“One more day, and we should be back in Huto City.”

Xue San said as he handed the waterskin to Zheng Fan.

“I wonder if everything is alright at the inn.”

Zheng Fan was a little worried. Whether it was people or dogs, what they cared about most was their own nest, especially when you came to a completely unfamiliar environment, this sense of care would be even stronger.

“Don’t worry about them, Master. The inn is probably doing well right now.” Xue San chuckled.

He and Liang Cheng had a great time killing barbarians with their master outside this time, but he guessed that the blind man and the others at home were not idle either.

During this period, everyone should have released almost all of the pent-up frustration of the past six months.

“Master, the wind is getting stronger and stronger. Let’s find a place to take shelter. There might be a sandstorm coming.” Liang Cheng had been paying attention to the weather.

People who hadn’t lived in the desert environment for a long time didn’t know the horror of sandstorms. Carelessness could lead to getting lost in the sandstorm, and with even worse luck, being swallowed directly by the sandstorm was also possible.

“Yes, let’s find a place to take shelter.”

Zheng Fan had learned to ride a horse with A Qiu and Liang Cheng before, but he only knew how to ride. However, the two subordinates beside him did not urge him, and these two days of travel had given him enough time to adapt. Now, he was able to ride with more ease.

The three of them found a hillside. When they were far away, they couldn’t see clearly. But when they got closer, they found that it should be an abandoned building, which should have been abandoned for some years. Moreover, there were also some traces of people having stayed here before, probably a temporary resting place for some caravans.

Liang Cheng went to tie up everyone’s horses inside, while Xue San began to prepare the bedding.

After a busy session, the three of them sat down and began to share dry rations.

Before they had taken two bites, the sandstorm began, and the sky instantly turned gloomy. The wind howled, and the dense sand was as intrusive as rain.

Fortunately, the location where the three of them were now was just right to block the wind and sand, which could be regarded as a rare quiet place under this “howl.”

“Alas, I don’t know if A Li has had enough to eat now. A Li has a big appetite, and I guess it’s hard for him to eat well and be full when he’s working as a helper outside.” Xue San suddenly said melancholically.

Liang Cheng seemed to wait for a moment, then nodded slightly, saying:

“Yes.”

Zheng Fan's ears were about to get calluses. From leaving Huto City until now, every day, morning, noon, and night, whenever the opportunity allowed, Xue San and Liang Cheng would tell him how Fan Li was doing now.

Did Fan Li eat his fill today?

Did Fan Li take a bath today?

Did Fan Li sleep well today?

If you didn’t know better, you’d think they were deeply devoted brothers.

At first, Zheng Fan also nodded along,

Yes, Fan Li is not easy;

Yes, Fan Li is struggling;

Yes, Fan Li has sacrificed too much for us.

But slowly, Zheng Fan became numb.

Now, they were eating dry rations and starting again.

In fact, Xue San and Liang Cheng didn’t want to mention this every day, but the blind man had specifically instructed them before departure. Everyone had already licked, recovered a little, but Fan Li was not here now, so they could only rely on you and the Master to help Fan Li lick remotely when you are outside.

The most deadly thing was that because Fan Li didn’t know where he had gone with the caravan, Xue San and Liang Cheng had no way to confirm whether Fan Li had licked out the effect, whether his strength had recovered a little.

For the sake of insurance,

They could only run through the rhythm every day.

They were also very difficult…

“Let’s rest after we finish eating.” Zheng Fan suggested.

It was already late, and no one knew when the sandstorm would stop, so it would be better to rest here and set off earlier tomorrow to rush back.

“Alright, Master, whatever you say, I…”

Xue San’s eyes suddenly sharpened, his lips bit, and his wrists flipped, two daggers had already fallen into his palms, and his ears trembled.

Liang Cheng silently stood up, his eyes looked towards the entrance, and his fingernails began to grow out slowly.

Zheng Fan immediately unwrapped the knife wrapped in coarse cloth and grasped the hilt with both hands.

Outside, the sound of horses came, it should be a team of people coming, but after they gradually approached here, the sound suddenly disappeared.

Xue San stretched out his tongue and licked his lips, lowering his voice and saying:

“That group of people found us here.”

Hearing this, Zheng Fan began to imagine that it should be another team of people who chose to come here to take shelter after encountering the sandstorm, and as a result, they found someone inside as soon as they approached here.

This was not Huto City, but in the wilderness, there were no cameras, no surveillance, and no police uncles standing in the sentry box not far away.

It can be said that the wilderness was a lawless place, especially in this kind of weather, no matter what happened, the sand would help to cover up all traces.

At the entrance, a figure walked in, it was a woman, in a white robe.

This robe was very similar in style to the sweatshirt Zheng Fan was wearing.

When the woman came in, Xue San's eyes narrowed, but the woman only walked halfway and stopped. Half of her face was hidden under a light veil, revealing only a pair of deep eyes.

The woman’s eyes began to look at Zheng Fan and the others, and then, she opened her mouth and said:

“The wind is rising. We need to take shelter. Lend us some space.”

As she spoke, a string of footsteps came from outside.

The first to run in were two children, about four or five years old, a boy and a girl, wearing clothes made of fur. Following them were two burly barbarian men wearing black cloaks.

There were many barbarian tribes in the wilderness, scattered throughout the entire desert, like stars in the sky.

A hundred years ago, they had a royal court that could organize them. At that time, the barbarian tribes of the desert posed a great threat to the Yan Kingdom. The Yan Kingdom’s monarch even had to personally lead expeditions several times, gathering the strength of the entire Yan Kingdom to successfully resist the invasion of the barbarians.

However, with the decline of the barbarian royal court, it no longer had the power to call upon them, and the barbarians completely disintegrated.

If it weren't for this, the current Yan Kingdom’s monarch would not have taken actions to weaken the power of the vassal states.

However, Zheng Fan and the others had fought with the barbarians a few days ago, and they had also taken the heads of the barbarians to claim rewards. Seeing the figures of the barbarians again at this moment, the instinctive sense of vigilance was naturally unavoidable.

In fact, after seeing the two children and the two burly barbarian men appear, Zheng Fan had been waiting for Liang Cheng and Xue San to take action. Once they launched, he would immediately rush up with his knife, although he didn’t think he would be of much use, but… at least he could let his side have an extra target to share some of the firepower, right?

However, neither Liang Cheng nor Xue San erupted and launched an attack. In the end, Liang Cheng even nodded to the white-robed woman and said:

“Come in.”

In this way, two groups of people moved into the already small space.

Zheng Fan and the others were in the north corner, while the white-robed woman’s side was in the south corner.

After they came in, they also began to eat and drink water, but the two burly barbarian men sat on the outermost periphery, occasionally glancing at Zheng Fan and the others, with a clear sense of vigilance.

However, the mutual wariness between the two sides did not silence the two children.

The nature of children made them quickly start chasing and playing with each other again after they were full, even running over to Zheng Fan and the others several times.

Zheng Fan could clearly feel that every time these two children chased to his side, the two burly barbarian men would stiffen slightly, obviously preparing for his side to suddenly rise up and detain the two children as hostages.

However, this kind of thing did not happen.

The sandstorm had not ended, and no one knew how long it would last, but the hour was really late.

The two children couldn’t hold on any longer. They were tired from playing and fell asleep next to the white-robed woman.

At this time, the white-robed woman got up, holding a wineskin in her hand, and took the initiative to walk towards Zheng Fan’s side.

She handed over the wineskin, handing it to Zheng Fan, who was obviously the leader.

Zheng Fan shook his head and pointed to his throat, saying:

“Caught a bit of a cold, sore throat, can’t drink alcohol.”

Being a coward was not shameful, there was no need to force himself to show off and put himself in danger.

Throughout history, the last words of many heroes before they died were: Damn, this wine is poisonous!

Although Zheng Fan felt that after he refused to drink, this woman would probably take a sip herself to show her frankness and incidentally despise him invisibly.

The routine was like this.

The white-robed woman didn’t mind. She pulled out the stopper, took off her veil, and very boldly took two sips of the wine inside, and then wiped her mouth with her sleeve.

Tsk,

Routine!

Zheng Fan thought disdainfully in his heart.

At the same time, he silently lamented:

Tsk tsk, a killer back view.

Without taking off her veil, it was still difficult to figure out her age. Once the veil was taken off, it was clear that she was old, probably in her forties?

Although she was indeed still okay-looking, she was really several notches below Si Niang.

In fact, Zheng Fan also knew that according to the temperament of his two subordinates, if the other side was a Yan Kingdom caravan, then there might be something to say, but since the other side had already revealed their identity as barbarians, if conditions allowed, they would definitely kill the other side to eliminate all unstable factors.

But since Liang Cheng and Xue San didn’t make a move, it also meant that this woman was very difficult to deal with, and the two of them didn’t have the absolute certainty to kill her outright.

At the same time, it was also very obvious that this woman was also very wary of their side.

The woman threw the wineskin in her hand to the two barbarian men behind her. The two barbarian men thanked her gratefully and immediately picked up the wineskin and shared it.

“Do you know who those two children are?” The woman suddenly asked, pointing to the two sleeping children over there.

Liang Cheng and Xue San didn’t speak. At this time, it should be when the leaders of both sides communicated.

But Zheng Fan didn’t speak either. It was as if he didn’t hear anything. He just wouldn’t give you a platform to start from, letting you feel awkward.

The woman pursed her lips, a smile appearing at the corner of her mouth, and then continued:

“They are the grandson and granddaughter of the head of the Sha Tuo tribe.”

Liang Cheng's eyes narrowed, Xue San stretched out his tongue and licked his lips, and Zheng Fan no longer concealed it, placing his hand on the hilt of the knife under the bedding.

The Sha Tuo tribe was the chicken that the Northern Garrison Army had picked this time. The elites from their tribe had been caught in the fishing operation a few days ago. In that battle, the Northern Garrison Army annihilated all the Sha Tuo tribe’s elites. The next day, they sent out a cavalry to uproot that tribe, and also to obtain some war benefits for this war.

This was really… enemies meeting.

“I saw your horses. On them, there is the mark of the Li family of the Northern Garrison Marquis. You are retainers of the Li family.

The family style of the Northern Garrison Marquis is truly well-deserved. They must do things to the extreme. I set out from the royal court and traveled all the way to rescue these two children. I didn’t expect to encounter the Northern Garrison Marquis’s ambush on the road.

Wasn’t it said that your Marquis is in a very bad situation now?”

“I think there seems to be some misunderstanding between us…” Zheng Fan opened his mouth to explain.

The battle was already over, and now he just wanted to go home.

“Misunderstanding?” The white-robed woman’s smile was even brighter. Suddenly, she took a step back, made a hand seal, and shouted in a low voice:

“Barbarian Curse, Corpse Awakening!”

The two burly barbarian men, who were still sharing the wine, suddenly trembled, and a look of horror appeared in their eyes at the same time. They turned their heads to look at the woman in front of them, one of them even pointing at her as if wanting to question something, but in the next moment, blood began to flow from the eyes, ears, mouths, and noses of the two burly men, and the faces of the two men instantly turned cyan-black.

“Rise!”

The woman shouted again in a low voice.

The two burly barbarian men suddenly stood up. The vitality in their bodies had completely annihilated, but their bodies suddenly swelled up, becoming extremely "strong", and strands of death qi flowed around their bodies.

At the same time, their eyes began to release a light green light, and at the corners of their lips, two fangs slowly began to overflow.

In an instant, the woman used wine as a guide to sacrifice two living people into living corpses!

When the woman started casting the spell, Zheng Fan and the others had already stood up and were waiting in formation, but after seeing the two living corpses appear, Zheng Fan, who was standing behind Liang Cheng, suddenly poked Liang Cheng's back with his finger.

☞、☞、☞

Liang Cheng turned his head and looked at his master with some doubt.

Zheng Fan nodded his chin forward,

And said:

“Can your relatives say hello?”

“…” Liang Cheng.

——————

ps: Congratulations to Gu Ru Chen for becoming the 37th leader of *The Descent of Magic*. Thank you all for your daily recommendation tickets and rewards.

In addition, um, it’s best not to raise the book, because I found that the Qidian system will automatically delete some paragraphs. If you find anything, you can remind Long in the book review area.