Through the curtain of rain, everything in the distance was a blur.
Xie De mounted his horse. Uncomfortable in the downpour, it snorted in displeasure.
The bearded man climbed back to the high spot where they had first met, waved, and called out, "Colonel, don't forget our partnership!"
The Colonel did not reply. He flicked the reins in his hands, and the horse galloped away, leaving only a hazy silhouette behind.
The wilderness the horse raced through had looked the same for centuries. The rain had fallen just like this, too, pelting down and soaking people to the skin.
"Wei Yanchi, damn you! I told you not to get cocky! Run!"
Zhang Ninde had lost every trace of his usual sage-like bearing. He scrambled and stumbled, flailing in panic. This ill-timed rain had soaked his Talisman Paper and ruined the array he had painstakingly laid out.
But no matter what, he still had to curse Wei Yanchi.
The brat had insisted on barging into the old military ruins, a place that made the villagers pale at its very mention. It was more terrifying than a heap of corpses, with enough resentment to scare someone to death.
Yet Wei Yanchi had been utterly convinced there had to be clues there, and inexplicably confident in his own abilities.
Naturally, the three-person team had refused to go. They had made an excuse and headed for the Viscount's castle, which they had only explored hastily before. In the end, only Zhang Ninde had resigned himself to accompanying Wei Yanchi on a circuit of the old military ruins.
It was a barren patch of ground where not even grass grew. Nothing remained but crumbling foundations.
One glance was enough for Zhang Ninde to see the wronged souls lingering over it, consuming the land until not