"The treasure truly is in the Ancient City of Loulan," Li Yunxiu said.
By this time, the group had already left the beef noodle shop and was heading back. Li Yunxiu was the first to share her deduction. "When I asked if he had handed over the treasure in the ancient city to the Shuntian Army, his instinctive reaction was only to deny having ever met them."
Ma Bojun had a sudden realization. "I see! You laid a trap in your question!"
Li Yunxiu's question had presupposed that the treasure was located in the Ancient City of Loulan. Song Chengyue had been so focused on refuting the premise regarding the Shuntian Army that he had completely failed to dispute the presupposition.
"If my guess is right, he will probably go looking for the Shuntian Army today," Wang Yu said thoughtfully. "If we tail them, we might be led straight to the treasure's true location."
Li Yunxiu added, "He assumes we have no idea he is in contact with the Shuntian Army, let alone that we already know where they are staying."
Ma Bojun looked from Li Yunxiu to Wang Yu, marveling, "You two think of everything. A hidden motive behind every single word—even I was getting dizzy listening to you!"
Qianqian could not help rolling her eyes at both of them. "Thinking too much clutters the mind. It makes it easy to ruin your martial arts."
Ma Bojun nodded vigorously in complete agreement. "Exactly!"
The four returned to the inn, where they happened upon Zhao Shan and Zhao He, who had just gotten back. They learned that the Iron Eagle Cavalry had already spotted scouts from both the Mount Qi bandits and the Shuntian Army around the perimeter of the Ancient City of Loulan, though neither side's main force had been located yet.
At the same time, they had encountered a patrol of Loulan cavalry. A single volley of arrows from the Iron Eagle Cavalry had sent the patrol fleeing in terror, not daring to linger anywhere near the ancient city again.
"By the way, before those Loulan riders left, their commanding officer asked me to pass along his regards to you," Zhao Shan said. "He requested that once Your Highness has achieved your objective, you escort the valuables back to the Central Plains as soon as possible."
"What does that mean?" Wang Yu was somewhat bewildered.
Zhao He explained, "Supposedly, after the Mount Qi bandits appeared, the Kingdom of Loulan raised its alert level by several notches, and far fewer patrols were left lingering outside the ancient city."
Li Yunxiu could not help smiling in understanding. "The Kingdom of Loulan has few soldiers and generals, yet it holds several hundred li of land and straddles a vital junction along the Northwest trade route. The King of Loulan lacks no wealth, nor does he care about the treasure of the former king. Rather than coveting the Loulan treasure, they dread that the Mount Qi bandits and the Western Regions horse bandits will join forces to take one of their key towns. He would like nothing more than for us to take the treasure quickly and lure the bandits away with it."
The Thirty-Six Kingdoms of the Western Regions were small and militarily exhausted. The Jushi Kingdom had been stronger than Loulan, yet the bandits had overrun one of its major strongholds and pillaged it at will. How could Loulan not be on high alert?
Compared to a sudden windfall, the King of Loulan naturally cared far more about preserving his own rule.
"I see," Wang Yu said, understanding. He then briefed Zhao Shan and Zhao He on what they had discovered today. "Notify the Iron Eagle Cavalry to be ready at any moment."
"Understood!" The two took their orders and departed.
***
Night in the northwest was ever cloudless, the sky blanketed in stars.
Two dark figures vaulted into the backyard of the Yuelai Inn and arrived outside the north wing.
"Brother Song, why are you here?" Duan Rui blurted out in surprise upon seeing Song Chengyue. "Didn't the strategist tell you to keep hiding in that shop?"
Song Chengyue shook his head. "The Prince of Zhenxi has arrived in person."
"I know. We saw them yesterday," Song Yuanjing said, ushering the two into the room. "But they didn't recognize us. Their attention was drawn away by the Mount Qi bandits instead."
"Yet they recognized me!" Song Chengyue said.
"What?" In a flash, Niu Zilian appeared by the window and pulled the two inside. "How did he recognize you?"
"It was an accident. I once crossed paths with him in Longshan Prefecture."
Pulling his sister down to sit beside him, Song Chengyue recounted how he had briefly crossed paths with Wang Yu in Longshan Prefecture, their unexpected encounter today, and Wang Yu's advice that the Shuntian Army should refrain from seizing the Loulan treasure lest they sink to sharing a table with the Mount Qi bandits.
"Talk is cheap when your own belly is full!" Song Yuanjing scoffed. "The court has money, and the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor has money, but our Shuntian Army has next to none. If we don't seize the treasure, what will we fight a war with?"
Niu Zilian smiled as well. "I suppose that playboy deserves credit for coming up with such crooked logic. Still, it proves that the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor truly does not see eye to eye with the imperial court, which is good for us. Too bad we are nothing like the Mount Qi bandits. Once they plunder their coin, they slink back to the Qishan Mountains to wallow in pleasure, whereas we intend to use this wealth to overthrow tyrannical Jin and establish a new dynasty. Besides, history is written by the victors. How many in this world will ever know we took the Loulan treasure? Even if they find out, this treasure is ownerless—what business is it of anyone else?"
Song Chengyue said nothing, nor did he mention Wang Yu's suggestion that he join the Northwestern Army. He merely asked, "In that case, how do you plan to transport the treasure back?"
Niu Zilian's gaze narrowed slightly, and he asked Zhao Lü, "Have Han Dingyuan and Shi Yinyu returned?"
Zhao Lü shook his head. "They have not."
"Some of the Mount Qi bandits have already entered the ancient city. We must make our move without delay." Niu Zilian's eyes flickered as he looked up at the sky. "Since that is the case, we set out right now."
Zhao Lü asked, "What about Ma Bojun and Zhao Yu?"
"As long as the Mount Qi bandits show themselves in the ancient city, the Iron Eagle Cavalry will surely inform them," Niu Zilian said, rising to his feet. "How are the preparations for the decoy treasure?"
Duan Rui replied, "Everything is set. We can draw the Mount Qi bandits and horse bandits over at any moment."
"Good. We move out immediately!"
***
Several shadows slipped out of the Yuelai Inn into the night.
On a nearby rooftop, Han Dingyuan's hawklike gaze took in the scene under the bright moonlight. "It's Niu Zilian and his three men, along with a young man and woman."
Shi Yinyu gave a soft chuckle. "The Song siblings. To think they only met just now—they really took their sweet time. Our men have already been scouring the ancient city for three or four days."
"The Shuntian Army's men entered the ancient city as well and ran into us a few times, but neither side made a move," Han Dingyuan noted.
"They will soon," Shi Yinyu said, her eyes gleaming. "Tail them. They are definitely heading for the treasure."
"What about Ma Bojun and Zhao Yu?" Han Dingyuan glanced toward the south wing. The room was pitch-black, and there was no telling whether the occupants were already asleep.
"The Iron Eagle Cavalry will inform them. It's just as well that they are slower—it will give the Shuntian Army time to set their traps." Tugging Han Dingyuan along, Shi Yinyu followed closely behind Niu Zilian's group.
"It's Han Dingyuan and Shi Yinyu!"
Beneath the moonlit night not far away, Wang Yu and the others spotted their silhouettes as well.
"I thought they had already fled. To think they were still hiding in town," Ma Bojun said, gripping his spear as a cold light surfaced in his eyes.
Wang Yu nodded. "They are of no further use. Follow them and eliminate them."
Several more figures darted forward in pursuit.
***
As the moon dipped westward, the Ancient City of Loulan seemed like a ghost town—crumbling walls and broken ramparts whistling in the wind, steeped in desolation and bleakness.
Yet within these ancient ruins, rustling movements betrayed the presence of men.
The moonlight was pure and clear. Even without torches, the night was not terribly dark, and skilled martial artists could see without hindrance. Dozens, perhaps a hundred men were moving through the ruins of the ancient city, which spanned over a dozen li.
"Are you keeping up with those Shuntian Army men?"
"They are scattered all over. I can't tell if they found something."
"There's a lot of commotion over by the west gate."
"Found it! Found it! I found a gold necklace on the ground with a piece of Hetian jade on it!"
"The treasure has been found!"
News that the treasure had been found spread like wildfire across an interconnected web, quickly reaching the ears of Niu Zilian, who had just arrived at the outskirts of the ancient city to meet with a Shuntian Army squad leader.
"Has the plan begun?" Niu Zilian asked.
"Yes. Our men have scattered loose jewels through the city, drawing the Mount Qi bandits all the way to the ruins of the northwest royal palace, and we have posted men there to hold the line," the squad leader reported.
"How goes the loading of the treasure onto the carts?"
"Reporting to the Strategist, most of the treasure has already been loaded onto the carts. They are parked in the market ruins inside the east gate. The men have gagged themselves and the horses' hooves are muffled, so we have remained completely undetected."
The plan was proceeding even more smoothly than anticipated, filling Niu Zilian with delight. "Splendid! Where is the Iron Eagle Cavalry?"
"Dust clouds are rising several li outside the west gate. The Iron Eagle Cavalry has likely assembled. Our men have already set traps along the main avenue leading from the west gate. If they dare enter the city, we will cut down at least fifty of them!"
"Well done!" Niu Zilian nodded. "The northwest royal palace sits right along the main road where the terrain is uncomplicated. It will be easy enough for the main force of the Iron Eagle Cavalry to reach it and clash with the Mount Qi bandits."
Having just followed Niu Zilian's party to the ancient city, Han Dingyuan and Shi Yinyu also heard the rumors that the treasure had been found.
"The Shuntian Army found the treasure!"
"Right beneath the old northwest palace! The Shuntian Army found it first and were loading it onto carts to leave through the north gate, but treasures spilled everywhere and our men intercepted them!"
Hearing this, Han Dingyuan froze in confusion. "Didn't they only just meet with the Song siblings? How could they have found the treasure already?"
Shi Yinyu cursed resentfully, "We were all careless! When the mutiny broke out in Loulan back then, how much time could the old king possibly have had to move the treasure? He must have simply sent the royal treasury into the ancient city and buried it in haste. No one found it before only because no one searched the ancient city thoroughly, and even if someone did, the ruins were too vast to search effectively. Now that we guessed the treasure was here, a meticulous search was bound to uncover traces of what they buried back then, even without the treasure map."
"Hurry to the northwest palace! Dust is rising outside the west gate, so the Iron Eagle Cavalry has arrived. The Shuntian Army's main force is bound to engage them there, which leaves few defenders at the northwest palace. Let's seize the treasure before Li Wuchang and Old Monster Feng beat us to it!" Shi Yinyu tugged Han Dingyuan to leave.
Yet they had barely taken two steps when the moonlight seemed to dim. A brilliance even more dazzling than the moon suddenly flared—blinding, piercing, and carrying a biting, razor-sharp edge.
In that same instant, lethal intent descended upon them!
"Ma Bojun!" Han Dingyuan roared hoarsely. The saber at his waist cleared its scabbard, twirling into a blossom of blade light like a blooming peony, accompanied by fierce gusts of wind.
Yet as Ma Bojun's silver spear twisted, it shattered the blade light like an azure dragon extending its claws through scattered clouds. In an instant, Han Dingyuan's saber was ripped to shreds, and the spear thrust forth like a dragon straight toward his chest.
In the next breath, a black whip swept in from an angle, coiling around the silver spear in a flash. Even as it tried to haul the spear back, the whip's tip stiffened into the likeness of a sword, darting straight for the space between Ma Bojun's eyebrows.
Ma Bojun let out a cold snort. With a jolt of inner strength from his hands, the entire shaft of the silver spear shook with explosive force. The black whip could not maintain its grip at all, unable to hold the spear; instead, Shi Yinyu was nearly yanked off her feet.
Her complexion changed drastically. Loosening the whip, she drifted onto a nearby ruined wall and flicked her wrist, sending two snake darts flying to halt Ma Bojun's pursuit.
At that moment, Han Dingyuan managed to pull back some distance. Though his heart pounded wildly in lingering shock, he swiftly unslung the greatbow from his back, nocked three arrows with one hand, and drew the string.
Yet before he could pull the bow to a full draw, two dark figures lunged at him from left and right. One formed tiger claws, clawing toward Han Dingyuan's ribs, while the other raised a hand and unleashed three flying daggers in a triangular spread.
"Insolent!"
Han Dingyuan sneered. Releasing the string, he whipped his bow to the right first. An arrow shot forth, striking all three flying daggers in midair in rapid succession and knocking every one of Zhao Shan's daggers aside.
At the same time, the other two short arrows were flung to the left, tearing through the air with sharp hisses.
Zhao He's pupils constricted. He bent backward into an iron bridge, watching as the two short arrows grazed past his face, the fierce draft stinging his cheeks.
"Is the Prince of Zhenxi's Manor filled with nothing but trash like you?" Han Dingyuan mocked, reaching for another arrow to support Shi Yinyu.
The next instant, a burst of sword light erupted beside him.
Han Dingyuan whipped his head around, only to see a blanket of golden dawn clouds suddenly materialize in the dark night. Under the moonlight, it rolled toward him, thick, continuous, and suffocating.
Amid the boundless golden clouds, a lone wild goose danced gracefully into view.
Though the imagery was breathtaking, Han Dingyuan felt only boundless killing intent. Yet his old momentum was spent and new strength had not yet surged; his saber had already been shattered by Ma Bojun, leaving only a bow in his grip.
"Break!"
With no time to reach for another arrow, Han Dingyuan could only fling his greatbow into the golden clouds. Crossing his palms, he charged forward instead of retreating, seeking life in the jaws of death as he threw his body directly into the golden glow.
The sword light flashed and vanished. Han Dingyuan froze rigid.
Wang Yu glided past him, landing feather-light behind his back atop the ruined wall, sword in hand. The hem of his robes fluttered in the night wind beneath the radiant, spotless moon.
Chapter 60