The howling wind made the wooden windows rattle and groan; no one dared open them. But from the light seeping through the cracks, He Lingchuan knew dusk was falling outside.
Lying atop the quilt with his legs crossed, he twirled He Chunhua's Yuan coin between his fingers. "Father, who was the first to develop the use of origin power anyway? Some say gods taught it to mankind, while others claim it was bestowed by immortals."
When inactive, it looked like an ordinary coin. Who could imagine that a tiny State Token could bear the dynastic fortune of a country and the will of its people?
Origin power was truly mysterious.
"Opinions vary, and nothing can be found in the depths of recorded history," He Chunhua said with a frown. "The origins of origin power are extremely obscure. After all, mankind's verifiable history only spans two to three thousand years, and nations have existed for merely a thousand-odd years. It's said that in ancient times, gods and transcendent immortals roamed the mortal realm, and there were no states or kingdoms then. Only after an unprecedented cataclysm did the gods and immortals vanish and monsters run rampant. Humans had no choice but to band together to resist, giving rise to nations."
He took back the Yuan coin from his son's hand. "It was the emergence of the State Token that made it possible for human nations to contend with the demon race. Does it matter whether it was taught by gods, bestowed by immortals, or realized by humans themselves?"
Cultivators, after all, accounted for only a tiny fraction; most people were born ordinary, so how could they fight monsters that had attained true power? At times like that, the origin power spawned by united wills and shared hearts became the sharpest weapon nations held against the demon race.
From standing as equals to turning the tables, origin power played an indispensable role. Nowadays, the number and territory of human kingdoms were far greater than those of demon kingdoms and demon territories.
"So in other words, nobody really knows the origin of origin power?" He Lingchuan sighed, returning to the main topic. "Father, why did you follow them into the desert?"
"Did I have a choice?" He Chunhua reclined halfway as well. The exhaustion of the past several days hit him the moment he relaxed, making his whole body feel as though it were coming apart. "If I had refused, National Preceptor Sun could have executed me by imperial decree."
"So what if he had an imperial decree?" He Lingchuan scoffed. "The royal decree also told us to cooperate with the investigation, yet didn't we stall for quite a while? On the day of departure, if you had set your mind to it, you could have dragged your feet too."
Those above have policies, those below have ways to counter them—was it any different in this world?
This kid's mind was indeed far more perceptive than before. He Chunhua closed his eyes and rested for quite a while before murmuring, "With National Preceptor Sun around, the chances of coming back alive aren't low. Besides, I feel there's something fishy about this trip to the ancient city of Panlong. If I didn't come to see for myself, I feared great misfortune might follow."
He Lingchuan's heart skipped a beat. "How so?"
"I can't put my finger on it," He Chunhua shook his head. "Just a sudden premonition. I thought of excuses to decline, but the unease in my chest only grew heavier. My gut told me I had to take this trip."
A so-called premonition was essentially a sixth sense.
People of this era placed great weight on such things, so He Lingchuan couldn't press further. Yet he still felt something was off.
Commandery Governor He was renowned for being prudent and steady; would he throw himself into danger over a mere gut feeling?
Still, if his father wouldn't say, where would a son even begin to guess?
He Chunhua added, "Chuan'er, you've performed well on this journey."
"Oh?" His old man was actually praising him? He Lingchuan perked up at once.
"You don't need to be overly polite with Nian Songyu. Use your methods to coax information out of him. He has the National Preceptor behind him, and you have me behind you." He Chunhua lowered his voice to a whisper. "Just don't come to blows with him; you're no match for him in a fight. You've gauged that boundary quite well."
"Understood!" Sure enough, He Chunhua wanted his eldest son to play the bad cop while he played the good cop. His eldest son blustered and spoke what needed to be said, and He Chunhua could step in afterward to smooth things over.
The next morning, the expedition set out once more.
Although they were still on Red Cliff Road, travelers heading in this direction were growing increasingly scarce. National Preceptor Sun's party finally encountered the second greatest scourge of the Panlong Desert:
Sand bandits.
This band of sand bandits was human, numbering roughly thirty riders. Nearly all were burly, battle-hardened men who rode like the wind. He Lingchuan could tell at a glance that the bulging-muscled men leading them were martial artists, and there might well be spellcasters among their ranks too.
Coming from opposite directions, the two groups came face-to-face. Both stopped in surprise, sizing each other up from head to toe.
Their own party looking at bandits went without saying, but in the bandits' eyes, this company wore uniform attire, light armor, long sabers, standard-issue weapons and armor, paired with easily identifiable warhorses—what did that mean?
This was an army!
Whether on a march, hunting bandits, or patrolling, what else would soldiers be doing in the Panlong Desert?
Commoners didn't fight the authorities, and besides, the soldiers far outnumbered them. The bandits were properly startled.
Fortunately, the masked burly man leading them glanced over, caught sight of He Chunhua, and his eyes lit up. He actually urged his horse forward. "Commandery Governor He, we're just passing through!"
Before any plundering took place, weren't they just passing through? He Chunhua cleared his throat, slightly embarrassed. "We have no time to hunt bandits today. Just refrain from doing evil... Are there any travelers to the due north?"
National Preceptor Sun and his companion looked at He Chunhua, then at the bandits, and caught on.
The two sides clearly knew each other.
"None, not a bird feather in sight," the burly man laughed heartily, speaking hurriedly. "We'll be on our way then, won't hold up your business!"
Just as the bandits prepared to grease their heels and slip away, Sun Fuping spoke up: "Hold on! You must know the Panlong Desert very well, don't you?"
"Uh, somewhat." Seeing that he rode half a horse-length ahead of He Chunhua and carried an extraordinary bearing, the burly man figured he was an important dignitary. Normally, such people were their favorite fat sheep—plundering their valuables first and then kidnapping them for ransom, making double use of a single target without waste.
However, with Commandery Governor He beside him, they didn't dare act rashly.
"How long have you been here?"
"Ten—just a few years, really," Situ Han hurried to explain. "We always know when to quit while we're ahead..."
"Then stay."
"Huh?"
Sun Fuping said to He Chunhua, "We happen to be short on hands. Isn't this just perfect?"
*Two hundred government troops aren't enough?* He Chunhua thought, but on the surface, he nodded. "Indeed. It wasn't easy recruiting people back in the city."
National Preceptor Sun gave a benign smile, eyeing the bandits the way a weasel eyes a chicken, sending shivers down their spines so that they instinctively tried to spur their mounts and flee. Unexpectedly, He Chunhua held up his Yuan coin and cleared his throat. "All of you, halt! As of now, Blackwater City formally incorporates the Mount Mang fierce bandits, thirty-..."
He Lingchuan counted from the side: "Thirty-two men!"
"...thirty-two men, assigned under Vice Commandant Zeng Feixiong to march and take orders with the army!"
He Chunhua even listed their pay and benefits.
The Mount Mang bandits stared wide-eyed, looking at one another. Unable to believe his ears, the bandit leader probed cautiously, "W-We're government soldiers now?"
Wasn't this far too absurd and childish? These official lords really knew how to fool around.
"Precisely!"
"Then... where is Commandery Governor He heading?"
"Awaiting the National Preceptor's orders." He Chunhua pointed at Sun Fuping. "Heading deep into the Panlong Ruins."
Watching the government troops encircle them on all sides, the bandits were dumbfounded on the spot. "What?!"
...
After traveling more than ten li, the bandit leader Situ Han was still in a daze. He had clearly checked the almanac before heading out to rob today, so how had he suddenly turned into a regular soldier halfway through?
He Lingchuan patted his shoulder and offered sympathetic words: "Hang in there. As long as you make it back to the city alive, you'll be on the imperial payroll from now on."
How could being on the imperial payroll be as delightful as being king of the mountain? But with his men completely hemmed in by the Blackwater City soldiers and nowhere to run, Situ Han's smile was uglier than crying, and a chill crept down his spine. "Young Master He, are we really going into the Panlong Ruins? The wild sand season is almost here! If we get trapped in there, there's no way out alive!"
Chapter 24