Chapter 42: Clue Water

After being brought here, the two puppets struggled ceaselessly. It was clear that the Three Corpse Worms could indeed fully exploit a person's potential, as they still had strength even an hour after everyone had entered the city.

The soldiers guarding them weren't made of iron, so they simply tied the puppets' legs to get some rest.

So the two were carried in and placed on the floor. They hunched over, trembling.

The talismans covering them ensured the Three Corpse Worms were trapped within the bodies and couldn't escape.

Situ Han wondered, "Are they cold, or are they afraid?"

"Afraid," He Lingchuan said. He knelt down and examined them closely. "Do creatures infested by Three Corpse Worms even feel cold? In any case, it's not us they're afraid of."

Their eyes were unfocused, clearly not acknowledging anyone present.

But the vast, empty Panlong Ruins contained no one else; what could they be afraid of?

Nian Songyu also added, "Not only is there no one, there are no Three Corpse Worms in this ruined city. They don't dare approach at all. Why?"

"Something frightens them deeply," Sun Fuping said, standing up. "Whatever it is, it should be close to our objective."

He Lingchuan wondered, "Do you want them to tell you personally? Can Three Corpse Worms even speak?"

It seemed Sun Fuping had brought these two puppets intending to experiment with them.

"Ordinary ones can't, but I wonder if those from the Great Flask can give us a hint," Sun Fuping said as he walked up to the puppets. "Your nest, the Great Flask, must still be in the city. Show me its location, and I'll let you go."

The two puppets continued to tremble, still ignoring him as if he were transparent.

"These two things don't respect you at all!" He Lingchuan exclaimed in anger. "Give them a taste of their own medicine and save us some time."

Sun Fuping took a set of golden needles from his robe. He applied medicated moxa to each one and then roasted them slightly with a flicker of true fire from his fingertip, before inserting them into the back of the puppets' skulls, their heart orifices, and their feet, respectively.

The puppets immediately wailed loudly.

These three points were where the Three Corpse Worms resided. Sun Fuping used the medicated fire to directly burn their very core, causing excruciating pain. Otherwise, attacks with blades or axes would only harm the host, and the Three Corpse Worms wouldn't care at all.

They finally looked at Sun Fuping directly, but their gaze was exceptionally fierce, like a wolf staring at meat.

To them, humans were merely shells.

"I know you can understand human speech," Sun Fuping said calmly. "If you don't give me an answer, you will suffer more."

Then he acted.

His golden needles were hollow, allowing him to add more medicine at any time.

Everyone saw the red flame at the end of the needle glow brighter, and the puppets' screams instantly rose three octaves.

Double the dosage, double the pain.

Sun Fuping stopped and asked, "Will you speak?"

The puppets only continued to shriek.

So he increased the torture.

This repeated several times.

The more he continued, the slower he became. These enhanced Three Corpse Worms had spiritual bodies far stronger than their ordinary counterparts; otherwise, they would have been poisoned to death by him a quarter of an hour ago.

Unless the host severed the connection themselves, if a Three Corpse Worm died, its host would also perish.

Therefore, judging the precise dosage became increasingly difficult.

Finally, one puppet let out a roar, its neck twisted, and it died.

So it still didn't work? Sun Fuping let out a long sigh.

The Three Corpse Worms raised by the Great Flask should have some special characteristics. If they could communicate with humans, this trip to Panlong City would be much smoother.

Alas, this mission seemed to have no shortcuts.

In truth, he only held a faint hope, as the allied forces who fought a war of attrition on this wasteland over a hundred years ago had probably tried every method to obtain information.

He simply felt that perhaps time might have changed many things.

The other Three Corpse Worm, having suffered torment, suddenly exploded in fury, broke free from its restraints, and grabbed He Lingchuan's arm!

Caught off guard, everyone was startled.

He Chunhua rushed forward without hesitation and lopped off the puppet's head with a single strike.

The screaming instantly ceased.

"Are you alright, Chuan'er?" He Chunhua asked, his grip on his knife still firm.

He Lingchuan was also greatly startled. He instinctively pried the dead hand open, and after carefully checking himself, he said, "I'm fine."

The creature had grabbed him so tightly that its fingers had almost dug into his skin.

Fortunately, his true essence flowed through his body in a complete cycle, and he found no abnormalities.

Everyone exchanged glances.

Sun Fuping stepped forward, examined his pupils, and asked, "Do you feel irritable, distressed, dizzy, or light-headed?"

"I'm very clear-headed, no abnormalities. It seems to have had no effect on me."

Sun Fuping nodded, "The effect of the Soul-Suppressing Powder hasn't completely worn off, so you still have some resistance."

He Lingchuan sighed, "It seems the Three Corpse Worms here aren't special either."

Seeing that he was truly fine, He Chunhua finally relaxed. "They just refuse to leave the Panlong Desert, or rather, refuse to stray far from the Great Flask."

The principle of defending the Great Flask was long ago ingrained in the Three Corpse Worms' instincts; they could not betray it until death. Similar loyalty exists in ant colonies and beehives, where individual worker bees and ants toil without complaint, showing no fear of hardship, and even their deaths are deemed insignificant.

Therefore, even though the Three Corpse Worms feared something in the city and dared not enter, they still lingered in the surrounding Panlong Desert, unwilling to flee far away.

He Lingchuan shrugged. If Three Corpse Worms could be interrogated and coerced like ordinary creatures, then information about the Great Flask and Panlong City would have long been thoroughly obtained by the allied forces led by Ba Lingxian, and the deity behind Panlong City would not tolerate such a loophole.

"Although Zhu Gen didn't say it, in my opinion, the conditions for triggering the Raging Sand Season shouldn't be difficult. The last team he sent was also with the intention of verifying..." Sun Fuping mused. "Before every Raging Sand Season, is the desert always accompanied by thunderstorms?"

Zeng Feixiong nodded. "Yes, it is."

Sun Fuping's eyes flickered. "The temple in the city, does it only worship the God of the Vast Sky?"

"Yes. It is said that the God of the Vast Sky is the sole belief in Panlong City."

He Chunhua uttered a sound of surprise, as if he had realized something. "You're not saying...?"

"Write it down, and let's cross-reference."

So Sun Fuping and He Chunhua both raised their hands, dipped their fingers in water, and wrote a character on the table.

Everyone saw that the Grand Tutor had written "水" (water), while He Chunhua had written "雨" (rain).

The literal meanings were quite similar.

He Lingchuan stroked his chin and said, "Grand Tutor and Father are brilliant! The rainy season in Qiansong County is later than in the interior, typically arriving in late August or early September."

Nian Songyu was puzzled. "If it's caused by rain, does that mean it normally doesn't rain in the desert? As far as I know, a desert lacking water doesn't mean it never rains. Sometimes heavy rain can even cause floods in the desert."

"It truly doesn't," He Lingchuan chuckled. "Don't compare other deserts to Panlong; they don't measure up."

He Chunhua said, "How could I be as learned as the Grand Tutor? However, Deputy Captain Zeng's father was the only living person to have experienced the Raging Sand Season in the Panlong Desert. Although he was delirious after returning, he kept muttering the word 'water' all day. I think that's a crucial clue."