There is a happy inn in the capital.

Chapter 444 Capturing the Spy Alive

The one walking in front was thin and moved somewhat hurriedly, glancing back from time to time; it was Zhen Congming!

He changed into a set of old clothes belonging to commoners in the Kingdom of Boyu, but his square face and the black mole at the corner of his mouth were clearly visible in the morning light.

Following him was a man from Boyu Kingdom, whose face was obscured by a dark brown cloak. He was burly but moved with a light step, clearly much more professional than Zhen Congming.

The two arrived at the center of the sand below. Zhen Congming lowered his voice, his tone filled with an eagerness as if he wanted to claim credit.

"This is it! I heard it with my own ears. Princess Zoya will definitely come to this direction to investigate first thing this morning! She said there might be an even bigger discovery! We'll lie in ambush here and wait for her to come..."

The man from Boyu interrupted him, his voice hoarse and low: "Is the information reliable? Why is it so quiet here? There isn't even a trace of the princess's guards?"

"It's definitely reliable!" Zhen Congming said, a little guilty, but he forced a smile. "Maybe she hasn't arrived yet... or maybe the princess is coming to check it out herself? We'll lie in ambush and make our move as soon as she gets close to the sandpit! This time, it'll be a sure thing..."

"Do it!"

Li Shuchen let out a low shout and pounced out from behind the rock pillar like a cheetah!

Zizhu and two other Mulan army women appeared from different directions, instantly forming an encirclement and blocking the two women's escape route.

Zhen Congming screamed in fright, his legs went weak, and he almost collapsed to the ground.

The man from the Jade Kingdom reacted extremely quickly. Seeing that the situation was not good, he completely ignored Zhen Congming and suddenly darted behind a rock pillar to the side. At the same time, he raised his hand and threw a cloud of white powder at Li Shuchen and the others!

"Hold your breath!"

Zizhu shouted sharply, charging forward through the powder, her short sword slashing towards her opponent's wrist.

The man was indeed skilled; he managed to twist and dodge at the last second, drawing a curved blade and clashing with Zizhu in close combat, producing a piercing metallic clang.

Li Shuchen's target is Zhen Congming

With a flash of the whip, it had already wrapped around Zhen Congming's ankle and pulled hard!

Zhen Congming fell flat on his face, his mouth full of sand. Before he could get up, Li Shuchen used his knee to push against his back, swiftly dislocating his jaw (to prevent him from biting his tongue or swallowing poison). Then, he covered his mouth and nose with a cloth soaked in medicine.

Zhen Congming's eyes widened, and after struggling a few times in terror, he softly fainted.

On the other side, Zizhu exchanged a few blows with the man from the Jade Kingdom and discovered that his swordsmanship was ruthless and unpredictable, making him a rare and skilled fighter.

Two Mulan soldiers tried to help, but were forced back by several darts thrown by the man.

The man clearly didn't want to linger in the fight. He feinted a strike, forcing Zizhu back half a step, then turned and sprinted deeper into the rock pillar area with astonishing speed.

"Chase!"

Zizhu wouldn't let him escape, and immediately gave chase with a warrior.

Li Shuchen and another soldier stayed behind and quickly tied the unconscious Zhen Congming up like a dumpling and gagged him.

A moment later, Zizhu and the other person returned, their expressions not good.

"That fellow knew the terrain extremely well. He disappeared into the labyrinth of rock pillars, winding his way through the maze. We were afraid of falling into a trap, so we didn't dare to pursue him too far."

Zizhu's tone was tinged with frustration, "However, during our fight, I tore his sleeve and glimpsed what appeared to be a black scorpion tattoo on his forearm."

"A scorpion tattoo?" Li Shuchen noted the feature. "Never mind, it's better that they escaped. At least we got the lion's share. Sister Zizhu, take Zhen Congming back to the inn immediately and hand him over to Yuying! According to the plan, secretly detain him and interrogate him carefully! Caiyi and I will go meet up with the princess."

"Alright! Be careful!" Without hesitation, Zizhu hoisted the unconscious Zhen Congming onto her shoulder and quickly disappeared behind the other side of the rock pillar.

Li Shuchen breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at Caiyi, "Let's go see if the princess has any real good news."

at the same time

On the northeast side of Tear Valley, another shady sand ditch

Zoya, along with Umur and two other helpers, were carefully digging with rudimentary tools into a spot where the sand was relatively thick and several clumps of rare, drought-resistant thorns were growing.

This was the place she judged, based on the vague memories of the tribe elders and the terrain, to be most likely to retain a trace of moisture.

The sun grew stronger, the sand began to scorch, and sweat beaded on their foreheads.

"Princess, take a break, we've dug so deep..." one of the helpers said, wiping his sweat.

Zoya shook her head, her emerald eyes fixed on the bottom of the pit: "A little deeper, I remember my mother saying that the roots of these thorns can reach very deep places..."

She picked up a small shovel herself and continued digging. The sand was dry, and each shovelful was laborious.

"Crack," her shovel seemed to have hit something hard, making a slight crisp sound.

It's not stone; the texture is somewhat different.

She quickly brushed aside the loose sand with her hands, revealing a small layer of slightly darker, seemingly denser sand underneath.

She picked up a little bit with her fingers, put it to her nose and smelled it. There was no particular smell, but the texture seemed to have a very slight coolness.

"Uncle Umur, bring the water pouch!" Zoya's heart raced.

Umur handed over the water bag

Zoya carefully placed a few drops of water on the dark sand.

The water droplets seeped in quickly and disappeared just before they completely vanished, but in the instant before they did, Zoya and her sharp-eyed helper seemed to see...

On the surface of the sand, there seemed to be a very faint trace of moisture spreading out, slightly darker in color than the surrounding dry sand, and... the rate of seepage seemed to be a tiny bit slower than the completely dry sand next to it.

"It seems... really is a little different?" Umur squatted down, his rough fingers touching the sand, a look of surprise and uncertainty in his eyes.

Suppressing her excitement, Zoya commanded, "Keep going, dig around here, but be careful!"

The group then carefully expanded the excavation to the surrounding area.

Although no obvious traces of water were found, within an area of ​​about three feet square, the color and texture of the sand were noticeably different from the surrounding area, appearing darker and heavier, and the slight coolness was also more pronounced when touched with fingertips.

As more water droplets fall, a slight delay in the rate of seepage can indeed be felt.

"It's moisture! Although it's not much, but down there... it might not be completely dry!" one of the helpers shouted excitedly.

Just then, Li Shuchen and Alan arrived.

Seeing Zoya and the others surrounding the sandpit, and the mixture of exhaustion and excitement on their faces...

Li Shuchen's eyes lit up: "Found it?"

Zoya looked up, her face covered in sand and sweat streaming down her cheeks, but a bright, genuine smile bloomed on her face as she nodded vigorously.

"Yes! Although it's rare, it really exists! And it's different from other places!"

The news spread like wildfire

When the nearby herders, who had been notified and arrived with some skepticism, witnessed Princess Zoya personally scooping up slightly darker, cool sand from the sand pit, they were treated to a truly remarkable sight.

Upon seeing the subtle differences in how the water droplets permeated the surface, the crowd fell silent at first, then erupted in an incredulous and ecstatic cheer!

"Dampness! There really is dampness!"

"Tear Valley...is alive?!"

"It was the princess who found it! The stars guided her!"

"May the sand sparrow protect you! Long live the princess!"

The herders knelt down in excitement, bowing in the direction of Zoya and Li Shuchen, many with tears welling in their eyes.