Chapter 41: Finding a Breakthrough

If the Panlong Desert were to become ordinary, could the borders of the State of Yuan remain so peaceful? This remains a massive question mark, as the neighbors are certainly not pushovers.

Fortune and misfortune are intertwined. Had the Grand Marshal not offered such generous terms, He Chunhua would not have wished for the disappearance of the Panlong Desert.

He fell silent for a moment before asking in a low voice, "Chuan'er, looking at Commander Zhong's steadfastness over the past thirty-two years, do you think it was worth it?"

He Lingchuan thought to himself that since he was asking, he must already feel in his heart that it wasn't.

"It wasn't," he said, feigning bluntness. "Panlong City still fell, and the Kingdom of Xiluo still perished. He spent an extra thirty-two years, yet he changed nothing."

"For the first twelve years, Xiluo was too weak to push west and reclaim its lost lands; they didn't even know a million soldiers and civilians were still holding out on the Panlong Wasteland. In the following twenty years, Xiluo tried several times to cede the Panlong Wasteland to the State of Xianyou in exchange for temporary peace. If I were Zhong Shengguang, facing a homeland that was both incompetent and a massive drag on progress, I would have died of rage!"

"The Kingdom of Xiluo was once illustrious, with a dynasty lasting two hundred and seventeen years—a rare long-lived nation in this world." Peace was a rarity on this continent; the shortest-lived regimes lasted only a few dozen days, and most small nations completed their entire cycle of rise and fall within twenty or thirty years. Thus, Xiluo had endured quite well. "But when Zhong Shengguang was defending Panlong City, Xiluo was beset by internal and external crises. The nobility lived in luxury while the hungry were displaced, and foreign enemies attacked relentlessly. The death knell of a dying era had already rung." Having said this, He Chunhua fell silent, stroking Zhong Shengguang's tombstone with a sigh.

*Father is thinking of himself,* He Lingchuan thought, but he did not call him out. The current Great State of Yuan was indeed a bit too similar to the Xiluo of old.

At this moment, the clouds parted and the moon emerged, illuminating the desolation of the city.

"Commander Zhong, it must have been lonely guarding this place alone, wasn't it? Let me have a couple more drinks with you." He Lingchuan couldn't help but pour two more cups for Zhong Shengguang. "A pity I couldn't pay my respects to General Hong, or behold his heroic presence!"

Zhong Shengguang and General Hong were both legends. For He Lingchuan himself, he was even more curious about the mysterious General Hong.

He asked He Chunhua, "There is a living shrine for General Hong in the city, but no tomb, not even a cenotaph. Is it possible... that he didn't actually die in the final battle?"

"General Hong was struck by heavenly thunder summoned at the cost of the Xianyou State Preceptor's life. Seven strikes in succession, and he was reduced to ashes on the spot. The soldiers from both sides witnessed it with their own eyes; there shouldn't be any mistake, otherwise the morale of Panlong City wouldn't have collapsed so suddenly." He Chunhua shook his head. "You are still young; you do not yet know the limits of human strength."

Just as He Lingchuan was about to speak, two *whoosh* sounds suddenly came from the northeast.

Two signals shot into the sky and exploded like flowers.

It was the prearranged signal. He Chunhua recognized it instantly. "They've found it. Let's go!"

***

Within fifteen minutes, the group assembled at the Mitian Temple.

Located at the very heart of Panlong City, it spanned ten acres, filled with layers of courtyards, pavilions, and halls.

One could imagine that during its peak, it must have been a prosperous sight, shaded by ancient trees and bustling with tourists. However, it had now become a massive, desolate ruin after over a hundred years of looting, smashing, and burning. The clear springs and lotus ponds had long since dried up, and the once-lush ancient trees had turned into withered trunks that never sprouted green again.

At least more than half of the exquisite architecture had been destroyed. The grand main hall dedicated to Mitian had been utterly ruined—first knocked down and then set ablaze. As the group approached the site, they saw only several blackened wooden pillars lying haphazardly.

A hand could snap them with a single tug.

The statue of Mitian was a stone carving; even a single forearm was as tall as He Lingchuan. Unfortunately, no one could see its original appearance, for after being toppled, the entire statue had been hacked into seven or eight pieces with blades and axes, then smeared with ink.

The allied forces hated Panlong City and the Great Wind Army so much that they hated even their faith to the very core.

Once everyone had arrived, Nian Songyu held a glass jar and said solemnly, "It's here!"

He walked a circle around the pool in front of the main hall, and the Three-Corpse Insects inside the glass jar followed his movement. No matter which direction he walked, they pressed against the side of the jar furthest from the pool!

"A pool?" Situ Hanqi asked. "Are you sure it's this pool? If we make a mistake, we won't be able to get more fresh water."

The Chipa Plateau was water-rich, and the water features within the Mitian Temple were very exquisite, featuring springs and small streams; there were as many as six ponds.

The pool Nian Songyu had identified was just outside the main hall. It was irregularly shaped, much like a wishing well where people would toss coins. Its area was roughly twenty-six or twenty-seven square meters.

Of course, it was currently empty, containing neither koi nor coins.

Sun Fuping walked around the pool and pressed his hands against the edge. "There are several color variations in the layers at the edge of the pool; it looks like they were patched up later."

The others looked and saw that it was true. There were several repairs along the edge of the pool, done crudely and unevenly, far removed from the original craftsmanship. It was evident that these later repairs were merely superficial and quite perfunctory.

"There is a significant gap in years between the old and the new. And since the repairs are so crude, it doesn't look like the work of the people of Panlong City who worshipped Mitian, nor does it look like the work of the Xianba Allied Forces." He Chunhua mused. "Could it be the work of the last expedition sent by the State of Baling?"

The prized grand-disciple sent by Patriarch Zhu Gen wouldn't have traveled all this way just to be a mason, would he?

If this pool truly was patched by them, then they must have had a specific target in mind.

What He Lingchuan cared about more was why this pool had been dug up in the first place.

Sun Fuping said seriously, "More importantly, why was the pool dug up, and by whom?"

Zeng Feixiong pointed to the large and small stones scattered on the ground. "Perhaps it was accidentally damaged by falling debris when the main hall was destroyed."

The temple had suffered a massive looting; such grand architecture and statues had collapsed with a roar, even leaving large craters in the ground. What was so strange about a mere small pool being smashed through?

"Perhaps that is the effect the perpetrator wanted to forge?" He Chunhua pondered. "When Panlong City fell, the allied soldiers would undoubtedly enter the city to loot extensively, and the commanders would be unable to stop them. No matter what these soldiers destroyed, it would be perfectly normal. If this pool looked like it was destroyed during the looting, the allied forces wouldn't investigate closely, thereby concealing its hidden secret."

"In a time of panic, as Panlong was about to fall, who would have the composure to arrange such a thing?"

The answer was obvious. Nian Songyu murmured, "Zhong Shengguang, or one of his confidants. He wanted to open the pool and release the water before the city fell."

If they were not mistaken, the profound meaning behind this action was worth investigating.

Decades later, the Baling expedition team likely reached a similar conclusion and repaired the pool.

Situ Han climbed up to look and showed a look of difficulty. "Are you all suggesting we pour water into this pool? Even if we pour in all the reserve water from our two hundred men, I'm afraid it won't even cover the bottom."