Chapter 36: Pioneers Already Existed

He Chunhua added, "I saw in ancient texts that the Chipa Plateau is a 'double Duasuo'—meaning two layers of plains stacked upon each other, with the second layer higher than the first. The soil on the second layer, where the Panlong Ancient City is located, is fertile and receives meltwater from the high mountains. With a dense network of waterways, it is a rare highland water town in the entire Panlong Wasteland!"

This was only natural; without a continuous and sufficient water source throughout the year, Panlong City could not have endured at all.

"How do we proceed now?" Nian Songyu asked the State Preceptor. "It's almost dark."

In fifteen minutes at most, the sun would sink below the distant mountains. The light within the ancient city was rapidly dimming.

"First, we establish a base camp and set up defensive talisman arrays," Sun Fuping had already planned. "Disperse. Everyone, find a suitable location."

"Disperse?" He Lingchuan immediately interjected, "This is a massive ruin; we haven't ruled out the risks yet!"

"There is no need." Sun Fuping spoke with absolute confidence. "At least the outskirts of the city are relatively safe. You don't actually think we are the first group to enter Panlong City in over a hundred years, do you?"

*Was that what I thought? Was I being naive?* He Lingchuan gave a hollow laugh. "So there were pioneers before us. It's a pity they all returned empty-handed."

If they had found the treasure, why would anyone else bother coming to Panlong City?

"Not necessarily. They weren't necessarily here for the Great Fanghu. Ruins like this often attract treasure hunters. They also recorded their findings here, which can serve as a reference for us." Although the mutated creatures and Three-Corpse Insects in the Panlong Desert were terrifying, to be honest, as long as one did their homework beforehand, they were not insurmountable problems.

So, the Panlong ruins had long been visited by people, each arriving with their own hidden agendas.

Just like this expedition.

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After searching for a while, more than two hundred people found an open space to settle.

This area appeared to be the marketplace of Panlong City. Two long rows of buildings stood adjacent to a riverbed, packed tightly together, none exceeding two stories in height.

Of course, most of the storefronts were destroyed, and at least one-third had clearly suffered from fire, but a few houses still hung their signboards, though the writing on the most intact one had become blurred.

The script was somewhat different from the modern style. He Lingchuan had to exert some effort to barely recognize two characters: "Frost... Wine."

It was likely a tavern.

The houses here were low and short, and since they were all clustered together, they were well-suited for a temporary camp. Once the team had settled, Sun Fuping ordered a two-hour rest and reorganization, and Zeng Feixiong hurried off to assign rooms. Several leaders occupied the tavern, which offered the best view and most protection from the wind, to begin their long-term planning.

After two days of traveling, everyone finally had a chance to wash their faces and refresh themselves.

In the heart of a desert where every drop of water was precious, this was a privilege reserved only for the leaders. He Lingchuan lifted his waterskin and took several hearty gulps before splashing the rest onto his face. "This hellhole! Scorching hot during the day, freezing at night!"

The typical climate of desert regions involves extreme temperature fluctuations between day and night; a place that is over forty degrees Celsius at noon can develop frost by nightfall. The sun had already set, and the temperature had plummeted. Even wearing padded coats wasn't enough; they had to scavenge wooden pieces from around to build fires for warmth.

He shook his head like a dog shaking off water. Nian Songyu frowned and dodged the splashing droplets, saying

"Time is precious; we cannot waste the night. But these ruins are too vast. Even if we split up, it will take at least several days of searching. Does the State Preceptor have a plan?"

They were not here for a picnic; the food and water brought by the team were limited, and every minute needed to be utilized effectively.

After brushing off the yellow sand and tidying his appearance, Sun Fuping regained his aura as a State Preceptor and began to speak eloquently.

"The tasks of turning over every stone and digging three feet deep have already been done by the Baling Immortals' allied forces and subsequent treasure hunters. It is impossible for us to do better than them. Therefore, there is little value in searching these buildings and houses within the city."

After Panlong City was breached in the past, it suffered a massacre; people and livestock were all slaughtered, and wealth was looted clean. It took the enemy nation over thirty years to topple it, and their hatred was etched into their very bones; they wouldn't have vented their rage without indulging in several rounds of plunder.

Moreover, they had ample time and likely scoured even the very soil, yet the Great Fanghu remained unfound. Thus, from grand mansions to commoner dwellings, none were its hiding places.

Hearing this, He Lingchuan breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good then." Otherwise, with so few people and such a massive city, searching would have been like looking for a needle in a haystack. "Does that mean the State Preceptor already knows where the vessel is?"

Since the predecessors had returned in defeat, Sun Fuping would not have traveled thousands of miles to eat sand here if he didn't have absolute certainty.

"I do not know the exact location, but I can narrow down the scope," Sun Fuping said after a moment of contemplation. "I have visited Grandmaster Zhu Gen of the Baling Kingdom. He visited Panlong City four times—the earliest being sixty years ago, and the latest forty years ago. It can be said that he was perhaps the force that searched the Panlong ruins most thoroughly after the allied forces."

"A force?" He Chunhua caught the keyword.

"In my view, the Baling Kingdom has always harbored suspicions regarding the Panlong ruins. Grandmaster Zhu Gen himself was quite obsessed with it. His last investigation here was when he was seventy-five years old, and he stayed for the longest duration—fifteen days in total—and brought the largest number of people, reportedly over a thousand."

The more people there were and the longer they stayed, the more meticulous the search of Panlong City would be. One could only wonder how they managed the logistical supply.

As expected, such large-scale excavations required the support of the government and the military.

Everyone understood now: the allied forces and Grandmaster Zhu Gen had already done the groundwork and cleared the mines for them; a carpet-style search was no longer necessary.

"Nearly a thousand people were fine, and they didn't encounter any accidents?" He Lingchuan interjected. "That in itself is quite abnormal."

He Chunhua suddenly said, "It is already dark, yet I haven't seen any Three-Corpse Insects."

Currently, he could still see the three fires on other people's bodies, meaning the effects of the Spirit-Dissolving Powder had not yet worn off. This state was similar to the colloquially known "opening of the heavenly eye," which also allowed one to see Three-Corpse Insects.

Yet, from the moment they crossed the bridge to when they entered the city, he hadn't spotted a single one.

Wasn't that strange in itself?

"Indeed. Not only are there no Three-Corpse Insects in the city, but there are no other malevolent spirits either. This is the consensus among previous treasure hunters. Therefore, as long as we don't cause a massive disturbance here, we will likely be safe," Sun Fuping said, taking out a military naan bread and beginning to roast it over the fire.

Military naan was made from unleavened dough; if it were as large as a faceplate and dropped on the ground, it would make a "clink" sound—it was that solid. Its only advantage was that it was filling and didn't spoil easily. Even when roasted soft, He Lingchuan felt the bread was coarse and dry, making it difficult to swallow without scratching the throat. He could only soak it in hot water to eat, but Sun Fuping casually broke it into small pieces and chewed it without changing his expression.

This State Preceptor was quite down-to-earth; he could live on fine silks and delicacies, but he could also manage with coarse tea and naan.

"Much of the information I have collected came from Zhu Gen. After researching for half a lifetime, he told me personally: the Great Fanghu has never been found by anyone, likely because everyone has been looking at the wrong time."

(End of Chapter)