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Finest Servant Chapter 572
🕑 Added 2023-10-19 10:14:16 +0000 UTCChapter 572 Go Away!
He turned his head and saw, amidst the swirling yellow sand, a golden gazelle had appeared from nowhere. Its hooves were lifted off the ground as it darted across the desert. The animal was incredibly fast, vanishing dozens of yards away in the blink of an eye. Its slightly swaying horns traced two undulating curves in the air.
After enduring more than twenty days in the desolation of Lop Nur without seeing another living creature, Lin Wanrong was elated. Whipping his horse, he shouted, "Quick, follow it!"
Before he could even finish speaking, Hu Bugui let out an excited roar and sped ahead on his horse like the wind. Five thousand cavalries followed closely behind him. The dust they kicked up filled the sky, resembling a sandstorm rising from the desert.
Chased by five thousand steeds, the gazelle's fear translated into even greater speed. Its hooves barely touched the ground as it sprinted forward, resembling a flying fish leaping out of the water.
They pursued it for nearly half an hour, covering an ever-increasing distance. The gazelle had incredible stamina and showed no signs of slowing down.
"Look, Brother Lin, look! Grass, green grass!" In the midst of their chase, Gao Qiu suddenly raised his whip and shouted in excitement. His voice, louder than the wind and hoofbeats, pierced straight into their ears.
Gazing into the distance, they noticed tiny spots of green appearing in the yellow desert. The patches were sparse and scattered, but to those who had been traveling through the desert for twenty days, even the smallest patch of green was a symbol of life.
Whipping his horse again, Hu Bugui yelled, "Where there's grass, there's water! General Lin was absolutely right. We are about to leave this desert, men! Charge, follow me, charge!"
That cry seemed to be life itself. The soldiers' faces flushed red, and their hearts throbbed with excitement. Five thousand steeds surged forward as if competing with one another.
The farther they went, the more grass appeared, eventually forming a continuous stretch. A sea of green lay before them, an endless carpet that seemed to extend to the horizon. The sounds of hooves trampling the grass were clear and crisp, striking at everyone's hearts like a drum.
The riders galloped as fast as they could, eager to dispel the gloom of the past twenty days. The thunderous sounds of their hooves rolled across the sky like the resonant booms of spring thunder.
Suddenly, the galloping horses came to a slow stop. The cavalries' mouths hung open, their eyes widened, fixated on the view before them. The once clamorous troop became instantly silent, the only sound being their own heartbeats.
A wide, crystal-clear river stretched before them, snaking its way toward the horizon like a jade belt embedded in the grassland. The turbulent river sparkled, its water as clear as crystal. Fine sand, green grass, rounded pebbles, and swimming fish were all distinctly visible. Tender green grass, adorned with gleaming dewdrops, softly spread out. In the rising mist, everything near and far appeared hazy. Heaven and Earth seemed to momentarily merge into this vibrant tapestry of green.
As they looked upon this paradise-like landscape before them, everyone was spellbound, their eyes instantly welling up with tears.
"General, we made it! We emerged from the Sea of Death!" Hu Bugui muttered to himself, his face caked with yellow desert sand. Though he was a stout man of considerable height, he couldn't help but choke up at the moment.
"Indeed, we've truly made it out. Brother Lin is truly a miraculous man. I, Old Gao, have always said that as long as we follow Brother Lin, there's nothing we can't achieve!" Gao Qiu burst into hearty laughter, completely forgetting the misery he had experienced just moments before.
‘This guy really has a thick skin!’ Lin Wanrong looked at Li Wuling beside him and asked with concern, "Little Li, how are you feeling?"
Surviving with limited food and water in the desert had been grueling, and Lin Wanrong was particularly concerned about Li Wuling, who was recovering from serious injuries. Li Wuling's face was still a bit pale, and his body weak, but he was able to move freely. He clenched his fist and flexed his arm. "Brother Lin, look at me. Do I seem like someone in bad shape?"
Seeing that Li Wuling's personality hadn't changed, everyone felt a joy they couldn't express. Old Gao pounded his chest and said, "Little Li, rest assured. In a while, I'll personally go to the river and catch some big fish to make soup for you!"
"You?" Li Wuling gave him a quick glance and smiled, "Thank you for your concern, Brother Gao. But I've seen your dog-paddling skills. If you go into the river, I fear the fish will not be caught; instead, you might get caught by the fish."
Everyone burst into laughter, their spirits lifted. It felt like it had been a long time since they had enjoyed such lively days.
Hu Bugui, Gao Qiu, Xu Zhen, and Li Wuling—Lin Wanrong swept his eyes over everyone. Other than Du Xiuyuan, who had been ordered to hold down the fort in the Helan Mountain Valley, all his trusted subordinates were present. This was the most glorious moment since they had entered the grasslands.
"General Lin, your water bag is broken!" Xu Zhen, ever attentive, noticed that the water bag hanging from Lin Wanrong's waist had a small tear and hurriedly pointed it out.
"Is it?" Lin Wanrong quickly took the water bag and examined it. In recent days, they had centralized their water supply, so the bag hadn't been used. He hadn't even realized that the bag had gotten a small hole from sand and stones.
As he looked at the dried lip marks on the mouth of the bag, the beautiful face of a certain woman flashed before his eyes. This small water bag was a gift from a Turkic young lady, which she had even risked her life to recover in a sandstorm. Every time he felt thirsty, the water bag would silently appear in his hands.
"General, take another one," Hu Bugui quickly offered him a replacement from behind.
Lin Wanrong gently caressed the old water bag and paused for a moment before shaking his head with a smile, "If it's broken, then it's broken. Consider it a memento. This is the most vivid testimony of our journey through the Sea of Death. It would be a pity to throw it away."
He then hung the water bag back onto his waist. Everyone agreed with his sentiment; such an important keepsake, even if shattered to pieces, should not be discarded.
The soldiers cheered and rushed towards the surging river, elated and childlike in that moment. Lin Wanrong shook his head with a smile and glanced inadvertently into the distance. At the boundary between the vast desert and the grasslands, a lone figure stood.
She sat astride a dark-colored horse, neither advancing nor retreating, expressionless and silent. The blood-red setting sun stretched her graceful silhouette into a long shadow—solitary yet proud. Her slender fingers tightly gripped a glass vial, which glinted with rainbow hues in the twilight.
Hu Bugui sidled up to Lin Wanrong and whispered, "General, you can rest easy. Our men are secretly keeping an eye on her. She can't escape!"
‘Her not escaping is more troublesome than if she did,’ Lin Wanrong replied, shaking his head in resignation. He mounted his horse and rode away.
After twenty-something days of grueling travel through the desert, not just the body, but also the spirit, had been battered. Lin Wanrong knew the importance of rest and decided to be generous. He ordered the troops to camp and rest for two days. The camp burst into cheers at the news, smiles breaking out on every face. This joyful atmosphere reminded Lin Wanrong of his own childhood, eagerly awaiting the start of summer vacation, and he couldn't help but smile.
Having crossed the Lop Nur, they were now near Gaochang and the Tianshan mountains. The rushing river was crystal clear but ice-cold, likely spring water from the Tianshan. Beyond these mountains lay the treacherous Altai Mountains, facing the Turkic royal court of Kyzil. And at the foot of the Altai was Khovd, the source of the pungent herbs Lin Wanrong had long yearned for.
"After crossing the 'Sea of Death,' we could reach the Turkic royal court without anyone being the wiser—damn, the Silk Road is truly magical. Had I known, we should have ventured into the Lop Nur earlier," Gao Qiu slapped the map, spitting in excitement as if crossing the Lop Nur was a child's game.
Hu Bugui chuckled, "Alright, once we return, General Lin can inform Advisor Xu Zhiqing. Next time, the honor of crossing the 'Sea of Death' will fall on you!"
Old Gao's face turned green instantly, and he waved his hands in haste. "No, no, I'm terrible with directions. Better you do it, Old Hu—you're a master with the compass. Everyone knows!"
This guy was a classic case of overconfidence. The crowd burst into laughter, the atmosphere jovial.
Along the riverbank, white tents were scattered, and wisps of smoke lazily curled up, the faint aroma filling the air. For the first time in days, the cooks set fires and prepared meals. Although it was only foraged vegetables and roots, to the starving men, it tasted like a feast.
Lin Wanrong himself waded into the water, leading a group of men skilled in fishing to catch fish and shrimp. The spring water from the Tianshan Mountains was sweet and nutritious, teeming with large, plump fish and shrimp. Everyone was overjoyed, and laughter echoed along the river. Soon, the aroma of fish soup wafted far and wide.
As dusk gave way to darkness, everyone reluctantly left the water's edge. Lin Wanrong, however, was still engrossed, splashing about in the river. Old Gao watched him with envy, "Brother Lin, your dog paddle is much better than mine!"
When night fully descended, campfires were lit along the bank. Lin Wanrong waded upstream, feeling the force of the water against his chest, a sense of complete relaxation filling him.
After swimming an indeterminate distance in one breath, he slowly surfaced, exhaling deeply and wiping the water droplets from his face. Downstream, flickering bonfires lit the young faces of the soldiers. It had been a long time since he'd seen them so joyful.
Feeling relieved, he was about to swim back when he heard a soft splash not far off, startling him. The shore was pitch-black, only the vague outlines of some large boulders visible. The sound seemed to come from there. The night was so dark that even though he strained his eyes, he couldn't make out what had caused the noise.
Could it be a carp jumping? He chuckled softly to himself and dove underwater, swimming toward the shore. Covering a distance of several yards was a matter of mere moments for him. When he resurfaced, he was just a few yards away from the boulders.
Thick shadows hung over the shore, obscuring the rocks in an indistinct haze. All was quiet; he heard no sound. Lin Wanrong peeked out, cautiously looking around. Finding nothing amiss, he wondered if he had heard wrong. Just then, he heard another splash; a gust of cold wind blew past, and a small rock splashed into the water before him.
"Who's there?" Two cries of surprise rang out almost simultaneously. One came from Lin Wanrong; the other was a woman's voice, coming from the shadow beneath the rock.
Lin Wanrong squinted and saw a figure huddled under the rock. The figure was so still that it blended in with the shadow of the rock, which was why he hadn't noticed it before. Recognizing the voice, he was taken aback. "Yueya’er?"
"Is that you?" A graceful silhouette abruptly stood up from the shadow. Yueya’er's voice came through coldly. In the faint night, her face was as impassive as glacial ice.
So, it was this girl hiding here, throwing stones! Lin Wanrong chuckled awkwardly. "Well, it's late, Miss Yujia. Aren't you—"
"Get lost!" Before he could finish, the Turkic young woman erupted with a roar like an enraged lion cub. An avalanche of rocks and rubble flew toward him.
Oh my God! Lin Wanrong shivered in fright and hastily plunged back into the water. Though he had had many confrontations with Yueya’er since meeting her, none had been as embarrassing as this one.
Yueya’er picked up rocks and hurled them with a fury, causing countless ripples in the water that dispersed in all directions.
Gasping for breath, she clenched her teeth and continued to grab rocks, throwing them into the water. The concentric ripples spread out and closed in, endlessly. Finally, when she could find no more rocks, she broke into furious tears.
"Here you go!" A sturdy voice sounded behind her, and a pile of pebbles clattered at her feet.
Without thinking, the young woman reached for the rocks, intending to hurl them into the river. Suddenly, she paused, turning around slowly, trembling.
Under the moonlight, the face of the bandit, Lin Wanrong, grinned cheekily. He was so close—so very close!
