Chapter 31: Heartworm

Everything went smoothly, except for a minor hiccup when the cured meat thrown by the He family father and son was snatched twice by other earth dragons from beneath the sand, causing a bit of trouble.

Three walnut boats glided across the sand sea at roughly half the speed of a galloping horse. However, their advantage lay in their stability, endurance, and relative safety. The walnut boats occasionally encountered strange creatures. Initially, these creatures seemed eager to approach, but the overpowering stench of the cured meat was too much. After following for a short while, they were utterly terrified by the smell. When they fled, they wished they had more legs, hardly sparing a thought for the humans in the walnut boats.

Although most of these people had grown up on the edge of the desert, they had never viewed the sand sea from this perspective, and their eyes were wide with wonder. He Lingchuan murmured, "So this is how it's done?" Boating on a sand sea was a first for him in two lifetimes, and certainly an eye-opening experience.

The only drawback was the persistent stench drifting from ahead, making it difficult to breathe.

The helmsmen of the three walnut boats were all cautious, trying their best to avoid tall sand dunes. The more majestic the sand dunes, the larger their shadows. And everyone from Blackwater City understood that the shadows in the Panlong Desert were absolutely forbidden. The scorching sun, hot winds, thirst, and attacks by sand bandits and strange beasts – all combined – were not as terrifying as the shadows in the Panlong Desert.

However skilled the helmsmen were, after more than an hour, buildings gradually appeared on the distant horizon. A little closer, and they could clearly see the dilapidated high walls and city gate. This was, surprisingly, an auxiliary city located southwest of Panlong City, which originally served as a strategic point with the main city. Of course, it had been abandoned for a century, with only wind and sand as its constant companions.

But the city walls were still very high, and the city gate was enveloped in a thick shadow. If one peered inside from the city gate, they would find several dilapidated buildings still standing, unwilling to be completely swallowed by the yellow sand. They were silhouetted against the light, and shadows were everywhere.

Reaching this point, there was no avoiding it; the only way was to pass through the city gate and traverse this ruined city.

Nian Songyu stood on the foremost walnut boat, turned his head, and blew three long whistles towards the rear. This was the secret signal they had agreed upon at the desert outpost. It was time to initiate the next phase of their plan.

The He family father and son stood at the bow and shouted to their subordinates, "Ignite your life-flames!" Although they said "ignite," everyone actually pulled out a small red pill from their pockets and swallowed it. Immediately afterward, a sour and spicy sensation surged up from their stomachs, churning like a turbulent sea. But they had to hold back this burp; it couldn't be let out.

Everyone felt their eyes burning and noses stuffy, their mouths filled with sour saliva, yet their bodies shivered with cold in waves. Despite the scorching sun overhead, many soldiers began to shiver uncontrollably. Fortunately, this symptom only lasted for a dozen breaths before subsiding.

Everyone looked at each other and realized that a faint, ethereal flame had ignited above each person's head and on each of their shoulders. Most of the flames were pale green in hue; some were darker, some brighter, some more yellowish, some more bluish. But all were small flames, about the height of a little finger, trembling as they floated in the air, as if a gust of wind would extinguish them. Yet the desert wind, strong enough to sting their faces, inexplicably failed to extinguish these ethereal flames. Moreover, with the three flames ignited, everyone felt the temperature around them drop by several degrees, and the scorching heat waves were no longer as intense.

These were life-flames, also known as life-lamps, usually hidden within a person's spiritual hearth, commonly referred to as the flame of life. While the flame existed, the person lived; when the flame extinguished, the person perished. The saying "when a person dies, it's like a lamp going out" originates from this concept.

After the life-flames ignited, the captains of each squad turned around, faced their team members, and shouted, "Don't look back!"

From all three walnut boats, the synchronized shouts of the soldiers rang out: "Don't look back!" This was repeated three times. This was a repeated warning to others and also to themselves. Remember, remember, remember!

He Chunhua stood to He Lingchuan's right front. He Lingchuan asked, "Dad, do you know your life-flame is yellowish?" Governor He was about to shake his head when he suddenly remembered how dangerous that action was. He quickly steadied his head, then shot his eldest son a glare, "You brat!" He Lingchuan grinned, "Just practicing, in case we encounter danger later." Actually, he had a point.

"Your life-flame is yellowish-red," He Chunhua smiled. "Youth is truly good." Life-flames directly reflected their owner's health. The stronger the body and the more vigorous the vitality, the deeper the color of the life-flame, naturally. Young people, after all, have a fiery nature.

At this point, turning their heads left or right was no longer an option. Otherwise, He Lingchuan would have really wanted to see the colors of Nian Songyu's and State Preceptor Sun's life-flames.

When the boats reached the city, He Chunhua took a deep breath and roared, "Don't move, everyone stay still!" The same warning came from the other two boats. The three helmsmen cast their poles one last time, guiding the earth dragons to swim directly towards the city gate.

The smoke and flames of past wars, coupled with the current erosion by wind and sand, caused the once vertical city walls to lean forward increasingly, appearing to be on the verge of collapse. Yet it had stood here for a century, resilient and silent, refusing to yield. They were getting closer. The enormous gate opening was like the silent, gaping maw of a monster. He Lingchuan could even see faint stains on both sides of the city gate. Perhaps they were layers upon layers of bloodstains, repeatedly splattered, initially vivid red, then turning black and purple. Under the perennial scouring of wind and sand, they had faded from their gruesome colors, leaving behind only a faint lingering trace. All clamor and fervor must eventually return to tranquility.

The world darkened before their eyes as the walnut boats finally sailed into the shadow beneath the city gate. A chilling aura washed over them.

The soldiers had already ignited their life-flames, and only then could they see wisps of light smoke emerging from the shadows and rushing towards the walnut boats. Upon closer inspection, these wisps of smoke resembled human phantoms, with torsos and limbs, but no faces. They ignored the earth dragons pulling the boats, but were intensely curious about everything on the walnut boats, including every human and every piece of wood. In the blink of an eye, four or five wisps of smoke encircled each person. They drifted in front of and behind the humans, peeking with ill intent. Although they had no eyes, everyone felt intensely stared at, and goosebumps appeared on their skin.

These things were the Three Corpse Worms! In the legends of the Panlong Desert, they were also vengeful spirits hidden in any shadow. Even if travelers avoided the creatures in the desert, once they stepped into the shadow of a sand dune, they would be invaded by these spirits. In fact, humans who had not revealed their life-flames could not see these things with their naked eyes, and thus had no way to defend against them.

After Panlong City disappeared and its most beloved humans departed, the Three Corpse Worms could only turn to invading various other creatures. Although not ideal, it was a makeshift solution. All living beings in the desert were affected by it, gradually undergoing strange mutations, for example, the earth dragons pulling the boats.

Sun Fuping and Nian Songyu were not worried; instead, they were delighted. The existence of these things indirectly proved the existence of the Da Fanghu, meaning their journey had not been in vain.

Beside each soldier's ear, soft, whispering murmurs arose, as if someone was speaking to them.