Chapter 42: Fishing in the Sand Sea

This is called a drop in the bucket. Besides, if all the water is given away, what will everyone drink later? Walking back to the nearest post station from here takes a full two days.

He Lingchuan crossed his arms: "I bet you ten taels of silver, National Master Sun has long had a countermeasure, it's not our turn to worry." Relying on a big tree to enjoy the cool, right?

Ten taels, Situ Han's face turned bitter: "Can't afford to bet."

Sun Fuping glanced at them and wiped his ring, and a leather ball the size of a pomelo appeared in his hand.

This old guy, sure enough, has goods. He Lingchuan saw him stuff the leather ball into the mouth of the monster on the top of the magic staff—

That big leather ball disappeared.

Immediately after, Sun Fuping turned the magic staff, aimed the beast head at the pool, and chanted a few words.

The beast opened its mouth and spat out a thick and long water column, falling straight into the pool.

"This is the spray sac of a bullet fish." Sun Fuping's explanation was very casual.

He Lingchuan seemed to have heard of this strange fish. It hides in the lakes and seas in the middle of the Yuan Nation, and can even spray water columns to knock large land prey such as cattle, horses, and young elephants into the water for food. In the dry season, it can live away from water for a month.

But it's not used for its spraying ability here. This kind of water sac can shrink and store water, and even its weight is reduced.

It is truly a treasure for desert travel.

After injecting water like this for two quarters of an hour, Nian Songyu suddenly said: "Something is wrong, the water surface hasn't expanded for a long time."

According to the beast's outlet diameter, the bottom of the pool should have been full long ago, and even a small half pool of water should have rippled. But under everyone's eyes, the area of the pool bottom was only two-thirds covered with water, and the remaining one-third was still dry.

Where did the water go? Sun Fuping reached out and pressed the bottom of the pool: "Sure enough, there is some trick, the water was all sucked in."

"What do we do?"

Sun Fuping's face sank: "Let's see."

Another two quarters of an hour passed, and the water in the beast's stomach was all sprayed out; it even coughed twice. But compared to before, the accumulated water at the bottom of the pool hadn't changed much.

Everyone knew that there was trouble now.

How can plans keep up with changes? No matter how thorough Sun Fuping's design was, there were times when it couldn't keep up with the situation.

Nian Songyu thought for a while, turned to Zeng Feixiong and ordered: "Go and collect everyone's waterskins."

Zeng Feixiong was startled: "Collect drinking water? We still have to persist in the desert for several days, and what if it's still not enough?"

Nian Songyu looked at Sun Fuping, and seeing he didn't speak, he insisted: "Don't fall short for the sake of a lack of effort, collect the water quickly."

Desert marching, water is used to save lives. Zeng Feixiong couldn't imagine how resistant his men would be to this order: "But, but..."

Nian Songyu's face sank: "Do you want to resist orders?"

Zeng Feixiong's heart was in a mess, and he couldn't help but look at He Chunhua.

Nian Songyu's eyes were even gloomier. These sesame small officials really had no eye for the situation.

He Chunhua also had no good way; should he resist orders and return, or pour everyone's drinking water into the pool and listen to fate?

Neither choice seemed rational.

He was indecisive, but heard his eldest son say calmly: "Why make it so stiff? Collect the soldiers' clean water, how do we walk out of the desert later?"

Nian Songyu said coldly: "A hundred miles is half of ninety. What if it's just this little bit?"

"Can you guarantee it's just this little bit?"

Nian Songyu smiled: "Yes."

And what if not? By then, the water would have been poured out, the raw rice would be cooked, and the soldiers wouldn't dare to mutiny, right?

He Lingchuan rolled his eyes and turned to Sun Fuping: "The bottom of the pool needs to be filled with water, right?"

"Right."

"Then what if it's not clean water?" He Lingchuan's focus was here, "Are other liquids okay?"

"For example?"

"Blood." To prevent these two from thinking crookedly and engaging in human sacrifice or something, he quickly clarified, "I mean, the blood of monsters or strange beasts. There are big guys in the Panlong Desert, it shouldn't be difficult to catch a few and bleed them."

Sun Fuping's eyes lit up: "Makes sense! Blood sacrifice is often used to reward gods. Mixing fresh blood into the pool, the Great Fang Hu shouldn't mind, and might even like it." He threw the walnut boat to Nian Songyu and pointed at He Lingchuan, "You take people into the desert and get a few giant beasts back."

The crowd used Du Hunsan and entered the desert again.

The creatures and Three-Corpse Insects in the desert are more active in the cool night. Nian Songyu released the walnut boat for everyone to stand on, and ordered the boatman to put bait into the sand to fish.

Nian Songyu stood, He Lingchuan sat, and neither of them bothered to look at each other much.

This time the fishing didn't go smoothly, and there was no prey biting the hook for a long time. He Lingchuan sat with a sore waist, and when a few Three-Corpse Insects wandered away from the walnut boat, he called someone over to beat his back.

"Comfortable, good! A little lower, right, lower! Use some strength."

Young Master He sighed comfortably. Hedonism is indeed eroding; who could have imagined that three months ago he was a homebody who felt uncomfortable if someone approached within half a meter? Nian Songyu shook his head secretly, but heard He Lingchuan ask with his eyes closed: "Why did Commandant Nian come to Black Water City personally?"

"What?"

"A mission with no survivors, how could the Great General of the North be willing to let his beloved son come down personally?" He Lingchuan rolled his eyes, "Is he not your biological father?"

A personal attack, people without literary talent are just not tactful. He Lingchuan waved his hand, and with a "clatter," a dagger shot out and nailed into the wooden strip Nian Songyu was leaning on.

By the way, his throwing accuracy was still very poor. Once the flying knife left his hand, he didn't know where it would land.

Nian Songyu hadn't reacted yet, and his guards had already rushed forward two steps, swords out of their sheaths, about to shout at He Lingchuan.

He Lingchuan held a finger to his lips and "hissed," taking the lead: "Quiet, don't scare away the prey!" He pointed under the boat, "Those who forget the top priority, be careful of military law!"

Nian Songyu waved his hand to dismiss his subordinates and said lightly: "I can live, but you might not. Be obedient and act like a good dog, then you and your father might be able to return alive. Otherwise, Lady Ying will have to be a widow, as for your younger brother—"

He licked his lips, his eyes revealing a bit of cruelty in his excitement: "Don't worry, whether you are dead or alive, I will definitely find a way to help him return to the capital. He must be very popular in the capital!"

He Lingchuan stared at him, slowly sinking his face.

The Xunzhou Shepherd, the Grand Marshal, the National Master, why are these three major forces mixed together? Perhaps his father shouldn't have taken the Great Fang Hu mission? He Lingchuan was about to speak when the boatman's fishing rod sank suddenly, nearly dragging him directly off the bow.

The prey finally bit the hook!

Next, everyone worked together and finally got the thing under the sand up.

This was still an earth-dragon, but its volume was two sizes smaller than the two predecessors during the day, and it could be stuffed into the boat.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 43 =====

(End of chapter)