Chapter 50: City of the Undead

"Is this what Panlong City looked like before its destruction?" Since all three held higher status than him, Mao Tao lowered his voice. "The Young Master and I have walked all the way here without encountering a single person." "There is no one in the city either; at least, we walked a circle nearby and found nothing," Sun Fu Ping said slowly. "I was transported into the well, while Commandant Nian landed directly in the moat."

The four passed through the city gate; behind it lay a large plaza. It seems that in this period of Panlong City, it did not yet have the triple walls.

"It appears the year we are in is even earlier than before Panlong City fell." He Lingchuan looked around. "There aren't so many defensive fortifications yet."

The Panlong City they saw in the Great Desert was armed to the teeth, flexing its muscles to the outside world at every moment; the Panlong City here looked quite gentle.

The same city, yet it manifests differently in different times and spaces.

The group crossed the plaza; there was no water pool here like in the desert Panlong City, but fortunately, the Black Flood Dragon totem was still there.

Nearby was a row of houses, with a post station inn in front and various civilian dwellings behind.

"The layout of the houses is also different." Nian Songyu took the lead and walked into a tavern. "When I came in, the stove was still warm."

The tavern door was open, with two curtains hanging; inside were six or seven tables, the chairs not very neatly arranged. He Lingchuan saw that three of the tables had wine jars on them, with leftover wine in the cups and a dozen peanuts in the dishes.

Behind the counter lay an account book; the character for "wine" was only half-written, just a "sa," and the brush had been tossed aside, the ink just dried.

Nian Songyu walked to the table, tapped his knuckles on it, and made a *du-du* sound.

"It's all physical objects; this is too realistic." After saying this, he picked up a wine cup and shoved it into Mao Tao's hand. "Drink it."

Mao Tao was startled: "Ah, drink?" Who would dare eat or drink something so mysterious? Nian Songyu's gaze did not look like he was joking.

Mao Tao had no choice but to tilt his head back and take a small sip, carefully smacking his lips: "It's wine, but the taste is very weak; in a corner of Heishuicheng, this would be worth three copper coins at most."

"Drink it all." Not just a taste.

He Lingchuan didn't say a word, so Mao Tao had to drink the wine into his stomach under the gaze of the three.

"I finished it, now what do we... ah, my stomach hurts so much!" Before he could finish, Mao Tao let out a strange cry, dropped the cup, and ran toward the back.

The latrines were all in the back.

After waiting for a good while, Nian Songyu pursed his lips at He Lingchuan: "Go, see if he's dead." His attitude was extremely arrogant.

He Chunhua and the Heishuicheng army were not here, so he didn't need to show He Lingchuan the slightest courtesy.

Nian Songyu even planned that if this brat dared to put on airs, he would beat him until he was looking for his teeth all over the floor, just to vent the frustration of the past few days.

Who would have thought that He Lingchuan would neither get angry nor make excuses, turning around and walking toward the back of the building, giving Nian Songyu no chance to vent at all.

Nian Songyu was stunned instead; this brat was quite sensible.

He Lingchuan walked halfway when the wind blew, and the leaves rustled.

He felt a gust of wind strike from behind and subconsciously dodged, drawing his blade.

Oh, it was just a tree branch swaying in the wind, nearly scratching his back.

He Lingchuan didn't rush to sheath his blade.

Ever since he walked into this city, he felt something was strange, as if he were being watched closely.

That feeling of being shadowed was too annoying.

At this moment, Mao Tao came toward him, still pulling up his pants; seeing him with his blade drawn, he couldn't help but be startled: "Young Master, are you alright?"

"I'm fine." He Lingchuan sheathed his blade and stepped back half a step. This brat not only had a dark look on his face but also carried a foul odor, showing how earth-shattering it had been just now. "And you?"

"Not dead, just felt empty in the stomach." Mao Tao rubbed his belly and walked out with him.

They returned to the tavern, and Sun Fu Ping carefully observed Mao Tao's complexion, checking his eyelids and tongue before saying: "You were poisoned."

Mao Tao was so scared he nearly jumped, but fortunately, the State Preceptor continued: "The toxicity is weak; you won't die, but I'm afraid you'll have to make a few more trips to the latrine."

Wasn't it because that fellow surnamed Nian forced him to drink? Mao Tao affectionately greeted the ancestors of these people in his heart, but on his face, he had to pile on a smile: "That's good, that's good."

"You ate something meant for the dead." Sun Fu Ping picked up a peanut, crushed it, and rubbed it, rubbing a handful of ash into his hand. "These were not prepared for the living; no wonder the city is empty."

Nian Songyu also understood: "You mean, the residents of the city are those vengeful spirits that rushed out of the pool?"

"Highly likely. After they left, this place turned into an empty city."

"Those vengeful spirits are the residents of this city?" He Lingchuan asked curiously. "That can't be right, I saw them all acting insane. How could they be law-abiding citizens in this city?"

Although the current Panlong City is an empty city, everything is in perfect order, just lacking people. The vengeful spirits he met outside were all bitter and deep-seated, looking as if they wanted to tear the world apart; if they lived here for a long time, how could the city be so tidy? "I'm afraid it's the work of the Great Square Pot," Nian Songyu said. "Panlong City was destroyed long ago; this place is the most abnormal thing."

Mao Tao whispered: "How do we find the Great Square Pot?" He thought jumping into the pool well would give them a clue, but who knew the pool was still a city? What should they do? He Lingchuan suggested: "Go to the Mitian Temple. We found the entrance there before; perhaps we can find new hints now."

"Been there, there is no temple." Nian Songyu flatly denied it.

He Lingchuan was stunned: "No temple, what do you mean?"

"There is just no such temple, don't you understand?" Nian Songyu said indifferently. "In that location, there are two restaurants, a theater troupe, and two large shops—one selling jewelry and one selling silk."

That's right, if clues were so easy to find, would these two still be waiting for him? He Lingchuan thought for a moment: "The Red General's mansion?"

"Searched it, it's not there either."

"No mansion, or no clues?" He Lingchuan became even more patient.

"Neither." Sun Fu Ping smoothed things over. "The Red General is a demigod body bestowed by the Mitian God. If there is no temple, naturally there is no Red General."

No Red General, no Red General's mansion.

"Then there is only one place left?" He Lingchuan scratched his head. "Zhong Sheng Guang's residence?"

Sun Fu Ping stood up: "Let's go."

The illusion restored the appearance of Panlong City. He Lingchuan never expected that one day he would tour this legendary city in such a way. Judging from the markets, buildings, lakes, and rivers he passed, as well as the various utensils and tools used in the marketplace and by the river, the Panlong City destroyed by the flames of war was once exceptionally prosperous, with a large population and developed commerce.

He even saw waterwheels by the river; these were not for irrigating fields, but for supplying water to nearby shops, saving the need for manual carrying. To accommodate this, there were even specialized bamboo pipes connecting from the river to the water troughs of the shops.

(End of chapter)