Chapter 19: Qualification

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He Lingchuan thought for a moment, "Find them two sets of new clothes and tidy them up. Give them two good meals first. No matter what they say, always greet them with a smile. Also, keep an eye on Old Chen Qi; don't let him escape. He thrashed someone's backside; this time, his own might get a good beating."

The Red-White Dao follower assented, then couldn't help but add, "Young Master, we cannot afford to offend Donglai Prefecture. If we let these people go..."

Previously, the Red-White Dao knew the pair's background but still acted ruthlessly, certain they would die. Dead men tell no tales, so what did it matter if they acted?

But now that He Lingchuan intended to release them, the Red-White Dao members inevitably felt uneasy.

"Don't worry," He Lingchuan said. "They need something from us, so they shouldn't mind such trifles. Besides, this is Qiansong Commandery, Blackwater City. As the saying goes, 'A mighty dragon cannot suppress a local snake.' Donglai Prefecture doesn't call the shots here."

The Red-White Dao followers were sent away. He Lingchuan turned and saw his second brother's worried gaze. "Big Brother," his brother asked, "how will we explain this to Father?"

"It's just a small misunderstanding," He Lingchuan said with a calm laugh. "Donglai Prefecture will surely prioritize the bigger picture. This is nothing!"

He Yue remained silent. What was a trivial matter to the Grand Marshal became a cause for apprehension and careful consideration for the He family. To me, a mountain; to them, a speck of dust.

The wind rustled the fallen leaves in the garden. For the first time, the young He family member, who had grown up with everything going smoothly, felt the frustration of being insignificant.

It was truly a bitter pill to swallow.

"What's wrong?" He Lingchuan saw the boy's downcast expression, as if something was bothering him.

"Nothing," He Yue said with a smile. "I'll be going now."

As soon as he left, He Lingchuan turned to Uncle Hao. "Has something happened?" Uncle Hao's demeanor seemed off.

"Young Master," Uncle Hao said, "Little Grey is dead."

He Lingchuan was startled. "How did it die?"

"It didn't fly back last night. I went to the cliff in Gourd Mountain and retrieved its body," Uncle Hao's voice was a little hoarse. "Its wings and abdomen were pierced, its blood was dark green, and it was poisoned, but the cause of death was a broken neck."

"Nian Songyu, Imperial Advisor Sun!" He Lingchuan saw Uncle Hao's reddened eyes and felt a pang of sadness himself. "Sending Little Grey to stake out was my idea. Uncle Hao, I'm truly sorry!"

Little Grey was a Harrier demon, Uncle Hao's childhood companion. It had been with him for decades, could speak human words, and they ate meat, drank wine, killed, and set fires together, close as brothers.

Uncle Hao had no children or siblings. With Little Grey's death, he felt as if his limbs had been chopped off.

"You weren't the one who did it, so why apologize?" A fierce glint appeared in Uncle Hao's eyes. "They only needed information, why take a life? Can you help me find out who delivered the killing blow, the Imperial Advisor or that Nian fellow?"

"Certainly," He Lingchuan immediately urged him. "But don't be impulsive. Let alone you, no one in the entire Jin Province dares to oppose them."

"Little Grey saved my life, at least twice," Uncle Hao declared emphatically. "It cannot die in vain!"

"If you seek revenge now, you'll only sacrifice another life," He Lingchuan said, his eyes darting. "The Coiling Dragon Desert is a man-eating abyss. Even if they return alive, their strength will certainly be greatly diminished." It would be best if they didn't return at all.

"Wait another ten days or so, and the hope for revenge will increase by more than three to five times." He pressed Uncle Hao's shoulder, speaking with extreme sincerity. "As long as there's an opportunity, Father and I will definitely help you."

Their opponent was the Imperial Advisor, a national weapon. Going for revenge now would be too rash.

"By the way, does Father know?"

Uncle Hao shook his head. "I came to you first."

He Lingchuan took off the mutton-fat jade ring from his finger and pulled out a string of luminous pearls, putting them all into Uncle Hao's hand. "I'm giving you three days off. Er, I mean, you should rest well for these three days." He added, implying a time to grieve, "Don't drink too much. I'll call you if anything comes up."

The mutton-fat jade ring also had a large ruby, clearly for a wealthy magnate. Each pearl on the necklace was the size of a sparrow's egg, uniformly sized, and all were priceless treasures.

Uncle Hao took them, nodded blankly after a moment, then turned and left.

The life of a loved one is priceless, of course, but ample money can somewhat soothe a wounded heart.

After he left, He Lingchuan slowly sat down on a stone bench in the garden.

This was truly a case of trouble finding him even when he was sitting quietly at home.

The Harrier demon, Little Grey, went missing yesterday, which meant Nian Songyu and Imperial Advisor Sun already knew the He family had the clues they wanted before coming to the He residence. Had they come today to try peaceful means before resorting to force?

Not to mention the disparity in their status, Imperial Advisor Sun had come under royal decree. How could He Chunhua dare to refuse?

But for them to respectfully offer the leopard corpse and dutifully provide cannon fodder for the two noble figures, He Lingchuan was utterly unwilling.

These two had attacked the West Mountain leopard's lair, causing him to fall down the cliff, leading to his original body's death, and he, the imposter, had suffered from injuries and pain for over twenty days;

These two had effortlessly killed the He family's scouts on He family territory.

They also wanted He Chunhua to send cannon fodder to help them enter the Coiling Dragon Desert and seize the Grand Square Pot. Once successful, they would receive abundant credit, while Governor He's credit would be minimal.

They would suffer losses in manpower and only gain a word of praise from the emperor in the end.

But what right did He Lingchuan have to challenge them?

It seemed he would have to swallow this loss, no matter how unpleasant.

What an indignity!

He Lingchuan cradled his head in his hands and sighed deeply, when he suddenly saw something white float down before his eyes.

It was a feather.

He wondered which bird had flown overhead.

He Lingchuan gripped the feather, unconsciously twirling it twice, when a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

"Hm? That's not right."

After he recovered from his injuries, He Chunhua only then transferred Uncle Hao from another region to be his personal guard. So, Little Grey might not have known the details of his fall from the cliff. Furthermore, the He family did not allow demons on their property, and the Harrier demon always perched on outdoor branches.

He Lingchuan and Uncle Hao hadn't been together long, but Uncle Hao was a man of few words. What Uncle Hao saw, Little Grey might not have known.

Therefore, from Nian and Sun's perspective, the information they extracted from Little Grey might have been vague.

At the very least, they didn't know the leopard corpse was right at the He residence, nor were they certain if the clues they wanted were there. After all, the leopard demons that escaped the lair had scattered in all directions, and they had sent people to pursue them separately. How could they guarantee that the one who fled to Gourd Mountain was the main one?

What if other sand leopards, still at large, were carrying the relic of the Coiling Dragon Ruins?

Most importantly, they didn't know the sand leopard's relic was in Young Master He's possession!

With so many uncertainties, they couldn't just casually attack the local power.

Pressuring them with a royal decree and tempting them with benefits would be the best approach.

In that case, what did the He family have to fear?

Having figured this out, He Lingchuan stood up, brushed off his backside, and decided to go to the yamen to find his father.

Scaring himself for no reason—there was no need for that.

He Chunhua was writing furiously. Upon hearing his eldest son's words, the brush in his hand paused.

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