Chapter 31: Red Cliff Road Ends

“You must trust the Grand Tutor,” He Lingchuan said, nudging his chin towards Sun Fuping. “Even the dignified Grand Tutor is risking his life; shouldn't we have some confidence?”

Sun and Nian walked far ahead, a long distance from He Lingchuan, with more than ten rows of soldiers separating them.

The newly joined group of bandits was completely beneath their notice.

Sikong Han watched their retreating backs. “Can they hear me talking?”

“Don’t worry, absolutely not,” He Lingchuan replied. He himself couldn't remember how much badmouthing he had done about the two ahead.

Sikong Han then whispered, “These two are truly arrogant. If we encounter danger after entering the desert, I doubt they'll care much about our lives. Young Master He, for the sake of our annual New Year’s greetings, please look after us brothers. We’re thirty-some people out here trying to make a living, but there are over a hundred women and children back on Mount Mang! If we die, they won’t even have gruel to eat.”

Though he referred to murder and robbery as "making a living," his expression was genuinely sincere.

His worries were clearly etched on his face.

“I know,” He Lingchuan reassured him. “I’ll keep an eye on you all and make sure he doesn’t send you to your deaths for nothing.”

After Sikong Han walked away, He Chunhua asked his eldest son, “What did he mean by ‘for the sake of New Year’s’?”

“Doesn’t he always come to pay us a New Year’s visit?” What’s more, every New Year, Sikong Han would prepare a special lavish gift for Young Master He. Last year, for instance, he gave He Lingchuan a string of luminous pearl necklaces, each pearl almost identical in size, round and lustrous.

Yes, it was the same string He Lingchuan later re-gifted to Uncle Hao.

What did he give the year before last? Hmm, couldn't remember.

Of course, there was no need to tell his father about these trivial matters.

He Chunhua shook his head, looking at his son. “This scoundrel might be reckless, but he never hesitates to accept gifts.”

Blackwater City, He Residence.

Although only two people remained at home, Madam Ying still instructed the kitchen to prepare a lavish meal. Seven dishes were set on the table, more abundant than usual.

However, she had little appetite. After drinking less than half a bowl of millet porridge and taking only two bites of the steamed roll He Yue had given her, she put down her chopsticks and stopped eating.

“Yue’er, where do you think your father has reached by now?” Madam Ying asked. He Chunhua’s departure seemed to have taken a piece of her soul. She couldn't sleep at night, and even her delicate makeup couldn't conceal her weariness.

“They’ve probably passed a few post stations,” He Yue comforted her. “Zeng Feixiong is familiar with the desert, and with Grand Tutor Sun overseeing things, Father and Elder Brother will surely make it back before the sandstorm season.”

Madam Ying sighed. “Everyone says your elder brother is a lucky general; this time, he absolutely cannot let us down.”

He Yue found this odd. It seemed his mother didn't blame his father for taking his elder brother?

Madam Ying then inquired about matters in Qiansong Commandery, and He Yue assured her that he could handle them.

Finally, she asked, “Still no news from the East?”

“No. Floods are blocking the roads, and besides, the war in the East is fierce. Rebels execute spies and scouts on the spot, so messengers don’t dare go there.”

In fact, even without his father’s repeated instructions, he would still pay attention to intelligence from the East.

Unfortunately, there was no news at all at the moment.

By the next day, endless yellow sand stretched in every direction, front, back, left, and right. Not a single living creature could be seen.

This short section of Red Cliff Road led to the ancient city of Panlong, and no merchant caravans would ever travel there.

Everyone walked cautiously, cherishing each step, as this smooth path was about to end.

“No more road,” came the message from the front of the procession.

He Chunhua and his son looked east and could still see the massive base of half a mountain peak slanting upwards, like a dagger thrust into the sky.

The upper half had collapsed with a crash nearly a hundred years ago, falling directly onto the Red Cliff Road where this group was supposed to be traveling.

Endless rocks had turned it into a dead-end road.

Zeng Feixiong murmured, “I wonder if this is fate,” implying it was to prevent the sleeping spirits in the city from being disturbed by newcomers.

“Where do you get all these wishful thoughts?” Nian Songyu scoffed, then instructed everyone, “Dismount. We need to lighten our load.”

There was no road ahead, so the horses were no longer useful. Each person prepared five days’ worth of dry rations and water, and the horses were handed over to several army cooks.

Sikong Han stared at the boundless desert.

The rolling dunes were clean and pristine, without a single footprint.

“How do we proceed now? One step off Red Cliff Road and we’ll be devoured!”

“Of course not. Don’t you sand bandits know best?” Nian Songyu retorted, effectively silencing him.

Sikong Han looked embarrassed. As people who had spent most of their lives making a living in the Panlong Desert, they were all too familiar with the local taboos and had their own know-how and little tricks.

Nian Songyu pointed to the desert. “Tell us, how do we proceed without Red Cliff Road? I imagine you have some experience.”

“First, all you lords must put away your State Decree Medallions. You absolutely must not display them, much less activate them!” Many officials were among this group.

“Oh?” Nian Songyu uttered. “Why?”

“The heroic spirits in the desert protected their homeland’s borders during their lives. If we walk in wearing other countries’ State Decree Medallions, aren’t we intentionally provoking them? These entities are single-minded; avoid them if you can, and absolutely do not provoke them!”

That made sense. Sun Fuping instructed the officials, “Put away your Kite Coins and don't display them.”

Sikong Han then said, “Are we going to the ancient city of Panlong? It’s still far, and it’s impossible to get there on foot alone. I have no solution for this.”

Sand bandits usually enter the desert to escape pursuit or feuds, typically out of urgent necessity. They wouldn’t hike through such a death trap without good reason; that would be seeking death.

“Therefore, we need to switch to a different mode of transport,” Sun Fuping said, taking three items from his pocket.

They were three miniature carved boats, each about an inch long, appearing to be crafted from half a walnut shell with exquisite skill. Not to mention the wood grain on the hull, even the folds in the boatman’s clothing and his flowing hair were intricately carved.

The craftsmanship alone was master-level.

“These are treasures I borrowed from a friend; I must return them after use. Alright, everyone stand back!” With that, Sun Fuping took out three crystal-clear blue pellets, placed them in the upraised right hand of each boatman in the miniature boats, and then tossed the three walnut-shell boats onto the sand.

“Profound Crystals!” Nian Songyu gasped.

The blue pellets were the size of quail eggs, and it seemed as though dropping them would knock over the miniature walnut boats. But this was not the case at all; the pellets vanished upon touching the boatmen’s hands, and the entire miniature boat began to vibrate strangely, as if something was about to burst out.

No one was foolish; they had already moved away in advance.

Indeed, the walnut-shell boats expanded at an astonishing rate, their volume multiplying. In just two breaths, the original inch-long toys transformed into wooden boats over five zhang long and one zhang high!

They rested on the yellow sand, magnified versions of the original walnut boats, scaled proportionally. Naturally, the boatmen standing at the bow also grew to normal human size, walking over to lower gangplanks for passengers to board.