It was already broad daylight by the time Ziqing returned. She came back alone, and the moment she reached the tent, she found Yelu Qianqian busy packing her things.

“Where’s Yingzi?” Ziqing asked, puzzled.

“Hehe, Jun Beiyue just sent word asking him to make a trip to Akbachu. From what Haonan said, it seems to have something to do with Mingsha Mountain. Yingzi left in quite a hurry!” Yelu Qianqian explained with a smile.

The moment she’d woken up, Situ Haonan had told her exactly this, asking her to come help Ziqing pack since they’d be setting off soon!

“Word from him? Then where is he? Is he almost at Akbachu?” Ziqing asked hurriedly.

It had only been two or three days since Sha Qiuzi last delivered a letter—Jun Beiyue had probably only just set out himself!

At his pace, it would take him at least several more days to reach Akbachu. It seemed unlikely she’d see him the moment she arrived.

The Sand Sacrifice Ceremony was drawing closer—it seemed he’d sent Yingzi ahead to prepare, since the peace conference was set for the day of the ceremony. She hoped Jun Beiyue would arrive in time.

“Come on, let’s go, Haonan and the others should be ready too. We’ll head out first! Hehe, once we get to Akbachu, this princess will treat you all properly!” Yelu Qianqian’s mood was excellent, thinking about the glory and the wedding awaiting her back in Akbachu.

Ziqing’s mood was good too. She picked up a small bundle and was about to leave when Situ Haonan arrived.

Ziqing immediately noticed the injury on his face. “What happened? Who’s capable enough to hurt you like that?”

They’d spoken yesterday in the carriage, and worked together seamlessly during the surrender ceremony, yet in truth the two of them hadn’t really made proper peace with each other.

At the very least, Situ Haonan still hadn’t sincerely said he forgave her.

But Ziqing didn’t expect it—that would only make things awkward. She felt this was fine as it was. Knowing Situ Haonan as she did, this fellow probably wouldn’t have much to say to her for a while yet.

“Got drunk last night and took a tumble,” Situ Haonan said flatly, glancing at Ziqing only briefly before looking away.

Ziqing and Yelu Qianqian simply assumed he was still lost in his grief and didn’t press further.

Yelu Qianqian volunteered an explanation of her own, “He was drinking with the soldiers last night and got into a wrestling match, haha, probably someone in the ranks holding a grudge took the chance to get a hit in while he was too drunk to even tell who it was!”

This, of course, was the story Situ Haonan and Yelu Qianqian had worked out that morning.

Ziqing smiled and let it go, asking instead, “Did Jun Beiyue’s message say anything else?”

This was clearly directed at Situ Haonan, who answered without hesitation, looking at Ziqing, “Just that Yingzi should go ahead to guard Mingsha Cave. Judging by the date, the order was actually given several days ago, so Yingzi rushed off—he asked me to let you know.”

This matched roughly what Ziqing had already guessed. She smiled and said, “Let’s get going, then—we’ll head to Akbachu first and wait for the main event.”

By “the main event,” she naturally meant the various rulers, Jun Beiyue included, of course!

“The carriages are all ready, fast horses, won’t be any slower than riding. You two take the carriage—you’ve both worked hard enough these past days,” Situ Haonan said flatly.

Ziqing and Yelu Qianqian both felt warmed by this and nodded, setting off with him.

Bringing only a few guards, the small group traveled light and fast, quickly setting out on the road. They’d been traveling a while before General Dugu, bringing Yingzi and Nangong Ye, caught up with them.

Leaving the camp, they headed northeast, the northwest wind blowing across them growing stronger and stronger. Four more days remained until the Sand Sacrifice Ceremony!

Not just the Xijing royal family, but even Ziqing and Situ Haonan could sense that this year’s wind felt different from last year’s somehow!

Four days still remained before the Sand Sacrifice Ceremony, yet today’s wind was already far stronger than the wind at last year’s ceremony!

At this very moment, out in the desert rushing toward the western frontier, Baili Weisheng had already come to a stop.

Originally racing against time at every second, he had now been standing in the sand for a full three hours. Facing northwest, he let the northwest wind blow straight at him, letting the sand in the wind strike his face.

On his handsome, ethereal face was written nothing but unease—he seemed to have caught some scent on the wind that unsettled him deeply.

“Something’s wrong, something’s wrong! Something’s definitely wrong!”

Suddenly he murmured to himself, “There must be a problem, this is far too strange!”

“There must be a problem! This isn’t simple!”

Muttering to himself, he slowly turned to look toward Mingsha Mountain. Though Akbachu was far away, gazing into the distance he could still make out the towering silhouette of Mingsha Mountain rising from the desert.

“Something big seems to be happening, there’s a secret!”

Baili Weisheng’s brow furrowed. For the moment, he set aside his concern for Ziqing and turned to head back toward Mingsha Mountain!

The scent on the northwest wind grew heavier, more ominous. Everything he knew about the secrets of Mingsha Mountain, he’d gleaned from Nanny Gu’s scriptures, and there were still several scrolls he hadn’t finished reading. Thinking back on it now, it seemed there were still secrets he didn’t know!

The scent in the northwest wind filled him with dread, driving him instinctively to turn back and see what was truly going on!

Soon, the sweeping windblown sand swallowed up that flash of white.

And at that very moment, far away in Mingsha Cave on Mingsha Mountain, Nanny Gu suddenly burst into loud laughter, “Ahahahaha, finally, success!”

Inside Mingsha Cave, poisonous herbs, various toxic potions, and scattered sand lay strewn everywhere in a chaotic mess.

Nanny Gu sat in the midst of it all, holding a blood-red venomous lizard in both hands, laughing uproariously.

She had finally succeeded in raising the “Seeking Insect”!

She had once deciphered two secrets from the scriptures—one was the secret of Mingsha Mountain, the other was the secret of the “Seeking Insect”!

Once the Seeking Insect was raised, it could locate anyone with a body immune to all poisons of the yin nature!

No matter where in the world she was, as long as she remained alive, the insect could find her!

That blood-red venomous lizard, save for its two black eyes, was entirely blood-red all over, like a smear of fresh blood—horrifying and repulsive.

Nanny Gu’s face was flushed with barely contained excitement. She carefully set the blood lizard down on the ground, and the instant it touched down, it immediately turned toward the mouth of the cave!

Delighted, Nanny Gu gently stroked the lizard’s back, as if soothing a small child, and cooed softly, “Baby, let’s go, go find her! If we miss this northwest wind, we’ll have to wait a very, very long time again—we absolutely mustn’t miss it…”

The blood lizard seemed to share some psychic connection with Nanny Gu, and with a “whoosh,” it shot forward like a loosed arrow!

“Haha, wait for me, baby!” Nanny Gu laughed with eerie glee, splashing a vial of poison to destroy all traces behind her before hurrying out after it.

The blood lizard waited for her right at the cave entrance, facing southwest, flicking its blood-red tongue.

“Southwest… toward the western frontier? Or Xiliang… just don’t let it be too far!” Nanny Gu muttered to herself, stepping out of the cave. The blood lizard immediately darted forward, moving with astonishing speed!