[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-after-the-immortals-disappeared":3,"chapter-after-the-immortals-disappeared-after-the-immortals-disappeared-chapter-51":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},2283935,4468,"Chapter 51: Panlong City in Another Spacetime","after-the-immortals-disappeared-chapter-51",51,"\u003Cp>This is understandable; the Panlong Wasteland has always been a vital thoroughfare connecting the Xiluo Kingdom to foreign lands, and the strategic importance of Panlong City far exceeded that of the later Heishuicheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Furthermore, if the local produce were not abundant, how could Panlong City have held out for over thirty years while surrounded by powerful enemies? Of course, walking through such a historic city, He Lingchuan felt not only a sense of melancholy but also vigilance in his heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These two fellows had searched the temple and the General Hong temple; why did they not search the former residence of Zhong Shengguang as well, instead of waiting for him to accompany them?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There is likely something wrong with that place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Lingchuan felt secretly anxious, but on the surface, he had to ask Sun Fuping for guidance: \"State Preceptor, do those resentful spirits really live here year after year, only venturing out in September each year?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I am afraid so.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Since they can live in peace and contentment here, why go outside?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That will only be known once we obtain the Great Square Pot.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Lingchuan thought to himself that he was truly worthy of being the State Preceptor, able to express the words \"I don't know\" so tactfully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When tasks were assigned earlier, Nian Songyu had already gone to the Zhong residence, so he was now familiar with the route.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, after arriving at the location, Nian Songyu stopped in his tracks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before them stood a gray-brick residential house with a black roof and high lintels; the facade was neat, and clusters of green bamboo peeked out from behind high walls, truly possessing the air of a wealthy family. Two large characters were on the door: Run Garden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Just here?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nian Songyu clearly hesitated for a moment before saying: \"The place is correct, the house is correct, but I went in to check, and the family living here is surnamed Chen!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Lingchuan was greatly surprised: \"What?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Walking into Run Garden, this was a large residence with four courtyards; the materials used 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 depict figures, landscapes, and even a plot, forming a beautiful story like a comic strip. This type of brick carving is still highly sought after today, and it takes over four months to transport it from Tongzhou to Heishuicheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Lingchuan knew this so clearly because the He residence in Heishuicheng also used this stuff to decorate its facade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, such an exquisite Run Garden also had a garden; rockeries and flowing water were standard, and the garden was also planted with tall red maples, while exotic flowers and herbs were hidden in the corners beneath the maple trees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He could barely recognize the shapes of the dozen or so in front, but he did not know what species they were; the ones behind were half-hidden in the gloomy shadows of the trees, and He Lingchuan could not even see them clearly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nian Songyu pointed to this garden and said: \"In the He residence in the Deserted City, this place is a wooden shack for storage, filled with cabinets and in complete disarray; additionally, I saw several calling cards in the side hall, indicating that the master of this house is surnamed Chen, courtesy name Huisheng.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Lingchuan was stunned: \"What period of Panlong City is this exactly?\" The land was fertile, the people lived in peace, the city was prosperous, there was not a shadow of war, and a famous figure like Zhong Shengguang did not even live where he was supposed to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He suspected that he had accidentally entered a Panlong City from another spacetime.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Fuping took up the conversation: \"If Zhong Shengguang does not live here, he should have another place of residence. Young Master He, can you think of one?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Me?\" He Lingchuan pointed to his own nose, \"How would I know?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nian Songyu said: \"Think, think carefully!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Fuping offered a hint: \"The legend of the Panlong Desert has circulated in Qiansong Prefecture for decades; you grew up listening to it and should understand many anecdotes outside of official history, even if they are just trivial matters. For example, this Commander Zhong must have been promoted step by step. Where did he live before he was promoted?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Lingchuan realized: \"Does the State Preceptor suspect that we have arrived in Panlong City before Zhong Shengguang became the Commander?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Very likely.\" Sun Fuping nodded, \"Searching for clues in such a large city is like looking for a needle in a haystack; the easiest variable to find right now is Zhong Shengguang himself.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although he had done his homework beforehand, his understanding was limited after all, and he could not master every detail, so he had to ask He Lingchuan, the local.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Lingchuan went into a trance and thought for a long while again, then shook his head: \"No, I have no impression.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His understanding of Panlong City was no better than that of an average person from Heishuicheng. Trivial matters like how many times Zhong Shengguang moved before becoming famous, how many times he fell ill, or how many women he had were clearly beyond his knowledge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You spent over a decade in Heishuicheng just being a good-for-nothing?\" Nian Songyu said coldly, \"It would really be better to have found He Chunhua to come down.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You...\" He Lingchuan turned livid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nian Songyu clenched his fists, preparing to give this fellow a piece of his mind if he started spouting nonsense, but He Lingchuan changed his tone: \"You're right, we should go back and find someone.\" He turned to ask Sun Fuping: \"State Preceptor, how do we go back?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This kid knows how to assess the situation; is he cowardly or clever? Before Sun Fu could speak, the sand bandit Mao Tao ran over from the corridor, excitedly saying: \"I found something, there's something here!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three of them only then remembered that this kid had gotten separated at some point: \"What thing?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Dead people! There are white bones in the cellar.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nian Songyu said irritably: \"What's so...\" What's so strange about dead people? There were white bones everywhere in the Deserted City; they could see them all along the way, and those were also the bloody proof of the massacre by the Immortal-Slaying Allied Forces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, he immediately reacted and swallowed the rest of his sentence: \"Let's go take a look.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is not the outside world; this is Panlong City where time has stopped. Any incongruous object is a precious clue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The group rushed to the cellar, lit a candle, and went down, indeed discovering some remains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Panlong City is hot in summer and cold in winter; wealthy families like the Chen family dug more than one cellar, storing meat, fruits and vegetables, pickled vegetables, and ice separately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes, storing solid ice in winter to eat snow 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 a luxury exclusive to wealthy families.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What Mao Tao found was the ice cellar; it was likely early summer in the current Panlong City, and the cellar was bitingly cold. But as soon as the group walked down, they saw white bones scattered in the corner; counting the skulls, they knew there were three victims.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Fuping picked up a skull and observed it carefully, saying in a deep voice: \"It's real.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was very unusual. Why would real human bones appear in an illusion world? A flash of insight struck the four of them, and Nian Songyu blurted out: \"The expedition team from the Baling Kingdom! They entered the illusion too.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was it; the entrance to the illusion was first found by the expedition team from the Baling Kingdom, so they certainly had the opportunity to enter this Panlong City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The key to the problem was, how did these people die?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Looking at their posture, they were moved after death.\" Mao Tao squatted down to look closely, then suddenly gasped: \"No, the skeletons are all scattered; if they weren't disturbed by someone later, then it's, it's...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Dismembered after death.\" Nian Songyu picked up a radius, then found a scapula, and held them up to the light to look for a few moments, \"There are scratches from a sharp weapon on the bones, every single one; this shouldn't be an injury from when they were alive.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1435,"2026-06-20T02:23:30.219Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","773b56db1bbdae221fa5a7e6b1b0b248dce3481ca374b58fc9357ad824fda7cf","after-the-immortals-disappeared-chapter-52","after-the-immortals-disappeared-chapter-50",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fafter-the-immortals-disappeared-cover.jpg"]