The Commandant's Token

He Yue hurriedly backed away and said angrily, "Commandant Nian, please show some respect!"

Nian Songyu showed no respect. In fact, he tried to grab the boy and yank him over.

He Yue was so frightened that his face went pale.

Luckily, someone rushed out from the side and threw a punch at Nian Songyu's face!

The heavy punch whistled through the air. If it landed, Nian Songyu would fly at least ten feet and end up with a swollen, bruised face.

But he reacted quickly, shrinking back and meeting the fist with his own. At the same time, he kicked toward the other man's chest with great force, clearly enraged.

But that made him release He Yue.

The man had only thrown a feint with his fist. His real killing move was the short blade in his left hand, which he silently thrust toward Nian Songyu's ribs.

Having noticed it, Nian Songyu took two steps back and dodged the kick before it could land.

He Yue's shout came only then: "Stop! Don't fight!"

The newcomer was none other than He Lingchuan.

Before Nian Songyu could say anything, he tilted his head and looked surprised. "Commandant Nian, what are you doing here?"

"I thought some shameless lecher had sneaked in, trying to ruin my little brother's innocence," He Lingchuan said, feigning surprise. "Commandant Nian, why are you standing in front of his latrine?"

"I have trouble sleeping in an unfamiliar bed, so I took a walk and happened to run into Second Young Master He. We had a heart-to-heart." Nian Songyu brushed off his sleeve. "The Great Capital is a real den of dragons and snakes. You folks are heading there from the countryside, so you'll need someone to look after you even more."

He smiled warmly at He Yue. "Second Young Master He, we get along so well. How about I come find you for a drink tomorrow night?"

He Yue's face was deathly pale, and he didn't say a word.

"Sure! Little Brother and I will be glad to join you. We'll drink until we're both dead drunk!" He Lingchuan cut in. "It's just that I get a little carried away when I'm drinking and having fun, so you'll have to bear with me, Commandant Nian."

Nian Songyu gave a couple of dry laughs. He felt that the fellow had a rather sleazy look about him and didn't want to continue the conversation.

He Lingchuan added, "By the way, have you found out who leaked the news of my serious injuries? It must have been a spy!"

Nian Songyu's smile slowly faded. "Not yet." With that, he turned and strolled away.

As soon as he was gone, He Yue rushed to the pond to wash his hands, moving as fast as a rabbit shot in the tail.

He Lingchuan heard him swear—a rare thing—and saw his pale face as he washed his hands over and over, as if he wanted to scrub his skin off. "Big Brother, thank goodness you were here."

He was only fourteen, after all. No matter how mature he acted, at a time like this he still needed his older brother to stand up for him.

"Seeing that punchable face of his made my hands itch, too." He Lingchuan comforted him. "But even if I hadn't been here, he wouldn't have actually laid a hand on you today."

"He was pretending?" He Yue frowned. "I looked into Nian Songyu. It seems like he really does have that kind of hobby."

Several generations of Yuan Emperors had been fond of men, and it had become fashionable in the Great Capital for noblemen to keep handsome young men. A clean-cut, handsome boy like He Yue was exactly the sort of prey some people liked.

"Whether he was pretending or not, I can't say." He Lingchuan chuckled. "But he threatened you, and for the sake of your innocence, our family has to hurry things along. Persuasion in the afternoon, intimidation at night—that's what you call attacking on two fronts."

He pinched his younger brother's cheek. "Look at that smooth, tender skin. No wonder people have wicked thoughts about you. I told you to practice martial arts with me, but you refused."

He Yue slapped his hand away. "They've already grown impatient. Is it because of the changes about to take place in the Coiling Dragon Desert?"

"Maybe." He Lingchuan turned and headed out. "Go to bed early. I'm going to find something to eat."

"The pantry in the main kitchen often has some snacks tucked away in a low cupboard."

"What is it today?"

"A basin of Walnut Cake." He Yue coughed. "But there's only half left."

"Wasn't it Apple Honey Pastry?" He Lingchuan suddenly understood. "So that's why I couldn't find it sometimes. You were sneaking bites!"

Only when he reached a quiet, deserted spot did he vigorously shake out his left fist.

"Damn, that hurts." He looked at his reddened knuckles. The skin wasn't broken, but they were a little swollen. "That Nian Songyu has some real strength."

He had spent years tempering his fists with iron sand and flint, and could easily break a hardwood staff as thick as a bowl. Yet when he punched Nian Songyu, the force that came back left his knuckles aching.

Early the next morning, the two guests were invited into the main hall, where He Chunhua personally brought them the good news.

"The entire leopard carcass has been recovered." Governor He had worked late into the night and slept for only an hour, but he now looked radiant, more energetic than either of his sons. "Still, I imagine the two of you only need this leopard tooth."

He opened his palm, revealing the leopard tooth.

Nian Songyu hurried over. "Let me see!"

No one cared how the leopard carcass had been recovered. It was just a story; everyone knew the truth.

But He Chunhua sighed. "I thought some rival had attacked us in secret. After all, Blackwater City is on the frontier, surrounded by enemies. I never imagined there was so much more to it. We delayed the State Preceptor's important business. Please forgive us."

What could State Preceptor Sun say? He could only be magnanimous. "It's all right. One who doesn't know is not to blame. Besides, Young Master He was seriously injured himself."

He Chunhua took out the leopard tooth and emptied its contents onto a brocade tray. "Everything is here. Please take a look, State Preceptor. Which one is the token?"

Everyone gathered around to look. Sun Fuping asked for a cup of water and dropped a grass seed into it.

After just a couple of shakes, the seed began to sprout roots and shoots, growing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

In barely a dozen breaths, it had grown into a flowering plant. It bore only one fuzzy white flower with six petals, each about the size of a fingernail.

Sun Fuping picked up the items on the brocade tray and brought them, one by one, near the little flower.

The flower did nothing until—

Until He Lingchuan brought the broken half of a comb close to it. The white flower suddenly withered, its stem and leaves drying up as well, until it finally turned to powder and drifted away in the water.

"It should be this one." Sun Fuping had just reached out when He Chunhua took the comb first and examined it closely. "Even after more than a hundred years, the resentment clinging to it is still so strong."

Nian Songyu asked in surprise, "The token of the dignified commander of Coiling Dragon City is actually a comb?"

He Lingchuan shrugged. "He once had a wife and daughter, too."

He Yue picked up the question. "There's something I don't understand. After Xianyou Kingdom finally managed to capture Coiling Dragon City, why didn't they take the Great Square Pot? They suffered plenty of losses, so they should have known its value."

"According to the history of Xianyou Kingdom, after the army captured Coiling Dragon City and massacred its inhabitants, the river and wells dried up on the third day. Even the moat's water vanished overnight. On the fifth day, the plants blackened and rotted, and the crops and dead grass all perished. On the seventh day, every domesticated animal dropped dead. The Xianyou army saw that the place was terribly inauspicious and could only withdraw as quickly as possible. Besides, without water or food, the people couldn't have held out. That army was then sent north to fight, and never put the Great Square Pot to use." State Preceptor Sun took a sip of tea. "What's more, I searched through all the historical records of Xianyou and found no battle that might have involved the Mind-Beguiling Insect. If Xianyou Kingdom had gotten its hands on such a supreme treasure, how could they not have deployed it on the battlefield?"