Chapter 59: We Were All Deceived

He Lingchuan sneered, "National Master Sun previously urged us to return to the South Gate immediately after finishing, giving us both instructions and threats, and even set a two-hour limit. Don't you feel flattered? They only treat you like an ox or a horse; when have they ever been so considerate?" Mao Tao immediately recalled the two "remember this well" warnings National Master Sun had given with such earnestness.

"But what if..."

"What if what?" Sudden concern is often accompanied by ulterior motives. "What if there is a change of plans? What difference does it make being here versus at the South Gate? If we really need to defect to them, we can just rush over then."

He also said earnestly, "Look at those two; do they look like they care whether we live or die? Since that's the case, why should we care about theirs?"

Mao Tao thought for a moment and nodded, "You're right, I'll listen to you!"

￥￥￥￥￥

He Yue was writing furiously in the government office.

The weather in Qiansong Commandery was much better than in the Panlong Desert, but it was still unbearably hot at the end of August, and everyone was waiting for a thunderstorm to cool down Heishuicheng.

It was exceptionally stifling today; he wiped the sweat from his forehead while correcting official documents.

The bailiff behind him saw this, found a large cattail leaf fan, and said, "Second Young Master, let me."

He hadn't fanned more than twice when news flew in from outside: the Panlong Desert had flared up, and the Sandstorm Season had arrived early.

Clatter—the brush in He Yue's hand dropped onto the desk, staining several documents.

The Sandstorm Season had begun, but his father and eldest brother had not yet returned.

A truly devastating piece of news.

The bailiff called out to him softly several times before He Yue regained his senses and said hoarsely, "Increase the number of men for public security; it won't be peaceful in the city these next few days."

Every time the Sandstorm Season arrived early, it led to losses of life and property. Disputes between the victims, the families of the harmed, and the merchant caravans would rise sharply.

In past years, He Chunhua had also frequently handled cases of brawls and deaths following the arrival of the Sandstorm Season.

Thinking of his father, a chill ran through He Yue's heart.

Lady Ying was waiting anxiously for news at home every day; should he bring back the tragic news? That afternoon, he stayed in the government office for several hours without being able to process a single additional official task.

It wasn't until dark that the young man stood up listlessly, preparing to go home.

Never had he been so resistant to heading home as he was this time.

However, a courier suddenly arrived at this moment, presenting eleven crumpled, wax-sealed letters before him:

"The eastern route is open; these are the letters that had piled up at Jiaxin Pass, delivered all at once."

Seeing so many letters, He Yue's heart sank: just how many major events had occurred in the East? Qiansong Commandery was located in a remote area, and there was no direct waterway from east to west; letters from the capital had to pass through Woling Pass and Jiaxin Pass to reach here.

The mountain ranges along the way were steep and dangerous; taking a detour would add three months to the journey, and the road conditions were particularly poor, so no one usually did that.

Before He Chunhua went to the Panlong Desert, he had been deeply concerned about the situation in the East. Even if only to fulfill his father's dying wish, He Yue had to read these letters.

He casually opened one, read it for a moment, and his brows furrowed; he hurriedly opened another.

Then the next.

"Absurd!" He Yue slammed his fist heavily on the table with a loud "bang," startling all the nearby clerks.

The Second Young Master He had always been gentle and refined, just like a carbon copy of the Commandery Governor; why was he suddenly so furious? He Yue's eyes were red. For the first time in his life, he felt such grief and hatred.

"Father, Eldest Brother, your deaths were not worth it!" he said through gritted teeth, "We have all been deceived!"

The young man stood up and walked straight out.

Now, he had two pieces of tragic news to take home.

￥￥￥￥￥

Nian Songyu moved the last crate of crossbow bolts onto the wall.

Each crate here weighed several hundred jin; even though he was well-versed in martial arts, after hauling forty crates up to the wall, he felt his arms aching and numb, and his feet heavy.

Sun Fuping was already standing on the wall, looking down into the distance: "Are they all moved up?" Being older and of higher status, he naturally wouldn't do such menial tasks.

With He Lingchuan and the other gone, these chores fell to Nian Songyu.

"Yes, that's all." Nian Songyu panted heavily, "I don't know where those two scumbags died; they were so slow!"

He rested for a while, then began coating the weapons with a special grease, also known as fire oil.

Whether it was long crossbows or catapults, their power would double once ignited, effectively killing the enemy. And as for now, the two of them had their eyes on their ability to burn the city down.

Nian Songyu opened a crate at random, was stunned for a moment, and then overjoyed: "It's actually nail-bombs!"

Cannons had long appeared in the human world, but their power was mediocre and the interval between shots was long; they were just passable for hitting people, and blowing up a wall would at most create a crater. Aside from the deafening sound, they weren't much more powerful than a crossbow cart.

But this crate of "nail-bombs" had small iron nails added inside the cast-iron cannonballs; upon landing, they would explode with flames in all directions, not only causing bodily harm but also easily causing infections.

Nian Songyu loaded a nail-bomb and dusted the ash off his hands: "Has the two-hour mark passed?"

"Almost." Sun Fuping sat on a crate, looking ahead, "The north side still hasn't caught fire."

"The north side was assigned to the sand bandit; could he have escaped?" Nian Songyu walked over and shielded his eyes with his hand, "Why don't we start firing first?"

"Wait a little longer."

The National Master said to wait, so they must wait.

In the blink of an eye, another half hour passed.

The main street below the city was empty.

Nian Songyu gulped down a few mouthfuls of water: "What do you think?"

"Give them a reminder?"

Nian Songyu shrugged and shouted with gathered energy: "He Lingchuan, return to the South Gate immediately!" And that sand bandit too, but he couldn't remember his name.

He shouted three times in a row, the sound echoing throughout Panlong's southern city.

Perhaps because this place was too empty, there was actually an echo. If He Lingchuan was on his way, he should be able to hear it.

After waiting for quite a while, the area below the city was still empty.

He roared again: "Igniting the South Gate, you're on your own for life or death!"

Once the fire was lit in a moment, never mind other accidents, the fire might just burn those two wretches to death!

Another half hour passed, and Sun Fuping finally stood up: "The sand bandit is with He Lingchuan; they are on guard and won't be coming over."

The fire in the north never started. If that sand bandit hadn't met with an accident, he must have gone to rendezvous with He Lingchuan.

"That brat from the He family has always been resentful of me." Nian Songyu asked him, "What now?"

"The houses on the east and west sides have all caught fire, and there are no anomalies, so the key to breaking the situation is indeed in the south; this also matches my deduction. Those two brats—no, the He family brat—have grown suspicious. He is not as reckless as we thought." The firelight in the distance seemed to dance in Sun Fuping's eyes. "Thinking they are safe like this? Naive! Light the fire."

He said the last three words to Nian Songyu.

Nian Songyu hesitated slightly: "What about your original plan for the Heishuicheng army?"

"They are already standing within my magic array."

A single sentence dispelled Nian Songyu's doubts, and he lit the fire on the crossbows.

(End of chapter)