Chapter 58
Chapter 58
In the rain, the three men stood alongside the massive Four-Horned White Deer as it chewed on meat.
Seeing the humans’ grim expressions, the Fuzhu craned its neck and peered over at them.
*Yong Birds? So those four-eyed, human-faced things that keep recklessly attacking me are called Yong Birds?*
They smelled foul. Thinking this, the Fuzhu let out a loud, wet crunching sound, its jaw working like it was stir-frying a meal.
“Yong Birds?” Xu Tan clearly didn’t know what they were. He adjusted his bamboo hat to keep the rain out of his eyes. “Are they something that causes a lot of trouble?”
Han Lie washed his hands in the rainwater as he replied, “Mount Lingqiu is a place devoid of grass and trees, filled with fire. In those mountains lives a bird called the Yong. It looks like an owl, but with a human face, four eyes, and two ears.”
Shang Lin carefully tucked away the foul-smelling feather before picking up where Han Lie left off. “The Yong Bird loves to eat sulfur and hot coals, and it favors the semi-rotted corpses of those who have died from sunstroke.”
“It thrives on drought and heat; it loathes moisture and humidity.”
Hearing that the Yong Bird hated moisture and humidity, Xu Tan finally understood why the Fuzhu had been attacked.
They were natural enemies!
However, there was still one thing he didn’t understand. Yunwu County was currently plagued by a massive drought and overrun by Disaster Beasts, and Han Lie and his Jade Balance Army were sweeping through the region to drive them out.
From what he had seen, Han Lie and the Jade Balance Army under his command were the most elite and powerful soldiers Xu Tan had ever encountered. They hadn’t shown a hint of fear even when facing insect plagues or serpent nests.
Why were they so concerned about these carrion-eating Yong Birds specifically?
Xu Tan voiced his doubts.
Han Lie sighed softly. “When the Yong Bird appears, a great drought follows.”
“You might not understand it put that way, but I assume Commandant Xu has heard of the Guichou Great Drought.”
“Disaster Beasts are ranked by level. The Yong Bird usually lives deep in the mountains; its only recorded appearance in the world was just before the Guichou Great Drought.”
“It is the envoy of the Hanba.”
At those words, Shang Lin and Han Lie exchanged a look.
If the envoy had arrived, could the master be far behind?
Xu Tan’s expression froze for a moment before being replaced by sheer terror. “Are you serious?”
Even when he thought this drought sweeping through several provinces was already severe, he had heard people speak of the Guichou Great Drought that had struck the south a century ago.
It happened during a period of turmoil when the Imperial Court was too distracted to intervene, and that drought lasted for eight whole years.
For eight years, not a single drop of rain fell. The three southern provinces became a living purgatory.
It wasn’t until the new Emperor ascended the throne that the Jade Balance Army was deployed in full force to slay the Hanba and break the drought.
By then, less than one percent of the southern population remained. Bleached bones covered the plains.
Was such a catastrophic drought about to happen in Yunwu County as well?
Xu Tan’s hair stood on end, and he broke out in goosebumps.
Han Lie saw his fear, but there was no time for empty words of comfort.
“Is there still no reply from the Prefectural Office?” Han Lie asked Shang Lin.
When Wang Chang, Commandant Lin, and the others arrived at Yunwu County City, they mentioned they had encountered an unformed Hanba.
Everyone knew this was not something to be taken lightly, so messengers had been dispatched immediately to report to the Prefect of Huanzhou, the superior of the Yunwu County officials.
Shang Lin shook his head. “For some reason, no news has been sent back.”
Logically, the Prefect should have been delighted to pin the blame for this drought and the impending emergence of the Hanba on the County Governor, who had already incited public fury.
So why were there still no reinforcements?
As a low-ranking soldier of the Jade Balance Official Army, Shang Lin truly couldn’t fathom the convoluted inner workings of officialdom.
Upon hearing that the request for reinforcements had yielded no results, Han Lie couldn’t help but sigh.
He said no more and signaled the Fuzhu, which was currently eating meat, to lower its body.
All three men carried some medicinal salves. Han Lie gathered them together and helped the lazy white deer treat the small but infection-prone wounds on its body.
Once finished, he instructed the Fuzhu to remain in Yunwu County City for the time being. He then led Xu Tan and Shang Lin back into the city, heading straight for the Commandery Governor’s Mansion.
The Yong Bird had already appeared, and with support from the prefectural capital nowhere in sight, they had to properly discuss a countermeasure.
Whether it was digging wells in time to store water or investigating the true nature of the Hanba…
They had to do something.
Inside the Commandery Governor’s Mansion, Chief Clerk Li, who had grown noticeably thinner, stumbled when he heard the news.
“So, you’re saying the Guichou Great Drought is about to repeat itself?”
Chief Clerk Li had been stationed there to coordinate everything, and the stress had left him looking frazzled and unkempt.
If he hadn’t carved a red Zhong Character into his desk to encourage himself with the divine oracle, he might have packed his bags and fled long ago.
Hearing yet more disastrous news, his ears buzzed incessantly.
Seeing this, Han Lie grabbed him and hoisted him onto a square stool like a small chick.
Chief Clerk Li didn’t care about etiquette anymore; he sat with his legs sprawled out and gulped down a pot of cold water before he could catch his breath.
“Just a while ago, they said it was only an unformed Hanba!”
He pulled at his collar, panting irritably.
Han Lie, who had remained silent, said in a low voice, “If the Prefect of Huanzhou won’t take charge, we will bypass him and seek help from Luoyang.”
Chief Clerk Li shook his head immediately. “Commandant Lin was poisoned by the Fei Yi’s venom and still hasn’t woken up.”
“Even if he does wake, mobilizing the Jade Balance Army is a matter of great consequence. I’m afraid the weight of a few witnesses and a single feather won’t be enough.”
It was as if Chief Clerk Li’s mouth were cursed; no sooner had he spoken than a flurry of hurried footsteps approached.
Wang Chang ran in, his expression lighting up with joy when he saw everyone present. “Commandant Lin is awake!”
Everyone stood up abruptly and rushed toward the back courtyard of the Commandery Governor’s Mansion.
“Commandant Lin, you’ve been asleep for too long. Have some rice water first,” Wu Er said to a middle-aged man, holding a wooden bowl.
Having been unconscious on the bed for a long time, Commandant Lin looked terribly gaunt and dark, despite being well-cared for.
He forced himself to take two sips of the rice water before coughing violently, spitting out phlegm streaked with blood.
Commandant Lin had suffered greatly this time; his constitution was ruined. Without heavenly treasures to replenish his vitality, he would likely have to retire from the Jade Balance Army.
Wu Er felt a pang of sorrow, but Commandant Lin was quite philosophical about it, even comforting him instead.
“Don’t look like that. I was deeply poisoned and took a stroll through Wangchuan Haoli; to still be alive is a great fortune.”
After saying this, he raised his sleeve to wipe the corner of his mouth and happened to see Han Lie and the others entering. He weakly beckoned them over.
“You’re here? Thank you for saving my life.”
His spirits were good, but Han Lie and the others were heavy-hearted.
After a moment’s hesitation, not daring to delay such a critical matter, Han Lie said, “We discovered a Yong Bird outside the city today.”
He held out the foul-smelling Yong Bird feather.
Commandant Lin didn’t take it. He froze like a wooden statue for a moment before the rice water he had just swallowed sprayed out from his mouth.
“Impossible! It takes a hundred years for a Hanba to grow. It’s only been a few days-how can it be maturing and leaving its coffin already?”