Hee Lingchuan thought for a moment. "Get them two new sets of clothes. Clean them up and give them a couple of good meals. No matter how they curse you, just smile right back. Also, keep a close watch on Chen the Seventh and don’t let him escape. He busted up someone else’s ass, and he just might get his own torn a new one this time."

The Red and White Dao member agreed, but couldn’t help adding, "Eldest Young Master, we can’t afford to offend Donglai Prefecture. If we just let them go..."

The Red and White Dao had been ruthless before, even after learning the men’s identities, because they were certain their captives were dead men walking. Dead men don’t snitch, so what did it matter how they were treated?

But now that Hee Lingchuan was planning to let them go, the Red and White Dao couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

"Don’t worry. They need something from us, so they won’t sweat the small stuff. Besides, this is Qiansong County—Black Water City. As the saying goes, a mighty dragon is no match for the local bully." This wasn’t a place where Donglai Prefecture called the shots.

After dismissing the Red and White Dao member, Hee Lingchuan turned to see the worried look in his younger brother’s eyes. "Brother, how are you going to explain this to Father?"

"It’s just a small misunderstanding. I’m sure Donglai Prefecture will focus on the bigger picture." Hee Lingchuan laughed, his expression calm and composed. "It’s nothing!"

Hee Yue said nothing. A trivial matter for the Grand Commandant was something the Hee Family had to approach with fear and trepidation, carefully weighing their every move.

What was a mountain to him was but a speck of dust to them.

The wind rustled the fallen leaves in the garden. For the first time, the young Hee master, who had always had things come easy, felt the stifling frustration of the powerless.

’It’s a terrible feeling.’

"What’s wrong?" Hee Lingchuan asked, seeing his brother’s gloomy expression. He looked like he had something on his mind.

"It’s nothing." Hee Yue managed a smile. "I’ll be going."

The moment his brother left, Hee Lingchuan turned to Uncle Hao. "Did something happen?" Something was off about Uncle Hao’s demeanor.

"Eldest Young Master, Xiaohui is dead."

Hee Lingchuan was startled. "How?"

"He didn’t return last night. I went to Broken Cliff on Gourd Mountain and brought his body back." Uncle Hao’s voice was strained. "His wings and abdomen were pierced through. His blood was dark green, and he was poisoned. But the cause of death was a snapped neck."

"Nian Songyu... National Preceptor Sun..." Seeing Uncle Hao’s reddened eyes, Hee Lingchuan felt a pang of sorrow himself. "It was my idea to send Xiaohui to spy on them. Uncle Hao, I’m sorry."

Xiaohui was a Hawk Demon, Uncle Hao’s childhood companion. He had been with him for decades, could speak human tongue, and together they had eaten, drank, killed, and pillaged. They were as close as brothers. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Uncle Hao had no children, no brothers. With Xiaohui dead, it was as if his own limbs had been hacked off.

"You weren’t the one who did it. What are you apologizing for?" A vicious light flared in Uncle Hao’s eyes. "Those two could have just questioned him. Why did they have to kill him! Can you help me find out which one struck the fatal blow? The National Preceptor, or that Nian fellow?"

"I will." Hee Lingchuan immediately cautioned him, "But don’t be rash. Forget you—no one in the entire Jinzhou Prefecture would dare to make an enemy of them."

"Xiaohui saved my life. At least twice." Uncle Hao’s voice was firm as steel. "He will not have died in vain!"

"If you go for revenge now, you’ll just be throwing your own life away," Hee Lingchuan said, his eyes shifting. "The Panlong Desert is a man-eating Demon Cave. Even if they make it back alive, their power will be greatly diminished." ’Best if they don’t come back at all.’

"Wait ten days or so, and your chances of revenge will increase three- to five-fold." He placed a hand on Uncle Hao’s shoulder, his tone exceptionally sincere. "If the opportunity arises, my father and I will certainly help you."

’His opponent is the National Preceptor, a living weapon of the state. To seek revenge now would be far too reckless.’

"Right, does Father know yet?"

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

Hee Lingchuan took the Mutton Fat Jade Ring from his own finger, pulled out a Bright Pearl Necklace, and stuffed them both into Uncle Hao’s hand. "Take three days off. Er—I mean, rest well for the next three days." A chance to mourn properly. "Don’t drink too much. I’ll call for you if I need anything."

The Mutton Fat Jade Ring was set with a huge ruby—the perfect accessory for the nouveau riche—while every pearl on the necklace was the size of a sparrow’s egg, all uniform and incredibly valuable.

Uncle Hao accepted them. After a moment of stunned silence, he finally nodded and turned to leave.

The life of a loved one was priceless, of course, but a bit of money could always help soothe a wounded soul.

After Uncle Hao departed, Hee Lingchuan slowly sank onto a stone bench in the garden.

’Talk about trouble falling right out of the sky.’

The Hawk Demon Xiaohui went missing yesterday. That meant Nian Songyu and National Preceptor Sun already knew the Hee Family held a clue they wanted, even before visiting the Hee Mansion. Was today’s visit a case of ’civility before conquest’?

Forget the disparity in their statuses; National Preceptor Sun had arrived under the Emperor’s command. How could Hee Chunhua possibly dare to refuse him?

But to respectfully offer up the Leopard Demon’s corpse and obediently serve up his own men as cannon fodder for those two dignitaries—Hee Lingchuan just couldn’t stomach it. He simply couldn’t!

Those two attacked the West Mountain Leopard Nest, which got him implicated and sent him falling off a cliff. The body’s original owner died, and he, the imposter, had to suffer through the pain of injury for more than twenty days.

On Hee Family turf, those two had casually killed a scout the family had sent out.

Now they wanted Hee Chunhua to dispatch cannon fodder to help them enter the Panlong Desert and seize the Grand Square Pot. If they succeeded, they would reap all the glory, while Hee Prefect’s contribution would be minimal.

Suffer heavy losses, and for what? A single word of praise from the Emperor.

But what right did he, Hee Lingchuan, have to challenge them?

It seemed he would have to pinch his nose and swallow this loss.

How infuriating!

Hee Lingchuan cradled his head in his hands and let out a long sigh. Suddenly, he saw something white drifting down before his eyes.

It was a feather.

Some bird must have passed overhead.

Hee Lingchuan caught the feather and idly twirled it between his fingers. Suddenly, a thought struck him.

’Huh? Wait a minute.’

It was only after he had recovered from his injuries that Hee Chunhua transferred Uncle Hao from out of town to be his personal bodyguard. That meant Xiaohui couldn’t have known the details of his fall. Besides, the Hee Family didn’t allow demons to set foot on the premises; the Hawk Demon always perched on the branches outside.

Hee Lingchuan hadn’t spent much time with Uncle Hao, but he knew the man was of few words. What Uncle Hao saw was not necessarily what Xiaohui knew.

Therefore, from Nian and Sun’s perspective, the information they’d managed to pry out of Xiaohui must have been vague.

At the very least, they didn’t know the Leopard Demon’s corpse was in the Hee Mansion, and they couldn’t be certain the clue they wanted was even here. After all, when the Leopard Demons fled their nest, they scattered in every direction. The pursuers split up, so how could they guarantee the one that fled toward Gourd Mountain was the one they were truly after?

What if one of the other escaped Sand Leopards was the one hiding the token for the Panlong Ruins?

Most importantly, they didn’t know that the Sand Leopard’s relic was in the hands of Eldest Young Master Hee!

With so many uncertainties, they couldn’t afford to act rashly against the local power.

Coercing them with the Emperor’s authority and luring them with benefits was their best approach.

So, what did the Hee Family have to fear?

Having worked this out, Hee Lingchuan stood up, patted his rear, and decided to go find his father at the Bureau.

’No need to scare myself like that.’

...

Hee Chunhua was writing furiously. When he heard what his eldest son had to say, the brush in his hand came to a stop.