Chapter 107 Chapter 107 September’s…

When the first autumn wind of September passed over Chigu City, Jiang Wan's convoy said goodbye to Chigu City, crossed the sand dunes and entered the Loulan Ancient Road.

The geology near the ancient road is mainly dry white sand, with some yellow grass leaves growing on it. Every few miles you can see a huge poplar or spruce.

It was evening, and the nearest Shanshan inn was still over a hundred miles away, so they wouldn't be able to reach it before dark. The temperature difference between day and night in the Western Regions was nearly sixty degrees, making it unsuitable for travel at noon or at night. So Jiang Wan and his group camped along the ancient road to rest—coincidentally, there was a stream ten miles away, providing them with plenty of water.

The stream is not long. At the end of it stands a poplar tree that is so thick that three people can hug it. It is much older than the one outside the Jiang family courtyard in Xiaofangpan City. It is large enough for three or four people to rest.

Jiang Wan fetched some water and leaned against the poplar tree with Chen Xi, thinking of the poplar tree in the Jiang family's courtyard.

It was straight and slender, and she and Wen Shen felt crowded when they leaned against each other.

"Master Jiang, it's cool here." Bai Yanyun held a bucket of water, walked to the shade of the poplar tree, sat down on the ground and wiped the sweat off his face.

"This damn weather is too hot, and there's no place to take a shower. When I get to Shanshan tomorrow, I must take a good bath." He tilted his head back and gulped down a few gulps of water.

Jiang Wan waited for him to finish his drink, then slowly said, "Shanshan is a small country with a population of only a few thousand. Is there anyone in our group who can speak the Shanshan language?"

"Yes, I can. I am proficient in the languages ​​of the thirty-six countries in the Western Regions. Otherwise, how could I be Mr. Jiang's translator?" Bai Yanyun said proudly.

Jiang Wan played along, flattering him. "That's truly impressive. Aside from Loulan, Wusun, and the Xiongnu, the Great Zhou has rarely interacted with other countries in the Western Regions, and linguistic resources are even more scarce. And you've managed to learn all thirty-six languages."

"In fact, all languages ​​have something in common. Furthermore, the thirty-six nations in the Western Regions share similar histories, customs, and lifestyles, and are geographically close to each other, so these similarities are obvious." Bai Yanyun continued, "Master Jiang, you know, if you look at a country's climate and then its people, you can tell what language they speak."

"So magical?" Jiang Wan was surprised.

"Yes, the formation of language families follows certain rules. Just like our Great Zhou's ability to identify people, there are certain rules for what people say and do." Bai Yanyun stopped talking here, as if he was thirsty, and stood up with the kettle in his hand.

Jiang Wan smiled. "That's an interesting theory. Have you also learned the art of judging people?"

"As for the officialdom, some people want to teach me, but I don't want to learn. I just like studying different languages." Bai Yanyun laughed, "It's hard to find a true friend. I've lived for twenty-eight years, and only Old Fang understands me a little bit."

He waved his hand and swam towards the stream.

Jiang Wan yawned and looked at the guards not far away, busy setting up tents and laying out blankets. Perhaps it was the sunset glow, but the tents cast a bright reflection.

Leaning against a thick poplar tree, she closed her eyes and took a nap.

As the last wisps of sunset glow faded, Jiang Wan was awakened by the chaotic noise of people. The heat wave hit her face, and she stood up, rubbed her eyes, and felt her face covered in sweat.

It's strange. The temperature in the desert should be dropping by now, but why does it feel even hotter?

Looking up, I saw flames shooting up into the sky. The tents that had been set up were burned red, and the sound of the tent frames collapsing was earth-shaking.

In order to facilitate the guards to keep watch at night, these tents were connected together. The fire spread in an instant. Fortunately, everyone was still awake at this time and was able to run out in time.

Jiang Wan looked at the caravan members huddled together by the stream, then looked at the guards running back and forth to fetch stream water to put out the fire, and frowned.

A fire this big would take until the temperature dropped below zero in the middle of the night to be completely extinguished. By then, all the tents would be burned down. Where would everyone sleep?

After the fire is extinguished, the surrounding temperature drops suddenly, exceeding the human body's tolerance limit, which may cause hypothermia, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, etc., which may be fatal in severe cases.

Jiang Wan suddenly stood up and shouted, "Liu Ming! Stop putting out the fire!"

Liu Ming, carrying two buckets, looked at her with shock on his face. He was stunned for only a moment before he ordered the guards to stop and wait, as she had requested.

Jiang Wan briefly explained the reason and ordered, "First, evacuate the people and the tents that are not on fire, and count the supplies. We also brought spare tents, so everyone should squeeze in."

Liu Ming responded and was about to do it when he suddenly stopped. Jiang Wan opened his mouth to ask, but seeing that he had his head down and eyes closed, as if listening intently, he didn't bother to disturb him and waited quietly.

"There are sounds of horse hooves approaching us from the west, about five miles away." Liu Ming said.

Are all of you martial artists so good at hearing? If I were born with a broken back, I'd also practice martial arts from a young age. Jiang Wan, secretly envious, said, "Did a passing caravan see the fire and come to help us?"

Liu Ming: "No. At this speed, they must be robbers."

The fire of hope that had just been ignited was extinguished, and Jiang Wan was listless: "Then let's deal with the robbers first, and then deal with the tent."

Liu Ming shook his head: "There are at least a thousand robbers, and we can't solve them."

"Damn! What kind of robbers have a thousand men? A money-grabbing army?" Jiang Wan cursed. "Is it too late to run now?"

The robbers in the desert were not the same as the bandits in Lin'an. Handing over your property would most likely save your life. These people were extremely vicious and ruthless, and submission would not earn them any mercy.

Moreover, the caravan's horses and camels are important assets. Even if the robbers let them go, the caravan cannot leave the desert without these two things.

"We can't escape. There are over 400 of us in our team, but not many can ride horses, and we only have 100 horses." Liu Ming's face was grim. "My guards can hold out for a while. Lord Jiang, tell the others to find a place to hide."

Jiang Wan looked around.

The bare white sand, the sparse low weeds, the shallow stream with a clear bottom, and the flames that shot up into the sky illuminated the area within a radius of three miles.

There was nowhere to hide except the poplar tree she was leaning against.

Damn it, the last time we encountered horse thieves on the Wusun Ancient Road was also in the evening, and there was also a traitor in the team. The plot looked very familiar.

But at least there was a lake to hide in, and there wasn't such a big fire.

But this time, the young man will not drop from the sky and keep all the dangers out.

Two months later, Jiang Wan inappropriately recalled the day of their separation outside Lin'an City, and still felt sad.

Liu Ming was still waiting for her decision.

"Then I won't hide." Jiang Wan smiled brightly in the heat wave, "This fire may not be an obstacle to me."

When Chief Hasna and his men rushed to the hottest part of the fire, the scene before him was beyond his expectations.

The fire spread rapidly, scorching the few remaining sticks on the ground, but no one came to put out the flames. More than four hundred people, draped in wet clothes, stood outside the burning tent.

Some held swords, some knives, some carried benches, some held sticks, some carried shovels. The most outrageous ones even just held a rag and stared at him fiercely.

With just these one hundred or so guards and three hundred powerless civil officials, you still want to fight him head-on?

What a joke! He is the number one Baturu under the throne of King Youguli, and these thousand people behind him...

Hasena curled his lips in disdain and raised his long sword: "Come on!"

Liu Ming led his guards to meet them, and the two sides quickly engaged in a fierce battle. Although the delegation was outnumbered, they were determined to fight to the death, and their fighting spirit was much stronger.

Two minutes ago, Jiang Wan had mixed five bottles of activation potion from the system and distributed them to the guards. The potion was more potent than eighteen bowls of liquor. The guards from the Central Plains were now all Wu Song, capable of fighting a tiger. In a moment, they were able to fight the thousand robbers to a stalemate.

Across the deafening roar of killing, Jiang Wan glanced at Qi Qi and Fang Zeshi. They nodded slightly and quietly made their way around the two sides engaged in fierce fighting, their figures gradually obscured by the darkness.

Behind the tent, Lin Xiangzhi and a few smaller men climbed into a wagon laden with supplies. After a cup of tea, they slipped off to the stream, carrying heavy bags and covered in wet quilts.

Harsnah chopped down a guard with his sword and laughed out loud on his horse: "I thought the Central Plains envoys were so united, but it turns out they all fled when disaster struck!"

Bai Yanyun translated Hasna's words and said in horror, "Master Lin, why did he run away? This was not part of our plan."

"It's okay, it's normal." After all, there is a mole among the five of you.

Jiang Wan looked at the direction where Lin Xiangzhi left, thoughtfully.

Bai Yanyun let out an "ah" in a daze.

Jiang Wan patted him and reminded him, "Alright, I'll tell you more about this later. Put on the mortar, time's almost up."

The robbers came up wave after wave. Although Liu Ming's guards were brave, they gradually showed signs of fatigue after holding on for a long time and began to retreat.

Behind them was a blaze of flames, leaving them with little room to retreat.

Hasna's eyes were red from killing: "They can't hold on any longer! Go! Kill them all!"

The entire band of robbers, basking in the joy of their easy victory, rushed forward. Harth stabbed a guard through the air, looked up, and met a pair of bright eyes.

Jiang Wan was behind the guard team's defense line, his eyes were cold to the bone, like the ice on the top of the mountain that never melts all year round, which made the madness in his heart dissipate a little.

Hasina couldn't help but avoid the gaze. This must be the Great Zhou envoy, right? Really? That person had said the envoy was incredibly intelligent and alert, and told him to bring sufficient troops and horses and not be careless. He hadn't expected it to be a teenage girl, delicate and frail. She was so frightened by him that she forgot to hide.

There are so many people here for nothing.

Hasna raised his sword to strike, but heard screams from behind. Looking back, he saw the fire had spread, forming a circle that trapped both groups. Unfortunately, to kill the entire delegation as quickly as possible, he ordered all his men to rush into the formation. But Liu Ming and his guards stuck to him, and they were unable to escape.

The fire spread extremely quickly, and his men in the back screamed in agony as they were burned. Qi Qi, along with a dozen strong men, carried oil drums and poured oil all the way towards him. Fang Zeshi was pushing a wooden cart filled with strangely shaped wood.

Seeing him turn his head, the two men grinned at the same time, and the wooden cart was pushed hard, sparks flying towards him.