Chapter 00030: Sand Boat and the Sandworm
# Sand Boat and the Sandworm
Chapter 30
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 30: Sand Boat and the Sandworm
Sun Fuping signaled Nian Songyu to wait a little longer.
This wait turned out to be nearly half an hour.
The creatures beneath the sand had all been driven away by the smell, and within a radius of several zhang, there was no movement except for the howling wind.
"Still not here?" Nian Songyu was impatient.
"Time is precious."
The Panlong Desert darkened quickly, and in just two hours, night would fall.
They didn’t have much time to waste here.
"Not yet," said Situ Han, his forehead drenched in sweat, whether from the heat or anxiety, it was hard to tell.
"It might be far away, and it takes time to get here."
He Lingchuan took the opportunity to speak up for Situ Han: "I’ve seen it before. It’s a massive creature. It might really be able to carry us across the desert, saving us time and effort."
"Might?" Nian Songyu’s tone turned icy at the word.
"You dare waste our time with something you’re not sure about?"
Another two incense sticks’ worth of time passed, and the end of the Red Cliff Road remained quiet.
A strong wind blew through the motionless crowd, whistling as it raced into the distance.
Nian Songyu’s index finger tapped lightly on his scabbard—tap, tap, tap—a clear sign of his growing impatience.
As time dragged on, he became more convinced that the bandits, under He Lingchuan’s direction, were playing a cruel joke on them.
The so-called "fragrant bait" had also been He Lingchuan’s idea.
Nian Songyu’s gaze grew increasingly hostile, but He Lingchuan pretended not to notice, though he too was starting to feel anxious.
As the sun dipped further west, even Sun Fuping lost his patience.
"We can’t wait any longer. Everyone, board the boats…"
During this time, he had divided everyone into three groups, each assigned to a walnut boat.
Time was precious, and they couldn’t afford to wait any longer.
They had to move now.
But Situ Han suddenly raised a finger to his lips and hissed, "It’s here!"
It was rude to make such a gesture in front of so many important figures, but he was too tense to care.
As soon as he spoke, there was a loud splash, and the desert seemed to part like water, sending yellow sand flying in all directions, as if a sandstorm had erupted on the spot.
A massive creature burst out of the ground, rising nearly a zhang into the air, a piece of salted meat clamped in its jaws.
It landed heavily, sending another cloud of dust into the air.
The creature, with a surprising agility that belied its size, quickly dove back into the sand and disappeared.
Situ Han, ignoring the sand that had splattered his face, cheered, "It’s here, it’s really here! Ugh, ugh!" He spat out a mouthful of sand.
Except for a few like Sun Fuping, who had quickly activated their protective qi, everyone else was covered in dust.
But at least they finally got a good look at what Situ Han had lured with his bait.
The creature looked like a cross between an eel and an earthworm—long and cylindrical, with no legs, but its body was segmented, and its color blended almost perfectly with the sand.
If it lay still beneath the sand, even the sharpest eyes would struggle to spot it.
Unlike an eel, however, its mouth was shockingly large, stretching wider than its body’s diameter, and filled with rows of needle-like teeth.
Two long whiskers extended from its mouth, likely used to detect the movement of the sand.
Zeng Feixiong exclaimed, "Such a huge sandworm!"
This thing was eight zhang (about 26 meters) long!
The soldiers nearby instinctively took a step back.
The sheer size of the creature was overwhelming, and no amount of rational thought could dispel the sense of dread it inspired.
This sandworm wasn’t the same as the sea eels.
It was a creature unique to the desert.
Whether in the desert or the sea, some animals seemed to get by just fine without legs.
But sandworms in other deserts usually didn’t grow longer than a zhang, and experienced travelers would even catch them for food.
But this one… Zeng Feixiong had led patrols along the Red Cliff Road many times, but he had never seen a sandworm this big!
Situ Han breathed a sigh of relief.
"This isn’t even the sandworm king… The largest one we’ve seen was over twelve zhang long."
"If it’s this big, a small piece of meat won’t be enough to satisfy it," He Lingchuan said, pointing to the three walnut boats.
"Sandworms are incredibly strong. Pulling one boat shouldn’t be a problem. And they usually move in groups."
In other words, the stinky meat had likely attracted more than one sandworm.
Children by the sea might fish, but He Lingchuan, having grown up near the Panlong Desert, had fished for sandworms many times.
Of course, he had never used such heavy bait or caught such a large prey before.
Situ Han nodded.
"Everyone, please board the boats. We’ll repeat the process, and they’ll pull our boats like horses."
The soldiers split into three groups and boarded the boats.
The boatmen at the front grabbed the tow ropes and tied them into slipknots, ready for action.
This time, everyone covered their noses and mouths, so when the bandits brought out another large piece of salted meat and doused it with the foul liquid, no one was affected.
Nian Songyu personally took charge, skewering the specially prepared meat on a pole and raising it high at the front of the boat.
The boatmen’s poles were part of the walnut boats, their length adjustable at will.
The foul liquid, specially concocted by the bandits, could drive away most desert creatures and was a last-resort tool for emergencies.
But every advantage has its drawback—this liquid was a favorite of the sandworms.
To be precise, sandworms loved anything that stank.
They were scavengers, and the putrid stench that other creatures couldn’t stand was like a gourmet meal to them.
The smell wafting through the air was like the dinner bell at a village feast—something they couldn’t resist, no matter how far away they were.
Situ Han reminded them, "They’re not very smart. As long as we dangle the stinky meat in front of them, they’ll pull the boat!"
These creatures had come from far and wide, and they wouldn’t leave anytime soon.
Sure enough, as soon as the stinky meat was raised, another massive sandworm burst out of the sand, lunging for the meat.
This one was even bigger than the first.
Nian Songyu was quick.
With a flick of his wrist, he yanked the meat upward, and the sandworm missed its target.
The boatman standing nearby threw the tow rope, and it looped perfectly around the sandworm’s neck.
Though the creature was round and limbless, its body had deep ridges.
The rope slid down two segments before settling snugly into the third.
Startled by the sudden restraint, the sandworm shot forward, dragging the boat and its passengers along with surprising ease.
The boat was moving.
All Nian Songyu had to do was flick the pole, and the sandworm would obediently follow, turning as directed.
Below, the sound of sand scraping against the bottom of the walnut boat was constant, a testament to the creature’s strength.
The most important task for the boatman was to adjust the boat’s direction so that both the sandworm and the boat moved with the wind.
This way, the stinky meat hanging at the front wouldn’t suffocate everyone on board.
For now, nothing was more important than this.
In no time, Nian Songyu’s boat had traveled over a hundred zhang.
"Now it’s our turn," said Sun Fuping, encouraged by the success.
He and Zeng Feixiong led their group onto the second boat, while the He family and the bandits boarded the last one, following the same procedure.
(End of Chapter)