Chapter 608: Eagle City? Pursuing Nan Ping and the Master's Whereabouts!

A secret message from the sect?

Could it be a letter from the master?

Li Qingluo: "Senior brother, have you read it? What did the master say?"

Xuan Cang replied: "It wasn't a letter from the master."

"It was your second senior sister and your sixth senior brother."

"Now the sect has only those two, and they are guarding Meteor Mountain with everyone."

Empress Dowager Anar of Wusun Nation first captured four disciples of the Meteor Sect.

Then she escorted Nan Gongdi from Great Chu to Wusun Nation and set a carefully prepared trap.

After capturing Nan Gongdi, Xuan Cang, who went with them, was forcefully sent away by Nan Gongdi, who told him to go to Nan'an to find junior sister Li Qingluo and ask her for something that could help him get out.

It was the portrait of Zongzheng Qingyue.

Li Qingluo heard Xuan Cang talk about the sect all the way.

She now knows that this sect is a school founded by the Nan Gong family nearly a hundred years ago.

The Sect Ancestor, who is Nan Gongdi's great‑great‑great‑grandfather.

He was originally just a caravan escort in the jianghu.

Later, because of his chivalrous deeds he got into trouble and was forced by enemies to hide on Meteor Mountain.

He hid for over a decade, and in idle time took in a group of homeless jianghu wanderers.

Later, those people all settled on the mountain.

Unexpectedly, the court treated them as bandits.

When it seemed they would be eradicated, the Sect Ancestor suddenly shouted, "We only founded a sect and did nothing harmful!"

He also promised to protect all the villagers beneath Meteor Mountain.

The villagers testified that these jianghu people never did any wrongdoing, so the court refrained from a major conflict.

In the end, when they said "do it", the sect truly was established.

It was originally just to avoid the world, but it ended up growing the sect into a proper, impressive organization.

Even orphaned boys from the foothills came, attracted by its fame, to join the sect.

Most impressive is that the Sect Ancestor also created the world‑renowned martial art of the Meteor Sect — the Meteor Sword.

Now, in Nan Gongdi's generation, the sect has seven elders and nearly a hundred inner disciples.

There are nine direct disciples of Sect Leader Guang, including Li Qingluo!

Li Qingluo only learned at this point that the Meteor Sect truly is not a minor school.

Currently, four senior brothers and sisters captured together with Nan Gongdi by the Empress Dowager of Wusun Nation number four.

One, Xuan Cang, is now with Li Qingluo.

Two remain on the mountain guarding the home.

So there is still one senior brother or senior sister?

Moreover, weren't there seven elders? How come now only two senior brothers and sisters are guarding the mountain with other disciples?

Xuan Cang said nothing.

Li Qingluo also didn't ask.

In front of Li Qingluo, Xuan Cang tore open the letter, read it quickly, then furrowed his brows and showed a hint of anger.

"Your second senior sister and sixth senior brother sealed the mountain gate; now they have taken more than twenty inner disciples down the mountain and are on the road to Eagle City."

Li Qingluo: "Did they also go to the Western Regions? Did they enter the Western Region's borders by another route?"

Xuan Cang: "There is a waterway toward Kunlun Mountain that can indeed lead into the Western Regions."

"But that route is extremely difficult and far from Mantu City, so ordinary people wouldn't take it."

"These two disobeyed orders and dared to go down the mountain on their own; if Sect Uncle and the others return to find the sect empty, that would be trouble!"

Li Qingluo stared at Xuan Cang.

Xuan Cang changed the subject: "We must go to Eagle City first, find them quickly, lest they cause more trouble."

Li Qingluo: "Senior brother, stay calm. Your second senior sister and sixth senior brother may just be eager to rescue someone, so they couldn't wait to meet you in Eagle City."

"When there are more people, perhaps rescuing the master will go much smoother."

Xuan Cang finally nodded, "Junior sister, you're right."

"By the way, when can we set out?"

Li Qingluo: "I just received word. We can leave tomorrow."

The next day, a wedding escort team quietly and mysteriously set out from Mantu City, braving the scorching sun and swirling sand, marching swiftly toward the Western Regions…

With documents stamped with the seal of Mantu City's lord, the Western Regions were utterly shocked, yet concerning Mantu City, they dared not delay.

After much deliberation, the border officials quickly wrote the letters while feigning a lighthearted send‑off.

"Since Mantu City intends to join our Western Regions, we naturally welcome them."

"After all, we've already taken in a DaLiang princess; why fear a Mantu City princess?"

The official, from behind a lavish carriage, spoke tentatively while observing the expressions on each member of the wedding escort team.

Seeing them show irritation, the official felt relieved.

If they were too calm and composed, it would seem deceitful.

People who couldn't hold their temper like this clearly indicate something happened inside Mantu City, prompting them to urgently seek a patron.

The official couldn't help but sneer, "How come I've never heard that Mantu City has another princess?"

"Isn't the lord of the city still young and promising, with even his marriage undecided, yet already a princess?"

"Are you perhaps plotting something?"

The princess's faint voice came from inside the carriage: "This palace is the city lord's direct younger sister, Princess Luoluo."

She had been raised in the family's inner quarters all along, never having met anyone from the outside world.

Just as you useless people still don't know my older brother's background, you've never even heard of my title—what's so strange about that?

If it weren't for my older brother running into trouble, I wouldn't have been sent to marry into your Western Regions, hoping Mantuo City would seek peace with your Western Regions.

Although my older brother just sent a letter to your imperial capital, your imperial court will soon send someone to fetch me!

Now that you know the circumstances, why don't you hurry up and let us through!?

You've delayed my schedule and auspicious day, you've delayed the peace between Mantuo City and the Western Regions—can you take responsibility when the time comes?

Li Qingluo's aura completely intimidated the official, who could only hurriedly let them pass through the gate in a flustered manner.

However, the official, to be cautious, still sent someone to secretly follow them.

Following the news that Mantuo City's princess, who had come to seek peace, actively married off to the Western Regions, the news quickly spread throughout the thirteen states of the Western Regions.

This matter shocked the thirteen states of the Western Regions even more than DaLiang sending a princess for marriage.

The Western Regions consist of thirteen states, and all thirteen states obey the orders of the Hala City imperial court.

The various tribes of the Western Regions are closely united and mutually supportive, with strong troops and sturdy horses, so they have always been a formidable enemy of both DaLiang and Da Chu.

For years, the Western Regions' ambition to attack the Central Plains has never ceased.

In recent years, such actions and frictions have occurred frequently.

Having already succeeded in assassinating DaLiang's Prince Su and then capturing Mantuo City in one fell swoop, if they continued with vigor to invade DaLiang's heartland, taking the Central Plains would be a matter of imminent success.

Unfortunately, a Lanhai State appeared out of nowhere, blocking the Western Regions' southward advance.

The Western Regions were practically driven mad.

Thus, they seemingly went mad, turning to tear open a gap from Da Chu, preparing to encircle and annihilate Mantuo City.

Yet, the long-unconquered Mantuo City would actually take the initiative to send a princess for marriage?

This Lanhai State, which appeared out of nowhere, is inherently mysterious, leaving everyone baffled.

Suddenly arranging a marriage—could they be up to some trick again?

Or perhaps the lord of Mantuo City finally realized he was about to be completely isolated and helpless, yet surrounded by the Western Regions?

Just thinking about this possibility, the people of the Western Regions inwardly grew a bit arrogant and proud.

No one knows what tricks Mantuo City is up to.

Anyway, the marriage entourage is said to number only thirty-odd people.

This shabby sight made the Western Regions' imperial court burst into laughter upon hearing it.

Naturally, no one regarded Li Qingluo's party as anything serious.

Even the Western Regions' imperial court no longer took Mantuo City seriously.

They merely waited for Mantuo City to come and submit to the Western Regions on its own……

After Li Qingluo's party passed through Enter Pass Mountain, they killed everyone who had been tailing them in the dead of night.

Then they hid the corpses and sprinted onward all the way.

As they crossed the loess and the Gobi, they discarded their luxurious carriages and dumped the fake jewels from the boxes into the river.

Then they saddled up, and everyone began to gallop on horseback.

They crossed the grasslands.

They beheld a sky full of the Milky Way stars.

They slept on a mountain slope battered by relentless winds.

After over twenty days of arduous travel, they finally reached Eagle City.

Li Qingluo emerged from the tent, only to have a face-full of sand blown at her.

Eagle City lies in the midst of a desert.

Before entering the desert, Li Qingluo's party had already arranged a local contact who safely escorted them all the way into Eagle City.

Today is already the third day since her arrival at Eagle City.

However, her master and Nanping have suddenly lost all contact.

This made Li Qingluo inwardly feel a bit anxious.

Having come all the way from Nan'an, even though she had ridden hard, over two months had already passed.

Only upon setting out did she realize how vast this world truly is.

Seeing the mountains and rivers along the way, she understood that reading ten thousand volumes is no substitute for traveling ten thousand miles.

As for the Western Regions, they are even broader and more remote than she had imagined, with diverse terrain.

In just over two months, anything could happen.

She worried both about Nanping and about her master.

So today she didn't want to wait any longer, preparing to go out and investigate herself.

She brushed the dust from her face, then pulled down her headscarf to completely cover her face.

Having passed the gate and arrived at the Western Regions' border, to avoid drawing attention, they had all already changed into Western Regions attire.

All along they avoided crowds; even now that they had reached Eagle City, they stayed in a secluded tent.

Nor did they attract much notice from others.

"Young Master, this way."

The person guarding the door was exactly the contact they had met with before entering the desert.

He is also the head manager of the Tianfeng Firm's Western Regions branch.

His name is Batu'er, a middle-aged man in his forties.

He knows this side of Eagle City like the back of his hand, and it was he who led Li Qingluo's party safely across the desert, even avoiding a sandstorm disaster.

Now, Batur wants to take them to meet a local bully in Eagle City.

They said that local bully might know the news of the DaLiang princess who has come for a marriage alliance.

Thus Li Qingluo planned to go herself to meet that local bully, hoping to extract the information as quickly as possible.

The group arrived at a large residence.

Upon entering, they saw abundant melons and fruits soaking in a water tank.

Eagle City lacks water; many citizens in the city must go to the outer well each day, queue all day just to fetch a bucket of water for the whole family's use.

Yet this local bully's household lavishly uses water to water flowers, soak melons and fruits, and even splash water on the floor to constantly wash away the sand and gravel blown onto it.

Li Qingluo's brows furrowed high.

Following through an exotic-style garden, they arrived at the rear residence.

"Lord Arikun, the young master has arrived."

The servant placed one hand on his chest and reported inwardly.

After a moment, the beautiful maid barefoot came out and said, "Please have your attendants lay down their weapons; only one person may follow inside."

Zhui Yu and Sha Yi hurried forward.

"Miss, bring your subordinates!"

Li Qingluo pointed to Batur beside her and said, "You come with me inside."