Chapter 00004: The Leopard King
# The Leopard King
Chapter 4
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 4: The Leopard King
If someone were to track him down to this place, it would be a dead end with no evidence—
The first thought that popped into He Lingchuan's mind startled even himself.
This seemed like something his original self could easily do, but for He Lingchuan, it was still quite a burden.
He pondered for a moment: "Have the Red and White Path find a place to secure it. I'll go back and report to my father."
The thickest thigh he could cling to was his own father.
After all, they were in this together.
He was still a minor, and his shoulders weren't strong enough to bear such a heavy responsibility.
￥￥￥￥￥
As it turned out, less than a hundred paces from home, He Lingchuan saw a servant from the He family rushing toward him.
The servant looked hurried, and upon seeing him, his eyes lit up.
He quickly stepped forward and bowed:
"Young Master, the master has ordered you to return to the manor immediately!"
"The master" naturally referred to the prefect of Qiansong County, He Chunhua.
He Lingchuan quickened his pace and hurried to see his father.
The He family's estate spanned twenty-five acres, which, converted into a unit He Lingchuan was familiar with, was over sixteen thousand square meters.
Among the wealthy, this was neither too large nor too small, but the architecture was distinctive—black tiles and white walls, with delicate pavilions and terraces scattered throughout the garden, a stark contrast to the ruggedness of Blackwater City.
For example, the garden gate He Lingchuan had just passed through was shaped like a treasure vase, and behind it stood a fifteen-year-old wintersweet tree that bloomed profusely every winter.
From the viewing pavilion in the corner of the garden, the yellow wintersweet blossoms seemed to sprout right from the mouth of the vase, their graceful forms truly resembling something grown from the vase itself!
This kind of aesthetic was said to be particularly cherished by the high-ranking families in the inner regions, and He Chunhua adored it.
Last year, a newly arrived craftsman, unaware of the significance, pruned the wintersweet tree, and with two cuts, destroyed this beautiful scene.
The usually mild-mannered prefect flew into a rare rage.
Moreover, the materials for the He family's white walls were hard to come by.
They had been specially transported from the heart of the Yuanguo Kingdom, and the labor costs ended up being more expensive than the materials themselves.
What's more, Blackwater City was plagued by sandstorms for seven or eight months of the year, leaving the outer layers of buildings a dull yellow.
Why would anyone paint a white wall that would just attract dust?
But He Chunhua insisted on doing it.
To prevent the white walls from turning yellow, he even had a protective array set up around the estate to shield it from the sandstorms.
Just by looking at the uniqueness of the He family estate, He Lingchuan understood where his original self's stubbornness came from.
As he walked through the courtyard, he suddenly saw the prefect standing at the door of the storage room, with the loyal steward Lao Mo following behind.
The storage room was mainly used to store tools and miscellaneous items, and only servants usually entered.
The masters of the He family rarely went near it.
But now, He Chunhua was beckoning to his son: "Come quickly!"
He Chunhua had become the prefect seven years ago and was now only thirty-four, still in his prime.
Standing there, he was a tall and handsome man.
Walking through the streets of Blackwater City, the prefect often turned the heads of young women and married ladies.
Only someone like He Lingchuan, who got close, could notice the one or two silver strands mixed in his father's otherwise jet-black hair.
Over the years, he had been working tirelessly.
"Father, I have something to tell you..."
He Chunhua waved his hand, cutting him off: "Come in, there's something I want you to see."
His expression was grave as he led his son and Steward Hao into the storage room.
Lao Mo closed the door behind them and stood guard by the entrance.
The daylight was bright, so He Lingchuan could see that the long table usually cluttered with the craftsmen's tools had been cleared, and a massive object now lay on it.
This was...
"The Leopard King!" the young man exclaimed.
Had his father actually had it brought back?
Lying on the table was indeed a dead leopard, but its size was comparable to that of a rhinoceros.
Even in death, it exuded an overwhelming presence.
The leopard demon that had fallen off the cliff with him was nothing compared to this one.
What kind of monstrous strength must this creature have possessed when it was alive?
The leopard's body was yellow with black spots, its fur exquisite, but it had been pierced with several large holes, its body covered in blood.
The leopard's hind legs were also broken, and the strong smell of blood was still evident, though no flies buzzed around it.
He Lingchuan noticed that the leopard's body showed no signs of decay.
When he pressed on it, the fur felt slightly soft.
They say that a centipede dies but doesn't stiffen.
This Leopard King had been dead for many days, yet its body hadn't decayed, a testament to its profound cultivation and the "indestructible" state of its body.
Conversely, how powerful must the opponent who killed it have been?
"How long has it been dead?"
"Almost forty days," He Chunhua replied, lifting one of the leopard's front legs.
He Lingchuan and Steward Hao could see that its belly had been cut open, clearly having undergone an autopsy.
"Forty days ago?" He Lingchuan calculated.
"That's right, around the time I was attacked."
That leopard demon hadn't lied—the leopard den in the Western Mountains had indeed been wiped out.
"I've already sent people to confirm it. The leopard demon's lair in the Western Mountains was completely destroyed, from the Leopard King down to the cubs less than two months old."
He Chunhua paused before continuing, "During this time, traveling merchants have repeatedly spotted fire foxes in the Western Mountains, and on several occasions, they've seen them lounging in the sand, basking in the sun, completely at ease."
He Lingchuan nodded.
"The Western Mountains are the territory of the sand leopards. They would never allow fire foxes to encroach unless something had happened to them."
"Exactly. So I sent people to investigate the Western Mountains. They found thirty-four leopard corpses and over a dozen human bodies near the den. The signs of battle were spread across two mountain peaks. Most of the humans who died were unarmed and of ordinary physique, often killed with a single strike, likely servants of the sand leopards. It took them five days to bring this leopard corpse back to the city for examination."
It wasn't unusual for human beings to appear in the lairs of demon tribes—they were either food or servants, mostly captured civilians.
Demons with awakened intelligence also enjoyed the finer things, and the meticulousness and dexterity of humans were something other races couldn't replicate.
Seeing how cleanly they had been killed, He Lingchuan could only think of one phrase:
Silencing the witnesses (or in this case, the leopards).
"Father, why did it take so long for the news of the Western Mountains' leopard den being wiped out to reach us? That's way too slow!"
He Chunhua was used to his son's complaints.
"There was a sandstorm in the western part of the Coiling Dragon Desert that lasted over ten days. No one could get close."
The Coiling Dragon Desert was already a deadly place, and when sandstorms hit, it became even more treacherous.
No matter how skilled you were, you had to wait patiently for the storm to pass.
He Lingchuan stroked his chin, silently acknowledging that the leopard demon from the Western Mountains had indeed been in cahoots with his father.
This wasn't surprising.
Blackwater City guarded the Red Cliff trade route and had to deal with the surrounding sand bandits.
These bandits weren't just humans—many were demons, and the Western Mountains' leopard demons were just one faction among them.
Qiansong County also knew that the Red Cliff trade route was a lucrative prize.
As long as there were profits to be made, sand bandits would spring up faster than weeds.
So He Chunhua had been both intimidating and negotiating with the major bandit groups within a two-hundred-mile radius, using a combination of threats and incentives.
Over the years, they had managed to maintain a decent relationship, with a certain level of mutual understanding.
As for whether there was more complex cooperation between them, He Chunhua didn't say, and the previous He Lingchuan hadn't asked.
(End of Chapter)