The old bandit leader quickly moved closer to her, trying to ingratiate himself. “Little Miss… no, I mean, young lady, what do you mean by that?”
Huang Beishuang seemed to find him distasteful and moved to Qingyun’s left side before replying, “Those afflicted with the mirage sickness have bulging eyes, yellowed whites, and clotted blood vessels. At midday, they experience terrifying hallucinations, leading to mental confusion for a full three hours. Isn’t that right, old fool? How does it feel?”
Huang Beishuang’s expression was quite playful at this moment. Even she was a bit surprised, feeling unusually relaxed by Qingyun’s side, unlike the oppression she had felt throughout their journey.
“Miss, since you’ve mentioned it, surely you have a way to help us, don’t you?” The leader was extremely excited, likely having suffered greatly from the mirage sickness.
Huang Beishuang smiled lightly, “Don’t be hasty. This desert illness is common among those who frequently travel in the great desert. Anyone with a slightly weak body or fragile mind can easily contract it, but it’s also quite treatable.” Her words were undoubtedly great news to the leader.
The leader, being quick-witted, immediately responded, “Young lady, since you’ve brought it up, there must be conditions, right? Go ahead, tell me. If it’s within our means, I, Dongbahe, will be the first to comply! Especially since many of our brothers suffer from this ailment.”
“Can your words be trusted?” Huang Beishuang asked, already calculating how to use this group of people to her advantage.
Qingyun had been watching for a long time and seemed to understand Huang Beishuang’s scheme, smiling silently with indifference.
“Miss, please trust me just this once!” Dongbahe said anxiously.
“Don’t be impatient. Let me ask you first, that cart in the back, is it filled with explosives?” She had been eyeing it for a while from afar.
“Yes, it’s meant for Ruoquan. He asked for it before, and I kept it hidden. Now that we’re joining him, we need to show some goodwill.”
Huang Beishuang chuckled, “Look at how shortsighted you are. Bringing over 500 people to Ruoquan’s place for free food and lodging, aren’t you just asking for death? It’s like a sheep walking into a tiger’s den, utterly foolish. Once he takes your explosives, what use will he have for you?”
Dongbahe was stunned by her words, which had exposed his inner fears. He looked at Huang Beishuang, his mind racing. Having roamed the great desert for decades, he had never seen such an intelligent young woman, nor such exquisite beauty. In his heart, he knew she was truly heaven-sent.
“Then, what does the young lady suggest?” he asked tentatively.
“I’ll lend you a hand. How about we raid Ruoquan’s camp?” Though she spoke casually, she still felt uneasy inside. The short day she had spent in Ruoquan’s camp had already dealt her a significant mental blow.
“That’s impossible. We only have about 500 people, while Ruoquan has 2,000, each as fierce as wolves and tigers, mad with bloodlust! They’re a bunch of lunatics!” Dongbahe exclaimed, quickly backing away.
“Dongbahe!” Huang Beishuang said with a cold smile. “Fine! Then take these people to him and see who dies faster!”
As soon as she finished speaking, Qingyun, in perfect sync with her, jumped onto the white horse Feita, seemingly ready to leave.
“Wait!”
Dongbahe didn’t struggle much before calling out to stop Huang Beishuang. “Please give your orders, miss! If I weren’t at the end of my rope, why would I even think of joining Ruoquan? In this vast northern desert, who doesn’t know that Ruoquan’s presence means the end is near? We might as well stake our lives on this!”
At this moment, Ruoquan’s camp was already in a state of desolation. No one dared to disturb Ruoquan when his anger hadn’t subsided. The brothers sat uneasily in the great hall, occasionally stealing glances at the man leaning on the central animal skin chair. What was he thinking? No one knew. They only saw him smiling coldly one moment and frowning fiercely the next.
“They’re here, Chief! They’re here, they’re here!” A lean young man with a yellow headband suddenly rushed in, startling those sitting nearby.
“Damn it, Luoying! Do you have a death wish, running in here yelling at a time like this? Want the chief to finish you off to vent his anger?” Manhu shouted at him.
“No, it’s… it’s…” Luoying, who was in charge of guarding, was panicked. Just running in to report had taken most of his courage, and now facing the unpredictable Ruoquan, half his soul seemed to have left him.
“Has she come?” Ruoquan asked lightly, without expression.
“Yes, it’s that woman, and… and she’s brought several hundred people!” Luoying stammered, frightened by Ruoquan.
“She brought people? What people?” Ruoquan finally showed some reaction.
“About two hundred. They say if we release her clansmen, they’ll withdraw. Otherwise, they’ll blow us up!” Luoying replied.
His answer didn’t scare the nearby rows of lieutenants at all. Manhu and Langtou even chimed in together, “Hah! Two hundred people think they can bury us? Nonsense! Let her blow us up. If she can’t kill me, I’ll give her a taste of my blade!”
“This woman is too naive. Where did she find these people to cause trouble? Does she want to get them killed? Which group is foolish enough to back her up? This is interesting!”
“Exactly! This time when we catch her, we must keep a close eye on her, let our chief have his fill of fun!”
“Oh! I’m starting to feel a bit sorry for her. She’ll lose her life this time!”
The more they talked, the more excited they became, not taking Huang Beishuang’s threat seriously at all.
“Whose people?” Ruoquan asked after a moment of silence.
“I saw clearly. It’s that old Dongbahe. The last time we robbed his explosives, the bastard ran away. Now he’s somehow popped up again, and he’s gotten involved with that woman. It’s really strange!”
“Dongbahe’s people? Hmph!” Hearing this, Ruoquan raised an eyebrow eerily. “That old fox can’t be trusted. If he brought two hundred people, there must be more!” After a pause, he made arrangements, “Luoying, take a team to check the hills around the camp, especially near the granary. This place is so big, we can’t rule out him playing tricks again. Also, tell everyone to be alert, and guard against sudden attacks. Manhu, Chengxiang, Langtou, you all come with me to meet them outside!”
“Yes!” Everyone acknowledged and followed Ruoquan outside.
“He’s coming out!”
Watching the dangerous figure approaching from the opposite side, Dongbahe felt a bit terrified and turned his head to look at Huang Beishuang.
“The arrow is on the string, it must be shot. What use is there in being afraid now?” Huang Beishuang said with disgust, though she was also somewhat frightened. Confronting Ruoquan required great courage. Moreover, Qingyun was not by her side.
Thinking of this, she frowned slightly. When had she become so dependent on Qingyun? But before she could ponder further, a row of bandits had already lined up opposite them, with Ruoquan at the center. Huang Beishuang raised her head and immediately saw him.
“Well, well, look who it is! Old Dong? Long time no see! What are you doing here?” Manhu, standing next to Ruoquan, started to banter with Dongbahe.