Chapter 20: Chapter 21: The Rite of Departure

"Maybe they got it, but something happened along the way, and it never made it back to the Xianyou Kingdom?" Hee Lingchuan had to play devil’s advocate—no, he had to raise a reasonable doubt. "Just because the treasure was never used on the battlefield doesn’t mean it’s still sitting untouched in the Panlong Desert."

"No, it’s still there." National Preceptor Sunx was full of confidence. "Otherwise, how do you think the Panlong Wasteland turned into a desert?"

He saw Hee Chunhua turning the broken comb over and over in his hands with no intention of handing it over. Just as he was about to reach out and ask for it, Hee Chunhua spoke first, "I’ll hold on to this for now."

Sunx Fuping knew Hee Chunhua didn’t trust the two of them, so he gave up the idea of asking for it.

Hee Lingchuan was a little surprised. "Huh? I thought it was the undying Resentful Souls of the Great Wind Army that drained the life from the entire Wilderness."

"If that were true, it would only be the superficial reason. Without the Grand Square Pot, they would have dissipated into the ether long ago. Don’t forget, if it can incubate tens of thousands of Mind-Bending Insects, then holding tens of thousands of Resentful Souls should be no problem at all."

Mind-Bending Insects are formless, bodiless, and substanceless, similar to a Soul Body. Or perhaps, they are a part of the human soul itself. If the Grand Square Pot can contain such things, it’s very likely it can also hold Resentful Souls.

Nian Songyu added from the side, "The Panlong Ruins aren’t actually that far. If we’re quick, we might be able to leave before the ninth month and avoid facing the full fury of the Panlong Desert."

It was already the fifteenth day of the eighth month, leaving fifteen days until the ninth. Then again, it wasn’t as if the Panlong Desert checked the calendar before erupting. When had its temper ever been that precise? It could be later, or it could be earlier.

Hee Chunhua nodded. "We were already gathering men while searching for Leopard Fang. We can set out the morning after tomorrow!"

Nian Songyu frowned. "Can’t we go tomorrow? It’s already the middle of the eighth month..."

Before he could finish, Sunx Fuping cut him off with a wave of his hand. "The sixteenth of the eighth month it is. It’s already an imposition on Mr. Hee to gather men at this time. I also need some time to prepare the departure ceremony."

Before the Royal Army set out on a campaign, the National Preceptor was required to perform a ritual for both divination and to pray for blessings.

Normally, when would the humble county soldiers of Qiansong County ever receive a ceremony of this caliber?

Before they dispersed, Hee Lingchuan approached Nian Songyu again. "Captain Nian, about that explanation?"

Nian Songyu’s mind was filled with thoughts of the Panlong Desert. He asked casually, "Explanation for what?"

"The person who leaked the intel about my injury," Hee Lingchuan reminded him. "Just give me a name, and I won’t bother you about it again."

Their two sides had already reached an agreement. Nian Songyu hadn’t expected this rich brat to be so persistent; it was simply foolish. His expression turned cold. "My Guard said they can’t find the person anymore."

The implication was clear. What could this countryside nouveau riche possibly do about it?

Hee Lingchuan looked regretful. "Really can’t find them?"

The corner of Nian Songyu’s mouth twitched. "A trivial matter. Young Master Hee should focus on the present."

Uncle Hao was walking by from behind and happened to overhear this exchange.

...

In the evening, the Red and White Dao suddenly came looking for Hee Lingchuan.

"Young Master Hee, this is bad!"

Hee Lingchuan was surprised at first, then became thoughtful. "Don’t panic. How bad can it be? Where’s Uncle Hao? Find him and bring him to me!"

Two days passed in a flash.

Thanks to the concerted efforts of all parties, the twenty-odd double-hours passed peacefully.

The horrors of the Panlong Desert were deeply ingrained in people’s minds, with cautionary tales of those who died there every year. Nevertheless, Hee Chunhua still managed to gather two hundred men within the specified time.

The force Hee Chunhua had scraped together wasn’t composed entirely of soldiers; a good number were criminals exiled to the frontier.

The Yuan Kingdom’s term of exile was long. While other kingdoms sentenced criminals to ten to fifteen years, Yuan’s sentences ranged from eighteen to twenty-five. Convicts exiled to Black Water City had long prepared themselves for the fact that they would never return home.

The Yuan Kingdom had been plagued by years of civil war, from secessionist Vassal Kings to grassroots rebellions. With such deadly fighting, the army had gone through wave after wave of troops, and recruitment had long since become difficult.

Qiansong County had also fought multiple external wars over the past decade, leading to severe attrition in its regular forces. Thus, Black Water City did its best to recruit locally. Whether they were exiles or murderers, as long as they were strong and healthy, they could join the ranks, even earning a salary and avoiding a life of hard labor.

This time, National Preceptor Sunx had also brought a pardon from the Royal Court.

Anyone who followed them to explore the Panlong Desert would have their freedom restored immediately upon success. No matter how great their past crimes, all would be pardoned.

There would also be a hefty reward.

A hefty reward is sure to attract brave men. In this world, there are plenty of things worse than death—poverty, for example.

The bounty offered by the Official Family was enough for these poor bastards to say goodbye to "Miss Five Fingers," marry a proper wife, take three or four concubines, have five or six chubby sons, buy seven or eight acres of prime paddy fields, and live out the rest of their lives in comfort without having to lift a finger.

Simply put, it was either a sudden death or sudden wealth.

Besides, the frontier was full of desperate men to begin with. The number of volunteers was actually several dozen more than Hee Chunhua had expected.

As for the Commander of this force, Deputy Captain Zeng Feixiong, his father had been mad for nearly twenty years and also suffered from a wasting sickness. The monthly cost of medicine was more than his entire salary, and he was now up to his ass in debt. Hee Chunhua had promised that if he was willing to lead the team into the Panlong Desert, all his debts would be cleared. Old Zeng could live out his final years in peace, with medicine to take, servants to attend him, and finally, people to wear mourning clothes and see him off properly.

In this chaotic era of war, having a peaceful end was perhaps several times more difficult than striking it rich.

And so, Zeng Feixiong had come.

It was the fifth watch, and the sky was not yet light. The troop was already assembled and ready at the north gate of Black Water City, awaiting the National Preceptor’s ritual.

An altar had been erected. Sunx Fuping, having bathed beforehand, ascended the platform dressed in a bright yellow robe.

Only the supreme sovereign and the National Preceptor were permitted to wear clothing of this color. Anyone else would be beheaded for it.

Hee Lingchuan was intrigued. In this world, rituals to petition the gods weren’t something that could be handled with a simple Peach Wood Sword, Talisman Paper Water, and a chant of "Hurry, hurry as if by law."

Sunx Fuping took out his long staff and tapped it lightly on the ground. The monstrous beast on the staff’s head tilted its head to the sky and let out a loud roar.

The creature had a wide nose, a huge mouth, bulging eyes, and whiskers on its jaw. Its roar, like that of a bull, shook the surrounding plains.

Curious passersby gathered into a crowd of onlookers.

The beast roared three times, each cry louder than the last. The final roar was like a clap of muffled thunder, leaving everyone’s ears ringing.

As if in response to the beast’s cry, the clouds in the sky rapidly thickened and darkened. Finally, several bolts of lightning cracked from the deepest part of the cloud mass, and thunder rumbled down.

This was known as the sympathy between heaven and man.

After more than ten breaths, it actually began to rain.

The cloud was only directly above the troop, so the rain fell only on the soldiers. The clothes and hair of the watching crowd remained perfectly dry.

Such precise control was astounding.

"The monster on the staff is Vengeance. It has the power to summon wind and rain, but it’s missing two horns." Hee Yue, standing beside his elder brother, murmured, "Why didn’t National Preceptor Sunx use destiny to pray for rain? Wouldn’t that be less tiring?"

His voice was very low, but Nian Songyu still heard him. "He can’t use it, lest it cause problems with the ritual later."

"This isn’t the ritual?" Hee Lingchuan stood between him and his younger brother, using his own body as a barrier to separate them. "Then what is the National Preceptor doing?"