After the Immortals disappeared

"You're saying the spy you sent out was killed on the spot?" He paused for a moment and added, "That goshawk demon has been following Ah Hao for years, always perched on his shoulder. I've even fed it myself."

"It was tortured to death." Hearing his father call the goshawk demon a "spy," He Lingchuan felt reassured. That meant it wouldn't be treated merely as a trivial creature. "Nian Songyu and Grandmaster Sun must have learned from it that I was the one who sent it out."

He couldn't fight this battle alone; he had to remember that his father was his strongest ally.

If the powerful father in office couldn't handle this, then neither could he.

However, He Chunhua remarked indifferently, "It's just a hawk. Dead is dead. What's the big deal?" He picked up his brush and continued writing.

He Lingchuan was stunned. "Father!"

He hadn't expected such a reaction and quickly began persuading him:

"They clearly have a request from the He family. They obviously knew Little Gray was sent by me, and that it was all a misunderstanding. Yet they still crushed it to death with their bare hands!"

He gave the table a light pound, causing the writing brush, inkstone, paperweight, and ink slab to jump simultaneously. "Father, these two people don't respect our family at all! They think they can shape us as they please, like clay in their hands. They expect us to bow our heads and work for them without daring to protest!"

"Grandmaster Sun is a court-favored national advisor, while I'm just a governor in this remote wilderness. That's a vast difference in status. On an ordinary day, he could easily mold me as he pleases and crush you with a single finger. Otherwise, what's the point of hierarchy?" He Chunhua laughed instead of getting angry. "You've been too comfortable in Heishui City. You've forgotten how the world works. You're clueless about the difference between high and low, and ignorant of your place!"

His voice turned cold as he emphasized the last few words.

Saying he wasn't upset would be a lie; the other side had clearly looked down on them.

They crushed your spy and still expect you to serve them, even to the point of dying for them!

Yes, that's exactly how high-handed they are.

But when someone's rank is higher, they hold the power. Grandmaster Sun came on royal orders. What could Governor He possibly do?

He Lingchuan protested, "But Uncle Hao—"

"Those in lower positions must accept their fate!" He Chunhua frowned. "What, he can't come to terms with it? He's over fifty already."

He Lingchuan decisively changed the topic. "You just said this is how it normally works!"

"Stop complaining, stop being clever, and start thinking of solutions." He Chunhua put down his brush and stood up. He knocked his eldest son on the forehead. "But we can't just sit back passively either. After all, this is still the He family's territory. Now, tell me—what's your plan to fight back?"

"It's better to let my younger brother come up with ideas—he's full of tricks. But as for me," He Lingchuan sneered, "even if we ultimately have to do their bidding, we could still stall and knock down their arrogance. Who else but us knows the exact location of the Sand Leopard's relic? And besides, after killing one of our own—well, our demon—they should pay a price, don't you think?"

"A price?" He Chunhua let out a faint smile, finding these words resonating with him. "You're right."

The eldest son was showing progress; He Chunhua felt slightly pleased.

"By the way, what about those two guards from the Eastern Province?" He Lingchuan asked. He knew that He Chunhua had originally planned to let them go.

"Put them on hold," He Chunhua replied nonchalantly. "We'll decide in a few days. Anyway, they don't care about them."

Nian and Sun cared about the relic's whereabouts. The Eastern Province cared about the Great Gourd Vessel. The guards themselves were irrelevant.