Chapter 92: Chapter 92 Leaving
 

Qi Yue had stayed in the space for a while, and sure enough, heard those people stop searching for others, and start looking for the White Rhino again.

It seemed that Baihu was not too far away, and soon someone brought over some Herb Powder.

Then, she heard the man referred to as Master Qing starting to sprinkle the Herb Powder, while muttering some strange incantations.

Qi Yue listened, and it seemed to have the same intonation as the commands that the natives used to summon the strange cattle before.

About half an hour later, Master Qing finally announced that the White Rhino was no longer here.

The people started to make a commotion upon hearing this.

“We were about to catch it, it must have something to do with these people who suddenly intruded!”

“Capture them, or we won’t be able to explain to our lord when we return!”

Following that, Qi Yue heard a series of urgent commands; it was Zhang Fang gathering his men.

Qi Yue glanced at the White Rhino eating apples and immediately left the space.

The world was once again a thick white, with nothing visible.

Qi Yue didn’t dare to use Divine Power rashly and could only brace to be trampled.

Indeed, as soon as she left the space, she was knocked flying by someone rushing over.

When she fell to the ground, her hand touched something round and hard. With a thought, she clenched the object in her hand.

It felt like a stone, and judging it not to be poisonous preliminarily, she decided to use it to deal with Zhang Fang, first deceiving him to leave this place.

“Hee hee…hee…”

Zhang Fang’s commands sounded urgent again, the opposing side was also gathering their people, and a big brawl seemed about to start.

Following the sounds, after bumping into two people, Qi Yue finally reached where Zhang Fang was.

Seeing her, Zhang Fang seemed relieved.

In a low voice he asked, “Doctor Qi, the cow has disappeared, what should we do now?”

“First, we leave here.”

“But…” Zhang Fang still hesitated.

The opponents seemed to have gathered together, discussing to surround them as they had surrounded the White Rhino.

There was no more time.

“Let’s leave before we talk…” Qi Yue insisted with a firm voice.

Zhang Fang finally compromised.

“How do we leave?”

“Follow me.”

Qi Yue took the lead and retreated towards the back at an angle.

On the way she came, she had sprinkled scent powder, so by following the scent back, they could return to their original location.

Having a good sense of direction, and having traversed it once before, Qi Yue had a rough memory of the positions of some rocks and trees, making their retreat much quicker than the arrival.

Several Shichen later, they had gotten rid of that thick, deserted white fog and reached the sparse border area.

Zhang Fang counted the numbers and found only half were left.

“Doctor Qi, what do we do now? We didn’t get the White Rhino Horn, and those people might catch up to cause trouble. With just these men, I’m afraid we can’t cope.”

He was used to following only Hu Chengxuan’s orders, but since coming to this place, he had asked Qi Yue what to do several times!

Even he himself hadn’t realized that he had been deeply impressed by the courage and spirit Qi Yue had shown all along the way.

“We have to leave here at once,” Qi Yue said, tossing the round White Stone she had picked up earlier into Zhang Fang’s hands.

Let’s call it White Stone for now, since Qi Yue didn’t know what it actually was.

“I’ve already examined it. While it can’t compare to the White Rhino Horn, combined with another medicinal herb, it can enable your young master to stand up.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Fang was overjoyed beyond expectation.

“Really, does that mean we didn’t come here in vain? Can we stop looking for the White Rhino?”

“Yes. Does Guard Zhang not believe what I said?”

“Of course I believe.” Zhang Fang immediately tucked the White Stone into his chest.

That day when Qi Yue treated Qu Wei’s illness, he secretly followed and watched with his own eyes how she cured a man who was nearly insane.

He even believed in his heart that Qi Yue’s medical skills seemed to far surpass those of Huang Zai’an.

The two of them immediately set a retreat route, considering there were still people trapped in the fog, Qi Yue simply had someone light a beacon fire.

The rolling black smoke shot up into the sky, seeming to contend with the dense white fog.

Now that it had come to this, this was all she could do, hoping they could follow the smoke and find their way out.

The journey back was very smooth.

The guards at the little town’s gate even remembered them. This time they didn’t make it difficult and let them pass without trouble.

They didn’t dare to linger any longer on Western Chu’s territory. They left the town, crossed the border, and returned to Yecheng.

Zhang Fang suggested staying in Yecheng for two days. Firstly, to rest, and secondly, he wanted to wait and see if by chance there were any more people who made it out of that white fog so they could find them.

Indeed, on the second day, seven people returned, who claimed that it was the black smoke that showed them the way back, or else they wouldn’t have made it out.

However, on the night of their return, a group of unidentified people crept into Yecheng, asking around to see if anyone had brought a white ox into the area.

Of course, the answer was no. No one could have imagined that the White Rhino they had surrounded had actually been intercepted by Qi Yue and placed in a location that was beyond their wildest dreams.

But those people didn’t seem to give up. They even sneaked into the inn where Qi Yue was staying.

That night, she was resting in a space and had shut off her consciousness, completely unaware that someone had entered in the middle of the night.

She didn’t find out about these events until the next morning.

Two of the men brought by Zhang Fang were killed by the intruders.

These men didn’t die in the unfathomable white fog but perished outside, which inevitably caused people to lament.

However, during the struggle, Zhang Fang recognized the intruders. He said they were from Donggao and were also soldiers.

“This debt, my lord will claim it back sooner or later.”

Qi Yue was not interested in vengeance. She just wanted to hurry back now.

Just as they were about to set off to return to Longnan County Government, two more people arrived.

These two were on their last breaths from hunger, their clothes all tattered, with unknown white fluff all over their hair and faces.

Qi Yue collected some for testing and bizarrely, it showed nothing.

Various signs indicated that the Western Regions area of Longnan Ridge was not as exaggerated as the books claimed, although, certainly, it was very dangerous.

She hadn’t forgotten that something in that white fog had devoured the first group of people.

According to these two men’s account, they had walked in the miasma for two days and nights. Later, another group went in to look for the White Rhino, and by blending in with them, they found their way back.

No matter what, the return of more than half of fifty people was also considered a miracle.

Zhang Fang decided not to wait any longer, and on the fifth day, the group left Yecheng.

After more than ten consecutive days of travel, they finally returned to the Longnan County Government one evening.

Back when they were in Yecheng, Zhang Fang had already written a report of the situation and passed it to Hu Chengxuan via military courier station.

Although he was dissatisfied that Zhang Fang didn’t secure the rhinoceros horn, hearing that they had found the right medicine to make Hu Keqing stand up, he didn’t make much of a fuss. He had sent people early to welcome them at the city gate.

The man who came to welcome them was called Yue Qian, a steward from the Prefecture Magistrate’s Office. He warmly invited Qi Yue to visit the Prefectural Magistrate’s home as a guest.

Qi Yue was eager to know about Zhao Xiyan’s condition and had no plan to go to the Prefectural Magistrate’s home for a banquet. Therefore, she declined.

“Thank you, Steward Yue, but I’ve been away for too long. I am concerned about my master’s health, so I will rush back there first.”

“That’s perfect, my lord has already brought the young master and Elder Huang back home, and the subsequent treatment will also take place there.”