Chapter 146
Chapter 146
The blazing sun hung high in the deep blue sky like a ball of fire.
Without Fuzhu there to bring rain, the sun baked the earth until it was scorching hot.
Crimson Gobi dunes stretched on in rolling waves, like frozen billows, their layered lines soft and smooth.
Sand Lizards had excellent stamina and endurance. They could maintain a high-speed run for long periods, their thick paw pads kicking up sprays of sand.
As the sun gradually sank westward, it outlined the silhouettes of the party as they raced across the dunes.
“We’re here!”
Aman had wrapped cloth around his face again. He tightened the reins to halt the Sand Lizard beneath him and spoke to Han Lie.
Han Lie was not sitting ramrod straight. Instead, he had curved himself into a position that made him quite comfortable to lean against, serving as a backrest.
Wrapped in a cloak, Qin Ying was asleep against him.
She had adapted well and showed no signs of getting lizard-sick. At one point, when she grew bored, she had even left the puppet and returned outside the Box for a while to scroll through her phone and eat lunch.
Hearing Aman’s words, Han Lie pulled on the reins and stopped atop the dune, gazing into the distance.
At the far end of the horizon, the outline of a Sand People village could be faintly seen.
In front of the village stood a number of enormous tents.
Between the tents, several house-sized Shadowy Figure silhouettes could be seen lying prone.
Han Lie narrowed his eyes at the banners standing before the tents and shook his head. “It’s not the Imperial Forest Guard.”
When they heard that the ones who had come were not the Imperial Forest Guard, both Aman and the Old Shaman of the Kuxi Tribe behind him let out breaths of relief.
Across all of Great Xia, the strongest fighting forces were the two central armies stationed in Luoyang: the Imperial Forest Guard and the Jade Balance Army.
To put it simply, the Jade Balance Army dealt with Monstrous Beasts, while the Imperial Forest Guard suppressed rebellions and dealt with people.
Whenever unrest broke out anywhere, the Imperial Forest Guard would inevitably leave Luoyang and cooperate with the local County Soldiers to put it down.
For the Sand People, the Imperial Forest Guard not coming was the best news they could hope for.
Though they hated the Great Xia Imperial Court’s tyrannical rule and crushing taxes, they were still, in the end, somewhat afraid of Great Xia, which had pressed down on their heads for centuries.
In the military formation, black banners fluttered in the wind. Upon them, undulating mountain ridges had been sketched in simple vermilion strokes.
From an aesthetic standpoint, the banners were not particularly imposing.
Yet Han Lie’s brows furrowed even tighter. “It’s the Fengshan Elite Cavalry of the Jade Balance Army.”
The Jade Balance Army had been separated from the Imperial Forest Guard during a military reform a hundred years ago.
Regardless of their family background, all sons of respectable households under heaven who could undergo physical modification with Monstrous Beast flesh without deforming were soldiers of the Jade Balance Army.
The Jade Balance Army was divided into four directional formations, each named after a famous mountain in one of the four directions.
This force was the Fengshan Elite Cavalry of the Jade Balance Army, a unit specifically responsible for encircling and killing large Disaster Beasts.
Their appearance here could, in fact, be considered a perfect match for the job.
Upon hearing that it was the Fengshan Elite Cavalry, Aman, who had previously considered leading people to intercept and kill them, instantly broke out in a cold sweat.
There were many Monstrous Beast hunters in the Jade Balance Army, but only the Fengshan Elite Cavalry raised giant pack beasts and carried Ranyi Crossbows with the army.
Presumably, those mountain-like Shadowy Figure silhouettes crouched between the tents were the giant pack beasts raised by the Fengshan Elite Cavalry.
Thank goodness they had not made a move. Otherwise…
Feeling fortunate, Aman licked his lips and asked, “Brother Han, what do we do?”
Since Wu Er and the others had sent word warning Han Lie to be careful of having his credit stolen, Han Lie’s small squad clearly did not belong to the Fengshan Elite Cavalry.
Aman did not waste words gossiping about the internal struggles within the Jade Balance Army.
Han Lie shook his head. “Let’s go down.”
The Fengshan Elite Cavalry had dedicated Wind Listeners. They worked in shifts day and night, resting their heads on bronze drums placed against the ground.
Most likely, the moment Han Lie and the others had stepped into this stretch of dunes, the sounds of the Sand Lizards’ movements had already been detected.
Han Lie glanced worriedly at Qin Ying, who was sitting in front of the saddle.
Factional struggles within the Jade Balance Army were severe, and it was quite common for different units to fight one another over credit.
The people of the Fengshan Elite Cavalry might not necessarily follow the rules.
Just as he was thinking of asking Qin Ying to return outside the Box, she, who had remained motionless as if asleep, raised a hand and yawned.
She said quietly, “Don’t worry about so much. Let’s go.”
Fuzhu was one thing. That little fellow was basically a support mascot deer whose strength only showed passively.
At Qin Ying’s command, it had already left.
No matter how ferocious the giant beasts raised by the Fengshan Elite Cavalry were, by Qin Ying’s estimate, they couldn’t be larger than Huodou Wangcai, who was flaunting affection outside the Box.
Add in the Thunderbird and Qin Ying herself.
If things did turn hostile, the trump cards they had hidden away were no weaker.
Qin Ying shifted slightly.
Although she was inside the Soul-Container Puppet, sitting for too long still made her hips and lower back ache.
With Aman and the others beside her, she kept up her image, secretly pressing a hand to her waist beneath her cloak.
Han Lie, who sat behind her, hurriedly changed his posture so it would be easier for her to lean against him.
Qin Ying continued, “Aman, tell everyone not to mention the Divine Envoy for now. I… am only one Shaman of your Black Mountain Tribe.”
She needed an identity as cover, and making one up within the Black Mountain Tribe was convenient enough.
Although she did not have the golden eyes of the Sand People, that was not a major problem. Not every member of Sand People had golden eyes.
Among Sand People who had intermarried with people of Great Xia, their descendants could have irises of other colors as well.
Qin Ying’s own irises were fairly light in color, and with a veil on, she could muddle through.
Aman was the only one in the group who understood the language of Great Xia. He bowed his head and listened carefully to Qin Ying’s instructions, then tugged the reins and went to coordinate the story with the others.
To keep the simple Sand People from letting something slip, he made them swear an oath to the gods.
Qin Ying beckoned Han Lie over, then had him lower his head so she could whisper by his ear.
“Remember what I taught you before.”
“This disaster, both natural and man-made, was all caused by the County Governor’s perverse and tyrannical actions.”
“As for the giant shadow in the sky, you are only a mortal, and you know nothing about it.”
“The merits…”
At that, Qin Ying hesitated.
Should they claim the merit for driving away the Hanba or not?
She did not understand the situation in the World in the Box, and it was not her place to decide for Han Lie and the others.
Han Lie knew why she hesitated and said decisively, “I can give it up.”
Back in Luoyang, he had once offended the Great General. No matter how great the merit, he would not be able to hold on to it.
It would be better to trade that merit with the Fengshan Elite Cavalry for something practical.
For example, Yao Grass for healing, Lushu tail hair or Jinyu Jade to nourish the soul, or Xixi Fish to treat lung disease.
All of them were things the Supreme Deity needed.
At the thought, his eyes lit up.
While the two of them were briefly discussing it, Aman finished warning his clansmen and returned.
Just then, a small troop of cavalry rode out from the military formation in front of the village below the sand dune.
Presumably, they had noticed Qin Ying and the others standing on the dune without approaching.
That was why they had sent people out to receive and question them.
Han Lie first lowered his eyes and checked the veil on Qin Ying’s face. Then he gave Aman a look, tugged the reins, and urged the Sand Lizard forward.
The two groups were still far apart when the light cavalry on the other side called out in the language of Sand People.
“Which tribe of Sand People are you?”
The speaker was extremely arrogant, practically looking down his nose at them.
Several riders galloped forward, hands on their sabers, surrounding Qin Ying’s group.
The creatures they rode looked like horses, but their manes were bright red, and what struck the ground as they ran were not hooves, but claws like those of rodents.
The Sand Lizard mounts all feared these creatures. One after another, they raised the sharp spines on their head crests in defense.
An officer-looking man reined in his mount and lightly tapped a horsewhip against his palm. “Answer.”
Qin Ying sensed the taut muscles of Han Lie relax slightly as he took the initiative to urge the Sand Lizard forward.
He pulled back the hood over his head and called out, “Is that Ye Sima?”
The officer holding the horsewhip froze for a moment. After narrowing his eyes and studying him carefully for a while, he said in surprise, “Han Lie!”
“You really aren’t dead?”