He Lingchuan thought for a moment. "Get them two fresh sets of clothes, clean them up, and give them two proper meals first. No matter what they say, treat them with a smile. Also, keep a close eye on Chen Laoqi. Don't let him run off. He wrecked someone else's ass; now he might end up with his own split apart."
The Red and White Society gang member acknowledged the orders but could not help adding, "Young Master, we can't afford to offend Donglai Mansion. If we let these two go…"
Earlier, the Red and White Society had gone hard on them, despite knowing who they were, and they were sure that they were as good as dead. Since dead men could not talk, what did it matter how they were handled?
But now, with He Lingchuan planning to release them, the Red and White Society was almost certain to face consequences for their actions.
"Relax. They need something from us, which means that they can't afford to fuss over small things. Besides, this is Heishui City in Qiansong Commandery. And as they say, even a dragon can't suppress the local snake. This isn't Donglai Mansion's territory."
With that reassurance, the gang member took their leave. He Lingchuan turned back and caught sight of his little brother's worried gaze.
"Big Brother, how are we supposed to explain this to Father?"
"It's just a minor misunderstanding. Donglai Mansion will surely prioritize the bigger picture." He Lingchuan let out a hearty laugh, looking completely calm and collected. "This is nothing!"
He Yue remained silent. What the Minister of War might consider a trivial matter could still leave the He Family walking on eggshells, treading carefully at every step.
What might appear as a mountain to them could be but mere dust to the other party.
The wind rustled the fallen leaves in the garden.
This was the first time that He Yue, who was raised in the smooth currents of a privileged life, had tasted the powerlessness of being a small man in a big world.
It was not a good feeling.
"What's the matter?" He Lingchuan noticed the gloom on his little brother's face. "Is something on your mind?"
"It's nothing." He Yue managed a smile. "I'm heading out."
As soon as he left, He Lingchuan turned to Uncle Hao. "Something's wrong, isn't it?"
Uncle Hao's expression was off.
"Eldest Young Master, Little Gray is dead."
He Lingchuan was shocked. "How did he die?"
"He never came back last night. I found his body this morning beneath the cliffs of Mount Hulu." Uncle Hao's voice was hoarse. "His wings and belly were pierced. His blood was dark green, so he was clearly poisoned. However, he was ultimately finished off by someone twisting off his head."
"Nian Songyu, State Preceptor Sun!" He Lingchuan saw red and felt sorrow rise in his own chest. "It was my idea to send Little Gray to track them. Uncle Hao, I'm sorry."
Little Gray was a sparrowhawk monster. He was a childhood companion of Uncle Hao. For decades, they had eaten meat and drunk wine together, fought side by side, killed and burned together. They were closer than actual brothers.
Uncle Hao had no children and no siblings. With Little Gray's death, it was as if someone had chopped off his limbs.
"You didn't kill him. What are you apologizing for?" A murderous glint appeared in Uncle Hao's eyes. "Was asking questions not enough for those two? Why did they have to kill him?! Can you help me find out who among them did it? I want to know whether it was the state preceptor or that boy surnamed Nian."
"I will," said He Lingchuan immediately. "But you mustn't act rashly. Whether it be you or anyone else in Jin Province, neither can afford to cross either of them."
"Little Gray saved my life at least twice." Uncle Hao's voice was firm. "He will not die in vain."
"If you go charging in now, you'll just throw your life away too." He Lingchuan's eyes narrowed. "The Panlong Desert is a meat grinder. Even if they make it back alive, their strength will be gutted—if they make it back at all."
He Lingchuan clasped Uncle Hao's shoulder and earnestly said, "Wait ten more days. You'll have a much better shot at revenge. If the chance comes, Father and I will help you."
The state preceptor might have done it, and he was a literal weapon of the state. Seeking revenge from him now would be no different from suicide.
"Does Father know?"
Uncle Hao shook his head and answered, "I came to you first."
He Lingchuan took off the suet jade ring from his finger and then took out a pearl necklace, pressing both into Uncle Hao's hand. "Don't show yourself for the next three days. Ah, what I meant is you should rest for the next three days. You should mourn properly. Oh, don't drink too much, though. I'll call if I need you."
The suet jade ring was inlaid with a large ruby. It was vulgar and flashy, the kind only a rich show-off would wear. As for the necklace, each pearl was the size of a sparrow's egg, uniform in shape and luster. They were the kind of precious items one could not easily find even with money.
Uncle Hao held the gifts in his hands, stunned for a long moment before he finally gave a slight nod and turned to leave.
The life of a loved one was, of course, priceless. But in times of grief, an abundance of wealth could at least offer some consolation to the wounded soul.
Once he was gone, He Lingchuan slowly sank onto a stone bench in the courtyard.
He had not gone looking for trouble, yet trouble had fallen from the sky and landed right in his lap.
They had lost contact with Little Gray, the sparrowhawk monster, the previous day. This meant that Nian Songyu and State Preceptor Sun had already suspected that the He Family possessed clues they wanted long before they even showed up at the mansion.
Was today's visit meant to be a courtesy before coercion then?
Never mind the massive gap in status. State Preceptor Sun is here on royal orders. Would Father have even dared to say no?
But to meekly offer up the leopard corpse and obediently act as cannon fodder for these two guests, He Lingchuan was simply not having it, at least not without a fight.
Those two were the ones who raided the leopard den in the Western Mountains, and that was what led to the former He Lingchuan falling off a cliff! The former He Lingchuan died from that fall, and I, who took over his body, suffered weeks of agony in recovery.
Those two trespassed into He Family territory and slaughtered the scouts sent after them like they were nothing.
Now they have the gall to ask my father, Commandery Administrator He, to send men into the Panlong Desert to help them retrieve the Generous Pot? If we succeed, the glory would be all theirs. Father would get nothing but scraps.
He would sacrifice men and resources just to earn a pat on the head from the King.
Despite such thoughts going through He Lingchuan's mind, one still had to consider what qualifications he even had to challenge or resist the other party.
This was the kind of bitter pill that you had to swallow, even if it left you choking.
What a load of crap!
He Lingchuan cradled his head in both hands and sighed heavily, only to see something pale drift past his eyes.
It was a feather.
Who knew what bird had flown overhead?
He absentmindedly twirled it between his fingers when a sudden thought struck him.
Wait a second.
Uncle Hao was only transferred back from outside the city to serve as my personal guard after my recovery. This means that Little Gray might not have been aware of the details of the cliff incident. Plus, the He Family doesn't allow monsters inside their estate. Little Gray had always perched in the trees outside.
I haven't spent much time with Uncle Hao, and Uncle Hao doesn't really talk much, so it's entirely possible that Little Gray doesn't know all that much.
In other words, whatever information Nian Songyu and State Preceptor Sun pried out of Little Gray might've been vague at best.
At the very least, they probably don't know for sure that the leopard corpse is inside this estate, nor could they be sure the He Family has the clues they're after. After all, when the leopard monsters fled their den, they'd scattered in all directions. Even if they sent people to chase each one, how could they be sure that the one who escaped to Mount Hulu was the right target?
What if it were one of the other sand leopards, those that fled elsewhere, who had the keepsake that's needed for the Panlong Ruins instead?
More importantly, they have no idea that the keepsake's already in my hands!
With so many unknowns, they definitely can't risk offending the local power outright.
That's why they're putting pressure on us with royal authority and enticing us with rewards.
With that being the case, what does the He Family even have to be afraid of?
With this realization, He Lingchuan got up, patted the dust from his backside, and headed off to look for his father.
There was no point in scaring themselves for nothing.
* * *
He Chunhua was writing rapidly and vigorously when he heard his eldest son's words and paused.