"She’s a bit strict, yes, but she just hopes we’ll amount to something when we return to the Capital City."

Hee Lingchuan laughed heartily. "Oh, give me a break. She just wants you to finish your studies and become a big shot in the capital. What’s that got to do with me?"

His words were dripping with resentment. Hee Yue said, displeased, "Big Brother, why must you sell yourself short? Have you ever thought about what you’ll do after we return to the Great Capital?"

"Go back to the Great Capital?" Hee Lingchuan stroked his chin. "Nope!"

The previous owner of this body had never thought that far ahead, so of course, he had no plans either.

To outsiders, Qiansong County might be a bitter, cold backwater, but both he and the body’s previous owner thought it was pretty great. Here, the Hee Family were the local kings, used to lording it over everyone. Life was comfortable whether they were standing or lying down. But in the Great Capital of the Yuan Kingdom, they would be nothing.

In terms of foundation, wealth, connections, or even the skill of spending money, the Hee Family wasn’t worthy of holding up the trousers for those great noble houses.

So why go? Better to be a big fish in a small pond than a small fish in a big one.

Hee Yue reminded him, "This is Father’s lifelong dream. We must do everything in our power to achieve it; we swore an oath during the ancestral rites." ’A man who doesn’t plan for the future will find trouble on his doorstep. It’s no wonder Mother doesn’t like Big Brother with an attitude like this.’

"I know, I know," Hee Lingchuan said, patting his shoulder nonchalantly. "You study the classics, I’ll practice martial arts. Put us together, and we’re a perfect blend of brains and brawn. When we get back to the Great Capital someday, if anyone gives you trouble, I’ll just secretly beat them to a pulp." 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"Big Brother, you’re really..." Faced with such unreasonable pestering, Hee Yue was left speechless.

’Still, on the bright side, all of my brother’s mischief in Black Water City is out in the open. At least he knows he’ll have to do his dirty work in secret when we get back to the Great Capital. That’s a form of progress.’

’I suppose so.’

They ran into Uncle Hao, who gave Hee Lingchuan a look and followed them.

’Did something else happen?’

Once they reached a side hall and sat down, Uncle Hao went to stand guard outside the door, keeping everyone else at least fifty feet away.

Hee Yue took out a tea set and touched the cold cups. "Are the National Preceptor and the Xunzhou Governor here to cause trouble?"

Hee Lingchuan yawned, looking listless. "They’re not even the most troublesome part. The mastermind behind this is the Emperor’s father-in-law."

"The Grand Commandant?" Hee Yue’s expression changed drastically. "You don’t mean... Dongg Haoming?"

"Uh-huh. How many other fathers-in-law does the Emperor have?" ’Dad only said not to tell Madam Ying; he never said I had to keep Hee Yue in the dark,’ Hee Lingchuan thought.

The kid had been helping with county affairs since he was nine, so there was probably no need to hide this major event from him. Besides, in a few days, when Hee Chunhua sent men into the desert, Hee Yue was bound to find out anyway.

So, he readily explained the purpose of National Preceptor Sunx and the Governor’s visit, from beginning to end.

Hee Yue listened intently, occasionally interjecting with a question or two, but mostly he just boiled water in the kettle.

His older brother was too lazy, so he had to do it himself.

By the time he’d boiled the water and steeped the tea, Hee Lingchuan’s throat was dry from talking. He grabbed a cup of hot tea and downed two large gulps.

"So, what’s your take on it?"

"The Grand Commandant wants to use us as his sword, but Father will most likely agree, so our objections are useless," Hee Yue analyzed. "Given Father’s age and experience, he still has a great future ahead of him if he returns to the Royal Capital."

His two sons were nearly adults, but Hee Chunhua himself wasn’t even thirty-five. He was still in his prime: strong, healthy, and full of vigor. He had already wasted the best twenty years of his life in this barren wasteland; how could he tolerate being ignored and buried any longer?

"Fortunately, Zhong Shengguang’s token is still missing. If they search for another few dozen days without finding it, they won’t be able to go to the Panlong Desert."

Hee Lingchuan coughed lightly. "Actually, the token has been found."

"What? Where?" Hee Yue, startled, looked at his brother with growing suspicion. "H-how do you know?"

"It’s right here with me." Hee Lingchuan patted his chest and said slowly, "Actually, this story starts over a month ago, when I was seriously injured..."

This time, he tried to keep the story short.

"Nian Songyu only said he went looking for the Leopard Demon; he never mentioned wiping out its entire clan." Hee Yue’s brow furrowed. "And what exactly did the Xunzhou Governor send him here to do?"

"To assist National Preceptor Sunx, supposedly," Hee Lingchuan said, stroking his chin. "Looks like Dad will be coming to me for the Sand Leopard’s remains soon."

Hee Yue reminded him, "The Red and White Dao is still holding two Guards from Donglai Prefecture. Now that you know their purpose, how do you plan to deal with them?"

"How else? We let them go, of course."

"Just let them go?" Hee Yue was a little surprised. "I thought you’d want to get rid of the bodies and cover your tracks."

’The best way to not offend Donglai Prefecture was to never let them know they’d been offended in the first place.’

"Is that really necessary?" Hee Lingchuan scratched his head. "They’re just a couple of Second-class Guards. What do they count for in the eyes of Donglai Prefecture? Jack squat."

"Hm, you’re right." Hee Yue thought, ’Having those two disappear would be a lingering problem. What if the Red and White Dao slips up again? If Father decides to help them seize the Grand Square Pot, it’s best to show some sincerity now. We don’t want them to make things difficult for us when it’s time to reward merits. After all, it’s only two Guards. To put it bluntly, they’re not even worth a fart. Donglai Prefecture needs us right now, so they probably won’t use this as a pretext to cause trouble.’

Hee Lingchuan felt uneasy under his gaze. "What’s with that look?"

’Compared to before, his brother seemed to have changed, but not completely.’ Hee Yue pulled his thoughts back to the present. "There are a lot of suspicious things about this whole affair. Entering the Panlong Desert is a near-certain death sentence, even with the token. Just let them take the risk. You and Father can’t get dragged into this mess."

"I know, I know."

Just then, Uncle Hao came to report that the Red and White Dao had sent someone over.

Hee Lingchuan met the man in the garden.

Through the window, Hee Yue saw his brother plop down on a garden bench, cross his legs, and ask, "Are those two jokers still alive?"

"They’re alive," replied the man, who was the same Red and White Dao member who had tipped him off before. "Eldest Young Master, what are your instructions?"

"Get them out of the dungeon and clean them up."

"Clean them up?" The man understood. "You want them burned to ash or dissolved into water?"

"I said ’clean them up,’ not ’kill them’!" ’What is wrong with these guys?’ "Their backer is here. We’ll probably have to release them in the next day or two. Alive!"

The cult member let out a surprised "Huh?" "Release them?"

"What, are they missing some parts?" Hee Lingchuan frowned. This was not good. Returning Donglai Prefecture’s men with missing arms and legs wasn’t a gesture of goodwill; it was starting a feud.

"All parts intact, all intact, but... but..."

Hee Lingchuan’s heart sank. ’These guys are such a handful.’ "But what?"

The man coughed. "One of them tried to escape yesterday. While we were recapturing him, we accidentally... sliced off half his butt cheek. As you know, Chen the Seventh can be a bit heavy-handed."

"As I know? How could I possibly know that?" Hee Lingchuan’s eyes widened. "I thought they were just eating spoiled food and getting a few extra bedbug bites! If word of this gets out, it won’t be their asses that are hurt, it’ll be Donglai Prefecture’s face!"

In the study, Hee Yue heard this and covered his face with his hand. ’So it was just an illusion earlier. Big Brother hasn’t changed at all.’