Lord of the Desert

Chapter 581 Please ask
On August 14th, the sun shone brightly.

Water birds float on the Ling River, and merchant ships can be seen everywhere.

As usual, Hong Fan flew to Juehou Mountain early in the morning to carry out construction work, and did not return to Fengsui City until almost dusk, only to hear that the imperial envoy from Shenjing had been waiting for him all day.

The temporary altar had already been set up.

He burned incense to worship the ancestral dragon, and then had the eunuch stand with his back to the altar at the head of the table while he stood and listened to the decree—for Master Yuanci, this was already considered to be extremely respectful.

There were three imperial edicts in total.

The first document was issued by Jin Hongfan, who was appointed as the garrison commander of Fengsui Town, and handed over a complete set of newly made official seals and documents from the imperial court.

The second message was to notify the Ministry of Revenue officials responsible for compiling household registration statistics that they would arrive soon, and to request that the beacon tower city provide reception and assistance.

The third measure is to retain the commercial tax from Juehou Mountain as a subsidy for Fengsui City, with a maximum of 15%.

Being promoted to the garrison is a promotion, and keeping the commercial taxes for oneself is a fortune; with two happy events at hand, everyone is beaming with joy.

However, Hong Fan and Xu Yuntao exchanged a glance and realized that this was an imperial decree that had not been reviewed by the Zhenbei Sanwei and carried considerable risks.

The northward march of the Red Sand Army was never intended to protect the land and its people.

Hong Fan had anticipated that the court would use the victory at Xuandan Fort and his breakthrough in Yuanci to make a fuss, but he did not expect it to be so radical.

On the night the imperial decree was proclaimed, the imperial envoy had dinner and left. Hong Fan, remembering Xiao Chu's earlier reminder, temporarily instructed Shen Hong to double the amount of money prepared for the carriages and horses.

In the days that followed, the imperial decree spread far and wide, causing a great uproar north of Kuaiye Mountain.

From Lin Yuan City to Whiterun City, various discussions and connections arose one after another, but Beacon City, as the eye of the storm, remained unusually calm.

If we only consider what's within the rules, Zhenbeiwei doesn't really have many options left for the beacon towers.

In terms of administration, Suo Chengzhou and others were not only sidelined, but had long since resigned themselves to their fate and served Hong Fan with equanimity.

In terms of military strength, the Battle of Xuandanbao proved that the Chisha Army was the strongest in the Left Guard, and the entire city defense division was integrated into a single, unbreakable force.

In terms of high-end combat power, Hong Fan is already one of the top experts in the Northern Frontier and even the world. If the "Blazing Explosion Manual" were not to be passed on to outsiders, he would be able to establish his own sect and become the founder.

In terms of logistics, the flow of goods along the Juehou Mountain trade route in northern Lianghe is increasing, and it won't be possible to block it for long.

But Hongbeom knew that none of these reasons were enough.

The Great Hua reveres martial arts, especially in the Northern Frontier.

There are more than five experts in Zhenbeiwei who can defeat him one-on-one, and Kou Fei and Peng Guan are even more overwhelmingly powerful—it would be enough for one of the three generals to personally inspect the beacon towers or make a private statement to shake public morale and disrupt the situation.

However, they did nothing.

Thus, when Hong Fan pressed his hand against the city wall every day, looking at the unobstructed caravans and merchant ships, he felt that the winds of change were about to blow and a storm was brewing.

······
September 3rd.

It is located 600 li northeast of Fengsui City.

At this time of year, while the area south of Kuaiye Mountain is still vibrant with blooming flowers and lush greenery, daytime temperatures in Wolfspine City have already dropped to single digits, and evening temperatures fall below freezing.

As dusk fell, a sharp, biting wind swept through the air.

At the city gate, passersby scurried away in fear, avoiding the giant's heavy footsteps.

It stands four meters tall, has no legs or arms, and its rocky body looks even harder than a city wall.

“My name is Kaihong, and I have come to see Lord Chen.”

Kaihong vibrates the air, using hollow sounds with indistinguishable landing points to simulate the language of humans.

"Please, Your Excellency, I will go and inform you immediately..."

The city gate guard bowed respectfully in response and sent out a wolf rider to deliver the message.

The giant proceeded along the frozen main road.

It made no attempt to conceal its whereabouts along the way, which suggests that Chen Danning must have sensed it long before it arrived outside the city.

However, the proper etiquette should still be observed.

There are no lies among the giants, and their communication is devoid of emotion, but humans are different.

What causes this difference? The prevailing view is that giants have no selfish desires, while humans do.

Kaihong habitually enters a state of deep thought.

Which is better, having it or not having it...?

The snow on the road was blackened by vehicles and pedestrians, and mixed with the mud, it froze into ice shards that crunched underfoot. Most of the mud-brick houses along the street were low, with windows covered by thick straw curtains and old cloths covered with patches, barely keeping out the wind and cold.

At the alley entrance, someone was drinking dark, greasy porridge made with pickled vegetables and dumplings from a chipped earthenware bowl, clutching a few pieces of frozen radish heads in their hand.

Seeing the giant approaching, he scrambled into the alley, and the radish he accidentally dropped was quickly snatched away by another person and stuffed into their mouth.

Suppressed arguing could be heard coming from the alley.

Two thousand years ago, the giants generally believed that selfishness was a human's inherent weakness, but now most of the giants no longer think so—after all, this small race, which was once overlooked by other races, now occupies the most fertile lands in the world and is several times stronger than them.

Kaihong traversed Wolf Ridge City with perfect strides.

This stone slave city has a population of over 200,000, which is quite large in the northern frontier, but its material life is extremely impoverished due to the harsh climate and the blockade by the human race.

Of course, in addition to poverty and cold, they also suffered from mental anguish and confusion.

The night absorbs the world.

The new snow fell on the uneven streets and alleys, temporarily healing the city's wounds.

Deep within Wolfspine City lies Worsley Palace.

“Venerable Kaihong, the lord invites you in.”

Two wolf-backed warriors pushed open the heavy ebony door. A rich, warm aroma, a mixture of sandalwood, charcoal, and burnt oil, rushed out, activating the giant's gas molecule perception circuits.

The floor of the Sanssouci Palace is paved with polished jade, which connects to the earth's veins, and the ground feels warm and smooth to the touch when you walk barefoot.

Inside the hall, layers of translucent silk gauze were hung, and wisps of smoke rose from the gilded Boshan incense burner, gathering but not dispersing, transforming the mountains and lakes of Qingzhou through the gauze curtains.

The main seat was occupied by a large nanmu throne, on which was laid a huge white tiger skin—the skin was as white as fresh snow, the stripes as black as ink, and a pair of emeralds were inlaid in the tiger's eyes, which shimmered with fire under the candlelight, as if the tiger's lingering soul had not yet departed.

The throne was surrounded by layers of sable, black fox, and snow leopard fur, soft as clouds, supporting a person.

Short, obese, with a cleft upper lip...

It was Chen Danning, the "Severing Heaven Burial Path".

The giant spirit strode in and stood five zhang away from the throne.

"Kaihong pays his respects to Lord Chen."

The sound waves stirred the layers of gauze curtains, echoing throughout the Sanssouci Palace.

"What brings Venerable Kaihong here?"

Chen Danning gave a fake smile.

"I have something to ask of you, Lord Chen."

Open the macro and return immediately.

"It was my fault for asking. Why would you come to me if there was nothing wrong?"

Chen Danning placed the underglaze red lotus-patterned bowl, which was half-filled with ginseng soup, back on the short table to the left of his seat.

On the right side of the desk, the Four Treasures of the Study were pressing down on a couplet of poetry that Zhang had written.

[The vast blue sky will eventually fade away; who will be the one to untie the rope?]

He ignored the giant and clapped his hands.

A few breaths later, a servant stepped into the hall and presented a golden wire grill.

"This is Qingzhou's famous dish, slow-roasted shad. Iced, wrapped in a damp cloth, and transported day and night... I don't know how many methods I've tried and how much manpower and resources I've spent to achieve this taste of my hometown."

Chen Danning devoured the fish, the scar on his upper lip smeared with grease, its reflection distorting like a snake in the light.

"Alas, it is so fresh and delicious, but the long journey has still diminished its flavor by three points; what is even more regrettable is that you are covered in stones and cannot enjoy it."

“Our clan also has a method for constructing water-soluble molecular sensory structures. If Cuishan and Mingliu, who are skilled in this, were here, they could share their insights with Master Chen.”

The giant replied calmly, as if it couldn't detect the sarcasm in the other party's voice.

Chen Danning felt nauseous upon hearing this.

"Alright, get to the point."

Faced with a foreigner, he couldn't even eat his favorite shad.

"I wonder if Lord Chen knows about the 'Blazing Star' on the Heavenly Pride List, who is now the Captain of Fengsui City, Hong Fan."

Kaihong indeed got down to business.

"Ha, you think I'm some country bumpkin?"

Chen Danning glanced at it sideways.

"How could I not know the number one on the list of the strongest geniuses throughout history?"

"That's good."

Kaihong continued.

"In May, Xuandan Fortress was breached due to his newly developed 33 cannon; in June, he broke through the Yuan Magnetic Barrier. With the sacrificial war approaching, this person poses a great threat; Iron Lord hopes that you can eliminate him."

"Iron Venerable is more capable than me, why doesn't it go itself?"

Chen Danning's expression suddenly turned cold, and he frowned.

"Iron Venerable can do it, but he might suffer divine retribution for it, and we are unwilling to take that risk."

Kaihong explained.

"You and Hong Fan are both human, so there is no fear of divine retribution for fighting among people of the same race."

"What terms can you offer me?"

Chen Danning remained silent for a moment, then his lips contracted and he suddenly chuckled softly.

"We wish..."

Just as Kaihong was about to speak, he saw the middle-aged man on the throne suddenly grab the lotus-patterned bowl and smash it, along with the remaining ginseng soup, over his head.

The porcelain bowl shattered into pieces.

Its gas molecule sensing circuit was instantly filled with the rich medicinal aroma of ginseng.

"You really think you can set conditions? I didn't suffer divine retribution for killing Hong Fan, and those two Martial Saints from Shenjing didn't either!"

Chen Danning sat up straight and suddenly swung his arm, unleashing a torrent of true energy that swept out of the gate.

The ebony door slammed shut, and a final, muffled sentence came from behind it.

"I ended up in this situation because I was bad, not stupid!"

"piss off!"

(End of this chapter)