At the End of the Road

"There seems to be golden light flashing in that direction." He Lingchuan's eyes glinted. "It's the lamp spirits!" Had the Heavenly Palace contingent engaged the beast king? He Chunhua's eyes were filled with gravity. "Chuan'er, what do you think..." He Lingchuan did not wait for him to finish. "Zhang Lianhai is a dead man. And if we don't hide properly, we're dead too." Qiu Hu lowered his voice. "Why did the Heavenly Palace contingent head east?" The people from the Heavenly Palace were no fools. Hiding was clearly the safest option, yet they chose to run about in an environment crawling with monsters. He Lingchuan answered without hesitation, "To trace where the eerie lights went, of course." "The Dafang Pot!" He Chunhua caught on immediately. "They're convinced the divine artifact is there!" For the Heavenly Palace to rush east despite such immense risk, they had to have some degree of certainty. Whose discernment and erudition among the adventurers in the city could surpass those of the Heavenly Palace? He Chunhua remained silent, but his heart stirred with ambition. If the Dafang Pot truly lay hidden in the eastern ruins and they could get their hands on it, could they put an end to this bizarre nightmare? He Lingchuan observed the eastern sector while keeping one eye on He Chunhua. "The golden light is gone." The men exchanged glances, struck speechless with horror. Had Zhang Lianhai and his dozen subordinates perished so swiftly? Noticing the shifting look in He Chunhua's eyes, He Lingchuan guessed what was on his mind. "Old Man, you're not thinking of heading east too, are you? Zhang Lianhai is a lesson right before our eyes." "With a meticulous plan, it might not be impossible." He Chunhua looked at his eldest son, his eyes flickering slightly. The expression was well-concealed; had He Lingchuan not been keeping a close watch on his nominal father, he might have missed it entirely. Outwardly, He Lingchuan feigned ignorance. "What plan? Splitting up?" He Chunhua mused, "If we could divert the snow beast leader's attention elsewhere, we might have a chance." "Zhang Lianhai thought the same thing, and look how he ended up! Besides, Old Man, whom do you plan to use as bait?" He Lingchuan refused flat out. "Me? Forget it!" He was no longer the Eldest Young Master He from two years ago who had been forced to follow He Chunhua into the Panlong Desert. He now had the power to say no. What an unyielding rogue! He Chunhua did not get angry. "Since you're so composed, Chuan'er, do you have a better idea?" Had it been his son from the past, the boy would have panicked long ago, begging him repeatedly to come up with a solution. Just as He Lingchuan was about to speak, a low howl echoed from the northeast. The roar was deep and powerful, chilling the heart even from such a distance—unmistakable. It was that beast leader. It had moved again; this time, who knew which unfortunate group was doomed. "Move!" He Chunhua decided decisively. "While it's being drawn away!" With outsiders serving as bait, they had to seize the opportunity. With a wave of his hand, Zhao Qinghe and the other trusted retainers fell in behind him immediately. He Lingchuan gave a couple of quick instructions to the Mount Rong men, and Qiu Hu and his companions stepped forward at once. He Chunhua waved his hand at He Lingchuan. "Too many people makes it hard to stay hidden. Cut the numbers down!" Between the two sides, there were twenty-two people in total—far too many. He Lingchuan would not yield an inch. "No. If we cut numbers, both sides cut." He Chunhua finally glared at him in anger. Yet time was too precious to waste on bickering. Forcing down his indignation, he trimmed five men from his own retinue. He Lingchuan also removed five from his side, leaving exactly twelve people altogether. Time was life. He Chunhua immediately led the group down through the easternmost exit of the city wall. However, in his haste, and with the wall stairs long fallen into disrepair, his foot missed a step, and he nearly took a nasty tumble. He Lingchuan was right beside him and caught him by the arm. He Chunhua instinctively grasped his wrist to steady himself, letting go the moment his footing was secure. He glanced at his eldest son with a complicated expression, said nothing more, and simply turned to lead the squad forward. Beneath the wall stood courier stations, merchant houses, and armories. All sat cloaked in the wall's shadow, providing the group with ample cover. Carefully dodging several monsters, the group hugged the base of the wall, heading east. Several times He Chunhua took a wrong turn into dead ends, forcing them to backtrack and reorient themselves. In the process, they startled two small monsters. Fortunately, He Lingchuan and Zhao Qinghe were quick on their feet and had sharp eyes; they swiftly shot the creatures dead before any ruckus could spread. Seeing He Chunhua about to guide them into another dead end, He Lingchuan could no longer stand by. He pointed toward an alley to the west. "Take this way! The streets in the eastern district weren't laid out on a clean grid." Eastern Panlong City was the old town. Even after Zhong Shengguang took office as Commander, he had never renovated it much, so its urban layout differed markedly from the rest of Panlong City. Though heading east seemed intuitive now, actually picking an eastbound street only led one in winding circles farther away. "Right, fine." He Chunhua readily accepted the suggestion. Sure enough, halfway down the alley, it veered eastward. His eldest son's choice was spot on. He Chunhua handed over the lead: "You're my lucky star—you take point." At this juncture, He Lingchuan casually agreed. With him leading, their progress was remarkably smooth, and they encountered no more cul-de-sacs. Looking back toward the South Gate, He Chunhua confirmed that their position was indeed well to the east; they had traveled quite a distance. His eldest son truly led well. Right then, several beast roars and heavy thuds came from up ahead. A dozen or so monsters had gathered in an open area, brawling among themselves. This ground had once been a vegetable market, relatively spacious and spanning over a hundred zhang without any cover. Qiu Hu said in a low voice, "No wonder so many of them were injured." Back when they were defending the wall, he had noticed most of the monsters bore wounds—one rhino-like beast even had its horn snapped off. Turned out they were infighting and had mauled one another. Just as everyone prepared to detour around them, one of the monsters was slammed flying by its opponent and crashed with a loud crack straight through the low building in front of the group. The sudden collision utterly obliterated their cover. Amid swirling dust, humans and monsters locked eyes. This sudden, startling encounter froze both sides motionless. He Lingchuan hissed through gritted teeth, "Run! Move!" Now that they were exposed, there was no point being cautious. He spun around and led the charge eastward, the others bolting after him in a full-out sprint. The pack of monsters howled and gave chase. Who knew why they harbored such intense malice toward humans? The men fled frantically while the beasts pursued, kicking up an enormous commotion. Seeing more and more monsters joining the pursuit behind them, He Chunhua shouted decisively, "Split up!" Zhao Qinghe and Qiu Hu each designated several men, ordering them to branch off into different alleys. The twelve-man group instantly split into four routes. The pursuing beasts seemed momentarily baffled, unsure which party to follow. After hesitating for a moment, they broke off into small clusters to give chase. Only sixteen or seventeen monsters remained trailing behind the He father and son. He Chunhua ran another two hundred zhang. The blizzard battering his face grew increasingly fierce; not only did the swirling flakes blind his eyes, but the howling gale also dragged violently against his momentum. Unable to help himself, he asked He Lingchuan, "Chuan'er, how much farther?" He Lingchuan vaulted onto a rooftop, scanned the distance, and dropped back down to say, "Looks like at least five or six li." "Three to five li..." He Chunhua gritted his teeth, seemingly calculating something. "Soon... we're close." If I don't have to use it, I shouldn't! He Lingchuan noticed he seemed to be holding something back. Yet with everyone wearing panicked expressions right now, it did not look out of place. Just then, a blood-curdling scream erupted not far away, accompanied by someone shouting curses at the top of their lungs, voice cracking. Soon, the cursing deteriorated into agonized shrieks. Clearly, they had been overtaken by the monsters. Zhao Qinghe's face paled. "That's Liu Yu's voice." Liu Yu was one of He Chunhua's trusted retainers. He had followed He Chunhua from Blackwater City to Xiazhou, to Dunyu, and then all the way to the Yuan capital, only to end up buried here in the Panlong Desert. At that moment, several dull yet resounding roars boomed from the north. He Lingchuan and Qiu Hu exchanged a glance, their expressions grim. Judging by the sound, that unseen snow beast leader was likely not far from them. He Chunhua, of course, heard it as well. The four halted. Ahead lay an open expanse where two rivers once converged. The water was shallow now, but the riverbanks offered zero cover. Quite a few monsters were lingering here as well. To avoid alerting them, they would have to take a wide detour. A very wide detour. He Chunhua swallowed dryly and said raspily, "I'm afraid we won't make it." He Lingchuan gave him a curious look. "We can get past with a few concealment tricks." But that required setting up on the spot. Setting it up took time, and compared to taking the detour, it was hard to say which option was more troublesome. "Chuan'er, Chuan'er!" He Chunhua clutched his arm. "Your father is exhausted. Let's rest for a moment!" His eyes were bloodshot, and he indeed looked thoroughly exhausted, even gaunt. He Lingchuan studied him closely for a moment before silently nodding. Anxious though Qiu Hu and Zhao Qinghe were, they had no choice but to follow them over a stone enclosure. In front of the stone enclosure lay the ruins of a building. Judging from its foundation stones, it had likely been a merchant inn, though time had worn it down to nothing. The stone paddock in the back for corralling horses, however, had survived. Walled in on all four sides by stone, the surrounding lanes were narrow, preventing large monsters from squeezing in. He Chunhua leaned against the stone wall, wheezing a couple of breaths. He glanced at He Lingchuan, then suddenly pressed his lower abdomen. "I... I need to relieve myself." Well, nobody could stop him from that. The other three had no choice but to turn and walk away, keeping a distance of thirty feet from him. He Chunhua moved around a corner. Before long, the sound of trickling water reached them. Inside He Lingchuan's lapel, the mirror suddenly whispered, "Your old man is muttering incantations under his breath." It was nearly drowned out by the splash of urine, but nothing escaped the mirror! Hmm? He Lingchuan's heart tightened. Had his nominal father used taking a leak as an excuse to send them away? Without pausing to deliberate, he flicked a pebble up with his toe and kicked it backward. With a sharp smack, the pebble struck He Chunhua square on the back with impeccable aim. A sharp pain stung He Chunhua's back. Startled, his mosquito-faint mumbling abruptly broke off. Before he could show his anger, He Lingchuan was already teasing, "Old Man, you mumble while you piss? When did you pick up that habit?" Mildly indignant, He Chunhua rearranged his trousers. "Why did you kick a stone at me?" "Worried you might be possessed by something foul," He Lingchuan said with deadpan gravity. "This city is crawling with departed spirits. The moment your spirit weakens or your mind wavers, they'll slip right in." Nailuotian claimed to wield the "power of destiny" and might very well sense that major deviations had occurred in the He father and son's journey through the Panlong Ruins. For He Lingchuan's plan to succeed, he could under no circumstances allow He Chunhua the chance to commune with Nailuotian. He could never let He Chunhua realize something was amiss, or else...