Lord of the Desert

Chapter 411: Sniper Sand
August 12th, the autumn is in full swing.

Two hundred miles southeast of Xijing, towards Zhongzhou.

The few wild sycamore trees standing idle have lost most of their leaves, and their thick trunks and thin branches are bare and hard, like exposed skeletons in autumn.

The official road was covered with fallen leaves.

Seeing each other again after a long separation, Hongqi, with a shy face, kept leaning towards Wu Ruyi's white horse and pushed it to the side of the road.

It was not until the owner sucked his teeth that the tiger-eating beast pricked up its ears and calmed down.

There were five riders in a row.

Hong Fan changed into the long-lost bright red silk robe with cloud pattern, and beside him were the other four members of the second squad of Liangzhou Tiqi.

Among them, Wu Ruyi and Gong Pengyun still have their eight meridians intact. Bai Jiaci has Hong Fan supplying him with marrow cleansing pills, and now he has also opened up seven meridians.

The remaining newcomer was a seven-foot-tall man with a curly beard. His name was Manlifu, about thirty years old, and he carried two twenty-jin golden pumpkins.

"The target is a person from Tuoshui County named Guo Rui, nicknamed Feng Boluan."

Wu Ruyi introduced.

"This man has the innate second level of cultivation, and is a local bully. He has privately set up roadblocks and collected tolls for seven years, and has accumulated tens of thousands of taels of wealth."

More than a year later, her black hair grew longer and was tied into a ball at the back of her head with a linen hairnet.

"At the end of last year, the Xijing Provincial Government had sent a government order to warn him, but he pretended to obey and secretly disobeyed, and refused to change his ways. That's when the matter came to our Zhangwu Academy."

Wu Ruyi took out an egg bean cake from the bag on the side of the saddle and put it to his beloved horse's mouth, but Hongqi, who was standing next to him, quickly took it away.

"Originally, to deal with such innate masters, we had to dispatch the Purple Ribbon Cavalry of the World, but there are too many disturbances in the world, and there are less than 30 Purple Ribbon Cavalry in Shenjing, so the scheduling is too slow."

"If you weren't willing to help, General Gongsun would have planned to send three teams to jointly capture him."

As she spoke, she took out another pancake and handed it to her in a different direction before feeding it into the mouth of her white horse.

The whole story was not complicated, especially since Hong Fan was familiar with the background, he understood it as soon as he heard it.

There are 20 million people in Dahua Jiuzhou, and most of the innate masters in small towns and counties have become local tyrants, and each of them has some income that is neither illegal nor illegal - although collecting tolls is not polite, the higher-ups have always turned a blind eye to it.

The problem is that road administration is the major issue that Jin Ziming has focused on since he took power in Liangzhou.

Everyone in the world knows that the crown prince is not interested in state affairs, so the second and third princes both have ideas about the throne.

Among them, Guan Qimai from the second prince's faction had just recovered the three counties of Huaiyang. His prestige had greatly increased, and he forced the third prince's teacher Jin Ziming to produce more political achievements.

Previously, Hongfan started a carriage business in response to this trend - without good hardened roads, heavy four-wheeled carriages were useless.

"I took a quick look at the intelligence before I came here."

Hong Fan replied.

"The opponents on this trip are no more than one Xiantian 2nd level, two or three level Hunran level, it should be easy to capture them."

He stroked Hongqi's warm neck, his eyes sweeping across the piles of straw scattered across the plain fields, his tone relaxed.

For the current Hong Fan, the Guantong realm is a power that does not need to be considered.

"Second Young Master, Guo Rui is definitely not your opponent in a one-on-one match, but there are still some things you need to be careful about."

The person who spoke was Gong Pengyun.

Although he had the highest background in the team, he was not that familiar with Hong Fan, but his attitude was the most respectful.

"The technique that Guo Rui practices can control wind and water. Rumor has it that although he is not very powerful in combat, his body movements are outstanding, and his water nature is particularly exquisite."

After a moment's thought, Hong Fan understood the other party's implication - he was not worried about not being able to defeat the enemy, but was worried about not being able to catch him.

The cultivation level of the Red Ribbon Ti Cavalry, whether it is themselves or their targets, is generally at the Hunran Realm. No matter how fast their burst speed is, they cannot compare to war horses when traveling long distances.

However, innate masters are different.

Since Guo Rui has a reputation for being an excellent swimmer, he can probably hold his breath underwater for 25 minutes or 30 minutes and swim dozens of miles away.

"I heard that Tuoshui County is adjacent to the Tuojiang River, a tributary of the Yao River, and is densely covered with waterways?"

Hong Fan seemed to be thinking about something.

"exactly."

Gong Pengyun nodded.

"There are three streams running through this county, and there are ditches and wells connected to the underground water system everywhere. If Guo Rui escapes into the water, it will be like a bird flying into the sky or a fish returning to the sea, and we will not be able to catch him."

At this point, everyone was a little troubled.

The martial arts of the geniuses on the list are indeed extraordinary, and it should not be difficult for them to defeat martial artists of the same level one-on-one, but suppressing the opponent to the point where he cannot move is another matter.

But Hong Fan's expression remained unchanged, and he even looked interested.

At this time, the wilderness was colorful with yellow and green, and the wind was blowing up shiny sand.

"Don't worry, everyone. I have learned a new trick recently, so I'll try it out on him. It should be a sure win."

he laughed, urging his horse forward.

······
Half a day later, we arrived at Tuoshui County.

The tepid night carries the moisture of autumn water, and countless stars float on the inverted liquid surface.

The lights in the Guo family mansion were on as usual. A grand banquet was set up in the main courtyard, with more than a dozen wealthy and powerful people in the county sitting at tables.

On the high walls and tiled roofs, the four members of the second squad of the Liangzhou Tiqi had already taken their positions, surrounding Guo Rui, who was cheering and drinking, from a distance of thirty or forty meters.

Although the man surnamed Guo could not be considered a strong warrior among the innate ones, the mere four natural warriors were definitely not enough to be his opponents.

Therefore, the success or failure of this mission depends on the attack that Hong Fan is about to launch.

Gong Pengyun lay on the eaves and exchanged a glance with Man Lifu who was standing against the wall. At the same time, he looked worriedly towards the five-story pagoda two hundred meters away.

Against the backdrop of the dim sky, the desolate sand flows and shapes, like a strange beast crouching on the top of the tower.

Hong Fan knelt on one knee with his eyes closed.

Four supports extend from the body of Tashajia and overlap with the tower body, firmly fixing it.

With a single arm as the frame, the sand-cast barrel extends to two meters in length, and the caliber and compression chamber volume are larger than in previous normal tests.

The rifling is created and the bullet is solidified.

Intake, compression, heating...

After two breaths of accumulation, the pressure in the air chamber exceeded 3,000 atmospheres, reaching the limit of Hong Fan's control. The kinetic energy of this shot exceeded 10,000 joules, close to the standard machine gun bullet of 12.7 mm caliber in the previous life.

One second later, the bullet fired.

The top of the tower shook slightly like a drum, and dust rose half an inch.

Guo Rui was standing in the center of the courtyard, toasting his glass and giving a speech, when he suddenly felt a slight sensation on his thigh. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the light reflected on the blue bricks, splashing large patches of red.

In the eyes of everyone, the generous host's right leg suddenly exploded in half, with all the muscles, flesh and bones eroded.

The pain and the gunshot arrived a beat late.

Guo Rui felt as if a basin of ice water was poured on the back of his neck. His pupils shrank as small as needles and he stared suddenly at the pagoda in the distance.

The murderous aura of the innate warrior flashed away in an instant.

In an instant he assessed his injuries and the situation and decided to take shelter for the time being.

But the Tiqi team had already taken action at the same time.

Three flying clouds condensed in the clear air. Wu Ruyi pointed his feet and flew through a cavity of ice chips, swinging out a three-inch fingertip.

The white mark was left in the air, and the speed was quite fast.

But it is not fast enough for innate warriors.

Guo Rui dodged the claw blade by moving sideways, then shattered the Xuan Yin Qi needle with his backhand palm. He then swung his true energy left and right to force back Bai Jiaci and Man Lifu who were attacking him from both sides.

It usually takes three to five celestial beings to suppress a genuine innate being.

Although Guo Rui had a broken leg, only one Tiqi squad was still not enough to defeat him.

But the bullet that had just hit him was still running through his mind.

Extremely long range, faster than sound, imperceptible fluctuations of spiritual energy... Logically speaking, this should be the work of a master of Yuanci.

But if the powerful Yuanci master is here in person, why would he need to launch a sneak attack?
Guo Rui was so confused for a moment that he had to keep 50% of his attention on guard against the second bullet that might be fired at any time in the darkness, so he got into a fight.

The energy in the center of the courtyard is running wild.

The high-speed battle lasted for several rounds in a flash.

Guo Rui's several friends who were in the Hunran Realm were unable to see the cloud pattern on the silk clothes in a hurry, and instinctively tried to help.

But he knew that breaking through was the only way out.

Reaching out his hand, he summoned the steel sword from the wooden rack beside the courtyard to his palm. Guo Rui shattered the scabbard and was about to use it when he heard a loud thunder beside his ear.

In my peripheral vision, the top of the courtyard wall exploded, and a human figure was leading in front of the broken tiles and flying dust, so fast that it left a trail of afterimage.

Half a second, eight feet.

Hong Fan instantly crossed into the formation and smashed the sword with his heavy fist.

Human figures were intertwined, and two broken swords were inserted horizontally into the pillars of the corridor. A strong wind blew through the backyard, blowing the flowers, plants and branches all over the sky.

"It turned out to be Chisha in person."

Guo Rui held his trembling right wrist with his left hand and turned his head to look at Hong Fan's back.

"Since you have already told me your name, I, Guo, will surrender. Wouldn't that save some trouble?"

He smiled bitterly, glanced at the faces and clothes of several Ti riders, glanced at the injured right leg, gritted his teeth, pulled off a circle of sleeves and tied it tightly near his heart.

At this time, the rest of the people had already prostrated themselves on the ground, not daring to move.

"Guo thought that he had behaved himself and had not done anything harmful to the world. He did not expect to attract the attention of the Tiqi."

After stopping the bleeding, Guo Rui wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and spoke again.

"Peace?"

Hong Fan sneered.

"You set up checkpoints without permission to collect fees. Are you trying to give yourself credit for the imperial court?

Guo Rui was silent.

"Can you wait overnight so I can make some arrangements?"

He pleaded.

"Now bandage and apply medicine, and then we'll go."

Hong Fan shook his head indifferently.

Seeing the other party's firm attitude, Guo Rui had no choice but to obey and ordered his two frightened sons to fetch bandages and medicine.

While applying medicine and bandaging the wound, he endured the pain and gave instructions in a low voice.

"If I am to survive, I will probably have to go to the Northern Frontier. You must take good care of mother from now on."

"While my father is away, you should do whatever the government says. But you must be extra careful with your uncles and brothers."

After treating his injuries, Guo Rui was put in iron chains by Bai Jiaci and staggered behind Hong Fan.

"The hidden weapon you used to injure me just now was shot from a pagoda several dozen feet away, and was faster than Lei Yin. May I ask what technique you used?"

After he walked out of the mansion, he caught a glimpse of the five-story pagoda in the distance and couldn't help asking.

"Use fire to control air, and use air to push sand; the new killing method is called sniping sand."

Hong Fan replied casually and rode out of the city.

Two days later, at dusk.

The bright orange sunset blooms in the crimson sunset glow, like a silent flame burning behind a red wine bottle.

On the official road outside Xijing City, Hong Fan, Wu Ruyi and Bai Jiaci chatted all the way, and couldn't help but mention the Mid-Autumn Festival and the pavilion style two years ago.

When he returned to the Zhangwu Court, two sets of bright red silk clothes with cloud patterns were handed over along with the prisoner.

The sun sets in the west and the sky turns blue.

The autumn air is particularly refreshing.

Hong Fan walked out of the red-walled gate in casual clothes and touched the front paw of the bronze lion just as Wu Ruyi did in his memory.

His career in Liangzhou Tiqi came to an end here.

(End of this chapter)