Chapter 51: Panlongcheng in Another Space-Time

This is also understandable; the Panlong Wasteland has always been a major traffic artery for the Western Luo Nation to connect to foreign lands, and the geographical location of Panlongcheng is far more critical than that of Heishuicheng in later generations.

And if the local produce here wasn't abundant, how could Panlongcheng hold out for more than thirty years under the siege of powerful enemies? Of course, walking in such a famous historical city, besides sighing, He Lingchuan also felt vigilant.

These two guys searched for the temple and General Hong's temple, so why didn't they search for Zhong Shengquan's former residence together, but waited for him to accompany them?

There's likely something wrong with that place.

He Lingchuan was secretly anxious, but on the surface, he had to ask Sun Fuping for advice: "State Preceptor, do those vengeful spirits live here year after year, until they go out every September?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Since they can live and work here in peace, why go outside?"

"That will have to wait until we get the Great Fang Hu to know."

He Lingchuan thought to himself that the State Preceptor was truly worthy of the title, able to express the words "I don't know" so tactfully.

When assigning tasks earlier, Nian Songyu had already searched the Zhong mansion, so now he was familiar with the path.

However, after arriving at the place, Nian Songyu stopped.

Before them was a gray-brick residential house with a black roof and high lintels, with a neat facade and a few clusters of green bamboo peeking out from behind the high walls, truly having the style of a wealthy family. Two large characters on the gate: Run Garden.

"Just here?"

Nian Songyu hesitated significantly before saying: "The place is correct, the house is correct, but I went in and searched, and the family living here is surnamed Chen!"

He Lingchuan was greatly surprised: "What?"

Walking into Run Garden, this was a four-courtyard mansion, and the materials for the architecture and furniture were very exquisite. He Lingchuan even discovered that the shadow wall used brick carvings from Tongzhou; over three hundred bricks combined to form figures, landscapes, and even plots, forming an exquisite story like a comic strip. This kind of brick carving is still popular even now, and it takes over four months to transport it from Tongzhou to Heishuicheng.

He Lingchuan knew this so clearly because the He mansion in Heishuicheng also used this stuff to decorate its facade.

Of course, such an exquisite Run Garden also had a garden, with rockeries and flowing water as standard, and the garden was planted with tall red maples, while rare flowers and plants were hidden in the corners under the maples.

He could barely recognize the shapes of the first dozen or so, but didn't know what varieties they were; the ones in the back were half-hidden in the dim tree shadows, and He Lingchuan couldn't even see them clearly.

Nian Songyu pointed to this garden and said: "In the He mansion in the desert desolate city, this place was a wooden shack for storing goods, filled with cabinets, and a mess on the floor; also, I saw several visiting cards in the side hall, indicating that the owner here is surnamed Chen, courtesy name Huisheng."

He Lingchuan was stunned: "What period of Panlongcheng is this?" Lush water and soil, people living in peace, the city prosperous, without a shadow of war, and famous people like Zhong Shengquan didn't live where they should.

He suspected he had accidentally entered Panlongcheng in another space-time.

Sun Fuping took up the conversation: "If Zhong Shengquan doesn't live here, he should have another place to live. Young Master He, can you think of it?"

"Me?" He Lingchuan pointed to his own nose. "How would I know?"

Nian Songyu said: "Think, think carefully!"

Sun Fuping hinted: "The legend of the Panlong Desert has been circulating in Qiansong County for decades. You grew up listening to it, so you should understand many anecdotes outside of official history, even if it's just wild trivia. For example, this Commander Zhong Shengquan always climbed up step by step. Where did he live before he was promoted?"

He Lingchuan suddenly realized: "The State Preceptor suspects that we have come to Panlongcheng before Zhong Shengquan became the commander?"

"Very likely." Sun Fuping nodded. "Finding clues in such a large city is like looking for a needle in a haystack. The variable that is easiest to find right now is Zhong Shengquan himself."

Although he had done his homework beforehand, his understanding was limited after all, and he couldn't master every detail, so he had to ask He Lingchuan, the local.

He Lingchuan went into a trance again and thought for a good while, then shook his head: "No, no impression."

His understanding of Panlongcheng was no more than that of an average Heishuicheng person. Trivial matters like how many times Zhong Shengquan moved before he became famous, how many times he was sick, or how many women he had, were clearly out of his depth.

"You've been in Heishuicheng for over a decade, just busy being a good-for-nothing?" Nian Songyu said coldly. "It would really be better to find He Chunhua to come down."

"You..." He Lingchuan was furious.

Nian Songyu clenched his fists, preparing to give this fellow some color when he spat out fragrant words, but who knew He Lingchuan would turn the conversation: "That's true, we should go back and find someone." He turned to ask Sun Fuping: "State Preceptor, how do we go back?"

This kid knows how to judge the situation; is he cowardly or clever? Sun Fuping hadn't spoken yet when the sand bandit Mao Tao ran over from the corridor, excitedly saying: "Found something, there's something!"

The three only then remembered that this kid didn't know when he had gotten separated: "What thing?"

"Dead people! There are white bones in the cellar."

Nian Songyu said irritably: "What's so strange about dead people..." What's so strange? There were white bones everywhere in the desert desolate city, and they could see them all the way as they walked; those were also the bloody evidence of the Immortal-Pulling Allied Forces slaughtering the city.

However, he immediately reacted and swallowed the rest of the sentence: "Let's go take a look."

This place is not the outside world; this is Panlongcheng where time stands still. Any incongruous thing is a precious clue.

The group rushed to the cellar, lit a candle and went down, and sure enough, they found some remains.

Panlongcheng is hot in summer and cold in winter, so wealthy families like the Chen family dug more than one cellar, separately storing meat, fruits and vegetables, pickled vegetables, and ice.

Yes, storing ice in winter to eat and drink in summer. The stored ice could also be used to make iced fruit, iced wine, and to cool the bed during the dog days of summer; it was the exclusive enjoyment of wealthy families.

What Mao Tao found was the ice cellar. Panlongcheng now is probably in early summer, and the cellar is chillingly cold. But as soon as the group walked down, they saw white bones scattered in the corner; just counting the skulls, they knew there were three victims.

Sun Fuping picked up a skull and observed it carefully, saying in a deep voice: "Real."

This was very unusual. Why would real human remains appear in an illusion world? A flash of inspiration hit the four people's minds, and Nian Songyu blurted out: "The exploration team of the Baling Nation! They also entered the illusion."

Right, the entrance to the illusion was first found by the Baling Nation's exploration team; naturally, they had the opportunity to enter this Panlongcheng.

The key to the problem came: how did the people die?

"Looking at their posture, they were moved after death." Mao Tao squatted down to look closely, then suddenly gasped. "No, the bones are all scattered. If they weren't disturbed by someone later, then, then..."

"Dismembered after death." Nian Songyu picked up a radius, then found a scapula, and looked at both against the light. "There are sharp tool scratches on the bones, every one of them has them; this shouldn't be an injury before death."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 52 =====