The Condor Heroes: The Quanzhen Sect has produced a vengeful master!

(Note: The political landscape of the Mongol Empire at the end of the Southern Song Dynasty was somewhat different from that in the original novel of The Return of the Condor Heroes. The original novel of The Return of the Condor Heroes contains some artistic creations.)

Please note: This is a fan fiction of The Return of the Condor Heroes, so it largely uses the original background for creative extension. Where there are unclear parts in the original work, historical fact is used as a reference. Please enjoy it for fun and don't take it too seriously.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The old sand fox still couldn't hold on.

He was too old. Wang Jiuling's true energy could heal his injuries, but there was nothing that could be done about the old sand fox's declining physical functions.

"Let him be buried in the desert!"

Surprisingly, Boss Tuo didn't seem too sad.

He said that Old Fox had been prepared since the day their camel caravan was formed.

As a guide in the desert, dying in the desert is normal; Boss Tuo himself had long thought that this day would come.

"Burial in the desert, his soul will bless those who pass by; this is his final resting place!"

The group didn't rush; instead, they buried the old sand fox first.

This old man rarely spoke after Wang Jiuling joined the camel caravan, but he was the cornerstone of the entire caravan.

The group was somewhat downcast and led their camels toward the oasis.

They were approaching the Altun Mountains oasis supply point, which meant they had finally crossed the heart of the desert.

The danger has almost passed.

Once you cross the Altun Mountains and travel a little further, you'll find large oasis towns, and then you'll truly have arrived in the Western Regions.

"After this journey, the caravan should split up. I'll stay in the Western Regions then!"

At the foot of the Altun Mountains, in a small market in an oasis, the camel driver was filling water onto his camel while turning back to talk to Wang Jiuling.

Wang Jiuling helped to secure the water. "Why?"

Camel Boss explains:

"It's the custom; it's very unlucky if the caravan guide collapses in the desert."

"This means that Heaven has forbade us to cross the desert again. This time, only Old Sand Fox fell, while the rest of us were safe and sound. This is Heaven's mercy, and also..."

The camel leader looked up at the sky. "It's also a warning from heaven."

The camel patted Wang Jiuling on the shoulder and said with a smile, "Don't worry, once you've finished your business in the Western Regions, even without us..."

But once the windy season is over, there will be plenty of camel caravans!

After resupplying, the group headed deeper into the Western Regions.

Their first stop was the ancient city of Milan, which was currently unclaimed territory and teeming with bandits.

Fortunately, their camel caravan was no pushover; they forced their way through and finally reached Qiemo.

During this period, Qiemo was nominally under the jurisdiction of the Gaochang Uyghurs, but in reality, it was politically under the control of the Ögedei Khanate, since the Gaochang Uyghurs were themselves a vassal state of the Mongol Empire.

When the camel driver arrived here, he stopped. He was a Uyghur, and since he had decided not to work as a camel driver anymore, he would stay here.

Wang Jiuling, however, wanted to follow the same path as the Zen Master Kudu and investigate Master Fachuang.

And so it was time to part ways.

"Taoist Master! Take care!"

Zhao Xiaoer was most reluctant to part ways, as he hadn't had a chance to repay the life-saving grace in the desert before they had to separate.

Before leaving, Boss Tuo did a favor by asking Tie Yao to accompany Wang Jiuling to Khotan and find him a reliable translator.

Because the most spoken languages ​​here are Uyghur and Mongolian, followed by Arabic, while Chinese is too niche.

Iron Falcon can communicate in basic Chinese, but he has no problem with Mongolian and Uyghur.

The most troublesome one is Qiu Qianren.

Wang Jiuling couldn't leave him behind, otherwise he would go crazy and hurt people, so he had to keep him by his side.

Ever since this guy went crazy last time, he seems to have lost his soul, and he's been in a daze all day long. But this makes it easier for Wang Jiuling to take care of him.

And so, Wang Jiuling and Old Camel officially parted ways, and Wang Jiuling embarked on his journey.

This entire Western Region now belongs to the Mongol Empire.

Han Chinese are defined here as the "fourth class," the lowest class.

However, Wang Jiuling, because of his identity as a member of the Quanzhen School, was not troubled much.

In the northern part of the Central Plains, Kublai Khan, as the commander of the Mongol conquest of the Southern Song Dynasty, advocated suppressing the Quanzhen School.

However, in the Western Regions at present, the control of the Mongol Empire by the Ögedei lineage, which has the greatest power in the Mongol Empire, is significantly greater than that in the Central Plains.

However, Ögedei's faction did not suppress the Quanzhen School.

On the contrary, they tried their best to win them over.

Therefore, despite his Han Chinese appearance, Wang Jiuling did not encounter much difficulty in the Western Regions.

On the contrary, he could use his Quanzhen Sect identity to solve problems of inspection and checkpoints wherever he went.

This identity is actually quite "useful".

However, when Wang Jiuling successfully passed through a checkpoint, he saw a Han Chinese farmer behind him being stopped and questioned for a long time.

Finally, they were asked to pay a "toll".

Wang Jiuling, on the contrary, felt quite uncomfortable with this "privilege"...

On the street not far away, Wang Jiuling suddenly saw a "familiar face".

Ma Guangzuo.

This guy somehow got into a conflict with the soldiers at the checkpoint, and Wang Jiuling couldn't understand the Uyghur language they were speaking.

At this moment, seemingly sensing the gaze, Ma Guangzu looked over and immediately spotted Wang Jiuling.

And the guard captain was gesturing for Wang Jiuling to pass.

"Huh? Qingyangzi?"

Ma Guangzuo's expression brightened, and he called out to Wang Jiuling from afar. He had no other purpose; he was just instinctively happy to see an acquaintance.

Wang Jiuling cupped his hands in greeting to him.

He had a good impression of this person. Back in Tingzhu Garden in Nanyang, only Ma Guangzuo was unwilling to fight him with superior numbers.

As Wang Jiuling cupped his hands in greeting, the guard captain glanced at the two of them.

"Do you know him?"

Tie Yaozi translated for Wang Jiuling, and Wang Jiuling nodded.

The sergeant waved his hand and said something, and the two soldiers who had clashed with Ma Guangzuo stepped back.

This inadvertently helped Ma Guangzuo. Ma Guangzuo was surprised to see that the soldiers no longer made things difficult for him and instead let him go. He ran to Wang Jiuling.

"Hey! Qingyangzi! You know them?"

"Thanks so much! Hehe! Thank you so much!"

Wang Jiuling nodded. "You're welcome! Why didn't you follow Kublai Khan to Nanyang and instead came to the Western Regions?"

Ma Guangzu slung his broadsword over his shoulder and waved it.

"Hey! What's the point of following him? Those experts around him were utterly defeated by you last time! There's no future in hanging out with them!"

Then I felt a little embarrassed.

"I got stopped because I was walking around too arrogantly carrying a knife! Thank goodness you were here!"

"They really gave you face! You're doing quite well here!"

"By the way, what brings you to the Western Regions?"

Ma Guangzuo was very easygoing and didn't feel like a stranger to Wang Jiuling at all. He put his arm around Wang Jiuling's shoulder and chatted incessantly, showing great enthusiasm.

Wang Jiuling subtly stepped aside, shook his head helplessly, and didn't want to explain anything.

"I came to the Western Regions on business, but I can't understand the Uyghur language, so I need to find a translator."

Upon hearing this, Ma Guangzuo immediately raised an eyebrow and patted his chest.

"You should have said so earlier!"

"I understand it! I even understand Mongolian!"

"Well, since I've got nothing better to do anyway, and you just helped me, how about I translate for you?"

"Oh! Don't worry, I don't want your money!"