Of course, there was still one minor issue on their return journey: no mounts.

Wherever the heroic spirits of the Gale Army passed, all mutated creatures would provide them a wide passageway. The Heishui City troops had no chance of luring any sand creatures to use as mounts like before. In other words, they had to walk the whole way, step by step.

And so they trudged for over ten days. By the time their water and rations were nearly depleted, the group finally reached the end of the Hongya Route.

There, the Gale Army had stopped abruptly. Without a word of farewell or even a backward glance, they turned and marched away, utterly indifferent to the half-month of shared hardship.

From beginning to end, the Gale Army had been silent companions. From the officers to the lowest of soldiers, He Lingchuan never heard a single word from any of them.

After bathing, He Lingchuan changed into fresh clothes and headed straight for the dining...