Chapter 00076: Closing the Doors to Guests
# Closing the Doors to Guests
Chapter 76
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 76: Closing the Doors to Guests
He Lingchuan tossed two more stones, but they met the same fate as the previous ones.
Was this a sign that they were not welcome?
After the death of the Black Dragon, everyone managed to escape, but the passage connecting to the secret realm was also sealed shut.
He Chunhua felt a wave of frustration.
They had gone through so much hardship, suffered heavy losses, and even killed a high-ranking official.
Now, they had no idea how they would offend the Governor of Xunzhou and the Grand Marshal in the future.
After all, Nian Songyu, the most cherished son of General Nian, had died, and Sun Fuping, who had mysteriously lost his position as the State Preceptor, was also dead.
The He father and son had played no small part in their deaths.
Would the royal court hold them accountable when they investigated?
The future looked bleak.
"Lingchuan, what wish did you make to the Black Dragon?"
"I don't even know if I made a wish!" He Lingchuan forced a bitter smile and pointed to the soldiers beside him.
"Ask them. Did I exchange more than a few words with the Black Dragon?"
Those who had been on the city walls at the time, including Mao Tao and Situ Han, all shook their heads vigorously.
In such a critical moment, who had the leisure to make a wish?
"This is the spoils of war."
He Lingchuan handed over the broken blade.
"Do you want it, Father?"
He Chunhua looked somewhat listless.
"You keep it."
After the heart-stopping events of the past dozen hours, everyone was exhausted.
The only good news was that the sandstorm outside the city had temporarily ceased, revealing the dark, desolate desert once more.
He Chunhua ordered everyone to rest where they were and prepare to return home at dawn.
Since the Windstorm Army had also left the illusionary realm, they were now wandering within the desolate city of Panlong, paying no heed to the humans but driving away or killing the lingering malevolent spirits within the city.
With these heroic spirits moving about, the humans felt much more at ease.
He Lingchuan led He Chunhua to a sheltered courtyard to rest, with Zeng Feixiong and Situ Han following automatically.
Mao Tao hesitated for a moment, but then He Lingchuan turned and instructed him, "Bring a pot in here."
"Alright!" Mao Tao was delighted and quickly fetched a large pot from the guards, bringing it into the courtyard.
Zeng Feixiong gave a wry smile.
"Young Master, all the water has been poured into the pool. We can't cook anything. I still have half a pouch of water for you."
He Lingchuan beckoned to Situ Han.
"Come, fill this pot."
Situ Han looked slightly embarrassed but, under the gaze of the other four, took out a water pouch and began pouring water into the pot.
Despite the pouch appearing flat, the water it produced filled the pot to about eighty percent.
He Lingchuan chuckled.
"Situ Han is a bandit leader after all. Did you really think you could strip him clean so easily?"
Situ Han laughed awkwardly.
"You flatter me. I'm a regular border soldier now, officially enlisted!"
Mao Tao then gathered some old furniture, broke it into pieces, and used it as firewood to boil the water.
Everyone pooled together what they had—rice cakes, flatbreads, dried meat, and fish strips—and tossed them all into the pot to cook.
Besides salt, Mao Tao even had some pepper and chili powder.
After the fierce battle, everyone's appetite was ravenous, and they were eager to feast.
At that moment, the tiles on the roof and the walls began to drip, and the sky started to rain.
The rain came swiftly and heavily, quickly turning into a downpour.
Fortunately, everyone was sitting under the eaves, sparing them from getting drenched.
Zeng Feixiong heard the soldiers outside cheering and smiled.
"This rain is so timely. We can make it back to Blackwater City alive!" He then stepped back into the rain, letting it wash away the dust from his face.
Even though the malevolent spirits and the Three Corpses Worms were no longer a threat, and the heroic spirits had helped them navigate the sandstorm, living humans still needed water to survive.
Sun Fuping and Nian Songyu had forced everyone to empty their water pouches to replenish the pool and wells.
The journey back would take over ten days—how could they survive without water?
Now, with the heavens sending down this sweet rain, their greatest worry was resolved.
How could they not be overjoyed?
"Actually, if you think about it, it's almost the rainy season."
The rainy season in the Panlong Desert usually began in September.
At this thought, He Chunhua paused.
"By the way, what day is it today?"
The four of them shook their heads.
Time within the secret realm had been chaotic, and now that they were out, there was no reference point.
Who knew how many days had passed?
Perhaps it was already September, in which case the rain was just a regular occurrence.
He Lingchuan instructed Mao Tao to gather all the intact jars and pots to collect the rainwater.
Their survival through the desert would depend on them.
Without needing orders, all the people from Blackwater City did the same.
As Mao Tao carried an eighty-pound water jar into the courtyard, He Chunhua told his son to take off his shirt so he could apply medicine.
He Lingchuan's injuries weren't severe, but they were numerous.
Most were from the grappling hooks of the Silken Rope, with two cuts on his nose and a chunk of flesh torn from the back of his hand.
He Lingchuan asked knowingly, "Is Sun Fuping dead?"
Although Sun Fuping's injuries had been healed by Nian Songyu, the expended magical power wouldn't return on its own.
He still had to face the wrath of the heroic spirits, the demon birds, and the Blackwater City army.
He Lingchuan didn't think he had survived.
"The Windstorm Army commander gave him the final blow—the one who attacked us in front of the temple."
"From start to finish, he never used the Imperial Decree?"
"No." He Chunhua sneered.
"You're right. He was stripped of his position as State Preceptor and couldn't command the nation's fortune. Otherwise, even the heroic spirits of the Windstorm Army would have had a hard time dealing with him."
With the nation's fortune protecting him, how could malevolent spirits get close? Even within the self-contained secret realm, this rule still held some sway.
Without the Imperial Decree, Sun Fuping was just a powerful sorcerer.
With so many people on their side, they had more than enough to take him down.
He Lingchuan rubbed his hands together and grinned.
"No last words or relics?"
This greedy look was all too familiar to He Chunhua.
"Didn't you already get your spoils? The Black Dragon's gift."
"It's just a broken blade, and I found it myself with my sharp eyes. If I hadn't had a stroke of genius, we might have been swallowed by the Black Dragon one by one."
He had a point.
This kid had actually been the key to their escape.
He Chunhua took out two more spoils, both magical artifacts:
The Silken Rope and the Beast-headed Staff.
"These are the main treasures. Which one do you want?" There were other miscellaneous items, but he didn't bother bringing them out.
"A man with a red thread? Too effeminate."
He Lingchuan chose the staff.
"This beast head looks more appealing."
"It's yours."
He Chunhua put away the Silken Rope, tying it around his wrist.
When not in use, the Beast-headed Staff shrank into a short rod, only a foot long, making it easy to carry.
He Lingchuan played with the rod as he asked, "Sun Fuping had both skill and cunning. Why was he stripped of his position as State Preceptor?"
If not for their incredible luck, he and his father, along with the Blackwater City army, would have fallen victim to Sun Fuping's schemes and become sacrifices.
"It seems there have been many changes in the capital. It's frustrating that we can't get any information from the central and eastern regions."
He Chunhua sighed.
Without firsthand intelligence, even with a strong army, they had no chance of advancing eastward.
Situ Han couldn't help but interject, "How could the Black Dragon be Zhong Shengguang? It's unbelievable."
(End of Chapter)