After the Immortal Disappeared

Chapter 83: Chapter 84: Where Am I?

After fiddling with it for a long time, Hee Lingchuan finally yawned. ”It won’t be easy to fix you, but I’ll give it my best shot.”

He was about to put the saber back in its original place when a thought suddenly struck him. He recalled the layout of Zhong Shengguang’s room.

As if moved by some unseen force, he hung the saber on the wall above his bed before finally going to sleep.

He also picked up the Divine Bone Necklace and toyed with it for a while.

The Divine Bone Necklace was undoubtedly related to Panlong City. Hee Lingchuan couldn’t figure out what sort of changes it would undergo, so he couldn’t be bothered to think about it anymore.

The item had saved his life from Sun Fuping’s True Flame before, so he had no intention of taking it off.

He slept especially soundly that night.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself standing in a small patch of woods. Above him were blue skies and white clouds. Not far away, lush green wheat fields were crisscrossed with paths, and he could hear the sounds of chickens and dogs.

At the edge of the field, two farmers, both barefoot, were chatting—one standing, one sitting.

Compared to Hee Lingchuan, their skin was so dark it shone, making their teeth look exceptionally white when they smiled.

One of them said, ”How much longer do you have to work the fields?”

”Two months and twenty-six days.”

”I’m jealous! I have to report back to camp tomorrow.” The man picked up a waterskin and took a drink. ”You still have time to spend with your wife. Try for another chubby son.”

His companion nodded. ”You be careful. I heard the Tongluo Highland to the west was just taken in a surprise attack. The General will definitely send men to take it back. That place is easy to defend but hard to attack. It’ll be a tough fight.”

”Every month is tough, but we get through it every month, don’t we?” The man laughed and patted his shoulder. ”When I get back alive, I’ll find you for a drink. Your treat!”

”Alright. You can drink all the two-wen wine you want.”

The man laughed. ”How long has it been since you last bought wine? Grain is tight lately, and wine prices have gone up with it. Where can you even find two-wen wine now? I heard from the guys at the granary that they’re going to stop winemaking altogether. It uses up too much grain... Hmm? Who’s there?”

Both men looked toward the small patch of woods.

Hee Lingchuan had no choice but to step out from the woods, putting on a warm smile. ”Excuse me, gentlemen. Could you tell me where this is?”

He was just a passerby, and his smile was as warm as spring—a perfectly normal sight in any other village.

But this place was strangely unsettling. The two farmers weren’t speaking the language of the Da Yuan Kingdom at all, yet he understood every single word.

The two men’s gazes, however, instantly turned wary. ”Where are you from?”

The other asked, ”What are you doing here?”

”Uh, I...” ’I don’t know either.’ He tried to recall what he was doing before. ’How did I suddenly end up here?’

As soon as Hee Lingchuan hesitated, the two men closed in, spreading out to flank him in a pincer formation.

One grabbed a carrying pole, the other a hoe.

In an instant, the farmers turned into a mob, and from their stances, they didn’t seem like ordinary field hands. One of them quickly blew a whistle and roared, ”A spy!”

The fields were open, and six or seven other farmers working nearby heard the shout. They all grabbed the handiest tools around them and charged over.

Not one of them hesitated.

”Hey, don’t make baseless accusations!” Hee Lingchuan was dumbfounded. ’What kind of reaction is this?’ He didn’t want to get into a pointless fight, so he had no choice but to turn and run back into the woods.

Behind him, whistles and dog barks erupted in a lively chorus. Hee Lingchuan could even hear the splashing, stomping sounds of straw sandals through the mud. More than just one or two were chasing him.

Fortunately, though the woods weren’t large, they were dense. He was fast, and after a few twists and turns, the footsteps behind him gradually faded.

Then, the view suddenly opened up. He had reached the end of the woods.

Barring Hee Lingchuan’s way was a man-made canal. The water was about chest-deep, and he could clearly see small fish and shrimp nibbling on weeds on the sandy bottom. The trouble was, it was five zhang (sixteen meters) wide—far too wide to leap across in a single bound.

Hee Lingchuan sighed, got into the water, swam across the canal, and ran up a hill on the other side.

As soon as he started running, the water in his boots sloshed around uncomfortably.

Soon, the gang of farmers also emerged from the woods, only to be stopped by the canal. They probably didn’t want to get wet, so they just stood there, pointing and shouting.

He was too far away to hear what they were yelling.

”Bunch of mad dogs, fuck you all!” Hee Lingchuan gave them the middle finger and spat on the ground twice to express his anger at being chased for no reason.

However, the expression on his face quickly froze, because he heard footsteps behind him again.

He turned around and saw several soldiers striding toward him, looking menacing.

A quick count revealed about seven of them, all wearing Light Armor. Their uniforms looked vaguely familiar.

’Where have I seen them before?’ Hee Lingchuan couldn’t recall at the moment.

He had no time to dwell on it. The soldier in the lead unhooked a knotted rope from his waist and bellowed, ”On your knees! Hands up!”

Hee Lingchuan understood at a glance. These had to be City Patrol Guards. The knotted rope in the soldier’s hand was likely soaked in special oils, making it tough and difficult to cut. When they encountered a suspect, they would, without a word, slip the rope over his head and wrists and pull it tight, immobilizing him.

This type of knotted rope was much lighter and more portable than wooden cangues or iron chains, and had long been standard issue for the Government Office and the City Guard. When they shouted ”On your knees,” if a suspect dared to flee, they risked being killed on the spot.

This man was fast, pulling ahead of his companions.

This time, Hee Lingchuan didn’t run. Instead, he moved toward him, crying that he’d been wronged, while bending his knees as if to kneel.

Seeing him so compliant, the man naturally slowed his pace, leaned forward, and prepared to slip the knotted rope over his head.

But who would have known that Hee Lingchuan would casually scoop up a handful of grass and mud from the ground and fling it right in the man’s face?

The Guard instinctively raised a hand to block it, turning his face and closing his eyes.

Hee Lingchuan lunged forward, snatched the knotted rope right out of his hand, and looped it over the Guard in a reverse motion.

The sequence of moves was as smooth as flowing water. Before the Guard could even react, still tasting the mud in his mouth, his head and one arm were caught in the rope.

Hee Lingchuan yanked the rope, pulling the man in front of him as a shield. He then drew the Long Saber from his captive’s waist and held it to his neck, roaring at the other approaching Guards, ”Back off! All of you, back off!”

’I don’t know this place or anyone in it. Hiding and running isn’t a long-term solution.’ He had to find a way to turn the tables.

Wary of harming their comrade, the other Guards did indeed stop, but they didn’t let up on their threats. ”Let him go, or we’ll beat the pulp out of you!”

Hee Lingchuan tightened the rope, choking his captive until the man’s eyes rolled back. ”Where am I?”

”Zhao Family Village! Are you drunk?”

”And where is Zhao Family Village?” Hee Lingchuan frowned, a growing sense of unease creeping over him. ”What city? What village?”

The men looked at him like he was an idiot. ”Chipa Plateau! Panlong City! Wenzhe Village!”

A loud BUZZ went off in Hee Lingchuan’s head.

’Panlong City? This lush and fertile land is actually Panlong City?’

’Did I enter the Illusion Realm again?’

’How did I get in?’

’Wait, what was I even doing before this? Why can’t I remember a single thing?’