Chapter Sixteen The Song of Qing

　　Returning to the tent where he was staying, Kayo removed his heavy cloak and set about packing his traveling clothes. 　　"Leaving now?" He silently gathered his belongings and packed his bag. 　　"Time is short, and I must hurry to Guzi to oversee the details." 　　"Did you tell Wolf Gan where that group of horse thieves replenished their food and water?" 　　"In your opinion?" She didn't answer positively, casually asking a rhetorical question. 　　"Let's forget it, that group of men are well-trained in their orders and behavior, and Wolf Gan can't deal with them." 　　He clearly remembers that those big men were dressed like ordinary merchants, but they were swarthy and brave, extremely vigilant, and had the sharpness of a martial artist in the way they rose, sat and stood. If they weren't traveling to Gumo, they would have definitely encountered the other side's interception. "I have checked their horses, the trimming and bag tying methods are the same as those of the Guzi people, so they must be the army in disguise. The one who came and climbed over was the chief, and all of them acted under his eye, and when they divided the sheep they gave him the face and the best part of the sheep." 　　"You have probed very closely." Kaya smiled faintly, slightly approving. 　　That young man had a dignified temperament and acted with care, he must be a member of the upper echelons of Guzi. With such a person leading the plunder, it would not be something a mediocre commander-in-chief would be able to handle. 　　"Originally, I had not been able to ascertain that it was a secret strategy of the Red Art until I happened to bump into it." She shook her head. "With Wolfgan's brains, he wouldn't have won in another hundred years." 　　"Akatsuki's ploy worked, though, and with the natural disaster, Gumo is simply burnt out." 　　"Natural disaster." She hummed softly and closed the jade box, burning the read intelligence one by one. "What kind of natural disaster is that, to say the least, it's equally a man-made disaster." 　　He was momentarily stunned. "This is what was written in the secret report just now?" 　　"The timing of the occurrence was a bit odd, and I had the secret messenger probe in detail." Jiayi briefly summarized. "Gumo this to hu ma as the main planting, the climate here is suitable for growth, the yield is very abundant, the color is also crowned in the western region above the countries, the merchants gathered mostly in this. In the past two years, many Shule merchants suddenly appeared, heavy money to buy pomegranates, said that trafficking to the Central Plains can gain several times the windfall profits. The people have to change the seed, spend a lot of money to buy pomegranate seeds. When the harvest came, the buyers disappeared without a trace, and a large number of pomegranates rotted for nothing, leaving countless people in poverty and devastated, and the livelihood of the country deteriorated drastically, with chaos occurring everywhere." 　　After speaking, she gave a cold laugh. "It seems to be a matter of ordinary traders, but it is a matter of success or failure in the grand scheme of things. When the war has not yet begun to make the enemy trapped, if it is really Chiji succeeded in power, within a few years, Gumo no luck." 　　"When did Gumo and Shule reach an alliance." 　　"This is also what I want to know." Quietly, he watched the letter paper turn into ashes a little bit, and the flame went down low. "Several incidents are related to Shule, and it will become a great danger in the future." 　　"I think the two countries have reached an agreement to join forces to divide Gumo." 　　"Judging by the extent to which Shule has cut into it, it is probably so." 　　"The Minister of State probably guessed it as well." 　　"So what if I guessed it." Kaya snorted lightly. "Can we still expect that courageous general to take the initiative? If we hadn't planned for him, he would have been defeated long ago." 　　Several times over the course of several days, he suppressed the Wolf Dryad's impulse to strike and challenge, instead focusing on using the terrain to delay in a roundabout manner. Otherwise, under Red Art's hundred temptations to fight, it would be a miracle if this warlike general didn't fall for it. 　　"The Minister of State can't do anything about it, who taught the foreign relatives to be powerful, and the Lord of State only uses his relatives." He didn't have much sympathy. "If it wasn't for us coming to the door to offer advice and encouragement, how could Gumo have the courage to start a war." Even this time, the war plan was a sure thing, but it was only by bribing the Harem and the chamberlains with a lot of money that we were able to convince the Lord of the Land, and of course, the deterrent power of the Demon Sect's Fury name was added in between. 　　"This time it's considered Gumo's luck, otherwise it's a foregone conclusion that Chiju will step on their bones to ascend the throne of Guzi." She spread out her five fingers and gazed at the lines in her palm, "It's only because he was too ambitious and took the initiative to mess with the Sect King before his wings were full." 　　Carrying his traveling bag, he whispered inquisitively. "Do we need to inform Wolfgang before we leave?" 　　"It is not necessary." Kaya raised his head, his dark eyes sparkling in the dancing campfire. 　　"The stage is set, we only have to close it." 　　Lightly armored and briefly mounted, the two quietly left the camp and galloped towards Guzi. 　　Cautiously bypassing the camps of both sides, avoiding the sentry scouts, the night was the best cover. 　　When the morning light penetrates the sky, the two people who have been running all night slow down the silk bridle. The sky seems to be floating a thick layer of gray, the color of the sun is yellow, very different from the previous day's clear. 　　JiaYu tilted his head to look up for a long time, his face became heavier and heavier. Horses also seem to feel the uncertainty, non-stop snorting, restless. The strange celestial phenomenon was entangling, he gazed for a while, a possibility flashed in his mind, and he could not help but change his complexion drastically. 　　The two looked at each other, coincidentally hit the horse wildly. 　　Healthy horse four hooves in the air, sparing no effort to gallop, the corners of the mouth gushed out white foam, finally on the eve of the drastic change came into a deserted ruins. 　　A fine yellow sand rose from the distant sky, and the sky and earth turned a dark yellow. 　　The ruins were surrounded by dead trees, perhaps once a small oasis, now reduced to a sandy yellow. The houses were still solid, half of them buried below the yellow sand, and the horses were brought in, shivering and panting wetly at the horrible vision, as the fearful sandstorms of the desert gradually showed their power. 　　The wind howled and swept up the dust, harsh and shrill, like the cry of a demon. The earth is trembling, as if the small house can not withstand the pressure, the entrance is constantly sand particles involved, soon has accumulated into a small pile. Surrounded by darkness like ink, two people back against the wall where the wind can not blow, quietly waiting for the disaster to pass. 　　The wind kept blowing. 　　He stood up and cut off a section of wood from a beam in a corner of the compartment that had collapsed, splitting it into thin firewood to start a fire, and the warm embers jumped a few times, and the room was finally lighted. JiaYi tumbled out the thin blanket from the horse, threw him simple food and water, and silently swallowed by the firelight. The tension of life and death passed, leaving boundless exhaustion. 　　A day and a night later, the howling wind gradually ceased. The sky was blue and clear, without a single cloud. The surrounding sand dunes had completely changed shape, and it was all based on experience to find the location. 　　One horse died, and in order to rescue the remaining horses, the reserve of water was used up, forcing them to turn back to replenish water sources. 　　The only horse in the desert. 　　After standing frozen for a long time, Kaya finally rolled onto her horse and wrapped her arms around his waist. 　　The weight behind him was so light that it was barely noticeable. The cool fragrance lingered on the end of his nose. 　　Nearby, it was as if he could feel his breath brushing against him, and he unconsciously straightened up, his undershirt burning slightly. 　　Several days were wasted, but after walking a hundred miles. 　　The outline of a village appeared before his eyes. 　　He galloped his horse closer, and behind him, Jia Yu, who was blocked from seeing the sight, suddenly spoke. 　　"There's the smell of blood ahead." 　　The wind that drifted in was thick with blood, the village was unprecedentedly silent, he held his sword in one hand and carefully drove closer. 　　A fallen human body is strewn across the house, the edge of the window, the edge of the well, and the main road ...... When you look at it, there is not a single living person. 　　Blood dried into purple and black, the tattered front fluttering in the wind. After the burning of the village is full of devastation, all the dead are stacked on top of each other. 　　Shoddy clothing, fearful look, ordinary villagers were attacked when the panic is obvious, everywhere you can see the tragic scene of women were torn open after the abuse of clothing, huge and cracked wounds show the merciless slaughter. 　　Silence leading the horse walking in the mess, feet kicked a soft war flag. The symbol of the Gumo Kingdom stood out in front of his eyes and burned like a flame. 　　The small villages on the border of Guzi were inevitably caught up in the fighting. During the period when the Gumo army had not retreated, this place became one of the targets of looting. 　　Kaya's face was white, without a trace of expression, and his black pupils were as deep and obscure as ink. 　　It was they who started the war, their sin. 　　The inescapable sin offense was nakedly presented. 　　There is no escape. 　　Deadly silence, only the steed by the side of the body panting. 　　The center of the village is where the carnage is most concentrated. 　　A child of more than ten years old kneeling in the pile of corpses stiff as a stone. Breathing still, demented as a puppet, his sanity broken by the tragedy. The face used to smile shyly, handing over pasties and jerky, plainly returning the extra silver. 　　The whole village, the only one left. Afraid he wouldn't live long. 　　Taking one look he made a judgment. This type of loss of sanity is not uncommon in the war slave camp, instantaneous overstimulation, it is difficult to return to normal, mostly occurs in the newcomers who are new to the camp. 　　Kaya walked past, taking a step closer to the wooden, motionless child. 　　His heart tightened, beating violently, and he was too late to get out of the way to tell her to stop. 　　A small, white hand rose. 　　It blindfolded the child. 　　The village was so quiet that it was suffocating, but suddenly there was a song. 　　The clear singing voice penetrated everything. 　　Like spring water rinsing through jade, running in the mountains, forests and grasses; like the withered bones under the grass, blooming swaying spring flowers; like the clouds open up and the mist disperses, the rain clears; like the ice melts, the earth returns; like the vine meanders, invoking upward, blooming newborn shoots. Like all the unspeakable, irreversible things in the world, the cycle of death and rebirth is endless. 　　It speaks of the joy of life and the quietness of death. 　　It soothes the souls of the dead and calms the sorrows of the living. 　　Strange tunes, unfamiliar songs, can't understand the words, but so warm that it makes people cry. 　　The song echoed through the ruins, spreading in all directions. 　　For a long time, a low sob sounded, gradually growing louder. 　　The demented standing child bawled, large drops of tears dripping from the palm of the Jaya Night, rolling down to the dust. Pouring out all the pain, recovering from the chaos of unconsciousness. 　　Never had she heard Kaya sing. But when she closed her eyes, the sound of the song was like a veiled hand that cleansed her soul and stroked over her heart. 　　Her long eyelashes were slightly closed, and her eyebrows were lowered. Black hair fell down her cheeks, her pale face was as quiet as a sacrificer. 　　He stared blankly at her, suspending all thought. 　　The song continued for a long time, until the cries gradually subsided. 　　Kaya opened her eyes, her dark eyes looking behind him. 　　A swarthy line of warriors had appeared at some point, and the soldiers on their horses looked at the two men dumbfounded. The youth in the lead was handsome and sharp, covered in armor that looked extremely familiar, and his astonished gaze did not leave Jia Ye. 　　He quietly gripped the hilt of his sword. 　　The shiny armor of the Guzi cavalry was not to be mistaken in the shadow of the sun. 　　Releasing his hand over the child's eyes, Kaya silently watched for a moment, turning away from the corpse-strewn village. Most eyes still followed her, and three or two dismounted to inspect the child as he looked back from a distance, invisibly relieved.