Chapter 50: The City of the Undead

"This must be Dragon Coil City before its destruction, right?" Maotao said, his voice soft as the three others outranked him. "The young master and I didn't encounter a single person on our way here."

"There's no one in the city either; at least, we didn't find anyone after walking around nearby," Sun Fuping said slowly. "I was transported into the well, while Commander Nian landed directly in the moat."

The four passed through the city gate into a large plaza. It seemed that Dragon Coil City at this period did not yet have its triple walls.

"It looks like the year we're in is even earlier than before Dragon Coil City was breached," He Lingchuan said, looking around. "There aren't as many defensive structures yet."

The Dragon Coil City they had seen in the desert was armed to the teeth, constantly displaying its might to the outside world; the Dragon Coil City here, however, appeared quite gentle.

The same city presented different appearances in different times and spaces.

They crossed the plaza. There was no pool here like the one in the desert version of Dragon Coil City, but fortunately, the Black Serpent Totem was still there.

Nearby was a row of buildings: an inn in front, followed by various private residences.

"The layout of the houses is different too," Nian Songyu said, leading them into a tavern. "When I came in, the stove was still warm."

The tavern door was open, with two hanging cloths. Inside, there were six or seven tables, and the chairs were not neatly arranged. He Lingchuan noticed that three of the tables had wine jars, cups with leftover wine, and plates holding a dozen or so peanuts.

Behind the counter lay an account book. The character for "wine" (酒, jiǔ) was only half-written, appearing as "scatter" (洒, sǎ). The brush had been tossed aside, and the ink had just dried.

Nian Songyu walked to a table, knocked on it with his knuckles, producing a dull thud.

"These are all real objects; it's too realistic," Nian Songyu said. With that, he picked up a wine cup and thrust it into Maotao's hand. "Drink it."

Maotao was startled. "Huh, drink it?" Who would dare to eat or drink something so unidentifiable?

Nian Songyu's gaze was not joking.

Maotao could only tilt his head back and take a small sip, carefully smacking his lips:

"It's wine, but the flavor is very weak," Maotao reported. "In Blackwater City, this small amount would be worth at most three coins."

"Drink it all," Nian Songyu insisted. He wasn't just to taste it.

He Lingchuan remained silent, and Maotao had no choice but to drink the wine under the gaze of the three others.

"I've finished it, now what do we... Ah, my stomach hurts!" Before he could finish, Maotao let out a cry, dropped the cup, and ran toward the back.

The latrines were located in the back.

After waiting for a while, Nian Songyu gestured with his mouth towards He Lingchuan. "Go, see if he's dead." His attitude was extremely arrogant.

As He Chunhua and the Blackwater City army were not present, he saw no need to be polite to He Lingchuan.

He even planned to beat the young man senseless if he dared to put on airs, eager to vent his frustration from the past few days.

To his surprise, He Lingchuan neither got angry nor made excuses. He simply turned and walked towards the back of the building, giving Nian Songyu no chance to react.

Nian Songyu was taken aback. "This young man is quite sensible," he thought.

As He Lingchuan walked, the wind blew, and leaves rustled.

He also felt a strong gust of wind behind him and instinctively dodged, drawing his saber.

To his surprise, it was just a tree branch swaying in the wind, almost brushing his back.

He Lingchuan did not immediately sheathe his saber.

Ever since entering this city, he had felt something strange, as if he was constantly being watched.

That feeling of being followed was extremely annoying.

At that moment, Maotao approached, still pulling up his trousers. Seeing He Lingchuan with his saber drawn, Maotao paused in surprise. "Young master, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," He Lingchuan said, sheathing his saber and taking a half step back. The young man's complexion was dark, and he carried a stench, indicating a truly explosive experience just now. "What about you?"

"I'm not dead, but my stomach feels very empty," Maotao said, rubbing his belly as he walked out with He Lingchuan.

They returned to the tavern. Sun Fuping carefully observed Maotao's complexion, then checked his eyelids and tongue, before saying, "You've been poisoned."

Maotao nearly jumped in fright. Fortunately, the Imperial Advisor continued, "The poison is weak; it won't kill you, but you'll probably have to make several more trips to the latrine."

Wasn't it because Nian had forced him to drink? Maotao cordially cursed the ancestors of these people for eighteen generations in his mind, but on his face, he forced a smile. "That's good, that's good."

"You ate something meant for the dead." Sun Fuping picked up a peanut, crushed it, and rubbed it between his fingers, leaving a hand full of dust. "These aren't meant for the living; no wonder the city is deserted."

Nian Songyu also understood. "Are you saying the city's inhabitants are those vengeful spirits that surged out of the pool?"

"Very likely. After they left, this place became an empty city."

"Those vengeful spirits are the residents of this city?" He Lingchuan asked, surprised. "No way. I saw them, and they were all crazed. How could they become law-abiding citizens in this city?"

Although the current Dragon Coil City was empty, everything was orderly; it simply lacked people. The vengeful spirits he had encountered outside were filled with deep resentment and looked as if they wanted to tear the world apart. If they had lived here for a long time, how could the city be so tidy?

"Perhaps the Grand Square Jar is at work," Nian Songyu said. "Dragon Coil City was destroyed long ago; this is the most abnormal thing."

Maotao whispered, "How do we find the Grand Square Jar? We thought jumping into the pool-well would provide a clue, but who knew there was still a city inside the pool? What now?"

He Lingchuan suggested, "Let's go to the Heaven-Mending Temple. We found the entrance there before, and perhaps we can find new clues now."

"We've been there; there's no temple," Nian Songyu flatly refused.

He Lingchuan was startled. "No temple, what do you mean?"

"There simply isn't a temple there, don't you understand?" Nian Songyu said indifferently. "In that location, there are two taverns, a theater troupe, and two large shops—one selling jewelry, the other silk."

Right, if clues were so easy to find, would these two have waited for him? He Lingchuan thought for a moment. "General Hong's mansion?"

"We've looked, and it's not there either."

"No mansion, or no clues?" He Lingchuan asked, growing more patient.

"Neither," Sun Fuping interjected smoothly. "General Hong is a demigod bestowed by the Heaven-Mending God. If there's no temple, naturally there's no General Hong."

Without General Hong, there would be no General Hong's mansion.

"Then there's only one place left?" He Lingchuan said, scratching his head. "Zhong Shengguang's residence?"

Sun Fuping stood up. "Let's go."

The illusion recreated the appearance of Dragon Coil City. He Lingchuan had never expected that he would one day explore this legendary city in such a manner. Judging by the markets, buildings, lakes, and rivers he passed, as well as the various utensils and tools used throughout the city and by the riverside, Dragon Coil City, now ravaged by war, must have once been exceptionally prosperous, densely populated, and a hub of thriving commerce.

He even saw waterwheels by the river, not for irrigating fields, but for supplying water to nearby shops, eliminating the need for manual carrying. To facilitate this, special bamboo pipelines even connected from the river to the shops' water troughs.