Chapter 41: The Capital for a Safe Return Home

He Chunhua said gravely, "Yes, but it was absolutely not intentional on our part."

"Human lives are precious, but the battle in the central region is a race against time," Sun Fuping sighed deeply. "If we fail to bring back the Great Square Vase promptly, the rebels will advance along the river, and the capital could be drenched in blood! By then, the number of innocent civilians who die won't just be hundreds or thousands... it could be tens of thousands!"

He Chunhua opened his mouth but found himself speechless. On one side was the greater good of the nation, and on the other, the lives of those at the border. Which weighed more heavily?

Seeing his silence, Nian Songyu also exhaled softly, secretly easing the tension he had held.

If Governor He had proven too inflexible, he wouldn't have hesitated to act decisively.

"The Mad Sand Season typically begins in September each year and lasts until February or March of the following year," Sun Fuping stated, clearly familiar with the information. "But there are occasional exceptions, aren't there?"

He Chunhua thought for a moment before slowly nodding. "Yes, the official historical records of Qiansong County indicate that in some years, the Mad Sand Season arrived off-schedule, leading to significant casualties among both people and livestock."

"What's the phenomenon like when it arrives?"

"It begins with gales, torrential rain, lightning, and thunder. Then, the desert howls like a vengeful spirit, and sandstorms whip into a frenzy, like dragons and snakes dancing wildly. That's why it's called the Mad Sand Season," He Chunhua explained. "Anyone who enters the desert at that time will be buried alive within moments. The sandstorm won't subside until the following year."

"I also checked the records," Sun Fuping continued. "Over the past century, the Mad Sand Season in the Coiling Dragon Desert has shifted its timing five times: three times it arrived early, and twice it was delayed. The most recent instance was twenty years ago, when it began in mid-May."

He Chunhua also recalled, "I had just arrived in Qiansong County at that time, and local residents continued to talk about it for many years afterward. Even for the next seven years, traffic on the Red Cliff Trade Route was affected, only gradually recovering later."

People used the Red Cliff Trade Route because it was safe. If the Coiling Dragon Desert's volatile temper could erupt unpredictably, who would dare risk their life for profit?

"Interestingly, I received a clue from Grandmaster Zhuge," Sun Fuping revealed. "Twenty years ago, he dispatched a team from Baling Kingdom to once again probe the Coiling Dragon Ancient City. He didn't go personally, but if you calculate the timing, that team should have arrived here around April or May!"

This time, even Nian Songyu was surprised. "Grandmaster, are you suggesting... that the early arrival of the Mad Sand Season that year was man-made?"

"Highly possible! At least the timing aligns perfectly," Sun Fuping confirmed. "This team was personally led by Grandmaster Zhuge's most favored senior disciple, who undoubtedly received direct instructions from him before their departure. After arriving here, they successfully triggered the early Mad Sand Season."

He Lingchuan, expressionless, asked, "But did they successfully return?"

Sun Fuping sighed and shook his head. "That failure was a significant blow to Grandmaster Zhuge. Afterward, Baling ceased organizing expeditions to Coiling Dragon City."

"Doesn't that prove it's a one-way trip?" He Lingchuan retorted, laughing sardonically. "Then why are we even here?"

"What if I told you that when the Mad Sand Season arrives, the safest place in the entire desert is actually the Coiling Dragon Ancient City?" Sun Fuping turned slightly, pointing to the complete set of coarse porcelain wine vessels on the counter. "Look, are these objects capable of withstanding a storm? Yet, they are still exactly as they were when the allied forces left the Coiling Dragon ruins."

Everyone's expressions shifted, and they instinctively looked around.

Indeed, this restaurant was open to the wind on three sides, yet the tables and chairs in the front hall and the kitchen utensils in the back were all neatly arranged. From Situ Han's perspective, he could even spot two earthenware jars on the stove, likely containing salt or lard. If the mad sand descended here every year, how could these items possibly be preserved? Furthermore, this restaurant, these two rows of street-facing shops, and many other residential buildings within the city were wooden structures over a hundred years old. Why had they not succumbed to the strong winds and sandstorms?

No one had given it much thought upon entering the city until Sun Fuping pointed it out.

He Chunhua let out a soft breath. "There's often no wind in the eye of a storm."

Therefore, even when the Mad Sand Season began, regardless of the flying sand and stones outside, Coiling Dragon City remained unaffected.

"You should have told us earlier; we wouldn't have misunderstood," He Lingchuan chuckled, no longer sparring with Nian Songyu. He walked back, sat down, and drank some water.

Situ Han mumbled softly, "But the Mad Sand Season lasts at least four or five months. What will we eat and drink during that time?"

People need to eat, and they had only brought a few days' worth of provisions.

The men in this team were all robust and powerful, big eaters, not cultivators capable of sustaining themselves without food.

Before anyone else could speak, He Lingchuan scoffed, "Just think for a moment. If the Grandmaster takes the Great Square Vase, how could it continue to generate the Mad Sand Season? Our return journey might even be more peaceful than our arrival."

He Chunhua furrowed his brow slightly.

Though reckless, the fellow wasn't entirely wrong. Sun Fuping subtly relaxed, stroking his long beard. "Precisely!"

Convincing this father and son to comply with his plans had taken considerable effort; yet, if he were to simply eliminate them, leading the rest of the team would become problematic.

People's loyalty can waver.

While away from home, even a minor local figure in such a remote area, despite their low official standing, could prove quite troublesome.

To his surprise, He Lingchuan turned back to him. "Grandmaster, you still haven't clarified: if we summon the Mad Sand Season but fail to retrieve the Great Square Vase, how will we return?"

That was the crucial point!

Sun Fuping smiled, calm and collected. "Before our departure, I received special permission from my King to draw upon the primal energy of the divine altar!"

Everyone's spirits lifted, and their worries dispersed.

Primal energy is the collective embodiment of national fortune, public sentiment, and military morale.

It greatly enhances divine abilities, can deter all malevolent spirits, and can even dismantle enemy divine spell formations. It is one of the nation's most precious strategic resources, possessing myriad wondrous uses.

As a national strategic reserve, primal energy is usually sealed within the divine altar, and no official can deploy it at will. Fortunately, this is precisely the Grandmaster's purview, and Sun Fuping, in particular, had received special permission from the monarch.

With this assurance, the likelihood of their safe return from the desert increased tenfold, if not more. Although the Yuan Kingdom's fortune was not at its peak, protecting two hundred people to leave the great desert would be no difficult feat.

At this point, He Lingchuan had eaten and drunk his fill. He stood up and stretched. "Since that's the case, shall we start working at dawn?"

Nian Songyu gave a tight, humorless smile. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm tired. Time for sleep," He Lingchuan yawned. "Aren't we supposed to be busy tomorrow? There are no beauties or songs here; what else is there to do but sleep?" The young man clearly enjoyed provoking him.

"Who told you that you could rest?" Nian Songyu's disdain was barely concealed. "You're doing the work tonight, right now!"

"Do what?" He Lingchuan, who found him most irritating, retorted, "You?"

Nian Songyu took a step forward, his face dark, prompting He Lingchuan to retreat two steps. Standing beside Zeng Feixiong, he declared, "Deputy Lieutenant Zeng, protect me!"

Sun Fuping cleared his throat. "Business first. Bring up the puppets."

He Lingchuan then remembered that the Grandmaster had tied up two puppets, infested with Three-Corpse Worms, on the walnut boat and brought them into the city. They were still being held outside.