He Yue swiftly stepped back, his voice filled with anger: "Commander Nian, please restrain yourself!"
Not only did Nian Songyu refuse to restrain himself, but he reached out, attempting to grab the young man by force.
He Yue's face turned ashen with fear.
Fortunately, someone came charging in from the side, delivering a powerful punch straight at Nian Songyu's face!
The punch was fierce, the sound cutting through the air. If it landed, Nian Songyu would surely be sent flying a full ten feet, his face bruised and swollen.
However, Nian Songyu was quick to react. He shrank back slightly and met the punch with his own fist, while simultaneously kicking toward his opponent's chest with great force. His anger was evident.
This maneuver, however, forced him to release He Yue.
The newcomer's punch was a feint; the true strike was the short blade in his left hand, which silently aimed for Nian Songyu's ribs.
Realizing the attack, Nian Songyu retreated two steps, deftly dodging both the kick and the blade.
He Yue's shout rang out just then: "Stop! Don't fight!"
The newcomer was none other than He Lingchuan.
Before Nian Songyu could respond, He Lingchuan tilted his head, feigning surprise: "Commander Nian, it's you!"
"I thought some shameless rogue had snuck in to ruin my little brother's reputation," He Lingchuan remarked with mock amazement. "Commander Nian, what are you doing in front of my brother's privy?"
"I couldn't sleep, so I took a walk and happened to run into the second young master. I thought we'd have a chat," Nian Songyu replied, dusting off his sleeve nonchalantly. "The capital is a place rife with hidden dangers, a far cry from the countryside. You'll need someone looking out for you."
He offered He Yue a warm smile: "Second Young Master He, we've struck up quite the bond. How about we share a drink again tomorrow night?"
He Yue's face was deathly pale, and he said nothing.
"Sure! My little brother and I will gladly accompany you," He Lingchuan interjected cheerfully. "We'll drink till we drop—but I must warn you, Commander, I tend to go all out during drinking games."
Nian Songyu chuckled twice, finding the man's demeanor a bit unrefined and not worth engaging further.
He Lingchuan changed the subject. "By the way, have you identified who leaked the news of my injuries? It must be an insider!"
Nian Songyu's smile faded slowly. "Not yet," he replied before turning and walking away with deliberate calm.
As soon as he disappeared, He Yue rushed to the pool to wash his hands, moving as fast as a rabbit that had been shot in the tail.
He Lingchuan heard him mutter a rare curse under his breath and saw his pale face as he scrubbed his hands repeatedly, as if he wanted to peel off a layer of skin.
"Big brother, thank goodness you were here," He Yue finally said.
At fourteen, no matter how precocious he might be, he still relied on his older brother to back him up in such moments.
"Seeing his face made me itch to hit him," He Lingchuan reassured him. "But even if I hadn't been here, he wouldn't have dared harm you today."
"He was pretending?" He Yue frowned. "I looked into Nian Songyu—he seems to genuinely have… that sort of inclination."
For generations, the Yuan emperors had favored male lovers, a fashion that had permeated the capital's upper class. Young men like He Yue, with their delicate and handsome features, were exactly the type certain people sought as prey.
"Whether he's pretending or not, I can't say," He Lingchuan replied with a chuckle. "But his intimidation tactics are clear. It's a classic approach: tempting you in the afternoon, scaring you at night. It's all about applying pressure from both sides."
He playfully pinched his brother's cheek. "With skin as smooth as yours, no wonder you attract unwanted attention. I've told you to train with me, but you never listen."
He Yue swatted his hand away with a sharp slap. "They're growing impatient. Is it because the Panlong Desert is about to undergo some changes?"
"Possibly." He Lingchuan turned to leave. "Get some rest. I'm off to find some food."
"The low cabinet in the main kitchen usually hides some snacks."
"What's on today?"
"A plate of walnut cakes," He Yue replied with a cough. "But there's only half left."
"Not apple honey pastries?" He Lingchuan suddenly understood. "So that's why I couldn't find them sometimes—you've been stealing them!"
Reaching a quiet, deserted spot, he shook out his left hand vigorously.
"Hiss, that hurts." He examined his reddened knuckles. Though the skin hadn't broken, they were slightly swollen. "That Nian Songyu… packs a punch."
His fists, toughened through years of training with iron sand and flint, could easily break a blade of comparable thickness. Yet the force from that exchange with Nian Songyu had left his knuckles aching.
The next morning, two guests were invited to the main hall, where He Chunhua personally delivered good news.
"The entire leopard carcass has been recovered."
The magistrate, who had worked until late the previous night and only slept an hour, appeared more energetic than his two sons. "However, I believe you only care about this leopard tooth."
He opened his palm, revealing the leopard tooth.
Nian Songyu leaned in eagerly. "Let me see!"
No one cared how the carcass was recovered. It was merely a formality, and everyone knew it.
However, He Chunhua sighed. "I thought it was an external enemy making a move. After all, Heishui City is on the border, surrounded by threats. But who knew there was so much intrigue within? Please forgive any delays this may have caused to the Grandmaster's plans."
Grandmaster Sun could only appear magnanimous. "No harm done. Ignorance excuses the offense, and besides, Master He has been injured in the line of duty."
He Chunhua then took out the leopard tooth and poured its contents onto a brocade tray. "Everything is here. Grandmaster, please identify which one is the token."
The crowd leaned in to see as Sun Fuping asked for a cup of water and dropped a seed into it.
After just a couple of shakes, the seed began to sprout and grow, visibly accelerating before their eyes.
Within moments, it had bloomed into a plant with a single fluffy white flower of six small petals, no larger than a fingernail.
Sun Fuping picked up each item on the tray, bringing it close to the flower.
Nothing happened—until—
When He Lingchuan brought a broken comb fragment closer, the white flower suddenly withered. Its stem and leaves shriveled and decayed, disintegrating into powder that floated away in the water.
"It should be this," Sun Fuping concluded, just as He Chunhua snatched up the comb and inspected it closely. "Even after over a century, the attached resentment remains so potent."
Nian Songyu remarked, "The Commander's token from Panlong City is actually… a comb?"
He Lingchuan shrugged. "He once had a wife and daughter."
He Yue asked the pressing question. "What I don't understand is, when the Xiangyou Kingdom finally captured Panlong City, why didn't they take the Great Fang Vessel? They must have suffered greatly and known its value."
According to Xiangyou Kingdom records, Sun Fuping explained, the army that took Panlong City faced catastrophic misfortunes: a dried-up well, poisoned crops, and dead livestock, which forced them to abandon the area and leave the vessel untouched.