Chapter 43: Zhong Shengguang Cemetery

Sun Fuping stood up. "Since County Governor He and I share a similar view, we'll start by investigating this lead."

"How do we investigate?" Nian Songyu frowned. "Do you intend to pray for rain in the Pantuo Ruins?"

"Praying for rain here has less than a half-percent chance of success, and it would require five or six times the usual effort," Sun Fuping said with a wry smile. "I just tried summoning the Mountain Marsh spirit, but there was no response at all."

Summoning a Mountain Marsh spirit here was certainly imaginative. He Lingchuan couldn't help but laugh. "This place is so dry, even the local earth god must have died of thirst."

"If we can't pray for rain, then we should pour water instead. Perhaps the Balin Kingdom's team did the same," Nian Songyu mused. "It's impossible and unnecessary to try to summon rain over the entire city. We need to pinpoint the exact locations."

The Balin Kingdom's team couldn't have conjured widespread rain over Pantuo City either. They must have used their limited water at precise locations. With successful precedents, National Preceptor Sun and his group could infer the approximate spots by analyzing the situation.

"Based on my analysis, the only places where water might trigger the Sandstorm Season are the Mitian Temple, Zhong Shengguang's ancestral hall, General Hong's ancestral hall, Zhong Shengguang's tomb, and Pantuo City's mass burial ground," Sun Fuping added. "Those two ancestral halls were built while the people were still alive, which are rare 'living shrines'."

It was well-known that only the deceased or deities could receive offerings in an ancestral hall. Building a 'living shrine' for someone still alive was not an act of worship but a harmful deed. Such individuals were typically not blessed to enjoy it, and it could lead to a shortened lifespan or even death.

Clearly, Zhong Shengguang and General Hong were exceptions, individuals who had been deified during their lifetimes.

He Lingchuan asked, curious, "Why isn't General Hong's tomb included?"

He Chunhua replied, "He was never buried. At most, there might be a cenotaph, which has no investigative value."

Nian Songyu then asked, "Even if we find these locations, how will we determine where to pour the water last?"

"We can't, but the Three Corpses Worms know," Sun Fuping said, ordering several sealed glass jars to be brought forward. Mist seemed to swirl within them.

Everyone peered closer. Good heavens, that wasn't mist! Inside the jars were clearly four or five swimming Three Corpses Worms!

They were very active, each worm pressing its head against the edge of the jar, looking somewhat like eels kept in a container.

"They only move in one direction, which is away from the Great Square Pot," Sun Fuping explained. "This means the opposite direction of their movement is where the Great Square Pot is located. If you take these jars and walk a circle around the target locations, you'll find it."

This old man was very calculating, always planning everything in advance. If he harbored ill intentions, they would likely be very well-conceived... He Lingchuan cast a discreet glance at him, his wariness growing.

Next, everyone took a glass jar and set out in different directions.

The He father and son naturally stayed together, heading towards Zhong Shengguang's tomb.

They walked through the ruins of a city on a bleak, windy night. The feeling of desolation and decay intensified when they reached Zhong Shengguang's tomb.

Zhong Shengguang's tomb was located in the northwest corner of the South Gate Plaza, which they had passed earlier. It was surprisingly large and grand, constructed entirely of bluestone and covering a full two *mu*. From the surrounding area, it appeared that the people who buried him had deliberately torn down many houses to make space for this enormous tomb.

The epitaph, however, was very simple: "Tomb of Zhong Shengguang, Commander of Xiluo," with his birth and death dates beside it.

Over a hundred years had passed, and apart from several traces of later excavations, the entire tomb remained intact. The stone slabs forming the grave mound didn't even have a broken corner.

The He father and son both let out a long sigh upon reaching the site.

The stories of Pantuo City and the Great Wind Army had been sung year after year, enduring even now in Blackwater City. Yet, how many people could personally come to pay respects to this legendary general who had sacrificed his life for the nation?

He Lingchuan marveled, "The enemy actually built such a grand tomb for him."

Zhong Shengguang had committed suicide when the city fell, fulfilling his vow: "If the city stands, I stand; if the city falls, I die." Afterwards, Pantuo City was massacred, so naturally, no compatriots could have buried him. The only ones who could have built this tomb were his enemies.

"The Xianyou Kingdom had no choice but to do it. After Zhong Shengguang's death, his head was impaled and sent to the Xianyou capital as a trophy. The entire nation rejoiced, and the royal palace kept it as a collection piece. However, after that, strange occurrences plagued the Pantuo Wilderness: no living beings, neither humans nor animals, could survive, and no vegetation would grow. The Xianyou Kingdom desired a mineral-rich wilderness, not a desert where no one could live. So, they sent people back into Pantuo City to give Zhong Shengguang a lavish burial, hoping to appease the wrath of his vengeful spirit."

"And then they failed." There was no need to elaborate on what became of the Xianyou Kingdom or the Pantuo Desert afterwards.

He Chunhua produced two bundles of incense sticks from somewhere, lit them, and handed one to He Lingchuan. "It's a rare visit."

"Let's pay respects to the heroic spirit."

After they had earnestly bowed, He Lingchuan pulled a pouch of mare's milk wine from his robes and found three cups, filling them.

The He father and son gestured an invitation towards the tombstone and then drained their cups.

He Lingchuan gently sprinkled the wine onto the grave mound and whispered, "General Zhong, please bless us with safe passage in and out of the Pantuo Desert, so we may have the chance to offer you wine again in the future."

He Lingchuan took out the glass jar and walked a circle around Zhong Shengguang's tomb, but the Three Corpses Worms inside did not change direction; they continued to burrow towards the southern wall.

This meant that this grand tomb was not their target.

He returned after his circuit to see He Chunhua lost in thought. "Dad, what are you thinking about?"

"I was thinking, if we really find the Great Square Pot and send it to the inland battlefield, the Sandstorm Season in the Pantuo Desert would become a thing of the past, wouldn't it?"

"Certainly. Isn't that a good thing? The Pantuo Wilderness might appear barren, but it's actually rich in resources. Otherwise, the allied forces wouldn't have fought so desperately for Pantuo City back then. If it allowed us passage, Thousand Pines Prefecture wouldn't be so poor." At this point, He Lingchuan noticed He Chunhua's expression and quickly paused. "What, did I say something wrong?"

"You're right about everything, but I still believe the Pantuo Desert is best left as it is."

He Lingchuan asked, puzzled, "Why?" Who would prefer to guard a barren, temperamental desert?

"The Pantuo Desert is an obstacle, a disaster, and unpredictable, but it also serves as a safeguard. The Great Kite Kingdom is no longer as powerful as it once was. If this layer of protection were removed, the consequences would be hard to predict."

"What kind of safeguard is the Pantuo Desert?" He Lingchuan secretly admired County Governor He's astute thinking, but outwardly, he chuckled, "If we can retrieve the Pot, our whole family will move to the capital. Why would we care about the wretched Pantuo Desert then? Whether it rains or storms here, it won't concern us anymore."

This line of reasoning indeed suited He Lingchuan's original persona. County Governor He looked at him and smiled. "You truly understand the way of an official."

Regardless of promotion, the troubles would fall to the next local official. He could simply pat his rear and leave. As his eldest son said, why worry about others?

If the sky fell, someone else would always bear the burden.

In fact, He Lingchuan understood immediately. The Pantuo Desert served as a buffer zone among several major powers. Anyone attempting to cross it to attack the Kite Kingdom would face considerable difficulty. Furthermore, the Sandstorm Season, lasting for almost half a year, was practically a nightmare for any expeditionary force. During this period, unless an army could sustain itself through plunder and the looted supplies were sufficient, their logistical support would be entirely cut off.