After the Immortal Disappeared

Chapter 85: Chapter 86: Precious First Experience x2

They were moving fast, crossing the wooden bridge in the blink of an eye. It was just a fleeting glimpse, making it impossible to see anything clearly.

Almost no one noticed Hee Lingchuan, who was clinging to the bottom of the boat, crouch down and pull himself in, curling up perfectly within the bridge’s shadow!

He hid under the bridge, not daring to so much as exhale, terrified that even a single bubble might attract unwanted attention.

After more than ten breaths, he quietly peeked out of the water, looked left and right, then forcefully stabbed his Long Spear into the canal bank and used it as leverage to leap onto the ground.

The cavalry had already ridden far away, leaving only a few figures in the distance.

Two children by the canal, about five or six years old, were watching him curiously, but their mother had a wary expression and pulled them back.

’The locals here are really not friendly.’

Hee Lingchuan wiped the water from his face and quickly hid behind two large haystacks.

Ahead were warehouses, followed by houses of varying heights. Luckily, there was no one around. Hee Lingchuan looked down at his soaking wet clothes, knowing that his attire and the fabric would immediately mark him as an outsider to the locals.

’The only thing to do now is to find a change of clothes.’

He scanned his surroundings and finally, a smile touched his lips.

Not far off, clothes were drying in an open area in front of a farmhouse.

He snuck over quietly, careful not to alert the woman cooking in the kitchen, and took only a few pieces of men’s clothing. Then, he went to a spot out of the sun to change.

Although it was quiet all around, he still checked his surroundings carefully before taking off his soaking wet clothes. No one was there.

He quickly stripped off his wet pants and put on the new ones.

Just as he was tying the waistband, a whistle suddenly sounded from the side.

Startled, Hee Lingchuan looked up to see a white shadow flash by, like light, like lightning—too fast for the human eye to follow. It was also impossible to dodge.

With a soft SWISH, an arrow pierced his throat, entering from the front and exiting through the back, the arrowhead even embedding itself in the wooden planks behind him.

’What does it feel like to have an arrow shot through your throat?’

Hee Lingchuan wanted to curse, but he couldn’t speak. All he felt was a heart-piercing pain.

Before his eyes, the white fletching of the arrow trembled. His gaze followed its line forward, and he thought he saw something move by the haystack.

He tried to see clearly, but his vision was already blurring.

* * *

Hee Lingchuan shouted, clutching his neck as he shot up into a sitting position.

As far as he could see, the window lattice, the low table, the vase—it was all the furniture from his own room.

A lark was perched on a branch outside the window. Startled by his shout, it took flight with a flutter, dropping a feather as it went.

Hee Lingchuan stared intently at the feather, reminded of the white fletching from the arrow that had pierced his throat.

He felt his throat. It was perfectly fine, not even a scratch. But he was drenched in sweat from head to toe, as if he had just climbed out of the canal.

”That scared me to death!” He was still alive; it had just been a nightmare.

A figure flashed outside, and Uncle Hao slipped in. ”Young Master, what’s wrong?”

”It’s nothing,” Hee Lingchuan said, listlessly rubbing his face. ”A nightmare.”

”Was it Gourd Mountain again?”

”How could it be?” After his great adventure in Panlong City, the original owner’s memory of the attack at Gourd Mountain was so blurry it felt like it happened in a past life. He had almost completely forgotten it.

Hee Lingchuan waved Uncle Hao away and got up to pour himself a cup of cool tea.

The sky hadn’t darkened yet. He had slept for less than a double-hour at most.

Ever since returning from the desert, he’d been sleeping as soundly as a baby. What was going on today?

Glancing at his bedside, his gaze naturally fell upon the Broken Blade.

’Could you be the one causing this?’ It was the only new variable; hard not to notice.

Hee Lingchuan took the blade down and slowly drew it from its sheath.

The ambient temperature dropped by at least a couple of degrees, but Hee Lingchuan didn’t feel the chill. In fact, holding it felt even more natural than before.

He thought about the nightmare. Aside from the locals who treated outsiders like enemies, the Chipa Plateau was actually wonderful—a scene of a rich water-town, a pastoral idyll.

The area was crisscrossed by a network of waterways and had varied geography. It seemed there were even mines farther off. No wonder Panlong City could hold out for so many years while surrounded by powerful enemies; the objective conditions were one of the decisive factors.

The last time he entered the Grand Pot Secret Realm, he had nearly died just by taking a trip into Panlong City. Of course, he’d had no chance to venture beyond the mighty pass to see the Chipa Plateau of that era.

The Dream Realm just now had filled that gap.

Subconsciously, he believed that the Chipa Plateau he saw in his dream was a highly accurate historical reconstruction.

The replies from those Guards indicated that the point in time he had entered was after the Red General’s appearance, during the latter, desperate period of Panlong City.

The Xiluo Kingdom had briefly re-established contact with Panlong City, but unfortunately, it was too weak. Unable to withstand the pressure from the Alliance Army, it soon abandoned Panlong City once again.

Zhong Shengguang was only human. After twelve years of loyal service, he faced such a betrayal and nearly broke down. That’s when he turned to the embrace of the Mitian God.

From then on, the Red General appeared.

Panlong City of that period is the most mysterious. Sunx Fuping had scoured the histories of many nations but never found a complete record, as if some mystical force had forcefully erased it from history.

Hee Lingchuan was curious too, but when he recalled the bizarre, graceful, and vicious nature of that arrow, goosebumps crawled all over his skin again.

’Counting this time, I’m a man who’s died twice.’

While the experience was unique and precious, anyone would find it repulsive.

The two arrow attacks must have been from the same person. Where on earth was that archer hiding? The fierce Great Wind Army had been fooled by Hee Lingchuan, so how was this person able to use Shadow Following Form?

He remembered the sharp, clear whistle, remembered his unfastened pants, and also remembered that the Black Dragon, before dissipating, had specifically mentioned that it was giving him this Broken Blade.

It had the distinct air of an entrustment.

The blade’s previous master was Zhong Shengguang. What kind of connection did he hope the blade would form with Hee Lingchuan?

The young man stroked the blade in silence, a new worry on his mind.

’Should I still hang it by my bed in the future?’

He shook his head, realizing the nightmare hadn’t given him a splitting headache. On the contrary, he felt full of spirit and energy, completely relaxed, not at all like someone who’d been drained by a dream.

’To be honest, apart from the sudden death at the end, the adventure in the dream was quite interesting.’

’Most importantly, I was able to wake up.’

’If there’s no harm done, what’s there to be scared of?’

Hee Lingchuan pressed his hand on the blade. ”Let’s make a deal. If you stop giving me nightmares every day, I can keep hanging you by my bed. How about it?”

The blade remained perfectly still, offering no response.

So, Hee Lingchuan hung it back in its original spot.

...

Before nightfall, Xiangsi Building was already bustling with activity.

This restaurant had been open for three years and was a roaring success in Black Water City, having rare appeal to both locals and travelers. Rumor had it the owner was a retired official from the heartlands whose hometown cuisine had become a huge hit after being brought to this border region.

Xiangsi Building was famous for its duck.

Yes, duck. As in, the kind that swims in water.

The master chefs, specially invited from Longhua City, specialized in preparing duck. Whether it was wine-cured, roasted, braised, baked, stewed, pan-fried, preserved, or seared, there was no method they couldn’t handle. Furthermore, they had to select the ducks’ fatness and age based on the cooking method, truly mastering the art of being selective.