Chapter 24: Sun Guoshi's Plot

"A blessing," Nian Songyu said gruffly. "Don't you even have that much common sense?"

As the rain poured over him, He Lingchuan instantly felt refreshed, as if his body had been cleansed from the inside out. Not only were all impurities washed away, but every muscle felt infused with power.

The soldiers also let out joyful shouts.

Having long suffered from sandstorms, many residents of Blackwater City had damaged tracheas and cardiopulmonary systems. This rain surprisingly healed them by sixty to seventy percent, and their breathing became smooth again. Aches like chronic leg pain and strained muscles also quietly healed under the spiritual rain, and the feeling of heaviness completely disappeared.

Everyone's gaze toward Sun Fuping instantly filled with awe.

The Imperial Preceptor was too distant for ordinary people, seemingly floating among the clouds, making it difficult to grasp his power directly. It was only after he demonstrated this ability that soldiers and commoners immediately knelt, worshipping him as if he were a deity.

Seizing this opportunity, Sun Fuping delivered a resonant declaration, immediately boosting the morale of the army to its peak.

This was the effect he desired.

Nian Songyu glanced at He Lingchuan. "Now, the ritual has truly begun," he said, "to let these bumpkins open their eyes."

After the sudden downpour, the clouds dispersed, and the wind cleared. Everyone's clothes were soaked through, water still dripped from their pant legs, and the ground was a muddy mess.

Sun Fuping raised his long staff again and tapped the ground, and a peculiar scene unfolded:

Residual water on people's bodies seeped out from their clothes and flowed to the ground;

Immediately after, the puddles beneath each soldier's feet suddenly began to move, winding like snakes, and flowed toward the altar.

On the altar stood a large, crystal-clear glazed jar, roughly two people's arm spans in diameter, transparent enough to see through without obstruction.

The accumulated water on the ground seemed to come alive, defying gravity as it moved upward, queuing to flow into the large jar.

Soon, the glazed jar was full, almost level with its brim.

The ground outside Blackwater City's gates had been trodden by thousands and was constantly exposed to inescapable sandstorms, making it impossible to describe how dirty it was. Yet, the water that flowed from it into the jar was as clear as if it had been distilled and purified, without a single impurity.

Water poured out is hard to retrieve! He Lingchuan secretly gave a thumbs-up. Regardless of Sun Fuping's character, this single display of magic was enough to show his profound skill.

The esteemed Imperial Preceptor truly lived up to his reputation.

"Every one of you accompanying me on this expedition, your luck is, to some extent, gathered here," Sun Fuping said, turning to Zeng Feixiong and extending his hand. "Bring the Kite Coin."

Each nation's official tokens varied in form; in the Kite Kingdom, the tokens issued to officials of all ranks were known as Kite Coins.

Zeng Feixiong had it ready, so he took it out and presented it.

His Kite Coin was also shaped like a large copper coin, but the kite bird depicted on it was only light blue.

The significance and color of an official token were influenced by many factors, not just rank and authority. However, judging by Zeng Feixiong's Kite Coin, he was merely an ordinary deputy captain.

Sun Fuping frowned. "It seems insufficient." With that, he dropped the Kite Coin into the crystal jar.

Interestingly, the Kite Coin did not sink to the bottom but floated steadily in the center of the large jar. The water's surface, in turn, became turbulent, rippling in waves.

Under the swirling water, Zeng Feixiong's Kite Coin deepened in color, becoming something between dark blue and light green.

"Even with the morale of the entire army, it's still barely enough," Sun Fuping said. He pulled a cloth bag from his sleeve, opened it to show He Chunhua and the others, then closed it and tossed the entire bag into the water jar.

Inside was half a bag of yellow sand, which pulsed on its own even without being touched.

He Yue quietly asked, "Is that the Frenzied Sand from the Coiling Dragon Desert?"

He Chunhua nodded, his eyes fixed on the water jar.

When the Coiling Dragon Desert became active, no one dared to enter its core area; this period was known as the Frenzied Sand Season. The half-bag of Frenzied Sand that the He family had acquired at great expense was taken from Red Cliff Road during an extraordinary time.

Of course, it wasn't from the core zone.

However, as soon as the sandbag entered, the entire jar of water began to boil, with countless bubbles rising to the surface.

He Lingchuan even thought he saw flashes of lightning and heard thunder.

Subsequently, the water became murky, but large plumes of steam rose from the surface: one half deep blue, the other a dull yellow with hints of dark red.

As these two colors of steam swirled together, it was uncanny how everyone perceived them to be locked in a relentless struggle.

To be precise, after two rounds, the dark yellow vapor gained the upper hand, practically pinning its opponent down and grinding it against the water's surface.

It was immediately clear that the two sides were vastly mismatched in strength.

Sun Fuping's expression grew stern. "It won't do. The rank is too low, the elemental power too weak! Who else?"

He Chunhua asked hoarsely, "Is it truly insufficient?"

"It's completely outmatched!" Sun Fuping retorted angrily. "Does the Prefect have any better ideas?"

Entering the Coiling Dragon Desert during the Frenzied Sand Season was a near-certain death sentence. No official or military general who had a chance of survival would dare take such a risk.

Moreover, there were no other officials present. The highest-ranking person was—

He Lingchuan glanced sideways at Nian Songyu. "Can't he participate?"

The words had barely left his mouth when he regretted them. After all, he was still too unfamiliar with this world.

Nian Songyu let out a scoffing laugh, looking at him as if he were an idiot.

He Yue whispered, "This army belongs to Blackwater City and is not under Captain Nian's jurisdiction. For him to utilize the army's fortune, he would either need to be transferred here for official duty or revert to commoner status to accept Prefect He's appointment, but both would require a royal decree."

How could a military officer from Xunzhou lead troops from Jinzhou?

—Under normal circumstances.

Sun Fuping approached He Chunhua and the others, speaking in a low voice. "Going in like this would be suicide. Either we cancel the operation, or a high-ranking official from Blackwater City steps forward."

A high-ranking official from Blackwater City? That could only mean He Chunhua.

Was it his life, or his future, that was at stake?

He Chunhua's expression changed; he knew he had fallen into a trap.

Yet, his subordinates, including Zeng Feixiong, waited expectantly.

He knew he couldn't wait, so he took out his Kite Coin from his sleeve. "Let's try it first," he said.

He Yue anxiously exclaimed, "Father!"

How could the situation have changed so suddenly?

He Lingchuan, moreover, gripped his father's hand, the Kite Coin caught between their palms. "Father, don't be rash. Now is not the time to die for the country!"

He Chunhua patted his hand away. "Calm down."

From the side, Nian Songyu gave a thumbs-up, praising, "Prefect He is truly loyal and righteous!"

The He brothers both glared at him in unison. Was he really so eager to push them into a trap?

Under everyone's watchful eyes, He Chunhua took a deep breath, then walked to the crystal jar and personally dropped his Kite Coin into it!

His Kite Coin was light green, indicating a rank more than one level higher than Zeng Feixiong's.

As the Kite Coin entered the jar, the water's surface churned even more violently, and large plumes of steam rose, this time astonishingly yellow!

Different from the color of the Frenzied Sand, this steam was yellow with a hint of brightness.

Not only did everyone watch intently, but Sun Fuping let out a long "Oh?" unable to conceal his astonishment. "Crossing four ranks at once?"

Even with the morale boost from the entire army, the leap from light green to true yellow was still astonishing, though only temporary.

He Chunhua gave a self-deprecating smile. "It seems I'm quite well-regarded."

He asked Sun Fuping, "If I were to lead this army, what are the chances of returning safely?"