Chapter 00160: The True Panlong City
# The True Panlong City
Chapter 160
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 160: The True Panlong City
However, there was none.
People either nodded and smiled at him or completely ignored him, quickly brushing past without looking back.
Did they take him for a local?
He Lingchuan knew that the Panlong military and civilians were very wary of outsiders, treating any illegal intruders as spies.
Was it because he had fought alongside the Great Wind Army last time that he had obtained the passage permit from the Great Fang Pot?
With these questions in mind, he continued forward.
Along the way, the green mountains and clear waters, wildflowers blanketing the long slopes, and colorful butterflies fluttering in pairs, while the crops in the fields thrived.
Everything was exceptionally tranquil, appearing even more peaceful than most rural areas passed by the military.
However, this was the Panlong Wilderness, a land soaked with the blood and flesh of countless people.
The Panlong City in his sight grew closer and more magnificent.
The outline of this city looked similar to what he had seen in the Panlong Illusion, lacking some sharp angles and many defensive structures.
The most obvious difference was that the city gate was missing the fearsome Crocodile Tooth Spikes, indicating that during this period, Panlong City faced far less pressure than in later times.
Yet, Panlong City still exuded a significant sense of oppression to any outsider.
As he approached, He Lingchuan noticed that although there were no Crocodile Tooth Spikes beneath the battlements, the outer city walls were covered with brown-gray climbing plants.
They clung tightly to the wall, making it nearly impossible for others to discern the original color of the wall.
It was spring, yet the plants were laden with fist-sized fruits, pale red in color and resembling papayas.
One had to say, the greening of this wall was somewhat of a failure.
Why plant climbing plants at the most important southern gate of Panlong City? These plants had thick vines, with the base being thicker than his thigh, making them perfect for enemies to climb!
Not only He Lingchuan, but many outsiders were also pointing and discussing.
Indeed, Panlong City was surprisingly different from what he had imagined; it was not heavily guarded and forbidding.
A casual glance revealed foreigners of various clothing styles and even different skin colors all around him.
He even recognized several pedestrians on the road as itinerant merchants, and ahead, a caravan was waiting to pass through.
The group consisted of at least forty to fifty people, with over ten horse-drawn carts loaded with goods.
These were likely all outsiders, as many had expressions of surprise similar to He Lingchuan's upon seeing Panlong City, and they did not bother to hide their astonishment.
The city gate was half-open, and there were about seven or eight soldiers responsible for security checks, forming a small team.
They were neatly dressed and appeared spirited, yet their expressions were friendly.
They checked the indexes and passage documents presented by the pedestrians, and for the merchant convoy, they would conduct random checks of the goods, allowing passage if they matched the documentation.
It didn’t seem very strict at all.
He Lingchuan admitted that this was even more lenient than passing through Black Water City.
Soon, it was his turn.
He Lingchuan smiled amiably, but in reality, he was channeling his qi into his legs, ready to turn and flee at the slightest hint of trouble.
After all, he had no identification to prove his identity.
He was just here to try his luck.
The dream began here; without entering Panlong, he wouldn’t know what to do.
To his surprise, when the gate guard saw him, he didn’t even ask for the index document, waving his hand to signal him to hurry through.
He Lingchuan hesitated, his steps pausing.
The gate guard directly said, “Go on, don’t block the way!”
It didn’t seem like a trap, so He Lingchuan took large strides and quickly slipped through the city gate.
Indeed, after fighting alongside the Great Wind Army last time, he had gained the… favor of Panlong City? He was no longer a rat crossing the street.
The gate tower was as magnificent as he remembered, but it only had two layers of gates, unlike the three-layered barbican of later times.
After passing through, he first faced a large square.
This square was still vast, but its layout was somewhat different from what he remembered.
Strangely, there was a lake at the edge of the square, shimmering with light and steaming, apparently a hot spring lake.
The shore was dotted with fluffy papyrus.
He Lingchuan stood by the lake, the water was clear enough to see the sandy bottom, and although there were no koi, local stream fish swam in schools.
At this moment, the Chipa Plateau's water network was crisscrossed, and the vegetation was lush, a pearl on the Panlong Wilderness.
He had seen this lake in the later Panlong City, but by then it had long since dried up, leaving only its outline.
Only now, witnessing it firsthand, did he realize that the lake shore had been constructed with several steps, allowing people to walk directly from the square to the lakeside to fetch water, without any obstacles.
He tested the water temperature; it must have been over forty degrees.
Such high water temperature still had fish? Would it cook if it added another twenty degrees?
As He Lingchuan turned back, he saw scaffolding erected against the high walls by the city gate, with many craftsmen hammering away.
The sculpture was seven or eight zhang tall; although unfinished, its general shape was already clear.
That outline, those lines, yes, it was definitely a jiao.
In the Panlong Illusion, there was also a black jiao sculpture by the city gate, but here, it was still incomplete.
Now He Lingchuan understood what era he had entered.
This phase was likely after the Panlong Wilderness had once again become an enclave, and Zhong Shengguang had completely lost hope in his homeland, thus replacing the original guardian beast, the Golden Bull, behind the city gate with a black jiao sculpture.
He Lingchuan casually chose a path to wander in, the streets were wide and clean, buildings were lined up, and vendors were calling out… it was no different from other bustling cities.
Having witnessed the desolation and bleakness of Panlong City in later times, seeing its current appearance made He Lingchuan feel an unreal sense of separation, even knowing he was in a dream.
Especially with the coming and going of merchants, commoners, and wealthy traders, those who should laugh were laughing, those who should bargain were bargaining, those who should argue were arguing, and those who were in a hurry were hurrying, all filled with the essence of life.
The kind of tragic, somber, and desolate atmosphere he had imagined did not exist.
Was the dream he was in once a reality?
The people living here continued their lives, bending over for five dou of rice, buying sugar-coated haws for their children at two wen each, and still deceiving and tricking—
As He Lingchuan reached the entrance of a tavern, he was suddenly bumped into by a child rushing from the opposite direction.
This little brat was as short and thin as a monkey, but his strength was great; an ordinary person might have been knocked over, but He Lingchuan, having practiced martial arts for many years, stood firm like a bell.
Not only did the boy fail to knock him down, but he was also bounced back two feet, landing on his bottom.
He glared angrily, “Hey, can you walk properly?”
“You little brat, why are you tugging at my necklace?” He Lingchuan looked down to see that his originally snug necklace had been pulled out from under his clothing, and a small segment of the divine bone was actually glowing faintly red.
When the little brat bumped into him, he felt a tightness around his neck, but fortunately, although the chain was thin, it hadn’t broken.
The boy scrambled up from the ground and took off running.
He Lingchuan was just about to chase after him to give him a good scolding when suddenly someone heavily patted his shoulder, and a voice said, “Hey, He Lingchuan!”
Someone actually knew his name! He Lingchuan jolted, and the little brat stopped chasing, turning to look at the person.
This person was of medium build and slightly thin, with very round eyes, a spirited young man, but he was leaning on a crutch, one leg suspended and not daring to touch the ground.
“It really is you!” He looked at He Lingchuan and smiled, revealing a set of big white teeth.
“Hu Min!” He Lingchuan was also pleasantly surprised, stepping forward to hug his shoulder and pat his back, “Where did you, the cripple, pop up from?”
His surprise stemmed not only from meeting an old acquaintance in the dream but also from the fact that the other party actually remembered him!
This indicated that he had left an impression in the dream, not merely being a spectator or passerby.
This discovery was of great significance.
“I came to the Frost River Tavern for a drink, and then I saw you standing here, foolishly letting a little brat tug at your necklace!”
The two exchanged glances and burst into laughter.
Hu Min was his comrade from the Great Wind Army who had defended the convoy together in the last dream.
He Lingchuan had lost an arm, and it was Hu Min who had helped him with so many crossbow bolts.
True friendship between men isn’t just about sharing the same roof; it’s about enduring hardships together.
“Let’s go, let’s have a few drinks.” He Lingchuan turned around and saw the Frost River Tavern.
Huh? Wasn’t this the place where Sun Fuping gathered them to discuss strategies after the expedition team entered the ruins of Panlong? Back then, the tavern had only a sign swaying in the wind, and the characters were barely legible.
But the Frost River Tavern before him had a sign with large golden characters, and the tavern was bustling with patrons, thriving in business.
The two happily entered the tavern and sat down.
When the waiter came over to ask what food and drink the guests wanted, He Lingchuan suddenly realized he had checked his pockets.
Oh no, they were as clean as if just washed!
The broken sword had sent him into the dream, but it only allowed him to bring one set of clothing?
Shouldn’t it have given him some starting funds or something? This was too stingy.
However, Hu Min was enthusiastically ordering, “Old Luo, bring us a jar of white wine first, fry us some wild greens, and a plate of pork cracklings, and mix in some pig head meat! Oh right, do you want goose or chicken?”
“I…” Does a person without money have the luxury of choice? He Lingchuan’s smile was somewhat bitter, “I’m fine with anything.”
“Then let’s have a sliced goose leg, the biggest and fattest one!”
Upon hearing the word “biggest,” He Lingchuan quickly said, “Isn’t that too much? I’ve already eaten, don’t waste it.”
Hu Min glared, “You’re full, but I’m still hungry. With just this little, we can’t finish this jar of wine! Order more—”
At this point, he suddenly realized, “Oh! Never mind, order whatever you want, today’s meal is on me!”
“This…” That’s wonderful! “... How can that be! Am I the kind of person who takes advantage of others?”
He Lingchuan also glared, and Hu Min laughed, “Between brothers, why say such things?”
In less than two blinks, the pork cracklings were served.
This was actually the leftover scraps from rendering lard in the kitchen, with a bit of pepper added.
Meat was so expensive that it couldn’t be thrown away, so it was sold to tavern patrons for just two big coins a plate.
He Lingchuan picked one up and took a bite; it was both crispy and crunchy, becoming more fragrant the more he chewed.
At a glance, Hu Min was clearly an old wine lover, knowing the goodness of pork cracklings.
“How did you survive?” Hu Min asked him, “We held out until dawn, and just when the Red General personally came to support us, you were knocked into the water. After driving back the enemy, even Captain Xiao jumped into the water, but we just couldn’t find you.”
Captain Xiao jumped into the water to look for him? He Lingchuan was moved.
He remembered climbing onto a large rock to catch a glimpse of the Red General, only to be shaken awake by a servant, which he still regarded as a regret to this day.
But it turned out that in Hu Min and Captain Xiao’s eyes, he had been knocked into the water and disappeared by the enemy?
(End of Chapter)