Chapter 1278: Desert Night

It did not merely look like him.

It plainly was him.

Yucang had seen the man in black appear before at Demon Ridge.

He was Hei Shi, Elder of Tianmo Sacred Land.

And anyone who had heard even a little understood that Hei Shi was one of the most trusted subordinates of the master of Tianmo Sacred Land.

Then who else could make Hei Shi behave with such deference?

Yucang focused his cultivator's vision on the newcomer's face.

The man's bearing, looking down upon all living beings as though they were ants, made Yucang's heart pound with alarm.

He did not answer the Elder beside him.

More accurately, he did not dare speak casually at all.

Yuan Gang stood on the same unusually large sand scorpion and looked up for a while as well.

He was not stupid.

He simply thought differently from most people in certain matters.

He understood what the two men beside him had been saying.

An Elder of Tianmo Sacred Land behaving that respectfully toward someone—did the other man's identity even need to be stated?

Something occurred to Yuan Gang.

He asked, "That bare-chested man with the loose hair—is he Wu Chang?"

He asked the question directly and even spoke the name aloud.

Yucang and the Xiaoyue Pavilion Elder beside him grew even more alarmed.

They practically wanted to tell him to stop talking nonsense.

Yucang was also somewhat surprised and took the opportunity to shift the subject.

"From that distance, you can see him clearly?"

The newcomer was extremely high above them.

Normally, without using cultivator's vision, an ordinary person's naked eyes should have been able to make out little more than two human silhouettes.

There was no way to distinguish their clothing clearly.

Yuan Gang nodded, indicating that he could indeed see.

Then he continued staring upward.

So that was one of the Nine Saints, one of the men whose evils had brought endless war and misery beneath Heaven?

Yucang and the Elder exchanged looks.

They genuinely found it difficult to believe this man was not a cultivator.

Too many things about him ran contrary to common sense.

Neither answered whether the newcomer was Wu Chang.

They had never seen Wu Chang in person and did not dare speak carelessly.

Yet strange figures had appeared in the sky several times during this journey.

They would arrive from nowhere and float high above the firmament, too distant for those below to make out their faces, but clearly observing the army.

After watching for a while, they would vanish across the horizon like shooting stars.

The cultivation required was far beyond that of cultivators Yucang and the others normally encountered.

They had already suspected that some of the Nine Saints might have appeared.

The man now before them had simply arrived openly and come closer than any of the others.

Yucang gradually realized something.

Transporting an army across the Boundless Desert was an unprecedented act.

The commotion was far too conspicuous.

Nothing like it had ever happened before.

This undertaking had very likely startled the Nine Saints into coming personally to investigate.

Their guess was correct.

The newcomer was indeed the master of Tianmo Sacred Land, former Right Envoy of the Demonic Sect, and one of the Nine Sacred Venerables: Wu Chang.

After observing the army below for a while, Wu Chang spoke.

"Which one is he?"

Hei Shi pointed downward.

"On that larger sand scorpion carrying four men."

"The red-faced fellow at the front with the large saber on his back should be him."

"According to the reports from below, Yuan Gang is that huge red-faced man carrying a large saber."

Wu Chang's gaze immediately locked onto Yuan Gang.

He studied him for a while.

"He's capable of killing a peak Golden Core cultivator with one slash. Are you certain he isn't a cultivator?"

Hei Shi said, "There should be no mistake about that."

"The spy inside Maolu Villa can confirm it as well."

"This man has long practiced a hard external-conditioning art. His physical strength is enormous."

Wu Chang said, "A hardening art capable of letting someone kill a peak Golden Core cultivator with one slash—isn't that already beyond the scope of an ordinary hardening art?"

Hei Shi replied, "By the standards of a mortal, his strength truly is excessive."

"One could say he has reached the absolute peak attainable by a body of flesh and blood."

Wu Chang said, "I seem to have seen very little information about this man."

Hei Shi replied, "According to the spy, his personality is somewhat strange."

"He rarely associates with people."

"Even when speaking with Niu Youdao, he usually says only a few simple sentences."

"He is also extremely vigilant, with the sharp instincts of a wild beast."

"He is difficult to approach, which makes it difficult to investigate him deeply."

Wu Chang asked, "Why can he control sand scorpions?"

Hei Shi said, "We still do not know."

Wu Chang said, "Based on the information you've provided, could I put it this way?"

"In that small mountain village where Dong Guo Haoran last appeared before his death, among all those ignorant village youths, two extraordinary people emerged."

"One was Niu Youdao."

"The other was him."

Hei Shi said, "That would be accurate."

Wu Chang asked, "Don't you find that strange?"

Hei Shi looked uncertain.

"Sacred Venerable means...?"

Wu Chang said, "Dong Guo Haoran's relationship with Zhao Xiongge."

"Niu Youdao's relationship with Dong Guo Haoran and Zhao Xiongge."

"Yuan Gang's relationship with Niu Youdao."

"Could there be some connection among all of them that you overlooked?"

"His extraordinary hardening art, and this ability to control sand scorpions—were they truly inborn?"

"Could they have something to do with Zhao Xiongge?"

Hei Shi's expression changed.

"Sacred Venerable suspects Yuan Gang's strange arts may have come from the Demon Canon?"

Wu Chang said, "Otherwise, how do you explain them?"

Hei Shi fell silent.

His eyes flickered as he looked down at Yuan Gang.

"There truly is such a possibility."

Wu Chang said, "I want this man."

"Bring him back to the Sacred Land."

"This..."

Hei Shi was momentarily speechless.

In the end, he had no choice but to remind him.

"Sacred Venerable, as you can see, Qin's troop movements presently depend entirely on him."

"If you take him away now, it would amount to Your Reverence personally interfering in the war between the states without the others' agreement."

"Sacred Venerable, there is an agreement among the Nine Saints."

Wu Chang said, "Then wait until the troop transport is complete before taking him."

Hei Shi still looked troubled.

"Sacred Venerable, the others have also begun paying attention to this man."

"If you take him away, they will certainly want to know why."

"If they come to Tianmo Sacred Land and ask to see him, will you allow it?"

"If you refuse, once they decide something is suspicious, they will insist upon seeing him."

"And if they do see him, any questioning about the Demon Canon may expose the matter."

"This is somewhat difficult."

Wu Chang said, "I don't want to hear about problems."

"I want a solution."

Hei Shi hurriedly said, "This subordinate does have an idea."

"The others certainly want to know what is going on as well."

"If Your Reverence gives them a little notice beforehand, Misty Pavilion can openly step forward and take the man away."

"After that, Your Reverence can simply have Misty Pavilion transfer him to you."

"Everything will appear perfectly natural."

Wu Chang said, "Then do it that way."

"A swarm of crawling insects. Nothing worth watching."

"Let's go."

"Yes!"

Hei Shi accepted the order.

He turned the flying mount away.

Below, Yucang and the others saw the two figures depart and finally breathed a deep sigh of relief.

The pair had appeared suddenly and come so close that everyone had worried something might happen.

Their departure was good.

Nothing happening was even better.

Yuan Gang watched the brightly feathered flying mount disappear into the distance.

He had seen it clearly.

Wu Chang's gaze had remained on him for a long time.

For a moment, the two men's eyes had even seemed to meet across the distance.

...

After days of continuous marching, the soldiers were exhausted despite not having to travel on foot.

This batch of sand scorpions had grown weary from carrying men and cargo as well.

They needed to be replaced.

By the time night fell, the army had climbed down from the scorpions and unloaded the supplies they carried.

At Yuan Gang's roar, great numbers of sand scorpions departed.

Near midnight, bright moonlight washed across the entire desert.

At one corner of the army's encampment, after a burst of hurried handover instructions, a junior officer took over the watch and became responsible for one section of the sentry perimeter.

After inspecting each sentry post in his area, the junior officer walked to the outer edge of the camp and climbed onto a dune, apparently examining the surroundings.

In reality, he slipped a fire striker from his clothes.

He carefully blew it alight.

Keeping his back toward the camp, he held the faint glow against his chest facing outward and repeatedly covered and uncovered the spark with one hand.

After capping the fire striker, he returned to the encampment.

Roughly half an hour later, he came back again.

He grinned at the sentries.

"Going to relieve myself."

Someone laughed.

"Number one or number two?"

"Number two."

"The wind's blowing toward us here. Go farther away."

"And once you've enjoyed yourself, remember to bury it."

"Don't make us smell your stink all night."

The junior officer answered with an obscene hand gesture.

Then he left the camp again, climbed the dune ahead, and slid down the far side.

At the hollow below, he looked around.

Under the moonlight, he made a hand signal.

A faint rustle immediately came from the shadows.

Half a man's body emerged from the sand.

The newcomer answered with another signal.

The junior officer recognized the countersign as friendly.

He quickly checked the surroundings, then walked over to the man and began taking down his trousers.

Only the other man's head and shoulders remained above the sand.

He stared.

"What are you doing?"

The junior officer had already dropped his trousers and squatted beside him.

"If someone comes, I need to be able to explain what I'm doing."

"There are cultivators patrolling overhead too."

The other man understood.

His expression remained deeply awkward, but he suppressed the discomfort and got to the point.

"I need you to find someone."

"Who?"

"Yuan Gang."

"The man who can control the sand scorpions."

"Find his location inside the army."

The junior officer said, "I don't know which one is called Yuan Gang. The higher-ups seem to be deliberately keeping the matter secret."

He reached down and drew a circle in the sand, marked the directions, then tapped one location with his finger.

"Roughly here."

"There are more than a dozen tents gathered together at this point, but the huge red-faced man isn't inside them."

"Those are decoys."

"About thirty zhang west of them, there is one isolated tent."

"The target is there."

The man in the sand asked, "Can you confirm that?"

The junior officer said, "I saw someone flash the rendezvous signal on the road today."

"I guessed you people were coming over this matter."

"At a time like this, there isn't much else you'd be in such a hurry to contact me about."

"So I prepared beforehand."

"I found an opportunity to volunteer for several errands for my superior and paid special attention while I was moving around."

"Don't worry."

"I can confirm it."

"There won't be a mistake."

The man said, "Good."

"If you're right, you've rendered major merit this time."

The junior officer said, "We can talk about merit later."

"Let me ask you—are the higher-ups planning an assassination?"

The other man's voice turned cold.

"That isn't something you should ask."

"I'm trying to remind you this isn't realistic," the junior officer said.

"The target is buried deep inside an encampment this large."

"There are sentries everywhere, and cultivators patrol overhead."

"Even a cultivator with extremely high cultivation has no way to approach him without being noticed."

The other man said, "We'll find a way."

"Why are you in such a hurry?" the junior officer said.

"When you leave, take me with you."

"If you charge directly at the target, the army will immediately suspect someone leaked information."

"I came out here tonight."

"I won't escape suspicion."

"If I stay behind afterward, I'm waiting to die."

"Take me with you."

"I have a way to help you get close."

The other man's eyes brightened.

"Good!"

"If your method works, we'll not only take you away, we'll report a major merit for you!"

The junior officer said, "One shichen from now, I'll find an excuse to bring a ten-man patrol outside."

"You people hide nearby."

"Deal with them cleanly and quickly, put on their clothes, and pretend to be soldiers."

"I'll lead you directly inside."

The other man stared at him.

"Walk directly inside?"

"What kind of stupid plan is that?"

The junior officer said, "Sometimes the stupid plan is the most effective one."

"There are this many men in the army. Who can recognize every face?"

"I know the password."

"I have a way to get you close."

"Relax."

"I've been mixed into this side for a long time."

"I understand the situation here better than you do."

The other man said, "I can't decide something like this."

"I'll report it upward."

The junior officer said, "Do whatever you think is best."

"In one shichen, I'll bring ten men outside for a patrol either way."

"Whether you use the plan or not, if you attack tonight, you need to send someone to extract me."

The other man said, "Only ten?"

"Too few."

"How many do you think I can bring?" the junior officer shot back.

"A small patrol only has this many."

"If I bring more, people will become suspicious instead."

"If I lead a whole crowd inward, does that look like a patrol?"

"Anyone who sees us will be suspicious."

"How are you supposed to approach the target then?"

"Go report it first."

He finished speaking.

Then came a loud fart.

The man half-buried in the sand looked horrified.

"What are you doing?"

It was as though he had seen something he should never have seen.

The junior officer said matter-of-factly, "Taking a shit."

"That was the excuse I used to come out."

"Obviously I have to make it real."

"Brother, which bureau trained you?"

"You work this line and you're still afraid of something like this?"

What bureau?

The man was not a Blackwater Terrace operative trained in covert work at all.

He was a disciple of Qiyun Sect.

Looking as though he had seen a ghost, he rapidly sank back beneath the sand and fled through the shallow layer below.

[End of Chapter 1278]