[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-after-the-immortals-disappeared":3,"chapter-after-the-immortals-disappeared-after-the-immortals-disappeared-chapter-30":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","After the Immortals Disappeared",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2283914,4468,"Chapter 30: Sand Boats Seeking Horses","after-the-immortals-disappeared-chapter-30",30,"\u003Cp>Sun Fu signaled for Nian Songyu to wait a little longer. This wait lasted for nearly a quarter of an hour.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The creatures at the bottom of the sand had been driven away by the stench; within a radius of several yards, there was no movement at all, save for the whistling wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Still not here?\" Nian Songyu said impatiently, \"Time is precious.\" Night fell quickly in the Panlong Desert, and in another two hours, it would be dark; they did not have much time to waste here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Not yet.\" Situ Han’s forehead was covered in sweat, though it was unclear if it was from the sun or his anxiety, \"It might be very far away; it takes time to rush over.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Lingchuan did not forget to speak up for Situ Han at this moment: \"I have seen it; it is a massive creature. It is quite possible it can truly carry us across the desert, saving us time and effort.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Quite possible?\" Upon hearing these three words, Nian Songyu’s tone turned ominous, \"You dare to waste our time on something you aren't certain about?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another two incense sticks of time passed, and the end of the Red Cliff Road remained calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A strong gust of wind swept past, passing through the listless crowd, and rushed into the distance with a \"whoosh.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nian Songyu’s index finger tapped lightly against his scabbard—tap, tap-tap—this was a sign of his impatience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As time went on, he increasingly felt that the sand bandits had received instructions from He Lingchuan to mess with his party. The so-called \"scented dumplings\" were also first proposed by He Lingchuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nian Songyu’s gaze grew increasingly unkind, but He Lingchuan acted as if he didn't see it, though he was also two parts anxious himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the sun sinking further west, even Sun Fu finally lost his patience: \"No more waiting, everyone board the boats...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During this time, he had already divided everyone into three groups, each assigned to a walnut boat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time was precious; they could not afford to wait any longer and had to set off now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Situ Han, however, held a finger to his lips and gave a forceful \"shh\": \"It’s here!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was truly rude to make such a gesture toward so many important figures, but he was so nervous now that he could not care about that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No sooner had he spoken than a \"splash\" was heard; the desert seemed to split down the middle like water, yellow sand spraying everywhere as if a sandstorm had kicked up on the spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A gargantuan object lunged out of the ground nearly a yard high, its mouth clamped around the cured meat, before landing heavily again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another cloud of dust billowed into the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The creature dove back down with a nimbleness that belied its size, disappearing into the sea of sand in the blink of an eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Situ Han did not care that his face was splattered, cheering, \"It’s here, it’s here, it really came! Ptooey, ptooey!\" He hurriedly spat out several mouthfuls of sand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Except for the Imperial Preceptor Sun and a few others who had timely erected protective qi barriers, the rest of the group were left covered in dust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, everyone finally saw clearly what kind of thing Situ Han had fished up by casting a long line.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The creature looked like both an eel and an earthworm, round and long without limbs, but its torso was covered in segments, and its color was almost identical to the yellow sand. If it were buried quietly in the sand, even someone with the best eyesight would find it hard to distinguish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But unlike an eel, its mouth was shockingly large, stretching wider than the diameter of its body, and inside it was packed with dense, needle-like teeth. There were two long whiskers by its mouth, seemingly used to detect the movement of the quicksand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zeng Feixiong gasped, \"Such a massive earth dragon!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This thing reached a length of eight zhang (twenty-six meters)!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The soldiers on the side also involuntarily took half a step back. The pressure brought by such a size could not be dispelled by reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This type of earth dragon was not a sea snake eel, but a creature unique to the desert. In fact, whether living in the desert or the sea, some animals seemed to have no need for legs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the length of this thing in other deserts usually did not exceed one zhang, and experienced travelers would even catch it for food. But this one before them... Zeng Feixiong had led teams on patrols back and forth along the Red Cliff Road, yet he had never seen an earth dragon this large! Situ Han sighed in relief: \"This isn't even an Earth Dragon King... the largest we’ve seen was over twelve zhang long.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Since it’s a big fellow, a small piece of meat won't satisfy it.\" He Lingchuan pointed to the three walnut boats, \"Earth dragons have immense strength; pulling a boat should be no problem. Hmm, and they usually move in groups.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which meant that the earth dragons attracted by the stinking meat were not just one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Children by the sea knew how to fish, and the original self of He Lingchuan, who grew up beside the Panlong Desert, had also fished for earth dragons many times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, he had never used such heavy bait, and thus had never seen such a large catch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Situ Han nodded: \"Everyone, please board the boats. We will repeat the process, and we can use them as horses to pull our carriages.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, the soldiers boarded the boats in three groups, and the boatmen at the bows of the walnut boats grabbed the towlines, tied slipknots, and stood ready.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, everyone had protected their noses and mouths well, so when the sand bandits took out large chunks of cured meat and poured the stinking liquid on them, no one was caught off guard. Nian Songyu took the lead, picking up the specially-seasoned meat on a pole, standing at the bow, and holding it high.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boatman’s pole was also part of the walnut boat, its length changing at will.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stinking liquid specially made by the sand bandits could drive away the vast majority of creatures in the desert and was a trump card for emergency escapes; however, every advantage had its disadvantage—this stuff was the earth dragon’s favorite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Actually, strictly speaking, what the earth dragon liked was the \"stench.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They lived by scavenging, and the putrid stench that other creatures could not tolerate was, to an earth dragon, the aroma of a meal. And when a stench of this level drifted over, it was like the dinner bell for the annual forty-eight-dish banquet in the village—it would arrive no matter how far away it was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Situ Han reminded them: \"They are quite stupid; keep it hooked with the stinking meat, and the boat will move!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since these things had traveled thousands of miles to get here, they wouldn't disperse in a short time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure enough, as soon as the stinking meat was raised, a massive earth dragon broke through the sand and lunged at the meat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Judging by its size, it was even larger than its companion from before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nian Songyu was quick-eyed and nimble-handed; with a flick of his wrist, the cured meat jumped, and the earth dragon lunged at empty air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The boatman standing on the side threw the towline, which landed with pinpoint accuracy around the earth dragon’s neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although it was round and limbless, the rings on its body were deep. The knot slid over two segments and nested into the third.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly snared, the earth dragon was startled and darted forward over thirty zhang in a flash. Only when the knot tightened and held fast did Nian Songyu lower the pole, letting the chunk of cured meat hang just above and in front of the earth dragon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The aroma was intoxicating, and the earth dragon had a small brain, so it immediately forgot the fact that it had been snared and swam toward the cured meat, drooling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had immense strength, dragging the boat and the people forward with surprising ease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And so, the boat set off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nian Songyu only needed to flick the pole, and the earth dragon pulling the boat would follow along happily. Below, the \"hissing\" sounds were all the sand grains rubbing against the bottom of the walnut boat, showing the strength of the horsepower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The most important task for the boatman was actually to adjust the bow in time, letting the earth dragon and the boat travel with the wind, so that the stinking meat hanging high in front would not suffocate the passengers on the whole boat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As far as the current situation went, there was no matter more important than this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the blink of an eye, Nian Songyu’s boat had traveled over a hundred zhang away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It’s our turn.\" With a successful example before them, the rest of the group was greatly encouraged; Sun Fu and Zeng Feixiong led their team onto a boat, and the He father and son and the sand bandits boarded the last boat, all doing the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1541,"2026-06-20T02:23:30.219Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","190ee369aee0c72191d3fe7de88e41b10e9ddd0561f0a1172d6022b82d6b6069","after-the-immortals-disappeared-chapter-31","after-the-immortals-disappeared-chapter-29",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fafter-the-immortals-disappeared-cover.jpg"]