The wind howled. It kicked up sand and dust into the air, blinding everyone. If you weren’t careful, you could even be blown away. “Damn this weather, it changes in a flash!” a sturdy young man cursed. He had just started running trade with his uncle and wasn’t yet used to days , with winds strong enough to tear the sky apart. After they had waited out the windstorm, they finally arrived at the ruins of an ancient city just before sunset. However, Meng Hai did not lead the group into the city. Instead, they camped nearby, setting up camp to rest. “We’ve made it here, why not go inside?” Li Yanchu asked. Meng Hai explained, “These ancient cities were abandoned hundreds or even thousands of years ago. No one has lived in them for a long time. The elders say there’s a ‘heart-eating evil spirit’ inside. Once you enter, you may never come out.” Li Yanchu was startled. “If there’s an evil spirit, you’re still setting up camp nearby?” Meng Hai smiled. “The evil spirit has never been known to leave the city. And the area around it is unusually safe; there are no wind or sandstorms. That’s why passing traders always rest near the ruins.” ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⁂𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖⁂𝕟𝕖𝕥 Li Yanchu gave a small nod. Meng Hai smiled, then turned away to handle the camp preparations. The people in the caravan were all veterans, and he didn’t need to oversee everything personally. He was just making his rounds out of habit. Beyond the frontier was different from the Western Regions or the northwest, and deserts and wastelands weren’t as vast or unbroken. According to Meng Hai, they would cross this desert in just one more day. Beyond it lay a barren plain. But there were also fertile areas with water and grass, usually home to barbarian tribes. Some tribes had just a few dozen people, while the larger ones numbered in the thousands. Li Yanchu sat in the camp with his eyes closed, resting and conserving energy. By now, he had changed out of his Daoist robes and was dressed no differently from any ordinary traveling merchant. The sun had already set, and the heat of the day had vanished. What came with nightfall was a biting chill, and the wind on the face felt like a knife. The caravan had people specifically assigned to night watch. Since Li Yanchu was new, he wasn’t given any tasks. Three or four burly men, all with sabers at their waists and broad, powerful builds, patrolled while chatting quietly. In the desert, ruthless sand raiders were a constant threat, and there could be no letting one’s guard down. Li Yanchu sat in the tent meditating and reflecting on Daoist arts. Sharing the tent with him were the sturdy young man from earlier in the day and his uncle. The young man’s name was Liu Fang, and his uncle was Liu Lin. Liu Lin was already asleep, his steady snoring filling the tent. Liu Fang, on the other hand, kept tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep. At his age, full of youthful vigor, he was practically bursting with energy. He hadn’t been with a woman in over a month. “Daoist Master Li, are you asleep?” Liu Fang asked cautiously, and he clearly wanted someone to talk to. Li Yanchu opened his eyes. “Not yet.” Liu Fang smiled. “I really envy your calm and peaceful state of mind, Daoist. I could never manage that.” Li Yanchu gave a slight smile. Liu Fang glanced at his sleeping uncle, then lowered his voice, “Daoist Master Li, did you know that once we’re out of this desert and travel another fifty li, there’s a place called Han Fortress? The fortress lord’s daughter there is said to be stunningly beautiful, a real goddess beyond words.” His face lit up with longing. He made no effort to hide his clumsy, over-the-top admiration. Li Yanchu asked, “Are we passing through Han Fortress?” Liu Fang said, “Of course. Han Fortress is a key hub for traveling merchants, and it’s the only route to Mount Hengduan.” Li Yanchu’s heart stirred. “So to reach Mount Hengduan, we have to pass through Han Fortress?” Liu Fang nodded, still daydreaming about women. “Last time I went to Han Fortress, Miss Han even smiled at me. I’m pretty sure she’s into me.” Li Yanchu couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m sleeping like the dead over here, and I still heard you bragging,” Liu Fang’s second uncle, Liu Lin, woke up and scolded him with a chuckle.“You think Miss Han would be into you? Keep dreaming!” Liu Fang was clearly used to this kind of scolding and didn’t mind at all. “Uncle, you don’t understand. Miss Han looked at me differently than she looks at others. I know she’s interested!” Liu Lin sat up, annoyed. “Han Fortress is a big, wealthy place, and Miss Han is not only beautiful, she’s well-bred. She’d have to be blind to fall for a punk like you. Focus on making money instead of chasing fantasies.” In response, Liu Fang grinned. “Uncle, you’ve got it all wrong. Maybe Miss Han is like the noble ladies from those storytelling books, the kind who fall for poor guys like me.” However, Liu Lin sneered,“That’s a load of crap. I believed that nonsense when I was young too, turned out it’s just bedtime fairy tales for fools.” Liu Fang was about to argue when Liu Lin pointed at Li Yanchu. “Look at Daoist Master Li, he’s handsome and refined. If Miss Han were going to like someone, it’d be someone like him.” Liu Fang laughed. “Daoist Master Li really is top-rate, no doubt. But I’m not so bad either! Look at this physique, he’s solid as a rock! Women love that!” Liu Lin cursed jokingly, “You brute, you think this is some kind of breeding selection? That women are picking the strongest body?” Li Yanchu listened to the exchange, a faint smile playing on his lips. This kind of wild, rugged banter was true jianghu spirit, and it was hard to dislike. The next morning, the air was icy cold. Suddenly, the camp was thrown into chaos. A man with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and unusually long legs came running back, his face filled with panic. “Something’s happened! It’s terrible! They’re dead, all of them are dead!” His speech was disjointed, clearly terrified beyond reason. Everyone rushed over, talking over each other as they tried to find out what had happened. His name was Gao Zhenbang, a northern martial wanderer known for his powerful kicks. He could snap a log as thick as a thigh with a single strike. His agility and qinggong were also well known. In the caravan, he served as a scout. Just earlier, he’d gone ahead to scout the road, but whatever he had seen, it had shaken this tough, battle-hardened northern warrior to the core. Li Yanchu stepped forward, unfastened the wine gourd at his waist, and handed it directly to him. “Don’t panic. Have a drink to warm yourself up.” Gao Zhenbang gave Li Yanchu a grateful look and took several big gulps from the wine gourd. A wave of heat rose from his lower abdomen, and his body gradually warmed up. Even his chattering teeth began to settle. What Li Yanchu had given him was a medicinal liquor made with strong spirits from Liaodong, infused with herbs like female ginseng[1], desert-broomrape[2], and barrenwart[3]. It was good for replenishing energy and blood, boosting vitality, and dispelling cold while improving circulation; it was extremely effective. Gao Zhenbang nodded gratefully to Li Yanchu and handed the gourd back. Li Yanchu waved it off. From the look of him earlier, Gao Zhenbang had clearly suffered a severe fright, and his body was overwhelmed by cold. If that chill wasn’t expelled in time, it could leave lasting damage. This kind of strong, warming medicinal wine was the perfect remedy. “What happened?” At that moment, Meng Hai arrived and asked urgently. Gao Zhenbang recalled the horrific scene he had just witnessed, and a look of terror flashed in his eyes. “Everyone in Que Mu’s caravan was slaughtered in the desert ahead. Their internal organs were all removed, not a single one survived,” Gao Zhenbang said grimly. “What!?” Meng Hai exclaimed in shock. The crowd suddenly erupted into chaos. “Que Mu’s caravan? All dead!?” “Their organs were taken out? That’s terrifying! That’s not the kind of thing desert bandits would do!” 1. Female ginseng is a herb belonging to the family Apiaceae, indigenous to China. A. sinensis grows in cool high altitude mountains in East Asia. The yellowish brown root of the plant is harvested in the fall and used in traditional Chinese medicine. ☜ 2. Cistanche deserticola is a holoparasitic member of the plant family Orobanchaceae, commonly known as desert-broomrape. The plant lacks chlorophyll and obtains its nutrients and water in a parasitic fashion from the black saxaul and white saxaul. ☜ 3. Epimedium, also known as barrenwort, bishop's hat, fairy wings, horny goat weed, or yin yang huo, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Berberidaceae. The majority of the species are endemic to China, with smaller numbers elsewhere in Asia, and a few in the Mediterranean region. ☜