Nine out of ten gamblers lose; I've run into a jerk!

Chapter 83 Locust Plague

No one asked much about Revlon's disappearance; people just occasionally sighed over tea that such a stunning beauty was too good for Sanlang. It was just a minor episode in the journey and that was that.

After sitting on the ship for more than half a month, everyone finally felt grounded again. Perhaps it was because they had been on a diplomatic mission for almost half a year and were now closer to their homeland that everyone was in high spirits and even started humming tunes.

They successfully entered Humen Pass, the border city of Qi, and stayed at the inn in the city.

This is the place where Shen Qing sent Princess Fukang off. The wisteria flowers have long since fallen, leaving only the wisteria tree still rooted in the same spot. Several months have passed in the blink of an eye, and there is a sense of things having changed.

I wonder how the chubby princess is doing now? How far along is the succession struggle in Jing Kingdom?

"Isn't this Guard Shen?"

Shen Qing turned around and saw the postmaster of the post station. Out of politeness, he bowed and said, "Postmaster Liu, you still remember me."

"How could we forget? The people of the city talked about the 'Ten Thousand Trees Flying Flowers' move that Guard Shen made that day for a long time."

It sounded like a compliment, but for some reason it felt a little awkward.

Maybe it's too childish, yet everyone in the city is talking about it? Okay, he probably knows how the strategy points increased.

Shen Qing chuckled awkwardly twice, chatted casually with the postmaster for a few words, and then left under the pretext of going back to his room to rest.

"Oh dear, look at my memory!" Liu Yicheng slapped his forehead. Princess Fukang had sent someone to the post station to leave a letter, saying that it would be given to you when the Xuan Kingdom delegation passed by on their return journey.

Fukang wrote him a letter? Shen Qing waited for the postmaster to find a letter, took it, thanked him, and returned to his room to tear open the envelope and read it.

Aside from the polite greetings, the main point of the letter is that the fourth prince of Jingguo, Zhao Zheng, has been appointed crown prince and will hold his wedding on the fifteenth of August. This letter is written to share the joy with him.

The pink bubbles between the lines were almost overflowing, and Shen Qing's face twitched, feeling as if she had been fed a mouthful of dog food.

She actually guessed right. A princess's marriage is not her own choice, so being able to marry someone she likes is a blessing... right?

Fu Kang probably really didn't have many friends, and he genuinely considered Shen Qing a friend. At the end of the letter, he expressed his distress—weight loss.

A woman dresses up for the man she loves, and Fukang naturally wanted to show her best side to her beloved. Besides, Zhao Zheng had become the crown prince and would be the emperor in the future, with a harem of concubines and concubines. Fukang did not want to be just a mascot.

Humans are always like this, wanting more than they have. When their lives are hanging by a thread, they only think about surviving; once they are alive, they think about wealth and glory; and once they enjoy a position of honor, they crave true affection.

Regarding this, Shen Qing was not optimistic about Fu Kang. It wasn't about whether losing weight was easy or not, but rather that he observed Zhao Zheng to be ambitious, or to put it more positively, ambitious and not someone who cared about romance. If Fu Kang wanted to win Zhao Zheng's favor, whether he was thin or beautiful was irrelevant, as long as he remained useful.

Alas, there are always those who are deeply in love in this world; Shen Qing can only offer her blessings.

After a brief stop at Humen Pass, the delegation continued through Qi Kingdom, not entirely following the route they had taken. Since the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, they had deliberately taken a longer route to escort Jingchuan to Sidu Baifeng City, so they didn't need to make a special trip back.

Compared to the journey there, the return journey was shorter. Jing Chuan probably anticipated that the Xuan Kingdom delegation's return route would not pass through Bai Feng City, which is why he instructed Shen Qing to tell Jiang Se about the courtesy name bestowed upon him by Emperor Qi. Thinking of this, Shen Qing couldn't help but curl his lips, really not wanting to do this job.

The return journey wasn't long, but the trip there had been thrilling. The guards couldn't help but feel a bit bored, and one of them muttered, "It wouldn't be bad if a couple of greedy, simple-minded thieves showed up!"

Shen Qing, with her sharp ears, thought to herself, "Are you addicted to killing people?"

Things just happen unexpectedly. They got bored, and then God gave them a big surprise.

With only ten days' journey remaining to Qi Kingdom, the delegation passed through a mountain village. The midday sun was blazing, and Shen Che ordered a rest. Everyone sat in the shade of the trees by the roadside to cool off.

"Whoosh!" One of the guards loosened his collar and used his palm as a fan. "This sun is really scorching!"

"This is really strange. I hope there won't be another drought this year."

"Anyway, this is Qi Kingdom, why are you worrying about it?"

Shen Qing also found a shady spot to sit and rest. Looking out at the rolling wheat fields and lush green seedlings, she felt a sense of relief, thinking that this year's harvest should be bountiful.

Just then, she suddenly saw a patch of dry ground slowly rising in front of her. Was she suffering from heatstroke? Why were her eyes blurry? Shen Qing rubbed her eyes, but the patch of ground was still slowly rising.

A dark red mass broke through the soil, in one place, two places, three places...

Shen Qing didn't know what it was, but a bad feeling welled up in her heart, and she pointed at the wheat field with a trembling hand.

"Quick! Look! What's that?"

Hearing Shen Qing shout, the guards thought an enemy was attacking and became alert. They looked closely in the direction Shen Qing pointed.

Suddenly, those dark red clumps expanded rapidly and then exploded, turning into millions of moving living things!

They grew incredibly fast, seemingly born knowing how to run and jump, and quickly spread, beginning to devour the wheat seedlings.

"It's locusts! Locusts!!!"

The guards, who had experience in farming, shouted!

It's ruined, this wheat field is ruined.

"go!"

Shen Che directed the delegation to set off immediately. The locusts had just emerged from the ground and their flesh was still tender, so they were not very dangerous. However, they grew quickly. Once their shells hardened, although a single locust would still be no threat, a large number of them would sweep in and kill people.

The delegation quickly assembled and sped off in carriages and horses, keeping torches lit along the way.

How could a human possibly outrun a winged creature? They didn't intend to race the locusts; they simply ran all the way back to their country, hoping to find a safe haven. Fortunately, they managed to sneak into the inn before the locust army arrived.

"Close the door!"

"Seal off the windows!"

"Seal it off!"

The postmaster was terrified by the sudden appearance of the "fierce bandits" and had no idea what was going on.

After a period of chaos and turmoil, Shen Che finally had time to explain to the postmaster what had happened.

Upon hearing this, the postmaster's face turned grave, but reporting it now would be of no use.

Not long after, the sky darkened, not because it was dark, but because the locust army was passing through.

"Crackling and popping—"

Like a torrential downpour, the sound of locusts pounding against doors and windows weighed heavily on everyone's hearts.

Will these locusts fly to Xuan Kingdom?

"No way, it's so far away."

"It's not too far."

It's only ten days' journey from here to Xuan State, neither too far nor too near. Locusts can fly, and it's highly likely that they will fly to the neighboring Xuan State after devouring all of Xuan State's crops.

Shen Che's face darkened. If this continued, a popular uprising might break out!