out at the same time, scattered around the Red Cliff trade route."
Uncle Hao added, "By the way, they were originally stationed at Wuzhao Ridge, so they set out from there instead of the Donglai Mansion."
Wuzhao Ridge was just across the state from Blackwater City, less than two hundred miles away—much closer than the capital.
He Lingchuan let out an "oh," not particularly concerned.
With the current emperor being weak, Dong Haoming, as a powerful figure, had his influence spread far and wide.
It wasn't surprising that he had people stationed at Wuzhao Ridge.
"Will more people from the Donglai Mansion be coming?"
"They don't know."
Uncle Hao glanced into the room.
"We've finished questioning them. What should we do with these two?"
The best solution would be to kill them and dispose of the bodies.
(End of Chapter)