“Let me see.”

Yan Qige reached out to take the Qiang flute and examine it, then suddenly squeezed hard. The flute crumbled to powder, and before Yusang could cry out in surprise, the powder scattered from Yan Qige’s palm in the wind, leaving behind a fragment of red gauze.

“This Qiang flute wasn’t anything special. What’s special is this piece of torn gauze hidden inside,” Yan Qige handed the gauze fragment to Yusang. She held it in her hand and closed her eyes—upon testing, it indeed contained spiritual power.

“What you were looking for wasn’t the Qiang flute, but this piece of gauze. Someone wanted to use the flute as a decoy to send you away.”

“Then what should we do?”

“Go back immediately,” Yan Qige said, turning his horse toward Red Sand City and galloping off. Yusang followed without hesitation. After racing through the desert for a while, they returned to the previous location of the old city, only to find nothing but endless yellow sand, not a trace of any city.

“It was here. How could it have disappeared?” Yusang pulled her horse around in circles, looking very confused. Yan Qige looked around, but before he could say anything, the earth began to tremble slightly, and on the western horizon, a line of yellow sand began to slowly gather.

“It seems someone doesn’t want us to return,” Yan Qige looked at the yellow sand and laughed coldly, turning sideways to control his horse, which was becoming restless from fright.

In the blink of an eye, the yellow sand was upon them. The overwhelming sand roared in the fierce wind, making it impossible for Yan Qige and Yusang to keep their eyes open or determine direction.

Just as Yusang was about to be blown off her horse by the gale, Yan Qige grabbed her, leaped to sit behind her, and wrapped his arms around her waist. The horse Yan Qige had been riding was immediately blown over by the wind and swept away with the swirling sand.

…

…

“Keep your head down,” Yan Qige shouted to Yusang over the wind. Then he quickly drew the sword that had never left its sheath from his back and struck fiercely at the chaotic yellow sand ahead, then pulled back. The sword wind carried blinding light that carved a path through the gale, forcibly splitting the wind in half to create a passage, and at the end of that passage was Red Sand City.

Yan Qige told Yusang to hold steady, wrapped his arm around her waist, and spurred the horse forward. The horse galloped into the city, and just as they passed through the city gate, it slammed shut with a bang behind them. The wind suddenly ceased, and everything around them became quiet.

Yan Qige leaped down from the horse, then helped Yusang dismount. As Yusang shook the sand from her body, she followed Yan Qige along the street. Turning a corner, she suddenly stopped brushing off the sand and stared in surprise with slightly widened eyes. Just a few hours ago, they had seen the ruins that Helian Castle had become, but now Helian Castle stood here intact—white marble walls, golden door plaques, not a bit damaged.

The main gate of Helian Castle opened, and the siblings Helian Yu and Helian Yun, who had already died, emerged carrying bundles on their backs, apparently about to leave. Seeing the two unexpected visitors, the Helian siblings froze in place.

After a long moment, Helian Yun sighed softly, removed the bundle from his shoulder, and casually placed it on the nearby corridor, saying with a defeated expression, “Since you were able to find us, I suppose Helian Castle cannot escape this calamity.”

“Master Helian need not worry. We just have some questions we’d like clarified—we mean no harm.”

“Yu’er, go brew some tea for our guests,” Helian Yun called to Helian Yu, standing beside him.

Helian Yu looked at Yan Qige across from her, her eyes showing resentment mixed with sadness, seemingly reluctant. Helian Yun turned to glance at her, and only then did she reluctantly agree and turn back through the main gate.

Helian Yun invited Zi Feng and Yusang inside, sitting at a stone table in the courtyard. “Ask whatever you wish to know.”

“Why don’t you tell us yourself, Master?” Yan Qige arranged his robes as he sat down, his tone calm yet courteous.

Helian Yun nodded. “This story begins long ago. I’m sure you know that our Helian Clan gained fame throughout the world because our ancestor helped the First Emperor forge weapons. After the First Emperor established the first dynasty in the mortal realm, our ancestor sought no titles or positions but took his entire family to settle in this western region. Outsiders thought our ancestors understood the changing winds of court politics and only sought modest wealth and peace, but the truth was that our ancestors had secretly accepted a special decree from the Emperor. The Emperor entrusted our ancestor with a sandalwood box, said to be a spoil of war from a great battle—a sacred object. Our ancestor was made to swear to guard this object, never to open it carelessly, and never to use this sacred object for personal gain, lest divine punishment follow.

They say officials suffer losses, and the wealthy face collapse. Helian Castle also encountered difficult times two hundred years ago. The emperor then had risen in rebellion to claim the throne, and after ascending, fearing others might rebel as he had, he forbade private weapon forging among the people and strictly controlled those responsible for forging. Helian Castle became a thorn in his side. When the Helian Clan faced the threat of extermination, our ancestor, to protect the clan’s safety, brought out the sacred object that the Helian Clan had treasured and worshipped for nearly two thousand years. He opened the sandalwood box and took out what was inside.”

“What was it?”

“A piece of gauze—red gauze. That red gauze was truly miraculous. Whoever wore it immediately gained boundless magical power. Our ancestors used it to hide the vast Helian Castle in the desert. When the emperor’s troops arrived, Helian Castle vanished into thin air. Helian Castle became a legendary myth in the western desert, called the Heavenly Craftsman, and the emperor had to abandon his siege against us. But this was only the beginning—what followed was the start of the Helian Clan’s nightmare. Hundreds of Helian Clan members died one after another, beyond any medicine’s help. When they died, their faces were all red, as if covered by a layer of red gauze—this was divine punishment for using the sacred object.

That time, the Helian Clan was nearly exterminated. Red Sand City and Helian Castle were full of corpses overnight. Only my father’s lineage escaped the western region and survived by changing names in the northern territories, settling there peacefully for two hundred years. We thought it was over. But six months ago, strange incidents suddenly occurred in our residence. Over thirty people in the household died overnight—more than half—their faces red as if covered by red gauze when they died. The sacred object was punishing the Helian Clan again. Father immediately fell gravely ill. At midnight, a master came to Helian Castle, saying he had a friendship with our Helian Clan’s ancestor and intended to help us avoid this calamity. We only needed to listen to him and perform an act.”

“The master said that before long, someone would come seeking the sacred object. He told my sister and me to return to Helian Castle and wait there for those seeking the sacred object. As long as we drove away the seekers, we would be upholding our ancestors’ oath to guard the sacred object, the sacred object would forgive our clan’s past transgression, and the Helian Clan’s curse would be lifted.”

“Then what about him?” Yusang pointed at Yan Qige and asked.