Chapter 38

The second squad finally arrived at the campsite they had stayed at before, just before the sun set.

The campsite was chosen beside a large rock on a mountain ridge, where the trees were not so dense, and there was a very flat stone platform. Suldak felt that resting here for the night would be a good idea.

The platform still had the remnants of the previous campfire, and the location was at a higher elevation, making it very suitable for setting up tents.

The squad had been in such a hurry because Suldak had his own plans.

He was worried that the evil spirits in the mountains would catch up to them. Given the current strength of the second squad, encountering the evil spirits would mean only one thing: running away.

Suldak couldn't understand why the evil spirits in the mountains seemed to be missing a layer of skin. They looked terrifying, but their strength was weaker than the cannon fodder in the evil spirit army.

Sometimes he would discuss these matters with He Boqiang, but He Boqiang mostly just listened quietly and rarely gave his own opinion. He Boqiang found that communicating through gestures was too troublesome.

The warriors of the second squad quickly set up the tents using the wood left from the previous time.

Suldak looked up at the sky.

The evening sky was filled with clouds that looked like fish scales, and under the setting sun, half of the sky was a fiery red.

Suldak stood there and said, "It's going to rain. Make the beds in the tents a bit higher..."

...

A drop of water fell from the tent roof, landing right on He Boqiang's face, instantly waking him from his sleep. He opened his eyes to find everything pitch black.

Lying in the tent, he listened to the raindrops pattering on the canvas. It was hard to endure a rainy night in the wilderness, everything was wet and cold, and he could only wrap himself in his sleeping bag. Fortunately, they had cut some logs and branches before going to sleep to raise the bedding, so even though it started raining in the middle of the night, the water didn't flood his bed.

Amidst the chaotic rain, a light and nimble footstep could be heard, even as it stepped in the rain, it had a rhythmic quality.

He Boqiang sat up at once, crawled out of his sleeping bag, and grabbed his Roman sword before stepping out of the tent.

It was still raining outside, and the cold rain immediately made him shiver, fully waking him up.

"Tap, tap, tap"

It was very dark outside, and He Boqiang stepped through the puddles, following the sound.

Although it was hard to see clearly in the dark and rainy night, He Boqiang felt that someone was standing by a large tree. As he approached, he saw a native girl with green eyes standing there. She was only wrapped in a piece of animal skin, drenched like a drowned rat, her long, curly hair wet and plastered to her face.

When she noticed He Boqiang, he was only two steps away from her. She took a step back in fright, her back directly against the tree trunk. Her large, bright eyes looked like dark green gems in the night.

At this moment, He Boqiang finally saw her face clearly. Her face was somewhat immature, and her skin was a bit gray. By He Boqiang's standards, she was definitely not beautiful.

In front of He Boqiang, she looked like a frightened deer, trying to escape, but He Boqiang grabbed her slender wrist.

The native girl desperately tried to break free, and she pulled out a dagger from somewhere, hesitating whether to stab him.

He Boqiang, seeing this, quickly let go of her hand, and the native girl ran out of the campsite.

He Boqiang followed closely behind, but the rain-soaked forest was too dark. After running just a few dozen meters, he lost sight of the native girl and had to stop in the rain.

He Boqiang didn't understand why the native girl kept following the squad, but it seemed she had no ill intentions.

...

The rain continued all night.

It finally stopped at dawn, and the forest was refreshed by the rain.

Water droplets the size of beans were still falling from the tree canopies, and the forest was filled with puddles. He Boqiang crawled out of the damp tent and stretched at the tent entrance.

Hong Suozi squeezed out from behind him, looking at the misty forest and said in surprise, "The rain was really heavy last night."

At this moment, Hong Suozi noticed a piece of animal skin soaking in a puddle in front of the tent. He walked over in surprise, picked it up, and said, "What's this piece of animal skin doing here? Oh, there are some words written on it..."

Hong Suozi walked back with the animal skin and handed the rain-soaked piece to He Boqiang, asking somewhat embarrassedly, "What does it say?"

"Is this a letter?" Hong Suozi asked tentatively.

He Boqiang took the animal skin and realized that Hong Suozi didn't recognize the words. The writing was in very standard Imperial language, and the person who wrote it must have been a well-educated noble. The handwriting had a special style, making all the letters as smooth as possible.

Although He Boqiang couldn't yet pronounce the Imperial language, he was familiar with the script from the memories of the original owner.

The animal skin was written with charcoal and read:

"If you see this letter and are willing to believe it, please trust the native girl standing before you. Her name is Alma Yado. She can lead you to me. I need your help.

Bena Province, Osorno Legion, Seventh Constructed Swordsmen Corps, Swordsman Baijiale Jilugude"

That was all that was written on the animal skin.

After reading the words, He Boqiang understood that this was a plea for help, and the swordsman must have been unable to leave due to some reason, so he entrusted a native girl to deliver the message.

Well, this still didn't make much sense.

When did Imperial soldiers become so friendly with the natives of Handanar County?

He Boqiang's first reaction was that this letter was a trap.

But who helped the native write such a letter?

These questions kept appearing in He Boqiang's mind, and his gaze fell on the signature at the end: Swordsman Baijiale.

He Boqiang immediately thought that the second squad had been sent on this mission to find an Imperial swordsman who had entered the Gandauer Mountains alone.

He turned and crawled back into the tent, waking up Suldak, who was still sleeping in his sleeping bag.

Suldak looked at He Boqiang with sleepy eyes and asked, "What's wrong?"

He Boqiang unfolded the wet animal skin in front of him. Fortunately, although Suldak read it a bit slowly, he could still recognize the words. After a long struggle, he finally understood the general meaning of the text. He also saw the name "Swordsman Baijiale" and immediately sat up in his sleeping bag.

"Where did you find this animal skin?" Suldak asked, frowning.

"Right in the puddle at the entrance," Hong Suozi said, sticking his head into the tent.

"In the puddle?" Suldak pinched the wet animal skin, looking incredulous.

"Yes, Captain! I was about to cook porridge as you instructed when I saw it in the puddle, so I picked it up, but I don't recognize the words..."

"Alright, I get it! Is the native girl still outside? Wait a moment, I'll go see her!"

"Wait, Captain, what native girl? You can't think I picked up a native girl too, can you? I swear to you, I didn't see a single hair of a native girl!" Hong Suozi said with a pained expression, swearing to Suldak.

Before Hong Suozi finished his oath, a gray strand of hair was hanging from the palm of the hand he had raised.

No one in the second squad had long hair.

"..."

Hong Suozi looked at his palm, feeling like he wanted to cry.

At this moment, the other warriors in the tent were also woken up by the commotion, and their gazes all focused on the hand he had raised...