After the Immortal Disappeared

Chapter 115: Chapter 116: Objective: Dispelling Ill Fortune and Overcoming Calamity

As if hearing his son’s thoughts, Hee Chunhua continued, "To take a step back, even if the Water Spirit has some power, it can’t be right every single time."

Hee Yue, who had just come out, overheard this and quickly added, "Exactly. The Temple Watcher just said the Water Spirit can be wrong sometimes. Maybe it’s facing its own great disaster and can’t even divine fortunes anymore?"

"That makes sense." Hee Lingchuan took a long, deep breath. "You don’t have to convince me anymore. I get it."

"Brother..."

"I said, you don’t have to!" Hee Lingchuan cut him off sharply. "Leave me alone!"

This was in line with his eldest son’s character, so Hee Chunhua wasn’t surprised. However, Madam Ying, who had just come out, chided, "Is that any way to speak? Yue’Er only had good intentions!"

Hee Lingchuan turned and walked away.

Hee Chunhua waved his hand, playing the peacemaker. "Alright, alright. He’s in a bad mood. Don’t mind him."

Hee Lingchuan’s mind was also a tangled mess.

He recalled Nian Songyu’s last words: "Your death is not far off!"

At the time, a so-called "Celestial God" had possessed Nian Songyu and spoken those final words through him. Hee Lingchuan had always dismissed it as Nian Songyu’s dying curse and paid it no mind.

’But what if the "Celestial God" had actually seen something?’

The Celestial God had originally intended to possess him, Hee Lingchuan, but it had been knocked out during an Illusion in his Sea of Consciousness.

’That altered Illusion... the street corner within it... the glowing mark revealed in the broken plaster on the corner wall...’

’He hadn’t forgotten it—how even the so-called "Celestial God" was driven from his Sea of Consciousness by an unknown power!’

’Is this the power of that disaster?’

’These past events, combined with the two supremely ill-omened lots from the Water Spirit today... Could they all be connected?’

A sense of urgency he’d never felt since his transmigration washed over him, and Hee Lingchuan’s mind was in turmoil.

Just then, a Guard came running over to report to Hee Chunhua.

After listening, Hee Chunhua immediately called to his eldest son, "We have the intelligence from the interrogation! Chuan’Er, come here."

Hee Lingchuan had no choice but to walk back.

"Look at the situation around you. The mission comes first—annihilating these vicious bandits is our priority! Besides, if you truly are facing a disaster, perhaps it will manifest tonight. Vicious thieves coming for our lives, isn’t that calamity enough? As long as we successfully leave Immortal Spirit Lake, this doubt will resolve itself!"

Hee Chunhua gripped his shoulder and added, "Chuan’Er, you must trust me, and you must trust the Great Shaman. Understand?"

Hee Lingchuan looked at him and took a deep breath. "I understand."

’If only it were that simple.’

"That Water Spirit is just being needlessly mysterious; it must have an ulterior motive," Hee Chunhua said gravely. "It wouldn’t do all this for no reason. Trusting it is just you working yourself up over nothing."

Hee Lingchuan nodded.

And so, Hee Chunhua had everyone return to the main house.

On the way back, Hee Lingchuan’s mind was racing. ’If the Water Spirit’s divination of "great misfortune" came true, would it mean he was fated to suffer a tragic death in a foreign land, just like Nian Songyu?’

’If there was a glimmer of hope, how was he supposed to grasp it?’

’Starting today, he had to be vigilant about his own safety and find a way to undo this clinging misfortune—if it even truly existed.’

The most terrifying thing about the Water Spirit’s prophecy was that it was like telling a traveler in the dark that there was a chasm ahead, but not how far.

From now on, every step he took would be fraught with anxiety.

’Sigh... Before leaving Black Water City, he should have paid a visit to Zhaomandu the Great Shaman. He might have learned something useful.’

’But as a transmigrator, his guilty conscience had made him want to stay as far away from the mysterious old man as possible.’

...

Muffled groans began to emanate from the kitchen. The cottage had poor soundproofing; even with a gag in his mouth, everyone could hear Fatty Wang’s pained moans.

That fatty was having some seriously rotten luck.

A short while later, the sound of splashing water came from the kitchen.

Afterward, Personal Guard Zhao Qinghe emerged from the kitchen. "My lord, the situation is grim."

Hee Chunhua found a chair and sat down. "Speak."

"Two days ago, this group of Mountain Bandits did conquer a nearby town, but it wasn’t Qianteng Town—it was Desheng Town! It’s only forty li from Xianling Village. What’s more, the number of bandits stationed in Desheng Town isn’t two hundred. It’s one thousand two hundred!"

Twelve hundred! So many! Everyone was visibly shaken. Hee Yue muttered, "That’s nearly the size of a regular army."

Hee Lingchuan had thought two or three hundred was the most they’d have to deal with. If that many vicious bandits launched a surprise attack on the Village Defense Team, their odds of winning would already be high.

Who would have thought that the bandits in Desheng Town and here at Xianling Village would total nearly one thousand five hundred men!

Forget about taking a mere town; if these bandits had any discipline and fighting capability, they could even seize an ordinary city, as long as they caught it by surprise.

However, that was just the appetizer. The intelligence that followed was even more shocking:

"They’re Busin People, and they came downriver from Woling Pass. They’re not just ordinary Mountain Bandits—they’re the routed remnants of a rebel army!"

The two words, "Woling Pass," flashed through Hee Lingchuan’s mind like lightning.

All the troubles the Hee Family had faced, one after another, were ultimately tied to Woling Pass!

So this group was actually a routed rebel army from the Woling Pass battlefield.

He’d only learned the true outcome of the Woling Pass battle after returning to Black Water City from the Panlong Desert. The government forces had won, the leader of the Rebel Army was killed, and the remnants of his forces had scattered.

But right at that moment, the Grand Commandant had staged a rebellion in the Capital City, attempting to usurp the throne.

Naturally, the government forces at Woling Pass had to immediately march to the king’s aid, leaving them no choice but to ignore the fleeing Roving Bandits.

Woling Pass was less than two hundred li from here. Considering the direction, this location was likely right on the routed army’s path of retreat.

It all added up.

Zhao Qinghe added, "Boss Lui’s name isn’t Lui Han. It’s Lui Yao."

At this name, Hee Chunhua shot to his feet, slamming his hand on the table. "You mean Lui Yao, Left Tent General to the rebel leader Hong Xiangqian?"

"Yes, Lui Yao himself!"

Hee Chunhua clasped his hands behind his back and paced around the dining hall twice.

It was rare to see him this agitated. Hee Lingchuan nudged Hee Yue with his elbow. "How many generals did the rebel leader have?"

Hee Lingchuan had, of course, heard the name Hong Xiangqian. This was the very leader of the Rebel Army who had marched a thousand li north in two years, captured Woling Pass, and shaken the entire Da Yuan kingdom.

In the northern and western regions of the Yuan Kingdom, folk tales depicted him as a ferocious, vicious rebel leader with a green face and long fangs. They claimed he drank human blood, flayed people alive, and that a thousand-li drought followed in his wake.

This was, of course, necessary for the Yuan Royal Court’s propaganda war. Hearing all this, Hee Lingchuan wondered, ’Could this man be a Drought Demon reborn?’

As for who served under Hong Xiangqian, the body’s original owner had only picked up vague details—a lack of common knowledge that was now proving to be a handicap for Hee Lingchuan.

Hee Yue whispered, "He had four when he started the rebellion, fourteen at his peak, and only five who made it off the battlefield alive after the defeat. Left Tent General Lui Yao more than lives up to the four words ’evil beyond all measure.’ He’s a real Ogre. His favorite meal is the stir-fried hearts of children under five, which he has praised as a ’First-class Crispy’ delicacy of the Mortal World. They say he even published a cookbook: *Fifty Ways to Cook Two-legged Sheep*."