207: Untitled

"The person who set these up knows a bit, but isn't an expert," Zhou Tong remarked after dismantling a poison arrow trap. "It's more like they're imitating some crude blueprint; many of the details are handled quite unprofessionally. However... there are just too many of them."

There were indeed a lot. In just two short hours, they had discovered and cleared seventeen traps. Although none were fatal, they severely slowed their progress and kept everyone's nerves constantly on edge.

"They are draining our energy and patience," Li Qinger said softly. She had just finished treating a shallow wound on Zhao Tiezhu's arm caused by a poisonous barb—while Zhao Tiezhu was holding his shield for protection, a barb had sprung through a gap at the edge of the shield. Fortunately, his reactions were fast, and it only grazed the skin.

"A Ying, is there any abnormality from the high ground?" Chen Linsheng asked, looking up.

At the top of a rock pillar, A Ying's figure was almost merged with the shadows. He made several hand gestures: no sign of living people. However, birds had been startled into flight toward the northwest, about three miles away.

Birds startled into flight... Chen Linsheng's heart stirred. In a place of deathly silence like Devil City, if birds nested there, it had to be in a fixed area. Their being startled meant something had disturbed them—it could be people, or it could be something else.

"Advance at speed, target the area where the birds were startled," Chen Linsheng ordered. "Zhou Tong, avoid traps if you can; you don't need to dismantle them all. Tiezhu, protect Qinger with your shield. Master Wang, watch for signs of quicksand underfoot."

The team's speed increased. Zhou Tong only dismantled those traps that couldn't be bypassed or posed the greatest threat, marking the rest with warnings.

The three-mile journey took nearly half an hour through the labyrinth of strange rocks.

Suddenly, the view opened up—a relatively flat patch of sand, about twenty or thirty zhang square, surrounded on three sides by towering rock walls, with only a narrow crack on the east side wide enough for a person to pass through. In the center of the sand, there were over a dozen bulging sacks and wooden crates, along with the remains of an extinguished campfire and scattered empty waterskins.

A supply transit point!

But everyone's gaze was immediately drawn to the scene at the edge of the sand—

Five corpses.

They wore uniform brown leather armor with the words "Weiyuan" embroidered on the chest, the mark of a medium-sized escort agency in Jiuqu Prefecture. The bodies were in various poses: some were slumped on the ground with arrows in their backs; some were curled up under the rock walls with their throats slit by Sharp Weapons; and another lay by the pile of sacks, clutching a broken saber, with a charred puncture wound in its chest. The flesh around the wound was curled back, emitting a strange, nauseating stench.

"They've been dead for less than two days," Li Qinger stepped forward to examine them, her voice solemn. "The arrow and blade wounds are ordinary fatal injuries. But this one..." She pointed to the corpse with the puncture wound in its chest. "The wound has burn marks, but not from fire; it's more like... some kind of corrosive energy. Moreover, the body's blood has been almost entirely drained, and the skin is shriveled, similar to the situation described regarding the Wolf Tribe scout leader encountered before."

Chen Linsheng crouched down and carefully observed the wound. The flesh around it appeared an unnaturally ashen color, as if its life force had been forcibly extracted. He extended his right index finger, a faint trace of Great Sun True Flame aura swirling around the tip, and slowly brought it close to the wound.

*Sizzle...*

A wisp of nearly invisible black smoke actually rose from the wound, emitting a sickening, decaying scent.

"Evil technique," Chen Linsheng withdrew his finger, his eyes cold. "It shares the same origin as the White Lotus Sect's Blood Refinement Arts, but it's even more overbearing, directly sucking the essence, blood, and Origin Qi of living people. The one who struck is very likely 'Ghost Sand'."

Everyone felt a chill in their hearts.

"Search the surroundings for clues," Chen Linsheng stood up. "Zhou Tong, check the supplies. Qinger, examine the bodies more closely for any other abnormalities. Tiezhu, A Ying, stay on guard."

The sacks contained dried meat, coarse flour cakes, salt blocks, and some tools and Materials for repairing leather armor and tents. The wooden crates were heavier; when opened, they contained bundles of arrows, replacement sabers and swords, several sets of leather armor, and even two military-grade crossbows—this far exceeded the equipment level of ordinary bandits.

"Standard-issue equipment," Zhou Tong picked up a crossbow and examined the inscriptions on the mechanism. "Although the inscriptions were deliberately ground away, the craftsmanship and Materials look like discarded goods from the Northern Border Army, or... imitations."

Chen Linsheng took the crossbow; it was heavy in his hand. The bow arms were made of hardwood reinforced with iron, and the trigger mechanism was simple but effective, indeed possessing a military style. To be able to obtain such things, the power behind the Sand Shadow Bandits was not small.

"Senior Brother Chen, I've found something here," Li Qinger's voice came from beside one of the corpses.

She pulled a small leather pouch from the breast of the corpse clutching the broken saber. The pouch was mostly soaked in blood, but inside a hidden layer was a small roll of paper that hadn't been completely destroyed by fire.

The edges of the paper were charred and curled, clearly someone had tried to burn it, but perhaps due to haste or because the bloodstains had dampened it, it hadn't finished burning, leaving most of the content intact.

Chen Linsheng took it and carefully unfolded it.

It was a fragment of an account ledger, the handwriting scrawled in a format common to merchant houses:

"...March 17th, received thirty catties of 'Refined Iron' from Wang's Warehouse at Black Stone Pass, price fifteen taels of silver, offset by grain and fodder..."

"...April 22nd, paid Liu San of 'Ghost Cry Station' five taels for 'guide fees', recorded water replenishment at the seventh marker in the northwest..."

"...May 9th, received one draft from 'Ruichang House of Jiuqu Prefecture', face value two hundred taels, exchanged for pelts from the 'Wolf Bone Tribe' of the Northern Desert, thirty percent commission..."

The key was in the last line; though nearly half was burned away, it was still recognizable:

"...June 11th, settled the final balance for last month with 'Prosperous Fortune of Jiuqu Prefecture', totaling eighty taels of gold, goods delivered to the 'Old Place'. Also attached is a list of 'Special-Need Medicinal Herbs', supplied as agreed..."

The words "Prosperous Fortune," though the ink had bled slightly, were clearly visible.

Chen Linsheng's pupils constricted slightly.

Prosperous Fortune—a quite famous merchant house in Jiuqu Prefecture, primarily dealing in medicinal herbs and pelts, with branches spread across several northern border prefectures. The Lei Family had mentioned that Prosperous Fortune's background was somewhat complex, with unclear dealings involving the Prefecture Office, Army Breaker Manor, and even Northern Desert tribes, but no substantial evidence had ever been caught.

On the ledger page, next to the words "Prosperous Fortune," there was also a thumb-sized dark red seal impression—shaped like a small tripod cauldron with cloud patterns wrapped around the body. This was precisely the private seal used by the Prosperous Fortune merchant house for important contracts!

The Sand Shadow Bandits actually had direct financial dealings with a major merchant house in Jiuqu Prefecture? And in gold transactions!

What were the so-called "goods"? Stolen loot from robberies? Or... something else?

And while that "Special-Need Medicinal Herbs" list was burned, thinking back to the mixed toxins Li Qinger discovered earlier, the non-local medicinal herb "Nightmare Vine Sap"... "Prosperous Fortune has a medicinal trade," Li Qinger said softly. "One of the three largest pharmacies in the prefecture city is an industry of Prosperous Fortune. If they wanted to concoct special poisons, they have the resources and the cover."

Chen Linsheng carefully tucked away the ledger fragments.

The clues were beginning to converge.

The Sand Shadow Bandits were not mere bandits. They colluded with Northern Desert tribes (Wolf Bone Tribe), had gold transactions with a major merchant house in Jiuqu Prefecture (Prosperous Fortune), could obtain military equipment, used evil techniques, and even poisoned the water System... This looked more like a criminal network entrenched in the shadows of the border, integrating robbery, smuggling, drug trafficking, and even deeper dealings. And "Ghost Sand" was the "hand" of this net within the Sea of Death Desert.

Behind "Ghost Sand," there were still employers, intermediaries in the Central Plains, and... that mysterious person who might be wearing a mask, had a crescent moon scar on their hand, and wore a blue-and-white jade of a bird carrying a letter.

"Clear the traces of our presence," Chen Linsheng said in a low voice. "Leave the supplies alone and keep the corpses as they are. A Ying, can you track the direction and number of people when they left?"

A Ying had already been carefully scouting around the sand for a long time. He pointed toward that crack in the rock wall to the northwest and made hand gestures: messy tracks of carts and horses, no fewer than twenty people, carrying heavy loads. They left a day and a half ago. Direction... deep into Devil City, the specific location is hard to discern; the terrain there is too chaotic.

Chen Linsheng looked toward that deep, dark crack.

Deep inside Devil City—was that the true lair of the Sand Shadow Bandits? Or just another transit point? Or... was it an even larger trap?

Wind passed through the rock pillars, the whistling sound suddenly turning sharp, as if countless wronged souls were shrieking.

"Rest for half an hour and replenish your strength," Chen Linsheng made a decision. "Then, enter the crack. Master Wang, how much do you know about the terrain deep inside Devil City?"

Wang Mo's face turned pale, and he gave a bitter smile. "Young Hero Chen, to tell you the truth, I've only been to the outskirts. Further in... the older generation of 'Sand Guiding Peoples' all say that it's a place where 'living people go in, and white bones come out'. Not just because of the quicksand and the labyrinth, but also because... there are some inexplicable, eerie things. Over the years, the number of people who have perished inside is at least eighty or a hundred."

Chen Linsheng patted his shoulder. "Follow us and do your best to guide the way. If things become impossible, we'll send you out first."

He turned, looking toward that patch of sand surrounded by rock walls, toward the five corpses of the escort masters who died with their eyes open, and finally his gaze fell toward that crack to the northwest that looked like the mouth of a giant beast.

The ledger fragments in his breast pocket emitted a faint smell of blood and char.

Prosperous Fortune... gold transactions... special-need medicinal herbs... the waters of Jiuqu Prefecture were deeper than imagined.

Chen Linsheng tucked the incomplete ledger page into his robe. His expression was calm, but his heart was already in turmoil.

The words 'Prosperous Fortune' were like a stone thrown into a deep pool; the ripples they stirred were far greater than what could be seen on the surface. But he didn't make a scene, only saying to everyone, "This item might be useful, keep it safe for now."

Half an hour later, after the team had taken a short rest, they set off toward that crack in the rock wall to the northwest. The crack was narrow, only allowing one person to lead a horse through. The light was dim, the ground beneath was soft quicksand and gravel, and the towering rock walls on both sides were oppressively suffocating.

After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the path ahead suddenly opened up—before them was an even vaster and more intricate forest of wind-eroded rocks.

Countless jagged rocks rose from the ground, some tall as towers, others short as bamboo shoots, layered and interlocking to form a natural labyrinth. The sound of the wind was sliced and amplified here, turning into countless kinds of eerie shrieks and moans, as if ten thousand dead souls were whispering in their ears.

Wang Mo's face grew even paler as he whispered, "Young Hero Chen, this is the true 'inner circle' of Devil City. If we go any further, even the pathfinding methods passed down by our 'Sand Guiding People' ancestors might fail."

Chen Linsheng looked around, and suddenly his heart stirred.

He called Zhou Tong over and whispered instructions: "Near the nearby intersections, deliberately leave some traces—broken dry branches, messy footprints in the sand, even... discard one or two empty waterskins."

A flash of understanding crossed Zhou Tong's eyes. He nodded and quietly left to set things up.

A short while later, Chen Linsheng said loudly to everyone, "It's getting late; let's camp here for today. Tiezhu, check how many days of water and dry rations we have left."

Zhao Tiezhu understood and deliberately rummaged through the bags, making a loud clattering noise, then said in a booming voice, "Senior Brother Chen, there are only three full waterskins left, and the dry rations are only enough for two days. This damn place doesn't even have a living creature; if we don't find a water source soon, I'm afraid we'll be trapped to death here."

His voice was loud and resonant, echoing between the rock walls and carrying a long way.

Li Qinger also cooperated with a soft sigh. "That pool of water just now was poisoned again; otherwise, we could have lasted a few more days..."

Following the plan, everyone "camped" in a leeward stone hollow at the edge of the rock forest. The campfire they lit was brighter than usual, and the wisps of smoke rose up, appearing particularly conspicuous in the dimming light. Chen Linsheng even had Zhao Tiezhu lean a shield against a rock; the shield's surface reflected light, making it visible from a distance.

As night deepened, the moaning of Devil City became increasingly shrill.

Chen Linsheng sat cross-legged by the campfire, his eyes slightly closed, but his Tracking Divine Ability prototype had already quietly unfolded, his perception spreading out like a spiderweb in all directions.

Sure enough, around the midnight hour, from the top of a rock pillar about two hundred zhang to the northeast, there came a very slight rustling sound, distinct from the movement of wind or shifting stones.

A blurry dark shadow, like a gecko, was pressed against the shadow of the rock pillar, motionless, except for two faint points of reflection directed toward the camp's campfire.

The scout had come.

The corners of Chen Linsheng's mouth curled into an almost imperceptible arc, yet he still pretended to be closing his eyes to regulate his breathing. With his left hand at his side, he gently flicked a finger, and a tiny wisp of Primordial Chaos Qi shot through the air, silently striking a small stone beside him.

The sound of the stone rolling wasn't loud, but it was enough for A Ying, who was hidden in the shadows nearby, to notice—this was the prearranged signal.

A Ying's grayish-white eyes moved slightly in the darkness. He had already been curled up in a rock crevice, his aura nearly merged with the rock. Now, receiving the signal, he was like a night-walking phantom, slowly sliding out of the crevice. His body stayed low, practically hugging the ground as he used the cover of the rock pillar shadows to sneak toward an inconspicuous rock gully to the southeast—the opposite direction from where the scout was.

He didn't track the scout directly but instead made a large circle, preparing to flank from the side and rear to investigate the scout's origin and possible backup points.

The dark shadow at the top of the rock pillar was very cautious. After observing the camp for about fifteen minutes and seeing that everyone seemed completely unaware, he finally began to slowly pull back, preparing to leave. His movements were extremely light, leaping among the jagged rock walls as if on level ground, clearly very familiar with the terrain.

He didn't return by the original path but instead turned northwest, weaving through the complex rock forest. His route was winding and varied, sometimes climbing high and sometimes staying low, clearly an attempt at counter-Tracking.

However, he failed to notice that over a hundred zhang behind him, another figure almost completely merged with the night and the wind was trailing him from a distance in an even more secretive manner. A Ying didn't even look at his specific position, but instead relied on the faint scent brought by the wind, the nearly non-existent traces on the sand, and the subtle differences in the echoes between the rock walls to judge his direction and pace.

Two hours later, a hint of dawn appeared on the eastern horizon.

The scout finally disappeared into a very hidden canyon entrance at the northwestern edge of Devil City, covered by a massive weathered rock arch. The canyon entrance was narrow, only allowing one horse through. The rock walls on both sides were steep, and the rock arch above had countless weathered stalactites hanging down, forming a natural curtain that was extremely difficult to discover unless one walked right up to it.

A Ying lay prone on a distant rock hill, his grayish-white eyes quietly gazing for a moment, memorizing the terrain features and orientation. Then, like a shadow melting into the morning light, he silently withdrew.

At sunrise, A Ying returned to the temporary camp and used a stick to draw a simple route and the location of that canyon entrance on the sand.

Chen Linsheng stared at the sand drawing, a cold light condensing in his eyes.

"As expected, there is a lair... at least an important stronghold." He looked toward Wang Mo. "Master Wang, do the Lei Family's people in Jiuqu Prefecture have a way to investigate the recent six months of medicinal herb and gold transactions, especially the connection with 'Prosperous Fortune', without alerting the Tongda Merchant House?"

Wang Mo nodded solemnly. "Young Master Lei gave instructions to fully cooperate with Young Hero Chen. The Lei Family's trade network spans across the northern border; it won't be difficult to plant some eyes and ears to gather information, it just needs time."

"No rush, safety first," Chen Linsheng said. "You will turn back today and take the news to Lei Hao, asking him to investigate secretly. We will continue to maneuver here to attract the attention of the Sand Shadow Bandits."

He looked toward the direction of the northwestern canyon; the morning sun cast a cold golden edge over the hideous silhouette of Devil City.

"Since they want to see us at the end of our ropes, then we... will act the part even more convincingly."

"Zhou Tong, continue to 'accidentally' leave traces today, expanding the range toward the canyon. Tiezhu, starting from today, 'reduce meals' every day. Qinger, prepare some medicinal powders that make us look weak but are actually harmless, to be used if necessary."