Chapter 76: Closed Doors

He Lingchuan threw two more stones, and they met the same fate. Was this a "no visitors" sign? After the Black Dragon died, it was true that everyone could come out, but the passage connecting to the secret realm had also closed at the same time.

He Chunhua was frustrated.

After going through all kinds of hardships, losing soldiers and generals, and even killing a high official, he didn't know how he would offend the Xunzhou Governor and the Grand Marshal in the future.

After all, General Nian's most valued son, Nian Songyu, was dead, and Sun Fuping, who had lost his position as State Preceptor for some reason, was also dead.

The He family father and son hadn't contributed little to their deaths.

If they were investigated later, would the Royal Court blame them?

Just thinking about it made the future look bleak.

"Chuan'er, what wish did you make to the Black Dragon?"

"I didn't even know I had made a wish!" He Lingchuan smiled bitterly, pointing to the soldiers on the side, "You ask them, did I say even one more word to the Black Dragon?"

The people who had listened in on the city wall at the time, including Mao Tao and Situ Han, shook their heads like wave drums. In a critical moment, who had the leisure to make wishes? "This is the trophy." He Lingchuan sent the broken blade forward, "Old man, do you want it?"

He Chunhua was a bit listless: "You keep it."

After a heart-pounding dozen hours, everyone was exhausted. The only good news was that the sandstorm outside the city had temporarily stopped, and the desert revealed its dark bottom color again.

He Chunhua ordered them to rest on the spot and return home early tomorrow morning.

Because the Great Wind Army had also left the illusion, they were currently wandering in the Panlong Wasteland City, turning a blind eye to humans, but instead driving away or killing the sneaky vengeful spirits left in the city.

With these heroic spirits moving about, humans felt much more at ease.

He Lingchuan pulled He Chunhua to find a sheltered courtyard to rest, and Ceng Feixiong and Situ Han followed automatically. Mao Tao was still hesitating when he heard He Lingchuan order: "Bring a pot in."

"Yes, okay!" Mao Tao was overjoyed and sure enough found a large pot from the personal guards and sent it into the courtyard.

Ceng Feixiong smiled bitterly: "Young Master, the water has all been poured into the well, we can't boil anything. I have half a pouch of clean water here for you."

He Lingchuan hooked his finger at Situ Han: "Come, fill the pot."

Situ Han was slightly embarrassed, but still took out a water pouch under the gaze of the other four and poured it into the pot with a gurgling sound.

Don't look at this water pouch being flat; it poured out a full pot of clean water, eighty percent full.

He Lingchuan laughed: "Situ Boss is a sand bandit leader; do you think it's easy to scrape him clean?"

Situ Han chuckled: "What are you saying? I'm a regular border army soldier now, enlisted!"

So Mao Tao found a lot of broken furniture, chopped it up, and used it as firewood to boil water.

Everyone pooled their resources, and there were still quite a few rice cakes, naan bread, dried meat, and fish strips, so they just threw them into the pot to boil. Besides salt, Mao Tao actually carried pepper and chili powder.

After a fierce battle, everyone had a great appetite and needed to feast.

At this time, it was dripping on the roof tiles and eaves, and the sky actually started to rain.

And the rain came fast and hard, turning into a downpour in the blink of an eye.

Fortunately, everyone was sitting under the eaves, avoiding the trouble of getting their heads soaked. Ceng Feixiong heard cheers coming from the official army outside and also smiled: "Truly a timely rain, we can live to return to Heishuicheng!" After saying this, he took two steps back and stood in the rain, letting the rainwater wash away the dust on his face.

Even if vengeful spirits and three-corpse worms didn't treat them as enemies, and there were heroic spirits protecting them as they walked out of the sandstorm area, living people always needed to drink water to survive. Sun Fuping and Nian Songyu had made everyone pour out all their water pouches to replenish the well, but the return journey would take over ten days; how could they survive without water?

Now that heaven had sent sweet rain, it had resolved the biggest hidden danger, so how could they not be overjoyed?

"Actually, calculating the time, it's almost the rainy season." The rainy season in the Panlong Desert came in September. Speaking of this, He Chunhua was startled, "By the way, what date is it in August today?"

The four shook their heads. Time in the secret realm was very chaotic, and there was no reference point after coming out; who knew how many days had passed.

Perhaps it was already September, so wasn't heaven sending rain a routine operation? He Lingchuan instructed Mao Tao to find all the intact bottles and jars to catch the rainwater. Their return from the desert depended on them.

No need for the commander to teach them; all the Heishuicheng people did the same.

When Mao Tao moved an eighty-jin water vat into the courtyard, He Chunhua ordered his son to take off his shirt, and he personally applied medicine.

He Lingchuan's injuries weren't heavy, but the number was astonishing, mostly caused by the hooks of the silk-entangling rope, with two on his nose alone, and a piece of flesh hooked off his hand.

He Lingchuan asked a question he knew the answer to: "Is Sun Fuping dead?"

Although Sun Fuping's injuries had been healed by Nian Songyu, the magic power he had expended earlier wouldn't return out of thin air, and he still had to fight the angry heroic spirits, demonic birds, and the Heishuicheng Army. He Lingchuan didn't think he had any chance of survival.

"The Great Wind Army commander gave him the final blow, the one who attacked us in front of the temple."

"From beginning to end, he didn't use the State Order?"

"No." He Chunhua sneered, "You are right; he was stripped of his position as State Preceptor, so he couldn't mobilize the national fortune at all. Otherwise, even if the Great Wind Army heroic spirits came out, it would have been very difficult to deal with him."

With the national fortune protecting his body, how could vengeful spirits get close? Even in a secret realm that was a world of its own, this law could still exert some effect.

Having lost the State Order, Sun Fuping was just a slightly more powerful sorcerer; his side had enough manpower to finish him off.

He Lingchuan rubbed his hands and chuckled: "Were there any last words or relics?"

This greedy little look was exactly what He Chunhua was familiar with: "Didn't you get a trophy? A gift from the Black Dragon."

"Just a broken blade, and I found it with my own sharp eyes. If I hadn't had a flash of inspiration, we might have been swallowed by the Black Dragon one by one."

That was true; this kid was actually the number one contributor to everyone escaping with their lives. He Chunhua took out two trophies, both magic treasures: the silk-entangling rope and the beast-headed staff.

"These are the main treasures; which one do you want?" There were many other odds and ends, so he didn't take them out.

"Men wearing red strings, it's too sissy." He Lingchuan chose the staff, "This beast head looks more pleasing to the eye."

"It's yours." He Chunhua put away the silk-entangling rope and tied it to his own wrist.

When idle, the beast-headed staff would turn into a short pestle, only one foot long, convenient to carry. He Lingchuan played with this short pestle and said: "Sun Fuping had ability, had schemes, why would he be stripped of his position as State Preceptor?"

If not for his luck being truly too good, his father and son and the Heishuicheng Army would never have escaped Sun Fuping's calculations and would all have become offerings.

"It seems that many changes have occurred in the capital. It's hateful that information is blocked; we still haven't received news from the central and eastern regions." He Chunhua sighed. Without first-hand intelligence, even if his family was strong, they had no chance to advance eastward.

Situ Han couldn't help but interject: "Then how could the Black Dragon be Zhong Shengguang? It's unimaginable."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 77 =====