Bai Luochu frowned after hearing the comment, she felt that the hundred-men captain was right. The originally crisis-filled journey was suddenly peaceful and it was impossible not to feel suspicious. There was a saying, "If it feels unusual, something must be wrong." It seemed like the trip to the Desolate Region wasn"t simple at all. The old emperor probably had some other motive and he threw Bai Luochu and Pei Rumo into his scheme.
Bai Luochu"s expression got increasingly serious as she thought about it. Pei Rumo had been observing Bai Luochu closely as he was worried after her over-exertion. Seeing Bai Luochu"s anxious expression, he thought that she was feeling uncomfortable and he asked with concern, “Luo Chu? What is it? Is your body feeling unwell?”
Bai Luochu shook her head. Seeing how concerned Pei Rumo was, she simply spoke of the suspicion in her heart, “I"m worried that the journey is too peaceful.”
Pei Rumo nearly choked on his words. He was also worried but he didn"t wish to scare Bai Luochu. It was also the reason he avoided talking about it. Since she had already spoken, he no longer hid the truth, “It is indeed strange. After so many intense battles, why did the journey become peaceful when we are about to arrive at the Desolate Region?”
“Someone might have already entered the Desolate Region ahead of us.” Lu Wenshu overheard their conversation and suddenly commented.
Bai Luochu and Pei Rumo turned and raised their brows together as though they didn"t understand. Lu Wenshu saw their expressions and carried on his explanation.
“There are only two possibilities for it to be so peaceful. The first possibility is that this place has always been quiet. After running into so much trouble during our trip here, I believe that the first possibility is nonsense. Hence, my prediction is that someone has already entered this area and slaughtered all the demonic beasts.”
“Even though this place is safe, it isn"t good to stay for long.” Bai Luochu immediately carried on speaking after Lu Wenshu stopped, “For someone to be able to wipe out all the dangers here, they are either in an alliance of many factions, or an extremely powerful one. No matter what it is, they aren"t our ally.”
“It seems like my Emperor Father has put me in a huge predicament this time.” Pei Rumo didn"t imagine that his Emperor Father"s ambition was so huge. If this continued, the Cloud Water Nation was in for trouble.
“Let"s cross the bridge when we get there. Even if they form an alliance, we aren"t weaklings that they can trample over.” Bai Luochu saw Pei Rumo"s expression and knew that he was feeling anger after being plotted against by his Emperor Father. She hastily interrupted his thoughts in order to distract him.
But little did they imagine that when they arrived at the Desolate Region, an even bigger problem occured.
Dense fog shrouded the area!
The tumbling fog was rolling heavily over the ground and pa.s.sed through the army. When they were marching across the hidden borders of the Desolate Region, it felt like they were above the mountains where the snow caps had just thawed into the spring tide. It was also like smoke spiraling into the sky, dancing gracefully against the azure backdrop. However, it felt more like smoke coming from an incense burner.
It felt like they were wrapped in a thick layer of cotton and their bodies looked hazy. Bai Luochu turned around and realized that she couldn"t see the army behind her.
The grey fog was present everywhere and felt like it was concealing all the mysterious changes happening in the Desolate Region"s lands. There was another wave of fog that was like a thin layer of milky white wind that rushed against their faces. Due to the concentrated vapor, Bai Luochu felt her clothes moisten.
Just as Bai Luochu was feeling lost, there was a hand that grabbed on her sleeve and pulled her to the side. Just like that, Bai Luochu landed into a firm and warm embrace.
“Don"t be afraid, I am here.” It was Pei Rumo"s voice.
If it was some other regular young lady, they would be filled with amorous feelings. However, Pei Rumo was hugging onto a wooden block-like Bai Luochu. She failed to realize the meaning behind his actions and she explained, “ We probably ran into the foggy season in the Desolate Region.”
If they had followed the normal schedule, they would be deep into the Desolate Region by now. Due to Pei Rumo"s decision to move off right after the rain, their schedule was delayed. Moreover, the journey became delayed once again due to Bai Luochu"s overexertion. As such, the entire schedule was delayed by five days. It wasn"t surprising for them to run into the fog. Despite the inconvenience, it was clear proof that the Desolate Region housed many treasures. Why else would it produce a layer of fog to protect itself?
“What should we do then? Pei Rumo didn"t know that the Desolate Region was actually a place with so many mysteries. He became more and more confused.
Bai Luochu was quiet for a moment. She used her spiritual energy to sense where her horse was before she mounted it. “Move straight ahead. We will definitely be able to outrun the fog.”
The fog might be able to obstruct vision, but it wasn"t able to obstruct sound. Everyone listened to the hoofs of Bai Luochu"s horse and advanced.
After some time, everyone realized that they were being too optimistic. They couldn"t even see their fingers in the fog… How would it be possible for them to find a way out? As a result, Bai Luochu and the rest moved in circles without escaping from the disorientating fog.
If they were moving in circles for a day or two, no one could find fault with her actions. However, the soldiers felt unjust after many days of traveling in circles.
“What kind of d.a.m.ned place is this?! I have served in the army and fought battles for a long time, but I have never suffered so much. Such wretched luck!”
Someone had even started to blame Bai Luochu, “Why is there a female in our army? What is the Emperor thinking to put a frail female physician in our elite army?!”