Chapter 25: A Cup of Plain Water for Twenty Coins

That scene just now scared the white dog into barking incessantly before it turned and bolted.

The monster chased straight after it, and both quickly vanished behind the dunes.

A porter in the rear convoy cursed loudly. One less escorted guest meant a corresponding decrease in his wages.

This was how the Panlong Desert introduced itself to everyone.

The relaxed atmosphere among all the witnessing convoys vanished instantly.

Zeng Feixiong withdrew his gaze and murmured, "It's his fault. On the Red Cliff Road, children and dogs must be kept on leashes."

"That's the largest Yellow Lie I've ever seen," He Lingchuan remarked, clicking his tongue. His original self had hunted frequently and knew that the Yellow Lie was not a fish, but a monster lurking in the deserts and Gobi, specializing in ambushing small passing animals.

It could dive and surface freely within the desert, moving even faster than a four-legged creature.

But even if it had become a demon, such a thing should be at most slightly larger than a dog—it shouldn't have been of that size!

"This is the Panlong Desert, after all." Zeng Feixiong had escorted merchant caravans through here many times and was long used to it. "The resentful spirits influence everything here. Even monsters that originally possessed intelligence will be mutated if they stay in the desert too long."

So that was the logic. That was why, although sand leopards also entered the Panlong Desert to hunt, they must reside and breed in the Western Mountains.

...

The magnificent desert, if viewed for too long, becomes monotonous.

The journey was peaceful yet boring; as long as one did not step a single foot off the Red Cliff Road, one only had to deal with the troubles of hot winds, scorching sun, and sandstorms.

For prepared and experienced teams, these were all bearable.

After traveling for three days, the convoy finally arrived at Baiyuan Station.

This was a relay station on the Red Cliff Road used for traveling merchants to rest; its predecessor was an ancient city.

There were over a dozen ancient cities on the Panlong Wasteland, but only a handful remained in the world a hundred years later. Baiyuan City had also long been swallowed by the yellow sands; later arrivals had excavated its old foundations and built several rows of houses standing along the edge of the Red Cliff Road.

Within the scope of the ancient city, much like the Red Cliff Road, one would not be attacked by resentful spirits or monsters, making it a good place for merchants to stop mid-journey.

As the convoy entered Baiyuan Station, He Chunhua hurried over to negotiate with the station officials.

Indeed, Blackwater City had established a station here and assigned personnel to manage it. However, the control here was loose, unlike the strictness found within the Great Yuan Kingdom.

In times like these, in places like this, the power of money becomes apparent.

Baiyuan Station allowed passing merchants to pitch tents, and it also sold food and water. If people wanted to indulge in a bit of luxury, they could rent small rooms.

Of course, the Panlong Desert itself had no water sources; all ingredients, fresh water, and building materials had to be transported from within Blackwater City.

Where there is demand, there is business. Those wishing to do this trade first had to establish connections with the station officials and then go through the great trouble of transporting goods to this wasteland. With all sorts of costs piled on, a basic set consisting of one steamed bun and a bottle of fresh water sold for thirty wen—not expensive, right?

A bowl of mutton soaked bread, the kind with only grease and no meat chunks, sold for two silver coins—not expensive, right?

An overnight room, with a rental fee of five silver coins—once you moved in, you felt like you were getting a bargain, right?

If you also wanted to take a hot bath in the desert to wash away the dust and fatigue of the road—

Grandmaster Sun, Commander Nian, and the Eldest Young Master He all had this desire, so Governor He could only afford to be extravagant.

This single expense alone could buy five acres of fine fertile land near Blackwater City—permanent real estate.

After bathing and eating a few luxury sets until half-full, He Lingchuan finally regained his strength.

With his robust physique, he had felt quite exhausted from the three days of walking, and he wondered how much more hardship lay ahead.

In contrast, He Chunhua appeared quite composed, clearly not as weak as he looked on the surface.

He Lingchuan also bought a few sets for Zeng Feixiong; otherwise, the man would have been short on funds and would have had to gnaw on cold buns with the soldiers.

Zeng Feixiong felt uneasy and declined several times, but unfortunately, he could not match the Eldest Young Master He's determination. In the end, he could only accept it with gratitude, offering several thanks.

He Lingchuan, however, knew that this man was upright without being reckless. Since he was the one leading the troops into the desert this time, he patted his shoulder and said, "Only with good food and drink will you have the strength to work. We leave our safety to you, father and son."

"Lord He has treated this subordinate with great kindness and has resolved my worries. I shall repay you even if I must give my life!"

"Giving your life is an exaggeration," He Lingchuan laughed. "By the way, I heard your father was the only living person to return from the Panlong Ruins?"

Zeng Feixiong's expression dimmed slightly. "Yes. Twenty years ago, someone paid a heavy sum to hire him as a guide, and he was the only one to survive. But he lost his mind from then on, and even the Great Shaman could not cure him. No one knows what happened to them; all day long, he only mutters one word—water."

"Water?" Water was indeed scarce in the desert. What great suffering had Zeng Feixiong's father endured to remain obsessed with water even after going mad?

At that moment, Sun Fuping came to call them, summoning several leaders to his small room for a meeting.

The guards had brought in a lot of yellow sand to the outdoors for him, which was poured onto the table.

A simple sand table was thus prepared.

"The Red Cliff Road—we are almost finished with it." Zeng Feixiong gestured over the sand table. "The day after tomorrow, we will leave the main road and enter the desert. The true test begins then."

"The Red Cliff Road originally connected to Panlong City." It was a military transport route, after all; at least the troops and grain had to be delivered to the city's edge for it to count. "Not long after the Panlong Wasteland turned into a desert, the nearby mountain peaks collapsed, crushing this road."

He drew a circle on the sand table. "To go to Panlong City, one must take a detour through the gap in Mount Ying."

This detour was not on the Red Cliff Road, and the dangers they were about to face would increase significantly.

By comparison, the past three days of travel had been as easy as a vacation.

Next, the group discussed various contingency plans.

Although the He father and son had friction with Sun and Nian, since it concerned their own lives, they discussed the matter with exceptional focus.

He Lingchuan listened silently, and only when the discussion was nearly finished did he ask a long-standing question

"As an isolated enclave, Panlong City held out for thirty-two years while being attacked from all sides—it was practically god-like. So, what was the final reason it fell?" This was also one of the mysteries of the Panlong Desert; neither history books nor local legends left any definitive account. Only the storytellers left a somewhat far-fetched explanation: "Could it be, as the locals of Blackwater City say, that because Zhong Shengguang died of illness, Panlong City lost its backbone?"

Humans tend to seek reasonable explanations for unsolved mysteries. Zhong Shengguang had held Panlong City for over thirty years, enduring from his youth into old age, and years of constant warfare would cause immense damage to both body and mind. This explanation was the most plausible one among the many legends He Lingchuan had heard.

He was very curious about the truth.

"From the clues I have gathered, that legend actually makes some sense. Panlong City did indeed lose its backbone." Sun Fuping poured himself a cup of water; a single cup of fresh water cost twenty wen. "But it wasn't Zhong Shengguang—it was General Hong!"

(End of Chapter)