I'm in Battle Through the Heavens, and I have a control panel.

Chapter 58 Heading to the Desert

Xiao Li continued, "To be honest, my elder brother Xiao Ding has taken his men to the Tagor Desert on a mission and won't be back for a while."

"May I ask your esteemed name? What is your connection with us, brothers? And what brings you to us?"

Since Xiao Zheng needed Xiao Li's help, he decided to reveal his identity directly, hoping that Xiao Li would be more attentive when helping him.

Xiao Zheng then said, "My name is Xiao Zheng, and I am of the same clan as you."

"What?! You're Xiao Zheng?!"

Xiao Li's eyes widened suddenly, his face filled with disbelief, and his voice rose several decibels.

He truly hadn't expected that the young Grand Master before him was actually the genius junior his father, Xiao Zhanxin, had mentioned!

Xiao Zheng was slightly taken aback, then realized what he meant.

It's likely that when Xiao Zhan asked Xiao Li to help him find the poison formula, he must have mentioned his situation to the two brothers, otherwise Xiao Li wouldn't have been so shocked.

Upon hearing this, Xue Lan, who was standing nearby, suddenly relaxed.

She had been on tenterhooks, fearing that this ruthless Grand Master might attack the Second Battalion Commander at the slightest provocation. Now that she knew they were family, her anxiety finally subsided.

Xiao Zheng smiled slightly: "You are Uncle Xiao's son, and you and Xiao Yan are brothers, so I'll call you Second Brother too."

"Haha, great!"

Xiao Li laughed heartily, "It doesn't matter what you call me. Since we're family, let's not be so formal!"

He stepped aside to make way, gesturing for her: "Brother Xiao Zheng, young lady, please come in! Let's talk inside."

Xiao Zheng and Little Fairy Doctor exchanged a glance and followed Xiao Li into the Mo Tie Mercenary Group's base.

After passing through several courtyard gates, the group arrived at a spacious reception room. Xiao Li immediately treated the two as honored guests and instructed the servants to serve tea and snacks.

After the servants left, Xiao Li asked curiously, "Brother Xiao Zheng, you came all this way to see my elder brother and me; you must have something important to discuss?"

"I do have something to ask of you."

Xiao Zheng nodded and said frankly, "I came here this time to enter the Tagor Desert to find three medicinal herbs: Sand-Eroding Grass, Flame Silk Vine, and Sand Soul Flower Seeds."

"Does Second Brother know their whereabouts?"

A smile flashed in Xiao Li's eyes: "When I sent the prescription home, I was thinking of finding these medicinal herbs for you when I had some free time, but I didn't expect you to come to me first."

"These three medicinal herbs..."

Before he could finish speaking, a young man covered in blood staggered in, his face full of anxiety.

"Second Regiment Commander! Something terrible has happened!"

The young man's voice was hoarse and filled with heavy breathing. He had just finished speaking when everything went black and he collapsed straight to the ground.

Xiao Li reacted quickly, stepping forward to support him, his expression instantly turning serious: "What happened?"

Supported by Xiao Li, the young man caught his breath and, with his last ounce of strength, cried out, "Commander... the Commander and the others are being besieged by the Snake-People at the Ni River Ruins!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the young man lost consciousness and collapsed into Xiao Li's arms.

"What?!"

Xiao Li's expression changed drastically, and he abruptly stood up: "Snake-people? How could we suddenly encounter snake-people!"

He quickly calmed himself down and bowed to Xiao Zheng, apologizing, "Brother Xiao Zheng, I'm truly sorry. I do know the whereabouts of the medicinal herbs you're looking for, but my elder brother's situation is critical right now, and I must rush over to help him immediately. We can only discuss this further later!"

Seeing Xiao Li's anxious expression, Xiao Zheng wondered whether he should go along.

Xiao Ding is stronger than Xiao Li, yet he is in mortal danger. This means the enemy is not weak, so Xiao Li's journey is likely to be fraught with peril... Of course, that's not the whole story.

If we incorporate the content from the original novel, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li will meet Xiao Yan here a few months later, which means that neither Xiao Ding nor Xiao Li were harmed in this incident.

Therefore, theoretically, Xiao Li should not be in any danger of losing his life if he goes to provide support.

However, let's go together anyway. We can resolve the trouble with the Mo Tie Mercenary Group as soon as possible, and find out the whereabouts of the medicinal herbs sooner. After all, he only has less than 11 months left to prepare.

Thinking of this, Xiao Zheng said, "Second Brother, there's no need to be so polite."

"The snake people are ruthless, and it must be extremely dangerous for you, brother. Let's go together to rescue you."

"this……"

Xiao Li hesitated, then said somewhat embarrassedly, "This is a family matter between us brothers. Although you are a member of the Xiao family, you are not related to us by blood. How could we trouble you?"

"Second brother, you are mistaken."

Xiao Zheng waved his hand: "Back then, I was fortunate enough to find those two poison prescriptions thanks to my second brother. My trip here is to repay that favor."

"Besides, we're all from the Xiao family, so helping each other is only natural."

Xiao Li felt a warmth in his heart. The situation was urgent, and with another Great Dou Master to help, his elder brother's chances of winning would increase.

He didn't stand on ceremony any longer and nodded emphatically, "Alright! Then I'll leave it to Brother Xiao Zheng! I'll go and gather the men right away!"

"No need."

Xiao Zheng grabbed him and said in a deep voice, "More people will only get in the way and slow things down. The three of us are enough."

"Three?"

Xiao Li was stunned. "How can this be? The snake-people are coming with overwhelming force. There are only the three of us... I'm afraid..."

"Don't worry, Second Brother."

Xiao Zheng said confidently, "If neither I nor my maid can solve this problem, no matter how many people you bring, it will only be a pointless death."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Li thought about it carefully and realized that it was indeed true.

Xiao Zheng is a Great Dou Master. If even he can't solve the problem, then bringing more Dou Masters along will only increase casualties.

However, judging from what Brother Xiao Zheng said, it seems that the beautiful young lady beside him is also quite strong. Could she also be a Great Dou Master?

"Alright! We'll do as Brother Xiao Zheng says!"

Xiao Li no longer hesitated: "There's no time to lose, let's set off immediately!"

The three immediately left the Desert Iron Mercenary Group's base and headed straight for the monster rental point in Stone Desert City.

Xiao Li was generous and directly rented three of the fastest Tier 1 magical beasts—Eagle Sauce.

The three of them leaped onto the eagle's back. The eagle let out a sharp cry, flapped its wings, and soared into the sky, speeding towards the Tagor Desert.

The wind howled, and the scenery below rushed by, gradually turning from a lush oasis into a vast expanse of yellow sand.

Several hours later, the three-headed eagle finally arrived over the Ni River ruins.

Below, a section of earthen city wall, half-buried in the yellow sand, is faintly visible; this is the Nihe River Relics.

At this moment, the area around the ruins was in complete disarray, with many corpses and bloodstains scattered on the sand, some human and some snake-men.

Xiao Ding and three female members of the Mo Tie Mercenary Group were covered in wounds, supporting each other as they leaned against the earthen wall, their breaths weak.

Around them, a dozen snake-people of various shapes and sizes were eyeing them menacingly.

These snake-men have human upper bodies but thick snake tails for lower bodies. They hold sharp curved knives in their hands and their eyes flash with cold killing intent.

The snake-man leader was tall with deep purple scales and exuded a strong aura of battle energy, clearly possessing the strength of a five-star battle master!

"Xiao Ding, stop struggling in vain."

The snake-man leader's lips curled into a cruel smile, his voice hoarse and unpleasant, "Hand over these three women, and I might spare your life."

Xiao Ding coughed up a mouthful of blood, but his eyes remained firm: "Wishful thinking... The word 'betraying a friend' does not exist in my dictionary."

"If you want to hurt them, you'll have to step over my dead body first!"

"How ungrateful!"

The snake-man leader's eyes flashed with murderous intent. He waved his hand and coldly shouted, "Since that's how it is, then don't blame me for being impolite! Kill the men, leave the women!"

"kill!"

The snake-men around them roared in unison, brandishing their curved blades and lunging at Xiao Ding and his companions.

"Let's fight them!"

A resolute glint flashed in the eyes of the three female members as they gripped their weapons, ready to charge forward and fight the snake-men to the death.

Just at this critical moment, three figures descended from the sky like shooting stars and landed steadily in front of Xiao Ding and his companions.

As soon as Xiao Zheng landed, a pale gold panel popped up in front of him.

[Chosen Quest Triggered!]

The Serpent Clan is besieging the Desert Iron Mercenary Group. What will you choose?

[A. Mind your own business and ignore it.]

[B. Assist the Snake Man in killing members of the Desert Iron Mercenary Group; reward: 1 Creation Point.]

[C. Assist the Desert Iron Mercenary Group in killing the Snake Man; reward: 1 Creation Point.]