Chapter 00036: The Pioneers Were Here Long Ago
# The Pioneers Were Here Long Ago
Chapter 36
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 36: The Pioneers Were Here Long Ago
He Chunhua added, "I’ve read in ancient texts that the Chipa Plateau is a double-layered plain, with the second layer higher than the first. The second layer, where Panlong Ancient City is located, has fertile soil and is fed by melting snow from the mountains, creating a dense network of waterways. It’s a rare highland water town in the entire Panlong Wasteland!"
Of course, without a year-round supply of water, Panlong City wouldn’t have survived.
"What’s the plan now?" Nian Songyu asked the State Preceptor.
"It’s almost dark."
In less than half an hour, the sun would sink below the distant mountains.
The light in the ancient city was fading fast.
"First, we’ll set up a base camp and deploy defensive talisman arrays," Sun Fuping had already planned this out.
"Dismissed. Everyone, find a suitable spot."
"Dismissed?" He Lingchuan quickly interjected, "Wait a minute! This entire ruin is full of risks we haven’t even assessed yet!"
"No need," Sun Fuping said confidently.
"At least the outer areas of the city are relatively safe. You don’t think we’re the first group to enter Panlong City in over a hundred years, do you?"
He Lingchuan chuckled.
"So there were pioneers before us. Too bad they all came back empty-handed."
If they had found any treasure, why would they still be here in Panlong City?
"Not necessarily," Sun Fuping replied.
"They might not have been after the Grand Square Pot. Ruins like this often attract treasure hunters. They’ve also recorded their experiences here, which can serve as references for us."
The mutated creatures and corpse worms in the Panlong Desert were terrifying, but with proper preparation, they weren’t insurmountable.
So, Panlong Ruins had seen visitors before, each with their own hidden agendas.
Just like this team.
---
After searching for a while, the group of over two hundred found an open area to settle in.
This place seemed to be the market district of Panlong City.
Along the riverbank stood two rows of buildings, tightly packed together, none taller than two stories.
Most of the buildings’ facades were damaged, and at least a third showed signs of fire damage.
However, a few still had signs hanging, though the characters on the most intact one were faded.
The script was slightly different from modern writing, and He Lingchuan struggled to make out two characters: "Frost... Wine."
Probably a tavern.
The buildings here were low and close together, making them ideal for a temporary camp.
Once the group settled in, Sun Fuping ordered everyone to rest for two hours.
Zeng Feixiong quickly assigned rooms.
The leaders took over the tavern, which had the best view and was the most sheltered, and began their long discussions.
After two days of travel, everyone finally had a chance to wash up and refresh themselves.
In the heart of the desert, where every drop of water was precious, this was a privilege reserved for the leaders.
He Lingchuan took a few hearty gulps from his water pouch and poured the rest over his face.
"This damned place—scorching hot during the day and freezing at night!"
The desert’s climate was notorious for its extreme temperature swings.
Places that reached over 40 degrees Celsius at noon would frost over by night.
The sun had already set, and the temperature plummeted.
Even with cotton coats, everyone was still cold and had to scavenge for wood to build fires.
He shook his head like a dog shaking off water, and Nian Songyu frowned, dodging the splashes.
"Time is precious. We can’t waste the night. But this ruin is huge. Even if we split up, it’ll take days to search. State Preceptor, do you have a plan?"
They weren’t here for a leisurely trip.
The team’s supplies were limited, and every minute counted.
After brushing off the sand and tidying up, Sun Fuping regained his dignified air as the State Preceptor and began to speak.
"Ransacking every nook and cranny and digging three feet into the ground—those were things the Balin Immortal Alliance and later treasure hunters have already done. We can’t do better than them. So, most of these buildings and houses in the city have little search value."
After Panlong City was breached, it was sacked.
Every living thing was slaughtered, and all valuables were looted.
The enemy nation spent over thirty years to bring it down and harbored deep hatred for it.
They wouldn’t have stopped until they’d thoroughly plundered it.
Moreover, they had plenty of time and likely scoured every inch of the city.
Yet, the Grand Square Pot was never found.
So, whether it was mansions or common homes, none of them were its hiding place.
Hearing this, He Lingchuan sighed in relief.
"That’s good."
Otherwise, with their small team and the vastness of Panlong City, finding it would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
"So, State Preceptor, you already know where the pot is?"
The previous explorers had all failed.
If Sun Fuping didn’t have a solid lead, why would he travel all the way here to endure the desert?
"I don’t know the exact location, but I can narrow it down," Sun Fuping said after a moment of thought.
"I once visited Patriarch Zhu Heng of Balin Kingdom. He visited Panlong City four times, the earliest being sixty years ago and the latest forty years ago. You could say he was perhaps the most thorough in searching the ruins after the alliance."
"Thorough?" He Chunhua caught the key word.
"In my opinion, Balin Kingdom has always had some doubts about Panlong Ruins. Patriarch Zhu Heng himself was deeply fascinated by it. His last visit was when he was seventy-five, and he stayed the longest—fifteen days—with the largest team, reportedly over a thousand people."
The more people and the longer they stayed, the more thorough the search of Panlong City would be.
It was impressive how they managed the logistics.
Indeed, large-scale excavations like this required official and military support.
Everyone understood now.
The alliance and Patriarch Zhu Heng had already done the groundwork for them.
A carpet search was unnecessary.
"Nearly a thousand people, and nothing happened to them?" He Lingchuan interjected.
"That in itself is strange."
He Chunhua suddenly said, "It’s already dark, and I haven’t seen any corpse worms."
He could still see the three fires on people’s bodies, meaning the Soul-Soothing Powder’s effect hadn’t worn off.
This state was akin to having "opened the heavenly eye," allowing one to see corpse worms.
But from crossing the bridge to entering the city, he hadn’t spotted a single corpse worm.
Wasn’t that strange?
"Indeed, the city not only lacks corpse worms but also other evil spirits. This is a consensus among previous treasure hunters. So, as long as we don’t cause any major disturbances, we’re likely safe here," Sun Fuping said, pulling out a military ration cake and roasting it over the fire.
The military ration cake was made of unleavened dough, as big as a human face, and would clang loudly if dropped.
Its only merit was that it was filling and didn’t spoil easily.
Even when softened by heat, He Lingchuan found it coarse and hard to swallow, scraping his throat.
He had to soak it in hot water to eat it, but Sun Fuping casually broke it into small pieces and chewed it without batting an eye.
The State Preceptor was down-to-earth, equally comfortable with fine clothes and delicacies as he was with coarse tea and ration cakes.
"The information I’ve gathered mostly comes from Zhu Heng. After studying it for half his life, he told me personally that the Grand Square Pot was never found, likely because everyone came at the wrong time."
(End of Chapter)