Chapter 00083: Where Is This
# Where Is This?
Chapter 83
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 83: Where Is This?
After playing with it for a long time, He Lingchuan finally yawned, "It won't be easy to fix you, but I'll do my best."
Just as he was about to put the knife back in its place, a thought suddenly crossed his mind, reminding him of the arrangement in Zhong Shengguang's room.
Almost as if guided by some unseen force, he hung the knife on the wall by the head of his bed before lying down to sleep.
He also grabbed the divine bone necklace and toyed with it for a while.
There was no doubt that the divine bone necklace was connected to Panlong City, but He Lingchuan hadn't figured out what changes it might bring.
Still, he didn't bother to dwell on it.
After all, this thing had saved his life once before under Sun Fuping's true fire, so he had no intention of taking it off.
This sleep was particularly sweet.
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself standing in a small grove.
Above him was a clear blue sky with white clouds, and not far away was a lush green wheat field, crisscrossed with paths.
The sounds of chickens and dogs could be heard nearby.
By the edge of the field, two farmers were chatting, one standing and the other sitting, both barefoot.
Compared to He Lingchuan, their skin was so dark it almost gleamed, making their teeth appear strikingly white when they smiled.
One of them said, "How much longer are you going to keep farming?"
"Two months and twenty-six days."
"Lucky you! I have to report back to the camp tomorrow."
The man took a sip of water from a sheepskin pouch.
"You still have time to spend with your wife. Try to get her pregnant with another chubby little one."
His companion nodded.
"Be careful. I heard the west side of Tongluo Highlands was just attacked and taken over. The general will definitely send people to retake it. That place is easy to defend but hard to attack. It won't be an easy fight."
"Every month is tough, but we still get through it, don't we?" The man laughed and patted his companion's shoulder.
"When I come back alive, we'll drink together. You're buying!"
"Sure, you can drink as much as you want for two coins."
The man chuckled.
"How long has it been since you last bought wine? With the grain shortage, the price of wine has gone up. Where can you find wine for two coins now? I heard from the granary folks that they might stop making wine altogether. It wastes too much grain... Huh? Who's there?"
Both of their gazes turned toward the grove.
He Lingchuan had no choice but to step out of the woods, wearing a warm smile.
"Excuse me, could you tell me where this is?"
He was just a passerby, and his smile was as warm as spring, something that would be perfectly normal in any other village.
But this place was strange because the two farmers weren't speaking the language of the Great Kite Kingdom, yet He Lingchuan could understand every word they said.
The two farmers, however, immediately grew wary.
"Where are you from?" one asked.
The other added, "What are you doing here?"
"Uh, I..."
He Lingchuan didn't know.
What had he been doing before? How had he suddenly ended up here?
Seeing his hesitation, the two farmers moved closer, spreading out to flank him.
One picked up a carrying pole, while the other grabbed an iron hoe.
In an instant, the farmers turned into a mob, and from their stance, they didn't seem like ordinary field workers.
One of them quickly blew a whistle and shouted, "There's a spy!"
The field was wide open, and six or seven other farmers working nearby immediately grabbed whatever tools were at hand and rushed over.
Not a single one hesitated.
"Hey, don't go accusing people without proof!" He Lingchuan was dumbfounded.
What kind of reaction was this? He didn't want to get into a pointless fight, so he turned and ran into the woods.
Behind him, the sound of whistles and barking dogs filled the air, creating quite a commotion.
He Lingchuan could also hear the squelching of straw sandals stepping through muddy water.
More than just one or two people were chasing him.
Fortunately, the grove wasn't large but was densely packed.
He was fast and zigzagged through the trees, gradually putting distance between himself and his pursuers.
Then, the woods suddenly opened up, and He Lingchuan found himself at the edge of the grove.
Before him was a man-made canal, about chest-deep, with small fish and shrimp clearly visible nibbling on the water plants in the sandy bottom.
The problem was, it was five zhang (about sixteen meters) wide—far too wide to jump across in a single bound.
He Lingchuan sighed, stepped into the water, swam across the canal, and then ran up the hill.
As he ran, the water in his boots sloshed noisily, making him extremely uncomfortable.
Soon, the group of farmers emerged from the woods but were stopped by the canal.
Apparently, they didn't want to get wet either, so they just stood there, gesticulating and shouting.
They were too far away for He Lingchuan to hear what they were saying.
"A bunch of mad dogs, screw you!" He Lingchuan flipped them the middle finger and spat on the ground twice to express his frustration at being chased for no reason.
But his expression quickly froze because he heard footsteps behind him again.
He turned around and saw several soldiers charging toward him, looking fierce.
There were about seven of them, all wearing light armor, and their uniforms looked somewhat familiar.
Where had he seen them before? He Lingchuan couldn't recall at the moment.
He didn't have time to think too much.
The soldier in the lead took a rope knot from his waist and shouted, "Kneel down and raise your hands!"
He Lingchuan immediately understood.
These were likely city patrol guards.
The rope knots they carried were probably soaked in a special oil, making them tough and hard to cut.
When they encountered a suspect, they would throw the knot over the person's head or wrists, tighten it, and the suspect would be unable to resist.
These rope knots were much lighter and easier to carry than wooden shackles or iron chains, and they had long been standard equipment for local authorities and city guards.
When they shouted "kneel," if the suspect dared to run, they risked being killed.
This soldier was fast and had pulled ahead of his companions.
This time, He Lingchuan didn't run.
Instead, he stepped forward, shouting that he was innocent, and bent his knees as if to kneel.
Seeing him so compliant, the soldier naturally slowed down, leaning forward to throw the rope knot over He Lingchuan's head.
But He Lingchuan suddenly grabbed a handful of grass and mud from the ground and flung it at the soldier's face.
The soldier instinctively raised his arm to block, turning his face away and closing his eyes.
He Lingchuan dashed forward, snatched the rope knot, and in one fluid motion, looped it around the soldier's body.
The entire sequence was so smooth that the soldier didn't even have time to react.
While he was still tasting the mud in his mouth, his head and one hand were already bound.
He Lingchuan yanked the rope, pulling the soldier in front of him, and casually drew the long knife from the captive's waist, pressing it against his neck.
He then shouted at the other soldiers who were catching up, "Back off, all of you!"
In an unfamiliar place, constantly running and hiding wasn't a solution.
He needed to find a way to turn the tables.
The other soldiers, fearing for their comrade's safety, stopped in their tracks, but they didn't hold back their words.
"Let him go, or we'll beat the crap out of you later!"
He Lingchuan tightened the rope, making the captive gasp for air.
"Where is this?"
"Zhao Village. Are you drunk or something?"
"Where is Zhao Village?" He Lingchuan frowned, feeling more and more uneasy.
"Which city? Which township?"
The soldiers looked at him as if he were an idiot.
"Chipa Highlands, Panlong City, Wenze Township!"
He Lingchuan's mind buzzed.
Panlong City? This lush, fertile land was Panlong City?
Had he entered another illusion?
How had he gotten here?
Wait, what had he been doing before? Why couldn't he remember anything?
---
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(End of Chapter)