After the Immortal Disappeared

"The Panlong Desert is still teeming with life when it’s not the Sandstorm Season."

"I heard a Deity once descended there." Dong Rui seemed to be buying it. "Could the Jindu Holy Mother have sent her cubs there to investigate?"

"Who knows?" Hee Lingchuan said vaguely. ’The word "investigate" is a good one.’ The Ghost Children were snooping around everywhere, as if trying to unearth some great secret. "Even Sunx Fuping and Nian Songyu are rushing over to the Panlong Desert. Are you telling me there’s nothing mysterious going on there?"

As he spoke, he suddenly recalled something:

The Deity that had possessed Nian Songyu once accused the Black Dragon of setting a trap, deliberately luring them to send down their Clones. It then demanded an answer from the Black Dragon. Its exact words were, "You must know what I want to ask. Since I’m about to die, where is my answer?"

The Black Dragon said there was no answer.

Hee Lingchuan had been completely in the dark at the time. With so little information, he decided not to overthink it. It was only now, after learning more and more about the Deities, that he felt the profound meaning behind that conversation.

The Panlong Ruins must hold a secret that the Deities want to uncover. That’s why they hit it off so well with humans like Sunx Fuping.

’So, is it the Grand Square Pot they’re after, or is there another target?’

The Deity’s Clone said they wanted an answer.

’What kind of question requires an answer that even the Deities don’t know and have to search for in the ruins?’

He zoned out for a while. Dong Rui stared at him for just as long before suddenly waving a hand in front of his face.

Hee Lingchuan’s eyes flickered. "What?"

"I thought you’d fallen asleep with your eyes open." He looked at Hee Lingchuan. "By the way, where did the Rock Wolf Pack take my Twenty-Nine? It wasn’t to their home tundra, was it?"

’Twenty-Nine?’ Hee Lingchuan paused for a second before realizing he was talking about the Werewolf.

He shrugged. "If my Rock Wolf were here, I’d let it answer that question."

A flash of anger crossed Dong Rui’s eyes.

The Werewolf and the Ghost Ape were both powerful and complemented each other in battle. Losing this Gold Medal Boxer meant his overall strength was reduced by far more than just one-fourth.

Hee Lingchuan asked again, "Why are you working for the Beiga Kingdom? Did they rescind your Wanted Command?"

"More than that." Dong Rui’s answer was swift this time. "The Beiga Kingdom has seen the light. They’re not going to dwell on old scores... and they can provide all the materials I need."

The guy was obsessed with his research and probably needed all sorts of bizarre materials. "All so you would help Hong Chenglu?"

"You people really think you’re a big deal, don’t you?" Dong Rui couldn’t help but laugh. "Is a place as tiny as the Yuan Kingdom, the size of a booger, really worth Beiga making such a fuss?"

His expression and words dripped with disdain. "If you ever get the chance to visit Beiga, you’ll see what a truly great nation is, with envoys from all corners of the world paying homage."

Hee Lingchuan raised an eyebrow. "So, in your opinion, the long standoff between the Xunzhou Governor and General Zhao Pan is because Beiga can’t be bothered with the war here?"

"Of course."

Hee Lingchuan scoffed. ’What utter nonsense. The outcome of a war is never decided by superficial strengths and weaknesses.’ He believed the Beiga Kingdom must have more practical reasons for not fully supporting the Xunzhou people. It was just that this scoundrel Dong Rui had a mysterious, blind faith in Beiga, seeing everything through rose-tinted glasses.

"Seeing is believing," Dong Rui said lazily. "You frogs in a well won’t believe a word I say. It’s best you go see it for yourselves. Heh, but whether you can even make it to Beiga alive? I have my doubts."

"Don’t worry, my chances of survival are definitely higher than yours." Hee Lingchuan grinned at him. "You don’t have a single Demon Puppet with you. How are you going to protect yourself?"

Dong Rui’s cheek twitched. It was hard to tell if it was from the pain of his wound or because the words had hit a sore spot.

Ever since becoming a renowned Demon Puppet Master, he had never been so alone. The disappearance of three of his four Demon Puppets was related to Hee Lingchuan! The thought alone made him grind his teeth in hatred.

But trapped inside the jellyfish, there was nothing either of them could do.

Hee Lingchuan was still worried about the front-line battle, but that wasn’t something he could discuss with Dong Rui.

They were on opposite sides. Dong Rui would only gloat.

’Nian Zanli used some kind of heaven-defying Spell to flood General Zhao Pan’s camp. Hong Chenglu’s threats are still ringing in my ears. Could this be his doing?’

’But it’s too late for any of that now. The Yuan Kingdom’s defeat is set in stone.’

’I wonder if Hee Chunhua managed to escape the battlefield.’

Hee Lingchuan thought of his subordinates. Shan Youjun and the Medicinal Ape were both sharp as tacks; they should have been able to get away, right?

With Zhao Pan failing to hold the natural barrier of the Hanhe River, the front line would continue to move south into Xiazhou’s territory. As the Governor of Xiazhou, Hee Chunhua would be under immense pressure.

’I wonder how he’ll handle it.’

Of course, these were not problems for Hee Lingchuan to worry about.

He just needed to save his own skin.

Seeing the turbulent water flow around them showing no signs of slowing, Dong Rui let out a long yawn.

As if infected, Hee Lingchuan yawned too.

Neither of them spoke, and with nothing else to do, a wave of drowsiness washed over them.

Dong Rui’s eyes were half-closed as he secretly sized up Hee Lingchuan. ’As soon as this kid falls asleep, I’ll make my move!’

He had at least thirty or forty types of poison that could kill his opponent.

’Hee Lingchuan wouldn’t want to be stuck with a corpse for a long time, but that’s no problem for me. I do it all the time.’

’Hurry up and fall asleep.’

As if granting his wish, Hee Lingchuan let out two more yawns, a look of exhaustion on his face as his eyes slowly closed.

Just as Dong Rui was waiting anxiously, the kid’s eyes suddenly snapped open with a yelp. "Oh! I almost forgot."

’Forgot what?’

The next second, Hee Lingchuan struck like lightning. With a SNAP, SNAP, he dislocated both of Dong Rui’s wrists!

The two, who had seemed to be chatting amicably moments before, were once again at each other’s throats.

He moved so fast that Dong Rui only had time to let out a pained scream.

"What are you doing? What are you doing!"

At close range, a Mage was no match for a Martial Artist. What’s more, a Demon Puppet Master without his Demon Puppets was like a helpless maiden meeting a thug...

Only then did Hee Lingchuan say slowly, "I almost forgot, you scoundrel are covered in poison." Dong Rui’s eyes had been half-closed, but his eyelids were twitching nonstop. He was obviously up to no good. How could Hee Lingchuan just let that slide?

With the scoundrel’s hands disabled, it would be much harder for him to cause trouble. Only now could Hee Lingchuan sleep in peace.

Dong Rui wanted to cry but had no tears.

’How was I a step too slow again? How did I lose to this treacherous kid with his fake smile again!’

Hee Lingchuan said with a grin, "Try any more tricks, and I’ll chop both your hands off." This made it crystal clear to Dong Rui that his little scheme had been seen through completely.

Thanks to the jellyfish’s powerful shock-absorption, being in the turbulent current was like being in a cradle. Rocked by the motion, Hee Lingchuan soon fell asleep.

Before closing his eyes, he took one last look at Dong Rui, who was pale with pain and looked utterly devastated.

"KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!"

Hee Lingchuan was woken by the urgent knocking. He opened his eyes to see the beams of a roof. His body was lying firm and steady, not drifting with any current.

’Ah, I’m dreaming again.’

The voice of his teammate, Door Panel, came from outside. "Broken Blade, urgent mission."

"Coming!" Hee Lingchuan sat up, put on his Light Armor, slipped on his shoes, grabbed the Floating Life Blade, and went to open the door. The whole process took less than fifteen breaths, and he even had time to splash his face with icy water.

Outside the door, his teammates were mostly assembled, with only Fire Chief Liu Tong missing.

"Urgent report. An avalanche has hit the Red Peak Mine in the northwest of the Chipa Plateau. There might be monsters about," Door Panel said hurriedly. "Captain Liu has had diarrhea for a few days—vomiting and all that. He said you’re to be acting Fire Chief."

A fire team was supposed to have ten people, but their squad wasn’t at full strength. They had only been replenished to seven members, so with Liu Tong absent, there were only six of them.

Hee Lingchuan wasn’t surprised by Liu Tong’s request. They had been on missions together for a long time and knew each other’s capabilities. It was widely acknowledged within the squad that he had the most potential to be a leader. When they split into groups, he was often the one in charge. Thus, the other team members had no objections to Liu Tong’s arrangement.

"Let’s go." Hee Lingchuan closed the door behind him and glanced to the side.

Sunx Fuling’s courtyard gate was shut tight, as always. He had no idea if she was home.

The group hurried to get their horses and then picked up five days’ worth of dry rations. The logistical support system in Panlong City always ran smoothly. The Patrol Guards’ horses were kept in a dedicated stable, and the supply depot was right next door. You could collect supplies with your token, which saved time for teams heading out on missions.

Although riding wasn’t forbidden within Panlong City, you were usually required to go at a slow pace; exceeding the speed limit would get you punished. However, teams on a mission could gallop through the city. The residents of Panlong City were used to the sight of soldiers coming and going and would consciously keep to the right to clear the main road.

Before long, the squad was out of the city. Hee Lingchuan looked back. The tall city gates seemed to soften under the sunlight.

They galloped northwest along the Official Road, the sides of which were covered in white snow.

"Is there any more intel?" Hee Lingchuan asked Door Panel. "How many teams are going?"

"The message I got said three teams are on this mission together," Door Panel said. "Someone from there came to the city to report that monsters have appeared in the Mine Cave."

"Demons?"

"It’s unclear. The Mine Cave is too dark, and the monsters are too fast. Of the fourteen or fifteen people in the mine, only two escaped. They had just gotten back to town when an avalanche hit the mountain the next morning, completely blocking the road to the mine."

The biting wind felt like a knife. Hee Lingchuan wiped his face, then found a thick scarf to wrap around it, leaving only his eyes exposed, which felt a little better. It took him a while to recall that before falling asleep, he had been trapped in the body of a giant jellyfish, drifting with the current. Not only was his future uncertain, but he was also stranded with his mortal enemy, Dong Rui.

’Why did the Grand Square Pot have to pull me into a dream at a time like this?’ To be honest, after the harrowing experience on the banks of the Hanhe River, he was mentally battle-weary and needed a deep, dreamless sleep.

But this Divine Artifact was very willful, and he still hadn’t figured out its ways.

"One more thing," Skinny suddenly chimed in. "About six days ago, a woman snuck into the posthouse outside West Village and stole a pot of meat stew. She made a noise by accident and got caught. The Posthouse Chief saw that her clothes were ragged, she was heavily pregnant, and her eyes were shifty, avoiding his gaze. Remembering a notice from the city, he was about to hand her over to the authorities."