I really became a king.

Chapter 353 Things are going to change
The death of Jiang Zhongshuo and his mother also caused some discussions in the capital of Dali. Although rumors spread that they were forced to death by the seventeenth prince Jiang Che, many people knew what happened.

Everyone secretly lamented the cruelty of the missing Prince Yi, but few felt he was ruthless.

After all, the entire Dali Dynasty had seen how good he had been to his seventh brother in the past few years, but in the end, he had raised an ungrateful person. Even though he was imprisoned, he still did not repent, otherwise he would not have knelt in front of Jiang Che in public.

Of course, this incident was just a small ripple and soon calmed down.

There was another incident, about Dong Chengyang and dozens of other book craftsmen, with precious books on their heads, and their spirits soaring into the sky, which was also widely spread. Although Ye Xinmei and others tried their best to block the news, it still came out.

It is for this reason that many people have subconsciously stopped referring to themselves as "sons of bookmakers" and have instead called themselves "scholars" or even "sirs".

He also secretly watched other scholars to see if they would experience the same changes, but there was nothing unusual.

These scholars still went out at sunrise and returned at sunset, relying on the academies of the world for their only livelihood as usual, but their temperament had changed.

He was no longer as timid as before, and for the first time he stood up straight in front of others.

Everyone who noticed this scene was amazed, and the sense of awe in their hearts became even stronger.

But all these were just minor incidents. Everyone's attention was focused on Prince Yi Jiang Yi. Where did he go? Did he really disappear out of thin air?

One day's journey west from the imperial capital of Dali is Humen Pass, known as the first pass of Dali.

The reason why it is called the first pass is not because of how steep and difficult to attack this pass is, but because it is the last barrier of the Dali Imperial Capital.

Without Humen Pass, the capital of Dali would be completely exposed to the enemy's forces.

Once you pass Humen Pass, there is a vast expanse of barren wilderness, shrouded in sandstorms all day long, with no grass growing.

The most important thing is that the further west you go, the less water there is. After walking only a few hundred miles, there is no drinkable water. Therefore, Humen Pass is also jokingly called Yin Yang Pass.

This thousands of kilometers of wilderness has become a lawless area, with turmoil, chaos, killing and all the dark sides of the world happening here every day, making it a veritable lawless place.

Bandits were rampant, burning, killing, looting, committing all kinds of evil and killing at will.

The further west you go, the more serious the situation becomes. By the time you reach the Demon Realm Pass thousands of kilometers away, it has truly become an absolute lawless place.

Here, water is the greatest law.

Whoever controls the water source is the absolute master!
However, no matter how fierce the bandits were, they dared not attack the water supply line of the Dali Dynasty. From the Dali Imperial Capital to the Demon Realm Pass, a large amount of drinking water had to be transported every day, but for thousands of years, no one had ever dared to have any bad ideas.

Because this water supply line is also the premise for them to be able to act with impunity here, they cannot afford to offend the Dali Dynasty because of it, or even become the public enemy of the four central dynasties.

Besides, once you get out of Humen Pass, officials and bandits are one family, so there is absolutely no reason for them to rob one another's things.

On this day, a sandstorm covered the sky outside the Demon Realm Pass, reaching a height of less than ten meters. There was no trace of color in the entire world except for the gray dust.

But people living here have adapted to this situation. Even those who grew up here have never seen what the sky looks like until they die.

In an underground canyon a few dozen miles east of the Demon Realm Pass, as usual, many people living here began to slowly gather outside the canyon in order to exchange for the water they need for daily survival.

If you come too late, it may be gone.

Rather than an underground canyon, it is more like an underground shelter.

Because compared to the windy and sandy terrain on the ground that blocks out the sun, these caves that extend all the way underground are excellent habitats.

However, all these underground caves are controlled by powerful bandits, and it is impossible for ordinary people to live in them.

For example, the underground canyon in front of us is occupied by the most powerful horse bandits - the Red Eyebrows.

In the entire Chiye Desert, the Red Eyebrows were the most powerful horse bandits, with as many as four to five thousand men. They roamed the desert covering thousands of kilometers all day long, burning, killing, looting, and committing all kinds of evil.

For ordinary people, this distance of thousands of kilometers is an insurmountable chasm because there is simply not enough water. But for the Red Wild Horse Bandits, this problem does not exist at all.

Because there is a big man standing behind them, who can be said to be the local emperor of this area, because this person controls hundreds of thousands of troops in the Demon Realm Pass.

This person was none other than Chixu, the commander of the Demon Realm Pass, and the Chiye horse bandits got their name from his surname and called themselves the Chiye Army.

With this great backer, the Chiye Army can run rampant in the wasteland of thousands of kilometers in radius. Once the drinking water source is gone, they can directly ask for it from the water transportation line. After all, to support the hundreds of thousands of troops in the Demon Realm Pass, water must be transported continuously every day without interruption for a single day.

Otherwise, there is a possibility of causing a mutiny due to drinking smelly water.

Thanks to Chixu, the strong backer, the Chiye Army not only had sufficient personnel, but also raised thousands of war horses, becoming the only real horse bandit group in this drought-stricken land.

Every day, the Akano Army would use the water they obtained from the Demon Realm Pass to exchange for the drought treasures in the hands of nearby residents.

The so-called drought treasure is a kind of dry land Ganoderma lucidum, which is not only fragrant and delicious, but also can strengthen the body, improve eyesight and refresh the mind. It is also the only treasure in this barren land.

However, this drought treasure is extremely rare, and the chance of finding it is the same as that of wild Ganoderma lucidum.

A bottle of drought-resistant medicine the size of a baby's hand can be exchanged for a month's worth of drinking water and even food rations.

Otherwise, they would have to drink stinky water all day long and eat rough, hard-to-swallow dry food provided free of charge by the Dali Dynasty.

"Dad, I'm so thirsty. When can I get clean water?"

Outside the Chiye Canyon, two figures, one big and one small, were struggling to move forward against the wind and sand.

"It's almost there. We'll be able to get a clean water source soon, and then you'll have enough to drink. Hide the drought treasure quickly, and don't let anyone see it..."

As the conversation progressed, the two men gradually approached the underground canyon. The younger one was only seven or eight years old, with skin and flesh like sticks, while the older one looked extremely old, with a pale face and thin body.

"Dad, can't we just go in and exchange for clean water?" the little boy asked, looking up, his eyes full of longing. He had never been into such an underground canyon cave, and he heard that it was like a fairyland inside.

"No, we can only wait here. After noon, the Chiye Army will come to collect the drought treasures. Then..."

The old man suddenly stopped talking here. The little boy was listening intently but there was no further talk. He looked up at his father and saw his father looking ahead with a look of astonishment.

The little boy followed the gaze and then his expression changed and he hid behind his father in fear.

"This is..." The old man looked at the entrance to the underground canyon about ten meters in front of him and rubbed his eyes hard.

He even took a few steps forward, and this time he could really see clearly. He saw groups of gray shadows standing quietly in the dust. Because of his limited vision, he couldn't see how many there were, but he could feel that there were really a lot of them, so many that he felt as if he couldn't see the end.

The little boy was so scared that he held his father's hand tightly, but the old man couldn't help but took a few steps forward again and finally saw clearly what it was.

They turned out to be groups of war horses, standing there quietly, just like statues, but their slightly trembling ears, gently swinging tails, and bright eyes told him that these war horses were alive.

But apart from the war horses, no human figures could be seen. Only the long thin blankets covering the horses' backs indicated that these war horses had owners.

But where are the people? The old man looked around in confusion.

He knew very well that these war horses were definitely not from the Chiye Army or the Demon Realm Pass garrison, because their war horses would definitely not be so well-trained or so spirited.

"Where did these war horses come from?"

Just then, a slight sound of footsteps was heard. The old man was startled and protected the little boy tightly behind him, looking in the direction of the footsteps with a vigilant look.

When he could roughly see who was coming, the old man breathed a sigh of relief for some reason.

Leading the group was a young couple. The man looked weak and pale, while the woman was covered in a white cloak with her hair neatly combed into a bun, revealing a graceful and elegant beauty.

Behind the young man and woman, there were five other figures, one big and four small. However, the big one was not very big, and looked only eleven or twelve years old. They were cute and adorable, but they had a long black box on their backs.

This black box is taller than an adult, and it seems somewhat out of place when carried on the other person's weak body.

The other four small figures were four girls of eight or nine years old who looked exactly the same, with bright eyes and white teeth, but they all had a pair of black swords on their backs.

After seeing these seven people appear, the old man was still calm, but the little boy hiding behind him became curious and stretched his little head to look at them shyly.

Jiang Yi looked at the skinny father and son in front of him and sighed, but inadvertently aroused his injuries and couldn't help coughing lightly a few times.

As soon as the cough sounded, the graceful woman beside him waved behind her, and Jiang Xue walked over from the dust ten meters away and threw a large black cloak on Jiang Yi.

Jiang Ning helped him tie his cloak lovingly, and then wrapped him tightly.

Jiang Yi smiled bitterly and shook his head. Although he was indeed injured, he was not to the point of being so weak that he could not even stand a weak wind.

"You...you have water? Do you want to exchange it for dry treasure?" Jiang Yi was about to ask something when the little boy opposite him took the initiative to speak.

After saying that, he swallowed a few times and stared at the water bag in Jiang Xue's hand with anticipation.

Jiang Ning smiled and nodded, and Jiang Xue then stepped forward and handed the water bag to the other party, in exchange for a black Ganoderma lucidum that was the size of a palm.

The little boy held the water bag tightly and looked up at his father with longing.

The old man smiled and nodded. The little boy immediately unscrewed the water bag and drank it down with his head tilted back. He drank for a long time before handing the water bag to the old man.

The old man smiled and pushed the water bag back, but he sighed in his heart. The drought treasure just now could at least buy them a month of clean water, but now it only exchanged for a water bag.

But he didn't have the heart to stop his son from changing the water. After all, his son hadn't had a sip of sweet water for a long time.

Jiang Yi also sighed secretly. Although the little boy had been drinking for a long time with his head tilted back, the water in the water bag did not decrease at all.

It is true that children from poor families become independent early in life, and at such a young age they already know how to share.

This reminded him of his seventh brother Jiang Zhongshuo, whom he had always placed high hopes on, and he couldn't help feeling a little upset.

"You...you'd better leave early. The Akano army will be out soon." The old man suddenly said.

Jiang Yi didn't say anything, but Jiang Ning asked, "How come you still live here in this arid land with no grass growing?"

In her opinion, this barren wasteland was simply not a place to survive in, and she didn't understand why the other party didn't move away.

The old man smiled and said nothing, but Jiang Yi knew some of the inside story.

There are quite a few people like them who live in the red drought land. Their ancestors were originally families of the soldiers guarding the Demon Realm Pass, and they took root here with the army.

Of course, at the beginning they did not live in this dusty sky, but lived in a cool and comfortable underground canyon.

But many years ago, this living condition was broken. They were driven out of the underground canyon by the horse bandits who suddenly appeared and became abandoned people.

The old man wanted to leave with the little boy, but was stopped by Jiang Yi: "A big treasure like this was only exchanged for a water bag, are you really willing to do that?"

The little boy then remembered that he had committed a murder and his face turned pale.

"Haha... ahem... don't worry, I will definitely provide you with enough clean water later. Don't be in a hurry to leave, just wait here."

After saying that, Jiang Yi looked up at the gray sky and whispered, "The weather will change soon..."

The old man just smiled and wanted to take his son away, but the little boy stood there motionless and refused to leave no matter how his father pulled him.

Jiang Ning smiled sympathetically, turned around and ordered: "Bring more water and some food."

As soon as she finished speaking, Jiang Xue came over with a maid and handed some food and a few water bags to the little boy. The little boy looked at his father and happily took it after getting permission.

But before he could eat, scattered footsteps began to be heard not far away, and then more and more figures came to the underground canyon. It seemed that they were all there to checkpoint, waiting for the Akano army to come out to exchange water.

They also noticed Jiang Yi and his group, and saw the pile of food and drinks in the little boy's arms. They all looked at Jiang Yi and his group with envy. Many people had already put their hands in their arms, because they could no longer withstand the temptation of the pile of food and drinks in the little boy's arms.

At this moment, most of the dust that had filled the sky suddenly dissipated. Although the sky was still not clear, a distance of several hundred meters could be seen.

This kind of view doesn't come around many times a year.

But everyone was stunned at this moment, all staring at the scene behind Jiang Yi in amazement.

All I could see was a sea of ​​war horses, so densely packed that there was no end in sight.

"How many are there? More than tens of thousands?" someone murmured dully.

But more people turned their eyes to a large flag, which seemed to evoke some memories in them: Is this the flag of King Dali? !

(End of this chapter)