CH 317

Chapter 317 – Forest Inferno, Leave No Trace!

On their side, the surroundings were incredibly open, devoid of any cover, providing an unobstructed view as sunlight beamed down. While tents could somewhat shield them from the sun, the thin layer of fabric hardly served any purpose. In fact, being inside the tent felt even hotter, akin to a sauna.

The majority of the ground consisted of soil and rocks, which easily absorbed heat. After absorbing heat, the rocks raised the temperature even further. If the temperature in Lin Beifan side reached 40 degrees, then outside the fortress, where the Wuxi and Dayue armies were stationed, the temperature would rise by at least another three or four degrees.

With the human body temperature ranging between 37-38 degrees, this extreme heat could truly be deadly. General Gongsun, who had just arrived at the fortress, woke up to such scorching conditions. Feeling a bit agitated, he walked out of his tent and coincidentally encountered Wuxi Duke, who was out inspecting the area. He asked, “Your Highness Wuxi, is the weather here always this hot?”

Wuxi Duke shook his head, saying, “Although it’s usually hot, it’s not this intense. Today’s weather is quite unusual! However, this abnormal weather won’t last for many days, endure it and it will pass!”

General Gongsun sighed, “I can endure it, but my soldiers might not be able to!”

Perplexed, Wuxi Duke inquired, “General Gongsun, why?”

“Your Highness Wuxi, you might not be aware! Although Dayue usually experiences some dryness, the weather conditions are still quite suitable. We’ve never encountered such extreme heat before, even I can hardly bear it! The soldiers I brought with me might not adapt well to this environment. If they can’t adapt, the impact will be significant…”

“I see!” Wuxi Duke chuckled, “I overlooked that aspect. If the soldiers of Dayue truly can’t handle it, they can go to the Wutong River to cool off. Some of my troops have already gone there.”

“Thank you for the information, Your Highness. I’ll take my leave now!”

General Gongsun hurriedly departed, eager to take a refreshing bath and find some relief. However, when he and his men arrived at the Wutong River, they realized the river’s water levels had significantly decreased, with parts of the riverbed exposed.

“Is this all the water the Wutong River has?” General Gongsun wondered.

“Reporting to the General, there was a lot more water yesterday! It’s possible that the scorching weather caused it to evaporate!” a soldier reported.

“Never mind that, let’s bathe and worry about it later!”

General Gongsun shed his armor, revealing his muscular physique, and plunged into the river to soak. The soldiers of Dayue who followed suit did the same, filling the small Wutong River to capacity.

As they bathed, however, everyone started feeling uncomfortable. The river’s water had become heated, much like bathing in hot water. While they had come to cool off, the more they bathed, the hotter and more uncomfortable they became, eventually having to exit the river.

“Endure it for now. When the weather cools down in the evening, we can come back to bathe and cool off!”

General Gongsun donned his armor once again, gazing up at the scorching sun in the sky, muttering under his breath, “This infernal weather! Such bad luck!”

Returning to the camp, they found it even hotter. From a distance, the heat distorted their vision, as if they had entered a desert. The stationed soldiers were drenched in sweat, some staggering and pale-faced with lips turning blue—clear signs of heatstroke. The other soldiers were also extremely uncomfortable. Every spot was hot, and they couldn’t find a cool place anywhere. Everyone took off their armor, listlessly crowding inside the tents, their bodies drenched in sweat.

General Gongsun inquired around and learned that thousands had fallen victim to heatstroke, making the situation dire. He sought out Wuxi Duke, asking, “Your Highness Wuxi, it’s unbearably hot here, my soldiers can’t take it. Is there any nearby place for relief from the heat?”

Wuxi Duke sighed, “I’ve already had people check, but there’s nowhere within a 30-li radius to escape the heat. Beyond 30 li lies the Phoenix Mountain Range, where you can find relief, but the journey there and back isn’t worthwhile.”

General Gongsun nodded, “Indeed, it’s not worth it.”

However, the relief spots were too far away—60 li one way, which would take a day to travel. Enduring such intense heat while walking wasn’t feasible. It would be better not to go and just collapse on the way.

General Gongsun gazed at the sky, “If the weather stays like this, we won’t be able to fight any battles!”

Wuxi Duke chuckled, “General Gongsun, rest assured, while today’s weather is unusual, it won’t be a common occurrence. Endure a little longer, and it will pass.”

With no better options, General Gongsun returned.

Due to the extreme heat, everyone had lost their appetites and barely ate anything. Finally, they endured until evening when the sun set. While it was somewhat cooler, the temperature remained high. The earth, having absorbed heat, began to radiate it back. How could they endure 40-degree weather?

General Gongsun, unable to bear it, took his men back to the Wutong River for a bath. However, they were surprised to find the water had significantly reduced. Someone explained, “The heat must have caused it to evaporate.”

General Gongsun dipped his hand in the water and found it still scalding hot, making it impossible for them to bathe and cool off. They could only hastily wipe themselves and return to rest. But with the temperature so high, nobody slept well.

On the second day, the sky was an immaculate blue, not a cloud in sight. The sun shone brightly, and the air remained dry and scorching. By morning, the temperature had already risen to 40 degrees. The million-strong army looked up at the blazing sun, filled with despair—how could they endure this?

General Gongsun, his arms bare, sought Wuxi Duke again, asking, “Your Highness, when will this weather end?”

“This… I’m not quite sure!” Wuxi Duke looked to his strategist.

The strategist, Fengchu, spread his hands, wearing a wry smile, “I don’t know either!”

However, things got worse. A soldier rushed over, reporting urgently, “Your Highness, bad news! The Wutong River has dried up, there’s no water!”

Everyone paled in shock, “No water? Wasn’t there water yesterday? How can it just disappear?”

“I’m not entirely sure…”

Everyone hurried to the Wutong River and found it indeed dry. The riverbed was fully exposed, only a few shallow puddles remained. Everyone’s faces grew grave; this situation was dire. Water was the source of life—people could go without food for days, but not without water. How could they live without water? How could they fight?

“It couldn’t be that the heat evaporated it, could it?” someone cautiously suggested.

“Unlikely! Even if the sun is intense, it couldn’t evaporate the river in just a day. There must be an issue upstream causing it to stop flowing. We need to send someone to investigate!”

Wuxi Duke immediately dispatched a thousand-strong elite squad, led by a peak innate expert, to follow the river upstream, uncover the truth, and solve the problem.

On the Phoenix Mountain Range, the Slanted Moon Army, who had waited for a long time, became excited. Princess Ziyue spoke with great delight, “Wuxi Duke has sent troops! A force of about a thousand, led by a peak innate! Prepare well; make sure they have no way of returning!”

“Yes, Princess!”

They lay in ambush near the river, waiting for their prey. After about an hour, the Wuxi troops finally arrived.

The Slanted Moon Army didn’t hesitate to attack; they rained down all sorts of stones and arrows, inflicting heavy casualties on the Wuxi forces. Wuxi’s innate experts were furious, “It seems you rats are up to no good again. I’ll make sure to kill all of you!”

“Then come!” Amid the Slanted Moon forces, four aggressive innate experts charged forward.

Within the military camp, Wuxi Duke and General Gongsun waited for a long time without receiving any news. However, the weather grew hotter and the water became scarcer.

“What’s happening with General Xu? He hasn’t returned after so long?” Wuxi Duke complained.

The strategist, Fengchu, bowed, “Your Highness, he might have encountered a complicated problem. Perhaps it’s best to send more people to investigate.”

“Your military insight is correct!” Wuxi Duke dispatched another troop and instructed them to report every half an hour, no matter the situation.

Initially, things were fine, but later on, they gradually lost contact. Everyone grew increasingly uneasy.

Wuxi Duke’s expression darkened, “I’m afraid the situation is dire.”

General Gongsun suggested, “Could it be the Rat Army? They’ve been relatively quiet these days; they might be plotting something. Perhaps they killed those people and cut off the water!”

“It’s quite likely!” Wuxi Duke slammed the table, standing up, “We can’t delay any longer; immediately send a large force into the Phoenix Mountain Range! We need to solve both the Rat Army issue and the water problem!”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

Thus, a massive army of 100,000 soldiers marched into the Phoenix Mountain Range.

In the Phoenix Mountain Range, the Slanted Moon Army grew excited again. “Princess, Wuxi and Dayue have sent a large force into the mountains—around 100,000 strong. Our opportunity has arrived!”

Princess Ziyue was thrilled, “Yes, our opportunity has come! This time, we must severely weaken them and show them our might! Stick to the plan and act separately!”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

By now, the 100,000-strong army had entered the Phoenix Mountain Range. They proceeded cautiously, vigilantly watching their surroundings, guarding against ambushes. Surprisingly, their journey was smooth.

Unknowingly, they had followed the dried riverbed deep into the mountains. Meanwhile, the Slanted Moon forces were outside, sprinkling palm oil and igniting it. The weather was hot, and the conditions were dry; fires were easy to start. With the added palm oil, the fire blazed even more intensely.

In a matter of moments, the flames raged high, enveloping the entire mountain peak and spreading upward. The army deep within the mountains soon realized something was amiss and grew panicked.

“Fire! There’s a fire here!”

“A forest fire! We’re doomed if we don’t run!”

“Help! Help!”

Everyone fled in every direction, forgetting about searching for water. At the foot of the mountain, Princess Ziyue and her companions watched the towering inferno with a vengeful satisfaction, “Let it burn! Burn them all to death inside! Leave no one behind!”

Before long, the flames shot skyward, illuminating the entire sky.