"Blessings," Nian Songyu said crossly. "Don't you even have that much common sense?"
As the rain poured down upon him, He Lingchuan felt instantly refreshed, as though his body were being purged from the inside out. Not only were old impurities washed away, but every muscle was pumped full of strength.
The soldiers also let out joyful shouts.
Blackwater City was weathered by wind and sand, and many of its inhabitants suffered damage to their airways, lungs, and hearts. Drenched in this rain, their ailments miraculously healed by sixty or seventy percent, and their breathing became smooth once more. Long-standing afflictions like arthritic legs and strained sinews were also quietly mended under the washing of this spirit rain, stripping away every ounce of heaviness.
The gaze everyone cast toward Sun Fuping instantly filled with reverent awe.
A National Preceptor was simply too distant for ordinary folk, like someone floating high among the clouds, inspiring no tangible feeling. Only when he revealed this display did soldiers and commoners drop to their knees on the spot, as if worshiping a god.
Seizing the moment, Sun Fuping delivered a few resonant lines of an expedition declaration, driving the troop's morale to its peak.
This was precisely the effect he wanted.
Nian Songyu shot He Lingchuan a glance. "Only now does the ritual truly begin." Time to let these bumpkins open their eyes.
After the sudden downpour, the clouds scattered into a clear sky and a gentle breeze. Everyone was soaked through, their trouser legs still dripping water onto the sodden, muddy ground.
Sun Fuping raised his long staff once more and tapped the ground. A bizarre sight unfolded:
The remaining water on everyone seeped out of their clothing and converged onto the ground.
Immediately afterward, the puddles beneath each soldier's feet suddenly began to flow, slithering like serpents toward the sacrificial altar.
On the altar stood a massive colored-glass vat, about two arm-spans in diameter, crystal-clear and allowing one's vision to pierce straight through unobstructed.
As if alive, the standing water on the ground defied gravity and moved upward, queuing to pour into the massive vat.
Soon, the colored-glass vat was filled with water, nearly flush with its rim.
The ground outside Blackwater City's gates had been trampled by thousands upon thousands, constantly battered by unavoidable wind and sand—no one could say how filthy it truly was. Yet the water flowing from it into the vat was as clear as if distilled and purified, without a single speck of impurity.
Spilled water could never be retrieved—yet here it was! He Lingchuan secretly gave a thumbs-up. Regardless of what kind of person Sun Fuping was, this display of spellcraft alone proved his profound mastery.
A grand National Preceptor truly had real skill.
"Every single person marching to battle with me, your dynastic fortune is gathered here to some degree." Sun Fuping turned to Zeng Feixiong and reached out a hand. "Hand over your Yuan coin."
The State Tokens of various kingdoms took different forms; the State Token issued by the Yuan Kingdom to officials of various ranks was the Yuan coin.
Zeng Feixiong had already prepared it, so he took it out and presented it.
His Yuan coin was also shaped like a large bronze coin, but the kite-bird upon it was merely light blue.
The weight and color of a State Token were constrained and influenced by many factors, not just official rank and authority. However, judging from Zeng Feixiong's Yuan coin, he was merely an ordinary Vice Commandant.
Sun Fuping frowned. "It seems lacking." With that, he tossed the Yuan coin into the crystal vat.
Curiously, the Yuan coin did not sink to the bottom. Instead, it floated steadily in the very center of the vat, while the water's surface lost its calm, rippling with concentric waves.
Under the washing of the currents, the color of Zeng Feixiong's Yuan coin deepened, falling somewhere between dark blue and light green.
"Even with the morale of the entire troop bolstering it, it is barely holding on." Sun Fuping drew a cloth pouch from his robes, opened its mouth to show He Chunhua and the others, then cinched it shut and threw the whole thing into the vat.
Inside was half a pouch of yellow sand, writhing on its own without anyone touching it.
He Yue asked in a low voice, "Is that the wild sand of Panlong Desert?"
He Chunhua nodded, his eyes fixed on the water vat.
When the Panlong Desert flared into frenzy, none dared enter its core; that period was known as the wild sand season. This half-pouch of wild sand that the He family had acquired at great expense had been gathered from Red Cliff Road during that perilous season.
Of course, not from the core region.
Yet the moment the sand pouch entered, the water in the entire vat boiled, countless bubbles rising up.
He Lingchuan even seemed to see flashes of lightning and heard rumbles of thunder.
Soon after, the water turned murky, and a massive plume of steam rose above the surface—half of it dark blue, and half a murky yellow tinged with dull red.
The two colors of steam churned together, and miraculously, everyone felt as though they were locked in an endless struggle.
To be precise, after just two bouts, the dark yellow vapor took the upper hand, practically grinding its opponent into the water's surface.
One glance was enough to tell the difference in caliber between the two sides was far too vast.
Sun Fuping's face grew solemn. "It won't do. The rank is too low, the origin power too weak! Who else is there?"
He Chunhua asked with a rasp in his voice, "Is it truly not enough?"
"It cannot contend at all!" Sun Fuping snapped. "What brilliant idea does the Commandery Governor have?"
Entering the Panlong Desert during the wild sand season meant nine chances of death to one of life; so long as an official or military officer still had a way to live, none would willingly take such a risk.
Furthermore, there were no other officials present. The highest-ranking person here was none other than—
He Lingchuan cut a sidelong glance at Nian Songyu. "Can't he step up?"
The moment the words left his mouth, he regretted it. In the end, he was simply too unfamiliar with this world.
Nian Songyu scoffed with a laugh, looking at him as though looking at an utter fool.
He Yue whispered, "This army belongs to Blackwater City, not under Commandant Nian's command. For him to channel the troop's dynastic fortune, he would either have to be transferred here to take office or be stripped down to commoner status and accept an appointment from Governor He. But either of those requires a royal decree."
How could a military officer from Xunzhou lead troops from Jinzhou?
—Under normal circumstances, at least.
Sun Fuping stepped closer to He Chunhua and the others, lowering his voice: "Going in like this is just throwing lives away. Either cancel the operation, or a high-ranking official of Blackwater City takes the field."
A high-ranking official of Blackwater City? That left only He Chunhua.
His life, or his future prospects?
He Chunhua's expression changed; he realized he had fallen into a trap.
Yet his subordinates, including Zeng Feixiong, were waiting with bated breath.
He knew he could not delay, and could only retrieve his Yuan coin from his robes. "Let us test it first."
He Yue grew anxious. "Father!"
How had the situation abruptly taken such a turn?
He Lingchuan went so far as to clamp his hand over his father's, trapping the Yuan coin between their palms. "Dad, don't be rash! Now isn't the time to sacrifice your life for the country!"
He Chunhua slapped his hand away. "Be patient."
Beside them, Nian Songyu gave a thumbs-up and praised, "Lord He is truly loyal and righteous!"
The He brothers glared at him in unison. Was this fellow really in such a hurry to drive a duck onto a perch?
Under the gaze of the crowd, He Chunhua took a deep breath, walked over to the rim of the crystal vat, and personally dropped his Yuan coin into it!
His Yuan coin was pale green, more than a single grade higher than Zeng Feixiong's.
As the Yuan coin entered the vat, the water's surface surged even more violently, and a massive cloud of mist billowed up—this time, it was actually yellow!
Unlike the color of the wild sand, this steam was yellow with a distinct brightness.
Not only did everyone watch with rapt attention, but even Sun Fuping let out a prolonged gasp, unable to hide his astonishment: "Leaping four grades at once?"
Even with the morale boost of the whole army, the leap from pale green to true yellow was still astonishing, even if it was only temporary.
He Chunhua gave a self-deprecating smile. "It seems I am quite well-loved."
He asked Sun Fuping, "If I lead the army on this expedition, what are the odds that I can return?"
Chapter 18