Chapter 49: A World Without People

The water held nothing but bubbles. There were no impurities, no sand, no aquatic plants. Surprisingly, he could breathe freely, feeling completely at ease, as if he were a fish in water, with no sensation of suffocation.

However, a wave of intense frustration swept over him. This perilous task of acting as a scout was something he would ordinarily never undertake. He had only been propelled into this place after being directly struck by the residual force of the Great Wind Army commander. Simply put, his cultivation level was too low. He had never truly realized it while wielding power in Blackwater City. But after encountering Nian Songyu and State Preceptor Sun, and later during his exploration of Coiling Dragon City, as crises mounted around him, his meager cultivation felt increasingly inadequate. If only he were a bit stronger.

His body rapidly sank downwards. Directly below, it was pitch-black, resembling a bottomless abyss. Just before he plunged into the boundless darkness, He Lingchuan seemed to glimpse a dark red figure. That entity appeared immensely vast, flickering in and out of sight around him. The visible portion of its body seemed to be cylindrical. It was, perhaps, shaped like a colossal barrel, magnified countless times. Most importantly, this thing was moving! Unfortunately, He Lingchuan had no time for a closer look before everything went black.

***

When he opened his eyes again, the scene had shifted. He found himself standing by a small stream. The water, clear and barely covering his instep, flowed over clean sand and pebbles, while a tiny river shrimp seemed to be playfully attacking his boot. Water spinach and wild radishes lining the stream were a vibrant, pleasant green. Not far off, a few farmhouses sent wisps of smoke curling into the air.

He Lingchuan ran a hand over his clothes, surprised to find them completely dry, untouched by the bloody water in the pool. It appeared the pool had merely been a passage. He climbed from the stream valley up a low slope, and the moment he looked up, he froze.

Before him stretched a plain teeming with life. Vast wheat fields were burgeoning with new green shoots. Trees along the field edges were somewhat sparse, yet the tallest reached three to five zhang in height. Small huts, presumably for field guards, dotted the landscape. He Lingchuan also noticed a waterskin hanging from a nearby tree branch. In the distance, a great river flowed, wide and powerful, cleaving the plain in two. On the far side of the river, the land rose significantly higher, appearing from a distance like a colossal alligator resting by the water's edge. Most importantly, the shape of the plain's perimeter was distinctly unique, strikingly familiar.

Could that be... the Chipa Plateau?

He Lingchuan descended the slope and headed towards the Chipa Plateau. The sky was deep blue, the clouds brilliant white. The air carried the damp scent of earth and fresh grass. Strolling through this idyllic landscape, he felt a profound sense of peace and contentment. Especially for someone who had just emerged from a desolate desert city.

Yet, the deeper the tranquility, the more unsettling it felt. He Lingchuan walked straight for several hundred zhang, passing through a village with a hundred households. Yet, he didn't encounter a single soul. The scale of this village was truly considerable. The fields, farmhouses, and dwellings were all eerily silent. He even specifically checked house by house, finding them all empty. Yet, in one kitchen, coarse flour buns had been freshly steamed and were still piping hot, emitting wisps of steam. He dared not eat, but picked up one bun and squeezed it. It was soft and surprisingly hot to the touch. Where had everyone gone?

As he walked through another wheat field, a pink butterfly happened to flutter directly towards him. He Lingchuan reached out and lightly poked; his fingertip passed right through the butterfly's form. There was nothing solid. An illusion? He then spotted a green grasshopper in the wheat field, poked it with his finger, and again, his finger met only air. These living creatures were all mere illusions.

However, the wheat seedlings felt remarkably real. He snapped off a bit of a seedling's core, chewed it, and found it slightly astringent and bitter — precisely the taste a young grass sprout should have.

Just then, a rustling sound came from the wheat field, and a living creature darted out. He Lingchuan was startled, having already half-drawn his knife, only to realize the newcomer was a desert bandit. This individual was Situ Han's younger brother-in-law's second cousin, nicknamed 'Fuzzy Peach' due to his thin, small stature and full beard. He, too, was momentarily startled upon seeing He Lingchuan, then burst into joy: "Young Master, you're unharmed!"

"Where are the others?" He Lingchuan glanced around, noticing only this one teammate. "Also, why is one of the life flames missing from your shoulder?"

"The State Preceptor took it and placed it on a candle," Fuzzy Peach replied, his face clouding over. "Then he pushed me down. Where exactly is this? Coiling Dragon... Wilderness?"

Anyone with eyes could discern the strangeness of this place. "This is an illusion, isn't it? A false reality?"

"Indeed," He Lingchuan assented, immediately grasping State Preceptor Sun's objective. "They used you to scout ahead, which means they'll be down soon themselves."

The two walked forward together. He Lingchuan then asked, "When you passed through the scene... no, after you fell into the pool, did you see anything unusual?"

"Just light red bloody water, and it didn't even choke me. Then, in the blink of an eye, I was here."

"Nothing else?"

Fuzzy Peach considered carefully. "No," he replied. "What did you see, Young Master?"

He Lingchuan shook his head. Had he merely imagined seeing that colossal, unknown entity in the light red pool water?

After walking for another good half an hour, the two finally drew near the Chipa Plateau. The river before them was placid, roughly three zhang wide, with a calm, unhurried flow. He Lingchuan realized this must be Coiling Dragon City's moat, though it was far less deep and wide than he had previously observed. Continuing west along the riverbank for another two kezhong, Coiling Dragon City finally came into view.

"There, there!" Fuzzy Peach exhaled sharply. "Is that Coiling Dragon City?"

Coiling Dragon City remained in its identical position, at the lower pass of the Chipa Plateau. However, it certainly did not appear as magnificent as it had in the desert. The city walls were neither as high nor as thick, and the battlements lacked the characteristic crocodile-tooth spikes. As the two approached the Natural Bridge, they saw that its surface, paved with bluestone, had many cracked sections, their crevices choked with moss and grime. After crossing the bridge, the city gate stood, but its panels were not made of a strong timber like ironwood, but rather ordinary iron-clad thick wooden doors. The defensive strength of this gate was barely superior to that of Blackwater City.

However, two figures stood beneath the city gate, waving in their direction. Nian Songyu and Sun Fuping. He Lingchuan inwardly frowned upon seeing them, yet approached with a feigned expression of surprise: "Why only the two of you? Where are the others?"

"The Great Wind Army Spirit has summoned reinforcements, and Governor He remained behind with his forces to repel the enemy outside the pool," Sun Fuping explained. "This is Great Wind Army territory; we cannot engage them in battle here. Otherwise, it would be a guaranteed dead end."

What he said sounded perfectly reasonable, but He Lingchuan's heart sank with a jolt. He knew he needed to be exceptionally careful. His face, however, registered strong displeasure: "Father is truly dishonorable, abandoning me here all alone." Since He Chunhua and the main force hadn't descended, He Lingchuan was left to face Sun and Nian alone. Couldn't they simply mold him however they pleased, or crush him at will? The circumstances were overwhelming; it was best for him to be pragmatic!

Sun Fuping didn't even bother to respond, merely asking, "By the way, how long have you two been down here?"

"Approximately... two hours?" He Lingchuan's demeanor softened as he turned and pointed. "I landed in that village over there and climbed out of the river."

Sun Fuping's expression subtly shifted. Nian Songyu, pointing at Fuzzy Peach, interjected, "How could that be? I followed this fellow closely. He was only dozens of breaths behind you."

The State Preceptor mused, "The four of us descended sequentially, yet appeared here at different times. That indicates a discrepancy in the flow rate. This place is indeed more than just an illusion."

Indeed, anyone who descended here would, at first, undoubtedly define this place as an illusion.