Where Immortals Once Walked

Although yellow sand still stretched in every direction, He Lingchuan could clearly sense that this place was very different from before.

Travelers came and went freely, no longer keeping strictly to the Hongya Route.

Several children were crouched by the roadside playing in the sand. In the past, adults would have shouted at them harshly, dragged them back, and treated them to a round of bamboo-stick fried pork[1]. Now, however, the children had already built several little houses out of sand, and no one paid them any attention.

The desert itself was quiet. In sheltered, shaded spots, small patches of green grass had even begun to grow.

He Lingchuan could clearly see something moving among the dunes not far away, yet it did not come over to attack the children.

Meanwhile, Qiu Hu and the others kept looking around, finding everything novel. “So this is the famous Panlong Desert?”

They were all veterans who had seen battle, but most had never crossed a desert before. Seeing soft dunes rise even higher than hills and ridges, they could not help marveling.

The great desert’s scenery truly had a character all its own.

“Famous?” He Lingchuan laughed. “The Panlong Desert is well known even in Rongshan?”

Earlier, when he told everyone that they would be making a trip toward Panlong City, the Rongshan disciples had simply agreed and said they would follow his lead. They had not commented much beyond that.

“Panlong City stood here for more than thirty years, resisting foreign enemies and defying the gods. There are countless tragic and heroic stories about it. We’ve heard many of them within the sect as well,” another Rongshan spellcaster replied. “We deeply admire them.”

The man was in his thirties, named Xiang Lian, and specialized in logistics.

He Lingchuan was surprised. “The Rongshan Sect teaches those old stories too?”

Qiu Hu said with a nod, “Yes. Past events should never be forgotten. They serve as lessons for what comes after.”

He Lingchuan understood.

The Rongshan Sect was itself descended from an immortal lineage. It was only natural that they would feel a certain affinity toward Panlong City, which had once resisted the gods.

As they casually discussed Panlong City’s history, He Lingchuan discovered that the Rongshan disciples actually knew more accurate historical details than the ordinary people of Heishui City, despite the latter living right beside the desert.

The weather remained clear and pleasant throughout their journey, with no wind or sandstorms.

The next day, they stayed at the Wei City relay station.

Every ancient city along the Hongya Route had been developed into a relay station where passing merchants and travelers could stop to rest.

This so-called “Wei City” had already been destroyed by the State of Baling the first time He Lingchuan entered the Panlong World. Before he joined Panlong City’s patrol guards, he had even pretended to be a native of Wei City.

The ancient settlement had long since been eroded by sand, leaving only a dozen or so low, broken walls. Heishui City had used those remnants as foundations and built several new structures around them.

It was already the end of the fifth month, and the Hongya Trade Route was becoming increasingly busy.

While staying in the relay station’s low rooms, they could often hear camel bells and horses neighing outside, along with the clack of wooden clappers.

As always, everything at an old relay station was expensive.

This was not the sort of money He Lingchuan intended to save. With a broad wave of his hand, he ordered an expensive meal set for every member of the group, complete with meat, vegetables, and tea.

The meat was genuine camel meat, too, not some strange desert insect being passed off as something else.

He Lingchuan and the others were still eating in the hall when another group of more than twenty strong-looking men entered from outside.

He Lingchuan casually glanced over.

A station hand went to lead their wagons away. Merchant caravan flags had been fixed to the horses’ heads, while wooden chests were tied to the vehicles.

Anyone arriving here naturally looked travel-worn.

The newcomers swept their gazes around the hall before going to collect food and water.

While they were away from their seats, Qiu Hu leaned closer to He Lingchuan and said quietly, “Those men have a hard edge to them. They’re either bandits or soldiers. Neither sort is good news.”

“One of the boxes on their wagon hit the ground just now,” said He Lingchuan, raising his bowl to drink the soup. “It sounded hollow. They came from the north, and at this time of year goods are usually transported south. Their wagons should be loaded full if they intend to make money.”

In other words, this was a fake merchant caravan.

Are they planning to rob someone?

Qiu Hu quietly warned the other Rongshan disciples to stay alert that night.

Just then, an argument broke out near the front of the hall. Several men from the newly arrived group had gotten into a dispute with the cook.

“One coarse-flour bun and two mouthfuls of water, and you dare charge me thirty wen?!” one man shouted, slapping the table. “Is the bun stuffed with gold?”

The cook responsible for serving food looked utterly unmoved. “That’s the price here. If you want something cheaper, go home.”

The man’s expression darkened, and he stepped forward.

Several station hands immediately rushed over. “What are you doing?”

One of his companions grabbed him and quickly smiled apologetically at everyone. “The heat has gotten to his head. Don’t mind him, don’t mind him!” Then he turned back around. The smile vanished instantly.

“What are you throwing a tantrum for? Have you forgotten what we’re here for?”

The man sat back down resentfully and had no choice but to gnaw on his thirty-wen bun.

He Lingchuan exchanged a glance with his companions.

Once they finished eating, most of them withdrew, leaving only two men behind in the hall to keep watch.

That night passed quietly.

There were many travelers staying at the relay station. When everyone woke the next morning, nothing had happened. Not even a single copper coin was missing.

Apparently, the previous day’s little incident truly was nothing of consequence. He Lingchuan and the others relaxed and continued on their way.

* * *

After two days on the Hongya Route, He Lingchuan returned to Heishui City.

With cooperation from the government office, Hu Qin finished checking Hongya Route’s actual account books from previous years and, for once, expressed satisfaction.

The three inspectors were not accustomed to Western Yuan’s desert climate. After only a few days, they were already suffering nosebleeds and peeling skin.

So, after obtaining He Lingchuan’s agreement, Hu Qin and the other two deputies departed first and began the journey back to Rongshan.

With their work done, it was time to return.

The fifteen Rongshan disciples Elder Dao had assigned to He Lingchuan, however, remained by his side.

He Lingchuan held a farewell banquet for the three deputy envoys, then personally escorted them to the eastern gate the next day. He observed every courtesy and handed out generous farewell gifts.

Hu Qin was not an easy man to get along with, but during this long assignment, he and He Lingchuan had unexpectedly gotten along quite well. Before leaving, Hu Qin gave him a promise: if He Lingchuan ever needed his help in the future, he only had to send a letter.

“With those words from Mr. Hu, I can rest easy!” He Lingchuan was more than willing to form a good connection with a man like him.

After seeing Hu Qin and the others off, He Lingchuan hesitated for a long while before finally leaving Qiu Hu and the rest in the city and heading west alone.

His destination was White Pagoda Temple.

The temple was not large. Only four or five temple attendants lived there permanently. Despite that, incense offerings were quite plentiful, and every fifteen minutes or so, someone could usually be seen coming or going.

He Lingchuan remembered that the original owner of this body had visited the place only two or three times in total.

Once, he had even hunted a wild rabbit in the hills behind the temple.

He truly never would have imagined that the original He Lingchuan’s birth mother was buried here.

He Lingchuan had originally had no intention of coming. The original owner’s mother had nothing to do with him, a transmigrator. What was past should simply remain in the past.

Yet somewhere deep inside, a faint voice kept urging him to make the trip.

He knew what it was. It was the original owner’s longing.

In any case, most of his business in Heishui City was already finished, so in the end, he slowly made his way over.

There were quite a few graves on the hill behind the temple.

Grand Shaman Zhaomandu had once inspected the place and declared White Pagoda Mountain to have excellent fengshui.

With an endorsement from someone of his prestige, prosperous local families were naturally willing to bury their dead here, hoping the auspicious terrain would bless their descendants.

The burial grounds were kept very clean, with almost no weeds in sight. Someone clearly maintained them regularly. Fresh flowers and simple fruit offerings had even been placed before some of the gravestones.

He Lingchuan searched them one by one.

Before long, he found a white stone stele engraved with the name: Lu Xiaoyun.

This grave occupied an excellent spot. The stele stood straight and proper, and the painted characters looked freshly renewed. Someone had clearly touched them up not long ago.

1. A spanking. ☜