Chapter 30: Sand Boat Seeking Horse

Sun Fuping signaled Nian Songyu to wait again. This wait was a small quarter of an hour.

The creatures at the bottom of the sand were all smoked away, and there was no movement within a few feet, except for the wind howling.

"Still haven't come?" Nian Songyu was impatient. "Time is precious." The Panlong Desert gets dark quickly, and there are only two hours left until night, and they don't have much time to waste here.

"Not yet." Boss Situ Han was covered in sweat, not knowing whether it was from the sun or anxiety. "It might be in a very far place, and it will take time to rush over."

He Lingchuan didn't forget to speak for Boss Situ Han at this time: "I've seen it, it's a giant, and it might really be able to take us through the desert, saving time and effort."

"Might?" Nian Songyu's tone became sinister when he heard these three words. "Things without certainty, you dare to take them to waste our time?"

After another two sticks of incense, the end of the Red Cliff Road was still calm.

A gust of strong wind blew, passing through the wooden crowd, "whoosh" rushing into the distance.

Nian Songyu's index finger tapped the scabbard lightly, da, dada, this was his expression of impatience.

As time passed, he felt more and more that the sand bandits were instructed by He Lingchuan to fix their side. The so-called "fragrant ball" was also first proposed by He Lingchuan.

Nian Songyu's eyes became more and more unkind, and He Lingchuan just pretended not to see it, and was also two points anxious in his heart.

Seeing the sun getting more and more west, finally even Sun Fuping lost his patience: "Don't wait, everyone get on the boat..."

During this time, he had divided everyone into three groups, each designated a walnut small boat.

Time is precious, they can't wait, they have to set off now.

Boss Situ Han held his finger to his lips and shouted "shh" hard: "It's coming!"

Making this gesture to so many big figures was really rude, but now he was nervous and couldn't care less.

As soon as the words fell, there was a "clatter," and the desert split like a water surface, yellow sand splashing, as if a sandstorm had risen on the spot.

A giant thing rushed out of the ground nearly a zhang high, biting the cured meat in its mouth, and landed heavily again.

Another piece of dust flew up.

That thing dived with flexibility that didn't match its body shape, and disappeared into the sand sea in a blink of an eye.

Boss Situ Han didn't care that his face was splashed, and cheered: "It's coming, it's coming, it really came! Ah phew phew!" He hurriedly spat out a few mouthfuls of sand.

Except for Sun State Preceptor and a few others who opened the body-protecting gang energy in time, the rest were gray-faced.

However, everyone finally saw clearly what exactly the big fish Boss Situ Han had fished up.

That thing looked like an eel and an earthworm, round and long without feet, but with segments on its torso, and its body color was almost the same as yellow sand. If it were buried quietly in the sand, even people with good eyesight would find it hard to distinguish its existence.

But unlike an eel, its mouth was surprisingly large, tearing open more than the diameter of its body, and it was full of needle teeth. There were two long whiskers by the mouth, which seemed to be used to detect the movement of quicksand.

Zeng Feixiong lost his voice: "Such a big Earth Dragon!"

This thing's length reached eight zhang (twenty-six meters)!

The soldiers on the side also couldn't help but take half a step back. The oppression brought by such a body shape could not be eliminated by rationality.

This kind of Earth Dragon is not a snake eel in the sea, but a creature unique to the desert. In fact, whether living in the desert or the sea, some animals seem not to need long feet.

But the length of this thing in other deserts usually doesn't exceed one zhang, and experienced travelers will catch it as food. But this one... Zeng Feixiong had led the team to patrol back and forth on the Red Cliff Road, but he had never seen such a big Earth Dragon! Boss Situ Han breathed a sigh of relief: "This is not the Earth Dragon King... the biggest one we've seen was over twelve zhang long."

"Since it's a big guy, a small piece of meat won't satisfy it." He Lingchuan pointed to the three walnut small boats. "The Earth Dragon's strength is very great, it should be no problem to pull a boat. Um, and they usually move in groups."

That is to say, the Earth Dragons attracted by the stinky meat are not just one.

Children by the sea will fish, and He Lingchuan's original body, who grew up next to the Panlong Desert, has also fished for Earth Dragons many times.

Of course, he hadn't used such heavy bait, so he hadn't seen such a big prey.

Boss Situ Han nodded: "Everyone please board the boat, we will do the same thing again, and we can treat them as horses pulling carts."

So the soldiers boarded the boat in three ways, and the boatman at the bow of the walnut boat picked up the fiber rope and tied a live knot, waiting in full battle array.

This time everyone protected their mouths and noses, so when the sand bandits took out large pieces of cured meat and poured stinky liquid on them, no one was hit. Nian Songyu went out in person, picked the specially added meat on the tip of the pole, stood at the bow of the boat, and held it high.

The boatman's tip pole was also part of the walnut boat, and the length could be changed as desired.

The stinky liquid specially made by the sand bandits can drive away most creatures in the desert, and it is also a life-saving treasure for emergency use; however, there are advantages and disadvantages, and this thing is the favorite of the Earth Dragon.

In fact, strictly speaking, the Earth Dragon likes "stink."

They live on carrion, and the stench that other creatures cannot tolerate is the aroma of food for the Earth Dragon. And the arrival of this level of stench is like the dinner bell of the village's annual forty-eight big bowl banquet, which is bound to arrive even if it is far away.

Sure enough, as soon as the cured meat was picked up, a huge Earth Dragon rushed out of the sand and pounced on the meat.

Looking at its body shape, it was bigger than the companion just now.

Nian Songyu was quick-eyed and quick-handed, flicked his wrist, the cured meat jumped, and the Earth Dragon missed.

The boatman standing on the side threw the fiber rope, accurately and incomparably looping it around the Earth Dragon's neck.

Although it was round and had no limbs, the segments on its body were very deep. The rope knot slipped two segments and nested in the third segment.

Suddenly being looped, the Earth Dragon was shocked and rushed out more than thirty zhang in one breath. It wasn't until the rope knot tightened and looped that Nian Songyu put down the tip pole and let the piece of cured meat hang above the front of the Earth Dragon.

The fragrance was pungent, and the Earth Dragon's brain was small, so it immediately forgot the fact that it was looped, drooling and swimming toward the cured meat.

It had infinite strength, dragging the boat and people forward, actually quite easily.

So, the boat opened.

Nian Songyu only needs to flick the pole, and the Earth Dragon pulling the boat will follow and turn. There was a sound of "sizzle" from below, all the sound of sand grains rubbing against the bottom of the walnut boat, showing the strong horsepower.

The most important task of the boatman is to adjust the bow of the boat in time, so that the Earth Dragon and the boat go with the wind, so that the stinky meat hanging high in front will not smoke the passengers of the whole boat to death.

For now, there is no more important matter than this.

In a blink of an eye, Nian Songyu's boat opened more than a hundred zhang away.

"It's our turn." With successful examples ahead, the crowd was greatly encouraged. Sun Fuping and Zeng Feixiong led the team to board a boat, and the He father and son and the sand bandits boarded the last boat, all the same.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 31 =====

"It's our turn." With successful examples before them, the rest of the group was greatly encouraged. Sun Fuping and Zeng Feixiong led their team onto one boat, while the He family father and son and the sand bandits boarded the last one, all following the same procedure.

(End of chapter)