Chapter 385: Chapter 349: A Fight to the Death

Deceit Dynasty, Qinzhou.

Ever since the conflict in Tangyuan County, the people of Yunzhou witnessed the Puppet Master from the Ghost Opera Troupe kill Sang Mulan and capture the Yin Child, resulting in internal strife between Yunzhou and the Qianshou Army.

Unable to find the Puppet Master and the Yin Child, the Ghost Opera Troupe backing the Qianshou Army faced disbelief from Yunzhou, resulting in orders for the accompanying Ghost Witch and Gu Masters to retreat from Yunzhou.

Originally unstoppable, the Qianshou Army lost morale rapidly without the assistance of Yunzhou’s Ghost Witch and Gu Masters.

The Xuan Dynasty’s armies from Jingzhou, Jinzhou, and Jiangzhou advanced fiercely, equipped with firearms developed by the Firearms Camp, encircling on both flanks. The Qianshou Army, composed of ordinary citizens, was no match for the regular armies, suffering continuous defeats and gradually retreating towards Yunzhou.

Qiu Wanjun, a Yin Walking General stationed in Jingzhou, accompanied the campaign. To ensure the Emperor’s safety, Jingzhou has always stationed two Yin Walking Generals. Another female Yin Walking General remained by the Empress Dowager’s side.

After Qiu Wanjun entered Qinzhou with the army, he headed straight to Dongyang County where He Buning was, delivering an imperial decree summoning He Buning to lead the Evil Suppression Bureau’s Night Traveler from Qinzhou back to the capital to receive rewards for their merits.

Since the incident in Wangshan City, He Buning had felt guilty and never expected the Emperor not to blame him but instead to reward him.

The Emperor’s decree must be followed, so He Buning immediately sent messages to the Night Travelers stationed across Qinzhou, instructing them to collaborate with the troops from Jingzhou and prepare to enter the capital with him.

Before departure, He Buning was concerned about two matters: Sang Que and Xia Chan had yet to return, and the item Sang Que desired was in Qiu Wanjun’s possession.

He Buning wanted to bring Sang Que to Shengjing together but had no idea how to contact him.

After several days, as Qiu Wanjun prepared to advance with the army to pursue the Qianshou Army, he kept urging He Buning to depart quickly.

With no choice, He Buning left some coded messages on the walls where Xia Chan and Sang Que stayed, hoping Sang Que would see them upon his return.

During the summer solstice, He Buning led the Qinzhou Night Travelers to the capital to meet the Emperor.

…

Jinzhou, Bright Moon Mountain.

The summer was scorching; the blazing sun poured down like fire. Golden waves of wheat rolled in the wind, their weight bowing the stalks.

In the fields, mountain farmers wore straw hats and rough linen clothes, wielding sharp sickles, bending to cut handfuls of wheat. Women and children followed, bundling the cut wheat, while the children laughed and played, picking up fallen ears.

Yu Da stood at the edge of the field with several elders, examining the wheat ears.

“I’ve farmed all my life and never seen such full ears. Look at these grains, every single one is full, without any bad or withered ones.”

Another elder picked a few grains and chewed them carefully, his face creased with smiles.

“Fragrant, truly fragrant. If milled into flour, the buns made from it would probably waft ten miles.”

Yu Da stood nearby, smiling, “It’s thanks to Bright Moon Mountain’s good feng shui and Lady Xuan Nu’s blessing that we had favorable weather. When the new wheat is milled and the buns are ready, don’t forget to offer a few to Lady Xuan Nu.”

The elders nodded cheerfully, “Of course.”

In the wheat fields, the heat rose, and everyone’s clothes were soaked, yet their eyes were filled with joy and anticipation.

“These wheat crops are truly excellent!”

“Indeed, it’s all thanks to Lady Xuan Nu’s blessing. We’ll have surplus grain to last the winter this year!”

The middle-aged man responded while his sickle worked incessantly, even gaining momentum.

By noon, dark clouds gathered from the Qinzhou direction in the south. Fearing rain, the resting workers didn’t dare to stop long, quickly taking a sip of water before resuming the tense harvest.

Yu Da, accompanied by two subordinates, patrolled various mountain fields, checking on the harvest progress. Currently, he held a position akin to the County Magistrate, overseeing all miscellaneous matters.

Even before dusk, the sky had darkened considerably. Liu Tianyou, also worried about rain, directed the brothers Luo Danian and Luo Dayong to lead the Eight Diagram City guards to spread out across the fields and help with the rushed harvest.

The jingling of bells filled the air as Wan He shook the Dao Bell, driving zombies from the Corpse Nourishing Land to assist in moving the harvested wheat under temporary shelters.

Finally, before sunset, over ninety percent of the mountain’s wheat fields were harvested.

Everyone herded ox carts laden with the harvest towards a centralized threshing ground. There, a water mill had been built to grind the wheat into flour after dehusking, ready for distribution to everyone.

Liu Tianyou and Yu Da stood at the threshing ground, counting the carts of wheat. Liu Tianyou silently calculated in his heart that this summer was indeed a bountiful harvest. With only a few hundred acres of land, the yield was likely several times higher than a thousand acres in Jinzhou.

With this batch of grain stored, if managed well, there would be no need for Sang Que to worry about food supplies.

“This girl, where did she get such seeds? The yield is astonishing,” Yu Da marveled.

Liu Tianyou was equally curious, “Our Big Boss surely has a complex background.”

This harvest, along with their intentional guidance, increased the villagers’ faith in Lady Xuan Nu, and the incense from Xuan Nu Temple grew stronger daily.

“The sky in the south seems ominous. I wonder how that girl is faring in Qinzhou,” Yu Da said, eyes filled with worry as he looked toward the dark clouds over Qinzhou.

“Something is definitely off,”

Yao Zhen’s voice came from behind them. She frowned, gazing at the southern sky and scanning the area for a high vantage point.

Yao Zhen pinched a yellow talisman between her fingers and with a flick, she vanished, leaving only burned ashes drifting in the air.

Standing on high ground, she observed the sky, where dark clouds surged like black waters from all directions toward Qinzhou, their dense mass compressing into a foreboding darkness.

Trees swayed, the wind gaining strength. In moments, it howled like a wailing Fierce Ghost, ripping fiercely at everything.

Rumble!

Thunder roared, shaking the heavens, as lightning streaked through the clouds, casting a frightening pallor over the scene.

Suddenly, her surroundings transformed into an ink-wash painting. In a grove of ink-black trees, Liu Tianyou pulled Yu Da out, dispelling the Ghost Realm to restore normalcy.

“There’s definitely trouble in Qinzhou, this scene is even grander than when the Yin Child massacred Fengning City,” Yao Zhen quickly told the two.

Their vantage point was higher, providing a nearly level view of Qinzhou’s horizon.

Another lightning bolt tore across the sky, briefly splitting the darkness to reveal part of a massive mask capable of covering all of Qinzhou.

Yao Zhen’s heart sank, “This is bad, the Ghost Opera Troupe is planning a desperate, all-out move!”

Yu Da and Liu Tianyou felt similarly uneasy, especially Yu Da. Despite his level having dropped to nearly the fourth layer, his instincts remained sharper than Yao Zhen and Liu Tianyou’s.

“When the city gates catch fire, even the fish in the pond are in danger. Gather everyone to Eight Diagram City, quickly!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep