Where Immortals Once Walked-Chapter 250: Guilty Conscience

Village Chief Liang’s family was a large one, but since a distinguished guest had to be entertained, everyone else had been relegated to the kitchen. Only He Lingchuan, Village Chief Liang, and Township Steward Zhou sat at the large square table in the dining area.

As for Shan Youjun and the other guards, their meals were being served separately in the kitchen.

The rock wolf had been rewarded with a whole live duck, while Ling Guang, the medicine ape, got two pieces of fruit.

He Lingchuan’s visit, in every respect, was the typical affair of a petty official eating from the masses. When he traveled, the village had to feed not only him but also his men and beasts. This was a common practice among many township officials. In prosperous years, the better-off families in townships and villages did not mind. In fact, they even took it as an honor.

Sitting down, He Lingchuan laughed cheerfully. “I can see at a glance that you’re quite the host, Village Chief Liang.”

The table was completely filled with food. There was a huge bowl of braised goose with potatoes, glistening dark gold in oil, with a half-finger-thick layer of fat. The goose meat piled so high that it nearly overflowed from the bowl. The other dishes—fish, stir-fried dried bitter greens, stir-fried bamboo shoots, and pickled beans—were all humble country fare, plain but hearty.

Village Chief Liang personally picked up his chopsticks, placed a piece of goose meat into He Lingchuan’s bowl, and said proudly, “This goose was raised in our yard for two years. I reckon that it was almost five kilograms! Try it, the flavor’s wonderful!”

He Lingchuan, as always, adapted to local manners. He did not put on the airs of a noble’s son. He just ate a mouthful of meat, drank a mouthful of the village chief’s homemade rice wine, and chatted easily with the two men. They traded jokes about local gossip and squabbles; more than once, he slapped the table laughing.

The earlier tension seemed to have vanished completely. It was as if the morning’s confrontation had never happened.

From the next room, the village chief’s family, who had been eavesdropping nervously, saw how harmonious the scene looked and began to relax.

No matter what, Young Master He was the provincial governor’s son, with a well-known name and background. Surely, he would not suddenly go berserk at the table and attack people, right?

Right?

After three rounds of wine, Ling Guang chirruped twice from its place on the windowsill.

To anyone else, it was meaningless noise. But to He Lingchuan, it was a signal that no one was around.

The rock wolf, having finished devouring the duck, padded over and lay down in the courtyard outside, licking its fur.

With such a terrifying creature guarding the doorway, no villager dared come near. At most, a few stood outside the fence, watching from afar.

Village Chief Liang, for his part, was now entirely convinced that the crisis had passed. Young Master He had been well fed and well treated, so he was sure that he would drop the matter and leave in peace.

He even thought that he had done well enough to earn some goodwill.

Then He Lingchuan smiled and patted him on the shoulder again. “Your grandson, he’s three years old, right? He’s got some fine features. With a face like that, he’s bound to grow into someone accomplished.”

“May it be as you say,” the village chief said with a polite smile.

But before that smile could even settle, He Lingchuan added, “And he looks just like you.”

Village Chief Liang’s smile froze. “What?”

He Lingchuan said, chewing a piece of goose meat with deliberate slowness, “Your grandson, he looks exactly like you. Same eyes, same mouth. It’s as if you were cast from the same mold.”

“Well, of course,” the village chief said stiffly. “He’s my grandson. It’s only natural that he resembles me.”

“Not necessarily.” He Lingchuan’s tone was casual, almost lazy. “Your son was sitting outside earlier, wasn’t he? To tell you the truth, that boy resembles you a lot more than he resembles his father.”

The hand that held the wine cup trembled just slightly. The village chief steadied it and forced himself to stay calm. “Young Master He, that’s an extremely improper thing to say. What exactly are you getting at?”

“You want me to speak plainly?” He Lingchuan dragged his chair closer and leaned in. His voice dropped to a whisper as he continued, “What I mean is that your family only has two grandsons, but three sons, right?”

Village Chief Liang slammed his cup on the table with a sharp clack. “What are you implying?”

“Shhh.” He Lingchuan pressed a finger to his lips. “Quiet. Don’t let your family hear.”

He emphasized the word “family” until it rang like a nail struck into wood.

Township Steward Zhou blinked in confusion, counting silently on his fingers.

Doesn’t Village Chief Liang have two sons and three grandsons?

Young Master He couldn’t possibly be hinting that...

Surely not, right?

“That little boy, Liang Su, is your child with your third daughter-in-law, no?” He Lingchuan smirked. “You old lecher. Tell me, do you enjoy your pleasures at home, or out in the fields under the open sky? Does your son know about the fine green hat you’ve put on his head?”[1]

The term “green hat” meant nothing to the village chief, but the tone did. The blood drained from his face, then rushed back all at once until his muscles twitched. “Young Master He, how dare you slander me like this?! You’re insulting my honor!”

He almost slammed the table, but he remembered himself just in time.

“Come on, now, just stop putting on an act,” said He Lingchuan lightly. “Your third daughter-in-law looks at you as if she’d melt you with her eyes. It’s not quite how she looks at that block of wood she calls a husband. Men like us, we can tell when something’s going on.”

The village chief jerked his shoulder away, scowling. “And where’s your proof? You’ve got none. This is outrageous gossip!”

For all his fury, his voice stayed low.

He Lingchuan snapped his fingers. Ling Guang hopped down from the windowsill, carrying a bowl filled with clear water.

From his sleeve, He Lingchuan drew two fine silver needles, each with a small translucent sac attached near the base.

These were actually Ling Guang’s acupuncture tools, used for heating and infusing medicine, but they were temporarily requisitioned for another purpose.

He squeezed one sac. A few drops of bright red blood fell into the bowl. They did not spread, but sank and clumped together at the bottom.

Then he broke the second sac and let its blood drip in. With a gentle swirl, the two crimson beads touched and fused instantly into one.

Village Chief Liang’s face turned ashen. He understood at once.

A while ago, he had felt a faint sting on his arm. He had not thought much of it, brushing it off as perhaps just a mosquito bite, but now he realized that he had been pricked!

He Lingchuan said, “This is your ‘third grandson’ Liang Su’s blood. Sorry, I pricked him earlier.”

The two men suddenly understood why the boy had started crying so loudly.

“And this, is yours. The blood merged perfectly. That means parent and child share the same line. That’s proof enough. What do you have to say now?”

The village chief’s eyes bulged. “Who knows what you’ve put in that water! You could’ve mixed anything!”

He Lingchuan leaned back, smiling faintly. “So, you admit it?”

“Admit it, my ass!” Village Chief Liang erupted in anger. “I’m clean! She’s clean! We’re both clean!”

He Lingchuan said pleasantly, “Yes, yes, you’re clean together.”

Township Steward Zhou sat frozen, his jaw nearly hitting the table. This trip had been worth it.

He had always thought the proud old village chief was too full of himself, too dismissive of township officers. Seeing him cornered like this was a satisfying sight!

When the village chief still did not answer, Township Steward Zhou finally spoke up, gently urging, “Village Chief Liang, it’s just a few deeds. Sign and stamp them, and this will all be over. Why make everyone unhappy?”

Village Chief Liang’s eyes flicked between them. At last, hoarse and wary, he asked, “If I stamp them, you’ll keep quiet? You won’t spread this around?”

“Of course,” said He Lingchuan with an easy smile. “Shuangyu Village isn’t exactly a place I’d visit for fun. I’ve got no old grudges with you. Why would I go out of my way to make trouble for you?”

Village Chief Liang then turned to Township Steward Zhou. Before the village chief even said anything, Township Steward Zhou thumped his chest in reassurance. “Not a word, I swear! Not in this lifetime, Village Chief Liang, you can count on me.”

A long silence followed. Then, Village Chief Liang rose, disappeared into the inner room, and returned with a cloth bundle.

“Bring out the deeds.”

Inside the bundle was the village seal. He breathed on it to moisten the ink, then pressed it down onto the papers one by one.

According to local custom, the seal officially authorized the buyer to collect rent from the tenant farmers.

Township Steward Zhou carefully reviewed each deed, ensuring the impressions were clear. Only then did he sigh in relief and nod to He Lingchuan, tucking them away like precious treasure.

How the village chief would explain this to the other elders and villagers was none of He Lingchuan’s concern. A man did not rise to be village chief at his age without knowing how to spin a story.

After all, tongues were soft, faces were hard, and words could be twisted a dozen ways.

He Lingchuan poured himself another drink. “By the way, that Elder Liang from the Cloud-Piercing Pavilion, he’s back in town, isn’t he?”

The village chief’s face stiffened. “He returned yesterday.”

“And today, he went to the provincial government office,” He Lingchuan said lightly. “To plead for you, I suppose?”

Village Chief Liang did not reply.

He Lingchuan wiped his mouth and stood. “Well, my task here’s done. I won’t take up more of your time.”

Shuangyu Village had refused to obey the official order, instead following their own petty rules. Since that was the case, he had to handle them by his own rules.

Crooked means to cure a crooked path, poison to fight poison, and fire against fire; in the end, that too was a form of justice.

He had just pushed back his chair when the village chief suddenly asked, “Wait. How... how did you find out about this?”

He Lingchuan looked at him for a long while, so long that the older man began to squirm under his gaze. Finally, He Lingchuan said quietly, “You’re better off not knowing.”

“Tell me!” Village Chief Liang demanded. “Otherwise, when Elder Liang returns, I’ll claim you got me drunk and coerced me into stamping the deeds!”

He Lingchuan laughed. He beckoned, and Ling Guang leaped onto his shoulder.

He stroked the medicine ape’s head and said calmly, “My little fellow here was born with yin-yang eyes. It can see what others can’t. While we were discussing business in your hall earlier, I saw something. There’s a well beneath the eaves out front, right? Sitting by that well was a boy, seven or eight years old. He was crying to my ape, saying that you drowned him there yourself.”

The village chief froze. His mouth opened, but no sound came out. At this moment, he looked like a fish gasping on land.

When Young Master He had entered earlier, he had paused by the doorway for a moment...

It took him a long while to find his voice again, and when he did, it was harsh and ragged. “What did you say?”

“I said, the child was crying to my ape...” 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Before he could finish, Village Chief Liang cut him off. “What did he look like?”

“Small and thin, sparse hair, wearing a yellow tunic. He said his mother bought the tunic for him before the New Year.” He Lingchuan’s voice then dropped to a murmur as he added, “Oh, and he lost one shoe when you drowned him. He wants you to give it back.”

The village chief sucked in a sharp breath, so violently that it turned into a strangled sound halfway through. The wine he had drunk seemed to turn into cold sweat seeping from every pore.

“Is... is he still there?” he asked in a trembling voice, not daring to look toward the door. His question was aimed at the medicine ape.

Ling Guang shook its head.

“You’re asking at noon? Such beings don’t wander in sunlight,” said He Lingchuan lazily. “He’s most likely hiding down in the well. There’s water in it, isn’t there?”

Village Chief Liang nodded numbly.

He Lingchuan stood, clapped him on the shoulder one last time, and said with mock warmth, “Take care of yourself.”

Village Chief Liang lurched forward, grabbing his arm like a drowning man clutching a straw. “W-what should I do?”

1. Having a green hat on your head is Chinese slang for being cuckolded. ☜