Chapter 00040: Zhong Shengguang's Tomb
# Zhong Shengguang's Tomb
Chapter 40
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 40: Zhong Shengguang's Tomb
Sun Fuping stood up.
"Since Magistrate He and I share the same view, let's start with this lead."
"How do we proceed?" Nian Songyu frowned.
"Are you planning to pray for rain in the ruins of Panlong?"
"Praying for rain here has less than a 5% success rate, and the effort required is at least five to six times more than usual," Sun Fuping said with a bitter smile.
"I just tried summoning the mountain spirits, but there was no response."
Summoning mountain spirits here? That's quite imaginative.
He Lingchuan couldn't help but laugh.
"This place is so dry, even the local deities have dried up."
"If we can't pray for rain, then let's use water. The team from Baling Country might have done the same," Nian Songyu pondered.
"It's impossible to summon rain over the entire city, and there's no need for that. We must find the precise location."
The team from Baling Country couldn't have summoned rain over the entire Panlong City either.
They must have used their limited water in specific spots.
With a successful precedent, Sun Fuping and his team could deduce the likely locations.
"In my analysis, there are only a few places where watering could trigger the Sandstorm Season: the Temple of the Vast Heaven, the Ancestral Hall of Zhong Shengguang, the Ancestral Hall of General Hong, Zhong Shengguang's tomb, and the mass graves of Panlong City," Sun Fuping added.
"Those two ancestral halls were built while the people were still alive, which is quite rare."
It's common knowledge that only the dead or deities can receive offerings in ancestral halls.
Building a hall for a living person isn't to honor them—it's to harm them, as the living are unlikely to benefit from such worship.
At best, it shortens their lifespan; at worst, it kills them.
Clearly, Zhong Shengguang and General Hong were exceptions, having been deified while still alive.
He Lingchuan asked curiously, "Why not include General Hong's tomb?"
He Chunhua replied, "He wasn't buried. At most, there's a cenotaph, which isn't worth investigating."
Nian Songyu asked, "Even if we find these locations, how do we determine where to pour the water?"
"We can't, but the Three Corpses Worms can," Sun Fuping said, ordering someone to bring over several sealed glass jars.
Inside, something like mist swirled.
Upon closer inspection, it wasn't mist—it was four or five wriggling Three Corpses Worms!
They were quite lively, each pressing their heads against the edge of the jar, resembling eels in a tank.
"They only move in one direction—away from the Great Square Pot," Sun Fuping explained.
"That means the opposite direction of their movement points to the location of the Great Square Pot. Take these jars to the target locations, and you'll find it."
This old man is quite cunning, planning everything in advance.
If he's up to no good, he'll probably do it thoroughly...
He Lingchuan glanced at him, feeling increasingly wary.
The group then took the glass jars and split up to investigate.
...
The He father and son naturally stayed together, heading to Zhong Shengguang's tomb.
On a cold, desolate night, walking through the ruins of a city, the sense of loneliness and decay peaked when they reached Zhong Shengguang's tomb.
The tomb was located in the northwest corner of the South Gate Square, where they had first entered.
It was a grand and imposing structure, made entirely of bluestone, covering two acres.
From the surroundings, it was clear that many buildings had been demolished to make space for this massive tomb.
The epitaph was simple: "Tomb of Zhong Shengguang, Commander of Xiluo," followed by his birth and death dates.
Over a hundred years had passed, and aside from signs of later excavations, the tomb remained intact, with not a single corner of the stone blocks chipped.
The He father and son stood there, taking a deep breath.
The tales of Panlong City and the Great Wind Army had been sung for years, resonating even in today's Blackwater City.
But how many could personally pay their respects to this legendary general who had sacrificed himself for his country?
He Lingchuan sighed, "The enemy actually built such a grand tomb for him."
Zhong Shengguang had committed suicide when the city fell, fulfilling his vow of "the city stands with me, the city falls with me."
After Panlong City was massacred, there were no countrymen left to bury him.
The tomb could only have been built by his enemies.
"The Kingdom of Xianyou had no choice. After Zhong Shengguang's death, his head was severed and sent to the capital of Xianyou as a trophy, celebrated nationwide and kept as a royal collection. But after that, strange occurrences plagued the Panlong Wasteland—no living creatures, no vegetation. Xianyou wanted a resource-rich wasteland, not a desert forbidden to the living. So they sent people back to Panlong City to give Zhong Shengguang a proper burial, hoping to appease his vengeful spirit."
"And they failed."
What happened to Xianyou and the Panlong Desert afterward needs no elaboration.
He Chunhua somehow produced two bundles of incense, handing one to He Lingchuan.
"We've come all this way."
Let's pay our respects to the heroic soul.
The two bowed solemnly.
He Lingchuan took out a pouch of mare's milk wine and filled three cups.
The He father and son raised their cups toward the tombstone in a silent toast, then drank.
He Lingchuan gently poured the wine over the grave, murmuring, "General Zhong, please protect us as we travel through the Panlong Desert, so we may return to offer you more wine in the future."
He Lingchuan took the glass jar and walked around Zhong Shengguang's tomb, but the Three Corpses Worms inside didn't change direction, always pressing southward.
In other words, this grand tomb wasn't their target.
When he returned, he saw He Chunhua deep in thought.
"Father, what are you thinking?"
"I was thinking, if we really find the Great Square Pot and send it to the inland battlefield, the Sandstorm Season in the Panlong Desert will also come to an end, right?"
"Of course. Isn't that a good thing? The Panlong Wasteland may seem barren, but it's actually rich in resources. Otherwise, the allied forces wouldn't have fought so hard for Panlong City. If it lets us pass, Qian Song County wouldn't be so poor."
At this point, He Lingchuan noticed He Chunhua's expression and paused.
"What? Did I say something wrong?"
"Not at all, but I feel that the Panlong Desert is best left as it is."
He Lingchuan was puzzled.
"Why?" Who would want to keep a barren, unpredictable desert?
"The Panlong Desert is an obstacle, a calamity, and a source of uncertainty, but it's also a safeguard. The Great Yuan is no longer as powerful as it once was. If we remove this layer of protection, the consequences are unpredictable."
"How is the Panlong Desert a safeguard?" He Lingchuan secretly admired Magistrate He's insight but pretended to laugh.
"If we find the pot, our whole family will move to the capital. Why should we care about the Panlong Desert? Whether it storms or rains here won't matter to us anymore."
This reasoning fit He Lingchuan's original personality perfectly.
Magistrate He smiled at him.
"You understand the ways of being an official quite well."
No matter the promotion, the troubles would fall on the next local official.
He could just walk away, as his eldest son said.
Why worry about others?
When the sky falls, someone else will hold it up.
In truth, He Lingchuan understood immediately.
The Panlong Desert was a buffer zone among the major powers.
Crossing it to attack Yuan would be difficult, especially during the nearly half-year-long Sandstorm Season, which was a nightmare for any expeditionary force.
Unless they could sustain themselves by plundering, their supply lines would be completely cut off.
(End of Chapter)