194: The Lost Territory, Qinghai
Without mutated creatures as their mounts, they experienced the arduousness of walking through knee-deep snow. Despite many having changed into spare cold-resistant clothing, when their feet were immersed in the snow and became numb after half an hour of walking, their entire bodies turned cold.
Cong Xia tirelessly provided warmth to his companions. Several of them took turns carrying Zhuang Yao on their backs, so the condition of their group of six was relatively good. Others weren’t as fortunate. By noon, they had to rest again.
Tang Tingzhi and Zhuang Yao were on the side studying their direction. Aside from the compass, they relied on the direction of tree growth and the sun to discern their position. Even in the dense fog, the massive orb in the sky was faintly visible. Based on these factors and their precise computational abilities, they continually adjusted their direction.
It was imaginable that without these two individuals with evolved cognitive abilities, they would likely have become lost in this fog-filled forest. Monsters lurking within the mist would have seized the opportunity to consume them, rendering escape impossible unless the fog dissipated.
Around three in the afternoon, they set off again and walked until nightfall. Fortunately, they hadn’t encountered any attacks that day. However, the atmosphere during dinner and rest wasn’t as cheerful as in the preceding days. Many people were still covered in strands of silk, preventing them from lying down to sleep. They could only sit or lie prone.
To prevent Abu from involuntarily licking the silk on his body, apart from taking turns on night watch, they also had to keep an eye on Abu. Most people didn’t sleep well that night.
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Ebld cyvble kd vbl zsdt-yoykvle pwdzktbv, lhlausdl qlzv y pldpl sq alckavb. Ohld vbswtb vblu bye clld vkale yzz eyu, yv vbkp xsxldv, vblka prkakvp olal alhkhle. Gqvla nblokdt sd psxl eau ayvksdp, vblu iwknjldle vblka rynl vsoyaep vbl nkvu. Vlabyrp vblal, vblu nswze qkde vbl kdd, nssjle qsse, bsv cyvbp vblu bye clld bsrkdt qsa. Yspv kxrsavydvzu, vblu nswze qkdyzzu qktwal swv bso vs tlv ake sq vbspl eyxdle prkela pkzjp nzkdtkdt vs vblx.
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Tsolhla, vbl ldvkal nkvu pllxle vs byhl elvynble qasx bwxydkvu. Gqvla ldvlakdt Ckdtbyk, vblu byed’v ldnswdvlale y zkhkdt pswz, yde vblu bye plld sdzu y qlo nsarplp. Rd yzz vbl nkvklp vblu bye rypple vbaswtb clqsal, ds xyvvla bso elpszyvl, vblu nswze yzoyup qkde vaynlp sq bwxyd byckvyvksd. Jwv wrsd pllkdt vbl pnldl kd Dkdkdt, vblu cltyd vs eswcv kq vblal olal ydu bwxydp zlqv kd vbl ldvkal nkvu.
Mbl xwvyvle nalyvwalp olal nwakswp ycswv vblx yde scplahle qasx nsadlap, assqvsrp, yde vbl pju. Vlabyrp vblu byed’v ldnswdvlale ckrleyz oyzjkdt qsse qsa y zsdt vkxl. Mblu alqaykdle qasx yvvynjkdt ewl vs vbl hypvdlpp sq vbl taswr.
“Rdelle, vblal’p ds sdl zlqv,” Usdt Dky scplahle vbl eyajdlpp yaswde vblx. “Ps usw vbkdj vblal yal pvkzz rlsrzl kd Qszxwe? Uswze vblal cl bwxydp zlqv kd Qszxwe?”
Hbwydt Zys alrzkle, “Mblal xwpv cl. Ohld kd vbkp nkvu, vblal pbswze cl psxl alxykdkdt. Twxydp oswzed’v lypkzu ts lmvkdnv. Mblu’hl rascyczu fwpv tsdl kdvs bkekdt. Tsolhla, yp qsa kddp yde pwnb, esd’v nswdv sd kv. Nlv’p qkde y bswpl vs prlde vbl dktbv kd.”
Yao Qianjiang sighed, he had never endured such hardship before, and he was obviously uncomfortable, though he refrained from complaining.
Suddenly, the small vessel circling above let out an alarm, “There are lights ahead.”
“Lights?”
“How far are they from us?”
“I can’t pinpoint exactly, but it’s probably several kilometers away. There really is light, and not just from one source, it’s concentrated in one area, while other places are dark.”
Tang Tingzhi added, “Let’s rest again, everyone. We must make it to the place with lights tonight.”
Without needing him to say it, no one wanted to linger here. Hearing that there were lights ahead, everyone’s legs gained strength, and their hearts filled with anticipation. Light not only meant the presence of people, but also the living conditions that could sustain it.
They continued at such a brisk pace for several more kilometers and finally reached the city center. There, they were left dumbfounded. While other places had been ruined, most were abandoned, but here, the destruction was absolute. Blocks of buildings and streets had been blown to pieces, and tons of building materials lay scattered before them. These materials had been roughly piled together after the buildings had collapsed, forming walls ranging from four to seven meters high, blocking their path.
The small vessel beeped, “There’s no path here, and I haven’t seen a path in the distance either. But the lights are inside.”
Zhuang Yao furrowed his brows, “Could this be the ‘protective wall’ they’ve constructed?”
Li Fengyu looked up at the wall and said, “‘Protective wall’? Can this really hold up? It’s not like they’re building the Great Wall. The height isn’t even sufficient, and there are plenty of gaps.”
Tang Ting added, “It still serves a certain purpose. At least it can deter some mutated creatures. It seems the people of Xining have taken shelter within the wall. The entrance could be on that side. Let’s not waste time searching. We’ll just climb over.”
Cheng Tianbi remarked, “This wall doesn’t look like it can bear weight. Abu and the others won’t be able to cross.”
Wu Yu said, “No problem, I’ll create a bridge.” He chose the shortest part of the wall, about four meters high. With a wave of his hand, a three-meter-wide, ten-centimeter-thick arched ice bridge formed, extending directly from one side of the wall to the other. It resembled a snow-white transparent slide, remarkably marvelous.
Deng Xiaoxing excitedly exclaimed, “Wow!” and dashed forward, but the ice bridge was too slippery, and since he was in human form without claws, he slipped and fell as soon as he reached it, almost knocking his teeth out.
Laughter erupted from the others. Deng Xiao climbed back up, visibly annoyed, and displayed his sharp claws, gripping the ice surface. This time, he successfully reached the highest point of the ice bridge. Standing there, he waved enthusiastically to the others, “President Wu, this thing is so much fun! It’s like a slide. Look at this, I’m going down now!”
“Xiao Deng, don’t mess around. Be careful…”
Cong Xia hadn’t finished speaking when Deng Xiaoxi somersaulted onto the ice bridge and excitedly slid down. The others were about to follow suit when a horrified scream echoed from the other side. “Ah—what! What is this? Let me go, damn it!”
Everyone was startled. Cheng Tianbi and Tang Yanqiu both took flight, heading towards the wall’s other side. In mid-air, they were met with a sudden figure shooting up. It had an oval-shaped head and a slender neck. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a snowy-white goose, even larger than Abu. Estimating a height of at least 9 meters, its orange beak clamped down on Deng Xiaoxing, swinging him around in fury. Simultaneously, two other geese rose to their feet, their long necks extending over to the side of the wall, their massive beaks ready to peck at them.
Everyone retreated, luckily separated by a wall. These geese didn’t seem to be attempting to cross over; they were just clamoring wildly.
Cong Xia stuttered, “How… is there… no energy fluctuation…” They were only separated by a wall from these large geese, so it was impossible not to sense anything unless the geese’s energy was also shielded.
Cheng Tianbi readied a Wind Blade, preparing to cut off the goose’s neck if it dared to swallow Deng Xiaoxing. Tang Yanqiu also drew his bow, arrow aimed at the goose, but he didn’t release it. They could tell this goose was the leader of the flock. Obviously, it was the largest among them. For now, it hadn’t eaten Deng Xiaoxing yet. If they were to attack recklessly and anger the entire flock, it would cost them a lot of effort. Geese weren’t easy opponents.
Deng Xiaoxing’s claws clung onto the goose’s iron-hard beak as he angrily yelled, “Release me now, or I’ll poison you!” He wasn’t entirely confident in saying this because the beak was so tough that he had no certainty if injecting poison into it would be effective. With his body trapped in the beak, he couldn’t move or exert any strength. He felt his internal organs being squeezed together, but the pain was bearable. What he couldn’t stand was the constant shaking of the goose’s neck, making him feel like he was about to be dismembered.
The goose’s large eyes glanced at him, and due to the close proximity, they sort of met eye-to-eye. It appeared rather foolish. It stood there for a couple of seconds, then suddenly shook its neck even more angrily. Its neck, which was at least three meters long, swayed through the air like a snake. Deng Xiao felt dizzy from being tossed around, almost on the brink of collapse. “Ah, ah, Mr. Goose, please stop shaking. I’m going to throw up!”
“Xiao Dai! What are you doing?” A middle-aged man’s voice sounded from a distance. Cheng Tianbi and Tang Yanqiu looked in the direction of the voice. A man wrapped in clothes was rushing over from afar. It was evident from his demeanor that he was quite anxious; his clothes weren’t even properly worn.
The goose halted and then forcefully spat Deng Xiao onto the ground.
Deng Xiao felt dizzy and had stars dancing before his eyes. He couldn’t stand up for quite a while, lying there on the ground.
“Hey?” The man looked at the ice bridge, then up at the two people flying in the sky. He was taken aback. “Who are you guys? Did you come here to steal geese?” As he spoke, he hurried over, frantically wrapping his clothes around himself. His clothes were disheveled.
Cheng Tianbi and Tang Yanqiu exchanged a glance. Cheng Tianbi said, “We’re travelers from elsewhere, looking for a place to stay.”
“Elsewhere? Where from? Lanzhou?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t lie to me. No one can come from Lanzhou. You must be from the west. What do you want?” As he spoke, the man pulled out a whistle from his pocket, preparing to blow it.
Tang Yanqiu released an arrow, which whizzed past the man’s ear, shaving off a bit of skin.
The man froze, completely stiffened.
Tang Yanqiu said coldly, “Don’t move recklessly, or the next arrow will be in your eye.”
The man trembled and dropped the whistle. “What do you want? Do you want geese? These geese aren’t for eating; they’re the guards here. They’re not tasty…”
“I told you, we’re just looking for a place to stay. We truly came from Lanzhou.”
“Lanzhou… But to come from Lanzhou, you would have had to pass through the Spider Demon’s territory.”
“Spider Demon? We’ve encountered it.”
The man widened his eyes. “You… just you three? You came out of that forest?”
“Not just three.”
Wu Yu walked leisurely along the ice surface, and with each step he took, a new step formed on the ice bridge, making it easier for those behind him to ascend. Others, including animals, queued up to cross the ice bridge.
The man was terrified. “Who are you people? You must be from the west, I’ve heard they practice sorcery there… Oh, no offense meant, gentlemen. Spare me, please! I’m just a goose watcher, I don’t know anything.”
The geese let out angry cries, extending their necks, ready to peck at them.
The man shouted, “Don’t move, nobody move!”
The geese complied, but still kept their faces close to them, their hard beaks just a meter away, staring at them intently, as if awaiting a command, ready to snap their heads off at a moment’s notice.
Cheng Tianbi landed on the ground, dragging the man. “Stop shouting. Find us a place to stay.” He spotted a building nearby that looked like a dormitory and had its lights on.
The man also glanced at the dormitory. “There are people inside…”
“We’ll pay…” Cheng Tianbi was about to say they’d pay, but then realized these people probably didn’t need their money. He quickly changed his tune. “What do you want? We can trade. Food? Weapons?”
“Food, I guess…”
“Let’s go.” Cheng Tianbi picked him up and headed towards the dormitory, with the others following.
The man pushed open the door, and a wave of warmth and the aroma of food wafted out. Four or five people were sitting around eating hotpot. Someone shouted, “Old Zhao, where have you been for half a day? What’s… Oh, who are these people?”
Old Zhao made a “shush” gesture and winked at them.
The others realized something was amiss and all stared at Cheng Tianbi with caution.
Cheng Tianbi said, “We’d like to stay for the night. There are quite a few of us, but we’ve brought food as payment for lodging.”
An elderly man, looking sharp and spirited, came out from the inner room. He glanced at Cheng Tianbi, then at Old Zhao, nodded, and said, “Come on in.”
The ground floor of this dormitory was spacious and interconnected. However, when all 48 people squeezed inside at once, it still felt somewhat crowded. The residents were dumbfounded; they hadn’t expected so many people to suddenly barge in. They peered out the window and saw various types of mutant animals resting in the snowy fields.
The elderly man scrutinized them, trying to remain composed. “You all must be from the west, right? We’re just a group of goose watchers responsible for the security in this section of the Radiant Wall. It’s no use making things difficult for us. We don’t know anything, and we have no contact with important figures. In these times, it’s not easy for anyone to survive. We have elders and children too. We implore you, heroes, to spare us a way out. Just tell us what you want, and we’ll do our best to fulfill it.”
Cong Xia felt that Cheng Tianbi came across as too stern, possibly scaring the locals. So, he stepped forward with a smile. “Sir, please don’t be nervous. We won’t harm you. We’re just passing through, having traveled too long, we’re looking for a place to rest. We’re not from the west; we’ve come from Lanzhou. When you mention ‘the west,’ what exactly are you referring to? Is the Radiant Wall the one we saw earlier?”
The old man looked at them skeptically. “Lanzhou? You’ve come from Lanzhou? How is that possible?”
“We really did come from Lanzhou.”
“You… you’re really not from the west?”
Cheng Tianbi frowned. “What is this ‘west’ you’re talking about?”
The old man sighed. “It seems you’re truly outsiders. Well, it doesn’t matter. Since you’ve entered, you won’t be able to leave anyway. Sooner or later, you’ll learn about the East and the West. The so-called East and West are divided by Golmud as the center, splitting Qinghai into two sides: the Eastern side is our territory, the Radiant City, and the Western side is the Dark Abyss City.”
“From the way you speak, these two sides are in opposition?”
“Of course, they are in opposition. The ruler of Radiant City represents light, justice, and nobility, while the ruler of Dark Abyss City represents evil and darkness.”
Cong Xia blinked. “And how was this decided?”
The old man’s eyes widened. “How else could it be decided? The people from the west aren’t good folks. They engage in burning, killing, looting, you name it. If anyone from the west is found in our Radiant City, they’ll definitely be captured. Fortunately, you’re not from the west. Otherwise, even if you killed us, you wouldn’t be able to escape.”
The group didn’t take the old man’s one-sided words to heart. They were just surprised that a relatively small province like Qinghai had also been split into two opposing factions. They wondered about these so-called rulers of light and darkness—just who were they?
Zhuang Yao voiced his doubts.
The old man saw he was just a child and didn’t mind. He explained, “Our ruler of light is truly a divine being. I’ve heard that every time the ruler appears, the sun and moon shine together. If it weren’t for the ruler of light, the people in our Xining City would’ve been devoured by those beasts long ago. It was them who built the Radiant Wall in the city center and sheltered people from out of town, preventing those mutated beasts from devouring us.”
“So, what kind of abilities does this ruler possess?”
The old man looked puzzled. “What kind of abilities?”
“Your ruler of light must also be a mutant, right? Mutants have abilities. Have you actually seen this ruler of light?”
The old man shook his head. “We can’t see the ruler of light. We’ve only heard about them. But one thing is for sure, the ruler of light can do anything. With them around, we have food to eat.”
Zhuang Yao realized that questioning further wouldn’t yield much understanding. He planned to go to the city center tomorrow to inquire.
The old man asked curiously, “Why have so many of you come to Qinghai? Haven’t you heard that once you come here, you can’t leave?”
Tang Tingzhi explained, “We sent a number of troops earlier to scout the situation here, but we received no response. So, we came in to find them.”
“Ah, you young people. What brings you here? How has the outside world turned out?”
“It’s hard to summarize. In general, the situation is not much different from here. Mutated plants and animals are everywhere.”
The old man nodded. He pointed at the door to the inner room and said sorrowfully, “I have a granddaughter, she’s four years old now. She doesn’t know there are other cities in this world. She thinks humans are supposed to live within these walls forever. She thinks geese are naturally this size. When our generation dies out, our descendants probably won’t even know how their ancestors lived in a developed modern civilization decades ago.”
Cong Xia sighed as well.
They unloaded some frozen meat and vegetables as payment for tonight’s stay. It was evident that these people rarely had access to vegetables, so they were overjoyed. They willingly handed over their kitchen utensils and even helped them build a fire and cook.
During the meal, a boy around fifteen or sixteen years old quietly sat down next to Cong Xia. He leaned in and said mysteriously, “I’ve seen our ruler of light.”
“Oh?” Cong Xia smiled and looked at him. “Tell us more.”
The boy glanced at their pot of soup and swallowed nervously.
Cong Xia served him a bowl of meat soup. He took it and took a big sip, scalding his tongue but not stopping. After finishing the bowl, he wiped his mouth contentedly and then said, “The ruler of light doesn’t reside in Xining. They live in a city close to Golmud, a small place. You might not know it, but they often come to Xining. After all, this is the capital. They might have some business to attend to. Once, I accompanied my aunt to deliver freshly harvested grapes to their residence, and I saw them. Oh, the ruler of light truly looks as beautiful as a god. Their whole being seems to emit a golden light, and they’re quite young…”
Zhuang Yao couldn’t help but interrupt. “We’re not interested in their appearance. Do you know what abilities they possess?”
The boy thought for a moment. “I’ve only heard about it. They say the ruler of light can radiate blinding light from their body. The ruler of light is a messenger of the gods, chosen to guide all living beings and save humanity from the water and fire. Before they appeared, large numbers of humans died in droves. But after their appearance…”
The compliments that the boy offered later were ignored by the group. Their attention had already fixated on the phrase “radiate blinding light from their body.” Could it be that the so-called “ruler of light” was a natural evolution of the Light Elemental? Perhaps a derivative elemental evolution of fire energy…
Zhuang Yao hurriedly asked, “And what about the ruler of darkness?”
The boy’s face turned fearful, and he looked around before whispering, “I dare not say. My grandfather will spank me.”
Zhuang Yao decisively pulled a lollipop out of his pocket. “Is it worth getting a spanking for this?”
The boy snatched the lollipop and nodded vigorously. “Worth it!”
“Then spill the beans.”
“It’s the opposite of the ruler of light. I’ve heard that the ruler of darkness possesses the power of darkness.”
The group waited for more information.
The boy nodded internally to lend authenticity to his words.
“Is that all?” Zhuang Yao frowned.
“Yeah, that’s all.”
“What do you mean by the power of darkness?”
“It’s… the power of darkness. The power of darkness is evil. The people from the west are manipulated by the power of darkness and live in a world of suffering.”
Zhuang Yao grew somewhat frustrated. He knew he wouldn’t get any substantial information. These people’s understanding of the west and the ruler of darkness came purely from rumors or the information the ruler of light might want them to know. With the level of worship they held for the ruler of light, their words probably carried a lot of bias. He would have to investigate things himself.
The boy carefully stashed the lollipop into his clothes and left with a happy stride.
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