After a quick bite to eat, everyone believed Zhou Hanyan's words and continued their journey through the night. Fortunately, they were not far away, and around dawn, they saw a lighthouse shining in the distance.
“Go around it, don’t take the main road,” Wei Tingsi said.
No one objected. After walking around for a while, we finally went in. The oasis seemed quite large, like an island, standing out as particularly isolated from the world in the desert.
Upon entering the oasis, several of Wei Tingsi's trusted men went to scout ahead. Finding no one, they settled in a secluded spot.
It was the middle of the night, and it was especially cold. In order not to be discovered, everyone refrained from lighting a fire. Except for the guards on night watch, most people hid in their tents. Zhao Shu originally wanted Zhou Hanyan to squeeze in with her for warmth, but unexpectedly, the girl fell asleep in Lin Dongxue's arms.
This made her extremely embarrassed; was being so unrestrained appropriate?
Fortunately, there was early spring. Zhao Shu sat next to early spring, wrapped in a cloak, to keep warm. Wei Tingsi glanced at Lin Dongxue and Zhou Hanyan, then looked at Zhao Shu, feeling quite helpless. But Zhao Shu wanted to be reserved, so he could only sit beside her and protect her at all times.
As dawn broke, Zhao Shu woke up to find herself leaning on Wei Tingsi's shoulder. Before she could speak, he covered her mouth with his hand. "Shh, someone's here."
Zhao Shu immediately snapped to attention, the slight drowsiness she felt upon waking vanishing instantly. She strained her ears to listen, and heard a man say, "Damn it, this wretched place, with so much sand, I don't know when it'll be covered by sand, yet it just won't let me leave."
"That's right. Look at this wind, it's probably much stronger than the last few times. Why don't we take this opportunity to go back to the Central Plains? It's the middle of nowhere, there aren't even any women here. My mother is counting on me to go back and get married so she can carry on the family line."
"Get out of here, what do you know besides women?"
It was clearly a conversation between three people. After listening, Zhao Shu looked up at the sky and saw that it was indeed gray. She could clearly see the stars last night, but she didn't expect the sky to change so suddenly.
Then they heard, "Quickly dig! The King of Shu is coming to lead the horses, and we'll leave with him."
Then came the sound of shoveling, followed shortly by the rustling of digging. About 15 minutes later, the three men left, cursing and swearing.
Xiao Guozi went to check and returned, saying, "Princess, Marshal, there must be jewels hidden here. Let's dig them up now."
Zhao Shu and Wei Tingsi exchanged a glance. "It seems the King of Shu is coming to collect the horses," Zhao Shu said.
"The King of Shu won't come in person; it should be his subordinates. It's alright. Are you hungry? I'll take you to have breakfast." Wei Tingsi didn't take the King of Shu's men seriously.
Lin Dongxue and Zhou Hanyan emerged from the shadows. Zhou Hanyan patted her chest, still shaken, and said, "That scared me to death."
After hearing this, Zhao Shu patted her shoulder and said, "There's something even scarier."
"I'm not afraid!" She pretended to be calm, but the way she gripped Lin Dongxue's hand tightly betrayed her nervousness. It seemed she had never experienced such an exciting life before.
The soldier who went to scout the way returned and handed Wei Tingsi a hastily drawn map. Wei Tingsi glanced at it a few times and then led his men inside.
The oasis was mostly covered with hardy trees such as poplar and tamarisk, forming large groves that were particularly beautiful. The people Wei Tingsi brought were all quite capable, and with the addition of Lin Dongxue, that bearded servant, they were able to walk out of the unmarked forest.
An hour later, the group saw a small town in the distance, next to which stretched an endless grassland where groups of strong horses grazed leisurely. Wei Tingsi's confidants rubbed their hands together in anticipation. "What fine horses! My horse is getting old and should be replaced and retired."
They have a deep affection for horses and never think about killing them to eat when they get old. They always let them go home to live out their old age, which is something many people cannot understand.
Wei Tingsi looked up at the sky. The weather was getting worse, and he couldn't help but worry. "Young Master Lin, based on your experience, is it possible that the wind will pick up? If the wind picks up, our signal will be ruined."
Lin Dongxue pondered for a moment, then said heavily, "The weather looks bad, but the weather in the desert is unpredictable. If they can arrive tonight, they should be fine. But after tonight, I can't guarantee anything."
It took about a day to get here. Wei Tingsi frowned. How was he going to get all 30,000 horses away?
Zhao Shu's heart skipped a beat, and she exchanged a glance with Wei Tingsi. The two of them had the same idea. "Go and see who the King of Shu has sent to fetch the horses," Wei Tingsi ordered.
After giving these instructions, his trusted men knew what to do, clasped their hands in obeisance, and left.
Lin Dongxue then sent the bearded man to buy breakfast for the group, while they did not enter the town but waited quietly in the woods.
Before they arrived, Ji Dongxue had said that the defenses were weak. Sure enough, Wei Tingsi's men returned shortly afterward, bringing back a man. Zhao Shu didn't recognize him, but Wei Tingsi did, and the man also recognized Wei Tingsi. "Grand Marshal Wei has personally come to this vast desert. It seems he has something big on his mind."
"How dare you! You don't even salute the marshal!" A soldier kicked him in the joint, and the man immediately knelt down, sweating profusely from the pain.
Wei Tingsi did not speak to him; he was just a lowly henchman. He frowned and gestured for his subordinates to reply. One of the soldiers said, "Marshal, there are fifty guards in the town, and the rest are all residents. There are exactly thirty thousand horses, and the original plan was to take them away the day after tomorrow."
"It's all taken care of. Don't hurt the residents. Let's go."
The bearded man had just returned when he saw Wei Tingsi leading people into the town. He immediately felt uneasy, thinking that he was too slow and that the marshal and the princess were angry. He looked at Lin Dongxue anxiously.
Zhou Hanyan didn't care about anything else and immediately started eating the steamed buns that the bearded man had bought. "Sister Ajun, they're meat-filled." She didn't forget to hand two to Zhao Shu.
And so, the two women ate breakfast as they walked, enjoying it immensely. Zhao Shu felt as if she had been transported back to the modern era, when she and Ajiu would also stroll through the streets and eat barbecue skewers...
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