Chapter 814: The Lone Star Returns
Those stones had clearly been washed by water for many years before becoming so white.
Not far ahead, there was a river. It was now the dry season of deep winter; if it were summer, the river water would likely have flooded this area.
There were two paths to Wenshui. One followed the river, while the other detoured north and was more difficult to traverse.
Chen Changsheng chose the northern path. This differed from the prearranged itinerary, but it was also something that had been decided in advance.
To the northwest of Hanqiu City lay a vast, lifeless expanse of rocky mountains. Passing through these mountains and then skirting a large swamp would lead to the Congzhou Military Prefecture.
The Congzhou Military Prefecture was the most remote of the more than ten military prefectures in the northern part of the Great Zhou Dynasty, already very close to the territory of the demon race.
Walking through the desolate rocky mountains, where even a few blades of grass were scarce, Chen Changsheng naturally recalled that Xue Xingchuan had first risen to prominence in the Congzhou Military Prefecture. Then he thought of Madam Xue and the young master of the Xue family, who had reportedly entered the National Academy last year. Finally, he thought of Luoluo, whom he had not seen for many years.
The sun hung in the western sky, its light filtered by the swirling dust, giving it a somewhat gloomy appearance.
Just as they were about to cross a rocky mountain ahead, a look of extreme vigilance suddenly appeared on Nanke's small face, and her pupils contracted slightly.
Although she was now foolish and simple, having completely forgotten her past, her realm and strength remained, making her extremely sensitive to the dangers hidden between heaven and earth.
Chen Changsheng glanced at her.
Nanke lifted her small face and sniffed the air, just like a little dog.
"What smell?" Chen Changsheng asked.
"The smell of blood. A very strong smell of blood."
Nanke's voice was flat, her emotions indifferent, as if she were describing the smell of food.
Chen Changsheng asked, "Did you smell the stench of that monster?"
After leaving Hanqiu City, that monster had never appeared again. He remained vigilant. If that monster truly belonged to the Yellow Springs lineage as he suspected, it would be very troublesome.
Nanke shook her head. After thinking for a moment with her head lowered, she continued walking toward the ridge.
Since leaving Hanqiu City, the gravel on the ground had been the same color as the sky—a dreary gray.
However, when they crossed this mountain, the colors of heaven and earth suddenly changed.
The other side of the mountain was red. It was not a change in the terrain, but stained red by blood.
Blood was everywhere. Corpses were everywhere.
Some corpses were as large as small hills. Judging by their coarse, stiff fur and distinctive helmet shapes, they should be warriors of the Bearman tribe.
There were also many corpses of human soldiers.
The stones on the ground were dyed red by fresh blood, sticky and thick, emitting a foul, fishy stench.
It seemed as if a small-scale battle had just taken place here.
Among the corpses strewn across the ground, only one person was still alive. He slowly stood up and turned to look at Chen Changsheng.
In such bitterly cold weather, he was only wearing a single layer of clothing, with his sleeves rolled up, exposing his forearms. At the same time, his pant legs were shorter than average by a section, which looked somewhat comical. But if one associated it with his need to draw his sword and run, it would send a chill down one's spine.
He was still the same as before.
Chen Changsheng felt as if he were seeing that youth standing in the morning light outside the Li Palace during the Grand Examination all those years ago.
The morning light flickered, and five years had already passed.
Chen Changsheng walked toward him.
Zhexiu walked toward Chen Changsheng.
Chen Changsheng opened his arms, preparing to give a warm embrace in the manner of Tang Thirty-Six.
But Zhexiu gripped his sword. A faint, vivid red could be seen deep in his pupils, as if he were about to enter a berserk transformation.
Chen Changsheng followed his gaze and realized he was staring at Nanke. Understanding dawned on him, and he said, "It's fine."
Zhexiu did not relax his vigilance. Staring at Nanke, he asked, "What's going on here?"
Back in the Zhou Garden, he had never truly crossed paths with Nanke, but given his nature, he had naturally conducted many investigations afterward, always preparing for a future encounter. He had never imagined that when he saw the little princess of the demon race again, she would be following Chen Changsheng, and clearly in the posture of a follower.
Chen Changsheng lowered his arms and signaled with his eyes that this was not the time for a detailed discussion. He said, "I'll explain later."
Then he looked at the corpses scattered across the ground and asked, "And what happened here?"
"Some people were worried that you would take the northern route, so they sent people to ambush and kill you."
Zhexiu's tone was as flat as before, or rather, indifferent, as if nothing could cause his emotions to fluctuate too violently.
For example, these bloody scenes and the conspiracy hidden behind them—assassinating the Pope was no small matter.
Nanke's voice suddenly rang out, filled with vigilance and distrust: "Did you kill all these people?"
She didn't know Zhexiu, but she could sense how dangerous he was. Her vigilance was natural, and her distrust was also understandable.
Those sent to ambush and kill Chen Changsheng—these Bearman warriors and human soldiers—must have possessed formidable combat strength and included many experts.
No matter how skilled Zhexiu was in battle, it was impossible for him to kill so many enemies alone, and not a single one had escaped.
Chen Changsheng also found it strange. Even if Zhexiu's realm had advanced by leaps and bounds in the snowy plains over the past three years, it shouldn't have reached this level.
"I had companions," Zhexiu said.
As if to prove his words, many mournful wolf howls suddenly echoed from a distant ridge.
"Some little ones from the tribe sneaked out and are now following me. Also, there are some familiar faces from the Congzhou side."
Zhexiu said to Chen Changsheng, "The Bearman tribe has always been cunning. We ambushed them here for three days, and then..."
Chen Changsheng suddenly felt in a very good mood and didn't pay attention to the rest of his story.
The Wolf tribe's attitude toward Zhexiu seemed to be undergoing some kind of change, and now he even had acquaintances.
In the old days, this would have been unimaginable.
Zhexiu, fated to be a lone star of doom, actually had companions?
It seemed that the days at the National Academy had brought unforgettable changes to everyone who had lived there.
...
...
That night, the three of them stayed overnight in a patch of Gobi desert on the other side of the valley. Upwind, they couldn't smell the blood. In the blink of an eye, Zhexiu had dug a slanted cave about three zhang deep into the hard, frozen ground. The bottom of the cave was dry and even a little warm, and there was no need to worry about being disturbed by wild beasts.
From a very young age, Zhexiu had lived like this.
Nanke spread out the bedding at the bottom of the cave and lay down. Chen Changsheng took out his golden needles and began to treat her illness.
After the treatment ended, Nanke had already fallen asleep. He pulled the blanket up to her neck, then turned and left the cave.
Zhexiu was squatting on the ground outside the cave, staring at something.
He still habitually squatted instead of sitting, just like a lone wolf, always ready to attack or flee.