Chapter 24: Hongya Road

It would all depend on one's own wits from here on out. He Lingchuan changed the subject and asked, "Father, why must we return to the Great Capital?"

"The He family legacy is there. How can an unworthy descendant not return?"

He Lingchuan rolled his eyes. "There are ears and eyes everywhere; do I really have to speak plainly?" He leaned close to his father's ear, his voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz, easily drowned out by the sound of galloping hooves. "Our entire family is being ruined by the Emperor. Why should we go back to serve him?"

He Chunhua frowned. "Otherwise, where would there be a place to realize your ambitions?"

A great man seeking to establish merit and career—does he not need something to rely upon?

"The Kingdom of Bali in the west would work too. Doesn't our Qiansong Prefecture border the four kingdoms? I think that monster kingdom in the northeast looks decent as well..." He Lingchuan's eyes scanned his surroundings, narrowly dodging a slap from He Chunhua's hand. "Besides, the domestic situation is turbulent; those peasants rising up dare to call themselves 'Grassland Kings'! And look abroad—the emperors change as frequently as a revolving lantern! I heard that in the eastern Kingdom of Xuan, eleven emperors changed within twenty years, and the shortest reign lasted only nineteen days."

A truly high-risk profession.

What was wrong with this brat, thinking only of treason? He Chunhua said with a stern face, "How can such tiny nations compare to the Great Yuan? We have been established for over sixty years, and our preparations are complete."

Heh. He Lingchuan let out a long sigh. "We are facing a life-or-death situation this time. Won't you say something heartfelt to me, Father?"

He Chunhua was slightly startled, then suddenly stared at him. "What has possessed you?"

The question came so unexpectedly that a cold sweat broke out on He Lingchuan's back.

"What?"

His eldest son was brave enough, but he was not a man of delicate thought; he shouldn't have seen through his reservations. He Chunhua looked at him for a moment and said deeply, "Never speak such treasonous words again."

A gust of wind and sand blew past, making He Lingchuan sneeze.

His father's mind was also very deep.

They were both calculating old foxes. However, this actually gave him some peace of mind.

It seemed Governor He had been passively drawn into this vortex, but in the end, who was plotting against whom?

￥￥￥￥￥

State Master Sun's party finally set out upon the Red Cliff Trade Route.

Passing through the belly of the mountains, a world of vast, boundless yellow sand stretched out before them.

Dunes stood amidst the hot winds, one after another; some were as small as mounds of earth, while others were dozens of feet high, comparable to great mountains. Yet, they were never as hard as cliffs; some giant dunes would vanish overnight, only to suddenly emerge in other depressions.

All vegetation had vanished; there was not a single speck of green.

As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but desolation.

The Red Cliff Road ran right through the middle of the desert, five zhang wide, enough to accommodate several carriages side by side. The color of the stone bricks on the ground was indistered, worn unevenly by the constant trampling of traveling merchants. Some bricks were new, as the Blackwater City and its neighboring countries had each taken responsibility for repairing certain sections; others were ancient bricks that had not been replaced, their black surfaces varying in shade and layered upon one another.

This made the Red Cliff Road look like a massive grey-black serpent crawling through the sea of sand.

Zeng Feixiong was also walking beside the He father and son. Seeing He Lingchuan curiously examining the bricks, he explained, "The bricks are covered in bloodstains, both old and new. There are many sand bandits on this road, and many battles have taken place here."

"By the way, some of the bloodstains were left over more than a hundred years ago. The Red Cliff Road was the military and grain transport route for Panlong City back then. It is said that countless great massacres occurred around these roads."

To besiege a city, one had to cut off the enemy's reinforcements and supplies.

Hearing this, He Lingchuan felt a sudden surge of fierce, bloody energy hitting his face.

So many brutal killings, so many vibrant lives, so many resolute cries to defend the country—all were ultimately buried by the endless yellow sand, leaving nothing behind.

Three years after the fall of Panlong City, the Kingdom of Xiluo perished; six years later, the Kingdom of Xianyou also fell.

These two old rivals fought for decades, only to both end up dead, buried in the dust of history.

"Is this also why everyone hangs the 'Zhong Flag'?" He Lingchuan pointed to the tall banner at the very front of the procession.

This was clearly the army of the Great Yuan, led by the highly respected State Master Sun, yet the banner of the procession was embroidered with a massive character for "Zhong."

It was inconceivable that people traveling through the world would carry the old flags of a previous dynasty.

In fact, it wasn't just their own party; almost all moving travelers on the Red Cliff Road held the Zhong flag high, as if transmitting a message to the entire desert.

Of course, once all parties left the Red Cliff Road, they would fold the Zhong flag before entering the territory of other nations. Thus, although He Lingchuan had heard of it, it was rare to see this flag.

"Wraiths and mutated monsters roam the desert, eating whatever they catch. But they do not step onto the Red Cliff Road, because this was the route the Great Wind Army traveled countless times. Everyone hangs the Zhong flag to pay tribute to the Great Wind Army of the past, and to seek safety for themselves."

If it were up to He Lingchuan, he would say that wasn't tribute, but blatant imitation.

Zeng Feixiong pulled down his face covering, spat onto his cloth, and tucked it away. "Spittle and urine must not be spilled carelessly on the Red Cliff Road; they must be collected and carried away. Otherwise, it is considered a sign of disrespect and will anger the heroic spirits here."

He Chunhua also added, "In the past, many nations did not believe in such superstitions and forbade their merchants from carrying the Zhong flag while traveling the Red Cliff Road. As a result—"

"As a result, they eventually had to allow it." He Lingchuan understood. "Living people have no need to hold a grudge against the dead."

Just then, several loud shouts came from behind.

Everyone turned to look. From another party walking further back, a small white dog ran out, leaping off the Red Cliff Road and bolting toward the nearest dune.

Its little owner was a five-year-old girl. Once the dog slipped its leash, she instinctively lifted her legs to chase it.

Soon, she too had left the Red Cliff Road.

Before her family could react, a porter rushed up from behind, shouting at her, "Come back! Come back quickly!"

What He Lingchuan and the others heard was his shouting.

The child's mother was a noblewoman, who walked over and said discontentedly, "Keep your voice down, don't frighten my child!"

"If you don't come back, your child is gone!" the porter roared again. "Come back quickly, a monster is going to eat people!"

The desert was as empty as a still painting; not even a wild animal appeared.

The young girl stopped, looked at the procession, then looked at the small white dog in the distance, hesitating.

The mother said disdainfully, "Go pick her up and bring her back."

The porter refused, not wanting to step off the Red Cliff Road even for a single step.

The mother had no choice but to stride toward her child, scoop her up, and head back.

Nothing happened.

"Useless man—" Before the noblewoman could finish her insult, the ground beneath her feet suddenly collapsed.

A massive mouth appeared from below, swallowing her and the child in one gulp.

The scream was tragic and brief.

At that moment, they were less than three steps away from the Red Cliff Road.

After swallowing the two, the monster did not rush to dive back down, but instead moved quickly toward the white dog not far away.

The creature looked somewhat like a flounder, with its mouth located on the top of its head. Its body was like a large disc, both flat and thin, with a color similar to the yellow sand. Had it not jumped out itself, even if He Lingchuan had approached, he might not have noticed its existence.