The Queen was very satisfied with what she heard, and when she asked Ou Duo to leave, she looked very pleased.
"Odo, you did a great job. I, Daliang, have never taken hundreds of thousands of troops seriously. If he is really as powerful as you said, I will go and meet him."
The queen secretly estimated the difference in power between the two in her heart. Once she had an idea in her mind, she could think about her own affairs again.
Just as they were secretly analyzing Huo Langqi, Huo Langqi almost lost his way in the messy bushes.
"Your Majesty, this place is so strange. We have walked such a long way, how come we seem to have come back?"
Huo Langqi was shocked by his subordinates' words. He looked at the woods almost stubbornly, refusing to admit defeat.
"Don't think too much. The terrain here is very complicated. It's not as simple as our Okong country. Look at these tall and short tree branches. They make the direction of the sun lose its fundamental direction, so we got lost. So, you are responsible for cutting off the extra branches in front of us, so that we won't have to repeat the same path again, and we can see the people we want to see faster."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
The subordinates followed orders, while Huo Langqi was responsible for looking after the horses and resting in a shaded place.
Their water bags were out of water, and Huo Langqi was thirsty, so he called someone to accompany him and lead the horse to look for water.
Suddenly an idea struck him.
“That’s right!”
He exclaimed.
The subordinates who followed him had no idea what he was thinking, nor did they dare to say much. They just followed him silently, accompanying him, protecting him, and waiting for his next words.
But then Huo Langqi stopped talking and became anxious to find a source of water.
The accompanying soldier cautiously reminded: "Your Majesty, where there is water, there must be moisture. If we dig up the low bushes, we will know which direction we should go."
Huo Langqi readily agreed. After all, his experience in this area was not as good as those who had been on the battlefield and suffered. Although he was extremely talented, he also had his shortcomings and could not handle everything on his own.
Huo Langqi was not arrogant at this time. He knew when to use people and when to trust his own intuition.
After walking for about a few hundred meters with their men, the horses did not make any noise, which proved that there were no ferocious beasts in this forest. Even if they got lost, the horses would be able to find their way back to the road in the distance.
When they reached a green area, the soldier finally laughed.
"Your Majesty, look, that's the water source. We are lucky and found it quickly."
Huo Langqi was also very excited. They walked in the forest for several days, and finding water source became a problem every time because the search area was too large. Huo Langqi had no way to make the water source follow them. He had to go looking for water with others every time when there was no water. After so many days, he even forgot about this problem.
"Your Majesty, why did you exclaim just now?"
The soldier remembered Huo Langqi's strange behavior just now and asked curiously.
Huo Langqi smiled and replied, "We need water, and so do those people. Unless we get water at night to avoid attracting other people's attention during the day, we will get farther and farther away from where they live. As long as we search every place where people get water, we can find the place where the Emperor of Daliang lives."
The soldiers were full of admiration for Huo Langqi's analysis. He deeply witnessed the majesty of their king, and then became even more devoted and dedicated to his duties.
After taking the water back to the temporary camping place, Huo Langqi leaned tiredly against a big tree.
He looked at the stars in the sky which became brighter as it got darker, and thought about his young children at home. He couldn't help but feel homesick.
"Your Majesty, what are you thinking about? Our dinner is ready."
The soldier handed him a piece of carefully grilled meat. Everyone else ate it with relish, except Huo Langqi, who had no appetite.
He put the meat in his mouth and chewed it mechanically, feeling the chewy meat shreds melting bit by bit in his mouth and warming up the discomfort in his stomach.
This is not the barbecue from my hometown, it’s delicious but tasteless.
Barely filling the stomach.
After dinner, Huo Langqi regained some strength and told his subordinates: "Whoever goes to fetch water in the future, be careful. If someone comes, don't let your guard down and don't treat them as enemies. They may be the people we are looking for."
Many people did not understand why the king said this, but their natural habit of obeying orders made them not ask too many questions. They just did their own job well and then focused on protecting Huo Langqi's safety.
At this time, Fu Yuheng and Shen Qingwan were resting in the cave.
This was the fourth day. Just in case, they stored a small amount of food in the cave, just enough for the next day.
I'm just afraid that if someone comes back and attacks me, I won't have time to escape and will leave traces behind.
Qingwan has great skills in keeping the whole cave in order. Everyone has their own division of labor, and it is as orderly as a beehive.
Sometimes Fu Yuheng would find it funny when he saw it, because it was rare to see Shen Qingwan like this.
But there is always a feeling of care in his heart. This is his woman, a woman who needs his careful care.
As the sky gradually darkened, Fu Yuheng took the animal skin in his hand and asked Qingwan to lie down.
"Those people should be asleep by now, so let's take a break too. Don't always think about the future, take a break as well. I guess those people will come back to visit us in a few days."
"Why are you so sure?"
Qingwan was puzzled, so Fu Yuheng explained to her: "Those people are not like us. They don't have time to wait. They have a lot of things to deal with in Okong Country. They can't wait."
"In fact, we don't have much time. Your Majesty, you don't need to worry too much about the Queen. But what if you can't go back for too long and some of your loyal subjects become disheartened and turn to the Queen? What will happen then?"
What Shen Qingwan said was not without reason. She might have wanted to tell Fu Yuheng these things for a long time, but she never dared to, for fear that he would be in a bad mood after hearing them. But now that it was time to deal with the people of Okong, Qingwan felt that it was a good opportunity and said it naturally.
Fu Yuheng was not greatly affected. He was well aware of the changes in the court. After being the emperor for so many years, it would be a waste of his time if he could not understand this.
But he also has his own plans.
"The Queen will definitely find a time to clean up all the old people. I just need to get myself to the palace before that time and get rid of the Queen. As for other things, I am confident that there will be no problem."
Shen Qingwan didn't know what to say about his certainty.
In her heart, she felt that she shouldn't be so careless, but Fu Yuheng never spoke empty words, so she had to remain silent.