In the boundless desert, yellow sand raged. “Qing Lin, are you sure it’s here?” Xiao Yan gazed at the flat expanse of the desert before him, his face filled with astonishment. The terrain here was extremely ordinary, with no feature that could catch one’s attention. Such flat sandy land was innumerable in the vast desert. It was hard for Xiao Yan to imagine that such an inconspicuous place might hold the trace of a “Heavenly Flame.”
Behind Xiao Yan stood Xiao Ding and Xiao Li, along with dozens of elite members of the Mo Tie Mercenary Corps. However, they all cast doubtful glances at Qing Lin leading the way. For them, who had lived in Shi Mo City for several or even tens of years, this area was so mundane that some had even done missions here multiple times, never sensing anything different from other places…
Under the scrutiny of everyone, though a bit timid, Qing Lin still mustered her courage and fixed her eyes on Xiao Yan, softly saying, “Young Master, in my perception, the unusual movement half a year ago did indeed occur here.”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan’s brow furrowed slightly. He slowly took two steps forward and stood on a small sand dune, looking around and musing.
“There are no special buildings or strange caves here, but Qing Lin doesn’t seem to be lying… If it’s not on the ground or in the sky, then perhaps it’s underground,” Xiao Ding looked around and suddenly crouched down, grabbing a handful of sand and letting it fall, smiling lightly.
“Big brother means… underground?” Xiao Yan was slightly taken aback, surprised.
“Indeed, although many experts can create mirages by manipulating the distorted air in the desert, the degree of distortion in the air around Shi Mo City is not enough to form such a spectacle. So we can rule out that possibility… Since there is no mirage, and we can’t see it with our naked eye, the most likely place is underground,” Xiao Ding analyzed with a smile.
Xiao Yan nodded slightly, treading lightly on the ground, then smiled bitterly, “But even if the secret is underground, we can’t just dig randomly, right?”
“Of course not. Digging randomly in the desert might end up burying us alive. But since the Medusa woman can go down, I guess there must be a hidden passage,” Xiao Ding shook his head, smiling. “We have some good scouts in our corps. Let them check, and finding the entrance to the underground should be easy.”
Xiao Yan breathed a sigh of relief, “If that’s the case, we’ll have to trouble them.”
“Finding the passage is a minor matter… But this place is not far from Shi Mo City. Our large-scale exploration will likely be noticed by other forces in the city. The night in the Tager Desert is short. If we only work at night, it will not only consume a lot of time, but we might also miss some important places due to darkness… In Shi Mo City, with our Mo Tie Mercenary Corps’ strength, smaller forces dare not provoke us, but the Sand Mercenary Corps… They might jump out to interfere.”
Xiao Ding shook his head, frowning helplessly.
“The Sand Mercenary Corps?” Xiao Yan’s brows furrowed.
“The Sand Mercenary Corps is the strongest force in Shi Mo City aside from the City Lord’s Mansion. Though our overall strength is not inferior, their leader, Sharo, is a Great Fighter. You know the difference between a Great Fighter and a Fighter. So, unless necessary, we usually don’t provoke them. But this time, our large-scale search will surely pique their curiosity. In this situation, they won’t stay out of it,” Xiao Li said helplessly.
Hearing this, Xiao Yan pursed his lips, pondering for a while, then looked at Xiao Ding and Xiao Li, smiling, “It’s fine. Big brother and second brother just need to let them search. But please make sure not to spread the news about the Heavenly Flame. As for the Sand Mercenary Corps, if they really want to get involved… I’ll handle it.”
“Here, all are the backbone of the Mo Tie Mercenary Corps. These brothers have been with us, building our strength. The confidentiality will be absolutely secure,” Xiao Li laughed, patting his chest, but then he worriedly added, “Can you handle Sharo of the Sand Mercenary Corps? Your strength…”
“Don’t worry, Second Brother. I say this because I am confident. You just need to find the passage,” Xiao Yan smiled mysteriously.
Seeing the mysterious Xiao Yan, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li could only nod helplessly, though they were somewhat convinced. After all, they knew Xiao Yan would not joke about such matters.
“This little guy, truly becoming more and more unpredictable,” Xiao Ding muttered to himself, exchanging a glance with Xiao Li, both seeing the same sentiment in each other’s eyes.
“Alright, then. Xue Lan, return to the Mo Tie Mercenary Corps immediately and bring those skilled in terrain detection. Try to find the passage within a day,” Xiao Ding turned to Xue Lan, giving instructions.
“Okay, leave it to me!” Xue Lan smiled, nodding, and quickly turned around, whistling. A camel horse galloped over from a distance. Xue Lan leaped onto its back, raising a trail of dust as she headed towards Shi Mo City.
Watching Xue Lan disappear from sight, Xiao Yan sighed in relief, squatting down, and plunging his hand into the scorching sand, murmuring softly, “Heavenly Flame… Is it really below?”
Shortly after Xue Lan left, she brought all the terrain experts from the Mo Tie Mercenary Corps. Half an hour later, they arrived where Xiao Yan and the others were. Under Xiao Ding’s command, over forty surveyors began their meticulous work.
As a major force in Shi Mo City, they naturally attracted many watchful eyes. Soon after Xue Lan led a large group out, some scattered mercenaries appeared in the area, watching the Mo Tie Mercenary Corps’ surveyors with confusion.
The area outside Shi Mo City, possibly hiding the Heavenly Flame, had been sealed off by Xiao Ding’s men. Thus, the onlookers, including other mercenaries, were kept at bay.
As the survey continued, the crowd grew. Although Xiao Ding had claimed they were hunting a rank-three magical beast, the number of onlookers still increased.
Standing on a sand dune, Xiao Ding and the others looked at the growing crowd, shaking their heads helplessly. “At this rate, the Sand Mercenary Corps will send people in less than half an hour.”
Xiao Li’s brows furrowed, his face carrying a hint of viciousness. With a flick of his hand, a tungsten-steel spear appeared, which he stabbed into the sand dune, snarling, “If they really provoke us, the Sand Mercenary Corps won’t have an easy time. Apart from Sharo, the rest are all weaklings!”
Xiao Ding chuckled faintly, his eyes flashing with a cold light.
Beside them, Xiao Yan, sitting on a sand dune, smiled lightly, lifting his clear face and squinting at the blazing sun, a faint, icy smile curling his lips.
Qing Lin, observing the three brothers, suddenly realized that they truly deserved to be siblings. Regardless of their different personalities, they all harbored a bone-deep, chilling ruthlessness. Such people, once provoked, would be like wounded, starving wolves in the desert, staring at you until the moment you relax…
Xiao Yan, to avenge Nalan Yanran’s humiliating annulment, had given up his comfortable life, endured the loneliness and solitude in the mountains, and fought beasts. He had been so relentless with himself; how much more so with enemies?
As the sun set, the crowd outside suddenly became agitated. A squad of at least forty mercenaries, parting the onlookers, walked boldly towards the isolated area.
“It’s the Sand Mercenary Corps. This will be interesting…”
“Heh, Sharo finally couldn’t hold back.”
The whispering crowd surrounded the approaching mercenaries.
“We overestimated that guy’s patience,” Xiao Ding said, shaking his head, with a mocking tone.
“Let’s go. Without knowing the full situation, Sharo won’t show up yet. The leader now seems to be Moxing, the second-in-command of the Sand Mercenary Corps. Heh, a defeated foe dares to cause trouble again.”
Xiao Ding nodded, waving his hand. Twenty Mo Tie Mercenary Corps members, weapons in hand, moved towards the incoming squad, looking at them coolly.
The two squads met, the atmosphere tense. As the two major forces in Shi Mo City, they had clashed before.
“Stop, the Mo Tie Mercenary Corps is on a mission. Please do not interfere,” Xiao Ding said, his voice calm and unyielding.
“Heh, Captain Xiao Ding, I haven’t heard of any such mission from the Mercenary Guild. And within miles around Shi Mo City, it’s public territory. Bringing people here seems fine, doesn’t it?”
A man with a sinister face, Moxing, stepped forward, scanning the surveyors with a sly smile.
“Moxing, if not for Sharo’s intervention last time, you’d be crippled now,” Xiao Li sneered, looking at the obnoxious man.
Moxing’s face twitched, glaring at Xiao Li with fear and resentment, stepping back and laughing coldly, “Since we’re being honest, our captain is very interested in this place. So…”
“So, you can leave,” a calm voice came from Xiao Yan, who had been quietly observing, smiling.
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