Chapter 00087: Sun Fuping's Final Act
# Sun Fuping's Final Act
Chapter 87
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 87: Sun Fuping's Final Act
By the time He Chunhua arrived with his men, He Lingchuan had already jumped onto the back of a bird and was whisked away, unable to witness the final moments of the once-renowned former State Preceptor, Sun Fuping.
The last person to deal with Sun Fuping was He Chunhua.
Ever since He Lingchuan saw He Chunhua take out Sun Fuping's posthumous book, he had been curious about what he had missed.
"State Preceptor Sun was no ordinary man. Even when his magical power was exhausted and his cultivation was severely suppressed by the illusion, he still managed to kill seven of our men," Zeng Feixiong said with a hint of sadness as he spoke of his fallen comrades.
"If it weren't for the fierce spirits of the Great Wind Army, we wouldn't have been able to take him down."
"I heard the Great Wind Army also suffered losses."
"Yes, they fought without regard for their lives, unlike us living beings who worry about life and death. The battle with State Preceptor Sun lasted no more than half an hour, and they lost... uh... uh..."
Zeng Feixiong began to slur his words.
He Lingchuan grabbed a slice of "motherwort fruit" and stuffed it into Zeng's mouth.
Locally known as motherwort fruit, it was actually just a lemon.
Zeng Feixiong chewed on the lemon, the sourness shooting straight to his brain, numbing his entire jaw.
But the effect was surprisingly good.
He shuddered and became a bit more alert.
"How many of the Great Wind Army died?"
"About thirty or forty? They kept charging forward, catching State Preceptor Sun off guard," Zeng Feixiong recalled.
"In the end, State Preceptor Sun was stabbed in the throat by the commander, but his cultivation was so deep that he didn't die immediately. He even... even spoke a few words with the Prefect."
This was the crucial part.
He Lingchuan pressed, "Did you hear what he said?"
"Ah, his voice was very soft, but when the Prefect walked over, I was right beside him."
Walked over? His father had actively approached the dying Sun Fuping?
Someone as shrewd as his father should know that a dying snake's last strike is the most vicious.
What if Sun Fuping had a final trick up his sleeve?
So, what words were so important that they had to be said before his death?
"State Preceptor Sun said..."
Actually, Sun Fuping had been stripped of his title after his betrayal, but Zeng Feixiong was used to calling him that and, in his current state, couldn't change it.
"Uh, he said that his betrayal was justified, and he had no regrets, something along those lines."
Sun Fuping had said quite a bit, but Zeng Feixiong couldn't remember it all.
He Lingchuan: "..."
He had given him too much to drink.
"He said that everything he did was for the good of the Great Falcon Kingdom, and then he badmouthed the king quite a bit," Zeng Feixiong said, even half-drunk, he didn't repeat the treasonous words verbatim.
He Lingchuan didn't want to hear them either, but it reminded him of what He Yue had said.
Could this country ever be good again? What methods could make it better? Were the extreme measures taken by the Grand Marshal and Sun Fuping appropriate?
Then he shook his head.
Let those with ambition and wisdom worry about such things.
What did it have to do with him?
"Is that all?" He Lingchuan was a bit disappointed.
"Oh, there's more. He asked Prefect He, 'Your entire family was killed by the old, foolish emperor. Why are you still serving the royal family?'" Zeng Feixiong frowned as he tried to recall.
"Before the Prefect could answer, he added, 'Unless you have other plans!'"
He Lingchuan raised an eyebrow.
"What did Father say?"
"Prefect He scolded State Preceptor Sun for talking nonsense, saying that he wasn't so selfless either, and that this trip to Panlong City was for other reasons, not just to help the Grand Marshal."
"Then Prefect He leaned in and whispered something to Sun Fuping. I didn't hear it, but right after, Sun Fuping started laughing, blood gurgling from his neck, and he couldn't stop."
"He told Prefect He, 'It's useless. What's done is done and can't be undone, or you'll suffer backlash and your family will be destroyed.' He also said something about reaping what you sow, cause and effect."
Zeng Feixiong said bitterly, "I don't know why he was laughing so happily, but he died halfway through his laughter."
"After that, Prefect He searched his body, took everything, and rushed back to the south gate to look for you."
So that's how it was.
He Lingchuan didn't ask any more questions.
He drank and ate with Zeng Feixiong until he was half-drunk himself, then paid someone to take Zeng home.
Uncle Hao was sitting in the lobby downstairs.
When he saw He Lingchuan come out, he escorted him back to the He residence.
On his way back to his quarters, He Lingchuan unexpectedly ran into He Chunhua.
It was late at night, and the Prefect was still wearing the clothes he had left in that morning.
It seemed he had just returned home, but his spirits were high, in stark contrast to his eldest son's drunken stagger.
"You're so reckless, never doing anything proper!" He Chunhua covered his nose and asked, "Where have you been?"
He Lingchuan just grinned.
Uncle Hao said, "The young master went to the Acacia Pavilion with Liu Baobao and Zeng Feixiong and drank seven jars of old wine."
He Lingchuan suddenly interjected, "Father, have you ever done anything wrong to us?"
He Chunhua frowned.
"What nonsense are you spouting?"
"Do I have a long-lost brother? No, better yet, a sister!"
He Chunhua's face stiffened, but he didn't argue with a drunk.
He turned to Uncle Hao and said, "Take him back. Before he sleeps, make him drink two cups of sobering soup, or he'll have a headache tomorrow."
"Yes."
Uncle Hao helped He Lingchuan away.
He Chunhua watched their retreating figures and suddenly let out a long sigh, his posture not as upright as before.
He Lingchuan was indeed quite drunk.
After drinking the sobering soup, he collapsed onto his bed and fell asleep without another thought.
He slept until noon the next day.
It was a dreamless night, and he slept soundly.
He Lingchuan patted the broken sword on the wall.
It had behaved itself last night, not causing any trouble.
Good.
...
That evening, he ran into He Yue.
"Have you heard of Vice Minister Du Feng of the Ministry of Revenue?"
He Yue was in a hurry to relieve himself, but He Lingchuan blocked his path.
No matter how he tried to go around, he couldn't get past.
"You haven't heard of him? He assists the Minister of Revenue, managing storage, disbursements, and the markets of the capital and Shihuan City. His rank isn't high, but his authority is considerable."
"I heard he's an old acquaintance of our family?"
"Family friends," He Yue said indifferently.
"Father occasionally corresponds with him. I've even written letters on his behalf."
He Lingchuan let out a long "oh."
This was quite revealing.
It showed that He Chunhua and Du Feng still had some connection, but it was faint.
It wasn't necessarily that old friends had changed or that the world had grown cold.
The He family had been ordered executed by the old emperor.
The Du family would have wanted to distance themselves to prove their innocence.
How could they dare to associate too closely with He Chunhua, the lone survivor of the He family?
"Having some correspondence is already good," He Lingchuan patted He Yue's shoulder.
The kid was only fourteen.
No matter how smart he was, he still lacked worldly experience.
"A position like Vice Minister Du's requires careful handling of relationships."
"Indeed, one must be careful..."
He Yue finally couldn't hold it any longer.
"Can you move aside?"
He Lingchuan pretended not to hear.
"Do you know who the old lady of the Du family is? Du Feng's grandmother?"
He Yue spoke quickly, "Old Lady He Suqiong. She has a wide network in the capital. I hear she's kind and enjoys listening to operas and music, hosting garden parties and gatherings."
"Go on," He Lingchuan said, seeing He Yue's face turning green, and finally stepped aside.
He Yue darted off like a rabbit.
Tonight (August 2nd), we might witness history being made again.
Truly a once-in-a-century event—
Let's wait and see.
(End of Chapter)