In the eyes of the people of the Great Xu Dynasty, living in peace and prosperity, the valuable things were those flashy yet useless trinkets.
But in the eyes of the Fox Hu and Xumo’er, what was valuable were grain, water, and weapons.
Gao Yuexing and Li Fuxiang had arrived in Fox Hu, both exercising extreme caution. They stayed holed up in the inn’s room, refusing to go out easily, relying entirely on Langdu to run errands outside.
Langdu was tireless and reliable. In just a few days, he had figured out the tribute Fox Hu planned to offer Xumo’er this June.
He managed to acquire a long list.
Gao Yuexing and Li Fuxiang huddled together, pressing their heads against one another to squeeze in for a look.
There were women.
Not Fox Hu women, but Han women from who knows where.
There was money.
Double the tribute silver that Fox Hu presented to the Great Xu Dynasty each year.
There was grain.
Even though Fox Hu was so poor they could barely feed themselves, they still prepared to send a large amount of grain to Xumo’er.
Gao Yuexing didn’t want to look anymore and was fuming.
Ungrateful wretches.
Money and grain—weren’t these all generously bestowed by the compassionate and benevolent emperor of the Great Xu Dynasty? And yet, they turned around and used it to raise Xumo’er’s troops.
Li Fuxiang, however, remained calm and composed. He said, “Don’t waste your anger on them. They’re just autumn locusts. They’ll be dealt with soon enough.”
He flipped through all the pages of the tribute list one by one, leaned against the old, peeling wooden table, tapping it rhythmically as he pondered his strategy.
Gao Yuexing didn’t disturb him.
Fox Hu had nothing worth eating or playing with, especially around June. Because of the tribute to Xumo’er, even the rations for their own people in the royal city were reduced.
The lotus seeds Gao Yuexing was peeling now were the ones they had brought from the Central Plains.
Li Fuxiang didn’t like eating them; he thought the lotus embryos were too bitter.
While eating the lotus seeds, Gao Yuexing started thinking about the lotus flowers in the medicinal valley pond.
The more she thought, the more detestable Fox Hu seemed, ruining her peace of mind.
Might as well eat more lotus seeds to calm the fire in her heart.
Just as she was chewing on the lotus seeds fiercely, Li Fuxiang suddenly snapped his fingers.
Gao Yuexing looked up at him.
Li Fuxiang said, “I have a plan!”
Gao Yuexing’s spirits immediately lifted.
Li Fuxiang said, “If he wants money so badly, I’ll make sure he doesn’t get a single coin this year!”
The items transported from the Medicinal Valley on this trip, especially the herbal pouches for repelling mosquitoes, were the most popular and were quickly snapped up. As the disciples of the Medicinal Valley moved through the royal city of Fox Hu, they often felt the gazes of the city’s soldiers on them. Those gazes were far from friendly, but the Medicinal Valley was no ordinary merchant caravan, and the soldiers dared not act rashly, lest they arouse the suspicion of the Great Xu Emperor.
Langdu, having sold out all the medicinal supplies, was in no hurry to leave. He often wandered through the markets of Fox Hu, and astute observers quickly realized he was scouting for something to take back.
Ordinary people didn’t care who was preparing for war.
As long as no fighting broke out yet, whoever paid them was their benefactor.
Nobody would turn down money.
Langdu, unhurried, visited only one shop per day. Yet his spending was lavish, and he used the opportunity to gather information about when Fox Hu’s tribute team would depart.
The road from Fox Hu to Xumo’er was an even more barren stretch, but it wasn’t very far, taking about three days to traverse.
This meant that the Fox Hu tribute team would likely set out in three to five days.
Li Fuxiang planned to stall them for another three to five days, waiting until they left the Fox Hu royal city before making a move in secret on the road.
Finally, on the fifth day, the massive Fox Hu convoy departed the city.
That afternoon, the Medicinal Valley caravan also set out on their return journey.
Gao Yuexing and Li Fuxiang, as usual, hid in a crate to leave the city.
Once they reached a deserted area outside the city, Li Fuxiang opened the crate, broke apart a thin cane, and retrieved his divine weapon, Shenwu. He then borrowed one of Langdu’s horses, mounted it, tightened the reins, and turned to instruct Gao Yuexing: “You all go ahead. I’ll come find you after I’m done. You can wait for me at Song Niang Inn.”
Gao Yuexing had always been sensible.
She understood that this time, she truly had no way to assist Li Fuxiang, so she merely nodded while standing on the cart and reminded him softly: “Be careful.”
Li Fuxiang spurred his horse and took a detour toward Xumo’er’s direction.
Gao Yuexing, together with Langdu’s group, continued toward Song Niang Inn to wait for him.
The scorching sun baked the sand and gravel. Gao Yuexing stepped out of the crate and covered her face and head with a veil of pine-green fabric. She then put on a pair of ruby earrings. At first glance, she no longer appeared to be a woman from the Central Plains.
Sitting on the crate that had carried her, Gao Yuexing dangled her legs, swinging them leisurely. Langdu slowed his horse to keep pace with her and asked, “You seem to be in a good mood?”
Gao Yuexing smiled and said, “Not bad.”
Langdu remarked, “On the day of your wedding, we received your invitation in the Medicinal Valley. It’s remarkable you remembered your old friends.”
Gao Yuexing replied, “How could I forget… But you didn’t attend.”
Langdu said, “The gift was delivered. That’s as good as me being there.”
Gao Yuexing said, “Thank you, Senior Brother, for your generous gift.”
The gift from the Medicinal Valley arrived on the eve of her wedding.
It was a small gourd, no bigger than a palm, containing three pills. These were the culmination of Langdu’s nearly ten years of effort—a life-saving medicine. In moments of unexpected danger, when a person’s life was hanging by a thread, one pill could stabilize their pulse, secure their spirit, and restore vitality.
While it couldn’t bring someone back from the dead, it could snatch a fleeting chance for survival from the clutches of the King of Hell.
It was an extraordinary feat.
The life-saving pills were always carried by Gao Yuexing, ready for emergencies.
Langdu said, “When we reach Song Niang Inn, I’ll wait with you for His Highness, Prince Xiang. Once everything is resolved, we can return to the Medicinal Valley together. If necessary, I can even escort you back to the capital.”
Gao Yuexing replied, “You’ve already gone to too much trouble, Senior Brother.”
Langdu said, “It’s my honor to do something for you.”
The weathered, rough-looking man he had become was undoubtedly a result of years of exposure to the elements and endless travel.
Gao Yuexing felt deeply grateful to have such a senior brother who constantly looked out for her. She was about to say something when the sound of galloping horses suddenly came from behind.
The noise wasn’t from just a few riders but a sizable group.
Langdu immediately commanded his team to move to the side, unsure of the situation.
Hearing the synchronized thunder of hooves, Gao Yuexing suddenly felt an ominous premonition.
Such marching speed…
A sharp cry from an eagle overhead.
It was a military force.
Langdu, who had traveled this route for many years, immediately sensed something was wrong.
He exchanged a glance with Gao Yuexing and said, “It doesn’t seem good.”
Gao Yuexing stood up from the crate and looked toward the dust cloud kicked up by the approaching horses in the distance. She said, “My instincts tell me we should run immediately.”
But all around them was an open desert, flat and featureless.
Gao Yuexing made a quick decision and turned her gaze away from the main trade route.
The Hucha Sea.
This trade route had been built two years ago along the edge of the Hucha Sea.
If they acted decisively enough, the deadly sands of the Hucha Sea could serve as their escape route.
Though they didn’t yet know exactly what was happening, Langdu wouldn’t gamble with the lives of his fellow disciples from the Medicinal Valley.
He gave a single command: “Retreat!”
The disciples obeyed, spurring their horses and retreating into the Hucha Sea.
Langdu cut the ropes of the wagon, reached out his hand to Gao Yuexing, and said, “You go too.”
Gao Yuexing grabbed his hand and was pulled to his side in one swift motion. Langdu fixed his gaze on his fellow disciples, ensuring each one had retreated to safety, only then turning his horse around with relief.
The pursuers behind them had now come into clearer view.
Gao Yuexing strained to look back, her gaze crossing over Langdu’s shoulder, and she finally recognized the clothing of the riders.
They weren’t from Fox Hu.
They were bandits.
Xumo’er’s men.
Their target was indeed the group from the Medicinal Valley.
Langdu led the group into the Hucha Sea, while Xumo’er’s men hesitated momentarily.
That brief hesitation cost them the best opportunity to strike.
An arrow with a sharp whistle tore through the air, heading straight for them. In Gao Yuexing’s constricted pupils, the arrow pierced into Langdu’s body.
Gao Yuexing pressed her ear against Langdu’s body and seemed to hear the sound of bones and flesh shattering.
Langdu’s hand gripped the reins tightly, showing no sign of weakness, controlling the horse as steadily as ever.
“Senior Brother!”
Her cry was carried away by the wind.
Langdu glanced down at her, coughed up a mouthful of blood, and said, “Shh, stay quiet. Until I’ve brought you to a safe place, I won’t rest easy.”
The pine-green veil over Gao Yuexing’s face was lifted by the wind, and sand scraped against her skin, leaving thin bloody scratches on her delicate face. When her tears fell and touched the wounds, the sting was sharp and clear.
Gao Yuexing felt as if her entire face had gone numb.
Langdu’s galloping horse finally began to slow, like a dying flame on the verge of extinguishing. Before the horse could come to a complete stop, Langdu could no longer hold on and fell from the saddle.
Gao Yuexing immediately rushed to him.
Seeing the arrow that had pierced through his body, she quickly took out the small palm-sized gourd she carried from her pouch.
There were only three pills inside.
Forcing open Langdu’s mouth, she fed him one.
The arrow could be removed.
But…
Gao Yuexing looked around. In this place, it would be extremely difficult.
And the medicine she carried was very limited.
Stumbling, Gao Yuexing led Langdu’s horse back.
There was only one pouch of water on the saddle.
Gao Yuexing pushed Langdu and said, “Senior Brother, don’t sleep. I’ll save you.”
Langdu, with what little strength he had left, opened his eyes and smiled faintly. “Don’t be foolish. This is the Hucha Sea. Even our senior master sister wouldn’t be confident in bringing a gravely injured person out of here.”
Gao Yuexing said, “It’s not about confidence…”
She rummaged through her belongings and found a few strips of bandages—far from enough. So she tore off the hem of her skirt, wrapping it around her arm, and said, “It’s about the fact that I must save you.”
No anesthetics? Then she wouldn’t use any.
No alcohol? The risk of infection was constant, but she had fire.
Langdu’s knife was still strapped to him.
She used more than half of the water to clean Langdu’s wound.
Gao Yuexing struck her flint against fire cotton to ignite a flame, heating Langdu’s short knife until it was scorching hot.
Following the wound, she made a single incision.
Sizzle—
The sound of blood boiling under the heat of the blade filled the air.
Gao Yuexing said, “I have a limited amount of hemostatic powder. Using this method can at least minimize the bleeding.”
The smell of charred flesh wafted sharply into her nose.
Gao Yuexing reheated the blade over the fire, carefully following the muscle fibers, and made a precise incision. Slowly, she extracted the deeply embedded arrow that had pierced to the bone.
Langdu was acutely aware of his own condition. His palm clenched so tightly that his nails dug into his skin, drawing blood. The sand beneath him quickly absorbed the dark red stains, leaving almost no trace behind.
His lungs had been injured—he didn’t have long to live.
Layer after layer of thick medicinal powder was applied to the wound. When Gao Yuexing finally saw the location of the arrowhead, her heart sank halfway.
“Senior Brother, I will save you,” she murmured with determination.
She dressed the wound carefully, then placed another pill into Langdu’s mouth.
The wound cauterized with fire would quickly become infected.
They needed medicine.
But they were in the middle of nowhere, far from any village or town. It had been half a day since they left the royal city of Fox Hu, and the nearest place now was back the way they came.
Returning wouldn’t be easy.
Langdu was in so much pain that he almost wished for death. His vision blurred, and he nearly lost consciousness before the medicine Gao Yuexing gave him began to take effect.
Lying face down in the sand, his mouth filled with grit, Langdu groped blindly with his hand until his fingers brushed against the edge of Gao Yuexing’s clothing.
She immediately leaned down, asking, “Senior Brother? How are you?”
Langdu weakly opened his mouth to speak. “Take the water… take my horse… go to Song Niang Inn. Wait for your husband to come for you. Don’t waste any more medicine… I left it for you… as your last resort.”