The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 686 Remnants of the Former Dynasty

It is said that Jia Huan sent his men to raid Hami City, while he himself was responsible for guarding the oasis camp. On this day, when there was nothing to do, he took Lu Xiangjin, Tie Niu and a dozen personal guards to patrol around and find out where the lake's water source came from.

However, after circling the oasis for several miles, the group found no rivers or streams. All around was an endless expanse of Gobi Desert, almost barren except for the area where the oasis was located.

Lu Xiangjin asked in surprise, "How strange! If there is no source of fresh water, how did this oasis lake come about?"

Jia Huan smiled and said, "Since it's not surface water, it must be groundwater. If I'm not mistaken, there must be a spring at the bottom of this lake."

Jinbao scratched his head in confusion and asked, "Huh, where would a spring come from in a dry desert?"

Jia Huan, who was an archaeology major in his previous life and had even studied Crescent Lake in Dunhuang, found this no problem. He laughed and said, "Although the desert is short of water, it doesn't mean there is no water. We are not far from the Tianshan Mountains. Meltwater from the glaciers on the mountains seeps into the ground and flows to low-lying areas. This place must be in a low-lying area, and there are impermeable rock layers underground to block it, so the groundwater gushes out to the surface and forms this lake."

"Is that so?" Jinbao and Muye both showed expressions of "not understanding but impressed".

Lu Xiangjin smiled and said, "Although I don't know much about it either, it's certain that Third Master is very knowledgeable. I admire you!"

Everyone laughed, but just then, the guards nearby suddenly started making a commotion. Jia Huan and Lu Xiangjin quickly went over and asked, "What happened?"

It is said that Jia Huan's personal guards were temporarily drawn from the princess's ceremonial guards and militia. They were all outstanding young men, but young people inevitably have excess energy and are fond of fighting. It was common for them to spar and compete with each other.

A guard from the princess's residence said with a smile, "Third Master Huan has arrived just in time. Fourth Master Fan wants to make a bet with that brat Dong Dao."

Fan Silang is also one of the guards of the Duke's mansion. He has now been selected by Jia Huan as the deputy captain of the personal guard, while Dong Dao is also the deputy captain. The captain is Tie Niu.

Although Tie Niu was honest and simple and didn't talk much, his skills were undeniable, so everyone respected him, whether it was the princess's guards or the Shaanxi militia under Lu Xiangjin. However, the princess's guards didn't respect Dong Dao, especially Fan Silang, who was also a deputy captain.

Fan Silang's real name was Fan Jian. He was the fourth among his brothers, so everyone called him Fan Silang. Unlike the other young soldiers, he was quite skilled. He was good at fighting, archery, and horsemanship, so he looked down on Dong Dao, who came from the militia. He would seize any opportunity to compete with Dong Dao.

The two had previously sparred in foot combat and mounted archery. In mounted archery, Fan Silang was slightly better, but in foot combat, he was completely outmatched by Dong Dao's swift blade, losing face in front of his brothers. So he was determined to get revenge in other ways.

Young people are full of vigor and have a competitive spirit, which is a good thing, so Jia Huan didn't stop him and asked with a smile, "What are you two going to compete in this time?"

Fan Silang pointed to the steep, wind-eroded hill in front of him and said, "Third Master Huan, I will have a contest with Dong Dao to climb the mountain barehanded. Whoever reaches the top first wins, and the loser will have to address the other as 'Master' from now on!"

Jia Huan frowned slightly. The wind-eroded hill in front of him was probably nearly thirty meters high, extremely steep, and its surface was severely weathered. In some places, it would crumble at the slightest touch. If one were to fall from such a height, one would either die or be maimed.

"Are you really going to compete in this?" Jia Huan asked hesitantly.

Fan Silang shouted menacingly, "Of course, I must settle things with that brat Dong Dao today."

With an unknown grass root dangling from his mouth, Dong Dao said with a touch of cynicism, "Whoever doesn't compete is a cowardly bastard."

Fan Silang angrily said, "Fine, I ask Third Master Huan to be my witness."

Jia Huan had no choice but to nod and say, "Then let's have the competition."

When the group arrived at the foot of the wind-eroded hill, they looked up and immediately felt that it was even steeper and more precipitous. Even the most timid people felt their legs go weak.

Dong Dao untied his sword and tossed it to one of his men, grinning as he said, "Fan Silang, it's not too late to admit defeat now. If you fall off from there later, it won't be a joke."

Fan Silang sneered, "Bullshit, you should worry about yourself." After saying that, he turned around and ran towards the rock wall, grabbing the uneven rocks and climbing up.

Dong Dao chuckled and slowly walked to the foot of the rock wall. He first stretched his muscles and bones leisurely until Fan Silang had climbed four or five meters high. Then, he suddenly leaped up and jumped nearly three meters high, hanging on the mountain wall like a gecko.

The Shaanxi militiamen cheered in unison, while the guards were dumbfounded. Was this kid born in the Year of the Monkey? He could jump so high!

Lu Xiangjin glanced at the shocked Jia Huan and laughed, "Besides his amazing swordsmanship, Dong Dao's agility is unparalleled. He can easily scale walls and roofs."

Jia Huan couldn't help but gasp inwardly. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would have found it hard to believe that someone could jump so high. If this were in the Olympics in the future, the gold medal would be a piece of cake. Tsk tsk, is there really such a thing as light-body kung fu in this world?

While Jia Huan was still in shock, Dong Dao had already climbed halfway up the mountain like a nimble monkey, leaving Fan Silang below only able to sigh in disbelief.

"Damn it, are you a monkey reincarnated? What are you still competing for? Master Dong, I admit defeat!" Fan Silang cursed and got up the way he came, but this kid was good at taking it and letting it go, directly admitting defeat and calling himself "Master".

Dong Dao chuckled, but instead of coming down, he continued climbing. He climbed higher and higher, sometimes grabbing a rock with one hand and swinging in mid-air before somersaulting to the other side – a truly dangerous display, clearly a show of skill that made everyone hold their breath in suspense. "Master Dong, don't be reckless, or you'll fall and turn into a turtle!" Fan Silang said irritably.

They were not far from the summit. The desert wind was howling, and Dong Dao became noticeably more cautious, carefully climbing upwards. Finally, he reached the summit without any major incident.

"Good!!!" The crowd cheered and applauded in unison, and the Shaanxi militiamen even excitedly started playing the Ansai waist drum.

Jia Huan said with a smile, "Good lad, you've got some skills. Let him come down."

Lu Xiangjin cupped his hands to his mouth and shouted up to the top of the rock face, "You brat, stop showing off and get down here right now."

Dong Dao chuckled and was about to climb down when he suddenly noticed a figure flash beneath a wind-eroded hill in his line of sight. His heart skipped a beat. He pretended to wipe his sweat, quickly scanned the area with his sharp eyes, and then calmly climbed down the cliff.

"Master Dong is amazing!" The guards surrounded him and cheered, lifting him up and tossing him in the air a few times before putting him down.

Jia Huan watched with a smile. This was what young people should be like: passionate, energetic, brave, and fearless.

At this moment, Dong Dao finally managed to break free and quickly approached Jia Huan, whispering, "Third Master, there's a ghost over there."

Jia Huan was slightly taken aback, but quickly understood and nodded, saying, "Arrest them!"

Dong Dao, Lu Xiangjin, and the others quickly mounted their horses and headed straight for the nearby wind-eroded hill. Sure enough, two people were hiding at the foot of the hill. They probably realized they had been exposed, so they quickly leaped out and ran away. One of them even blew a sharp whistle, obviously calling for his companions.

Upon hearing this, Dong Dao and Lu Xiangjin spurred their horses even harder, pushing their speed to the limit and rushing towards the two men like lightning.

The two men were dressed in khaki clothes, with headscarves and faces covered. Their clothes were similar in color to the desert, which was very effective in concealing their movements. They were undoubtedly spies.

Soon, Dong Dao and Lu Xiangjin caught up with the two men. Suddenly, one of the shrewd scouts raised his hand and fired a crossbow at Lu Xiangjin's face.

The crossbow bolt came so fast that Lu Xiangjin had no time to react. Just as he was about to die from the arrow, a flash of light appeared beside him, and the crossbow bolt was knocked down in the nick of time.

It turned out that Dong Dao, who was standing nearby, had come to the rescue in time. His strike was so fast that it was hard to describe. The scout was obviously not expected that Dong Dao would strike so quickly, so he was stunned for a moment.

"die!"

In the instant the scout was distracted, Dong Dao leaped off his horse and slashed down with a terrifying force that was truly astounding and a rainbow piercing the sun.

The spy closed his eyes in despair!

"Spare his life!" A voice cried out anxiously amidst the rapid clatter of hooves.

While in mid-air, Dong Dao instinctively sheathed his sword, performed a front flip, and reached out with his left hand like a demonic claw, grabbing the scout's head. The scout reacted at this moment, hurriedly crouching down and rolling on the ground. Although he dodged Dong Dao's sharp claws, his headscarf and mask were torn off, and his long black hair flew up in the air.

Dong Dao landed lightly, and before the scout could even get up, the knife was already at his throat. Looking down at him, he frowned and said, "So it's a female!"

"General, spare his life! Spare his life!" Several riders galloped over from a distance, with an old man with a white beard waving his hand and shouting.

At this moment, Jia Huan, under the protection of Tie Niu and other personal guards, rode up to the front. They saw that the scout captured by Dong Dao was actually a young girl with bright eyes and white teeth. At first glance, she looked a bit like a female celebrity named Dilraba. She was probably only thirteen or fourteen years old, so she looked even more youthful and beautiful. All the personal guards couldn't help but take a second look.

However, the word "cherishing beauty" didn't seem to exist in Dong Dao's dictionary. He stepped on the woman's stomach, held a knife to her neck, stared sharply at the several riders rushing towards them, and shouted sternly, "Stop!"

The approaching riders were startled and quickly reined in their horses. The white-bearded old man at the head of the group dismounted, raised his hands to indicate that he was unarmed, and shouted, "General, spare our lives! We mean no harm!"

Lu Xiangjin waved his hand, and his personal guards surrounded them, seized their proclamations, and took control of their horses.

The white-bearded old man remained calm, allowing the soldiers to escort him before Jia Huan. He respectfully bowed with his hand on his chest and asked, "May I ask how this esteemed gentleman from the superior nation is addressed?"

Jia Huan sized up the old man. He had a Hui face from Xinjiang and dressed like a local. He spoke fluent Mandarin and asked, "Who are you? Are you plotting something by secretly watching us?"

The old man hurriedly replied, "No, no, I am Amulang, the former chief clerk of the Hami royal court, and this is Ayina, the youngest daughter of the former Hami king Shanba. The traitor Baiwa usurped the throne and killed our king's entire family. Many ministers who refused to submit were also subjected to a bloody purge. Ayina and I were lucky enough to escape the calamity and have been living in exile for many years."

(End of this chapter)