Chapter 317 - Sword Qi Covers the Skies
To the north of the Ruen Dynasty and south of the Northern Qiang lies a vast expanse of desert that forms a natural barrier between the two nations. People from both nations who live within the area refer to it by the same name: the Great Wasteland.
A calamity had recently descended upon the Great Wasteland, if the rumors spreading among the sand bandits are to be believed. It’s said that a man and a woman have been traveling northeast through the desert, seemingly intent on crossing it.
The sand bandits normally welcome such attempts; travelers crossing their desert are like lambs walking into the jaws of wolves. The bandits would inevitably rob them and kill the man outright. Women are rare resources in the desert and would naturally be taken back to the bandits’ camp to provide entertainment for all.
Most of the sand bandits in the Great Wasteland were from Northern Qiang, but there were also a smaller number of Oirat among them. People from the Ruen Dynasty almost never joined the sand bandits. The Reun border was relatively far from the desert, and those accustomed to the central plains' climate rarely had the endurance to survive in the harsh conditions of the desert.
The sand bandits set up camps throughout the Great Wasteland, primarily preying on trade caravans traveling between the two nations. Of course, the bandits weren’t entirely foolish. They understood the importance of taking only enough to satisfy themselves without going overboard. Thus, they rarely wiped out entire caravans, opting instead to demand a toll that the merchants grudgingly paid.
Over time, the caravans understood how the sand bandits operated so they prepared silver and gold in advance. As soon as the bandits appeared, they would hand over the "tolls" without resistance. This mutual understanding eventually became the norm.
However, this courtesy was extended only to trade caravans. If the bandits encountered lone travelers or small groups, they wouldn’t hesitate to rob and kill them for a quick and dirty profit.
They would never let off a particular pair.
The pair was first spotted by a small group of twenty bandits from a major encampment in the desert. They had been out looking for trade caravans traveling between the Ruen Dynasty and Northern Qiang. Since the war between the two nations began, caravans trading between the two nations had become less and less frequent. With so many bandits competing over fewer resources, many bandit camps were on the brink of starvation.
Coming across this man and woman was an unexpected bonus for the bandits. While they wouldn’t yield nearly as much as a trade caravan, even the tiniest scraps were still something. In this case, the woman added an extra incentive they would never pass up.