Chapter 208 Hidden Canyon

"Dinner is ready! Go, go inside!"

With the rough shouts of the man behind her, Zhu Lan's hands were finally untied. She felt a rough push and stumbled into a group of women.

Immediately afterwards, Zhu Qingyan was also pushed in.

Zhu Lan tried to steady herself, endured the pain all over her body, and began to look around. They were now in a canyon in the desert.

It was noon at this time, and the sunlight from the east was blocked by the towering rock walls. The entire valley was shrouded in shadow, appearing tortuous and deep.

This hidden valley floor is almost unnoticeable from a distance.

Looking around, there are some rough stone dome buildings scattered around, and it is obvious that there are already quite a few people living here.

The place where they were now, surrounded by a dozen camels, formed a circle on the sand, with about twenty women gathered. They were wrapped in thick cotton clothes, their faces were haggard, huddled in a corner, with despair and fear in their eyes. They seemed indifferent to the arrival of Zhu Lan and Zhu Qingyan.

Zhu Qingyan rubbed his wrists that were red from being tied by the rope, approached Zhu Lan, and asked in a low voice:

"Is this a base for the Great Purification?"

Last night, they came to the area where Cheng Hu said Ah Zhu was, and pretended to be lost. Soon, they met a group of sneaky soldiers. When they saw the two women, they immediately tied them up, threw them on horses, and took them back to this place.

Zhu Lan looked around and his brows gradually furrowed.

"The terrain here is unique. If we hadn't been caught, it would have been difficult for us to find this place. Terrain like this must be rare in the desert."

She pointed at the stone houses and continued, "Also, look at the traces of use on these stone houses. They should have been around for quite some time, which means that the camps here don't move frequently."

"You mean... this is where their main force is?" Zhu Qingyan asked in surprise.

"It's very likely." Zhu Lan nodded, "Even if they are not the main force, they will definitely join the main army on the day of the sacrifice."

Zhu Qingyan looked back at those desperate women. Among them were not only women from the Central Plains, but also many who looked like Hu people. He couldn't help feeling confused.

"Did those great exorcists just leave the women here after they captured them? Aren't they afraid that some of them might escape?"

"This is a desert," Zhu Lan explained. "No one prepared water and food for you. Even if you escape, you will die of dehydration on the road. These people live nearby, and they all know this. If you run away, you will definitely die, so if you don't run away, you still have a chance to survive."

As Zhu Lan was speaking, he saw a dark-skinned man walk in and put a large plate of pancakes on the ground.

The women immediately pounced on it and started fighting for it.

Zhu Qingyan was quick-eyed and quick-handed, but he was a little far away and could only grab a pancake.

She broke half of it and gave it to Zhu Lan. Zhu Lan took the pancake but did not eat it. At the same time, he stopped Zhu Qingyan who was about to take a bite.

"What's wrong?" Zhu Qingyan was so hungry that his stomach was sticking to his back.

Zhu Lan didn't say anything, but just stared at the women who ate the pancakes for a while. Seeing that there was nothing unusual about them, he felt relieved.

"It's okay, eat."

Zhu Lan took a bite of the pancake after he finished speaking, and a fragrant smell of flour spread between his lips and teeth. He couldn't help but teasing:

"I didn't expect that this great monastery would treat the prisoners well, with such good food."

Zhu Qingyan was eating a pancake, a little speechless, "We are both about to be sacrificed, and you still have the mood to praise their food?"

Zhu Lan felt a little choked while eating and asked for some water.

"Isn't there still nearly ten days until the winter solstice? By the way, your sword hasn't been confiscated, has it?"

Zhu Qingyan glanced at his waist and saw that the soft sword Wenliu was perfectly hidden in the belt, without any trace.

"This is the sword that Ajing helped me choose. How could I let these guys find it easily?" Zhu Qingyan said with a proud tone.

“That’s good.” Zhu Lan nodded. Having a weapon in his hand was an extra layer of insurance. If a critical moment came, he would still be able to save himself and would not be at the mercy of others.

After they finished eating, they sat down near the women. Zhu Lan quietly observed the surrounding environment and the women. She found that the big exorcists didn't seem to worry about them running away. As long as they stayed in this camel circle, the women could do anything.

Like a group of livestock kept in captivity.

Seeing that no one around was paying attention to this side, Zhu Qingyan quietly took out a leaf from his arms.

"Now?"

Zhu Lan remained calm, "Well, they probably won't care."

Zhu Qingyan blew out a few notes gently, and the sound seemed particularly abrupt in the canyon shrouded in the breath of death.

Some women nearby heard the sound and looked over, but quickly looked away indifferently.

The big exorcist who was patrolling here just glanced at it indifferently, with no intention of interfering.

Zhu Qingyan finally felt relieved and started to play the melody that Cheng Hu taught her before she left.

Zhu Qingyan blew it twice in a row and asked Zhu Lan: "How is it, is anyone here?"

Zhu Lan shook his head. "We are just blowing the whistle to send a unilateral signal, hoping that Ah Zhu can hear it. But there are so many people around, even if she hears it, it is impossible for her to show up to see us now."

Zhu Qingyan thought it made sense, "So what should we do now?"

"Keep blowing, this will make her notice it faster."

Zhu Qingyan then kept repeating the short melody. This melody made her feel dizzy, but she could only endure the nausea and play it over and over again.

Zhu Lan's gaze passed over the circle of camels around him and looked outside, as if he was looking for something.

"Where do you think Master Xie and Ding Xiaoqiu will be imprisoned?" Zhu Lan murmured.

Zhu Qingyan, who was about to die, finally took a breath and said, "Who knows? When I was in Niujia Village, I heard them say that they only captured women and killed all the men directly."

Zhu Lan's face darkened slightly, and he suddenly realized that he had been too concerned before. Now thinking back, this matter was indeed strange.

The great purification sacrifice clearly only requires women. If they really ran into Ding Xiaoqiu and Master Xie, why didn't they take action on the spot, but chose to capture them?

Furthermore, that night Li Chenghu proposed that the two of them be used as bait to sneak into the Great Purification. At this time, the news came that Ding Xiaoqiu and the other two were captured by the Great Purification, forcing her to make such a risky decision. Everything seemed to happen naturally.

But how can there be so many coincidences in this world?

However, if someone really set up a trap, it at least means that Ding Xiaoqiu and Master Xie did not really fall into the hands of the Great Purification, and they should be relatively safe now.

Zhu Lan breathed a sigh of relief, fortunately he had made preparations.