[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-after-the-immortals-disappeared":3,"chapter-after-the-immortals-disappeared-after-the-immortals-disappeared-chapter-56":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},2283940,4468,"Chapter 56: My Child, Wuhan","after-the-immortals-disappeared-chapter-56",56,"\u003Cp>Even if there were oil shops, breweries, and charcoal stores in this city, the buildings were all wooden structures; with just this few people, burning down an entire city was a massive undertaking, so they had to find the best incendiary materials possible. Once the others had left, He Lingchuan doubled back, sneaking back into the Zhong residence and jumping lightly into an empty room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The room was not small, furnished with one large and one small bed, two stools, and a vanity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just now, after National Master Sun fired the signal arrow, He Lingchuan had taken advantage of the time he spent gathering his companions to circle through these official quarters and inspect the surroundings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Lingchuan hadn't found any useful clues at the time, but after the group's discussion just now, he suddenly wanted to take another look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each set of official quarters was small in area and simple in function—just a place to eat, live, and sleep. Therefore, this room must have been the bedroom of Zhong Shengguang and his wife.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bedding on the large bed was clean and neatly folded, and a precious saber with a dragon-mouth ring hung on the wall at the head of the bed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hanging a lethal weapon at the head of his and his wife's bed was probably something only a fierce man who governed the military would do, and this small bed to the side—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It must have been for their daughter, Zhong Wuhan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because the small bed was only three feet long, an adult couldn't even lie down on it with their legs curled. At the head of the bed sat a small wooden horse and wooden soldiers brandishing wooden swords; opposite them was a cloth tiger that looked a bit fierce.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, it was a cloth leopard, made in the image of a sand leopard, bearing the sand leopard's round spots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With these three placed there, it was a story in itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He picked it up and saw a few small characters embroidered on the leopard's belly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My child, Wuhan.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the foot of the bed, a small cloth doll was also tucked away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Lingchuan walked over to the large bed; on the vanity sat a set of face powder and a bronze mirror, all arranged neatly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He picked them up one by one to inspect them and discovered a comb tucked into the back of the bronze mirror—it was actually a set.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is? His eyes lit up. He picked up the comb and held it to the light, murmuring, \"So it was here.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a simple wooden comb, plain in form and single-purposed, with only a small, pale blue flower painted on the head of the comb.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This type of pigment was derived from a fine powder ground from a type of shellfish, capable of producing a blue as vibrant as the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Based solely on this floral decoration, He Lingchuan could conclude that this was the very token of the owner that the sand leopard had snatched away when Panlong City fell all those years ago! It was also this that had caused the feud between the He family and the Grand Marshal's mansion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was just that, at this moment, the comb had not yet been half-burned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Zhong Shengguang's wife passed away shortly after giving birth to their daughter; he really did keep this comb as a memento.\" He Lingchuan looked at the small bed and spoke to himself, \"No, at this time Zhong Wuhan hadn't been born yet. Zhong Shengguang didn't know if his wife would have a boy or a girl, but he had already prepared a crib.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, Commander Zhong wouldn't have placed several boys' toys at the head of the child's bed, which looked as though he had carved them himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This was probably the happiest time of his life.\" His career had prospects, and his beloved wife was about to give birth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He casually pulled open a hidden drawer in the vanity. Inside were a few pieces of jewelry, all of very common material, but He Lingchuan's gaze froze as it swept over one of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a necklace with a crescent-shaped pendant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It looked so familiar; He Lingchuan subconsciously pulled out the necklace at his own neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was fundamentally the same thing! It was just that one was in the illusion and one was in reality, and even the appearance had changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, before his daughter was born, Zhong Shengguang was already the owner of this divine bone necklace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Lingchuan had a sudden realization, carefully placed the comb back in its original spot, and exited the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as he stepped out of the official quarters, he saw someone standing outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mao Tao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Lingchuan was startled and couldn't help but curse, \"Not even a peep? Are you trying to scare a ghost?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Young Master, let me go with you; I'll do all the work.\" Mao Tao offered a fawning smile. \"It feels like someone is always watching me in the dark, wanting to strike when I'm alone.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Even if there is, it's not a person.\" He Lingchuan did not refuse. He also had that feeling of thorns on his back; it was indeed safer for the two of them to travel together. Mao Tao pointed a finger, \"I remember there's a fairly large restaurant over there.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Lingchuan glanced back at the Zhong residence: \"It's too close here; leave it for the artillery on the city walls. Let's go further away.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both of them knew some martial arts; they gathered their qi and ran quickly all the way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two quarters of an hour later, the road grew narrower, the buildings along the road became increasingly sparse, and larger commercial warehouses, courier stations, and even grain-drying grounds appeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Places like this were far from any city gate; even if the artillery on the city walls could reach them, a single shot wouldn't have the effect of igniting a large area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This required manpower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two jumped into a workshop, found a flatbed cart to load a dozen barrels of tung oil, and dismantled two suitable pieces of wood to make torches before pulling the oil out the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They burned as they went, splashing oil onto wood, quilts, thatch, or anything else flammable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just like that, after traveling several miles and looking back, they saw flames soaring into the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mao Tao pointed to the west: \"Black smoke is rising over there; it seems the National Master is also working hard.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Lingchuan only took one look before continuing his work: \"It seems that isn't the key point either.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mao Tao asked curiously: \"Key point? What key point?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We decided to burn the whole city only because we couldn't find the key to breaking the situation and could only rely on this clumsy method. Otherwise, a single fire-arrow would suffice.\" He Lingchuan's mind was very clear. \"Conversely, burning other places is useless; only by burning the key point can this illusion be dispelled.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mao Tao shook his hands and sighed, \"How much longer will this take?\" He was tired because He Lingchuan had made him act as the donkey pulling the cart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even a real donkey would be exhausted to death after pulling a cart full of oil barrels for ten miles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Burning down a city—just thinking about it made his whole body numb.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You should be happy.\" He Lingchuan said grimly, \"That breaking point isn't in the area we're responsible for; it's a blessing you cultivated in your past life. Think about Tao Bo's fate—can you bear the consequences of the illusion shattering?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tao Bo's final fate wasn't much better than their teammate's; he was left without a corpse. Mao Tao shuddered: \"Then let's go meet up with the National Master as soon as possible.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Lingchuan chuckled: \"Thanks to you, it won't be completed that quickly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because Mao Tao had snuck off to find him, the entire northern part of Panlong City hadn't been burned yet. \"Now you can tell me, what exactly did you come to find me for?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mao Tao was stunned: \"I, I was just afraid.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Lingchuan couldn't be bothered to say more to him: \"Get back to the north.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Don't, I'll tell you! I just hadn't made up my mind.\" Mao Tao wiped his sweat with a towel. \"Just now, when the National Master was looking at Tao Bo's notes, he didn't know that before I followed Boss Situ, I lived in Copper City in the Baling Kingdom for twelve years and even attended a private school, until my stepfather was killed while doing business...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Stop, get to the point!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...I can understand a little bit of Baling script.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He Lingchuan stopped in his tracks: \"What did the National Master hide?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew it—this old man was hoarding secrets!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1479,"2026-06-20T02:23:30.219Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","24b2d30052a296ea312068466760313132ebc21cb8e175724224ee7d58d932ed","after-the-immortals-disappeared-chapter-57","after-the-immortals-disappeared-chapter-55",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fafter-the-immortals-disappeared-cover.jpg"]