Exiting from a small path in the northern part of the forest, they entered a vast area of salt and alkali land, with rocks and caves of various sizes eroded by the sea waves.
This area had almost no vegetation, creating a distinct boundary with the green hills nearby. Those green figures, resembling girls in white veils, had tied a circle of emerald green ribbons, reaching hundreds of meters into the sea on the sparkling white beach.
There were many people on the beach, with the largest group surrounding Cheng Feng. When he drew the curved knife from the golden scabbard, the moment the sunset shone on the blade, reflecting a dazzling metallic halo, Cheng Mo's horse was rushing towards him. His clothes fluttered, and the light blue veil behind him soared in the wind. All the noise disappeared, as if someone had frozen time, solidifying the expressions of the people.
It wasn't until the horse's head raised lightly, neighing and stopping, as if receiving a command, that the crowd regained vitality.
They rushed past Cheng Mo, heading towards Xiangbei, who had just been dismounted and hadn't yet stabilized, eagerly greeting her.
"Young Master, Young Madam!"
"Master, Madam!"
"Prince, Princess!"
They were called by various titles, clearly stirred up by Cheng Feng. Even the experienced Tong CEO, at this moment, shyly buried her head behind Cheng Mo, refusing to lift it.
Cheng Mo enjoyed the feeling of being a human shield for the girl behind him, but he was more afraid of not getting her to come again after upsetting her.
Quickly using a deliberately stern tone, he scolded his subordinates, "What are you doing? Trying to scare away my people? Forget the rules! Everyone is punished—50 sets of underwater catches, and the last one fasting for dinner!"
Confused by the strict punishment and the smile on their master's face, the group exchanged glances. Suddenly, they seemed to understand the taste of it.
Cheng Shan winked, "If the masters are punished, how can we disciples stand by? All our guards should go down to catch as well. What do you think?"
"Big brother is right. Please wait for the masters and madams to inspect the catch!" A group of people swiftly passed by, taking away a large number of men. They rushed into the sea.
"These people are used to the wild, lacking discipline. I'll make amends on their behalf. Let's go; I'll take you to the camp's passage." Cheng Mo's lips curled upward. "Come with me, and I'll show you the way."
Upon seeing the white sandy beach, Xiangbei initially thought of the coral atolls in the Maldives. Only when she got closer did she realize that this highly reflective, fine white sand was actually rare pure white quartz sand!
Observing the white sand gathering along the edge of the black hills, it extended into a large black tunnel entrance, unmistakably a lava cave left behind after a volcanic eruption. Although she was supposed to be in modern-day Fujian Province, it was certain that the coastal areas of Fujian had never recorded such extensive volcanic eruptions.
It seemed this time travel not only distorted time and brought historical turning points but also altered geography, geology, and even climate conditions.
So, no matter how she flapped her wings, it wouldn't disrupt the historical trajectory of the great Middle Kingdom.
Great! She could completely set aside cautious concerns and live recklessly for once!
The interior of the passage was about four to five meters high and around thirty to forty meters wide.
The evident volcanic ash rock walls were adorned with some shining high-temperature crystals. On the left side of the cave, wooden platforms and tents were systematically arranged, while on the right, a six-meter walkway was paved with wooden planks.
"This is one of the secret training camps of my family guards of Cheng, one of the branches my mother received as part of her dowry when she married. I took over the entire command when I turned eighteen.
The entire Guard Forces structure is organized into seven divisions: Shan (Mountain), Hai (Sea), Yun (Cloud), Yu (Rain), Feng (Wind), Lei (Thunder), and Dian (Lightning ). Each division has its special responsible for, Mountain (Shan)for Military Strategy, Sea(Hai) for supply and logistic, Cloud (Yun) for intelligence, Rain(Yu)for roads and bridges building, Wind(Feng) for scouts, Thunder (Lei) for military training, and Lighting (Dian)for craftsmanship, respectively.
The current heads of these departments are referred to by these seven code names, and their subordinates are named in sequential order. After Wind Uncle retired, his son, Cheng Feng, took over. The Cheng Dian department, led by Cheng Dian, whom you know, is in charge of naval affairs despite being the son of Sea Uncle. Cheng Tian is the head of the Guards and has been with me since birth, accompanied by the Hidden Guards. The department heads regularly report to him and me."
"Wow, what a sophisticated organization. Cheng Mo, as a prince, do you also have your own personal guards?"