Chapter 24: Red Cliff Road

"The He family's foundation is there; how could we, the unworthy descendants, not return?"

He Lingchuan rolled his eyes: "There are eyes and ears on all sides; must you force me to speak so plainly?" He leaned toward his father's ear, his voice as soft as a mosquito's, easily drowned out by the sound of hooves. "Our entire family was harmed to death by the Emperor; why must we go back and throw our lives away for him?"

He Chunhua frowned: "Otherwise, where else is there to realize one's ambitions?"

A great man builds his career and establishes his legacy; does he not need something to rely on?

"The Baling Kingdom in the west would work too, wouldn't it? Doesn't our Qiansong Commandery border the four kingdoms? I think that monster kingdom to the northeast isn't bad either..." He Lingchuan kept his eyes on the road, dodging the slap He Chunhua aimed at his head. "Besides, the country is in turmoil; those bumpkins who raise banners in rebellion dare to call themselves kings! Look abroad—the emperors change like a revolving lantern! I heard that in the Xuan Kingdom to the east, they changed eleven emperors in twenty years; the shortest one only reigned for nineteen days."

A truly high-risk profession.

Which nerve in this brat's brain had gone wrong, always thinking of treason? He Chunhua kept a straight face and said: "A tiny, insignificant country—can it compare to Great Yuan? We have, after all, been a nation for over sixty years, with complete institutions."

Heh. He Lingchuan let out a long breath: "We've had a brush with death this time; can't you say something sincere to me, Father?"

He Chunhua was slightly startled, suddenly staring at him: "What has possessed you?"

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

"What?"

His eldest son was brave enough, but not someone with a delicate mind; he shouldn't have been able to see through his own reservations. He Chunhua looked at him for a moment and said in a deep voice: "Don't ever say such treasonous, death-warranting things again."

A gust of sand blew past, and He Lingchuan sneezed.

His father's mind was also very deep.

Both were calculating old foxes. But this actually made him feel a bit more at ease.

It seemed like the Governor was passively drawn into this whirlpool, but who was really calculating against whom behind the scenes?

￥￥￥￥￥

The team led by National Master Sun finally stepped onto the Red Cliff Road.

Passing through the mountain pass, a world of yellow sand lay before them, vast and boundless.

One sand dune after another stood in the hot wind; some were as low as dirt mounds, while others reached dozens of zhang in height, comparable to great mountains. But they were by no means as solid as cliffs; some giant dunes would disappear overnight, only to suddenly emerge in other depressions.

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

Looking as far as the eye could see, there was only the vast wilderness.

The Red Cliff Road was carved right through the desert, five zhang wide, enough for several carriages to drive side by side. The original color of the stone bricks on the ground was unrecognizable, having become uneven under the constant trampling of passing merchants. Some bricks were new, as Black Water City and neighboring countries had each taken responsibility for repairing sections of the road; others were ancient bricks that hadn't been replaced, their black surfaces varying in depth, yet layered one upon another.

This made the Red Cliff Road look like a giant gray-black snake crawling through the sea of sand.

Zeng Feixiong was also walking beside the He father and son. Seeing He Lingchuan's curiosity about the bricks, he explained: "The bricks are covered in bloodstains, both new and old. There are many sand bandits on this road, and many battles have been fought here."

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

To attack a besieged city, one had to cut off the opponent's reinforcements and supplies.

Hearing him say this, He Lingchuan felt the aura of blood and violence rushing toward him.

So many brutal slaughters, so many vibrant lives, and such resolute cries of defending one's home and country were all eventually buried by the endless yellow sand, leaving nothing behind.

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

This pair of old rivals fought for decades, only to both end up in the gutter, falling into the dust of history.

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

This was clearly an army of the Great Yuan Kingdom, led by the highly respected National Master Sun, yet the team's banner was embroidered with a large "Zhong" character.

People of today travel the world, yet they must hang the old flag of a former dynasty; it was inconceivable.

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

Of course, once all teams left the Red Cliff Road, they would take down the Zhong flag before entering other national territories, so although He Lingchuan had heard of it, he rarely saw this flag.

"Vengeful spirits and mutated monsters roam the desert, catching and eating whatever they find, but they do not step onto the Red Cliff Road because this is 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 you asked He Lingchuan, that wasn't a tribute at all; it was clearly an imitation.

Zeng Feixiong pulled away the cloth covering his face, spat onto a handkerchief, and tucked it away: "Saliva and urine cannot be spilled casually on the Red Cliff Road; they must be collected and taken away, otherwise it is seen as disrespect and will anger the heroic spirits here."

He Chunhua also said: "In the past, many countries didn't believe in such things and forbade their merchants from flying the Zhong flag while traveling the Red Cliff Road. As a result—"

"As a result, they had to allow it later." He Lingchuan understood. "The living have no need to pick a fight with the dead."

Just then, several roars came from behind.

Everyone looked back to see a small, snow-white dog run out from another team walking behind them, leaving the Red Cliff Road in a few bounds and heading toward the nearest sand dune.

Its little owner was a five-year-old girl; once the dog slipped away, she subconsciously lifted her legs and chased after it.

Soon, she also left the Red Cliff Road.

Her family hadn't reacted yet when a caravan guard rushed over from behind and roared 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 indignantly: "Keep your voice down, don't scare my child!"

"If she doesn't come back, your child will be gone!" the guard roared again. "Come back quickly, the monster is going to eat people!"

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

The young girl stopped, looked at the team, then at the little white dog in the distance, and hesitated.

The child's mother said with disdain: "Go and carry her back."

The guard refused, not wanting to leave the Red Cliff Road for even a step.

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

Nothing happened.

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

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

The scream was tragic and short-lived.

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

After the monster that devoured the two appeared, it didn't rush to submerge again, but moved quickly toward the white dog not far away.

This thing looked a bit like a sole, with its mouth on the top of its head, its body shaped like a large, flat, round plate, and its color similar to the yellow sand. If it hadn't jumped out itself, even if He Lingchuan had gotten close, he might not have discovered its existence.

(End of chapter)