Chapter 421

Peach nodded, grinning at him. This little Witch Child seemed to like Fu Shanyue more, even though this guy had no pleasant tone.

It was probably like a cat sticking to whoever picked it up.

He Lingchuan also heard the caravan members whispering outside, as if three families of lowly people had fled overnight; by morning, there wasn't a single person in their houses, and they were actually all neighbors. The government had already ordered a manhunt for these dozen or so lowly people.

The carriage body vibrated slightly, and the carriage started moving.

He Lingchuan lifted the curtain to look outside; Tongluo County in the morning light hadn't even woken up yet. Because most merchants did night business, except for small eateries and inns that were still open, everything else had their doors tightly shut.

The bustling city that never slept last night was exhausted in the dawn this morning.

The Shi Gate caravan's wheels rumbled, soon leaving this strange county town.

With nothing to do, Fu Shanyue reached out to He Lingchuan: "Where is the medicine I told you to buy last night?"

He Lingchuan narrowed his eyes: "Told me?"

"Please!" Fu Shanyue corrected himself humbly, "Where is the medicine I asked you to buy on my behalf last night?"

Only then did He Lingchuan throw him an oil-paper package.

Fu Shanyue opened it, pulled out a mortar from somewhere, and signaled for the Witch Child Peach to grind the medicine.

After the medicinal herbs were ground into powder, he added water to make a paste, then applied it to Peach's face.

As soon as the medicine touched her skin, she felt itchy. After finally waiting for Fu Shanyue to finish applying it, the itchiness increased several times over.

Peach couldn't help but reach out to scratch, but was slapped away by him: "If you want to live, don't touch your face!"

Of course she wanted to, so she could only endure it.

After more than a quarter of an hour, Fu Shanyue allowed her to wash her face.

At this time, the caravan had already reached the post station in the northern suburbs of Tongluo County. Peach jumped off the carriage and washed her face at the horse trough, not forgetting to purse her lips to avoid others seeing the wound on her mouth.

However, when other travelers saw her face, they were startled and cried out, one after another moving away.

She was puzzled in her heart, and when she looked into the water, she saw a mottled face: there were white patches on her face, and her skin tone was extremely uneven.

After she got back on the carriage, Fu Shanyue said, "I just disguised you with vitiligo; it will fall off on its own in half a month, and it will be fine."

The itchiness slowly faded, and Peach suddenly pointed not far away, speaking for the first time: "Her, she is the one who sewed my mouth shut."

The two looked, and there was a middle-aged woman walking toward the back of the post station; there was nothing special about her attire, but she was leaning on a long staff.

For her age, and with her nimble legs, leaning on a staff was a bit strange.

"She is the witch who pointed you out as a baleful star?"

"Yes!" Peach said decisively.

Fu Shanyue stretched: "Stay here and don't move." Then he jumped off the carriage and also went to the back of the post station.

Only about a quarter of an hour later, he returned, his complexion looking a bit ruddier than before.

He Lingchuan even smelled a hint of blood.

"Did you eat her?"

"Yes." Fu Shanyue smiled and stroked Peach's hair, "I ate the witch."

Peach's eyes lit up instantly.

He Lingchuan clicked his tongue; this guy didn't forget to win people over while nourishing himself, showing he was rough on the outside but fine on the inside, not a reckless person.

"Then what's with the hole in your sleeve?"

"I only have one hand, it's not very convenient." Fu Shanyue yawned, "The witch managed to fight back in her spare time. Aside from being greedy for money, she had some cultivation."

The Twilight Plains remained a barren sight; the caravan passed through several small towns and villages on the road to replenish food and water, which were also dead and lifeless.

However, the terrain slowly rose, and as everyone continued north, standing on the hills to look out, there were mountains in the distance.

The sun also slowly set to the west. Second Master Shi pointed north with his horsewhip and said to He Lingchuan and the others, "Cross the first mountain, and there will be a place to rest tonight."

There was a small town there, enough for an overnight stay.

After he finished speaking, the wind suddenly picked up.

The caravan had not long left Wind Demon Mountain and was long accustomed to the whistling north wind, but this wind carried thick dust, sand, and grass branches, which was much dirtier than the mountain peaks, blowing so hard that people couldn't even open their eyes.

Not being able to open their eyes was one thing, but the sand seemed to have eyes, desperately pouring into people's noses, ears, and necks.

At this time, one must not open their mouth; whoever opened their mouth would have to spit, spit, spit.

After walking for another quarter of an hour, it was pitch black.

The sun was clearly still there, but everyone struggled to look up, and in the dim yellow, they could only see a slightly glowing duck egg.

Heaven and earth were without light; the sandstorm had arrived.

Second Master Shi covered his head and face with a cloth, directing the team to advance north.

There were mountains to the north that could block the wind and sand. Besides, this was also the only way through the Twilight Plains to the Chiyan Nation in the north.

The caravan struggled to move, and He Lingchuan also jumped off the carriage to help. He channeled his Qi, which could block most of the wind and sand.

At this time, the benefits of deep cultivation were reflected.

Finally, relying on their rich experience, the Shi Gate caravan found the entrance to the mountains.

After entering the mountains, the wind and sand significantly weakened.

But the forest was still being blown to sway, as if it were about to be uprooted.

Several claps of thunder rolled across the sky, scaring the oxen and horses pulling the carriages.

Second Master Shi looked around, his face solemn. The veteran scout of the Shi Gate caravan also hurried over to find him, roaring in the wind: "Second Master, we seem to have gone the wrong way. This is the road to the ruins!"

He Lingchuan happened to be standing on the side and heard it all: "Which ruins?"

"Where else?" Second Master Shi shouted hoarsely, "Thousand Star City!"

The old capital of the Yuan Nation? He Lingchuan felt a jolt in his heart. The sandstorm blew them here? Everyone looked at Second Master Shi with eager eyes: "What should we do now?"

A skinny attendant had just been careless after entering the mountains and was almost blown away by the wind, fortunately grabbing the cargo straps in time.

Even from Second Master Shi's previous trading experiences, this sandstorm could be called heavyweight. He had no choice; he couldn't go back to the plains and find the right road in a sandstorm with visibility of less than three zhang.

"Go to the ruins to take shelter from the wind, hurry!"

The team headed deep into the mountains.

After walking several li on the mountain road, the wind and sand weakened a lot, but the rain came, pouring down incessantly.

The attendants were all muttering: "What kind of ghost weather is this!"

Only the Witch Child Peach curled into a small ball in the carriage, shivering, seemingly thinking that all of this was caused by her.

After traveling several more li, the view suddenly opened up: the mountain road came to an end, and the valley ahead could even be described as vast.

No, this was a basin, surrounded by mountains.

He Lingchuan saw the ruins Second Master Shi and the others spoke of in the basin at once.

The team was heading toward the basin; there were more trees here than outside, perhaps because of the green water surrounding the basin. This abundant water had once contributed to the moat of Thousand Star City, but now it could only flow lonely.

The ancient path appeared and disappeared in the wild forest.

The caravan's wheels rumbled, pressing over withered branches and fallen leaves. He Lingchuan saw that this bluestone road was originally very wide, at least enough for five carriages to drive side by side; two hundred years ago, when the Yuan Nation was in its prime, this road must have been bustling with traffic and guests.

Now, it was nothing but decay in the weeds and setting sun.

Entering the basin, one realized the vastness of Thousand Star City; judging by the square foundation and stone walls of the city, the area occupied was at least half the size of Panlongcheng. Especially the base of the city gate, which was wide and thick; imagining the scene back then, one wondered what kind of grandeur it was.

However, the wood had long since rotted, and the remaining stone walls were few and far between, covered in long vines.

"This city was destroyed very thoroughly." There were even traces of fire on the stones. Such a magnificent city, yet not even decent buildings were left; it was truly a pity.

Even with wind erosion and water damage, there should have been some ruins, just like the Panlongcheng of the past.

"It is said that after Thousand Star City was breached back then, the Demon Emperor ordered it to be burned and killed, demanding that there be 'not an inch of standing wood' here." Second Master Shi said loudly in the pouring rain, "Therefore, all the palaces and buildings, along with civilian houses and pigsties, were pushed down, and none were spared."

The Witch Child Peach suddenly pointed not far away, and He Lingchuan also said: "What is that?"

Actually, fifty zhang away, there were still a dozen stone houses, very wide, very large, piled up without any aesthetic sense, but they were sturdy.

There was even one that only had three walls, with the remaining side being air.

Calling them houses was about the same as warehouses or cargo depots.

"These were built by passing merchants themselves, using local materials; over time, there were this many."

He Lingchuan wondered: "So it's not like no one comes."

"The terrain in the mountains is complex, and people often go the wrong way; since they are here, they should settle down, and there must be a place to shelter from the wind and rain." Second Master Shi ordered the caravan to drive the carriages into a few stone houses to settle the personnel and check the cargo.

Merchants come and go for profit; even a ghost city can be a place to stay.

There was originally a lot of thatch in the stone houses. The doctor in the caravan took out a few basins, put in dry grass and mugwort, and lit them, fumigating everywhere. Otherwise, the ground Qi here was damp and heavy, with too many snakes, insects, mosquitoes, and ants; if people sat or lay on the grass, they would be covered in red bumps in half a cup of tea's time.

Severe cases could even lead to chills and high fevers.

The smoke grew thicker, and all kinds of small animals in the stone houses scrambled to escape, even including a few golden-ringed venomous snakes.

Tonight, they could only stay overnight in the ghost city; the caravan began to lift pots and cook food.

After the water boiled, grain and sweet potatoes were thrown in, and vegetables and mushrooms were added later; the sticky mixed vegetable porridge was ready.

Everyone had been trekking for a day, so they picked up coarse bowls and drank it down, paired with two steamed buns and a few bites of pickles; this rainy night in the wilderness didn't seem so hard to bear.

Time slowly pushed toward the second half of the night, and the wind and rain didn't decrease but increased; from time to time, lightning illuminated the wilderness, dragging long thunder.

Fu Shanyue wrapped himself in a cloak, covering his head and face, remaining motionless for a long time. Others thought he was asleep, but he suddenly sat up:

"Someone is coming."

Sure enough, more than a dozen figures appeared one after another in the dwarf forest, walking toward the stone house cluster.

The sentry of the Shi Gate caravan immediately blew the whistle, calling everyone to be on guard.

The other party was also a team, consisting of a dozen or so knights, a carriage, and two monsters. Their approaching footsteps were unhurried. One of the riders raised his whip and stepped forward, shouting to the Shi Gate caravan: "Just keeping company in the wild mountains, we'll leave tomorrow morning!"

This was a common term used by travelers in the wilderness to show that they were only staying overnight and had no malicious intent.

Afterward, the team moved twelve or thirteen zhang away and occupied two other stone houses.

(End of chapter)