Chapter 26: A Relative Comes Calling

“One more day and we should be back in Tiger Head City.”

Xue San said this as he handed Zheng Fan a waterskin.

“I wonder if everything at the inn is all right.”

Zheng Fan was a little worried.

Whether man or dog, what mattered most was still one’s own den. Especially after being dropped into an utterly unfamiliar world, that attachment only became stronger.

“Master, there’s no need to worry about them. The inn is probably doing wonderfully right now.”

Xue San chuckled.

He and Liang Cheng had enjoyed themselves quite a bit this time, following Master outside and killing barbarians. But the Blind Man and the others back home probably had not been sitting idle either.

By now, everyone should have vented most of the foul frustration they had been suppressing for the past half year.

“Master, the wind is getting stronger. We should find somewhere to shelter. A sandstorm may be coming.”

Liang Cheng had been keeping an eye on the weather.

Anyone who had never spent a long time in a desert environment could not understand how terrifying a sandstorm could be. One moment of carelessness and you might lose your direction inside it. With worse luck, it was entirely possible to be swallowed by the storm outright.

“Mm. Let’s find somewhere to shelter.”

Zheng Fan had once learned horseback riding together with A’Qiu and Liang Cheng, but he had only reached the level of being able to ride at all. Fortunately, neither of his two subordinates had hurried him. The last two days of travel had given him enough time to adjust, and now he was considerably more comfortable in the saddle.

The three found a low slope.

From farther away they had not been able to make it out clearly, but once they approached, they discovered what looked like an abandoned building. It had probably been deserted for years.

There were also signs that people had stayed here before. Most likely, it served as an occasional temporary resting point for merchant caravans.

Liang Cheng went to tether their horses inside while Xue San began arranging bedding.

Once the work was done, the three sat down and shared their dry rations.

They had barely taken a few bites when the sandstorm arrived.

The sky darkened almost instantly.

The wind screamed, while dense grains of sand forced their way into every crack like rain.

Fortunately, their position happened to block the wind and sand. Amid all that “howling,” it was a rare pocket of tranquility.

“Sigh. I wonder whether Fan Li has eaten his fill today. A’Li eats so much. Working as hired muscle outside, he probably has a hard time getting enough decent food.”

Xue San suddenly sounded melancholy.

Liang Cheng seemed to wait a moment before giving a slight nod.

“Indeed.”

Zheng Fan’s ears were practically growing calluses.

From the time they left Tiger Head City until now, morning, noon, and night, whenever an opportunity arose, Xue San and Liang Cheng would start telling him about Fan Li.

Had Fan Li eaten his fill today?

Had Fan Li bathed today?

Had Fan Li slept well today?

Anyone who did not know better would think the three of them shared some impossibly deep brotherly bond.

At first, Zheng Fan had nodded along.

Yes, Fan Li had it rough.

Yes, Fan Li had it hard.

Yes, Fan Li had sacrificed so much for them.

But gradually, Zheng Fan had grown numb.

Now they were eating dry rations, and somehow the two had started again.

In truth, Xue San and Liang Cheng did not want to bring this up every day either.

Before they left, however, the Blind Man had specifically instructed them:

Everyone else had already done their share of bootlicking and recovered some strength, but Fan Li was away. So while they were traveling with Master, they needed to help Fan Li by licking his boots from afar.

The worst part was that nobody knew where Fan Li’s merchant caravan had gone by now. Xue San and Liang Cheng had no way to confirm whether all this remote bootlicking had actually worked, or whether any of Fan Li’s strength had recovered.

To be safe, they could only keep the routine going every single day.

They had it hard too...

“Once we finish eating, let’s rest,” Zheng Fan suggested.

It was already getting late, and nobody knew how long the sandstorm would continue. They might as well sleep here, then leave early tomorrow and hurry home.

“All right, Master. Whatever you say. I—”

Xue San’s gaze suddenly sharpened.

He bit his lip.

Both wrists turned, and two daggers dropped into his palms.

His ears twitched.

Liang Cheng silently stood and looked toward the entrance.

The nails on both hands slowly began to lengthen.

Zheng Fan immediately unwrapped the saber covered in coarse cloth and gripped its hilt with both hands.

The sound of horses came from outside.

A group of people had probably arrived.

But as they gradually approached this place, the sounds abruptly stopped.

Xue San licked his lips and lowered his voice.

“They’ve noticed us in here.”

Hearing that, Zheng Fan began filling in the picture himself.

Probably another group had been caught by the sandstorm and decided to take shelter here, only to discover someone already inside as they approached.

This was not Tiger Head City.

This was the desert.

There were no cameras, no surveillance, and no friendly police officer standing in a sentry booth just down the street.

The desert was a lawless place.

Especially in weather like this.

No matter what happened here, the wind and sand would erase every trace.

A figure entered through the opening.

A woman.

She wore white robes.

The style was remarkably similar to the hoodie Zheng Fan was wearing.

When the woman entered, Xue San narrowed his eyes.

But she walked only halfway inside before stopping.

Half her face was hidden behind a light veil, leaving only a pair of deep eyes exposed.

Her gaze swept over Zheng Fan and the other two.

Then she spoke.

“The wind has risen. We need shelter. Let us share this place.”

As she spoke, a series of footsteps sounded outside.

The first to run in were two children, a boy and a girl, around four or five years old. They wore clothes made from fur.

Behind them came two huge barbarian men dressed in black cloaks.

There were many barbarian tribes scattered throughout the desert, spread across it like stars in the sky.

A hundred years ago, they had possessed a Royal Court capable of organizing them all.

At the time, the desert tribes posed an enormous threat to the State of Yan. The ruler of Yan had even been forced to personally lead military campaigns several times, mobilizing the strength of the entire state before successfully resisting the barbarian invasions.

But as the Royal Court declined and lost its ability to command the tribes, the barbarians became completely fragmented.

If not for that, the current ruler of Yan would never have dared begin weakening the feudal lords.

Yet only a few days ago, Zheng Fan and his companions had been fighting barbarians and collecting bounties with barbarian heads.

Seeing barbarians again now, their instinctive vigilance was unavoidable.

In fact, after the two children and the two barbarian men appeared, Zheng Fan kept waiting for Liang Cheng or Xue San to make a move.

The instant either one attacked, he would immediately raise his saber and rush in with them.

He did not think he would contribute much, but... at least he could provide one more target and draw some of the enemy’s fire.

However, neither Liang Cheng nor Xue San launched an attack.

In the end, Liang Cheng even nodded toward the white-robed woman.

“Come in.”

And so, two groups settled into the already cramped shelter.

Zheng Fan and his companions occupied the northern corner.

The white-robed woman’s group took the southern corner.

After coming inside, they also began eating and drinking.

The two barbarian men sat on the outermost edge. From time to time, they glanced toward Zheng Fan’s group with obvious wariness.

But the mutual suspicion between the adults did nothing to quiet the two children.

Children were children.

Once they had eaten and drunk their fill, they quickly began chasing each other around and playing. Several times, they even ran all the way over to Zheng Fan’s side.

Zheng Fan could clearly sense that every time the two children chased each other near them, the bodies of the two barbarian men stiffened slightly.

Clearly, they were prepared for Zheng Fan’s group to suddenly seize the children as hostages.

But nothing of the sort happened.

The sandstorm had not ended, and nobody knew how much longer it would last.

But the hour was indeed late.

The two children were the first to give out.

Tired from playing, they lay down beside the white-robed woman and fell asleep.

At that point, the white-robed woman stood.

Holding a wineskin, she walked toward Zheng Fan’s side on her own initiative.

She offered it to Zheng Fan, who was obviously the leader of the group.

Zheng Fan shook his head and pointed at his throat.

“Caught a bit of a chill. My throat hurts. I can’t drink.”

Being cautious was nothing shameful.

There was no need to insist on showing off and put himself in danger.

How many heroes throughout history had died with the same final words on their lips?

Fuck, the wine was poisoned!

Although Zheng Fan figured that after he refused, the woman would most likely take a drink herself to show there was nothing suspicious about it, while silently scorning him in the process.

That was how these routines always went.

The white-robed woman did not mind.

She pulled out the stopper, removed her veil, and boldly drank two mouthfuls of wine.

Then she wiped her mouth with her sleeve.

Bah.

What a routine!

Zheng Fan sneered inwardly.

At the same time, he silently sighed.

Tsk, tsk.

A beauty from behind, indeed.

With the veil on, it had been difficult to guess her age.

Once she removed it, however, it was obvious she was no longer young. She had to be around forty.

She was certainly still dignified and attractive, but compared with the Fourth Lady, she was several levels short.

Zheng Fan also understood that given the temperaments of his two subordinates, if the people opposite them had been a Yan merchant caravan, there might have been room for discussion.

But since they had already revealed themselves as barbarians, then if conditions allowed it, Liang Cheng and Xue San would absolutely kill them all to eliminate any uncertainty.

Since neither of them had moved, that meant this woman was troublesome.

The two of them were not completely confident they could kill her if they attacked.

At the same time, it was equally obvious that the woman was deeply wary of them.

The woman tossed the wineskin back toward the two barbarian men.

The men thanked her gratefully, then immediately began passing the skin between them and drinking.

“Do you know who those two children are?”

The woman suddenly pointed toward the two sleeping children as she asked.

Liang Cheng and Xue San said nothing.

This was the point when the leaders of the two sides were supposed to speak.

But Zheng Fan also said nothing.

He acted as though he had not heard her.

He simply refused to give her the opening she wanted, leaving her to stew in the awkwardness.

The woman pursed her lips.

A smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.

Then she continued.

“They are the grandson and granddaughter of the headman of the Shatuo Tribe.”

Liang Cheng narrowed his eyes.

Xue San licked his lips.

Zheng Fan stopped concealing his vigilance and placed one hand on the hilt of the saber beneath his bedding.

The Shatuo Tribe was the chicken the Zhenbei Army had chosen to slaughter this time.

The baited ambush a few days earlier had reeled in the elite warriors of that very tribe.

The Zhenbei Army had wiped them out completely.

The next day, it had dispatched another cavalry force to uproot the tribe entirely, while also seizing some material profit from the war.

This really was... enemies meeting on a narrow road.

“I saw your horses. They bear the mark of the Li Clan of the Marquis of Zhenbei. You are household retainers of the Li Clan.

“The household traditions of the Marquis of Zhenbei truly live up to their reputation. Once you act, you insist on finishing matters to the bitter end.

“I set out from the Royal Court and rode at full speed before I managed to save these two children.

“I never expected that even on the road I would encounter another interception by the Marquis of Zhenbei’s men.

“Wasn’t your Marquis supposed to be in quite a difficult position right now?”

“I think there may be some misunderstanding between us...” Zheng Fan began, trying to explain.

The battle was already over.

Right now, he only wanted to go home.

“A misunderstanding?”

The white-robed woman’s smile widened.

Suddenly, she stepped backward.

Her hands formed a seal.

She barked, “Barbarian Curse—Raise the Dead!”

The two barbarian men who had been sharing the wine suddenly shuddered.

Horror appeared in both their eyes at the same time.

They turned toward the woman.

One even raised a hand and pointed at her, as though trying to demand an explanation.

But the very next instant, blood began spilling from both men’s eyes, ears, mouths, and noses.

Their faces turned blue-black in the blink of an eye.

“Rise!” the woman shouted again.

The two barbarian men abruptly stood.

Every trace of life in them had already vanished, yet their bodies suddenly began swelling, becoming enormously “strong.”

Wisps of deathly qi curled around them.

At the same time, a pale green light began glowing from their eyes.

From the corners of their mouths, two fangs slowly protruded.

In mere moments, using the wine as a medium, the woman had sacrificed two living men and transformed them into living corpses!

Zheng Fan and the others had already sprung to their feet and gone on guard the moment she began casting the curse.

But after seeing the two living corpses appear, Zheng Fan, standing behind Liang Cheng, suddenly poked him in the back with one finger.

Liang Cheng looked over his shoulder, puzzled, at his Master.

Zheng Fan jerked his chin toward the front.

“Those relatives of yours.

“Think you can go say hello?”

“...”

Liang Cheng fell silent.