Chapter 00147: Changing Transportation
# Changing Transportation
Chapter 147
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 147: Changing Transportation
He Chunhua raised his State Order: “I am He Chunhua, the Prefect of Qiansong County in Jinzhu, here to take up the position of General Supervisor in Xiazhou! You are required to assist in repelling the enemy here; otherwise, I will have no choice but to order the cutting down of this water fir forest to hinder them!”
Shanze was furious: “You dare!”
The water firs grew slowly, and the five trees that these humans had previously cut down were all over a hundred years old, with one even exceeding two hundred years, having been watched over by Shanze as it grew.
“What is there to fear?” He Chunhua said expressionlessly, “If you harm me, you will lose your position in this Shanze!”
Shanze fell silent.
To be honest, the position granted by the state was quite easy; usually, humans did not require it to do anything, and instead, the divine position of Shanze brought it Yuan Power, which was greatly beneficial for cultivation.
Being able to stand five or six zhang taller than its peers, the Yuan Power was indispensable.
Having tasted the sweetness of Yuan Power, it did not want to lose it.
“Fine, but my strength can only last for two hours at most!” Shanze said languidly, “You’d better move quickly.”
“Thank you!” He Chunhua bowed to it and turned to instruct the convoy to advance.
Ahead lay a long downhill path, with the sunlight blocked behind the mountains, casting this side into shadow.
A milky white mist seeped out from the forest, quickly covering the path the officials and soldiers had traversed.
During the journey, several giant crocodiles contributed a wave of chaotic antics, walking straight down the sandbank into the lagoon without dodging or detouring, crawling from the water onto the sand, and then back into the water to swim again.
The smallest of these crocodiles was over a zhang long (more than three meters), and even strolling along the beach was like a moving fortress, exuding immense power.
Everyone gave a thumbs up, continuously praising.
The so-called lagoon was a shallow bay formed by the mouth being blocked by silt.
Ordinary boats encountering a lagoon would have to take a wide detour to find another way, and could never walk straight across the silt like the giant crocodiles did.
This way, the journey was shortened by at least ten li.
The brothers on other boats could only take the long route.
With the crocodiles moving steadily, He Lingchuan closed his eyes to rest, focusing on recovering his energy—there might be a fierce battle to fight later.
Just after passing the lagoon, the banks were lush with trees, their canopies nearly covering the water's surface.
Lian Deng was caught by a spider web that hit his nose, causing him to sneeze violently.
Just as he was about to take a deep breath, a swallow swooped down from somewhere and unexpectedly flew straight into his mouth!
“Ah, phew phew phew!” Lian Deng spat several times, expelling the bird.
He liked to eat meat, but he did not appreciate meat with legs jumping directly into his mouth, especially when it left feathers stuck to his teeth!
The spit-out swallow rolled twice on the crocodile's back but surprisingly did not fly away; instead, it shrank down beneath the crowd.
With limited space on the crocodile's back and many people wanting to sit, everyone had to squeeze together.
Two white birds flew towards each other in a panic and collided.
With a “splash,” both fell into the water.
Wu Shaoyi frowned: “Something feels off.”
This was a paradise for birds; countless flying creatures traversed the river, yet now, for some unknown reason, they all retreated into the dense forest in fright.
A few even landed on the crocodile's back, hiding in the shadows beneath the humans.
Compared to humans, they seemed more afraid of something else.
“Up in the sky!” He Lingchuan's heart stirred, recalling the strange occurrences when the army entered Xianling Village yesterday evening; the returning birds should have filled the trees with chirping, yet at that time, it was eerily silent, as if all the birds were terrified of something.
Just like now.
With his reminder, everyone looked up, and sure enough, a bandit pointed: “To the west, by the mountain peak!”
Everyone turned their heads and indeed saw a solitary figure in the sky, moving like the wind.
“Red Falcon!” Wu Shaoyi's expression changed, “Not good, it’s a beast raised by Lu Yao! It can report back to its master, and Lu Yao is likely aware of our movements.”
Xianling Lake was rich in prey, and many birds of prey passed by, but those capable of scaring all the birds into such a state were mostly powerful monsters.
This was a reaction seen only when encountering a formidable enemy.
Lian Deng drew a bow and aimed at the Red Falcon, but after a few breaths, he sighed: “No good, it’s out of range.”
During this time, the Red Falcon flew higher and higher, and everyone had to strain their eyes to see it.
The falcon's eyesight was better than that of humans, and it had clearly noticed someone aiming a bow below, so it ascended to avoid danger.
At this moment, He Lingchuan thought of Hu Min in the Panlong Secret Realm.
That kid could shoot a hundred paces with precision; he wondered if he could hit this flying falcon?
He Lingchuan himself had hunted before and knew that falcons and hawks were agile and quick, some even flying faster than arrows, let alone dodging them.
Especially this one in the sky had some cultivation.
If he had good archery skills, taking down this Red Falcon would be akin to blinding Lu Yao in one eye.
He Lingchuan secretly thought that his training in long-range attacks should be prioritized.
Speaking of which, he suddenly remembered the unknown archer he encountered when he first entered the Panlong Illusion, who shot two arrows as if they were shadows.
He Lingchuan instinctively pressed his throat; if that archer were here, shooting down this Red Falcon should be a trivial matter, right?
He felt inexplicably confident.
Everyone was cursing.
He Lingchuan glanced sideways: “That Lu fellow, how does he have such good relations with monsters?” First the Crocodile God, now the Falcon Demon.
In comparison, Wu Shaoyi only had a little weasel.
No wonder the chickens he had touched in Xianling Village had been trembling; they had seen their natural enemies.
It seemed that monsters played a significant role on the battlefield; if used well, they could be a surprise force.
He Lingchuan also wanted to get one for himself.
In the blink of an eye, the Red Falcon disappeared into the horizon.
“Looks like it’s also on the move.”
Wu Shaoyi's expression darkened: “It’s heading west; it’s either delivering a message to Pei Xinyong or sending word to Desheng Town. We’re in trouble.”
Their original plan was to sneak into Desheng Town to steal some mounts to pursue Pei Xinyong and the officials.
If the stationed bandits in Desheng Town were prepared due to the Red Falcon's warning, their offensive would become difficult.
In any case, the enemy was likely not just five hundred strong now.
Everyone exchanged glances, momentarily unable to think of a good plan.
At that moment, the Crocodile God suddenly spoke: “Are you going to Desheng Town to kill or to steal horses?”
“Both… but stealing horses is the primary goal.” He Lingchuan patted its broad back, “Do you have any good ideas?”
“There’s an abandoned town not far ahead; there might be horses, but only a few.” The Crocodile God said, “Two days ago, my child saw horses wandering there and even ate one; the others were frightened and ran into the forest.”
He Lingchuan and Wu Shaoyi almost spoke in unison: “That’s enough.”
“Horses are nostalgic; if they run off for a while, they will return later.” Wu Shaoyi pondered, “The plan has changed: Young Master He can ride to chase after his family, while I take my men on the crocodile to continue towards Desheng Town.”
He Lingchuan was taken aback but quickly understood; he intended to hold back the Lu bandits in Desheng Town, preventing them from advancing to support their master.
With two hundred troops holding back five to seven hundred, it would significantly relieve pressure on the eastern front.
“Thank you!”
A sneak attack is one strategy, while a delaying tactic is another.
Wu Shaoyi was battle-hardened, and this was no problem for him.
He added, “Even if our movements are discovered by Lu Yao, we still have advantages, as long as the subsequent actions go smoothly.”
The abandoned town mentioned by the Crocodile God soon came into view, only a hundred zhang from the shore.
He Lingchuan handed a small paper package to Wu Shaoyi: “Inside is a Longhu Golden Pill; taking it will make you feel invigorated… for a quarter of an hour, you’ll be even stronger than usual. But once the effect wears off, you’ll feel weak for at least three days, and that thing won’t be usable for two months. Considering your current condition, don’t take it unless absolutely necessary.”
Wu Shaoyi looked at him deeply: “Thank you, wishing Young Master He success in your endeavors.”
He casually summoned the purple weasel and said to Lian Deng: “You’re a local; guide Young Master He. My weasel will accompany you to dispel Pei Xinyong’s suspicions.”
Lian Deng agreed, and the purple weasel jumped onto his shoulder, accompanying He Lingchuan ashore.
The giant crocodile turned and continued swimming away.
This stretch of beach was quite flat, and it was less than a hundred zhang to the abandoned town.
Looking at the town, which had originally housed over a hundred families, it was now desolate, with grass growing on the rooftops.
He Lingchuan noticed a mark on one of the doorposts, which seemed to be… a water level line?
He did not know which year it was that Xianling Lake flooded, washing this town away.
The disaster-stricken humans had no choice but to abandon this small town.
He Lingchuan and Lian Deng walked through the town towards the forest, and after only a few steps in, they heard the sound of snorting.
The Crocodile God had not been wrong; there were indeed horses here!
He Lingchuan grabbed two handfuls of tender grass from the ground, took out a wine pouch from his storage ring, and sprinkled a little wine on the grass, calling out to the shadows in the woods: “Come here, little ones!”
This was fruit wine, less spicy and more fragrant; even Lian Deng swallowed at the smell, let alone the few horses in the forest.
They had originally been raised by humans, and as they smelled it, they walked out, seeing that He Lingchuan and Lian Deng meant no harm, they stretched their necks to nibble at the grass in He Lingchuan's hands.
Compared to the military horses of the supporting army, these horses had less sleek fur and shorter legs, but He Lingchuan had no room to be picky.
He fed the tallest and strongest two horses with grass, then asked Lian Deng: “Can you ride bareback?”
These horses had probably escaped during the flood; they had no saddles, not even a bit.
Lian Deng grinned: “Easy peasy!”
He Lingchuan dared not feed them wine anymore, fearing they would get drunk and weaken their legs.
Instead, he fed them two apples, spoke a few gentle words to soothe them, and soon the horses became docile.
Everything went surprisingly smoothly.
Behind the town, the villagers had long since carved out a mountain path, which was now overgrown with vines.
The two led the horses over the rugged stony path before finally mounting them.
Pei Xinyong and Lu Yao rode side by side, followed by their respective subordinates.
They had already met at Langming Cave and had now diverted onto a branch road, preparing to pursue the officials.
There were many branch roads on the western mountain road; why did they determine that the officials fled this way? It was simple: the tracks on the sandy ground were clear and continuous, indicating that several horse-drawn carriages had recently passed through, carrying heavy loads.
“Get ready, get ready, please vote for the monthly ticket!”
“Starting today, the daily updates will increase from two updates of 4000 words to two updates of 6000 words, cautiously increasing the updates.”
“Jiufang also wants to increase the updates, but I have self-awareness; I’m neither a quick hand nor a master. For me, slow work produces fine products…”
“We, ahem, will take our time; steady progress leads to far-reaching results.”
(End of Chapter)