Free Web NovelChapter 25: Chapter 26: A Cup of Clean Water for 20 Wens
The scene just now sent the white dog yelping, and it immediately turned and fled.
The monster gave chase, and soon, both had disappeared behind a sand dune.
A Porter in the rear of the caravan cursed viciously. With one less guest to escort, the pay he would receive was now correspondingly less.
This was the Panlong Desert’s way of greeting everyone.
For all the groups that witnessed this, the previously relaxed atmosphere vanished in an instant.
Zeng Feixiong withdrew his gaze and murmured, "It was his fault. On Red Cliff Road, children and dogs must be kept on a leash."
"I’ve never seen a Yellow Flounder that big before," Hee Lingchuan said, astonished. His body’s previous owner had been a frequent hunter and knew that this ’Yellow Flounder’ was no fish. It was a monster that lurked in deserts and wastelands, specializing in ambushing small, passing animals.
It could freely dive and surface in the desert, moving faster than any four-legged creature could run.
But these things were usually only a little bigger than a dog. Even if it had become a Demon, it shouldn’t have reached the size of the one just now!
"This is the Panlong Desert, after all." Zeng Feixiong had escorted many caravans through here and was unfazed. "The Resentful Souls affect everything. Even Demons that are normally intelligent become corrupted if they stay in the desert too long."
’So that’s how it is,’ Hee Lingchuan thought. ’That’s why Sand Leopards only enter the Panlong Desert to hunt, but make their homes and breed on West Mountain.’
...
The magnificent desert, beautiful as it was, grew monotonous after a time.
The journey was peaceful and tedious. As long as one did not take a single step off Red Cliff Road, the only things to contend with were the hot winds, the scorching sun, and the occasional sandstorm.
For a prepared and experienced group, these hardships were all tolerable.
After three days of travel, the caravan finally arrived at Baiyuan Station.
This was a way station on Red Cliff Road, a place for traveling merchants to rest. It was built upon the foundations of an Ancient City.
There were once more than ten Ancient Cities in the Panlong Wasteland, but after a hundred-odd years, very few remained. Baiyuan City, too, had long been swallowed by the yellow sands. It was later generations who excavated its old foundations and built several rows of houses alongside Red Cliff Road.
Like Red Cliff Road itself, the area within the Ancient City’s original boundaries was safe from Resentful Souls and monsters, making it an excellent stopover point for merchant caravans.
As the caravan entered Baiyuan Station, Hee Chunhua hurried over to negotiate with the stationmaster.
Indeed, Black Water City had established a post station here and dispatched staff to manage it. However, the regulations were lax—not nearly as strict as within the Da Yuan Kingdom itself.
In a place and time like this, the power of money was on full display.
Baiyuan Station permitted passing travelers to pitch tents. It also sold food and water, and if one wanted to splurge, they could rent a small cottage.
Of course, the Panlong Desert itself had no water sources. All ingredients, fresh water, and building materials had to be transported from Black Water City.
Where there was demand, there was business. Anyone wanting to get into this line of work first had to build a relationship with the stationmaster, and then undertake the massive effort of transporting goods to this barren land. After all the various costs were piled on, a basic meal set of one steamed bun and one bottle of fresh water sold for thirty wens. Not expensive, right? fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
A bowl of lamb paomo—the kind with only rendered fat and no actual meat—sold for two coins of silver. Not expensive, right?
A small cottage for the night, for the low price of five taels of silver. Moving in, you’d feel like you were getting a bargain, wouldn’t you?
And if you wanted to take a hot bath in the middle of the desert to wash away the dust and exhaustion of the road—
National Preceptor Sunx, Captain Nian, and Mr. Hee all had this very desire, so Hee Prefect had no choice but to foot the bill.
That single expense alone was enough to buy five mu of prime, fertile land near Black Water City—a permanent piece of real estate.
After a bath and a few "deluxe" meals that left him only half-full, Hee Lingchuan finally felt his energy return.
Even with his strong physique, the three-day journey had left him exhausted. ’I wonder how much more difficult the road ahead will be,’ he thought.
In contrast, Hee Chunhua still seemed to have energy to spare, clearly not as frail and bookish as he appeared.
Hee Lingchuan also bought a few meals for Zeng Feixiong. Otherwise, the man, being short on funds, would have been gnawing on cold steamed buns with the other soldiers.
Zeng Feixiong felt too embarrassed to accept and refused several times, but he was no match for Mr. Hee’s insistence. In the end, he could only accept with a guilty conscience, thanking him profusely.
Hee Lingchuan, however, knew the man was straightforward but not reckless. Since he was the one leading the troops into the desert, Hee Lingchuan clapped him on the shoulder and said, "Eat and drink your fill. You need your strength to work. My father’s safety and mine are in your hands."
"Mr. Hee and you have treated me with immense kindness and relieved me of my worries for the future. I would lay down my life to repay you!"
"Laying down your life is a bit much," Hee Lingchuan said with a laugh. "By the way, I heard your father is the only person to have returned alive from the Panlong Ruins?"
Zeng Feixiong’s expression dimmed. "Yes. Twenty years ago, someone offered a hefty sum to hire him as a guide. He was the only one to return alive. But he lost his mind, and not even the Great Shaman could cure him. No one knows what happened to them. All day, he just mutters a single word—’Water.’"
’Water?’ ’Water is indeed scarce in the desert. What terrible ordeal must Zeng Feixiong’s father have suffered to remain so obsessed with it, even in madness?’
Just then, Sunx Fuping came to summon them. He was calling the leaders for a meeting in his cottage.
A Guard went outside, brought back a large amount of yellow sand, and poured it onto the tabletop.
And just like that, a simple Sand Table was made.
"We’re almost at the end of Red Cliff Road." Zeng Feixiong gestured on the Sand Table. "The day after tomorrow, we leave the main road and enter the desert. That’s when the real test begins."
"Red Cliff Road originally connected to Panlong City." As a military road, it had to at least reach the city’s edge to be effective. "But not long after the Panlong Wasteland became a desert, a nearby mountain peak collapsed and obliterated this part of the road."
He drew a circle on the Sand Table. "To get to Panlong City now, we have to take a detour through the pass in Yingdu Mountain."
This detour was not part of Red Cliff Road, which meant the danger they were about to face would increase dramatically.
In comparison, the past three days of travel had felt like a holiday.
The group then proceeded to discuss various strategies and countermeasures.
Although the Hee father and son were at odds with Sunx and Nian, they were all exceptionally focused on the discussion, as their very lives were at stake.
Hee Lingchuan listened quietly from the sidelines. Only when the discussion seemed to be winding down did he voice a question that had long been on his mind:
"As an isolated stronghold, Panlong City held out while besieged on all sides for thirty-two years. That’s a legendary feat. So what was the ultimate reason it fell?"
This was one of the great mysteries of the Panlong Desert. Neither historical records nor local legends offered a conclusive answer, leaving only the far-fetched explanations of storytellers.
"It couldn’t be as the Black Water City locals claim, could it? That Panlong City lost its backbone simply because Zhong Shengguang died of illness?"
’People tend to look for a reasonable explanation for any unsolved mystery,’ Hee Lingchuan mused. ’Zhong Shengguang defended Panlong City for more than thirty years, aging from a young man in his prime to an old one. Years of constant warfare would have taken a huge toll on his body and mind.’ Of all the legends Hee Lingchuan had heard, this one was the most plausible.
He was very curious about the truth.
"From the clues I’ve gathered, there’s actually some truth to that legend. Panlong City did indeed lose its backbone." Sunx Fuping poured himself a cup of water—a cup of fresh water that cost a full twenty wens. "But it wasn’t Zhong Shengguang. It was the Red General!"
