Chapter 76: Closed Doors and Declining Visitors

Even if He Lingchuan threw two more stones, they would meet the same fate. Was this a sign that they were not welcome?

It was true that everyone could leave after the black dragon died, but the passage connecting to the mystic realm had also closed simultaneously.

He Chunhua felt a wave of despondency. After going through immense hardship, suffering losses, and even killing high-ranking officials, Thousand Pines County might have gravely offended the Governor of Xunzhou and the Grand Marshal. After all, General Nian's most esteemed son, Nian Songyu, was dead, and Sun Fuping, who had mysteriously lost his position as Imperial Advisor, was also dead. The He family father and son had played no small part in their deaths. Would the Royal Court assign blame when the matter was investigated later? The thought of it made their future seem bleak.

"Chuan'er, what wish did you make to the black dragon?"

"I don't even know that I made a wish!" He Lingchuan said with a wry smile, pointing at the soldiers nearby. "Ask them if I spoke more than a word to the black dragon."

Those who had been eavesdropping on the city wall at the time, including Mao Tao and Situ Han, shook their heads vigorously. In such a critical moment, who would have the leisure to make a wish?

"This is a spoil of war," He Lingchuan said, presenting the broken blade. "Dad, do you want it?" He Chunhua, looking somewhat dispirited, replied, "You keep it."

After more than ten hours of heart-stopping events, everyone was exhausted. The only good news was that the sandstorm outside the city had temporarily stopped, and the desert had revealed its somber base color once more.

He Chunhua ordered them to rest where they were and return to headquarters tomorrow morning. The Grand Wind Army had also left the illusion and were currently patrolling the desolate city of Panlong. They ignored the humans but drove away or killed all the lingering vengeful spirits within the city. With these heroic spirits moving about, the humans felt much safer.

He Lingchuan led He Chunhua to a sheltered courtyard to rest. Zeng Feixiong and Situ Han automatically followed. Mao Tao was still hesitating when he heard He Lingchuan turn back and instruct him, "Bring in a pot." "Alright!" Mao Tao was overjoyed and indeed found a large pot from a guard, bringing it into the courtyard.

Zeng Feixiong gave a wry smile. "Young Master, all the water was poured into the pool. We can't boil anything. I still have half a waterskin of fresh water for you." He Lingchuan crooked a finger at Situ Han. "Come, fill this pot."

Situ Han looked slightly embarrassed but still took out a waterskin under the gazes of the other four and poured water into the pot with gurgling sounds. Though the waterskin looked deflated, the clear water he poured out filled the pot to about eighty percent.

He Lingchuan chuckled, "Old Situ is a bandit leader; how could you possibly clean him out so easily?" Situ Han gave a dry laugh. "Look at you, saying that! I'm now a regular border army soldier, officially enrolled!"

So Mao Tao found some old furniture, chopped it up, and used it as firewood to boil water. Everyone pooled their remaining provisions: rice cakes, naan bread, dried meat, and fish strips, all of which they simply threw into the pot to boil. Besides salt, Mao Tao surprisingly even had flavored pepper and chili powder. After the fierce battle, everyone had a huge appetite and desperately needed a good meal.

At that moment, raindrops began to patter on the roof tiles and wall tops; it had actually started raining. The rain came down swiftly and heavily, turning into a downpour in an instant. Fortunately, everyone was sitting under the eaves, spared from getting drenched. Zeng Feixiong heard cheers from the imperial army outside and smiled, saying, "What a timely rain! We can make it back to Blackwater City alive now!" With that, he stepped back two paces into the rain, letting the water wash the dust from his face.

Even if the vengeful spirits and Corpse Worms were no longer hostile and the heroic spirits were protecting them on their way out of the raging sand area, living people still needed water to survive. Sun Fuping and Nian Songyu had made everyone empty their waterskins to replenish the pool and well, but the return journey would take over ten days. How could they manage without water? Now, with the heaven-sent rain, their biggest worry was gone. How could their hearts not burst with joy?

"Actually, if you count the days, it's almost the rainy season." The rainy season in Panlong Desert usually arrived in September. At this point, He Chunhua paused. "By the way, what day in August is it today?"

The four shook their heads. Time in the mystic realm was chaotic, and once outside, there was no reference point. Who knew how many days had passed? Perhaps it was already September, in which case the heaven-sent rain was just business as usual.

He Lingchuan instructed Mao Tao to find all the intact bottles and jars to collect rainwater. They would depend on them to get out of the desert. Without needing instruction from their superiors, all Blackwater City soldiers did the same.

As Mao Tao carried an eighty-jin water vat into the courtyard, He Chunhua told his son to take off his upper garment and personally applied medicine to his wounds. He Lingchuan's injuries were not severe, but they were surprisingly numerous, mostly inflicted by the grappling hooks of the silk rope. There were two marks on his nose alone, and a piece of flesh had been torn from the back of his hand.

He Lingchuan, feigning ignorance, asked, "Is Sun Fuping dead?" Although Sun Fuping's injuries had been healed by Nian Songyu at the time, the magic power he had expended would not return out of thin air, and he still had to contend with enraged heroic spirits, demonic birds, and the Blackwater City army. He Lingchuan didn't believe he could have possibly survived.

"The commander of the Grand Wind Army delivered the final blow to him, the one who attacked us in front of the temple."

"He didn't use the Imperial Edict from start to finish?"

"No," He Chunhua sneered. "You're right. He was stripped of his Imperial Advisor position and couldn't control fate. Otherwise, even with the Grand Wind Army's heroic spirits, it would have been very difficult to deal with him."

With national destiny protecting him, how could vengeful spirits even approach? Even within a self-contained mystic realm, this rule would have some effect. Without the Imperial Edict, Sun Fuping was just a powerful spellcaster, and their combined forces were more than enough to eliminate him.

He Lingchuan rubbed his hands together and grinned, "Were there no last words or belongings?"

This greedy little expression was exactly what He Chunhua was familiar with. "Didn't you get a spoil of war already? The black dragon gave it to you."

"It's just a broken blade, and I found it myself with my keen insight. If I hadn't had a sudden flash of inspiration, the black dragon might have eaten us all."

He had a point. This boy was indeed the primary hero in everyone's escape. He Chunhua took out two spoils of war, both magical artifacts: a silk-binding rope and a beast-headed staff. "These two are the main treasures; which one do you want?" He didn't bother to take out the many other small items.

"Men wearing red ropes look effeminate." He Lingchuan chose the staff. "This beast head looks more appealing." "It's yours," He Chunhua said, putting away the silk-binding rope and tying it around his own wrist.

When idle, the beast-headed staff would transform into a short pestle, only a foot long, making it easy to carry. He Lingchuan fiddled with the short pestle and asked, "Sun Fuping had both skill and cunning; why was he stripped of his Imperial Advisor position?"

If not for his incredibly good luck, He Lingchuan's father and he, along with the Blackwater City army, would never have escaped Sun Fuping's schemes and would have become sacrifices.

"It seems many changes have occurred in the capital. It's a pity that intelligence is so poor; we still haven't received any news from the central and eastern regions." He Chunhua sighed. Without first-hand information, even with a strong army, they had no chance to advance east.

Situ Han couldn't help but interject, "How could that black dragon be Zhong Shengguang? It's simply unbelievable."