The Bustling Market

Riotous living, showing off in public, and having no respect for one's elders—it seems none of that has changed.

"Is that so?" He Chunhua glanced at her, his expression meaningful. "I haven't been at the manor much lately; you rarely dine with him, do you?"

Ying Hongchan's face changed. "My Lord, it is Lingchuan himself who refuses to stay home! It's a miracle if he returns to the manor for dinner twice in ten days."

He Chunhua sighed. "You should be more understanding of him. After all, he is nearly sixteen."

"That goes without saying." Madam Ying agreed readily, just as she always had. "Regardless of anything else, Lingchuan is still the eldest son of the He family."

As Madam Ying returned to her quarters, He Chunhua watched her retreating figure and let out a long, weary breath.

Steward Wu appeared from nowhere, standing by his side.

He Chunhua said with his hands behind his back, "The men sent by Donglai Manor to track the Leopard Demon vanished once they reached Blackwater City. If this matter is of great importance, they will not let it rest; I fear there is more to come."

He sighed again. "What worries me most is not this, but the situation in the east. Our connection with the Royal Court has been severed for too long. I have a lingering feeling that great chaos is near."

"Even if it is a calamity, My Lord will surely weather it safely," Steward Wu said firmly. "It has always been so."

Ten days passed, calm and uneventful.

As the date for the closure of Red Cliff Road drew nearer, the number of merchants entering and leaving Blackwater City increased, keeping the Prefect busier than ever. Meanwhile, the communication blackout between Qiansong Prefecture and the eastern part of the Yuan Kingdom remained unchanged.

The young master of the He family continued to throw his weight around.

Life was so boringly smooth that he didn't even know how to enjoy the peace and quiet.

He Chunhua had been as busy as a windmill lately, with no time to return home for dinner. Madam Ying didn't bother gathering the two children either, so they all ate separately, which suited He Lingchuan just fine.

Compared to Madam Ying, He Chunhua was a truly benevolent father.

However, contrary to what most people might imagine, a "second-generation official" like He Lingchuan rarely had to pay for his own wining and dining. For instance, today it was Liu Baobao who had invited him to the Wild Goose Pavilion, under the pretext of thanking He Lingchuan for securing a Passage Token for the Liu family, whose caravan had since returned safely.

Though Liu Baobao spoke of a "simple meal," the table was laden with exotic game, and the wine was a vintage the Liu family had cellared for twenty years.

Not to mention that the beauty pouring the wine was Liu Baobao's favorite concubine; her pair of peach-blossom eyes were bright and watery, constantly darting toward He Lingchuan, and she was exceptionally diligent in refilling his cup.

Liu Baobao saw this and cursed the little vixen under his breath, yet he put on a face full of feigned pity. "Young Master, do you really have to wait until you're eighteen to indulge?"

"Mmhmm." Setting down the Braised Venison, He Lingchuan requested a plate of Plum-pickled Peanuts, taking a sip of wine with every two nuts.

After nearly two months of eating nothing but rich, greasy food and exotic delicacies, he suddenly found himself craving Pickle and Fried Dough Noodle Soup, Scallion Sugar Flatbread, and Large Wonton.

In his past life, he would only eat those at the end of the month when he had to pay off his loans.

Yet now, seeing a flatbread stall by the roadside, he actually felt the urge to go back downstairs and buy a serving.

He hadn't eaten them in so long that his soul was yearning for them.

It was just like a middle-aged man who had married a wealthy beauty and reached the pinnacle of his life, only to occasionally dream of his first love, who was as plain as a bowl of clear noodle soup.

Just then, a commotion erupted outside.

Liu Baobao had invited him to a private room on the second floor of the Wild Goose Pavilion, and since they were sitting by the railing, the street was right below them.

He Lingchuan leaned out the window and happened to see the crowded street suddenly split in two, followed by two massive horses galloping toward them.

He let out a soft "Oh," instantly recognizing that the creatures galloping through the street were not purebred horses, but hybrids carrying the bloodline of the Bo Beast. Their hallmarks were large heads, sharp teeth, blue-red bodies, and bulging, crimson eyes.

These mounts were known as Ferocious Horses. They inherited the Bo Beast's ability to move like the wind and possessed incredible stamina, though they were temperamental and craved flesh; they could even serve as combat units on the battlefield. One might not even be able to trade twenty of the finest ordinary horses for a single Ferocious Horse.

Of course, Ferocious Horses also had their own hierarchy. He Lingchuan's own beloved mount was a Ferocious Horse, a gift from a small western kingdom to the Prefect of Qiansong; it was a carefully selected, top-tier specimen, yet it was only on par with the two below.

If the horses were this impressive, who were the riders?

The two riders followed one after the other. In the lead was a youth in white robes, seventeen or eighteen years old, with delicate brows and bright eyes that shone with a sharp, piercing light. Behind him was a traveler in gray, wearing a bamboo hat that obscured his face from He Lingchuan's vantage point.

Suspended in the air directly in front of the white-robed youth was a Spirit Pearl the size of a goose egg, spinning incessantly. The crowd in front of the horses was pushed aside by an invisible force, clearing a path through the center.

That force was far from gentle; pedestrians were sent stumbling, and one fat man fell onto a stall behind him, crushing the vendor's piping-hot rice cakes into pancakes.

The vendor, naturally, wouldn't stand for it, and the two began to bicker.

This was a world of strange powers and supernatural phenomena, so He Lingchuan wasn't surprised, merely chuckling, "Galloping through a busy market—what a grand display of power."

Large cities in the Yuan Kingdom had regulations requiring riders to dismount and lead their horses. While Blackwater City allowed people to ride, they were required to keep a slow pace and were strictly forbidden from galloping; otherwise, they would be dragged off and given twenty lashes, fined five taels of silver, and punished further if they injured anyone.

The local folk were fierce, and the punishments were equally ruthless.

Liu Baobao stole a glance at He Lingchuan upon hearing this, thinking to himself, Isn't that exactly what you usually do?

The two riders were about to pass beneath the restaurant. This was a T-junction, and once they turned into the side street, the number of pedestrians would at least halve. The white-robed youth then put away the sphere, as maintaining it consumed his energy.

Just then, a young boy ran past the side of the road. His rattle slipped from his hand when he bumped into a pedestrian, and as luck would have it, it landed right in the middle of the street!

The child immediately rushed out to retrieve his toy.

He stood directly in the path of the Ferocious Horses.

His parents cried out in alarm, rushing forward from the back, but they were blocked by the crowd and couldn't reach him in time.

The riders showed no intention of slowing down. In less than two seconds, those massive hooves would trample the child.

Again with this! He Lingchuan sighed inwardly. Why is it that in every world, there are children who insist on crawling under the chassis?

Fortunately, times had changed; he no longer needed to take action himself.

"Uncle Hao!" He Lingchuan rested his chin on one hand and pointed downward with the other.

Uncle Hao, who had been standing by his side like an invisible shadow, flicked his wrist and sent two copper coins flying.

The two coins landed directly in the path of the Ferocious Horse, spaced over three feet apart. If the rider continued to urge the horse forward, its legs or belly would almost certainly be struck. He had thrown two specifically to prevent the rider from swatting them away and maintaining their speed.

Uncle Hao's copper coins were not easy to catch. He Lingchuan had once seen him pierce a black bear's skull with one. There was no need to elaborate on the hardness of a bear's skull; it was certainly no less durable than these two Ferocious Horses below.

The white-robed youth below assessed the situation and, as expected, yanked hard on the reins. The Ferocious Horse let out a shrill whinny and reared up, coming to an abrupt halt with its hooves less than seven feet from the child on the ground.