Chapter 1006 Auspicious Land

A day later, the Western Turkic Khan led a large army and suddenly left their original camp. However, instead of heading to Xia Prefecture to break through the last line of defense of the Eastern Turks, or rushing to Luoyang to join forces with Liang Shide to defeat Yuwen Ye, as many people had expected, they headed south and rapidly advanced towards Sui Prefecture.

In early July, the sun was blazing and the heat was intense.

After being scorched by the sun for most of the day, and with many people nearly suffering heatstroke and falling off their horses, the boundary marker of Suizhou finally appeared on the road ahead.

It was midday, and the blazing sun overhead was so intense it felt like it was baking oil off a person's body. Even though Ashina Zhuxie was used to a hard life and didn't care much about this bit of hard work, he still looked at Lei Yu, who was not far behind him, as soon as he reined in his horse and stopped: "How are you?"

Lei Yu didn't say anything, but just reached out and wiped the sweat streaming down his forehead.

She hadn't experienced such hardships during a long time, but that didn't mean she couldn't handle it, so she simply waved her hand gently.

Ashina Zhuxie stared at her sunburnt face: "Want to rest for a while?"

Lei Yu glanced at him again before turning to look at the other rider following closely behind the two, Wang Shaoqiu. Compared to the Turks who were used to hunting on horseback, and Lei Yu, who was a skilled rider, he looked much more disheveled. Although his riding skills were not bad, his face had turned pale from the blazing sun. At first, he was sweating profusely, but later he could no longer sweat. His lips were pale and cracked, and he swayed as if he was about to fall off his horse at any moment.

Lei Yu turned around and shook her head, saying, "I'm fine, let's keep going."

Ashina Zhuxie hesitated for a moment, but before he could speak, a rider came galloping up the path behind the tall Suizhou boundary marker. Judging from his clothes, he was the scout he had sent out. He rushed over and shouted, "Khan!"

Ashina Zhuxie raised his hand, indicating that there was no need for formalities, and then asked, "Where are Shang Ruyi and the others now?"

Lei Yu hurriedly asked, "Is it in the city?"

She had been hoping to meet Shang Ruyi ever since she heard that Shang Ruyi had left Chang'an with her men and was heading this way. However, she didn't expect that Shang Ruyi would change direction and go to Suizhou. It seemed that it had nothing to do with them, but Ashina Zhuxie and Wang Shaoqiu decided to come and see what they were doing. Naturally, she couldn't rest easy, fearing that the two of them would try to harm Shang Ruyi. Therefore, she left He Du, who was still too young to ride a horse, in the camp and came with them herself.

Now that she has entered Suizhou territory, she is more nervous than anyone else.

If Shang Ruyi enters Suizhou City, Ashina Zhuxie's small force is insufficient to attack the city, but entering the city may be dangerous; moreover, Zuo Chen'an would not build his tomb in the city, which means that Shang Ruyi and his group may not really be after Zuo Gong's tomb, so they naturally have no chance of meeting.

But the scout glanced at her cautiously before saying to Ashina Zhuxie, "Reporting to the Khan, Shang Ruyi and her people did not enter the city, but went to Tianding Mountain."

"Mount Tianding?"

Upon hearing this somewhat unfamiliar place name, Ashina Zhuxie first glanced at Lei Yu, then turned to look at Wang Shaoqiu, whose face was pale but who was trying his best to perk up: "What place is this?"

Although Wang Shaoqiu was almost exhausted on horseback, he perked up when he heard the words "Tian Ding Mountain" and said, "That's a mountain south of Suizhou City."

What was Shang Ruyi doing going to that place?

"Tian Ding Mountain has nine springs and a dragon pool that stretches for eight hundred miles. The water has been flowing continuously for thousands of years. It is a treasure land of feng shui."

When the phrase "feng shui treasure land" was mentioned, a glint of light flashed in both of their eyes.

Ashina Zhuxie immediately asked, "How far is that Tianding Mountain from here?"

"It's less than twenty li, we can get there before dark."

"Alright, lead the way!"

He had just spoken when he immediately stopped and looked back at Lei Yu, as if to see if she needed to rest. Lei Yu had already wiped the sweat from her forehead and said calmly, "If you want to go, then go. This road will be difficult to travel after dark."

Then Ashina Zhuxie raised his hand and said, "Let's go!"

The group continued their swift journey along the road, hoping to reach Tian Ding Mountain before nightfall. However, halfway there, it was Wang Shaoqiu who collapsed from heatstroke. Had his attendants not noticed him quickly, he would have nearly fallen from his horse and been trampled to death. Ashina Zhuxie could only order his men to rest, give him water, and cool him down. After much effort, he finally regained some strength and climbed back onto his horse. By the time they finally saw the towering silhouette of Tian Ding Mountain on the horizon, the sun had already set.

The scout pointed ahead, where the darkness had blended into the night, and only a tiny, massive dark outline could be barely seen. He said, "Khan, that is Mount Tianding."

"oh?"

Upon hearing this, Ashina Zhuxie gently raised his hand, and the people behind him immediately reined in their horses and stopped.

Because it was in the wilderness, and the surroundings were pitch black, the rustling of the wind through the grass and the varying howls of wolves echoing from the distant valley made the night seem even deeper and more unpredictable.

He shook the reins and slowly paced forward. In fact, these few steps were not enough for him to see the huge outline in the darkness. He could only vaguely sense that the mountain peaks were towering and the terrain was steep, like two fierce beasts, one tall and one short, lying on the ground, ready to pounce and press their claws down on them at any time.

He murmured, "Is that Mount Tianding? We're still a ways away—"

The scout immediately replied, "It's only a mile or two away."

"oh,"

Upon hearing this, Ashina Zhuxie nodded and said, "There's no need to go any further. Let's rest here tonight."

Upon hearing this, Lei Yu frowned, and Wang Shaoqiu, who was standing close to them, hesitated to speak.

Just then, a faint light suddenly appeared in the pitch-black night ahead.

Ashina Zhuxie's eyes were like torches as he stared intently at the point of light. A gust of wind blew in, carrying the damp, earthy smell of dew-soaked soil. Everyone held their breath, watching the point of light flicker and leap slightly, like a firefly fluttering its wings. But the point of light did not leap upwards; instead, it leaped closer and closer, gradually moving towards them.

That was—a tiny spark.

They were all people who had lived on the grasslands for decades, and they were no strangers to the light in the night. It was someone holding a torch and riding a horse toward them. For a moment, everyone became wary, but Lei Yu's eyes were fixed on the slightly flickering light that was getting closer and closer, as if he was expecting something.

Finally, the firelight drew closer and closer, and a person appeared before everyone's eyes.

When Lei Yu saw the person's appearance clearly, he clearly heard someone next to him gasp.