Lord of the Desert

Chapter 574 Shots
Three days later, on the fifth day of the sixth lunar month.

The dawn of the beacon tower city was diluted by the misty drizzle.

The weather was slightly chilly, and the yellow dog lying under the eaves looked sleepy.

At 6:00 AM, Hong Fan sat in his study, enjoying breakfast while summoning the first person to pay his respects.

"The first document is a summary of casualties in the Battle of Xuandanbao, and the second document is a contingency plan for the compensation program."

At the beginning of Chen Shi (7-9 AM), after finishing the first pot of strong tea, the stack of documents had shrunk by half a foot.

"The giants need to replenish their heat sources to survive. Without Hanging Fortress, their hunting range in the south will be greatly reduced, and the pressure on our surrounding defenses will be much less."

At the beginning of the Si hour, seven or eight strong men, including Xu Yuntao, Lü Yunshi, Hong Lie, and Yang Haorang, crowded the study so much that there was no room to move.

"The outposts and beacon towers should be moved north. Unfortunately, Xuandan Mountain is not a strategically important location and lacks water, making it unsuitable for our tribe to build a fortress; however, Luopeng Mountain, sixty li to its east, is quite suitable..."

At noon, Hong Fan sat upright at his desk for two and a half hours in the same posture, finally finishing up the administrative matters that had accumulated over a period of time.

Lunch, as usual, was a four-dish meal and a soup ordered from the largest restaurant in the city. In addition, Lingxi delivered a mutton jelly and assorted mushrooms, which were said to have been cooked by Shen Tiexin himself, but were not very tasty.

As usual, Hong Fan reviewed the CDs and approved the Kaiming Company's plan to set up a new factory in Guangji City during the meeting.

After advancing to the Yuan Magnetic Realm, his appetite actually decreased, and he relied more on his innate organs to replenish his energy.

After the meal, Hong Fan summoned Shen Hong and instructed him to search for some rare elixirs that could heal hidden injuries and prolong life, intending to give them to Song Qiwu. Afterwards, he wrote a letter to the Xijing Weapon Workshop, requesting the forging of a Xuan-grade superior dragon staff to replace Wang Xiaodan's weapon that had been damaged by the fake Iron Venerable.

The light rain stopped at the beginning of the Wei hour (1 p.m.).

Hong Fan washed his face with cold water and returned to the main hall to prepare to receive guests.

"The next visiting card was only submitted this morning, so it shouldn't have been sent today, but his status is different..."

"Who?"

"Queen Jin Shuang of Hejian Kingdom".

······
"Are you Hou Jinshuang?"

The shopkeeper looked at the tall young man in front of him.

He had a square face, protruding ears, slightly protruding front teeth, wore a black embroidered martial arts uniform, and carried a heavy bow that was half his height on his back.

"Jin Shuang, the fourth-ranked 'Archer' of Hejian Kingdom, on the list of prodigies?"

The shopkeeper's voice rose eight octaves; though he was asking a question, he already believed it.

This was because the guest in front of him had pure black eyes, without any distinction between pupils and sclera, and carried a large bow but no arrows.

Throughout the Nine Provinces, it is known that the royal family of the Kingdom of Hejian has passed down the "Scripture of the Three Realms Illuminating All Things," which states that after practitioners advance to the Innate Realm, their eyes will be stained with a pure color. In addition, they are skilled at creating divine weapons called "Condensed Light," which can be combined with their family's inherited techniques to shape true essence into sharp arrows.

"I want a room, the best one you have."

Then Jin Shuang said proudly.

From childhood to adulthood, he has been accustomed to the awe-inspiring gazes of others—in his youth because of his family background, and now because of his prestigious reputation as a top scholar.

"Understood. The upper room is currently empty, two taels of silver a day."

The shopkeeper smiled and gestured to the idle waiter to hurry upstairs and prepare the room.

"Guests, you have come from afar, carrying wealth and honor. May I ask what brings you here, and if there is anything we can do for you?"

"Making friends through martial arts."

Jin Shuang's reply was brief.

This statement sounds completely nonsensical at first glance.

"Ah, our distinguished guest wouldn't be here to challenge us..."

The shopkeeper looked incredulous.

Half of the thirty-four years of Zhenghe have passed, and no prodigy has yet come to challenge Hong Fan—which is to be expected, after all, even the dignified Yuan Ci Venerable Huo Wei could not defeat him. "My lord, the famous 'Ten Fingers Hanging on Life' Zhou Ping also came last November. At that time, he was ranked third on the list of prodigies, and I heard that he could not force our captain to use his full strength at all."

A man dressed as a businessman, sitting in the lobby, couldn't help but offer his advice.

“I know, I also defeated Zhou Ping just last month.”

Jin Shuang replied coldly, with great confidence.

"But Fengsui City is located in a remote area, and the news has not yet come."

The shopkeeper was placing the wooden plaque for the second-floor room A and the room key on the counter when he heard this and was taken aback.

"If the new list of prodigies is released, I will be second only to Hong Fan of Chixing."

Afterwards, Jin Shuang took the key and scanned everyone with an unfocused gaze.

"Don't prepare lunch for me today."

He said that, then turned and went upstairs.

crunch, crunch...

The pine wood stair treads creaked underfoot, a sound that was quite irritating.

In fact, Hou Jinshuang was far less confident than she appeared.

There is a saying that there is no first place in literature, but there is a second place in martial arts; if the second-ranked genius does not challenge the top spot before it expires, then he is afraid.

This is the consensus of the people; the logic is arbitrarily strong, but it makes some sense.

Jin Shuang's pressure didn't stop there.

The Martial Arts Academy has established the Prodigy Ranking for over a century, with a total of more than two hundred top-ranked individuals. However, none of them came from the Hou family, one of the four great families.

Using archery skills in a tournament is inherently disadvantageous.

After Yueqiu, who was known as "One Arrow Through the Clouds," he was also a rare genius in Hejian Kingdom. He was defeated three times in three battles by Qu Luoyi, who was ranked first at the time, and finally finished fifth.

After Jin Shuang reached the second place, and three months ago she defeated her cousin (Hou Yueqiu), who was five years older than her, and swept across Qing and Han provinces without finding an opponent, she could not stop now, whether for her own martial arts ambition or the honor of the Hejian royal family.

The door to the upper room was open, and the innkeeper was waiting outside to invite them in.

A complete brown bear pelt was laid out in the suite's living room, and freshly lit incense was slowly burning on the round table.

Hong Fan and I are both born with the Six Harmonies innately and both possess dragon blood; I cultivate the "Three Realms Illumination Scripture," while he cultivates both the Destiny Star Authority and the "Blazing Fire Explosion Scripture."

Jin Shuang then entered the room, and without making any move, the door closed by itself behind her.

Considering only these paper advantages, I am slightly at a disadvantage.

First-class noble families are always arrogant, but they are selective about who they are dealing with.

It's not shameful to admit you're not as good as Chixing.

[The insight and precision of my Hou clan's martial artists are unparalleled; to achieve this victory, I will begin by targeting these aspects.]

The core killing technique of the "Three Realms Illumination Scripture" is called "Heavenly Eye," which possesses powerful dynamic vision, microscopic vision, farsightedness, spiritual vision, and other abilities. Those at the innate level can even directly "see" the flow of true essence and invisible energy.

Judging from his resume, Hong Fan has far more combat experience than I do, but I have developed "future vision," and my adaptability on the spot will definitely surpass his.

"Future Vision" is a renowned super-grade killing technique that can deduce an opponent's movements by capturing information such as body temperature, density, blood pumping, muscle tension, and true energy flow. It is similar to "Infinity," which has a more powerful predictive effect but does not enhance physical attributes.

[The six-armed mode of the Desert Armor can suppress Yuanci in close combat; a direct confrontation would be unwise. I should make it clear that for the sake of fairness, Hong Fan is not allowed to use the Wuxiang Spirit. Furthermore, "Witness" is the most effective way to launch a surprise attack; I must save it for the most crucial moment…]

Afterwards, Jin Shuang sat cross-legged on the bed, rehearsing her tactics for what seemed like the umpteenth time.

Hong Fan is indeed incredibly powerful, but he is not invincible!

(End of this chapter)