Where Immortals Once Walked-Chapter 225: Saber Planting

After marching for another hundred meters, the army began to split.

There was no way the provincial yamen could hold so many people anyway. Old Steward Mo took the families of the Coordinating Army to the post office, where they would have their lodging assigned. After that, he escorted Madame Ying and the others to their new home, the new residence of the Governor-General of Xia Province.

According to He Chunhua’s earlier instructions, He Yue was to accompany him to the provincial yamen, while He Lingchuan stayed with his mother.

Soon enough, Madame Ying and her son finally arrived at what would be their family’s new residence.

It stood roughly fifty meters behind the government office, close enough for the governor-general to reach work conveniently. The homes of other officials dotted the surrounding streets, and even the magistrate of Dunyu County lived nearby. Behind the area stretched two or three rows of official residences.

He Lingchuan accompanied his mother on a slow stroll through the compound. Servants were already unloading luggage, sweeping the courtyard, and setting the furniture in place. In the blink of an eye, the estate began to feel alive.

The property had been arranged by the provincial government office beforehand. It was decently clean, with a few servants stationed there to maintain it. Old Steward Mo rewarded those servants handsomely, then dismissed them.

As the lady of the house, Madame Ying only trusted her own household staff from Heishui City. Of course, she would recruit new hands gradually in the days to come.

But for now, the residence left her deeply disappointed. Compared to the Li Family’s residence—no, even compared to the silk merchant Hu’s residence they had passed earlier—this official residence was barely half the size. Furthermore, the furnishings were outdated, the walls and roof had been hastily patched, and the covered corridors leaked wind and rain through cracked tiles. The bluestone paving of the courtyard was uneven, with some stones sunken and others broken; the plants grew wild and unkempt.

Madame Ying’s sharp eyes even spotted a few worm-eaten holes at the foot of a table leg.

This was far beneath her expectations. It was not even as comfortable as their old mansion back in Heishui City!

Seeing his mother’s expression darken by the minute, He Lingchuan hurried to console her. “Don’t be angry, Mother. The place might be run-down, but we can fix what needs fixing, replace what needs replacing, and throw out what’s beyond saving. Father won’t complain. Isn’t this your chance to show your talents again? And it’s not like we’re short on money.”

Back in Heishui City, it was Madame Ying who had overseen every detail of their residence, whether it be the decor, furnishings, or even the garden.

Women, perhaps, were simply born with a passion for making homes beautiful. After thinking it over, Madame Ying began to picture herself scolding her husband about this miserable house once he returned, then spending the next few months modifying it exactly to her liking. The thought gradually soothed her temper.

“Who are you calling old[1]? And who says we’re not short on money? Your father’s expenses will only grow here. Entertaining the local officials and establishing new ties cost silver. A new appointment doesn’t bring new income right away. We’ll have to save where we can... Hm, the ground’s already sunken here. Why not dig it deeper and make a water cellar? In summer, we can chill melons and wine down there!”

A water cellar was essentially a pond dug at least three meters deep so that sunlight could never reach the bottom. The water remained cold year-round, making it perfect for storing food or drink. It also served as a backup water source and fire reservoir.

What she said about money was not wrong, either.

When He Chunhua had ruled Qiansong Commandery, he had been the undisputed local overlord. Legitimate revenue, shady income, unofficial gifts—the income streams were countless. Otherwise, how could he possibly have supported his eldest son’s lavish habits? The meager salary of a commandery administrator certainly could not have covered it.

But as a newly arrived governor-general, he could not yet extend his hand too freely. A man like He Chunhua would first take time to map out every hidden current and unspoken rule in Xia Province before acting.

In the vast Great Yuan, He Chunhua was not what one would call a corrupt official. In fact, he was considered a capable and pragmatic one, if a bit ruthless. Still, he at least did not suck the people dry to the marrow. For that, Madame Ying remained proud.

This time, she even treated her eldest son generously. Before her husband’s return, she assigned He Lingchuan an entire courtyard on the eastern side for his own use.

The two brothers’ quarters were about the same size, which was her small act of fairness.

After she went off to busy herself with household matters, He Lingchuan wandered into his new domain. The courtyard was smaller than his old one in Heishui City, but it was still large enough to practice martial arts. A row of peach trees lined the wall, their trunks thick with age. Come next summer, he could have fruit without having to go out.

A large jujube tree stood in the middle of the yard, bare for the winter. He mused that he might build a little treehouse in it soon for Ling Guang, the medicine ape.

The rock wolf padded in as well, sniffing left and right with canine curiosity. He Lingchuan said with a grin, “Lu Xin, how about I build you a little wooden hut in the courtyard?”

“Sure...” Just as Lu Xin answered, it immediately changed its mind and barked, “Wait, no! Absolutely not! Do you take me for a dog? I’m not sleeping in a doghouse!”

Isn’t a little wooden hut basically a doghouse?

He Lingchuan replied with a shrug, “Well, then you can sleep in the front hall. If you need to relieve yourself, use the outhouse. And no peeing in the yard, you hear me?”

Lu Xin ground his teeth. Truly, a humiliating life for a wolf.

Inside, the furnishings were complete enough, though he knew his mother would soon have half of them replaced.

Old Steward Mo had already sent over a brazier, hot water, and a tea tray.

He Lingchuan had just brewed himself a cup when a knock came at the gate.

“Young Master, it’s me.”

He recognized the voice at once. It was Li Fubo.

“The door’s open. Come in.”

Li Fubo stepped inside. He Lingchuan asked with a grin, “You didn’t go to the yamen to watch the commotion?” He was actually thinking of going himself.

“No. Her Lordship had already gone. She ordered me to go ahead and help you with something.”

“Help me? With what?” He Lingchuan found himself confused.

“Planting the saber.”

He Lingchuan smacked his forehead. “Even the Marquis of Songyang is more anxious about it than I am!”

He really has the heart of a carefree young master. Li Fubo continued calmly, “The treasured saber must remain still for half a month after being planted. It can’t be moved during that time. Will this place do?”

“This place will do nicely.” He Lingchuan rubbed his palms together, excitement flickering in his eyes. “Come on then, let me see the Songyang Mansion’s saber planting method.”

Li Fubo first handed him a small object. “This has been repaired. Please return it to your father.”

He Lingchuan had a look and saw that it was the walnut boat, formally called the mustard seed boat, that He Lingchuan had once used to smash Dong Rui’s giant ape, breaking it in the process.

“So fast? Grandmaster Li, you’re truly an artisan among artisans.”

Li Fubo smiled. “It was the Her Lordship who repaired it.”

“Ohh,” He Lingchuan drawled, lengthening the sound. “I’ll be sure to tell her that.”

He thought to himself, Mother’s going to be fuming about that one.

Li Fubo drew a copper furnace from his storage ring and dropped it on the floor. Then, he murmured two short incantations, and the palm-sized copper furnace expanded instantly until it stood taller than a man.

He Lingchuan no longer found such Songyang Mansion techniques surprising.

“Please step back, Young Master.”

He Lingchuan did so. Li Fubo patted the furnace’s side, and its lid unfolded outward like the petals of a flower. A surge of scorching heat poured forth, sweeping through the room.

Even standing a full three meters away, He Lingchuan could feel the wave of heat. The temperature in the spacious room rose by at least five degrees in seconds.

And this, mind you, was with Li Fubo carefully controlling the heat. If he had released it fully, the bed and cabinets would have gone up in flames.

With the lid open, the furnace transformed into a flat working platform.

He Lingchuan’s gaze was immediately drawn to the lump of gold paste within.

Its color, once a radiant gold, was now a dark, murky bronze with streaks of faint green and yellow.

But as Li Fubo began to stoke the heat, the change was remarkable. The lump swelled to more than twice its original size. Though it retained its solid form, tiny lava bubbles began to pulse across its surface, and dark-red liquid oozed slowly through its seams, glowing from within.

It looked like a chunk of living lava, still burning from the inside out.

He Lingchuan asked humbly. “How do we proceed? Where’s the Wu Metal?”

“The Wu Metal’s already been fused into the gold paste, along with seven other ingredients,” Li Fubo replied. “Two of them were personally selected by Her Lordship. As for the full formula, please forgive me, but I cannot disclose it.”

“The Wu Metal’s already been fused?” He Lingchuan was surprised. “I thought the essence of metal was the hardest thing under heaven! Doesn’t it take ten days and a lightning strike to melt it?”

“Real gold fears no fire,” Li Fubo said with a faint smile. “Unless you have the right catalyst.”

He then produced two fist-sized chunks of Wu Metal and handed them to He Lingchuan. “These are leftover materials. Please keep them safe.”

Even as scraps, those pieces were worth several times their weight in pure gold.

He Lingchuan accepted them carefully.

From that alone, he could tell Li Fubo had an open heart. He had not even asked He Lingchuan to witness the refining of the Wu Metal beforehand—something most people would never skip, since it was easy to skim a little off the top.

After all, He Lingchuan had provided a massive piece of Wu Metal for this process. Who would have known if an artisan had quietly pocketed some?

“You already know about this, actually. I began refining the Wu Metal back in Ru County. The refining process could not be interrupted even once. It was no small trouble to bring it along on the carriage.” Li Fubo pointed at the gold paste inside and said, “Wu Metal is the most crucial material for saber planting. Only once it is fully fused into the gold paste can the treasured saber absorb it. Its temperature is falling fast. You can plant it now.”

“How exactly do I plant it?”

Li Fubo passed He Lingchuan a vial of clear liquid. “First, strip the wrapping from the hilt and wash it with this.”

He Lingchuan did as told. The moment the liquid touched metal, it sizzled violently, white smoke rising in thin curls. The hilt was soon pitted with countless tiny holes, as if it had been gnawed through by acid.

He Lingchuan’s heart ached at the sight, but Li Fubo said calmly, “Now feed it with your blood. Coat the entire hilt.”

This step was called feeding the saber, and it required the master’s own blood.

Luckily, it did not have to be from the heart. He pricked his ring finger with a knife, letting the drops of blood fall one by one onto the hilt, filling the little holes.

“Spread it evenly.” 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

He Lingchuan followed the instructions, but he soon realized that the hilt was absorbing his blood like a sponge. It was greedy, insatiable, and seemed like it was going to drink his blood down to the last drop.

It’s not enough.

He slashed open his forearm to feed it more.

The broken saber drank without mercy, as if determined to drain him dry.

Li Fubo watched closely, his eyes gleaming in the flickering furnace light.

After a long while, He Lingchuan began to feel faint. “Hey, is this... normal?”

“No,” Li Fubo answered frankly, and the single word made He Lingchuan’s heart skip a beat. “The other treasured sabers I’ve planted never required more than a fifth of this much blood. But we’re already this far, so you’d best satisfy it.”

He had never seen a blade this thirsty for blood—thirsty for its master’s blood, no less.

1. When He Lingchuan addressed his mother, he used 老娘, which has old (老) in it. ☜