The Speedrun Begins with Choosing Hunter

Chapter 287: Chapter 284: Soul’s Homecoming

「Winter of the 44th year of Yuanding.」

The Demon Sect sacrificed one hundred thousand souls in a blood ritual, and the Nine Heavens Profound Soldiers reappeared in the mortal realm.

Shuofang’s Jiedu Envoy, Du Qinghui, fell in battle fighting the Nine Heavens Profound Soldiers.

Jiang Changping, the Prefect of Lingzhou, fell in battle.

Of the ten thousand soldiers in Ling Province, half fell in battle.

The battle sent shockwaves through the Court and the nation.

Emperor Xuanyang was overcome with grief. He posthumously appointed the Shuofang Jiedu Envoy, Du Qinghui, to the position of First-Grade Grandmaster, with the honorary title of Wenzhong.

The Demon Sect used one hundred thousand souls to activate a peerless Demon Array in Dingzhou, which has now become a thousand-mile stretch of scorched earth.

In this time of national crisis, Grand Protector Yan Shao’an personally headed north to oversee the war effort, vowing to crush the Demon Sect’s conspiracy.

...

Overnight, the situation in Xuan Yang had been turned on its head.

「Huanglong Prefecture, Shenfu Mountain.」

Bai Yuan and Yang Fangyu stood facing each other, speechless.

So, old Du Qinghui had died in Dingzhou after all. Rumor had it that he could have survived, but he had chosen to face death without hesitation.

True to his name, Qinghui—"Clear Brilliance"—he was a beacon of light, marching toward certain death without a single regret.

"Tell me, why would anyone in this world seek out their own death?"

Yang Fangyu’s expression was somber.

Bai Yuan shook his head.

He couldn’t understand it either.

Jiang Changping had reportedly died while on a reconnaissance mission, whereas Du Qinghui had died proactively intercepting the Nine Heavens Profound Soldiers.

They said that if Du Qinghui hadn’t used his own life to stop the weapon and interrupt the revival of the Nine Heavens Profound Soldiers, the Demon Sect might have already reached the gates of Lingzhou City.

"I hear Lord Du’s children are unwilling to travel north to collect his remains."

Bai Yuan said, "I’ll go."

’Old Du was a good man. He treated me well. Now that he’s dead and his body is lost, someone at least has to build him a cenotaph.’

Of course, he knew why Du Qinghui’s son and daughter wouldn’t come to Ling Province.

For someone far away in Jiangnan, Ling Province was a den of wolves and tigers, a place where one could die at any moment. Du Qinghui’s children had only mediocre martial skills; how could they dare risk their lives by coming here?

Yang Fangyu said, "I’ll go with you."

The two of them set out for Ling Province immediately.

Du Qinghui’s residence in Ling Province was large, but there wasn’t much inside.

When Bai Yuan and Yang Fangyu arrived at the Du Mansion, its gates were wide open. Aside from a single old servant, all the other staff in the vast residence had heard the news and scattered.

"Lord Bai."

Seeing Bai Yuan step through the gates, the old servant hurried to greet him.

Bai Yuan had stayed at the Du Mansion for a time, so he recognized the old servant.

"Thank you for your hard work."

Bai Yuan sighed softly.

’Death truly reveals the hearts of men. Even Du Qinghui’s own children wouldn’t collect their father’s remains, yet this old servant was willing to risk everything to stay at the Du Mansion.’

The old servant had already packed up the things Du Qinghui cherished in life.

Bai Yuan took the heavy bundle. When he had the chance to visit Jiangnan, he would bury these items and erect a cenotaph, allowing the fallen leaf to return to its roots.

"What are your plans now?"

’This old servant’s loyalty is commendable. If he asks for help, I’ll certainly provide it.’

The old servant replied, "Thank you, Lord Bai. I have a daughter in the city. It’s about time I went back to be with my grandchildren."

Bai Yuan nodded.

He took a silver note from his robe. The old servant, stunned by the gesture, didn’t dare accept it, but Bai Yuan pressed it into his robe.

’Although the old servant had worked in the Du Mansion, in the eyes of the world, he was still registered as a servant.’

’He would likely be treated poorly at his daughter’s home. With this silver, he could hold his head a little higher. It would make his life easier.’

The old servant stared at the silver note, which read "five hundred taels." His lips trembled, and after a long moment, he finally managed to say, "Thank you, my lord."

With Bai Yuan’s wealth, he could have certainly given more, but that would have only brought harm to the old servant.

’Stories of sons killing their fathers for an inheritance were all too common, to say nothing of sons-in-law. One could never be too careful when it came to the human heart.’

The old servant bowed to Bai Yuan and Yang Fangyu one last time before departing.

Bai Yuan and Yang Fangyu exchanged a look, then walked out of the courtyard together, closing the main gates of the Du Mansion behind them.

Just as they stepped onto the street, they saw a familiar face.

"Miss Jiang."

Jiang Yan looked at Bai Yuan and Yang Fangyu, a flicker of surprise on her face, but she quickly composed herself. "Brother Bai, Brother Yang."

The three met, and Bai Yuan and Yang Fangyu spoke in unison, "Miss Jiang, our condolences."

It wasn’t just Du Qinghui who had died in Dingzhou this time, but also Jiang Yan’s father, Jiang Changping.

Jiang Yan’s face no longer showed any sorrow, but the tear tracks at the corners of her eyes proved that she was not as calm as she appeared.

"Miss Jiang, what are your plans now?"

Bai Yuan couldn’t help but ask.

Jiang Yan gave a sorrowful smile. "I’m taking my father back to his ancestral home."

Bai Yuan subtly glanced at the bundle on Jiang Yan’s back.

Like Du Qinghui, Jiang Changping’s body had not been recovered, leaving only the option of a cenotaph.

The Jiang Family had a long line of soldiers. Dying in battle and being buried far from home was a common fate. Their ancestral burial ground was surely filled with cenotaphs.

For a soldier, wishing for one’s soul to return home was, in itself, an extravagance.

Jiang Yan had no desire to speak further.

Bai Yuan said, "Miss Jiang, take care."

"Thank you."

Jiang Yan nodded and walked away.

’Compared to Du Qinghui, Jiang Changping was undoubtedly much luckier. Though his family was small, at least in Jiang Yan he had someone to handle his final affairs—unlike the son and daughter of the Du Family...’

’Perhaps this was why most officials were unwilling to stand alone, without a faction to support them.’

’Du Qinghui had dedicated his entire life to Xuan Yang, yet in the end, there was no one to even collect his body.’

’Then again, perhaps the old man never cared much for what happened after his death anyway.’

’As for the title of Grandmaster, or the honorary name Wenzhong, he probably wouldn’t have cared much for those either.’

...

「Three days later.」

The Grand Protector of Xuan Yang, Yan Shao’an, arrived in Ling Province.

A man ranked among the Three Ducal Ministers, second only to the Emperor and above all others, the Lord Grand Protector naturally did not arrive alone.

Accompanying him to Ling Province were over a dozen high-ranking Court ministers, fifty thousand elite Xuan Yang soldiers, and several of Xuan Yang’s most powerful sects.

Such was the power of a Grand Protector.

The vast, magnificent procession slowly entered Lingzhou City.

Not a single pedestrian was on the city streets, which had been cleared long in advance by the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office. At most, residents whose homes lined the streets could peek at the great figures from behind their windows.

As the chief local officials in Lingzhou, Bai Yuan and Chen Danian were, of course, already waiting at the entrance to the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office.

Before long, a line of carriages pulled up to the entrance.

A hale and hearty old man stepped briskly from the carriage. This had to be the Grand Protector of Xuan Yang, Yan Shao’an.

Bai Yuan was about to step forward when Chen Danian beat him to it, rushing to the front of the carriage.

THUD. He dropped to his knees, offering his back as a human step stool for Yan Shao’an.

Yan Shao’an didn’t stand on ceremony; he actually used Chen Danian’s back as a step to descend from the carriage.

Bai Yuan announced, "Bai Yuan, Vice Governor of Lingzhou, pays his respects to Lord Yan."

Yan Shao’an merely nodded before striding decisively into the main hall of the Lingzhou Prefecture Magistrate’s Office.

Following him, a line of figures filed in, their bearing making it clear they were all powerful and high-ranking individuals.

Just then, Chen Danian walked up, a sycophantic smile plastered on his face.

"Eight third-rank officials, seven generals, three second-rank officials... Tsk, tsk..." he muttered in a low voice, watching the high officials enter the hall.

Bai Yuan remained silent.

Although he and Chen Danian were currently the chief officials of Lingzhou, they were only of the junior fourth rank.

The men standing by the door, staring at the floor in feigned indifference, were also junior fourth-rank officials.

However, most of those junior fourth-rank officials were from the Capital City. Capital Officials always considered themselves half a rank higher than local officials, so their gazes toward Bai Yuan and Chen Danian were tinged with indifference. Not a single one of them was willing to approach the pair to make conversation.

In Lingzhou today, a junior fourth-rank official wasn’t worth much; at the very least, they didn’t even qualify to enter the hall for the meeting. This alone showed how seriously Yan Shao’an was taking the situation in Dingzhou.

To be precise, it showed how seriously he was taking the Nine Heavens Profound Soldiers.

Xuan Yang had always been on guard against the Demon Sect, but their attention had previously been focused on Xiangzhou.

The Vice Sect Leader of the Demon Sect, the Tianxin Sect Leader, and the Soul Chasing Tower Lord were all in Xiangzhou, so it had naturally become the main battlefield.

But no one had expected the Demon Sect to pull a feint, secretly moving the Nine Heavens Profound Soldiers to Dingzhou and even managing to evade the divinations of the Astronomical Bureau.

Although Du Qinghui had previously claimed the Nine Heavens Profound Soldiers might be in Dingzhou, there had been no conclusive evidence, so Xuan Yang had never taken the threat seriously.

After all, besides Dingzhou, rumors about the Nine Heavens Profound Soldiers had surfaced in the other four states as well.

Now that the threat was confirmed, Yan Shao’an had come to personally oversee the campaign.

Chen Danian, bored, glanced around.

"Lord Bai, what do you think the Lord Grand Protector will do?"

Bai Yuan replied, "I don’t know."

"Lord Bai, with the positions of Prefect and General now vacant, do you think perhaps..."

Chen Danian didn’t say it outright, but he couldn’t hide his covetousness for the positions of Prefect and General.

According to the Profound Sun Decree, a Vice Governor had the duty to fill a vacancy if the Prefect or General fell in battle. Therefore, it was quite possible for Bai Yuan and Chen Danian to be promoted.

However, the reality was far more complex than the decree. A junior third-rank position was a top-tier post in Xuan Yang.

When would it ever be a Vice Governor’s turn to fill such a role? Most of the time, the Ministry of Personnel appointed a candidate from an Outer State.

It was only because Lingzhou was in such chaos that officials from the Outer States were unwilling to take up a post here; otherwise, Bai Yuan and Chen Danian wouldn’t have stood a chance. Even so, the possibility was minuscule, but at least it was something to hope for.

Chen Danian hadn’t expected it. He had already resigned himself to his fate, and then this opportunity had fallen from the sky.

That was why he had to put on a good show for Grand Protector Yan Shao’an. It was the only way to maximize his chances of securing that junior third-rank position.

Bai Yuan didn’t answer Chen Danian’s question.

Chen Danian wasn’t annoyed that Bai Yuan ignored him.

After all, given Bai Yuan’s reputed combat achievements and the fact that he was not yet thirty, a third-rank promotion was practically guaranteed for him.

While Chen Danian was muttering to himself, a young man walked out of the main hall.

He stopped before Bai Yuan and Chen Danian.

"Lord Bai, Lord Yan requests your presence in the hall for the meeting."

Bai Yuan was a little surprised. "Yes."

Beside him, Chen Danian’s eyes widened in shock.

He had been navigating the officialdom for decades and knew exactly what this meant. Yan Shao’an was inviting Bai Yuan into the hall for a meeting?

This wasn’t just a meeting—this was the first step on the golden path to promotion!

Chen Danian couldn’t help but ask, "Young sir, I am also a Vice Governor of Lingzhou. Should I go in as well?"

The young man glanced at Chen Danian. "Lord Yan only asked for Lord Bai. He didn’t mention anyone else."

Hearing this, Chen Danian looked crestfallen, able only to watch wistfully as Bai Yuan entered the hall.

It would be impossible to say he wasn’t jealous.

From this day forward, it would probably be difficult for him and Bai Yuan to ever interact as equals again.