Chapter 822: Sky Phenomenon

The army's morale and discipline were severely lacking. Their forced march to Takigawa left the troops on the verge of collapse. He Chunhua was also fortunate: the unit initially tasked with ambushing the main enemy force made a slight blunder but managed not to alert the enemy. Moreover, He Chunhua, having planned meticulously against an unsuspecting opponent, had already deployed a significant amount of weaponry.

He Chunhua was keenly aware of his troops' limitations; their combat strength was insufficient, so he compensated with a massive arsenal.

The ambush began with a deluge of arrows and relentless artillery fire. Two full rounds of suppressive bombardment completely routed the rebel forces, who abandoned their armor and scattered. Half of the initial military aid provided by the Rongshan Sect was expended in this engagement. He Chunhua had committed everything to this fight.

Yet, as the saying goes, in a clash of armies, the brave prevail. Seeing how easily the enemy was overcome, He Chunhua's troops were emboldened, eagerly rushing forward to claim glory and take down opponents. Their morale surged, and with loud shouts, they utterly dispersed the enemy forces.

Upon hearing this, Governor Hu, along with his subordinate officials, profusely praised He Chunhua, hailing him as a reincarnated god of war and unmatched in strategic brilliance. Even Qiu Hu, rarely one for compliments, acknowledged it as "impressive." His praise wasn't for He Chunhua's well-trained army or particularly brilliant tactics. Instead, it was for He Chunhua's deep understanding of his own troops, knowing precisely how to leverage their strengths and mitigate their weaknesses. Strong armies fight one way, weak armies another; their approaches must never be generalized. This ability to adapt to circumstances, rather than rigidly adhering to theory, is beyond those who merely study military treatises.

After three rounds of drinks, just as Governor Hu was about to raise his cup again, a sudden, brilliant red glow erupted outside the window, casting a crimson hue across half his face.

"Huh?" Everyone exclaimed in surprise, rushing outside. In the northern night sky, streaks of red light appeared, intricately interwoven, swiftly outlining hills, fields, city walls, and buildings… However, there was one striking detail: this vast panorama appeared upside down. At least, it was from their vantage point.

Governor Hu wondered aloud, "Why is it unusually clear tonight?"

He Chunhua looked sideways, "Tonight?"

"Yes, there have been many strange phenomena at night lately. This city in the sky has appeared several times, but never with such clarity as tonight."

Could that be a magnificent city on a plain… no, a plateau? Despite the inverted image, He Chunhua's expression instantly changed when he recognized the distinctive triple city gates: "Panlong City?" He had personally visited the Panlong Ruins and was deeply impressed by the Panlong South Gate standing on the plateau, recognizing it instantly.

"There are explosions inside the city," He Lingchuan said, squinting. "It looks like a battle is taking place." They could even discern figures flickering in the city's alleyways, though they were too small to identify clearly. There were also some non-human shapes moving with remarkable speed. What were those entities, and how could they be inside Panlong City? The strange beings within the city appeared to be relentlessly pursuing humans. When caught, the person vanished.

The crimson phenomenon lasted for about thirty minutes before abruptly converging into a single beam of light. The city vanished, the figures within it disappeared, and only this singular red beam shot skyward, reaching the clouds above and extending down to the desert below. Though it was merely a narrow beam, it cast a vivid red glow on everyone's faces. Even the dark grey exteriors of Heishui City's buildings appeared coated in a golden-red sheen.

He Lingchuan murmured, "My goodness, that's far too conspicuous." Such an immense spectacle would be visible to any living person around the Panlong Desert, unless they were blind.

He Chunhua patted his shoulder. "Fancy another expedition?" The direction where the red light converged was, after all, the ruins deep within the Panlong Desert.

"No!" He Lingchuan flatly refused. "Father, that's no place for humans."

He Chunhua chuckled softly. He Lingchuan understood that the chuckle implied, "You have no choice in the matter."

As everyone watched, the red light abruptly vanished. It was as sudden as its appearance.

Governor Hu sighed, concern etched on his face. "Such unusual celestial phenomena often herald calamity."

He Chunhua suddenly asked him, "What does the Great Shaman Mandu have to say about this?"

Governor Hu replied, "The Great Shaman departed a month ago, stating he was embarking on travels, and he hasn't returned since." By "travels," he implied that one shouldn't ask about his destination, as he himself didn't know.

"Is that so?" He Chunhua said with a hint of regret. He had many questions he wished to consult the Great Shaman about, but the opportunity was lost. He Lingchuan's gaze subtly flickered. Yes, there was indeed such an extraordinary individual in the area. He Lingchuan had also intended to visit him upon arriving in Heishui City, but the residence was empty, and Governor Hu had provided the same explanation.

After the excitement subsided and the wine was thoroughly enjoyed, Governor Hu escorted everyone back to their inn before finally taking his leave. On their way back, He Lingchuan's steps faltered as he noticed three or four individuals sitting under a snakeskin awning at an intersection. Qiu Hu followed his gaze, and his expression also tightened. Those individuals were noisily slurping noodles from large, steaming bowls, almost the size of washbasins. Both He Lingchuan and Qiu Hu's brief moment of alarm quickly subsided as they resumed their normal composure.

After they returned to the inn, He Lingchuan spoke to He Chunhua: "Father, those men eating noodles at the intersection earlier, we saw them on Red Cliff Road. They're not the benevolent sort."

"What makes you say that?"

"They're either soldiers or bandits," He Lingchuan echoed Qiu Hu's words. "We initially expected them to ambush travelers on Red Cliff Road, but they ended up coming into the city instead."

"These few individuals can't cause much trouble," He Chunhua dismissed. "Heishui City isn't under my jurisdiction, so I won't concern myself with it." If he were to overstep, where would that leave Governor Hu?

With that, everyone retired to their rooms for the night. Before entering his own room, He Chunhua turned back and handed a cloth-wrapped parcel to He Lingchuan: "Wu Shaoyi asked me to pass this on to you. After suppressing this rebellion, he retired to Yazhou, saying the region's beautiful landscapes would make a fitting final resting place."

He Lingchuan let out a sigh. Wu Shaoyi's days were numbered. After their farewell in Yuandu, would they never meet again? This old comrade had endured a life of hardship, experiencing several rises and falls. His life could be seen as a microcosm of the Yuan Kingdom over the past two decades, a testament to the people's destitution and the widespread corruption in official circles. He was beyond medical help, but did the Yuan Kingdom still have a chance at salvation?

He Chunhua, curious, asked, "What do you need these for?"

"I made a bet that I could acquire the old gazetteer of Tu County!"

He Chunhua scoffed, knowing it was a blatant lie. But since the package only contained some old items, he didn't bother to press further.

Entering his room, He Lingchuan opened the cloth parcel to find several books wrapped inside. Besides the Tu County Gazetteer he had specifically requested, there were also three historical accounts of prominent local clans. A note was tucked inside, on which Wu Shaoyi had marked all the relevant pages pertaining to Takigawa. Additionally, Wu Shaoyi had written him a substantial letter.

He Lingchuan had initially only made the request as a long shot, never expecting Wu Shaoyi to actually locate the county gazetteer and the information related to Takigawa. Takigawa fell within Tu County, but this region had changed hands four times over the past two centuries. Besides being under Panlong City and the Yuan Kingdom at different times, it had also been incorporated into two other nations in between. Of course, He Lingchuan's true interest lay in Takigawa's history under Panlong City's rule, more than 160 years ago.