#308 - The truth gradually revealed

The Western Desert, the Gobi.

Deep in the desert, human presence is scarce. The wind sweeps in from the distant horizon, flying over rolling sand dunes, broken dead trees, and the faintly visible underground rivers in the far distance.

The trade route hidden in the yellow sand stretches to the unreachable distance. A listless old horse slowly pulls a cart along it.

If some literary poets from my previous life were to see the beautiful scenery of this boundless Gobi Desert, they would probably sigh, "The wind in the distance is farther than the distance itself."

However, for the old man and the young boy who are struggling to trek through it, they only hope that this "distance" is not so far.

"Grandpa, how much longer until we arrive?"

Sitting on the cart, Agou muttered with a dissatisfied look: "We've been walking for three days already."

"Soon, we'll be out of this Gobi Desert in another seven or eight days."

Old Zhang Tou smacked his lips, brought the water bag to his mouth, and took a few big gulps.

"Grandpa, why do I smell alcohol?"

Agou "swished" and turned his gaze to Old Zhang Tou, his expression full of anticipation: "I want to drink too!"

The burp was loud, and the smell of alcohol permeated the air.

His little face flushed slightly, but there was no coughing or tearing up.

Obviously, this was not the first time Agou had drunk alcohol.

"Alright, alright!"

Snatching back the water bag, Old Zhang Tou quickly pressed the cork tight, his face full of distress.

And Agou, who had drunk the wine, now felt a little lightheaded.

"Grandpa, why don't you use that supernatural power anymore? Swish, swish, swish! We could go so far in just a few moments!"

"Hmph! Such great supernatural powers like teleportation are not to be used casually!"

Old Zhang Tou snorted: "If it weren't for bringing you, this little brat, how would I be suffering in this godforsaken place!"

"Oh."

Agou nodded, without the slightest guilt of being a burden, blinking his eyes and asking again: "Grandpa, have you been here before?"

"Of course!"

A familiar look of arrogance floated onto his face. Old Zhang Tou looked at the distant yellow sand, his eyes like a genuine, reclusive expert.

"It's just that the last time I passed through this place, I was traveling from west to east."

"One man, one sword, seeking defeat alone."

"Alas, another sixty years have passed in a flash, time really is . . ."

The sigh stopped abruptly. Old Zhang Tou clearly remembered that there was an idiom to describe the rapid passage of time, but he couldn't remember it at the moment.

He awkwardly glanced at Agou, but unexpectedly, the latter had already fallen asleep on the cart.

". . ."

Old Zhang Tou immediately lost interest in exploring what the idiom was. He pulled Agou, who was drowsily about to fall off the cart, back, and then carefully took out the wine bag again, bringing it to his mouth and gently drinking a small sip of strong liquor.

"Sixty years, it's really fast."

"That villain's trip to Da Feng should also be to kill that Yama, right?"

"I wonder if he has learned the Moon Picking Sword . . ."

"If he hasn't learned it, it might actually be a good thing . . ."

". . ."

The scorching sun hung high in the desert, reflecting thousands of years.

Whispers gradually turned into a melody, Old Zhang Tou's hoarse voice, like a broken gong, floated between the boundless Gobi Desert and the sky, lonely and long.

"The Dao is not much, the Southern Dipper pierces the Northern River."

"Just one word is enough to subdue all the demons in the world!"

The next day.

Fengyuan, the Princess's mansion.

"What?!"

Wei Changtian, who was reviewing the files of the "Yama Case", stared at Li Wutong, who suddenly appeared, his eyes widening.

"The person is gone?!"

"Yes."

Li Wutong took a deep breath, nodding solemnly: "General Meng has just sent a message back saying that Bai Youheng was indeed not found."

"No, is the management of your Da Feng army so lax?"

Wei Changtian blurted out: "Shouldn't it be noticed immediately that a living person is missing?"

"This . . ."

Knowing that she was in the wrong, Li Wutong was embarrassed to argue, and just explained in a low voice: "These days, the army is retreating to Yuanzhou City, requiring continuous marching."

"Bai Youheng should have found an opportunity to escape during the march. There were many people and it was chaotic at the time, so it was not immediately noticed. It was not until General Meng went to find him that he realized he was no longer in the army."

". . ."

Looking at Li Wutong's guilty face, Wei Changtian didn't say anything more, just waved his hand helplessly.

The person is gone. Meng Shi will definitely send people to look for him, but the probability of finding him is estimated to be very low.

Wei Changtian didn't know why Bai Youheng would run away at this critical moment, but it shouldn't be because the news was leaked.

Unless one of Li Wutong and Meng Shi is Bai Youheng's person.

It's just that there is obviously no way and no time to verify these things now.

The most important thing now is how to deal with "Yama".

"Forget it, since the person has already escaped, let's leave this matter for now."

After sitting back at the desk full of files, Wei Changtian sighed and decided to temporarily put Bai Youheng's matter aside.

However, Li Wutong was still very worried.

"Young Master Wei, didn't you say that this Bai Youheng is related to the Yama affair? Now that he's gone, is it really okay?"

"The person is already gone, what can it matter whether it's okay or not?"

Wei Changtian shook his head: "Unless you can bring him back."

"Okay! I will immediately send an order to General Meng, telling him to capture this person at all costs!"

Regarding the fate of Da Feng, Li Wutong was naturally anxious. After answering, she hurriedly ran away in a puff of smoke.

Hehe, you can find him, I'll concede.

Looking at her back, Wei Changtian secretly complained.

He was just about to continue reading the files when Chu Xianping walked in from outside again.

"Young Master, the scouts from Yuanzhou have just sent a message saying that someone saw Senior Zhang Lao outside Yuanzhou City."

"Hmm? Yuanzhou City?"

Wei Changtian was stunned, wondering what Old Zhang Tou was doing there.

If he was escaping, who would escape to the "enemy-controlled area"?

Could it be that he really wants to kill Yama? That's why he borrowed the road through Yuanzhou City to Da Feng?

Seeming to see Wei Changtian's thoughts, Chu Xianping took a step closer and said:

"Young Master, I think Senior Zhang Lao is very likely coming to Fengyuan."

"Is that so?"

Wei Changtian pondered for a moment, then ordered:

"If that's the case, then borrow some guards from Li Wutong to meet him along the way."

"I estimate that they have just entered the Western Desert Gobi at this moment. If something goes wrong, I will have to collect the corpse for this old man."

"Understood, Young Master."

Chu Xianping nodded, just about to leave to arrange this matter.

However, Wei Changtian suddenly called him back.

"Wait, don't let too many people know about this. Go quietly find a镖局 with tight lips and have them send镖师 to pick him up."

"Yes."

Chu Xianping understood Wei Changtian's considerations in doing so, so he didn't ask any further questions and quickly left the room.

Inside the room, only he was left again. Wei Changtian frowned and looked at the portrait of "Yama" on the files in front of him, shaking his head gently after a long while.

"This thing doesn't look like Yama either . . ."

"It's more like the style of "Luck Divine Beasts" like Yun Que, Huang Long, and Ying Yu . . ."