I Am Immortal in Great Yu

Chapter 251: Chapter 101: Fleeting Years

Night enveloped the land, and the lights of countless homes began to shine.

Fang Mansion.

A bright, clear moon peeked in the window. Inside, smokeless candles burned quietly, casting a brilliant glow. Maids in red and green dresses bustled about, setting dishes on the table.

On such a spring night, there was still a lingering chill in the air. A variety of steaming hot dishes sent up plumes of white vapor, filling the room with the rich, comforting aroma of a home-cooked meal.

Fang Rui, Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family, the Third Lady, Fang Ling, and Nannan—the whole family sat around the table.

"Brother Rui, is it true? Has the Zheng Family’s Nanshan Garden outside the city really become a cursed land of malevolent yin?" Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family asked casually during the meal.

’Of course it’s true. I’m the one who did it!’

Fang Rui thought to himself, then gave a slight nod and said, "Yes!"

However, the mention of Nanshan Garden made him think of...

He frowned and subconsciously changed the subject. "The city has calmed down now. Ling’Er and Nannan can go back to school."

Hearing their names, the two little girls, Fang Ling and Nannan, snapped their heads up in unison.

"Brother, can we really go back to the academy?" Fang Ling was more excited, standing up abruptly. Her large eyes, like black jewels, shone brightly.

"School! School!" Seeing Fang Ling stand up, Nannan thought for a moment and stood up as well.

Then, the Third Lady gave her a light pat on the bottom and pressed her back into her seat. "What have I taught you? Sit properly!"

She looked at Fang Rui. "These two little girls... at the academy, they were always surrounded by classmates. These past few days without school, they’ve been doted on by all the maids in the mansion, but it’s just not the same as being with children their own age..."

"Then again, if we really send them back to school, I bet they’ll be wishing for a vacation in two days."

The Third Lady knew Fang Ling and Nannan extremely well; she had a perfect grasp of their temperaments.

"That’s not true!" Fang Ling protested, her cheeks puffing out like a pufferfish.

"Not true," Nannan also mumbled under her breath.

"Okay, okay," the Third Lady didn’t argue, just gently poked each of the little girls on the forehead.

Seeing this, both Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family and Fang Rui smiled.

"Brother Rui, is the city really safe now?" Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family asked, still a little worried.

"Yes, it’s fine. Still, have Ling’Er and Nannan bring the Phoenix-tailed Swallow and the Jade Snake with them."

Thanks to Fang Rui hitting them while they were down, the Zheng Family had suffered another heavy blow. Their Lower Three Grade Martial Artists had sustained severe casualties, Nanshan Garden had become a cursed land of malevolent yin, and their cultivation base for Great Medicines and Spirit Medicines was completely destroyed.

Furthermore, with the death of their Third Grade ancestor, the Zheng Family was now too preoccupied with its own survival and overwhelmed by the aftermath to even think about kidnapping children anymore.

...

「After the meal.」

Fang Rui found the head maid, Bai Shao, and told her that he had inquired with a Golden Seal Renowned Hunter, and that it was highly likely her brother had met with a terrible fate.

He had already confirmed it during his trip to Nanshan Garden, but of course, that was something he could never reveal.

"Thank you, Master!"

Bai Shao curtsied, her eyes turning red.

"It’s alright, you can cry if you need to."

Only then did the sound of low sobs emerge.

"Sigh..." Fang Rui sighed.

’Still,’ he thought, ’Bai Shao seems better at accepting reality than Li Dadan. After a good cry, she’ll probably move on.’

’Such is the helplessness of the powerless. Faced with misfortune, injustice, and inequality, all they can do is endure. What other choice is there?’

’People like Li Dadan, on the other hand, who have a little power but not quite enough, are unwilling to give up. They take reckless risks, trying to defy fate, and only end up dying faster.’

’Dadan...’

Thinking of his subordinate, Fang Rui sighed inwardly once more.

...

「Two more days passed.」

"Chief, there’s still no word on Li Dadan. We reported it to the higher-ups, and they just sent back instructions to treat him as a missing person. Does that sound right to you?"

Niu Bajin said indignantly, "Don’t I know those guys upstairs? Their motto has always been ’the less trouble, the better.’ They’re a lazy bunch."

"Should we... file another report to protest?" he asked, not ready to give up.

The report about Li Dadan had been submitted two days prior—Fang Rui hadn’t stopped it. He knew Li Dadan was dead, but he couldn’t say so.

"No need. It’s been two or three days. He’s probably..."

Fang Rui didn’t finish his sentence. Instead, he ordered, "Get it done as soon as possible. Secure the benefits for Li Dadan’s family as if he died in the line of duty. If we delay, it will only get harder to manage."

"Chief, Li Dadan..." Niu Bajin opened his mouth, wanting to say more.

"Go."

Fang Rui cut him off. After a moment of thought, he added, "Send Li Dadan’s pension and the silver coins from this mission to his family together. And you, keep an eye on them. Don’t let anyone bully them."

Niu Bajin sighed. In the end, he said no more, only, "Chief, don’t worry. Li Dadan has three sons; the missing Heiwa was just one of them. Oh, and he has a cousin named Li Tieniu. He’s an Eighth Grade Chief Constable at our Southeast Branch. Lately, he’s been scraping together money to buy an Old Medicine..."

"Take one hundred silver and three Old Medicines from my mission reward and send them to the Li Family. If that Li Tieniu succeeds in his breakthrough, let him take over Li Dadan’s position."

"Alright!"

Just before leaving, Niu Bajin suddenly said, "Chief, having a superior like you was Li Dadan’s good fortune, and it’s our good fortune, too."

He was completely serious as he said this, without a trace of the bootlicking grin he usually wore.

...

「Ten days later.」

Li Tieniu broke through to the Seventh Grade and filled the vacancy left by Li Dadan.

Niu Bajin brought Li Tieniu over. "Chief, I told him you don’t care for formalities, but Tie Niu insisted on coming to thank you in person!"

"Thank you for the gift of the Old Medicine, Sir. Without you, Sir, the Li Tieniu of today wouldn’t exist..." Li Tieniu bowed and scraped.

The man was tall and powerfully built, but he had a pair of small, shrewd-looking eyes.

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