“What if they did get it, but just so happened to run into trouble and never managed to bring it back to Xianyou?” He Lingchuan deliberately challenged the claim, or rather, raised a perfectly reasonable doubt. “Just because the treasure hasn’t been used on the battlefield doesn’t mean it’s still sitting untouched in the Panlong Desert.”

“No, it’s still there,” State Preceptor Sun replied with calm certainty. “Otherwise, what do you think turned the Panlong Wasteland into a desert?”

He noticed He Chunhua turning the broken comb over and over in his hands, clearly not planning to hand it over. Just as he reached out to ask for it, He Chunhua beat him to the punch. “I’ll hold on to it for now.”

Sun Fuping could tell the man still did not trust the two of them, so he gave up asking for it.

He Lingchuan said, somewhat surprised, “Huh? I thought it was the Gale Army’s undying grudges that sucked the life out of the wasteland?”

“If that were truly the case, it would just be surface-level cause and effect. Without the Generous Pot, their souls would have long since scattered to the winds. Don’t forget, if it could incubate thousands upon thousands of mind-bewitching worms, then it should have no trouble holding that many wrathful souls.”

Mind-bewitching worms were formless, bodiless, and weightless. They were spiritual or incorporeal in nature, and they could act as fragments of the human soul. If the Generous Pot could contain such creatures, then it stood to reason that it could house wrathful souls, too.

Nian Songyu added from the side, “The Panlong Ruins aren’t far. We’ll be in and out. If everything goes smoothly, we might be out of there before the ninth month and avoid facing much of the desert’s fury.”

It was already the fifteenth of the eighth month, so there were basically fifteen days left until the ninth month. Then again, it was not as if the Panlong Desert flipped its temper on a calendar. It was possible for the conditions within the desert to worsen later… or sooner.

He Chunhua nodded. “We’ve been gathering troops while searching for the leopard fang. We’ll be ready to leave the morning after tomorrow.”

Nian Songyu frowned. “Why not tomorrow? We’re already halfway through the eighth month…”

Before he could finish, Sun Fuping waved a hand to cut him off. “The sixteenth will do. At this point, it’s difficult enough for Lord He to rally men. I also need time to prepare the expedition rite.”

State-sanctioned expeditions generally had to be preceded by a sacrificial rite by a state preceptor. This rite was part divination and part prayer for blessings.

Normally, lowly commandery troops from Qiansong Commandery would not be granted such honors. The fact that State Preceptor Sun was going to perform such a rite just went on to show how important an expedition this was for Yuan.

As everyone was about to disperse, He Lingchuan stepped over to Nian Songyu. “Commandant Nian, what about that matter we discussed?”

Nian Songyu’s mind was completely occupied with matters pertaining to the Panlong Desert, so he could only respond distractedly, “What matter?”

“The one where someone leaked information about my injury,” He Lingchuan reminded him. “Give me a name, and I’ll leave you alone after this.”

We’re already working together now. How ungrateful. Nian Songyu had not expected He Lingchuan to still be clinging to old grudges. His voice was cold as he said, “My guards say that man’s nowhere to be found.”

That should be the end of this. What can a country bumpkin like this guy even do?

He Lingchuan clicked his tongue. “Nowhere to be found, huh?”

Nian Songyu gave him a tight smile. “A trivial matter. Young Master He, best keep your eyes on the present.”

Uncle Hao happened to walk by just then and caught that last remark.

* * *

That evening, the Red and White Society came knocking on He Lingchuan’s door.

“Young Master He, bad news!”

He Lingchuan first blinked in surprise, then his eyes narrowed as he said, “Don’t panic. It’s not that big a deal. Where’s Uncle Hao? Have him come find me.”

* * *

Two days passed in a flash.

Thanks to coordination from all sides, these two days had been calm and uneventful.

The Panlong Desert had a fearsome reputation. Every year brought fresh cautionary tales of people dying out there, yet He Chunhua still managed to muster two hundred men by the appointed time.

The unit was not made up entirely of soldiers, either. Many were criminals who had been exiled to the borders.

Yuan’s exile terms were notoriously long. Where other nations and states imposed sentences of ten to fifteen years, Yuan handed out sentences of eighteen to twenty-five years. Criminals sent to Heishui City usually accepted that they would never go back.

After years of internal strife, of warlords splitting territories and peasant uprisings burning the fields, Yuan’s army had suffered loss after loss. Hence, manpower was running dry.

Qiansong Commandery itself had fought multiple external wars in the past decade. With the regular army severely depleted, Heishui City increasingly relied on local recruitment. Whether exiles or killers, if they were fit and strong, they were pressed into military service. The job even came with pay and spared them from forced labor.

State Preceptor Sun had also brought with him a royal pardon.

Anyone who joined the expedition to explore the Panlong Desert would be granted immediate freedom upon success, with their past crimes forgiven in full, regardless of how grave. And there was a generous reward besides the pardon.

Where there was a generous reward, there would always be brave souls. After all, there were worse things in this world than death, such as being dirt poor.

The reward offered by the royal court was enough for any poor wretch to say goodbye to Lady Five[1], marry a proper wife, take on three or four concubines, have five or six fat sons, buy seven or eight acres of prime rice fields, and live out the rest of their lives in comfort without lifting a finger.

Put simply, it was either sudden death or sudden wealth.

And in these borderlands, where fugitives abound, even more signed up than He Chunhua had anticipated—several dozen more, in fact.

Deputy Commandant Zeng Feixiong led the unit. His father had been insane for nearly twenty years and now suffered from a wasting illness. The cost of medicine each month far exceeded Zeng Feixiong’s own salary, and by now, he was drowning in debt. He Chunhua promised Zeng Feixiong that if he was willing to lead the unit into the Panlong Desert, his debts would be wiped clean, and his father would be cared for in his old age—given medicine, attended to by servants, and, when the time came, buried properly with someone in mourning whites to see him off.

In these war-torn times, a peaceful death was far harder to come by than sudden fortune.

And so, Zeng Feixiong came.

It was the fifth watch of the night now[2]. It was just before daybreak. The unit had already assembled fully geared up at the northern gate of Heishui City, awaiting the state preceptor’s expedition rite.

A sacrificial altar had been erected. Sun Fuping had bathed beforehand and now ascended in a long robe of bright yellow.

This color was reserved for only the King and the state preceptors. Anyone else wearing it would be executed.

He Lingchuan watched with interest. In this world, conducting a sacrificial ritual was not as simple as waving a peachwood sword, a few talismans, and shouting some random incantation.

Sun Fuping took out his long staff and tapped it lightly against the ground. The beast carved at its head looked up toward the sky and let out a thunderous roar.

It had a broad nose, gaping jaws, bulging eyes, and bristling whiskers. Its roar boomed like an ox, echoing through the surrounding land.

Passersby gathered, curious, and soon a crowd had formed to watch.

The beast roared three times, each louder than the last. The final one thundered like a muffled cannon, making eardrums buzz and bones tremble.

Almost as if in response, the clouds above thickened and darkened with startling speed. Then, from the heart of the storm, several peals of thunder crackled and rolled down from the sky.

This was referred to as a resonance between Heaven and Man.

After just ten breaths, it started to rain.

The clouds hovered solely above the expedition team, and the rain fell only on the soldiers. The onlookers remained completely dry, their clothes and hair untouched by even a single drop of rain.

Such precision was truly astounding.

“The beast on the staff head is a Yazi[3]. It has the power to summon wind and rain, but it’s missing two horns,” He Yue murmured beside his older brother. “Why isn’t State Preceptor Sun calling on the state’s fate instead? That way, he wouldn’t have to expend his own strength.”

He spoke very softly, but Nian Songyu still heard him and calmly replied, “He can’t, so as to avoid failing the expedition rite later on.”

“This isn’t the expedition rite?” He Lingchuan stood between Nian Songyu and his little brother, acting as a barrier between them. “Then what’s State Preceptor Sun doing?”

1. This is actually a slang term for masturbation. Hint: note how many fingers a person normally has on one hand. ☜

2. In ancient Chinese timekeeping, the fifth and final watch of the night refers to around 3 to 5 in the morning. ☜

3. This is a mythical beast commonly depicted to have the body of a wolf and the head of a dragon, or a mix thereof. ☜