Chapter 39: Early Pioneers

He Chunhua added, "I read in ancient texts that the Red Ridge Plateau is a double-layered plain, meaning two plains stacked on top of each other, with the second layer being higher than the first. The second layer, where the ancient city of Panlong is located, has fertile soil, receives snowmelt from the high mountains, and is crisscrossed by waterways. It's a rare highland water town in the entire Panlong Wilderness!"

This was natural. Without a year-round supply of abundant water, Panlong City simply couldn't have sustained itself.

"Which way now?" Nian Songyu asked the Imperial Advisor. "It's getting dark."

In fifteen minutes at most, the sun would dip below the distant mountains. The light in the ancient city was fading fast.

"First, we'll establish a base camp and set up defensive talismans," Sun Fuping said, having already made his plans. "Disperse and find suitable locations."

"Disperse?" He Lingchuan quickly said, "Wait a moment! This is a massive ruin, and the risks haven't been eliminated!"

"No need," Sun Fuping replied confidently. "At least the city's outer perimeter is relatively safe. You don't think we're the first people to enter Panlong City in over a century, do you?"

That's exactly what he thought. Was he being naive? He Lingchuan chuckled, "So there have been pioneers before, but unfortunately, they all returned empty-handed."

If others had found the treasure, why would they be coming to Panlong City?

"Not necessarily. They weren't necessarily here for the Grand Square Pot. Ruins like these often attract treasure hunters. They also documented their experiences here, which can serve as a reference for us." While the mutated creatures and Three-Corpse Worms in the Panlong Desert were terrifying, honestly, they weren't unsolvable problems if one did their homework beforehand.

So, the Panlong ruins had long been visited, with everyone coming with their own agendas.

Just like this expedition team.

After searching for a moment, the over two hundred people found an open space to settle down.

This seemed to be Panlong City's marketplace, with two full rows of buildings lining the river, packed closely together, none taller than two stories.

Naturally, most of the buildings' facades were damaged, and at least a third had clearly suffered from fires. However, a few still had signs hanging, though the most complete one had characters that were already blurred.

The script was somewhat different from modern characters, and He Lingchuan had to make an effort to barely recognize two words: "Frost... Wine."

It was probably a tavern.

The houses here were low, small, and close together, making them very suitable for a temporary camp. Once the team was settled, Sun Fuping ordered a two-hour rest on the spot. Zeng Feixiong quickly went to assign rooms. The leaders took the tavern, which had the best view and was most sheltered from the wind, and began to make long-term plans.

After two days of travel, everyone finally had time to wash their faces and refresh themselves.

In the heart of the desert, where every drop of water was precious, this was a privilege reserved for the leaders. He Lingchuan lifted his waterskin, drank deeply, and then poured the rest onto his face. "This wretched place! Boiling hot by day, freezing cold by night!"

The typical climate in desert regions involves extreme day-night temperature swings; places that are over forty degrees Celsius at noon will experience frost at night. The sun had already set, and the temperature plummeted. Cotton jackets weren't enough for the group, so they had to dismantle wooden objects to build fires for warmth.

He shook his head like a dog shedding water, and Nian Songyu frowned, avoiding the splashing drops.

"Time is precious, and we can't waste the night. But this ruin is too vast; even if we spread out our personnel, it would take days to search it. Does the Imperial Advisor have a plan?"

They weren't on a sightseeing trip; the team had limited food and water, so every minute needed to be utilized.

After brushing off the sand and tidying his appearance, Sun Fuping regained his composure as the Imperial Advisor and began to speak fluently.

"Ransacking every corner and digging three feet deep — the allied forces of the Baling Immortals and later treasure hunters have already done all that. We couldn't possibly do it better than them. Therefore, there's little search value in the buildings within the city."

After Panlong City was breached, it suffered a massacre; all people and livestock were killed, and its wealth was plundered. The enemy nation had spent over thirty years to bring it down, harboring deep hatred for this thorn in their side. They wouldn't have been able to vent their fury without several rounds of unrestrained looting.

Moreover, they had ample time and presumably scoured the very ground, yet the Grand Square Pot was still not found. Therefore, from lavish mansions to common residences, none of them were its hiding place.

Hearing this, He Lingchuan breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good." Otherwise, with too few people and Panlong City being so vast, finding it would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. "So, does the Imperial Advisor already know where the Pot is?"

All previous explorers had returned empty-handed. If Sun Fuping wasn't absolutely confident, why would he travel thousands of miles to come here and endure the desert?

"I don't know the exact location, but I can narrow down the search area," Sun Fuping mused. "I visited Grandmaster Zhu Gen of the Baling Kingdom. He visited Panlong City four times, the earliest being sixty years ago and the latest forty years ago. It can be said that he might be the force that conducted the most thorough search of the Panlong ruins after the allied forces."

"Force?" He Chunhua picked up on the keyword.

"In my opinion, the Baling Kingdom always had some reservations about the Panlong ruins. Grandmaster Zhu Gen himself was also quite fascinated by it. His last visit to investigate here was when he was seventy-five years old. He stayed the longest, for a full fifteen days, and brought the most people, reportedly over a thousand."

The more people and the longer the stay, the more meticulous the search of Panlong City would be. The challenge for them would have been how to ensure logistical supplies.

As expected, large-scale excavations like this required official and military support.

Everyone understood then: the allied forces and Grandmaster Zhu Gen had already done the groundwork and cleared the way for them, making a carpet search unnecessary.

"Nearly a thousand people came and went without any incident?" He Lingchuan interjected. "That in itself is quite unusual."

He Chunhua suddenly said, "It's already dark, and I haven't seen any Three-Corpse Worms."

He could still see the "three fires" on others, indicating that the Soul-Suppressing Powder's effects hadn't worn off. This state was similar to the common term "opening the heavenly eye," which also allowed one to see Three-Corpse Worms.

However, from crossing the bridge to entering the city, he hadn't detected a single Three-Corpse Worm.

Isn't that strange in itself?

"Indeed, not only are there no Three-Corpse Worms in the city, but there are no other malevolent spirits either. This is a consensus among previous treasure hunters, so as long as we don't cause any major commotion here, we're likely safe." Sun Fuping took out a military naan bread and began to toast it over the fire.

The military naan bread was made from unleavened dough, was as large as a human face, and made a "ping" sound if dropped on the ground, indicating its toughness. Its only advantages were that it was filling and didn't spoil easily. Even when softened by toasting, He Lingchuan found the naan rough and astringent, scratching his throat when he swallowed it. He could only eat it by soaking it in hot water, yet Sun Fuping effortlessly broke it into small pieces and chewed it without a change in expression.

This Imperial Advisor was down-to-earth; he could enjoy fine food and luxurious living, but also simple tea and naan.

"Much of the information I've gathered came from Zhu Gen. After half a lifetime of research, he personally told me that the Grand Square Pot has never been found, likely because everyone went at the wrong time."