Desert King (2)
(2)
As they were talking, they suddenly heard a cry of surprise from afar."Not good, not good! A demon has appeared!" Everyone turned around and saw a merchant group fleeing over in a sorry state. Everyone went up to them and asked,"Monster? What happened?"
"On the desert east of the oasis, a settlement suddenly appeared. There are many people walking around like ghosts!”
Master Huiyan said," We've been living here for a few days. There's only a large desert in the east. Where are the settlements?"”
"We don't know either. That settlement looks like the Stone Kingdom on the Silk Road!”
"Impossible!" Yuanen was shocked. The Stone Kingdom was further east, and Persia was further away. I had to travel thousands of miles to get here. How could the Stone Kingdom appear near Baghdad?”
"That's why something's wrong. We're leaving anyway, so you guys should leave quickly!”With that, the caravan fled in panic.
Yuanen found it hard to believe. He said,""Impossible. My country was destroyed by the hateful Tang a long time ago. How could it appear again?”
"The situation is strange. Should we go and take a look?" Seth asked.”
"That's good too. I'm really worried that Huang Lei might be up to something again."”
The three of them immediately ran toward the desert in front of them. After walking for more than ten miles, a village appeared in front of them. When Yuanen saw it, he said in surprise,"Oh, how is that possible? That…that's really our Stone Kingdom…that's really my hometown.”As he spoke, he dashed forward.
Master Huiyan was stunned for a while. He said," Unbelievable, I've been looking for food everywhere these few days, but I've never seen a village here…" After a moment, he suddenly realized something and said,""I understand now! Could it be the legendary mirage?”
"Mirage?" Seth asked.
"Yes, in the legends, a type of monster called a clam created a luxurious palace or an illusion of an oasis in the desert. The purpose of this monster was to confuse travelers with these illusions and chase them until they died of exhaustion.”
"Oh, there's actually such a desert monster?”
At this moment, Anca suddenly appeared. I smell a very strange demonic aura. Better be careful, meow.”
"An unusual demonic aura?"
When Master Huiyan saw Anka, he was rather surprised.""Seth, it seems like another desert illusion has appeared. The old monk seems to have seen a flying cat.”
" Meow," Anca said." Yes, yes, yes. I'm a Desert Phantom, so don't mind me!" Meow meow meow, goodbye." He immediately turned invisible and returned. "Seth, cats can speak human language. The number of desert phantoms is terrifying. We have to find Prince Yuanen as soon as possible!" Master Huiyan said.”
The two of them quickly rushed to the phantom settlement. The figures they saw along the way were all illusory. They chased all the way to the end, and suddenly, someone greeted them,"Huiyan, Master Huiyan! Is it really you?"
"Amitabha, this old monk is indeed Huiyan. Patron, do you know this old monk?”
"Master Huiyan, it really is you! I once saw you talk about Buddhism in Chang 'an, which made me admire you very much. I still have a deep impression of you!”
"So you're also a Tang…May I ask your name, benefactor?”
"This lowly one is Anxi Regional Governor Gao Xianzhi's subordinate, Duan Xiushi!”
"Anxi provincial governor's general? This place isn't far from Arabia's Baghdad. Could it be that Lord Gao Xianzhi's army has already entered the vicinity of Arabia?”
"No, Lord Gao's troops are still behind us. He heard that the various tribes of the Western Regions (Central Asia) have been quite dissatisfied with our Great Tang, so he sent me to Arabia to investigate.”
"I see. Then what's with these ghostly shadows?”
"This little one doesn't know either. Just now, when I walked here, these strange settlements and figures suddenly appeared, scaring away all the merchants who were traveling with me. Strangely enough, this scene is similar to the one when our Tang army chased after the Prince of the Stone Kingdom.”
"Are these…scenes from the past?" Seth asked.”
" Yes," Duan Xiushi said." Please take a look. There's another me and Lord Huang Lei over there. I'm completely baffled."”Everyone looked in the direction he was pointing at, and it was indeed the case.
"They don't seem to have any reaction to us at all. Could it really be a mirage?" Master Huiyan said.”
" Master Huiyan," Duan Xiushi said," I've never heard of anyone actually entering the mirage." By the way, Master Huiyan, why did you come to this remote Western Desert?”
"This old monk was originally traveling with a caravan, but on the way, I heard that the Great Tang and Arabia were about to clash, so I wanted to try my best to stop it."”
" Sigh, you don't know this…" Duan Xiushi sighed." Last year, when our army went on an expedition to the Stone Kingdom, Lord Huang Lei used a trick from the art of war to successfully destroy the Stone Kingdom without injuring a single soldier." I didn't expect the Stone Kingdom's Prince to escape through the underground tunnels. I heard that he found the reinforcements of the black-robed Caliph of Arabia and intends to invade our Great Tang…"
"This old monk has also heard of this matter. It is the Great Tang's fault for using such trickery. No wonder the prince of the Stone Kingdom wants revenge.”
"Master Huiyan, I guess Yuanen must have seen the fiendish Tang army and was scared to hide in the underground tunnel that helped him escape last time, right?" Seth said.”
"Seth, you're right." Master Huiyan said. I'm guessing that well is the entrance to the underground waterway. Let's go down and look for it!”
"Master, I'll go with you," Duan Xiushi said.”The two of them agreed, so they put down the rope together and climbed into the well.
The well was indeed a different world. It was actually an underground waterway. They went into the waterway and followed it to find Yuanen. When they found the depths of the waterway, they suddenly saw Yuanen tied up and sitting on the ground. Everyone went forward together, only to hear Yuanen muttering,""Father, mother…why did this happen…"
"Prince Yuanen! We finally found you."
However, Yuanen was so shocked that he said nonsense,"" Don't…Don't catch me…Go away, go away…Your Tang army is so despicable…You said you were here as a guest…But you slaughtered our entire clan…"
" Sigh…" Master Huiyan could not help but sigh." The prince must have seen the burning and looting of the Tang army again. The impact was too great. That's why he's in a mess now…"
"Master Huiyan, is this…the illusion of the prince of Stone Kingdom who escaped?" Duan Xiushi asked.”
"No, it's not an illusion. He's the real Prince of the Stone Kingdom!”
"Stand up!" Duan Xiushi bellowed,"You are the mastermind behind the rebellion against our empire!" Get up. I'm going to bring you back to Chang 'an and kill you by dismembering your body. I'm going to report this to the countries of the Western Regions.”As he spoke, he wanted to capture Yuanen.
"Stop, Lord Duan! This old monk knows a thing or two about Yuanen. This is obviously the fault of the Great Tang. This old monk won't allow you to do anything to Prince Yuanen.”
" But…" Duan Xiushi said," This guy is the mastermind behind the rebellion in the Western Regions!"”
" Amitabha," Master Huiyan said." Prince Yuanen's desire for revenge is human nature. I can understand it, and I can't bear to blame him."”
" Master Huiyan, Duan Xiushi is a soldier of the Great Tang. He has been indebted to the country for a long time. Now, the enemy's main plot on the battlefield is right in front of me. I, I…"
"This old monk heard that when you attacked the Stone Kingdom that day, you used a trick. Is that true?”
"Yes, that day Lord Huang Lei said that our army had traveled a long distance and was no longer able to fight. That was why he thought of using the deception tactic in the art of war to reduce our losses.”
"Amitabha! Do you think it's right?"
"Sigh! You're talking about the thoughts of the villains. This little one was confused and struggling about this matter. The people of the Stone Kingdom are simple and hospitable, but we used them to harm them in order to build up our military achievements.”
"Amitabha, good, good! Fortunately, you didn't go astray like Huang Lei. The Buddhist Dharma is still in your heart. I feel very gratified!”
"Then…what about the prince? Let him go back?"
"Amitabha. If Prince Yuanen returns, Arabia and the Great Tang will definitely come into conflict, so this old monk will hold him hostage for the time being. This prince was actually a good person, but his revenge had affected the lives of the world. Although this old monk is doing this for the people of the world, I really can't bear to see the prince fall into hell because of hatred.”
"Master Huiyan, you're really thoughtful. Duan Xiushi almost made a mistake just now, but thank you for your warning!”
"Amitabha, thank you for your mercy. Since I forced the prince to stay, I have the responsibility to protect his safety along the way. Please forgive me.”
"Master Huiyan, I trust you. Since that's the case, I won't interfere in the prince's matter.”
At this moment, the stone wall suddenly collapsed with a bang, revealing a huge exit. Huang Lei's figure also appeared from there. Duan Xiushi said in surprise,"Lord Huang Lei?"
"Duan Xiushi, how dare you collude with the enemy?" Huang Lei asked.”
"Lord…Lord Huang…" Duan Xiushi was shocked.
"I'll settle your score later. Capture this barbarian prince first…"
"Lord Huang, don't be like this…We were the ones who were wrong first.”
Yuanen shouted in fear. Seth immediately pulled out his sword to block Huang Lei and said,"Damn you, you're not allowed to get close to Prince Yuanen!”
"Seth, be careful…This Huang Lei doesn't have a shadow. He might be a Desert Phantom!" Master Huiyan said.”
At the same time, Karma, Nicole, and Anca appeared together. Karma said,"Seth, this person is not the official of the Tang Empire. He is King Hun, a monster who specializes in confusing passers-by in the desert!”
" Meow," Anka said." There used to be monsters like this in the deserts of Egypt. They loved to use people's fears or wishes to create illusions to play tricks on people. Meow, meow."”
Huang Lei immediately let out a strange cry and turned back to his original form. King Hun said coldly,""Damn it, so you have a bunch of demons helping you too! It's really not interesting."
"You, what's your purpose in creating these illusions?" Seth asked.”
"What's the purpose? Of course, it's to entertain everyone!"
"Serve us?"
"I'm King Hun. It's rare to see someone passing by this desert, so I used the image in your mind to create an illusion to entertain you.”
"Amitabha. Lord Yuanen was only nearly driven mad by you. What kind of hospitality is this?"”
" Ah," King Hun said." That's exactly what I wanted. I almost succeeded just now." For so many years, I have always wanted to prove to the world that there is no difference between reality and illusion, but unfortunately, the world has never understood this truth.”
"Amitabha. The world is like a dream, but an illusion will always be an illusion.”
"Heh, you shameless old bald donkey. In that case, I want to see if you can defeat this illusion of mine.”With that, King Hun turned into a demon and attacked the crowd. Seth and Master Huiyan joined forces to fight while Kama and Nicole used magic to suppress King Hun's evil power. As a result, King Hun was unable to display his power and was thrown into a mess by Seth and Master Huiyan's martial arts. Seeing that the situation was not looking good, King Hun quickly left the circle and said,"" Wait, I'm not fighting today. I've used up too much Yuan Qi to create the Phantom Stone Kingdom…"
" Don't find excuses," Karma said." How can a phantom beat reality?"”" Meow," Anka said." I saw through your Phantom Stone Kingdom in an instant. It seems like it's nothing much…Meow meow."”
" Today, I'm mainly here to entertain this prince," King Hun said." I didn't know that there would be so many demons here, so I didn't deliberately hide my demonic aura." Alright, you said that my illusion is not good, then I really want to see if you can see through the illusion the next time.”With that, he turned into a wisp of white smoke and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
At the same time, everyone realized that they were already on the vast yellow sand. The Stone Kingdom phantom had already disappeared.
Duan Xiushi was very surprised. Karma said,""The settlement and the underground sewer were all illusions created by King Hun. The desert now is real.”
" He was defeated by us just now," Anca said." That's why the phantom disappeared with him. That's what happened." Meow meow."
"That's strange. Lord Satan's subordinates do not have such a person!" Nicole said.”
When Master Huiyan saw the three of them, he was very surprised."Amitabha. Why haven't these flying desert phantoms disappeared?”
Seth quickly explained," Master Huiyan, these are not phantoms. They have been with me for some time. They are my friends."
"Heh, so you're just friends?" Karma said. Anca, let's go back to the kettle!"
"I've told you before that Seth is not so easy to charm. Who asked you to not believe it?" Anca said. Meow meow." She turned invisible and returned with Karma. Nicole shouted,"Hey, hey, hey, Pet No. 2, didn't you say that you wouldn't do anything to Seth? Why are you not abiding by your agreement now?”As he spoke, he turned invisible and went back.
"Amitabha…Seth, you have to choose your friends carefully!" Master Huiyan said with his palms together.”
"Where…where is this place?" Yuanen asked. What…what happened…I…seemed to have dreamt…of returning to my hometown…"
"Amitabha Buddha," Master Huiyan said,"I'm so grateful to you. The world is impermanent. Just treat it as a dream."”
"Master Huiyan, we've wasted a lot of time here. We need to hurry to the Tang camp." Seth said.”
"Yes…" Grandmaster Huiyan said,"I must persuade Gao Xianzhi to withdraw before the war begins.”
"Then…what about me?" Yuanen asked. Can we go back now?"
"Your Highness, Arabia will definitely start a war for you if you return," Master Huiyan said."So, until the Tang army retreats, I'll have to trouble you to stay by my side."”
"What is it? Didn't…Didn't you say you were going to the Tang camp? Then I…I…Wouldn't I be finished?"
"Don't worry, I don't want you to see the Tang army. I guarantee with my life that I won't let you suffer any harm before I let you go back.”
"Humph! You Tang are the most untrustworthy. I don't dare to believe it.”
" Master Huiyan," Duan Xiushi said," I'm also going back to the Tang camp to report to the military governor. I'll go back to the oasis first to arrange for camels and water. We'll travel together!"”
"Donor Duan, please don't tell the Tang army that the Prince of the Stone Kingdom is here.”
"Don't worry! This lowly one is not a person who doesn't know right from wrong. Master, please rest assured!”
"Master Huiyan, let's prepare to set off!" Seth said.”
They returned to the oasis together. Duan Xiushi prepared the camel luggage, and Master Huiyan said,""Benefactor Duan, thank you. I only wish to successfully convince Lord Gao Xianzhi to end this war.”
"Master Huiyan, it's useless to think too much. Let's hurry to the Tang camp." Seth said.”
They rode on camels and set off for the Tang army's encampment.
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