Chapter 339: External Visitor

Would it stir up more trouble and ignite more wars? At the very least, it would put Panlong City, already surrounded by enemies, in an even more difficult situation. If his deduction was true, Wen Daolun had truly paid an immense price for this "certainty." He Lingchuan couldn't help but sigh, thinking that Mitian's relationship with the other deities really wasn't good at all.

Getting back to the Demon Nest Swamp, did that Ravager ultimately manage to snatch the treasure? He Lingchuan didn't know. However, since the Moon Goddess was very likely Mitian from Panlong City, what the Ravager obtained was, at the very least, not the Great Square Pot. If it had obtained the treasure, what would it do with it? He Lingchuan recalled all the anomalies within the Demon Nest, as well as the small mound in the "Heart Chamber."

Just then, human voices seemed to drift from afar. He Lingchuan was startled; this was deep in the Demon Nest Swamp, the territory of great demons. Yet, he indeed heard human voices again, along with the snorts of horses and the crunching sound of wheels rolling over gravel. Then, He Lingchuan saw groups of spiders ambling from the water's edge, scurrying on eight legs towards the source of the sound. There was nothing to wait for, so he followed closely.

By then, the floodwaters of the Han River had long since receded, and the water level in the swamp was slowly dropping, exposing large areas of land, though it was muddy and difficult to walk on. At that moment, a human merchant caravan was making its way towards the Jia'na ruins, dragging its belongings. This was also the largest open area in Madam Zhu's territory.

Two spiders led the way, while the rest circled the caravan, seemingly watching the spectacle, but they didn't approach to harm or eat anyone. The caravan consisted of over forty large carts, and surprisingly, three to four dozen sheep followed behind. Yet, there weren't many people, only about thirty. He Lingchuan saw the deep ruts and knew the cargo was heavy; sometimes, when wheels got stuck in the mud, the spider guards even went around to help push the carts. How accommodating! Clearly, this caravan could pass through the Demon Nest Swamp not just because the Mirage Demon allowed it, but also with Madam Zhu's permission.

He Lingchuan noticed that the covers of the first and last carriages had thick spiderwebs. The patterns woven were quite special, like unfinished balls of yarn. He couldn't make sense of them, but to spiders, they might be a pass code.

The Jia'na ruins were very close to the Demon Nest. When the caravan arrived, Madam Zhu also emerged from the Demon Nest, slowly descending the slope and approaching the front of the caravan: "What's going on? Why the change in personnel?"

Two people stepped forward to greet her. One was a sturdy man around thirty, whose clothes were made of the best fabric in the whole group, likely the leader. The other was over fifty, with a weathered face, looking like an experienced old steward.

The steward stepped forward and bowed: "Your Highness the Spider Queen, my master is seriously ill this year and cannot come in person, so this transaction will be handled by my master's nephew, Tu Zhongli." He was a frequent visitor, accompanying the caravan in and out of the Demon Nest Swamp. He had been there more than seven or eight times, and Madam Zhu recognized him at a glance. A familiar face was its own recommendation. But Steward Zhao still held up a small flag: "This is the token you bestowed, please examine it!" The flag shimmered with brilliant colors; it was Madam Zhu's specialty, cloud brocade. Of course, she recognized it instantly.

Tu Zhongli, with a face full of smiles, bowed deeply: "Your Highness the Spider Queen, please forgive me. My uncle has an abdominal tumor and cannot get out of bed, let alone travel through mountains and waters. So I had to come to show my respect to you!" After speaking, he waved his hand backward. The others quickly pulled open the tarpaulins on the front five carriages, revealing rows of identical black jars beneath. Each jar was half a person's height, with a narrowed mouth sealed with red cloth.

"These are all fine wines brewed from Xiyao Mountain Spring, even better quality than the last batch." Madam Zhu walked to the first large cart, and without bothering to break the mud seal, directly plunged her proboscis into one of the large jars and sucked for a long while. This action startled Tu Zhongli greatly; he hadn't expected Madam Zhu to just... without a word. It was alright.

"Hmm, it's acceptable." She found the wine passable. It waved a claw, and a group of enormous spiders rushed over, carried the wine jars on their backs, and moved them into the Demon Nest. If they feared the jars weren't stable, they just needed to spray a few wisps of spider silk, which was guaranteed to be stickier than any glue. Madam Zhu loved to drink, and there was a special wine cellar in the Demon Nest.

It took two steps, then suddenly asked: "Why do the carts and you all smell of human blood?" Everyone was startled. Tu Zhongli chuckled: "You may not know, but it's not peaceful outside the swamp now either. Before we came in, we encountered a band of robbers. It took great effort to drive them away! Otherwise, this trip would have been for nothing."

After that, the contents of the other dozens of carts were also uncovered. Besides some miscellaneous crafts, what most caught He Lingchuan's eye were countless coarse cloth sacks. He had transported grain before and knew that these kinds of sacks had poor sealing, unable to hold even grain. But here, thirty large carts were loaded with coarse cloth sacks, each large enough to hold at least two people, and now each one was bulging, stuffed full of something. What was inside them? Fortunately, Madam Zhu quickly cleared up his confusion.

The giant spider demon casually scraped a claw, and the sack under its claw tore open, revealing the... "Yellow soil." What was inside the coarse cloth sacks was surprisingly the most common yellow soil. Some were in clumps, some loose, and a few grass roots were mixed in, but it certainly looked like dried yellow mud. Madam Zhu even extended a claw and stirred it twice, even scooping a bit into her mouth to taste: "This batch has a bit too many impurities."

"As you know, saline clay is like this," the steward quickly said, nudged by Tu Zhongli with his heel. "There's no real difference from what we delivered before; it's all dug from the same area. The quality fluctuates, perhaps because it's been raining more lately."

"That's your problem," Madam Zhu said bluntly. "If the quality drops, the price drops."

The steward opened his mouth to argue, but Tu Zhongli interrupted him, saying: "No problem, no problem. This time it's our fault, we'll go with your price. And those few dozen sheep behind us, consider them compensation for Your Highness the Spider Queen." Madam Zhu grunted, then waved a claw again, and her subordinates swarmed forward, emptying the carts and leading the sheep away. They were tired of the prey in the swamp; it was a rare opportunity to taste some fattened lamb for a change.

Madam Zhu said coldly: "As usual, you will encamp at the Jia'na ruins tonight. Do not wander around indiscriminately. Otherwise—" The steward quickly nodded: "We understand, the jungle is not safe, we understand!"

He Lingchuan tugged at a spider guard nearby and asked: "What is this saline clay used for?" If it was for growing fungus carpets, it seemed a bit too little.

"It's one of the food sources for aphid cattle," the spider guard rumbled. This human had been moving around the camp for over half a month and often struck up conversations with them, so it answered instinctively. Besides, it didn't know how to lie. "They only lay eggs after eating saline clay."

He Lingchuan let out a long "Oh." He had heard that birds and beasts would eat certain soils to supplement their nutrition; he hadn't expected the aphids here to need it too. This showed that the burrowing spiders were truly expert herders, even handling the prenatal and postnatal care of aphid cattle perfectly.

Now he probably understood why the humid jungle environment here seemed more suitable for burrowing spiders, yet Madam Zhu's offspring were not as numerous as those in the Devil's Needle Stone Forest. The yield of saline clay was likely one of the important factors. The Panlong Wasteland had abundant yields, thus supporting more aphid cattle, and the spiders had plentiful food. The Demon Nest Swamp likely produced very little saline clay, so the burrowing spiders had to rely on humans to purchase it from outside, which limited their population.

It was already dark. The human caravan would, as per custom, stay in the swamp for a night, and load their goods and depart the next morning. He Lingchuan, a living person, was mixed among the spiders, truly standing out remarkably. When the merchants glanced over, it was hard for them *not* to see him. Therefore, after the caravan disbanded on the spot, Tu Zhongli walked over, his eyes full of doubt: "Brother, what should I call you?"

"He."

"How are you in the burrowing spiders' lair?" Tu Zhongli asked the steward beside him. "Steward Zhao, didn't you say no outsiders were allowed in the Demon Nest Swamp?"

"Uh, technically, yes," Steward Zhao said cautiously. "But..."

"The Han River flooded, and I was washed in. The burrowing spiders had too much food recently and didn't eat me, but I couldn't get out either." He Lingchuan eyed Tu Zhongli and said, "Brother Tu, what is your profession?"

"Me?" Tu Zhongli chuckled awkwardly. "I just do a bit of business with my uncle."

"I thought..." This guy's build was solid, almost comparable to He Lingchuan's, as if he could punch a bull to death. "With that physique, being a merchant is a bit of a waste." He had practiced martial arts for years to gain his agile and imposing physique. What about this fellow? He observed Tu Zhongli's gait; he was at least someone skilled, with a rough, wild aura—

Since the encounter in Xianling Village, He Lingchuan had become particularly sensitive to the aura of fierce bandits.

Tu Zhongli smiled: "Everyone says that. What do you do?"

"A mercenary. I work for money." He Lingchuan asked, "I heard the Demon Nest Swamp is surrounded by mirage fog. How can you enter and leave so freely?"

Tu Zhongli gestured with his chin towards Steward Zhao. The latter immediately said: "A few years ago, my master saved several burrowing spiders at the market. They were all very large, and hunters claimed they were caught in traps set outside the Demon Nest Swamp, planning to kill them and sell their materials for money. My master heard these giant spiders could speak, and, unable to bear it, bought them and released them."

"A few days later, the Spider Queen sent giant spiders to find us, saying she wanted to do business with my family." Steward Zhao swallowed. "She had originally sent her giant spiders into the swamp to find a type of saline clay, and if we could supply it long-term, she would guarantee our free passage in and out of the swamp—though, of course, only for my family; outsiders entering here would be seeking death."

"I see, kindness is rewarded." He Lingchuan nodded, knowing full well that Steward Zhao had omitted many details, such as why Tu Zhongli's uncle had specifically brought the giant spiders outside the Demon Nest Swamp to release them, and why the Spider Queen could find them so quickly. It was evident that this old fellow had smelled a huge business opportunity when he saved the giant spiders; it wasn't necessarily out of pure "compassion."

At this point, the caravan gathered dead branches and leaves and began to build a fire and cook. Following Madam Zhu's orders, the spiders generously offered large fish raised in the swamp.